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The Horace Smith Fund Awards $297,000 to Area Students

Wayne Webster, Chair of the Board of Trustees, announced that this year The Horace Smith Fund will award 20 Walter S. Barr Scholarships, with 16 going to graduating high school seniors and four to students currently attending college.  The William R. Rooney Award will be granted to one high school candidate who has received special needs services. Additionally, three Walter S. Barr Fellowships will be granted to students enrolled in full-time graduate degree programs.  Providing that students maintain at least a B average in college, each scholarship provides a total of $12,000 over four years, and each fellowship provides $15,000 over three years.  Therefore, The Horace Smith Fund is happy to be able to grant a total award of $297,000 to area students this year.

 

The Horace Smith Fund was established in 1899 by the successful and generous philanthropist named Horace Smith.  He and Daniel Wesson were the founders of Smith & Wesson, located in Springfield.  Mr. Smith’s will provided that the residual of his estate, after several bequests to relatives and institutions, was to be used for public purposes at the discretion of his executors.  They decided that it should be used to help deserving students finance their education.

 

The Walter S. Barr Scholarships and Fellowships are named for a West Springfield businessman, whose widow left the bulk of the family estate to The Horace Smith Fund in 1950.  The William R. Rooney Award is named for a past Executive Director with a desire to assist special needs students.  All recipients must be residents of Hampden County.

 

This year’s scholarship recipients who are graduating seniors are from the following high schools:

 

Agawam High School: David C. Dagenais, Christian M. Rua

Chicopee High School: Kamila L. Soja

East Longmeadow High School: William V. Nguyen, Margaret R. Ryan

Commerce Honors Academy: Seemalata Nepal

Hampden Charter Science Academy: Samantha Josephs

Holyoke High School: Kara B. McGuinness, Maeve K. Norton

Longmeadow High School: Wynne Z. Dromey

Minnechaug Regional High School: Gabrielle A. Bartolomei, Ava M. Sirois

SABIS: Kiana A. Ramos

Springfield Central High School: Tony Cen Cen, Belinda N. Truong

West Springfield High School: Aidan T. Landers

Westfield High School: Catherine E. Morrissey

 

This year’s scholarship recipients who are currently attending college are:

 

College of the Holy Cross: Julia A. Puppolo (Wilbraham & Monson Academy)

Elms College: Aimee Ludwin (GED)

Simmons University: Chelsea Hua (Springfield Central High School)

University of Virginia: Maia Hutcheson-Jones (Wilbraham & Monson Academy)

 

The three fellowship recipients are graduates of the following colleges and high schools:

 

Brown University: Jordan A. Kei-Rahn (Longmeadow High School)

Johns Hopkins University: Julianne M. Schmidt (Wilbraham & Monson Academy)

Swathmore College: Kyle L. Richmond-Crosset (Springfield Renaissance School)

 

Students were selected on a variety of criteria, including their test scores, class rank, extra-curricular activities, and a personal written account of why the student feels deserving of financial assistance.  Applications for next year’s awards will be available September 15th on-line at www.HoraceSmithFund.org or by calling (413) 739-4222.