Gary J. Arthur worked for the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks for 31 years. He started as Recreation Bureau Chief in 1979 and worked his way up to Director of Recreation and Parks, a position he held until his death in 2010. He was instrumental in building strong community relationships with volunteer sports organizations throughout the county that continue to facilitate the department’s ability to be recognized nationally for sports programming. He was the driving force behind the first County-owned golf course at the Timbers at Troy which opened in 1996. He introduced the use of artificial turf on public park fields, making Howard County the first in the state to do so. Under his leadership, the Meadowbrook Athletic Complex and the Glenwood Community Center (which is now named in his honor) opened and construction on the North Laurel Community Center and the Robinson Nature Center got underway. The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks also earned accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), a recognition that is currently held by fewer than 100 programs in the nation. Gary was a man known for his can-do attitude, and his passion and vision to improve the quality of life for residents is evident today throughout Howard County. 

Bob Falk was the driving force behind the Howard County Youth Hockey Club for many years. Under his leadership, the Howard Huskies became a hallmark of stability not found in most youth hockey organizations. The first Falk child joined the HCYHC program in 1987, and a year later Bob began coaching. For over 13 years he has served the Huskies as coach, team manager, travel team coordinator and a member of the board of directors. For five years he was both president and treasurer of HCYHC. Bob stayed with the organization well after his children finished playing. Although he has retired from an official role in the club, he still volunteers if needed and is always ready to share his advice and ideas.

Paul Goldenberg joined the Howard County Striders in 1984 and almost immediately began to volunteer. In 1985, he was elected to the Board of Directors and 26 years later, he is still on the board. Paul served as president of the Striders for four years and for more than 20 years has been the coordinator of special races, events that have large fields of participants and require sponsors, police support, multitudes of volunteers and significant planning. Paul also established the Striders’ scholar/athlete awards program, which has distributed more than $50,000 to outstanding Howard County high school scholar/athletes.

Jean Hodges has been dedicated for over 30 years to the promotion of health and fitness through the sport of jump rope and her work with the Kangaroo Kids. She has played an instrumental role in elevating the team and the sport to new heights. Because of her hard work, the Kangaroo Kids are well known. In 1985 she coordinated the first Kangaroo Kids Festival, and 26 years later, the festival is still held annually. Jean has organized trips for the Kangaroo Kids to Canada, Australia, Europe and Japan. She also helped create USA Jump Rope, which is the largest jump rope organization in the country and she served as its first president. 

Louise Waxler has been involved in youth soccer since 1985. From 1985-2006, she was director of the Columbia Invitational Soccer Tournament, and built it from a local Memorial Day weekend tournament to a nationally recognized event that attracts 300 teams annually. Louise was executive director of the Soccer Association of Columbia, a 5,000-member youth soccer organization, from 1989-1996. In 1997, she founded Kicks Against Breast Cancer, a women’s intercollegiate charity soccer tournament that benefits the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center. The tournament has raised more than $800,000 since its inception. Louise has been director of soccer programs for the Maryland Soccer Foundation, director of operations and player development for the WPS Washington Freedom and general manager of the WPS Philadelphia Independence.“Louise's love and passion for the game were apparent to all of us who played for the Freedom. She has devoted herself in making the game of soccer and her community better every single day. I truly appreciate everything that Louise has done for me and the game and have the utmost respect for the manner in which she has done it. Congratulations, Louise!” - Mia Hamm, US Women’s National Team Player , FIFA World Player of the Year, 2001 and 2002.