Awards and Scholarships

Each year the History Department is privileged to present several awards and scholarships to outstanding graduates and rising senior majors. These are described below, along with a list of the recipients from the last decade.


Awards to Graduates of the Department

Scholarships to Rising Senior Majors in History

Awards to graduates of the Department of History Since 2003:

The William A. Jenks Award in History is given in support of W&L graduates who are undertaking graduate work in history. The Jenks award was established by former students and friends in honor of William A. Jenks, Kenan Professor of History and a distinguished teacher and scholar of European history at Washington and Lee from 1946 until his retirement in 1983 when he was named professor emeritus. Jenks received his bachelor's degree in history, magna cum laude, from Washington and Lee in 1939, and master's and doctorate degrees in European history from Columbia University.

2022 John Crum and Nolan Durfee

2021 Elizabeth Lanier, Jonathan Tucker, Dani Powers, John Crum and Kelly Kaelin

2020 Danielle Powers, Kelly Douma and John Crum

2019 John Crum and Kelly Douma

2018 John Crum, Kelly Douma and Bruce McCuskey

2017 John Crum, Kelly Douma, Conley Hurst and Bruce McCuskey

2016 Kelly Douma, Claire Elder and Bruce McCuskey

2015 Nicholas Castanes, Stephen Deyarmin, Claire Elder and Isaac Webb

2014 Julia Miglets

2013 Isaac Webb

2012 Alexandra Locking

2011 Alexandra Locking

2010 James McKay, Julia Miglets and R. Chamberlain Wilson

2009 Wesley O'Dell, James McKay, Julia Miglets and R. Chamberlain Wilson

2008 R. Chamberlain Wilson, Lisa Zevorich and Christina Petrides

2007 Peter Jones, Rob Policelli, Emily Robideau and Lisa Zevorich

2006 Geoffrey Corey Harmon

2005 Lindsay Hagerman and Robert Policelli

2004 Matthew Jacobs, Christina Petrides, Robert Policelli and Daniel Tortora

2003 Christina Petrides

The Christopher Merrill Main '94 History Award is awarded to an exceptional senior who, through the spoken tongue or journalistic or literary expression, has shared his or her humor, wit and storytelling prowess with classmates and professors in contributing to a community where friendship, camaraderie, and goodwill flourish. It is hoped that the recipient be a gregarious History major who has an abiding love for Washington and Lee. This annual prize is named in memory of Christopher Merrill Main, Class of 1994.

2022 Thatch Townsend, Clay Chadwick and Janie Stillwell

2021 Jackson Cleghorn, Mary North Jones, Mary Pace Lewis and Robert Riley

2020 Nick Mauer and Win Gustin

2019 Adit Ahmed and Charlotte Cook

2018 Dana DeSousa

2017 John ("Jack") McGee

2016 Beth Jinae Kennedy

2015 Cory Church, Samantha Swatski

2014 Giles (Det) Beal

2013 Elizabeth Flanigan, Ben Ruffel

2012 Frederick McCracken Davis

2011 Crighton Allen, Scott Matarese

2010 Jane Bouch, Brian Devine

2009 Michael Kazior, Dmitry Slavin, Samuel Wilmoth, Mary Wilson

2008 Seth Bullard, Jacob Henry Dwight Geiger

2007 Andrew Rothey

2006 Morgan Hill

2005 Matthew Layton

2004 Carlos Apaht

2003 Jeremy Franklin

The James A. Vann III '61 Prize in History is awarded to a junior or senior who submits a superior paper in the field of modern European history or architecture. The Vann Prize was created in memory of James A. Vann III, a 1961 Washington and Lee graduate and distinguished historian.

2022 Richard Leary and Elizabeth Herman

2021 Lucas Flood, Elizabeth Lanier and Jonathan Tucker

2020 Anna Kate Benedict

2019 Caroline Nowlin and Hayden Daniel

2017 Sonia Brozak, Samuel Gibson, Ellie Gorman, Edward Thompson

2016 Kelly Douma, Mary Sands, Pauline Marting

2015 Amanda Dixon, Kimberly Kennedy

2014 Annelise Madison

2013 Isaac Webb

2012 Elizabeth King

2011 Gregory Franke

2010 Rebecca Beeson

2009 Kavita DeVaney, Alexandra Locking

2006 Charles Fagan

2005 Benjamin Hicks

2004 Kara Coen

2003 Andrew Noel Griffith Borda

The Ollinger Crenshaw Prize in American History is awarded each year to a history major with special interest and achievement in American history. The Crenshaw Prize was created in 2000 by Nathan V. Handricks III '66, '69L, in honor of beloved professor, Ollinger Crenshaw '25. Professor Crenshaw was a faculty member in the History Department at Washington and Lee from 1926-1969 and author of General Lee's College: The Rise and Growth of Washington and Lee University.

2022 Jack Eason

2021 Lucas Flood

2020 Nick Mauer

2019 Morgan Maloney

2018 Emory Cox

2017 John Crum, Conley Hurst

2016 Jacob Berman, Grant Cokeley

2015 Carl Retzloff

2014 Mark Sowinski

2013 Thomas Sanford

2012 Andrew Renaldo

2011 Cara Regan

2010 Zachary Segall

2009 Seth Bullard, Benjamin Wilson

2007 Emma Burris and Lisa Zevorich

2006 Charles Richardson Yates, III

2005 Benjamin Hicks

2004 Benjamin Rumley

The Warren M. Wilson Award in African History may be awarded annually to a senior for graduate study in African History. The Warren M. Wilson Award was established in 1986 by Mr. Anthony M. Wilson and Professor Henry P. Porter Jr.

