NEW NAME FOR SCHOLARSHIP

The name of the late William L. McCullough, M.D. of Petoskey (right), one of the founders of the Robert Emmet Society, has been added to the memorial scholarship at North Central Michigan College that is awarded annually by the Society.  The scholarship, which provides funding for an outstanding NCMC student to study Irish history and culture for a semester in Galway , Ireland , will now be known as the Joseph W. McCarthy & William L. McCullough, M.D., Scholarship. 

Seated with Dr. McCullough in this 2005 photograph above is Mrs. Joseph W. McCarthy and Dr. George A. Colburn, Chair of the Society’s Scholarship Committee.  The Society will award its 12^th scholarship in May of 2010 to the NCMC student who is considered the best student “ambassador” to Ireland from Emmet County , Michigan , USA .  

Students at NCMC must present an outstanding essay on the enduring values of Robert Emmet to be considered for the scholarship.  Their academic record and student activities at NCMC are also considered by the Scholarship Committee along with their performance at a personal interview with committee members.  The scholarship includes tuition, round-trip airfare, and all housing expenses. 

A SEMESTER IN IRELAND

Each spring, the Robert Emmet Society awards a scholarship to an outstanding North Central Michigan College student for a fall semester of study in Galway, Ireland. The Society was founded in the early 1990s to honor, Robert Emmet, the namesake of Emmet County, Michigan and to make area residents more aware of Emmet's brief, but courageous life and his enduring legacy as a champion of freedom and democracy. The scholarship award is the Society's major activity each year. The Irish patriot's name was given to Emmet county by the Michigan legislature in the mid-19th century to honor his revolutionary leadership that sought to overthrow the British rulers of Ireland in 1798 and again in 1803. Captured by the British in the wake of the rising's failure in 1803, he was quickly tried and then hanged and beheaded publicly in a major square of Dublin. His eloquent speech from the dock in defense of his actions and the cause of Irish freedom insured that his name and actions would be long remembered in Irish history and folklore.

Beth Merry ii the current winner of the Society scholarship named for a founding member of the group, the late Joseph W. McCarthy. Beth is the eleventh area student to study Irish history and culture in Galway since the award was initiated. She is attending Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology taking Irish heritage and culture courses. The scholarship award, valued at approximately $10,000, includes tuition, lodging, books and airfare.  For further information, contact the President's Office at NCMC, or the Robert Emmet Society via email at info@emmetsociety.org, or by writing to P.O. Box 2027, Petoskey, MI 49770. For an idea of what a semester in Ireland is like, click here to read Beth's Blog and letters home from past Robert Emmet Scholars. Return to Robert Emmet Society Home Page FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: P.O. Box 2027, Petoskey MI 49720 Telephone: 231/535-2346 ~ Fax: 231/535-2618 Email: info@emmetsociety.org © 2005 Robert Emmet Society