Mai Bell Hurley will be honored tonight by ArtsBuild with the 2015 Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award for her contributions to the arts in Chattanooga and her years-long engagement in the cultural life of the community.
It's certainly deserving, but she might have earned the honor in any number of areas of public engagement (and, indeed, has many such awards in her name). Because in most of those areas over the last 40-plus years in the city where she was raised, she's been there.
As to the arts, Hurley was a founding member of Allied Arts (precursor to ArtsBuild), was the chairwoman of its board and chaired its fundraising campaign twice. She also has been chairwoman of the Tennessee Arts Commission and chairwoman of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera.
More recently, she was a member of the Chattanooga City Council for 11 years -- indeed was the first woman elected -- and was the council's first chairwoman.
Years before, as chairwoman of Chattanooga Venture, she helped guide the city into its renaissance as plans for the likes of the Tennessee Aquarium, Coolidge Park expansion and the Riverwalk were developed.
Hurley also was the first chairwoman of the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults (then Family and Children's Services of Chattanooga) and the first woman to chair the United Way of Greater Chattanoogas annual fundraising campaign and its board.
Elsewhere, she has chaired the boards of Girls Preparatory School, the then-Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library and the Fortwood Center. She also was the first woman to chair the administration board of her church, First-Centenary United Methodist.
Thanks, Mai Bell Hurley, for years of such devoted public service.