Cincinnatus Association honors community champions at 10th annual Spencer awards

The Cincinnatus Association presented the 10th Annual Donald and Marian Spencer “Spirit of America” Awards on May 20 to honor five Cincinnati-area nonprofits and businesses working to better the community. Honorees included ArtWorks, Cincinnati Children’s, Cincinnati Works, Found House IHN and Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank. Nearly 400 people participated in the celebration.

The award program held at the Hyatt Regency in Cincinnati honored the legacy of UC alumni, Marian and Donald Spencer. The Cincinnati Herald covered the event which also recognized the achievements of the most recent recipients of the Marian Spencer Scholarship program at the University of Cincinnati. The award for high-achieving graduates of Cincinnati Public School honors the work of a UC alumna.

The scholarship provides full tuition, room and board at UC. It was made possible by an investment of $6 million thanks to a gift from UC alumnus and venture capitalist Jim Goetz and university matching funds. Each year 10 CPS are awarded the scholarship.

Marian Spencer (‘42) was known for fighting to integrate Coney Island amusement park so her children could swim in the pool. She also was the first Black  president of the Woman’s City Club of Cincinnati and the first Black member of Cincinnati City Council. Donald Spencer ('36) was the first African American on the Cincinnati Park Board, the first Black broker on the Cincinnati Board of Realtors and the first Black trustee at Ohio University.

“When reading the nominations we receive each year for the Spencer Awards, the outstanding work being done by so many organizations in our community to improve the lives of our citizens is an inspiration to us all,” explains Susan Noonan, chair of the Spencer Dinner Committee. “Cincinnatus has this unique opportunity to recognize and share with you the efforts of our honorees to help those in need achieve their ‘Cincinnati Dream.’”

A former board of trustees member at UC, Marian Spencer later donated 80 years of Cincinnati civil rights history to the university in forms including music and official memoranda to comprise the Marian and Donald Spencer Collection.

As a Black student in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Marian Spencer wasn't permitted to live in a dorm on UC’s campus. Today, there is a residence hall that bears her name, opened in 2018. The Marian Spencer Scholars form a living-learning community housed together in the residence hall.

Read about the awards program in The Cincinnati Herald online.

Learn more about the Marian Spencer Scholarship program at UC.

Feature top image: Harsh Minhas (center left) and Oliver Tiani Vessah (center right) were both surprised at Withrow University High School with a full ride to UC. Photo/Kallista Edwards/UC Marketing + Brand