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December 17, 2025

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

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Five Maryland Students Vie for Washington College’s $77k Sophie Kerr Prize

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Front row, left to right: D.Chavez, V.Sharp. Back row, left to right: J.Torrence, L.Barry, S.Foster

Washington College has named five students to its short list for the 2024 Sophie Kerr Prize, which is valued at just over $77,000 this year. Now in its 57th year, the prize continues to be the nation’s largest literary award for a college student and totals more than the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award combined. The winner will be announced at a ceremony this Friday, May 17, after the finalists all read from their work. The announcement will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Courtney Rydel, associate professor of English and chair of the English department, announced the graduating seniors vying for this year’s prize. All are from Maryland. Their portfolios included an exhibition of the “provocative power” of the story across several forms including poetry, research, and podcasts; a collection of short stories, flash, a novella, and a personal essay on the indulgence of abject and ugly emotions; poetry on the natural world; sonnets focusing on the cyclical nature of human love and experience; and themes of community and queer love through film criticism, personal editorials, and reporting.

The 2024 Sophie Kerr Award finalists are:

Liv Barry, a Communication and Media Studies major from Dundalk, Maryland minoring in Journalism, Editing, and Publishing and Theatre.

Dante Chavez, an English major from Baltimore, Maryland minoring in Computer Science and Creative Writing.

Sophie Foster, an English major from Reisterstown, Maryland minoring in Creative Writing and Journalism, Editing and Publishing.

Vivienne “Vee” Sharp, an English and Art History double major from Westminster, Maryland minoring in Creative Writing.

Joshua Torrence, an English and Psychology double major from Parkville, Maryland minoring in Gender Studies.

“Everyone who submits a portfolio for the Sophie Kerr Prize shows courage, in allowing others to scrutinize the work they hold so dear,” said Rydel. “It further takes incredible talent, persistence, and aesthetic insight to produce writing on the level that these finalists have created. We repeatedly were struck by the risk, ambition, lyricism, sonic texture, and insight in these finalists’ portfolios, and we look forward to hearing them share their exciting and original work in the reading in Friday’s prize ceremony.”

A proud tradition of Washington College’s liberal arts education, the Sophie Kerr Prize is named for an early 20th century writer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland who published more than 20 novels and hundreds of short stories. In her will, Kerr left a generous bequest to the College with the stipulation that half of its annual proceeds fund a literary prize for a student.

Open to all Washington College students from any major, the prize is awarded each year to the graduating senior who has the best ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor. In the past, it has been awarded for both creative and critical writing alike. A full list of Sophie Kerr Prize winners since its inception in 1968 is available online.

Portfolios submitted for consideration encompass the full range of writing that students pursue at Washington College, including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenplays and drama, journalism, editing, scholarly criticism, and research in all disciplines, and even song lyrics. A committee comprised of full-time faculty in the English Department and the President review and make the final decision. Winners are chosen for their literary excellence, regardless of genre.

“It was particularly difficult to winnow the portfolios down to this group of five stellar writers, whose work showcases an impressive range of genres: from music journalism to innovatively lyrical sci-fi, to stories and poems that are as formal as they are experimental,” said James Hall, director of Washington College’s Rose O’Neill Literary House and associate professor of English and creative writing. “The five finalists have in common a sonorous lyricism, a bravery to voice from the margins, and a love of both literary tradition and a daring to reinvent it.”

The winner will be announced at Friday night’s award ceremony at 7:30 p.m. EST in Hotchkiss Recital Hall at Washington College’s Gibson Center for the Arts. The ceremony is open to the public and will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

In addition to the life-changing literary award, the support made possible by Sophie Kerr’s gift continues to fund experiences and offerings for Washington College students throughout the academic year. For more than 50 years the endowment has brought many of the nation’s top writers, editors, and scholars to Washington’s campus including Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Pinsky, Edward Albee, Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, James McBride, Eamon Grennan, Charles Simic, and Jane Smiley. Funding scholarships and internships and enabling research in literature, writing, and publishing, round out the impressive impact made possible by the Sophie Kerr legacy.

