Our Honorees
Marja Wade Barrett
Marja Wade Barrett joined the Covington Rotary Club in 1995, serving as President in 2011.
Marja is the author of the book, Business Manners for Success. Marja taught business etiquette for many years at Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More University, and the University of Cincinnati Business Center and pioneered open subscription business etiquette programs throughout the region.
Marja is a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International and
a Covington Rotary Foundation Ken Harper Award recipient for her significant financial support.
She attended the University of the South Sewanee and the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She was named by the Cincinnati Enquirer as a Woman of the Year in 1999. She served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation. She is active in her church, the Christ Church Cathedral, where she served on Vestry for seven years.
Ray Hebert
Dr. Ray Hebert just completed his 50th year at Thomas More University, having served as Professor of History, Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty, immediate past director of the Gemini Dual Credit Program, Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, among other roles.
Ray has taught or directed 20+ different programs for the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) mostly in England, Australia, and especially Ireland.
He joined the Covington Rotary in 1978 and served as its President in 1984. He is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Ray attended St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH (BA); Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA (MA); and the University of Maryland at College Park, MD (Ph.D.). His book, written in his early years at TMU, is entitled, Florence Nightingale: Saint, Reformer, or Rebel? He is also one of the authors/editors of the TMU Centennial History (2021).
Among his many awards, Ray is an “Albright Award” recipient for Teaching; Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year Award at TMU (twice), the inaugural recipient of the “Dr. Hebert Faculty Service Award and the inagural Dr. Raymond Hebert Distinguished Service Award.
Through his work in the community, Ray received Northern Kentucky Education Council's Lifetime Achievement Award; the Behringer Crawford Museum Two-Headed Calf Award; the Kenton County Fiscal Court’s Pioneer Award; Leader of Distinction recognition from the NKY Chamber of Commerce; and the Newsmaker of the Year Award from the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
Arnold Taylor
Arnold Taylor is a lifelong resident of Northern Kentucky, growing up in Latonia and graduating from Holmes High School. Arnold attended the University of Kentucky (BA) and the University of Kentucky College of Law (JD). He began his career at the law firm of O'Hara and Ruberg and after 52 years of practice retired in 2018 as the Senior Partner of O'Hara, Taylor, Sloan and Sergent.
During the intervening years he served the Kentucky Bar in several capacities.
Arnold joined the Covington Rotary Club in 1978, having served as President in 1983. He serves as Chair of the Rotary District 6740 Youth Exchange Program. Arnold is a Paul Harris Fellow; significantly contributing financially to the Rotary International Foundation. Arnold serves as Chair of the Youth Service Committee.
In 2019 Arnold was named Rotarian of the Year for his service to the Covington Rotary Club and to the youth of Rotary District 6740. Mr. Taylor was instrumental in forming the Covington Rotary Foundation, Inc.
He was a member of the initial Continuing Legal Education Commission and Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Kentucky Judiciary; and on the Kentucky Council on Post Secondary Education. In 2018 he received the Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice's Special Service Award.
Arnold is an active member of the Kenton County Historical Society and serves as the Editor of the Society Bulletin. He has written five books, including a history of the Covington Rotary club.
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