Northern Michigan University alumna and longtime university supporter Nancy Wiseman Seminoff ’63 BS has received the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Founders Medal Award, Mary Smith Lockwood Medal for Education, for her work to enhance literacy throughout Michigan.
“As founder and leader of the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan, Nancy has turned her belief in the power of literacy into meaningful action,” said Dawn Brady, DAR of Michigan state regent. “Her leadership has helped provide free books to preschool children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, expanded access to books in rural libraries, supported scholarships for future educators, and created innovative literacy programs that reach children, families and older adults.
“Her vision has also connected literacy with health and community well-being—from oral health literacy programs reaching hundreds of elementary students to initiatives encouraging young people to explore rural health careers.”
Lockwood, one of DAR’s founders, was the society’s first historian and an author. Her namesake medal honors an individual who has demonstrated exemplary achievement through service and leadership in promoting education outside the formal educational process. The Founders Medals, established in 1995, recognize citizens who have given unselfishly to their community, state or nation.
In 2006, Seminoff founded the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan, which has supported a variety of literacy-related initiatives in Michigan, distributing more than 75 grants to support literacy for more than 11,000 individuals in Michigan.
The fund also partners with The Dollywood Foundation to offer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) in six communities within Marquette and Alger counties. DPIL distributes 3.1 million children’s books on a monthly basis nationally and internationally, from birth to age five, with no cost, obligation or income requirements.
In 2025, over 570 children in the Marquette area were served by the Imagination Library program, according to the fund’s most recent annual report.
Seminoff also helped establish “March is Reading Month in Michigan” while the president of the Michigan Reading Association 40 years ago.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the Mary Smith Lockwood Medal for Education,” Seminoff said. “Throughout my life, I have learned that education is not simply about what we know, but how we use what we learn to serve others, create opportunities for further learning and better understand one another. I hope this recognition encourages others to keep learning, value the contributions of those around them, and use their own gifts to make a difference.”
Seminoff has also long been a dedicated supporter of NMU, establishing three funds that have helped expand scholarship opportunities for students and strengthen the university’s Center for Rural Health through the Oral Health Literacy Project and the National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. Through this philanthropic support, Seminoff has invested in both student success and initiatives that address the health care needs of rural communities.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history and securing America’s future through better education for children.
For information about NSDAR go to www.dar.org or www.michdar.org.