Two Students Win Margery Brown Award for Excellence
April 22, 2019
(L-R) Julian Trupin, Evan Helford, Ray Brown, husband of the late Margery Brown
Evan Helford ’19, a Professional Communications major, and Julian Trupin ’21, who studies Economics, are the first winners of the Margery Brown Award for Excellence in Classics and Mythology. The award is named for the late Dr. Margery Brown, former chair of the English Department, who died tragically last May.
“Unfortunately, I did not have Dr. Brown as a teacher,” said Evan. “However, while attending the award ceremony I saw how many lives she touched and transformed. Her life is a testament to what being articulate and passionate about literature can do, and I am grateful to her.”
Although Julian never sat in one of Dr. Brown’s classes, he is equally grateful for the award.
“I have always been keenly interested in the classics, so I am honored to have been presented the Margery Brown Award.”
The award was suggested to the Brown family by Dr. Marcia Littenberg, a retired full professor of the English Department, who said of Dr. Brown in her remarks at the awards ceremony: “Those of you who knew Marge, recognize her gifts as a teacher, as an administrator, as a mentor, and as a friend. What you may not know is that she was also a brilliant scholar.”
“We leave it to the next generation of readers and scholars to accept the challenge Marge always offered- to think originally and creatively about literature, language, humanity and our lives.”
Evan and Julian went through a rigorous process to win the $500 award. They needed to show a demonstrated interest in the classics and mythology, submit a personal statement detailing their interest in those subjects, submit a sample of their work in relation to those subjects, and submit a letter of recommendation from a professor.
