The New England History Teachers Association is pleased to announce that it will present the third annual Vera and Andrew J. Laska Award at NERC in March, 2007. The winners of the first two awards were Laura Noon, a student at Framingham State College, and Ian Delahanty of Bridgewater State College. The award consists of a cash prize of $2000 and a certificate confirming the award. Any undergraduate college or university student, who is a United States citizen, majoring in or concentrating in United States History, and enrolled for the academic year 2006-2007 in a college or university in New England is eligible for the award. The money is to be used to further the recipient's study of United States History.
The award is named for the late well known History Professor, Dr. Vera Laska, a Kidger prize winner, and her husband Andrew J. Laska, who was a successful businessman. Dr. Laska, a native of Czechoslovakia, received her Ph.D. in American History from the University of Chicago. She taught at the University of Illinois, Roosevelt University in Chicago, and for many years at Regis College, where she chaired the Department of History, and the Division of Social Sciences. She was the author of over 300 articles and reviews, and seven books, the best known of which are Women in the Resistance, and Two Loves of Benjamin Franklin, Women and Diplomacy. Andrew J. Laska, who served with the anti-Nazi resistance during WW II, was instrumental in founding branches of the Kendall Company in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and retired as a director of marketing for the company's International Division.
To apply for the award, the student must write a letter of no more than two pages in which he or she affirms that she or he is a citizen of the United States, majoring or concentrating in United States History, and then discusses (1) why the study of United States History is important and (2) how he or she would use the money to further his or her study of U. S. History. The letter is to be accompanied by a transcript of the student's grades. The student is also to have a History Department faculty member from his or her college or university send a letter on college or university stationery affirming the status of the student and stating why she or he deserves the award. All application materials must be submitted by January 31, 2007 to Philip Whitbeck, Chairman of the Laska Award Comm., 29 Princess Rd., West Newton. MA 02465.
NEHTA sponsors three recognition awards, each given annually. To learn more or nominate an individual for an award, contact the Executive Board.
The Kidger Awards: First awarded in 1952, the Kidger Awards are given each year to one college or university faculty member and one pre-college history teacher for teaching, research and writing, and service to the profession. Recent recipients have included David Brion Davis (Yale), James M. McPherson (Princeton), Kevin O’Reilly (Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School), and Mark C. Williams (Loomis Chaffee School).
The Laska Award: First awarded in 2005, the Laska Award is given to an undergraduate with a declared major in history with a focus in United States History who is attending a college or university in New England.
National History Day Awards: These awards are given to student-historians whose research and entries on New England topics excel at state History Day contests.