The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society announces the 2014 Guidelines and Information for its Student Scholarships in Local History which are given out annually to students attending the six area public high schools: Coahulla Creek High School, Dalton High School, Murray County High School, North Murray High School, Northwest Whitfield High School, and Southeast Whitfield High School. Students must be seniors who hold good academic records and plan to continue their studies beyond the high school level.
Applications and guidelines have been provided to the six high schools; all information is now available from the guidance offices and the social studies teachers at each school. Completed applications, photos, and copies of original research are due no later than Friday, 28 March 2014 to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.
The Scholarship Committee of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will meet in early April to consider applicants and to select recipients. More than one award may be given at each school. Selection will be made early enough so that awards may be presented at each high school’s spring awards ceremony. As well as the scholarship, each recipient will also be given a year’s free membership in the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.
The awards at each of the six public high schools are named in honor or in memory of educators, community leaders, and Whitfield-Murray Historical Society leaders, as follows:
Coahulla Creek High School—In honor of Dr. Don Thomas and Mrs. Judy Alderman. Dr. Don has operated a successful medical practice for over 50 years. He served 14 years in the state Senate; he served 12 years on the Whitfield Co. Board of Education, with 10 years as chairman. Mrs. Alderman established the Prater’s Mill Foundation and the Prater’s Mill Country Fair that have preserved historic 1855 Prater’s Mill. Both Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Alderman are trustees of the Historical Society.
Dalton High School--In memory of Marion (Pete) Sims and in honor of Mary Gene Sims Dykes. Mr. Sims was one of the organizers of the reactivated Historical Society in 1976 and aided both in obtaining the use of the old Crown Cotton Mill office building as headquarters for the Society and also in starting the archives. Mrs. Dykes is a past president of WMHS and a longtime volunteer for all things historic in the area.
Murray County High School--In memory of James Loughridge and Nell Ruth Loughridge. Mr. Loughridge was actively involved in the Murray County Schools, serving as chairman of the board of education. He was also a Historical Society member. Mrs. Loughridge was both a graduate of and a longtime faculty member at Murray High. She was an early president of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. She assisted with the compiling of the Murray County history and helped organize the Friends of the Vann House as well as serving as one of its trustees for several years.
North Murray High School—In honor of Paul Ross. Paul has been a vital part of the WMHS for nearly three decades as well as a vital part of the Murray County business community even longer. As past chairman of the Wright Hotel Committee and the Society's Board of Trustees, Paul has promoted historic preservation both personally and professionally.
Northwest Whitfield High School--In memory of Dorothy Sapp Seaton. Mrs. Seaton was a former educator in the Whitfield County Schools and a longtime supporter of the schools. From 1976-78, she served as the first president of the reactivated Historical Society. She headed the committee that wrote History of Whitfield County.
Southeast Whitfield High School--In memory of I. V. Chandler and in honor of Mr. Marvin Sowder. Mr. Chandler was a former principal of Valley Point High School who became a pioneer in the textile industry. Mr. Sowder is the point-person for Civil War sites and information in the northwest Georgia area as well as a trustee for the Historical Society.
The scholarships will be awarded at the WMHS meeting on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. at the Crown Gardens Archives and History Center.
