Laura Richardson Whitaker Memorial Undergraduate Award in Women’s Studies

Laura Richardson Whitaker

December 29, 1970 – March 23, 1994

Laura, a daughter of Seldon V. Whitaker Jr. and Susan Gurry Whitaker of State College, graduated in 1988 from State College Area High School, where she participated in the alternative program and served as the secretary of the program’s advisory council.  Upon graduation, she received the Richard M. Sharp Award for Excellence for academic and civic achievement.  She was a senior at Penn State, majoring in History and had been elected to Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society.

The Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and the family of Laura Richardson Whitaker, Class of 1995, are pleased to announce the Laura Richardson Whitaker Memorial Award in Women’s Studies to encourage and recognize outstanding undergraduate research focusing on women in history. Typically, this award will be awarded for a student essay, term paper, or honors thesis, but other forms of achievement (for example, a video script or a museum exhibit) are also eligible.

Entries will be evaluated by WGSS for originality and excellence. Recipients of this award will receive a monetary award that will be disbursed to their bursar account and will have their name appear on a permanent plaque housed in the WGSS departmental area. The award will be presented at the Department’s spring end-of-year reception. The recipient is encouraged, with support and assistance of faculty in WGSS, to further develop their research for publication or other public presentation.