Friends of Catholic Education, Inc. recently honored Michael J. McGowan as this year’s recipient of the Father John McElroy Award.

The organization gives the award annually to a person whose actions or accomplishments have advanced Catholic school education.

In its November alumni newsletter, the Notre Dame Club of Maryland said:

“The people of Frederick are fortunate to have had Father McElroy’s strong and dedicated spiritual and educational leadership. They are also fortunate to have Michael J. McGowan, a Notre Dame graduate, whose actions and achievements have and continue to have substantially advanced Catholic school education here.”

McGowan said he was humbled “to join such an august group of previous honorees. I will commit myself to being worthy going forward of having received such an honor.”

McGowan’s service to the Catholic school community is extensive. He served on the Friends of Catholic Education Board of Trustees for more than 15 years and played a role in the fundraising efforts to build the new St. John Regional Catholic School, which opened its doors in 2005.

He said he enjoys supporting Friends of Catholic Education as a charitable organization because he is a product of Catholic education, as is his wife Rita.

“I wanted to help provide that opportunity to all who seek it in Frederick County,” McGowan said.

Since its incorporation in 1989 as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, Friends of Catholic Education has committed more than $4 million in financial support to scholarships, tuition assistance grants, capital improvement grants and tuition assistance credits, McGowan said.

Following a long career in the United States Marine Corps, McGowan joined the private sector and is currently a wealth manager adviser for Merrill Lynch in Frederick. He is also a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek.

“When it was time to pick a place to settle and sink roots, my wife, Rita, and I chose Frederick” — a place he had come to know in the line of duty in the military, McGowan said.

“I used to drive up Route 15 through Frederick and thought what a beautiful part of the world this is.”

Frederick is special, McGowan said.

“I feel very much at home here,” he said. “We’ve lived here for 20 years, and it’s a great place to raise kids. It has a nice combination of history, scenic vistas, farms and business, and is characterized by progress in the good sense of the term.”

People are friendly and you can’t walk in downtown Frederick without running into someone you know, so you have to be on your best behavior at all times, McGowan said.

McGowan enjoys an active life.

“I have to be in the hunt,” he said. “I need to be doing something productive and be involved in the community. It’s in my DNA. I enjoy my work and community activities.”

McGowan ended his military service as a colonel in the Marine Corps with a number of commendations, including, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V,” Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

McGowan’s favorite quote is: “Inch by inch is a cinch, yard by yard is hard.”

Another quote, by Winston Churchill is: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., McGowan received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, summa cum laude, from Long Island University and a masters degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame.

McGowan and his wife, the former Rita Quinn of Erie, Pa., have five children.