2023 Citizen of the Year

2023 Honoree: Karen Simpson

Karen Simpson left her home state of Rhode Island to attend Colby College, but it was canoe trips and hikes up Mt. Katahdin that helped her fall in love with Maine. She later lived in Providence and Boston, but when her husband Jim was offered a job with Cable Educational TV, Karen and her family settled in Hallowell.

Karen began her teaching career at Hall-Dale Elementary School. After Karen retired she completed the Maine Master Gardener and the Maine Master Naturalist programs, which require participants to volunteer their time and expertise for the community. Once she “inherited” the Crane Garden in Hallowell’s Granite City Park, Karen added plants that are pollinator friendly and native to Maine.

If she is not working in a garden, Karen is probably volunteering her time with the Hallowell Recycling Committee, the Hallowell Conservation Commission, or the Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead. The 2023 Citizen of the Year may not be hiking up the Great Mountain anymore, but the outdoors definitely still keep her busy.