Noah Dunlap

Kendall Williamson

Abigail Prosise

KNOXVILLE — The East Tennessee Historical Society has awarded three scholarships to students who participated in the East Tennessee History Day competition, a division of National History Day presented by the East Tennessee Historical Society. The scholarships are made possible annually through the generous donations of Randy and Jenny Boyd, known across the state for their strong support of education. Randy is a former ETHS board member, and Jenny currently serves on the ETHS board of directors. The scholarships include two East Tennessee History Day Scholarships for outstanding primary source research on East Tennessee topics and the East Tennessee History Day Business and Technology Scholarship for outstanding primary source research on a business and/or technology topic.

First Place for the East Tennessee History Scholarship was awarded to Noah Dunlap from the L & N STEM Academy, Knoxville. Noah participated in a senior group exhibit titled “The 1982 World’s Fair: Knoxville’s Rise to Prominence,” which analyzed the fair as a turning point in Knoxville’s history that drew people from around the world to explore energy development. Noah, a four year National History Day participant, remarked “My experiences in National History Day competition have made me a demonstrably better student. I have been pushed to look beyond surface level text and delve deeper into the driving forces behind events… I genuinely feel a deeper appreciation now for East Tennessee and American history.” Noah’s project won first place at district and second place at the state competition.

Second place for the East Tennessee Scholarship was awarded to Kendall Williamson from Cosby High School, in Cosby, Tennessee. Kendall produced a senior individual documentary called “A Pioneer in the Sky: Kiffin Rockwell,” that explored the life and legacy of Rockwell, a Newport, Tennessee native and WWI pilot who died in 1916 while serving in the French service. Kendall stated, “Our history keeps us moving forward. We must know the past to fix the future, or we will go nowhere but in circles. I am very grateful to National History Day because it has taught me how to step up and take control of projects and to not be nervous when giving speeches.” Kendall’s project won second place at both district and state.

Abigail Prosise, of Farragut High School, Farragut, Tennessee, was the recipient of the East Tennessee History Day Business and Technology Scholarship with her project “From Atoms to Armstrong.” The senior individual website examined the connections, collaborations, and resulting technological achievements of two opposing groups, Jewish physicists and Nazi rocketeers, brought to America for scientific research after WWII. Abigail comments, “I know my passion for history will make me a better person, because learning about the past helps all of us make better decisions about the future.” Abigail’s project won first place at district and second place at state.