Mary Day, the "Grand Dame of Ballet in the Nation's Capital" was a native of Washington. Her vision was to establish in her home city an organization that would be recognized nationally for its standards of quality. The Washington Ballet professional company and The Washington School of Ballet are the culmination of that vision. Miss Day's gift for developing young talent has been recognized throughout the world. The New York Times' Anna Kisselgoff said, "Mary Day of The Washington Ballet must be doing something right. Her former pupils are among the best dancers around...." She was honored for her devotion and dedication to the arts in Washington and received numerous awards including an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Shenandoah Conservatory, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Mount Vernon College, the Mayor's Award, WETA-TV's "Woman of Achievement" Award, the Metropolitan Dance Award, the Cultural Alliance's Founders Award, the first Chautauqua Dance Award of Excellence in Teaching, and the IONA Senior Services Distinguished Award. Miss Day qas been named "Washingtonian of the Year" by Washingtonian Magazine and honored by WGMS Radio, Howard University and the National Theatre Corporation. She passed away in July 2006.