Published on March 18, 2016 by Mary Wimberley  
Colonial Dames 2016

Eleven Samford University students have been honored by the Birmingham Center of Colonial Dames of America for outstanding papers written in Samford history classes. The winners received cash prizes for their work submitted in the annual Colonial Dames’ American Independence essay contest.

Hannah James, a senior history and religion major from London, Kentucky, won the first place prize of $600. Her paper was entitled “For the Kingdom of God or for the Kingdom of Man? American Indigenous Societies and Their Alterations of Environmental Practices during Colonization, Sixteenth to Mid-Eighteenth Century.” 

Morgan Roettele, a junior history major from Naples, Florida, won second place and a $500 cash award for her paper, “The Columbian Patriot: The Intellectual Achievements and Political Voice of Mercy Otis Warren.”

William Higgins, a junior political science and classics major from Knoxville, Tennessee, won third place and $400 for his paper, “It Started with Paxton’s Case: An Explanation and Analysis of the Weak Legal Cases and Political Rhetoric That Founded the United States.”

Sam Fink, a freshman from Fayetteville, Georgia, won fourth place and $400 for his paper, “The Hero of Two Worlds.”

Trevor Waldrop, a junior classics and history major from Birmingham, won fifth place and $300 for his paper, “The Exile of Thomas Hutchinson.”

Anna-Drake Stephens, a freshman history major from Dothan, Alabama, won sixth place and $300 for her paper, “Thomas Jefferson.”

Nicholas Kromann, a senior history major from Huntsville, Alabama, won seventh place and $300 for his paper, “Loyalism and Its Consequences: The Tribulations of Thomas Hutchinson.”

Honorable Mention and $50 prizes went to four essay writers:  Sarah Harbaugh, a freshman voice major from Owens Crossroads, Alabama; Rachel Johnson, a freshman mathematics major from Memphis, Tennessee; Delaney Harrison, a junior political science major from Cataula, Georgia; and Cole Arn, a freshman music and worship leadership major from Plant City, Florida.

The awards were presented by Samford history department chair S. Jonathan Bass at a luncheon at Mountain Brook Country Club March 16.

A collection of the winning papers was dedicated to Kathryn Hicks Porter in recognition of her service as Colonial Dames president. A bound volume of the essays will be housed in the Samford library.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.