The history department gives several prizes and awards to Grinnell students each year:
The Lura Camery Prize
Each year the Lura Camery Prize, established through the bequest of Lura Camery ’24, honors with a cash award the “outstanding work of historical interpretation (concerning the non-English-speaking world) submitted during the year to the Department of History by a full-time student at the College.” Last year Alexander McConnell ’12 won the Camery Prize for his essay "'Because he was in Soviet conditions': Harvard Project Interviewees' Views of State and Party Presences in the Stalinist Factory, 1929-1939. Any student—and not necessarily a history major—is eligible. Students completing significant essays this year might consult with their instructors to see if their essays qualify for the Camery Prize. All submissions (clearly marked “Camery Prize”) should be submitted to Lisa Mulholland in Mears 103, Academic Support Office, and please also submit an electronic copy to mulholll@grinnell.edu, by a due date to be announced in March 2013.
The Maria Okey Prize
The Okey Prize, established by a 1927 gift of Maria Okey of Grinnell, honors with a cash award that student who shall submit to the Department of History during a given academic year the best essay on some aspect of British or American life and institutions. Last year Elizabeth Martin '11 won the Okey Prize for her essay "The Countess of Dufferin's Fund: The Intersection of British Humanitarian Efforts and Class Politics in Nineteenth-Century India." Students completing significant essays this year might consult with their instructors to see if their essays qualify for the Okey Prize. All entries (clearly marked “Okey Prize”) should be submitted to Lisa Mulholland in Mears 103, Academic Support Office, and please also submit an electronic copy to mulholll@grinnell.edu, by a due date to be announced in March 2013.
The Charles E. Payne Scholarship
Every year the history department awards the Charles E. Payne Scholarship to the outstanding history major in the prospective senior class. The Payne Scholarship was established in 1967 by Ina Chatterton Payne in honor of her husband Professor Charles E. Payne, who was for many years an eminent scholar, teacher and chairman of the history department at Grinnell. Mrs. Payne wished especially to aid students to continue their study of history, both at Grinnell and beyond, so the award may be used either in connection with the senior year at Grinnell or, if the recipient wishes, to help with expenses in graduate or professional school. Alexander McConnell was the winner of the Payne Scholarship for 2011.
The Ida Pilling Welch '30 History Book Award
The Ida Pilling Welch '30 History Book Award is given each spring to a senior "whose interest in and commitment to historical study reaches beyond the ordinary reaches of the classroom." The award is accompanied by a monetary prize, to be used for the purchase of books. In 2011, the award was given to Aki Shibuya.
Russell J. Linnemann ‘65 Travel Fellowship
The Russell J. Linnemann '65 Travel Fellowship is a new prize which offers financial support to Grinnell College students who would like to travel to conduct historical research or to prepare themselves to conduct historical research on an international topic. The prize honors Russell Linnemann, who graduated from Grinnell College with a degree in history in 1965, earned a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan, and enjoyed a 36-year career at the University of Tennessee (Chattanooga), during which time he taught and published on the British Empire and African history. The fellowship covers travel expenses and costs directly related to research in a library, archive, museum or research collection outside of Grinnell; the travel itself need not be outside of the United States, but the central focus should be research on peoples or places outside of the territorial boundaries of the United States. Fellowship money may also be used for specialized courses on topics including language or paleography, in preparation for a future research project. Any Grinnell student (sophomore-senior) who is interested in pursuing historical research on an international topic is eligible to apply. Please refer to the full fellowship guidelines and use the fellowship cover sheet when submitting an application. Deadlines: September 15; December 1; February 15; May 1.
