Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus Honored By "First Citizen" Award 3-10-09

This morning, Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus was honored by his colleagues in the Senate with the presentation of the "First Citizen" award.  Recipients of the award are kept confidential until announced on the Senate floor during the award's presentation. 

Surrounded by members of his family, Stoltzfus stood at the President's rostrum and expressed his appreciation for the award which recognizes his distinguished service to the citizens of Maryland as a legislator in the Maryland Senate. 

Senator Stoltzfus was one of three Senators honored this year.  His colleagues, Senator Norman R. Stone, Jr., and Senator Nathaniel J. McFadden were also recognized during the 2009 Session.

The text of the award says best what it means to be a First Citizen:

"First Citizen is the name that Charles Carroll of Carrollton chose to sign a series of articles published by Ann Catherine Green in the Annapolis Maryland Gazette in 1773.  They form a strong defense of an independent legislature and were among the earliest arguments for a new concept of government based upon traditional community rights and liberties that protected its citizens from arbitrary rule.  At the time, Carroll, as a Roman Catholic, could neither vote nor hold public office. With the publication of these articles, Carroll launched a career of public service that would not end until his death at the age of 95 in 1832.  In addition to helping draft Maryland's first Constitution and signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Carroll served as President of the Maryland Senate, of which he was a member from 1777 to 1800,  and as one of the first United States Senators from Maryland (1789-1792).  To be a First Citizen is to be a dedicated and effective participant in the process of making government work for the benefit of all."