Harveycutter, Dorsey receive Roanoke College Charles Brown Award

Salem - He is the negotiator behind the city of Salem's role as host of numerous NCAA sports championships.

She is a community force who helped to found and still works with organizations that serve the needy.

Both were honored today as noteworthy Salem residents who have worked hard to make the community better.

Carey Harveycutter and Joan Dorsey each received the Charles Brown Award during a breakfast ceremony at Roanoke College. The award, presented by the College, is given each year to a Salem resident who has contributed significantly, both professionally and civically, to the city's quality of life. It is named for Dr. Charles Brown, the College's first dean and a former mayor of Salem.

Harveycutter began working for the Salem Civic Center in 1968 doing everything from sweeping floors to keeping stats for minor league hockey games. For 25 years, he was director of civic facilities for the civic center. 

Through his work, Harveycutter formed strong relationships with the NCAA. His efforts resulted in Salem hosting more than 70 NCAA sports championships and drawing significant economic gains from these events.

Now, he works part time as director of tourism for Salem, where he manages NCAA events and tourism related initiatives and runs the annual Salem Fair. 

"What Carey has done for all of us is far more than his job title," said Roanoke College President Mike Maxey, during the ceremony.

Harveycutter also serves on the boards of several local groups, and he is a trustee at his church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salem. 

Dorsey, who built a formidable career as a speech pathologist at the Roanoke Valley Speech and Hearing Clinic, is a longtime member of First United Methodist Church in Salem, where she has held many leadership positions and helped to start the Interfaith Hospitality Network. This organization now is Family Promise of Roanoke.

Dorsey also was a major force behind the creation of a local non-profit, called the Salem Area Ecumenical Ministries group. She once served as the group's chairwoman, and now, she's a member of its board. She still manages its Clothes Closet and a Shoe Voucher Fund.

She also is an owner of Russlen Farms Development Co.

During the awards ceremony, Dorsey, a Salem native who raised three boys as a single mother, said she is blessed to be a part of the Salem community.

"I hope for the future that all of us, with faith, will build an even stronger community by reaching out to help others with acts of kindness," she said.

Follow Roanoke College on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For additional information, call the Roanoke College Public Relations Office at (540) 375-2282. 

Published Nov. 7, 2014