Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award

2014 Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award to "Gelo" Hall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Timonium, MD - October 14, 2014)

The Joe Kelly Maryland Million Unsung Hero Award 2014 goes to Howard G. Hall Jr. This award honors the memory of Joe Kelly and is presented by the Board of Directors of the Maryland Million Ltd. The Maryland Million Unsung Hero award celebrates important characteristics that are valuable but often unrewarded. With this award we recognize honesty, hard work and humility - qualities which serve as inspiration to others.

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Inaugural Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award to Holly Robinson

Originally published in Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred magazine, December 2013

The Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award honors someone who worked tirelessly for the good of Maryland racing. Kelly was a journalist and a historian without peer, a mentor for some, a role model for many, an indispensable part of the sport’s fabric for all.

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Holly Robinson Wins Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Timonium, MD – October 14, 2013

Catherine H. Robinson is the winner of the inaugural Joe Kelly Unsung Hero award. Better known as Holly, she has been involved with Thoroughbred horses since she was a teenager and went to work for Mikey Smithwick on his farm in Hydes, Md.

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The Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award

The Maryland Million Ltd. Board of Directors voted recently to give the Unsung Hero Award annually in honor of Joe Kelly.

Joe was the first and only publicist for the Jim McKay Maryland Million Day racing program. As a close friend of founder Jim McKay he was involved from the introduction of the concept in 1985 until his death in 2012. He was a mentor to writers, horsemen and fans alike, and loved our sport from his early days as a sports writer.

Joe Kelly embodied the character of the unsung hero. He was quiet and unassuming, and never sought personal attention or credit, yet was a role model for many. With this award his memory will live on, and be acknowledged annually on Jim McKay Maryland Million Day.

Your unsung hero candidate should embody characteristics that are valuable, but often go unrewarded. He or she should be honest, hardworking and humble. They should inspire and set a good example through their principles and actions.

Click Here to download the Nomination Information and Form

Nominations are due by October 1, 2014. The award winner will be recognized at the Maryland Million Gala on October 17 and be presented with a commemorative plaque on Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, October 18.