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Washington College Receives $15 Million for New School Focusing on Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Business

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Washington College announced today the largest individual donation in the College’s 242-year history: a $15 million gift from Elizabeth (Beth) Warehime which will enable the launch of The Warehime School of Global Business, Economics, and Social Impact — a new school aimed at fostering a unique interdisciplinary approach to business education. With the goal of transforming business education by focusing on interdisciplinary partnerships, the liberal arts, the global nature of business, and social impact, the school will foster and utilize collaborations between Washington College’s business management, economics, world languages and cultures, and international studies programs.

“This generous gift from Beth Warehime showcases the lasting impact Washington College has on its graduates. We are so thrilled to have the continued support, investment, and valued insights that Beth continues to bestow upon us,” said President Michael (Mike) Sosulski. “This new school will serve our students well as they embark on a true liberal arts education that encourages a global approach to business. I’m hopeful and excited for the great work that will certainly come from the Warehime School of Global Business, Economics, and Social Impact.”

Planning for the new school will move forward within the coming year. The idea for the school, which will focus on ethics and social responsibility, critical thinking, and real-world applications, has been in the works for some time now, however.

“The support of Beth Warehime and her family has transformed our vision for business education at Washington College,” said Caddie Putnam Rankin, business management department chair. “Her continued support allows us to envision a future where we will activate the liberal arts to transform business education through interdisciplinary partnerships and global contexts. Together we seek to inspire students to create lasting social impacts in our world.”

“I am so excited to bring this idea to life for the college; after hearing the thoughts and plans from Caddie and Micheal, I knew this absolutely had to happen,” said Warehime of her generous gift. “This business school will give Washington College a ‘big school’ offering while maintaining the interdisciplinary theme and experience that comes with a small liberal arts institution. My own experience at Washington College was incredibly interdisciplinary, and I can’t wait for others to have an even better experience within the Warehime School.”

As a 2013 graduate of Washington College, Warehime has a long history of support and innovation with her alma mater. In 2019, Warehime directed a $1 million grant to Washington College from the JHC Foundation, a Warehime family foundation. The gift established the Warehime Fund for Student Excellence in Business, which provides the department $50,000 a year to support student research, entrepreneurship, professional networking, and other initiatives. That support includes funding student participation in professional conferences and other experiential learning activities; start-up funds for student entrepreneurial projects; and a Warehime Fellows program. Warehime became a member of the Washington College Board of Visitors and Governors in 2020.

To learn more about the business management program and other degrees available through Washington College visit washcoll.edu.

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In Memoriam: Professor Frank Creegan

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Frank J. Creegan, 84, of Chestertown, MD, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at The Barnett Hospice Center in Centreville, MD.   

Frank was born December 16, 1939, in Lowell, MA, the second child of the late Mary Cecilia McDonald Creegan and Thomas Alexander Creegan. He attended Keith Academy, in Lowell, and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from Merrimack College in North Andover, MA in 1961, and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Fordham University in 1966.  He held an NSF-funded Post-Doctoral Fellowship with James A. Moore at the University of Delaware, where he went on to hold a one-year appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry.    

Frank joined the faculty of Washington College in 1967 as Assistant Professor of Chemistry.  He swiftly moved through the academic ranks and was promoted to Full Professor in 1974, and appointed W. Alton Jones Professor of Chemistry in 1982.  He retired from Washington College in 2007, after 40 years of service, which included many years as Chair of the Department of Chemistry. During his four decades of tenure at Washington College, Frank was awarded three sabbatical leaves, at what he jokingly called three foreign universities (1979 at the University of Konstanz, Germany; 1992 at the University of St. Andrews in the Kingdom of Fife, Scotland; and 2003-2004 at the University of California, Berkeley) to advance his research, in bio-organic chemistry, and new student-centered classroom and laboratory approaches to learning.  

In 1992, he joined with chemistry colleagues from thirteen regional undergraduate colleges to found the Middle Atlantic Discovery Chemistry Project, MADCP, which sought to change the undergraduate chemistry laboratory experience from a set of verification activities to true experiments in which results were unknown to the student.  Initial funding of MADCP came from the U.S. Department of Education through its Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE).

