WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A woman dedicated to education and the children of Worcester has been named recipient of this year’s Harvey Ball Smile Award.
Patty Eppinger will be honored at a formal ceremony in October.
The award is named after Worcester native Harvey Ball, the creator of the ubiquitous yellow Smiley Face. It is presented annually by the Worcester Historical Museum to an individual or organization that has made a positive impact in the city.
Eppinger is a founding member of Worcester Reads and the Worcester Education Collaborative. She is a trustee at the EcoTarium, and is on the team developing a new strategic plan for Worcester’s public schools.
Ball, who died in 2001 at age 79, designed the Smiley Face in 1963 to help ease the acrimonious aftermath when two insurance companies merged.
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