2008 Christopher O'Connor

2003 Kyle Healy

Scholarships Awarded to outstanding rising senior history majors since 2003:

The Washington Family Descendants Scholarship Award is made annually to the rising senior history major who attains the highest grade-point-average following his or her first three years of study. The Washington Family Descendants Scholarship was established in 1982 by approximately 600 members of the National Society for the purpose of promoting and supporting scholarship in the field of American history.

2022 Lauren Ellenz

2021 Elizabeth Herman

2020 Mary Pace Lewis

2019 Parker Catlett

2018 Morgan Maloney

2017 Emory Cox

2016 Conley Hurst

2015 Jacob Berman

2014 Jillian Katterhagen

2013 Annelise Madison

2012 Joseph Landry

2011 Emily Babcock Ackerman

2010 Daniel Van Denburgh

2009 Zachary Segall

2008 Wesley O'Dell

2007 Michael Keenan

2006 James McKay

2005 Andrew Lloyd

2004 Benjamin Hicks

2003 Benjamin Rumley

The Elizabeth B. Garrett Scholarship in History is awarded for excellence in History.

2022 Claire Mersol

2021 John Null and Janie Stillwell

2020 Mary Pace Lewis and Jonathan Tucker

2019 Nick Mauer

2018 Caroline Nowlin

2017 Benjamin Gee

2016 Samuel Gibson and Zachary Howard

2015 Grant Cokeley

2014 Carl Retzloff

2013 Jonathan Cahill

2012 Isaac Webb

2011 Samuel Mercado-Rios

2010 Scott Matarese

2009 Jane Bouch, Brian Devine, Rachel Langdon, Dalena Moser

2008 Dmitry Slavin, Benjamin Wilson

2007 James Madden

2006 Emma Burris

2005 Charles Fagan

2004 Susan Somers

2003 Amy Blakeway

The Martin Baldwin Whitaker Memorial Merit Scholarship is made to a rising senior, majoring in history, who has achieved the highest grade-point average in history courses. This scholarship was established in 1981 by the family of Martin Baldwin Whitaker and by his former law firm, Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Johnson and Williams of Houston, Texas. Mr. Whitaker was a member of the Class of 1971.

2022 Gabe Worthington

2021 Sophie Behdani

2020 Mary North Jones

2019 Nick Mauer

2018 Hayden Daniel

2017 Emory Cox

2016 Ellie Gorman

2015 Bruce McCuskey, Catherine Roach

2013 Annelise Madison

2012 Thomas Sanford

2011 Andrew Renaldo

2010 Gregory Franke

2009 George Emmett Morgan, IV

2008 Allexandra Locking

2007 William Campbell

2006 Matthew Miller

2005 Elizabeth Davis

2004 Lindsay Hagerman

2003 Rebecca Mitchell

The William A. Jenks Scholarship is awarded to students of unusual academic merit with strong interest in history and demonstrated financial need. This scholarship was established in 1997 in honor of William A. Jenks, teacher, scholar, and mentor, by Tom Angelillo, Class of 1974. The Jenks scholarship recognizes the distinguished teaching of this William R. Kenan Professor of History, Emeritus.

2022 Clare Hotze, Niani Benjamin, Kamron Spivey, Leia Barrow, Blake Ramsey, PT Meadors, Peyton Quimby, Lillie Taylor and Jacob Winston

2021 Leia Barrow, Sam Dutcher, Elizabeth Herman, Blake Ramsey and Harrison Whitehead

2020 Chase Robinett, Clare Perry, Marissa Miller and Jackson Cleghorn

2019 Elyse Ferris, Win Gustin, Danni Powers and Jared Nickodem

2018 Victoria Kazmierczak and Maggie Gray

2017 William Benjamin ("Ben") Whedon, Abigail Dorward, Andrew ("Max") Maxwell, Victoria Kazmierczak and Dana DeSousa

2016 Hannah Austin, John Crum and John McGee

2015 Beth Kennedy and Mary Sands

2014 Jillian Katterhagen

2014 Carl Retzloff, Timothy Paulsen, Kimberly Kennedy and Samantha Swatski

2013 Angelica Tillander and Madeline Thorpe

2012 Nicholas Castanes and Thomas Sanford

2011 Katie Gibbs and Charles Westfal

2010 Crighton Allen, John Kozak, Rhett Rayos, Cara Regan and George Stephenson

2009 Rebecca Beeson, Kevin Corn, T. Michael Craig-Grubbs, Kayla Rowe and Zachary Segall

2008 Terrence Michael McKelvey, Julia Lauren Miglets and Sarah Katherine Morris

2007 William Campbell, Timothy Conway and Randolph Wilson

2006 Lisa Zevorich

2005 Melissa Clarke

2004 Benjamin Hicks and Susanne LaFleur

2003 Rebecca Marie Mitchell

The John Preston Moore III Award is awarded annually to a graduating senior or rising senior for excellence in history. The John Preston Moore III Award was established in 2008 by Anne D. Moore in memory of John Preston Moore III.

2022 Leia Barrow

2021 Marissa Miller

2020 Mariel Rodriguez

2019 George Frank

2018 Adit Ahmed

2017 Alicia Martinez

2016 Bruce McCuske and Catherine Roach

2015 Jillian Katterhagen

2014 Kathryn Mary Bennett

2013 Joseph Landry

2012 Samuel Mercado-Rios

2011 Elizabeth Monroe King

2010 Claire Elder

2009 Caitlyn Marie Wilson