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The Utah Democratic Party will award its annual Eleanor Roosevelt Award to Megan Holbrook at a luncheon next month.
The award, according to the party, is given to a woman who "exemplifies the high standards and shares the compassionate philosophies of our former first lady." The award is in its 18th year and previous winners have included Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, and former U.S. Rep. Karen Shepherd.
Holbrook served as the first woman elected by either party to be a state chairwoman in 1997 and she held that title through 2003. She also served under Gov. Olene Walker on the Utah State Board of Regents and under Gov. Jon Huntsman on the Utah State Transportation Commission.
Nationally, she was on the Clinton-Gore Steering Committee for the West and was a Utah Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1996. In 2000, she chaired the Utah delegation at the convention in Los Angeles. She was also appointed by President Bill Clinton to The President's Advisory Committee on the Arts as well as to represent Utah at the 75th anniversary of the woman's suffrage movement.
In a statement released by the party, former Vice Chair Fae Beck said Holbrook spends "almost as much time at the legislative sessions as do elected office holders."
"She lobbied long and hard for the party when she was state chair and continues as a knowledgeable asset to Democratic elected officials and others who seek her help," Beck said.
The ceremony will be held at the Little America Hotel on Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.