In 2002, with a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, MADCP expanded into POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning), a student-centered, learning cycle-based, team-learning approach to both classroom and laboratory instruction that is based on research on how students learn best. Frank was a Co-Project Investigator for the initial NSF grant. Today, POGIL is implemented in a wide range of subjects in more than 1,000 high school and college courses worldwide.   

Frank earned a number of teaching awards, including the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (1970) and the American Chemical Society, Northeastern Section, James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Teaching of Chemistry (2015).   

In 2011, with a $2 million gift from an anonymous donor, Washington College established the Frank J. Creegan Chair in Green Chemistry in recognition of Frank’s “40-year service to the college and his longstanding development and oversight of the chemistry program.”  

In retirement, Frank continued to be involved in POGIL and in the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society as chair of the Regional Meetings Committee.   

Throughout retirement, he and Barbara traveled extensively, first to Russia, then Egypt, then Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, France, England, Spain, and Portugal. He remained active throughout his life in Chestertown with Sacred Heart Church, where over the course of 57 years he served in a host of ministries.  For many years he was a member of All Seasons Garden Club, serving as Treasurer and as President. 

Along with his parents, Frank was preceded in death by his brother Paul G. Creegan and sister Patricia A. Creegan Kelley. Frank is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Markert Creegan; his children, Frank Joseph Creegan of Easton, MD and Thomas Alexander Creegan II of Baltimore, MD and his spouse Felicia Shakman; nieces Leann Kelley Weibel (David), Coleen Kelly Thurber (Craig), and Stacey (Cristain) Martins all of Colorado; nephews Paul G. Creegan (Suzanne) and Joseph Creegan of Lowell, MA, as well as five grand nephews, and five cousins and their offspring..

The family will receive friends and relatives on Friday evening, May 10, 2024 from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, 130 Speer Road, Chestertown, MD 21620.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 508 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620 to be followed by a Reception in Emmanuel Episcopal Church Hall, 101 North Cross Street, Chestertown, MD.  

In lieu of flowers The Creegan Family ask anyone who is able to give, to please make a donation to The Compass Regional Hospice Barnett Center, 255 Comet Drive, Centreville, MD 21617 or to the Frank and Barbara Creegan Foundation, c/o Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620.    

Internment will be in St. Paul’s Cemetery at a later date.  

  

 

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Mythological TV, History Tours, a Socrates Cafe, and the Future of Community News Round Out May’s Offerings from Washington College

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Washington College is rounding out this spring with opportunities to learn more about the news industry, producing blockbuster shows, and a deeper dive into Maryland and the Eastern Shore’s history. All events listed are open to the public.

“Percy Jackson & The Olympians” Showrunner to Join Virtual “Streaming History” Series

Showrunner and executive producer of the popular Disney+ series “Percy Jackson & The Olympians” Dan Shotz will discuss his work on the hit show with audiences in a digital seminar. In addition to his work on “Percy Jackson,” the LA-based Shotz has also produced such shows as “Black Sails”, “Jericho”, and the “Old Man”, as well as the blockbuster movie “National Treasure”. The virtual event will take place on Thursday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Adam Goodheart, the Hodson Trust-Griswold Director for the Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. This event concludes the Starr Center series “Streaming History,” which has included the creators of some of the most acclaimed and successful recent online network series, all of which are inspired by historical stories. Registration is required to attend the virtual event and can be accessed here.

Get Your Fill of Philosophy over Coffee at the Socrates Café

Finding opportunities for unhurried, face-to-face discussion of life’s big questions can be challenging in today’s hyper-noisy, technology-driven world. Drawing on the Socratic tradition of lively, open-ended inquiry, Washington College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning’s Socrates Café is a forum for exploring questions that don’t have easy right-or-wrong answers. There are no assigned readings, and each session’s topic is selected by those in attendance. The only prerequisite for participation is a willingness to listen respectfully as others share their thoughts and experiences. There are two chances to join – May 21 and June 11. Both events start at 10 a.m. Register to attend here.

