PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (January 19, 2011) – Wilson H. Parran, past president of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) and of the Calvert County Board of Commissioners, was honored at the MACo Winter Conference on January 6 as the 2011 recipient of the Marilyn J. Praisner Public Service Award.
The honor was established in memory of MACo past president and former Montgomery County council member Marilyn J. Praisner. Living present or former county elected officials are eligible for the award and it is given to an individual recognized by a county elected board for outstanding service to his or her constituents.
In his acceptance speech, Parran expressed gratitude for the honor. “As public servants, we are charged to demonstrate care, concern and compassion for the people we serve,” he said. “So long as we come to the task from that humble perspective, I believe we carry forth the spirit of Marilyn J. Praisner. She was a tireless advocate for public service, an extraordinary person and someone whom I have endeavored to emulate in my own public service. I hope opportunities continue to come my way that will allow me to live up to the ideals Marilyn encouraged in us all and which are celebrated through this award that bears her name.”
Parran served on the Calvert County Board of Commissioners for eight years, most recently as its president. Throughout his career, he has been a tireless advocate for civic and organizational groups including the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Concerned Black Men of Calvert County and Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park Museum.
He served on the Calvert County Board of Education for six years and the Maryland State Board of Education for five years, including serving as its president in 1989. He is a member of the NAACP, the Friends of Wolf Trap Foundation and a graduate of both Leadership Maryland ’99 and Leadership Southern Maryland ’09. He was inaugurated on January 13, 2009, as president of MACO and was selected for the Marilyn J. Praisner Award by the MACo Awards Committee from a slate of nominations submitted by county chief elected officials.
Source: Calvert County Government