Before her death in 2018, Kathryn Norton dedicated more than 30 years of service to the College of Charleston, with the majority of those years as the director of operations for the School of the Arts. During her time on the staff, Norton oversaw the school’s main facilities, always working to ensure that its programs operated smoothly. She also worked with groups such as Spoleto Festival USA, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, the Guitar Foundation of America and many others as they used the school’s performance venues, conducted auditions or convened conferences. In addition, she served on campus committees to help coordinate commencement and other large-scale events. She was, in every aspect of her life, someone who led through service and volunteerism.
“Words cannot properly express our gratitude for Kathryn’s efforts over the years,” says School of the Arts Dean Valerie Morris. “To honor Kathryn for her ongoing dedication, we created the Kathryn Norton Award for Service to recognize a student who has provided excellent service for others just as Kathryn sought to do in her work.”
The Kathryn Norton Award for Service is given to a graduating senior in the School of the Arts who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, service and volunteer skills while at the College in ways that have contributed to the broader College of Charleston community. For the most recent academic year, the recipient was Anna Marie Shuldt ‘19, a graduate of both the studio art department and the art and architectural history department.
Shuldt “has always been eager to step up when asked to speak to potential students, participate in Accepted Students Weekend, set up and clean up after our various receptions and other events – or anything one might ask,” says art and architectural history chair Mary Beth Heston, who nominated Shuldt. “We have all witnessed the many ways she has reached out to fellow students – befriending an international student in my class and helping her with notes and preparing for exams, always helping other students in the preservation studio while completing excellent work and taking special interest in social justice issues.” — Nandini McCauley