Starr Center to Host the 250th Anniversary of the Chestertown Tea Party and Inaugural Event of the Maryland 250th Commission

A special commemoration of Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and Chestertown’s unique history will take place at the Custom House (101 S. Water Street) ahead of this year’s Chestertown Tea Party. Co-sponsored by Washington College, its Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and The Chestertown Tea Party Festival, attendees are invited Thursday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m. to a keynote talk from Starr Center Hodson Trust-Griswold Director Adam Goodheart and remarks from Washington College’s President Mike Sosulski. Several local and statewide officials are expected to be on-site to mark the occasion. The event is open and free to the public. A light reception will follow.

Starr Center to Offer History Tours During Chestertown Tea Party Festival

On Saturday, May 25, Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience will offer exhibits at the Chesapeake Heartland: An African American Humanities Project Mobile Museum Truck from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Chestertown Tea Party Festival. The truck will be behind the Custom House at 101 S. Water Street. Additionally, a walking tour of local African American history will start at 11 a.m. in front of the Custom House. The College also intends to have representatives in the annual Tea Party Parade.

Register for WC-ALL’s June Learn@Lunch on the “Future of Community Newspapers”

Registration is now open for the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning’s (WC-ALL) June Learn@Lunch event. Join Trish McGee, founder and editor of the Evening Enterprise, to hear more about the current state of community news and how she carries on the family tradition of reporting the news in Kent County, Maryland. A Washington College graduate, McGee proudly represents the fourth generation of her family to write for a newspaper in Chestertown where her family’s history with local reporting dates back to 1893. The luncheon will take place on Tuesday, June 18 at noon in Hynson Lounge on Washington College’s campus. Registration is required. See here for info and tickets.

A map detailing campus locations can be found here: https://www.washcoll.edu/about/campus-map.php

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Fwd: GRAMMY Winner Christian McBride Announced as Washington College’s Commencement Speaker

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Christian McBride

The Office of the President is pleased to announce eight-time GRAMMY-winning musician and renowned radio host Christian McBride as the keynote speaker at Washington College’s 241st Commencement Exercises for the class of 2024. The event will take place on Sunday, May 19 at 10:00 a.m. on the campus lawn.

An eight-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader, McBride serves as the artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM.

“I’m really looking forward to speaking at Washington College’s commencement in May,” said McBride, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the College. “My family is from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, so I have great memories tied to the area. I can’t wait to speak to the young people at Washington College and congratulate them on their achievement.”

McBride’s approach to his talent, passions, and career are well in line with Washington College’s mission to cultivate civically engaged citizen leaders. In addition to his many music industry accolades, he is also a respected educator and advocate for youth and serves as artistic director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions.

McBride’s colossal sound, strikingly vast body of work, and huge strides within the realm of artistic directorship are characteristic of a self-identified perpetual student, whose love of learning feeds his passion, and whose passion has led a generation of musicians — within jazz and beyond.

“In inviting him to speak and bestowing this honorary degree, we wish to recognize Christian’s immense contribution to jazz music, America’s original musical art form, and his accomplishments as one of the foremost bassists of a generation,” said Washington College President Mike Sosulski. “We also wish to honor his role as an educator and ambassador for jazz music, in addition to being a composer and performer. Christian exemplifies what we hope to see in all our graduates, which is a deep understanding of how the fine arts, an integral part of the liberal arts, can transport us, inspire us, and enrich our lives each and every day.”

Whether behind the bass or away from it, McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship. Singular in his torch-bearing role, McBride takes none of his success for granted.

“My career is no longer for the benefit of just me,” McBride has said.

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“Black Trailblazers in the Natural World” Talk and Walking Tour of Historic Chestertown

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The next public meeting of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) is set to be hosted in Chestertown by Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience Deputy Director Jaelon T. Moaney. The meeting, whose theme is Black Trailblazers in the Natural World, will include a talk followed by an optional walking tour of Chestertown led by Starr Center Community Historian Airlee Ringgold Johnson and Scholar-Practitioner Darius Johnson. The walking tour will explore the rich Black history and culture of Kent County, spanning centuries of living legacies, and is meant to be an evolving restorative effort.

