MOUNT VERNON, Virginia – On George Washington’s 293rd birthday, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) honored Mount Vernon, Ohio, resident Karen Buchwald Wright with its esteemed Ann Pamela Cunningham Medal.
The Cunningham Medal is named after the MVLA’s founder, Ann Pamela Cunningham, and recognizes exceptional long-term contributions to Mount Vernon – in time, talent, and resources, or a combination thereof.
Founded in 1853, the MVLA is the oldest historic preservation organization in the country and the first women’s patriotic association. The MVLA is dedicated to protecting and preserving George Washington’s Mount Vernon home and educating the world about the nation’s first president’s life, leadership, and character.
“Karen Buchwald Wright embodies a unique story of patriotic commitment,” said Anne Neal Petri, regent of the Association. “Born on the Fourth of July and residing in Mount Vernon, Ohio, it was perhaps foreordained that Karen would dedicate her time, resources, and talent to advancing George Washington and his home on the Potomac. The American people are the beneficiaries.”
Wright received the award at a gala Washington birthday dinner that included a toast to George Washington and a shout-out to Wright from Washington himself.
Read the tribute to Wright and her response.
Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the MVLA. The estate is open to visitors and includes the mansion, a museum and education center, gardens, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, a Slave Memorial and African-American burial ground, a working farm, a functioning distillery, and a gristmill.
It also includes the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.
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