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Wyndham B. Blanton Scholars Forum

The Virginia Historical Society is pleased to announce the tenth Wyndham B. Blanton Scholars Forum, to be held October 23–24, 2008. The forum is designed to bring together high school history students with nationally renowned history scholars. Named in honor of a former president of the historical society, the tenth Blanton Scholars Forum will feature the award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns. Previous participants include Michael Beschloss, Scott Berg, David Gergen, Ron Chernow, Edmund Morris, Cokie Roberts, Rick Atkinson, and David McCullough.

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for more that twenty years and is the creator, director, and producer of numerous award-winning works, including Jazz, The Civil War, and Baseball. His films are among the most watched programs in PBS history, each having attracted more than 45 million viewers. Mr. Burns's work has earned him four Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, the Clarion Award, the Television Critics Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Special Programming, the Producer of the Year Award from Producer's Guild, a People's Choice Award, a Peabody Award, and others.

Ken Burns will be the J. Harvie Wilkinson, Jr., lecturer on Thursday, October 23. He will speak on his latest series, The War: An Intimate History, 1941–1945. Twenty students will have the opportunity to meet privately with Mr. Burns and attend his lecture. They will also participate in a seminar with Ron Heinemann, Squires Professor Emeritus of History at Hampden-Sydney College, the following morning.

Blanton Scholars will receive a copy of The War: An Intimate History, 1941–1945 (pictured left), written by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns.

Interested in becoming a Blanton Scholar?

Application: Any student of a Virginia high school who will be a junior or senior during the 2008–2009 school year and has completed a U.S. history or government class may apply. All applications must contain: a completed application form, a research paper, a letter of recommendation, a teacher checklist, and any evidence of interest in history.

1. Research paper: A four-page, double-spaced paper must accompany the application. Please use 12-point text. Endnotes and a bibliography must be included. While teachers may make this a class assignment, the paper submitted must be entirely the student's work. The topic for this year's research paper:

2. Teacher checklist: The checklist must be completed by the applicant's U.S. history or government teacher.

3. One letter of recommendation: This letter should address the student's academic proficiency, leadership ability, communication skills, extracurricular activities, and interest in history, government, and current events. It may be written by anyone familiar with the applicant (other than a family member) except the person who completes the checklist.

4. Evidence of interest in history: This material should complement the "history activities" section on the application and may include any materials (newspaper clippings, videos, photographs, PowerPoint presentations, copies of certificates) that document the applicant's enthusiasm for history and would help us better evaluate the application. "History activities" includes everything from belonging to the school history club to taking music lessons on an old-time string banjo.

Deadline
Applications must be received by July 1, 2008. Only four applications per school will be considered. Those accepted will be notified by September 12, 2008.

Judging
In evaluating the applications, the research paper will count the most—70 percent of the total score. The historical interest section will count for 15 percent, the teacher checklist 15 percent. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the research paper: historical accuracy—40 percent, content—40 percent, mechanics—20 percent.

Expenses
The Virginia Historical Society will provide meals and lodging for the Blanton Scholars who live outside the Richmond area. Each scholar must be accompanied by a parent, teacher, or guardian, who will also be provided with meals and lodging.

What's related:
• Previous Blanton Scholars Forums
• Bobby Chandler Student Award in History

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