Anita B. Gorman, one of LINC’s founding commissioners, was honored this month as the 2021 recipient of the Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service Award at the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Woodneath Library Center in Kansas City.

Gorman for more than 50 years has been a champion for beautiful cities, community service and nature conservation, especially in the education of children.

She was the first woman appointed to the Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commission, worked to expand the Kansas City Zoo and served on the Missouri Conservation Commission. The midtown educational conservation center she helped establish is named The Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center.

The award is sponsored by the Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service & Leadership Foundation, Liberty Missouri Stake, Mid-Continent Public Library, and the Clay County Millennium Historical Board.

The award recognizes outstanding individuals who continue the legacy of Doniphan, a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who was known for noble service, honorable character, community leadership and a commitment to education.