The first-ever “Word by Word” awards were presented by A Way With Words co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett as part of a sold-out celebration at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
To celebrate its tenth year of independent production, eight San Diegans were recognized October 5, 2017, for their roles in promoting literacy and dialogue.
The honorees included:
- Dr. John Carson, retired cardiologist
- Dr. Allen Chan, chiropractor and CEO of Jasmine Seafood Restaurant
- Mario Conte, J.D., distinguished practitioner with the California Western School of Law
- Jeff Light, publisher and editor in chief of The San Diego Union-Tribune
- Cindy Marten, Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District
- Kathlyn Mead, CEO of The San Diego Foundation
- Rob Ray, Special Collections Division, San Diego State University
- Dr. Shirley Weber, Assembly Member, 79th District.
Special videos featuring each of the honorees were shown to the crowd to great enthusiasm. The full videos can be seen here.
The event included a presentation by Barnette and Barrett. The two have co-hosted the public radio program together since 2006 but, with producer Stefanie Levine, took over production of the show from KPBS-FM in 2007.
Proceeds from the event benefited the educational nonprofit, Wayword, Inc., that produces A Way with Words.
Sponsors of “Word by Word” included the Dr. Seuss Foundation, Front Porch Communities, Grossmont-Cuyumaca Community College District, KPBS, La Jolla Country Day School, Laura Galinson, Musick Davison, Lounsbery Ferguson Altona & Peak, Point Loma Nazarene University, Procopio, San Diego Community College District, San Diego State University, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Wild Thyme Catering.
The Friends of A Way with Words committee, which organized the event, includes Martha Barnette, Jack Beresford, Dr. Constance Carroll (co-chair), Ignacio De La Torre, Rosemary Downing-Espinal, Joan Houston Hall, Margaret Lamb, Ken Lounsbery, Dr. Cindy L. Miles, Eleanor Musick, Betty Peabody, Liz Anne Potamianos, Rana Sampson, and Betty Willis (co-chair).
