The Marlborough Historical Society's Annual Scholarship

Each year the Marlborough Historical Society awards a scholarship to a graduating senior student.

Applicants must have confirmed plans to attend a post-secondary institution and must submit a research paper on Marlborough history.  Students are encouraged to use, with the help of one of the members, the Society's archives at the Peter Rice Homestead, as well as the resources available through the Society's website. 

The scholarship is open to all Marlborough residents regardless of the school they attend, and is awarded based on the strength of the student's essay without respect to financial need or academic performance.  The deadline for student submissions is April 1.  The requirements and process for participating are listed below.

The $500 scholarship is given in memory of Dorothy Medill, Claudia McCarty and Frank Valianti, who were founding members of the Society. 

Your contributions to the Society, including contributions to the annual scholarship fund, support the Society's ongoing historic preservation, education, and celebration.  Learn more about how you can support the Society here.

All research papers become the property of the Marlborough Historical Society and may be published, in whole or in part, by the Society online or in print.  The student is always credited when the essay is published.

Recent recipients are shown below.  A history of the scholarship and list of the winners from 1980 through 2008 is here.

Requirements and process
  • Open to all graduating seniors who are Marlborough residents, regardless of the school (in Marlborough or elsewhere, public or private) from which they will graduate.
  • Must have confirmed plans to attend a post-secondary institution.
  • Submit a 1500-word research paper on any aspect of Marlborough history.
  • All sources must be cited and follow the Modern Language Association Handbook (sixth edition).  In addition to handbook, many educational institutions have online resources, such as this one, that show the citation style described in the MLA Handbook.
  • Include on a separate page information regarding school and community activities, including volunteer work, hobbies, and other interests.
  • Also include the following information:
    • Name
    • Address
    • Phone number(s)
    • e-mail address(es)
    • Current school
    • College or University you will attend
  • Applications must be received by April 1.  They may be sent by mail to: Marlborough Historical Society, P. O. Box 513, Marlborough, MA 01752.  Or, they may be sent as a PDF attached to an e-mail message to the chair of the Scholarship Committee, Peggy Ayres.
  • The Scholarship Committee will select the winner.
  • The presentation of the award will be made at the Historical Society’s annual meeting in April where the winner will read and answer questions about his or her paper. 

Recipients

  • 2011: Peter B. Snyder
Peter's essay was on the 1938 hurricane that hit Marlborough.  Peter will be attending John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego where he will be studying video game design.

Pictured (l to r): John Noble and Phyllis Forten Trembley, two of the people Peter interviewed for his essay; Peggy Schwarz Ayres, Society Vice President and chair of the scholarship committee; and, Peter B. Snyder, recipient of the 2011 scholarship.

  • 2009: Kaylin Ossing
Awarded at the Society's annual membership meeting on April 28, 2009. 

Kaylin's essay on the history of shoe manufacturing in Marlborough, Taking a Walk in the Shoes of Marlborough, can be downloaded here [PDF].

In the fall, Kaylin will study criminal justice at Westfield State College.

  • 2008: Devon Blake
Awarded at the Society's annual membership meeting on April 22, 2008. 

Devon will attend Bringham Young University in the fall and plans to study pharmacology.

His essay on Bartlett Park:

As I raked mulch and pulled the weeds at this virtually unknown rundown “park," I wondered why my employer, Don Bishop, would spend histime and effort keeping it clean.  After all, no one seemed to care anyway. I had never even heard of Bartlett Park before. 

As the owner of Gardens Are… an organic landscaping company, why was he the one to take care of it?  Why did he volunteer to keep this “park” clean? When I asked him, his response is simple: “I’m doing my part to preserve the rich history of Marlborough.”   [Download and read Devon's entire essay here.]
  • 2007:  Lindsey Cunningham
The award was made at the annual membership meeting.  Lindsey enrolled in Endicott College.  A picture of the award being given to Lindsey is here.
  • 2006: Andrew Harvey wrote about the Marlborough Country Club and went on to attend Syracuse University.  A picture of the award being given to Andrew is here.
  • 2005: Ryan Walsh was awarded the scholarship at the annual meeting and attended Providence College.  A picture of the award being made to Ryan is here.

Earlier recipients

The Historical Society has awarded scholarships over a long period.  For example, the July and August 1990 newsletter reports that . . .

". . . the 1990 winner of the Dorothy Medill Memorial Scholarship is Debbie Gluszczak.  Miss Gluszczak presented a sketch on the major happenings in Marlborough from 1888 to 1904 as would be seen in her first sixteen years by Debbie's great-grandmother, Regina Labrossiere.  Although her college choice isn't known at this time, Miss Gluszczak has an interest in speech pathology/audiology.  Our best wishes to her in the coming year."

A history of the scholarship with a list of the winners from 1980 through 2008 is here.