October 28, 1997
Middlebury College Announces 1997 Recipient of
the Paul W. Ward ‘25 Memorial Prize in Writing for First-Year
Students
The Paul W. Ward ‘25 Memorial Prize in Writing for
first-year students at Middlebury College was awarded this year
to Lindsay R. Medigovich ‘00 of San Francisco, Calif. The $500.00
prize is presented annually to the first-year student whose writing
best exemplifies, in the words of the bequest, “The use of
basic English as the writer’s most necessary tool: precise and
exact usage of words, exact meanings, phrases expressed lucidly
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Ms. Medigovich’s winning paper, “Defining Home,”
was written last spring for her Imagining Nature class taught
by Kathy Skubikowski, professor of English and director of the
writing program. In response to an assignment on writing about
place, Ms. Medigovich discussed how the patterns of the stars-for
so long a constant from her home of San Francisco-have shifted
to unfamiliar locations now that she is in Vermont.
The Paul W. Ward ‘25 Memorial Prize was established
by his widow, Dorothy Cate Ward ‘28, in 1978. Mr. Ward, who won
a Pulitzer Prize and received the French Legion of Honor, enjoyed
a life-long career as a journalist and diplomatic reporter.
The award is sponsored by Tom and Marren Meehan of Bethesda, Md.
Mrs. Meehan is the daughter of Dorothy Cate Ward.
In presenting the awards, professor Skubikowski noted
that she was especially impressed this year at the range of interests
the students’ writing represented. “It’s especially gratifying,”
she said, “because when Middlebury College committed itself
to requiring writing in courses throughout the curriculum, and
not only in English courses, we committed ourselves to an idea
about the place of writing in a liberal arts education.”
Receiving honorable mention for the Ward Memorial
Prize in Writing were Elizabeth A. Allen of Essex Junction, Vt.;
Emily P. Hillenbrand of Keene, N.H.; David R. Keeling of Charlottesville,
Va.; Hilary B. Poremski of Florence, Vt.; Frank J. Stewart of
Reno, Nev.; and Timothy M. Sullivan of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The remaining nominees were Molly E. Fitzgibbon of
Yardley, Pa.; Mark C. Hamilton of South Windsor, Conn.; Aaron
S. Helminski of Putney, Vt.; Sondra D. Le Clair of Underhill,
Vt.; Corinna M. Luyken of Corvallis, Ore.; Stephanie C. Saldana
of San Antonio, Texas; Christopher Vourlias of Brooklyn, N.Y.;
and Christina K. Zug of Wellesley, Mass.