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TOWNSEND — Lindsay Morand was just awarded the 2023 William E. May Endowment Fund Award for the many community service activities she’s involved with locally. But she also has a wider sphere of influence –worldwide, in fact.

That’s thanks to the level of dedication she brings to spreading the beauty she sees inside the artistic works of her great-uncle – E.B. White, the American literary icon and author of “Charlotte’s Web,” “Stuart Little,” and many others.

Townsend school children have, for many years, enjoyed Morand’s readings from “Charlotte’s Web,” and she has traveled the world with it as well. Blessed with a rare collection of White’s letters, photos, books and more, she also formed a company, E.B. White Memorabilia, Inc., in her efforts to share the American literary artifacts with other diehard fans of her great-uncle.

First published in 1952, “Charlotte’s Web” has been translated into 30 languages and Morand has visited classrooms and community centers around the world, reading the book to children and sharing memories of her famous relative.

In a recent visit to Ecuador, Morand read from an abridged version of “Charlotte’s Web” that she’d had printed, with side-by-side pages in Spanish and English, illustrations included. Every child got a free copy to take home.

“They were delighted,” she said.

The family link and the loving lens Morand has focused on E.B. White’s iconic book makes her an ideal spokesperson for its timeless theme. “Charlotte’s Web” is a story about a pig named Wilbur and the spider whose wondrous web-spinning saved his life.

Told from the perspective of a little girl named Fern, the tale tells of a clever spider, Charlotte, whose need to protect her egg sac and unborn offspring was woven into a strategy to save Wilbur from the slaughterhouse, which without her help would have been his fate. The newsworthy web designs she spun into her web featured words that changed everything. “Humble.” “Terrific.” Radiant,” “Some Pig.” Charlotte’s eye-catching webs made Wilbur famous, earning the self-effacing little pig a ribbon at the county fair. And a lifelong reprieve.

Morand said the book embodies a life-affirming message of hope, generosity and the power of love.

Retired but still active, Morand continues to spread the word about her great-uncle and his books.

“He was my grand-dad’s older brother,” she said of E.B. White in a recent interview.

“Charlotte’s Web” was not White’s only contribution to children’s literature. He also wrote “Stuart Little” and “Trumpet of the Swan,” his last book and a favorite of hers, Morand said.

“He wrote it when he was 70,” she said, pinpointing his late-in-life work as a benchmark for her own. Morand’s book, “Charlotte’s Web Travels the World,” is a work in progress she hopes to finish soon.

Now in her 70’s, Morand plans to return to Ecuador and to Africa, she said. Meantime, she’s been busy at home, with a guest spot on a local call-in radio show and appearances on stage in the Shirley Arts musical, “Charlotte’s Web.”

She played three roles, with 37 lines to memorize, she said.

Townsend’s award proclamation lists Morand’s local activities and achievements.

She served as past secretary of the Friends of the Townsend Seniors Board of Trustees, volunteered for the American Red Cross and the Townsend Business Association, chaired the town’s Capital Planning Committee, donated time at the Senior Center reception desk and as a volunteer, delivered Meals on Wheels and shuttled seniors to medical appointments.

Also, Morand has donated blood “more than 100 times” and “demonstrated a notable act of charity and selflessness” by donating a kidney to a friend in need.  Healthy now, the woman attended the award ceremony. Other guests included Bill May and his wife.

Established in 2000, the William E. May award is named for the former Townsend police chief, who grew up in town and chalked up plenty of community service credits of his own, during and after his tenure with the Townsend Police Department, on which he served for 30 years, 21 years as chief.

Retired now and living in New Hampshire, May has retained his ties to the town and has authored books based on his experiences there, including “Billy Boy,” and “Once Upon a Crisis.”

Morand’s award proclamation also noted her many presentations at schools, libraries and other local  venues and recognized her for promoting local organizations, activities and programs that “benefit and improve the lives of citizens of all ages” in the community.

She’d like to do even more, although the project she has in mind would require help from others.

She’d like to display the artifacts her great-uncle left to his brother – her grandfather – who once lived in the 1700’s Townsend farmhouse she lives in now. She’d hoped to erect a new barn on the property as an E.B. White museum/library. But the plan proved too ambitious due to costs and other factors.

Instead, the former Townsend library might be restored for that purpose, she said. Mothballed and used only for storage, she envisions new life for the 100-year old building, with programs, activities and as a destination for school field trips.

The centerpiece – the E.B. White collection – is worth sharing, she said, citing an honor linked to this nation’s history.

“He got the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Morand said of her great-uncle.

The award was to be presented by President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1963 – the year JFK was assassinated. Instead, the medal was presented by Senator Muskie and took place in Maine, where E.B. White lived then.

White bequeathed “thousands of things” to Cornell University, Morand said, where they are painstakingly preserved but not publicly displayed. Hoping her own inherited treasures – including a signed copy of his first book –  find a home where they can be seen, rather than stored in boxes.

Morand thinks the old Townsend library could be the right fit.

“I’ve been to 100 schools…why not bring the buses there for students to see the collection?” she mused.