The Horace Smith Fund Awards $297,000 to Area Students
Hampden County- Wayne Webster, Chair of the Board of Trustees, announced that this year The Horace Smith Fund will award 20 Walter S. Barr Scholarships, with 17 going to graduating high school seniors and three 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: Jessica Zhao
Chicopee High School: Tabarek G. Al-Kowami
East Longmeadow High School: Ricky Gao, Anna G. Hugney, Kayleigh E. Luke, Daniel L. Nguyen
Gateway Regional High School: Emma J. Doull
Ludlow High School: Matt J. Tibbitts
Minnechaug Regional High School: Nicholas F. Frangie, Julia J. Noel, Julia K. O’Keefe
SABIS: Alexandria W. Barnard-Davignon
Southwick-Tolland Regional High School: Alina Antropova, Anastasia A. Antropova
West Springfield High School: Eric C. Bergeron, Julia N. Gavel, Meghan A. Lever
Westfield High School: Aidan M. Cioch
This year’s scholarship recipients who are currently attending college are:
American International College: Say Ku (West Springfield High School)
Umass Amherst: Jessica M. Smith (Minnechaug Regional High School)
Umass Boston: Madison Dover (West Springfield High School)
The three fellowship recipients are graduates of the following colleges and high schools:
George Washington University: Matthew J. Schmidt (Wilbraham & Monson Academy)
Gettysburg College: Erica M. Paul (Agawam High School)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Tsuiyee Ng (Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy)
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.
Horace Smith Fund
The Horace Smith Fund was established to help deserving students finance their education. Scholarship and Fellowship awards are available to local students who are graduates of Hampden County, Massachusetts secondary schools. Fellowship applicants must be residents of Hampden County or qualified former residents.