meritorious

あのヨーヨー・マ氏が，アメリカ人なら知らない人はいない子ども向け番組の司会者 フレッド・ロジャースを称えるために設立されたセンターの１０周年記念を祝うために創設された賞の第一回目の受賞者となりました。さもありなんです。

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma to receive 1st Fred Rogers award

LATROBE, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will receive the first Fred Rogers Legacy Award, which is named for the creator and late host of the television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

Ma became friends with Rogers after twice being a guest on Rogers' Public Broadcasting Service show, and Rogers' widow, Joanne, a concert pianist, chose Ma for the inaugural award.

The award will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media. It was established after Rogers died of stomach cancer in 2003 at age 74.

Karen Strubel Myers, the center's director of development, said the award recognizes meritorious and charitable work. It will not necessarily be awarded annually.

Ma is being honored for work including his Silk Road Project, which promotes cultural and artistic studies linked to the Asian trade route of the same name.

Ma, a 15-time Grammy winner and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, will give a recital after accepting the award May 23.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/features/news/20140408p2g00m0et019000c.html

meritoriousは当然，meritの形容詞ですね。meritと聞くと，メリット，デメリットというカタカナの影響からか日本人は「利点，長所」の意味の方を先に覚えてしまうようですが，meritにはもうひとつ「称賛に値する価値，功績」（"deserving reward or praise"）という意味があります（cf. meritocracy）。（UG）