On May 25th, New Hope-Solebury senior, R. Connor Gauvin, received the 2012 Francis Curley Scholarship from the New Hope Historical Society. On hand to present the award were NHHS president, Ben Meadows, NHHS Scholarship Committee Chair, Edwin Hild and NHHS Scholarship Committee member, Les Isbrandt.
“Connor Gauvin was selected to receive this year’s award on the basis of both his scholastic and community achievements,” said Ben. “In addition, his selection is one that we believe Francis Curley would have agreed with.”
In the fall, Connor will attend George Washington University and plans to major in political science.
NHHS established the Francis Curley Memorial Scholarship in 2003 to be awarded to a civic-minded New Hope-Solebury High School senior who has displayed excellence in Social Studies and who is going on to a post-secondary formal education in the broad field of Social Sciences. Over the years, the NHHS has awarded 11 Francis Curley Scholarships to deserving NH-S seniors.
“The scholarship honors Francis Curley’s many outstanding contributions which fostered a greater public appreciation for New Hope’s unique history,” said Isbrandt.
“His work in the Historical Society and our community will forever be remembered as an excellent model of how one individual can make a lasting impact. Until his death in 2001, Francis Curley was considered New Hope’s premier historian. After serving in the US Army during WWII, he taught history and social studies at the New Hope-Solebury High School from 1957 to 1980. Francis was a member of the Lambertville and Bucks County Historical Societies and was an officer and director of the New Hope Historical Society. He also taught, as a volunteer, at Delaware Valley College.”
PHOTO CAP: From left, Les Isbrandt (NHHS Scholarship Committee member), Edwin Hild (NHHS Scholarship Committee chair), Jon Gonsiewski (New Hope-Solebury History teacher), Connor Gauvin, Christina Lang (NH-S High School principal), and Ben Meadows (NHHS President).
