Very few individuals have extended their contributions to the cultural and social lives of their communities in Wales to Welsh American life as Edward Morus Jones has done. By now, he is a familiar presence and contributor at our gatherings, particularly at the North American Festival of Wales and in Philadelphia.

The North America Wales Foundation is particularly pleased that he has accepted an invitation to receive our Foundation’s highest honor, its Heritage Medallion – Y Tlws Treftadaeth. In one of his many internet citations, he is described as a folk singer, school headmaster, campaigner, and political candidate. That only begins to describe this gentle, kind person whose personal warmth makes him no stranger to anyone he meets. He is a universally admired Welsh American.

Edward Morus Jones is a farmer’s son born in Llanuwchlyn, near Bala in Meirionnydd. He discovered his passion as an educator early in life. His activities as a teacher spans many years at schools and institutes of higher education in several locations in both North and South Wales. Beyond his leadership in formal education Edward’s passion and talents as a musician and sublime communicator has led to a career of entertaining, performing on-stage and in radio and television programs. He and his good friend Dafydd Iwan, look back affectionately at their contribution to children’s music with the songs recorded for the “Cwm Rhyd y Rhosen” series. He has conducted many Cymanfaoedd Canu over the years. Today, Edward stays busy in his church, as an ecumenical preacher in Welsh language chapels around Wales, and as the current chair of the annual Llandegfan Crown Eisteddfod. He extends his extensive social and cultural commitments to his community in Sir Fon where he has lived for many years. An example is a wonderful video of his leading the children at the local Henblas School, “Canu Gyda Mr. Edward Morus Jones,” to be seen at https://www.flickr.com › photos ›. And yes, that’s the same guy who leads the late night singing at NAFOW. He is a President of the Court of the Sir Fon Eisteddfod and was an honorary President of the National Eisteddfod held in Sir Fon in 2017. There is so much more to tell, we must at least mention his long-time leadership of the Urdd and Cymru a’r Byd (Wales International).

Edward and his late wife Gwyneth, who also contributed much to Welsh cultural and educational life, received a unique recognition at the National Eisteddfod at Meifod in 2003. This is the only time that a husband and wife have been invested on the same day with the White Robe Order of the Gorsedd of Bards, its highest honor.
You may ask how did Edward, so busy in Welsh life, come to be a familiar and active part of Welsh life in North America. It began in 1984 with Edward and Gwyneth’s participation in the first of many Welsh Heritage Week courses (the most recent in Scranton in 2021), as language tutors, hymn-singing leader- conductor, folk-music tutor and light-hearted poetry-literature adjudicator! As Edward in his modest way says “It helps strengthen the Welsh Heritage Week link with Wales where it visits every few years”

Edward (with Gwyneth until 2012) has participated in ten North American Festivals of Wales (NAFOW). He has contributed in many different ways. Among them he has conducted the informal hymn-singing, performed in the Noson Lawen, (NAWF director Steve Jones has happy memories of their duets), adjudicated at NAFOW Eisteddfodau, conducted Cymanfa rehearsals, participated in the ‘Sunday Services’ and given lectures. Recently he has co-operated with NAFOW to arrange a ‘Song from Wales’ competition for children at St David’s Day time. 2023 will be its third year! Edward is now serving his second term as the Welsh North American Association Board of Trustees member from Wales. These are some examples of how he brings his talents and deep love of his culture to us in North America.

When we go to Wales the warmest greeting for Welsh Americans visiting the National Eisteddfod come from the booth of Cymru a’r Byd. Edward has been a leader of this organization for nearly half a century, serving it in many capacities over the years. His welcome has always made us feel at home away from home. Now that we have our own booth, namely Cymru Gogledd America, no need to ask who we wanted our booth to be sited next to. Edward is always among the first to come to say hello and help out with the logistics.

The transatlantic link in Edward’s life has been greatly enhanced by his marriage to Mary Roberts Glassman in 2016. She has 1600’s Quaker roots in Wales, only ten miles from where Edward grew up! Born of a long-standing family friendship and the loss of their respective spouses this has brought great happiness to them with joy and admiration to their large circle of friends on both sides of the Atlantic. Another good reason why Edward receives his award in Mary’s home city.