For the talk, Moaney has invited two guest speakers to share their unique insights as trailblazers in their respective practices, each centering on diverse representation and empowering experiences in nature. Ashleigh Hairston is a show writer and the voice of Wren in Cartoon Network’s Maryland-based “Craig of the Creek,” which was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Children’s Animated Series category, as well as a story editor of “Jessica’s Big Little World.” Mariah Davis is the Environmental Justice Officer at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The meeting will take place at the historic Bethel A.M.E. Church at 237 North College Avenue in Chestertown, MD on Monday, April 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The historic significance of the church will be in keeping with the talk’s theme as it is the site where Freedom Riders found solace during the 1962 protests in Chestertown. The walking tour will immediately follow the talk. Both events are free and open to the public. Attendees are requested to register for the meeting at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/28f9nbw.

“It is an incredible honor to bring the Commission to Chestertown by hosting my very first Public Meeting where Freedom Riders found solace throughout the 1962 protests, especially during Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights. As a Kent County native, the gravity of expanding and normalizing accurate notions of Black adventure, resilience, dignity and ingenuity, particularly in rural places and spaces, holds immeasurable significance to the reverent shoulders on which I stand and future Delmarva Peninsula stewards,” explains Moaney.

The MCAAHC, the nation’s first statewide ethnic commission, is committed to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting, and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage. The Commission also provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors to our state about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland.

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

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Political History and the Impact of Social Movements Topics of Guest Lectures at Washington College Next Week

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Two Events Open to the Public from Visiting Professors Kenneth Andrews

and Reeve Huston

Washington College’s departments of history and sociology will host two talks from visiting professors next week about the changing political landscape of our country, both historically and currently. Both events are free and open to the public.

On March 26, at 5:00 p.m. the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and Washington College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host Washington University in St. Louis Professor of Sociology Kenneth Andrews for a guest lecture on the impact of activism and protest. The talk, How Protest and Activism Matter, will take place in Goldstein Hall and dive into why some social movements drive significant change while others lead to few or limited impacts.

As the oldest and most elite collegiate honor society, host organization Phi Beta Kappa has earned recognition for their work of distinguished excellence in liberal arts and sciences. Working with Washington’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the two organizations are thrilled to host Dr. Andrews as he draws from a range of historical and contemporary movements to show attendees how they can create three types of change: disruptive, cultural and organizational.

Later in the week, Duke University Associate Professor of History Reeve Huston will be visiting Washington College to give a lecture from his forthcoming book as part of the Guy F. Goodfellow Memorial lecture series. His talk, Democratic Aspiration, Democratic Discontent: The Triumph of Mass Politics in the United States, 1815-1840, will take place in Hynson Lounge in Hodson Hall on March 28, at 4:30 p.m. Centering on the period that marked a turning point in American political practices, the most notable among these being the emergence of the two-party political system, Dr. Huston will offer a new explanation of how and why these changes took place. Huston has published several works, including Land and Freedom: Rural Society, Popular Protest, and Party Politics in Antebellum New York; The Early American Republic: A History in Documents; and most recently, Origins of Jacksonian Democracy: American Political Practices, 1812-1840.  More info on the event can be found here: https://www.washcoll.edu/Calendar/index.php#event-details/cfe1cba3-90a7-4c90-b94b-c62f17fe1b16

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A Talbot County Star at the Starr Center: A Chat with Jaelon Moaney

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Jaelon Moaney’s appointment as Deputy Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College is a full–circle return to his roots on the Eastern Shore.

A tenth-generation son of Talbot and Kent County, his ancestors helped found Copperville, the only American village founded by once-enslaved soldiers. They also helped establish the earliest free Black community known as “The Hill” in Easton.

