Award for Distinguished Service

The Award of Distinguished Service recognizes significant contributions by individuals to the Canadian museum sector throughout the course of their careers. This year we are fortunate to honour four outstanding individuals.

Marven E. Moore

Marven E. Moore has been an integral partner to museums in Atlantic Canada throughout his more than 30-year career. For most of his career, Mr. Moore was at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, starting as an assistant curator and eventually retiring as the Director of the museum in 2008. On a national level, Mr. Moore was the Nova Scotia representative on the definitive CMA Ethical Guidelines. He also worked with the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) to develop a specialized classification system now used in Canadian maritime museums.

Of note, Mr. Moore led the team that established the Nova Scotia Collection Management Policy aimed at collection preservation, documentation, and development. Mr. Moore has been a passionate, resourceful, and well-respected team leader in Atlantic Canada and he continues to enrich the museum sector with his knowledge and heart. Not one to let retirement mark an end to his service to the sector, he continues to volunteer as a heritage consultant and researcher.

"Winning the award is great honour. It makes me reflect upon the wonderful opportunities afforded to me by the provincial museum systems of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. As invigorating as my early museum summer jobs were, I confess not being certain it would become a lengthy career. Throughout I greatly appreciated the guidance and expertise provided by the many people who shared their enthusiasm and experience in heritage preservation and museology. As a means of ‘paying it forward’, if you will, I continue to be involved with museums and heritage organizations where my expertise may be beneficial. Museums have invariably operate under resource constraints. To ensure their continued viability it is important that individuals who have knowledge and expertise step forward as volunteers. This award validates my efforts."

Kirstin Evenden

"Kirstin Evenden has made significant contributions nationally and internationally to the museum sector. Early in the evolution of Digital Museums Canada (formerly the Virtual Museum of Canada), she was part of two national digital exhibition teams that created international websites featuring Canadian content. Among other important contributions to cultural diplomacy, she represented Canada at the Canada-China Digital Heritage Symposium on behalf of the CMA and the Department of Canadian Heritage, gave the presentation: Digital Heritage and First Nations Cultures at Glenbow.

Kirstin has also been a strong advocate for Canadian museums, participating in several advocacy days on Parliament Hill as a member of the Canadian Museums Association Board. She was a member of the VMC Editorial Board and now the CHIN Digital Advisory Committee. In 2020, Lougheed House National and Provincial Historic Site, where she currently serves as Executive Director, won the AMA’s Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility in museums for its responsiveness to the diverse communities it serves. Affectionately dubbed the “museum geek” by her colleagues, Ms. Evenden is constantly supporting new museum initiatives aimed at expanding the museum sector and ensuring museums continue to evolve for their communities."

"Thank you to the Canadian Museums Association Membership and Awards Committee and to my nominators for this honour. After 28 years in the field, I am delighted to be recognized by my museum peers. Working in museums for me has always been about active learning — from our audiences, our communities, the collections we care for, and each other. I am eager to keep doing so, and to be part of a sector that challenges our complex Canadian history and culture to better reflect our communities now and grow the potential of what museums can be for everyone."

Maurice D. Smith

Since 1978, Maurice D. Smith has devoted his professional life to the development and curation of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. In his earlier life he served in sail on the Lakes and at Sea. Many of the collections; artifacts, archival, bibliographic, and pictorial are designated as Canadian Cultural Property. Over his career, Mr. Smith served as the president of the Ontario Museum Association, the Kingston Historical Society and the Canadian Nautical Research Society. Mr. Smith also served as the Canadian representative on the Council of the International Congress of Maritime Museums. Throughout his long and distinguished career, Maurice strived for continued scholarship and preservation of maritime history in Canada.

Among Mr. Smith’s projects was the acquisition of the former Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker Alexander Henry and the development of a representative watercraft collection. In partnership with Queen’s University, Mr. Smith helped develop “MARHST-L” an international electronic discussion group designed to connect and promote communication between those with a serious interest in maritime museums and maritime history. He sees the museum, as a knowledge based institution, collaborative in its operation with a remarkable Board, staff and a volunteer led membership of over 600. Friendships continue.

"In a life long lived the Canadian Museum Association Award is accepted with gratitude and with many friends well remembered. I was recruited as a project manager to undertake the development of the Shipyard Building evolving into Executive Director/Curator 1978-2002. The Award has probably added a few more years to my life and for that, Ruth and family are grateful – as am I."

Teresita McCarthy

Teresita McCarthy has been a staunch fighter for the museum sector in her roles as an educator and a volunteer. Over the course of 30 years, Ms. McCarthy has served as the president of the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and was a founding member of the Bell Island Heritage Society. Ms. McCarthy has been a champion of the heritage sector in her home province, fighting to preserve the culture and history of small museums.

Nationally, Ms. McCarthy has been a strong advocate for community museums on the national stage, participating in CMA Hill Days and by participating in countless boards, committees, conferences, workshops and other museum sector events.

"I am humbled and honored to have been selected to receive the 2021 CMA Award of Distinguished Service. To be counted among the incredible recipients who have preceded me, is more than I ever could have imagined possible. I did not win this award on my own. My success is possible because good people who were committed to our heritage and culture allowed me to stand on their shoulders. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my husband Des and our children Shannon (Robin), Gavin (Amy) along with our granddaughters, Tessa and Tori. They inspire me every day."