Dr. Philip Davies is presented the Robert Morris Award by the Welsh Society of Philadelphia.

With a strong and distinguished Welsh population, the Welsh Society of Philadelphia continued to meet and to assist needy Welsh immigrants throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
More recently, the Welsh Society has led the way among Welsh American organizations in cultural, philanthropic, and educational programs.
The prestigious Robert Morris Award is presented to a distinguished Welsh-American at the Society’s St. David’s Day banquet.

Lloyd Jones Award

• Elliot Goddard is an Industrial Design student from Bangor University. He is designing and manufacturing a sea kayaking wing paddle specific to the ‘Rockpool Taran’ Kayak, that must be robust and reasonably priced.
  

 

• Lois Gwenllian Griffiths is a Product Design student from Bangor University. She is working to expand The Calendar King product/service range into app design to help Firecracker Design and Print keep up with increasing competition.
  

 
Grants

• Peniel Welsh Chapel Association in Ripon, Wisconsin, will receive a full grant of $1000 to be used towards the cost of exterior renovations to the building.
  
• Mari Morgan will receive a full grant award of $1000 towards publication of her PhD thesis on Welsh-American composers Daniel Prothero and Joseph Parry. The work is titled Braids of Song ~ Gwead y Gan and is to be released in the United States. This award is contingent upon the acquisition of additional funding towards publication costs.
  

Exchange Scholarship

• Brooke Martin will receive the $5000 award to continue her PhD studies on Welsh opera at Bangor University. She has recently made great progress and new discoveries in the area of Welsh musicology, uncovering several Welsh and Welsh-American composers whose music output had not been uncovered.
  
• Andrew Edwards will receive a $5000 award to continue his studies in Welsh at Bangor University. He will begin writing his BA dissertation on the abolitionists of German and Welsh communities in America before and during the Civil War and the radical beliefs of both groups expressed in the German and Welsh newspapers of the time.
  

Annwyl gyfeillion,
Dwi mor ffodus i gyfrif fy hun ymysg y myfyrwyr sy wedi profi eich haelioni, dwi'n hynod ddiolchgar a balch iawn i wedi cael fy nerbyn fel aelod o deulu NAWF am y tair blynedd dwytha.

Gobeithio eich bod chi'n cadw'n ddiogel ac yn iach yn ystod y cyfnod rhyfedd yma a gobeithio bydda i'n cael cyfarfod bob un ohonoch yn y dyfodol. (hwyrach erbyn y 'Steddfod flwyddyn nesa)

Dwi'n atodi llun o lond dwrn o ffrindia hyfryd dwi 'di cael y fraint i'w dod i nabod yn ystod fy mlynyddoedd yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys aelod arall teulu NAWF, sef Rebecca Fox Blok. Yn anffodus, torrodd y pandemig ar draws ein hamser ni a'n cynlluniau gwanwynol, ond roedd hi'n hynod werthfawr cael eich cefnogaeth yn ystod y misoedd llawn ofn.

Diolch yn fawr unwaith eto am yr ysgoloriaeth (olaf!), fydd yn help mawr imi drwy gydol fy mlwyddyn olaf ar y cwrs, gan nad oeddwn i'n gallu gweithio'n ôl yn y sba dros yr haf 'ma. Wir ichi, mae'n fendith a fydd yn sicrhau bydda i'n gallu cwblhau fy mlwyddyn olaf.  Diolch o waelod calon!

I'm so thankful to count myself a member of the NAWF family, as I truly have been made to feel as such over the scary and uncertain initial months of the Covid-pandemic, when I was far away from my home and family. I can't express my gratitude for your continued support and humbling generosity. 

I hope you're all staying well and safe during these uncertain times and hopefully I'll be able to see all of you sometime in the future - perhaps next year's Eisteddfod!

I've attached a picture of some of my lovely friends who I've been privileged to get to know and love during my stay in Wales, including another member of the NAWF family, Rebecca Fox Blok. Alas, the pandemic cut short our time together and plans for the spring, but it was incredibly appreciated having your support during the fearful months.

Thanks so much for the scholarship (final!), it will be such a help to me as I wasn't able to go back to work at the spa this summer like usual; truly it is a blessing as it allows to go back to complete my final year.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Cofion cynnes,
Kindest regards,
Andrew