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

and gracefully.”

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.