2015 Guidelines for Scholarship Applicants
1. Students must be seniors at one of the six area public high schools: Coahulla Creek High School, Dalton High School, Murray County High School, North Murray High School, Northwest Whitfield High School, & Southeast Whitfield High School. They must hold good academic records & plan to continue their studies beyond the high school level.
2. Applications & guidelines will be provided to the six high schools no later than February. Information will be available from the guidance offices & the social studies teachers.
3. Completed applications, photos, & copies of original research are due no later than Wednesday, April 1, 2015 to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.
4. The Scholarship Committee of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will meet in mid-April to consider applicants & select recipients. More than one award may be given at each school. Selection will be made early enough so that awards may be presented at each high school’s spring awards ceremonies.
5. Scholarships will be awarded to each recipient. Each recipient will also be given a year’s free membership in the Society.
6. The awards at each of the six public high schools are named in honor or in memory of educators, community leaders, & Historical Society leaders as follows:
Coahulla Creek High School—In honor of Dr. Don Thomas & Mrs. Judy Alderman. Dr. Don has operated a successful medical practice for over 50 years. He served 14 years in the state Senate; he served 12 years on the Whitfield Co. Board of Education, 10 years as chairman. Mrs. Alderman established the Prater’s Mill Foundation & the Prater’s Mill Country Fair that have preserved historic 1855 Prater’s Mill. Both Dr. Thomas & Mrs. Alderman are trustees of the historical society.
Dalton High School--In memory of Marion (Pete) Sims & in honor of Mary Gene Sims Dykes. Mr. Sims was one of the organizers of the reactivated Historical Society in 1976 & aided in obtaining the use of the old Crown Cotton Mill office building as headquarters for the Society & starting the archives. Mrs. Dykes is a past president of WMHS & a years-long volunteer for all things historic in the area.
Murray County High School--In memory of James Loughridge & Nell Ruth Loughridge. Mr. Loughridge was actively involved in the Murray County Schools, serving as chairman of the board of education. He was also a Historical Society member. Mrs. Loughridge was both a graduate of & long-time faculty member at Murray High. She was an early president of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. She assisted with the compiling of the Murray County history & helped organize the Friends of the Vann House as well as serving as trustee.
North Murray High School—In honor of Paul Ross. Paul has been a vital part of the WMHS for most of three decades & a vital part of the Murray County business community for even longer. As past chairman of the Wright Hotel Committee & the Society's Board of Trustees, Paul has promoted historic preservation both personally & professionally.
Northwest Whitfield High School--In memory of Dorothy Sapp Seaton. Mrs. Seaton was a former educator in the Whitfield County Schools & a long-time supporter of the schools. From 1976-78, she served as the first president of the reactivated Historical Society. She headed the committee that wrote History of Whitfield County.
Southeast Whitfield High School--In memory of I. V. Chandler & in honor of Mr. Marvin Sowder. Mr. Chandler was a former principal of Valley Point High School who became a pioneer in the textile industry. Mr. Sowder is the point-person for Civil War sites & information in the northwest Georgia area. He is also a trustee of the Historical Society.