A graduate of Easton High School and a B.A. with honors from Williams College as a political science major, Moaney’s journey back to the Cambridge area has been replete with education, preservation, and state-level engagements to not only foster an understanding of Black history but to promote and advocate learning projects honoring the “legacies and landscapes” of Delmarva.

Co-founder of the Needles Eye Academy in Talbot County, a project to promote the “literary empowerment for the Black & Brown youth of MD’s Eastern Shore”—covered in the Spy here—Moaney was recently appointed by Gov. Wes Moore to be on the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.

Moaney has emerged as a prominent figure in the national preservation movement in the United States, championing causes on Capitol Hill and state capitols nationwide. His deep policy knowledge and advocacy efforts played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, encompassing Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and southern Prince George’s counties. President Joe Biden signed this designation into law in January 2023. Additionally, his achievements include securing the confirmation of the Hon. Sara C. Bronin, the first person of color to chair the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the expansion and redesignation of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park to include four locations outside of the original site in Kansas. He also played a key role in establishing the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area in Chicago, Illinois, and the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Texas.

Director of the Starr Center Adam Goodheart writes, “All of us at the Starr Center are thrilled to have Jaelon as the newest member of our leadership team. He comes to us with vision, passion, and an impressive record of community engagement and public service, as well as strong professional connections throughout Maryland and beyond. What’s more, he’s a proud native son of the Eastern Shore who draws inspiration from that legacy and is eager to share it with others. We can expect to see him at the helm of some exciting initiatives ahead.”

Jaelon Moaney recently shared his vision of working with the Starr Center with the Spy last week.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the Starr Center at Washington College please go here.

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George Washington Prize Winner Maurizio Valsania to Speak at Washington College

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George Washington Prize Winner 2 Maurizio Valsania

The Starr Center for the American Experience will be hosting a conversation and Q&A with Maurizio Valsania, winner of the 2023 George Washington Prize and author of First Among Men: George Washington and the Myth of American Masculinity. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Monday, February 5 at 6:00 p.m.  at The Toll Science Center in Litrenta Hall at Washington College.  A reception will follow.

 The George Washington Prize is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious literary awards and honors its namesake by recognizing the year’s best new books on the nation’s founding era, especially those that engage a broad public audience. Created in 2005 by George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Washington College, past winners of the $50,000 prize include Ron Chernow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nathaniel Philbrick, Annette Gordon-Reed, and Rick Atkinson. Valsania was presented with the award in September 2023 at The Union Club in New York City.
Valsania’s First Among Men (Johns Hopkins University Press) examines the 19th century perspective of an 18thcentury man, dispelling the myth that George Washington was larger than life. Readers are shown a different side of Washington, a human universally susceptible to the whims and challenges of life as opposed to the hero without parallel portrayed in later decades.
“Maurizio Valsania has written a fresh, lively take on George Washington that places him squarely in the context of his time, stripping away centuries of accreted myth and mystique,” said Adam Goodheart, the Starr Center’s Hodson Trust-Griswold Director, who will moderate the event. “Of all the books that I’ve read about our nation’s founding leader, this is the one that most made me feel that I was in the presence of the man himself.”
Valsania is a professor of American History at the University of Turin in Italy. As a scholar of the Early American Republic, he examines the founders within their social, intellectual, and material context, especially through the lens of the 18th century body. He is the author of The Limits of Optimism: Thomas Jefferson’s Dualistic Enlightenment (University of Virginia Press, 2011); Nature’s Man: Thomas Jefferson’s Philosophical Anthropology (University of Virginia Press, 2013); and Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography (University of Virginia Press, 2017).
Valsania is the recipient of several fellowships from leading academic institutions, including the American Antiquarian Society, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Library Company, the John D. Rockefeller Library, the DAAD (Germany), the International Center for Jefferson Studies, and the George Washington’s Mount Vernon. He has written for the Oxford University Press’s Academic Insights for the Thinking World, for the Oxford Bibliographies Online, and has collaborated with the BBC World Service. He has also written several op-eds and articles that have appeared in major media outlets, such as the Chicago Tribune, Salon, the Wisconsin State Journal, Government Executive, Defense One, and the Conversation. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

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Tracking Native American Cultural Heritage on Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore

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Dr. Julie Markin, associate professor of anthropology and archaeology and director of archaeology at Washington College, was recently awarded a $40,000 grant through the Maryland Historical Trust to study the indigenous cultural heritage of Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore and its inhabitants’ social landscapes prior to contact with European settlers and explorers. The grant will provide for an archaeological survey and excavation of the watershed, conducted by the Washington College Archaeology Lab, as well as paid internships for students, public programming and presentations, and open lab opportunities which will be open to volunteers from the public at large.

