June 03, 2011

History department awards scholarships

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Department of History at Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently honored some of its past students and faculty members by awarding scholarships to some of its current students and recent graduates.

The John Leason Scholarship, established by Marge E. and Arthur J. Leason in memory of their son, John, goes to junior and senior history students who intend to teach history in secondary schools -- as John was preparing to do when he died. The spring 2011 recipients of that scholarship are: Justin Merriman of Anna and Jason Vollmer of Joliet. Recipients for fall 2011 are Philip Hosfeldt of Vienna and Danielle Weider of Crystal Lake.

The William A. Pitkin Memorial Scholarship, established by Patricia J. and James A. Pitkin in memory of James’ father, William, who taught American history at SIUC, is for junior or senior undergraduate students, or for graduate students majoring in history. The recipients are MiJoi Euells from Freeport and Savannah Sanders from Marion.

The Norman Caldwell-James R. Sanders Award is for a graduating history major with the highest grade point average in history courses. The scholarship honors Caldwell, a former SIUC history professor, and Sanders, the 1964 recipient and a contributor to the scholarship’s funding. The recipient is Alena Pirok of Rolling Meadows. Pirok also earned a History Alumni Award, presented to an undergraduate student showing particular potential in history.

Krysta Wise of Eddyville also earned a History Alumni Award. She is the recipient, as well, of the Edward O’Day Undergraduate Paper Award, which she earned by writing the paper judged the most outstanding during the previous year.

Graduate student Nathaniel Davis, Murphysboro, earned the Stanley Zucker Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper. Zucker was an SIUC history professor.

Maria Stuart, a graduate student currently of Carbondale, received the Department of History’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.

For more information about the Department of History at SIUC, visit http://history.siuc.edu.