Mary H. Berlow of Buffalo, Volunteer Recognition Medal

Mary H. Berlow and her husband, Sheldon, are well-known throughout the Western New York community as leaders who routinely volunteer and financially support many worthwhile organizations. What people may not know about, however, is Berlow's important contribution to UB's Anderson Gallery Martha Jackson Oral History Project.

She spent countless hours over a five-year period interviewing surviving artists, colleagues, family and friends of Martha Jackson, mother of the gallery's namesake, David Anderson, and one of eight art dealers recognized at the turn of the century for influencing the popularity of modern art. Berlow was also instrumental in developing the project plan, hiring a professional consultant and training staff, museum interns and volunteers, using her own funds to cover travel expenses to conduct these interviews. Her efforts culminated in the Anderson Gallery's implementation of the Martha Jackson Oral History project, which has become an integral and unique part of the Martha Jackson Archives and an invaluable academic resource for our students, faculty, scholars and the public, locally and around the world.