Dr. Julie Markin

Dr. Markin’s project unites archaeological data with geographic information, environmental reconstruction and historical accounts, with the goal of developing a more robust database from which to ask questions about the nature and complexity of civilizations on the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore, an area that has historically received less study and attention than its counterpart chiefdoms across the Bay.

“The research proposed by Dr. Markin will help fill a critical gap in our knowledge about pre-contact indigenous history on Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” said Maryland Historical Trust Chief Archeaologist Dr. Matthew McKnight, who notes that most of the archaeological work in the state requires consideration of cultural resources and archaeological sites in project planning.
“In areas like the Upper Choptank watershed that have seen less development, our understanding of prehistory is much more limited than places where more publicly funded construction is taking place. We are happy to have assistance from Washington College in documenting the important resources of the region for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties,” said McKnight.
Dr. Markin views archaeology as a means by which we can ask, and attempt to answer, when and why inequalities arise. She notes that even though the Eastern Shore received limited attention from early English settlers, mid-17th-century accounts describe Eastern Shore groups living in chiefdoms headed by hereditary leaders receiving tribute from subordinate groups. Traditional markers of complex chiefdoms – structures with status indicators and maize agriculture – are absent however, suggesting that Eastern Shore complexity has a different flavor.
“In terms of historical records, we don’t know much of what the social and economic landscape looked like before John Smith made his way to the Chesapeake and modern-day Maryland,” noted Markin. “Extensive archaeological investigation can help construct a better social geography of the Late Woodland/Contact period in the Upper Choptank.”
Six paid internships will be made available and employ students as field crew members, lab assistants, and research assistants, allowing them to gain valuable professional experience, something near and dear to Markin’s heart.
“I am very focused on applied anthropology and archaeology – giving students hands-on opportunities that contribute to the communities we engage with and that foster research that can be employed to create spaces for conversation and the development of thoughtful policies around the lands that are important to many different stakeholders, particularly descendant Indigenous groups,” says Markin.
In addition to the excavations and fieldwork, Dr. Markin has plans to develop public programming that will engage students and community volunteers in open lab sessions throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Volunteers from the community and other regional schools will also be invited to participate in archaeological investigations conducted over the next two summers and fieldwork conducted throughout the academic year.
The grant will also allow for the development of public presentations and talks to community organizations about the project and its findings as well as an exhibit at the Caroline County Historical Society building in Denton, Maryland, which would bring together project interns, the Caroline County Historical Society, and Washington College students minoring in museum, field, and community education.
“The research grant to Professor Markin is not only a testament to her stature as a scholar but also to the innovativeness of her approach to addressing important knowledge gaps,” said Washington College Provost and Dean Kiho Kim. “Moreover, with the grant, she will be able to provide students with opportunities to work on real-world problems and contribute to a better understanding of the history of this region. Such opportunities are transformative for our students. I thank Professor Markin for her dedication to her scholarly pursuits and our students.”
Those wishing to follow along with the research and find out how to participate as a volunteer are encouraged to follow the Washington College Department of Anthropology webpage and Instagram account at @wacanthropology for blogs, short videos, and updates from the field.
The Department of Anthropology & Archaeology at Washington College allows students to directly engage with contemporary anthropological topics and applied research through an individualized program that sets them up for success. Celebrating the diversity of cultural experiences and pathways students at Washington College “learn by doing” and are offered numerous opportunities for fieldwork, paid internships, and experiential learning. Learn more at www.washcoll.edu.

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