Pell Medals to be awarded to high school, college history students

THE HERBERT Pell and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History will be awarded to one student at each high school and college in the state who has excelled in the study of U.S. history. / COURTESY SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY
THE HERBERT Pell and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History will be awarded to one student at each high school and college in the state who has excelled in the study of U.S. history. / COURTESY SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY

NEWPORT — The Herbert Pell and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History will be awarded to one student at each high school and college in the state who has excelled in the study of U.S. history, according to a news release from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.
Established by the Pell family, the Pell Medal is named for U.S. Rep. Herbert C. Pell and his son, U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell. It is a testament to their belief that understanding American history is essential to leadership, the university said.
The medal features a pelican on the left side and an anchor on the right, and symbolizes the Pell family and the state of Rhode Island.
Herbert Pell also served as the American minister to Portugal and Hungary, while Claiborne Pell, who is responsible for the creation of the Pell Grant and the National Endowment for the Humanities, served in the Senate for 36 years and worked to build strong foreign relations for the United States.
The medal was originally presented by Sen. Pell and his wife, Nuala Pell.
“We are humbled to serve as stewards of this wonderful tradition,” Pell Center Executive Director Jim Ludes said in a statement.
“I am so happy that the Pell Medal will continue to recognize Rhode Island’s next generation of students. Across every corner of the state, former recipients have told me how much this special recognition has meant to them. I would like to thank the Pell Center at Salve Regina University for their partnership, and I look forward to meeting many future Pell Medal recipients in the years to come,” Clay Pell, grandson of the senator and Nuala Pell, said in prepared remarks.
Selection forms will be sent to schools in April and the medals distributed before the end of the school year.
Dedicated to honoring Sen. Pell’s legacy, the Pell Center promotes American engagement in the world, effective government at home and civic participation by all Americans.

No posts to display