UNION - Time is running out to apply for this year's $1,000 Nancy Fike Scholarship. Applications, available online at GotHistory.org, must be submitted by April 8.
Named in honor of the Society's former administrator, MCHS awards a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from a McHenry County high school who plans to study education, history, or the social sciences. This merit-based scholarship will be given in the winning student's name to his or her college /university.
Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, provide two letters of recommendation (one from a faculty member and one from another representative of the community), show proof of community service, and write a minimum 500-word essay relevant to McHenry County. Essays will be judged on content, grammar, historical accuracy, originality, and their bibliography (students are expected to cite their sources). In some cases, interviewing a person(s) about the topic is advised.
Smart phones are no substitute for smart people.
This year's topic is:
World War I ended exactly 100 years ago this past November - at the 11th hour of the 11th day. The impact of the Great War cannot be overestimated. It resulted in the destruction of empires (Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary); caused "shell shock" in the soldiers; led to the military draft (Britain in 1916 and the U.S. in 1917); introduced new weapons of war (the airplane, tank, submarine, machine gun, and poison gas); contributed to anti-war protests, a woman's right to vote, medical breakthroughs, and an influenza pandemic; and led to the rise of the United States as a great power.
Explore the legacy of WWI focusing on one - or more - of the aforementioned topics. How did it impact the people of Illinois and McHenry County? How did it change us as a society? What lessons does the "war to end all wars," as President Wilson called it, hold for the future?
For additional information about the Nancy Fike Scholarship, call the Society at 815-923-2267, email info@mchenrycountyhistory.org or visit www.gothistory.org.