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Junior Receives Warner Scholarship
 Melissa Downs '02, an environmental studies and Spanish major from Birmingham, AL, is the first recipient of the William Warner Scholarship, a $1000 gift that acknowledges excellence in environmental writing.
The scholarship was established last year by the Friends of Washington College in the name of William Warner, in recognition of his achievements in the genre of natural history and environmental writing. Warner is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, published in 1976. His latest work, Into the Porcupine Cave and Other Odysseys, published by the National Geographic Society in 1999, explores the experiences that shaped his life as a naturalist and writer. He has been a Senior Fellow of the College since 1985.
"William Warner is one of the most distinguished writers on the Eastern Shore, in the State of Maryland and across the nation," said College President John Toll. "The Warner Scholarship will assist worthy students who may one day follow his footsteps."
The scholarship is awarded to a junior showing aptitude and promise in the field of environmental writing. Nominations are taken in the fall and the winner is announced in the spring. Professors Richard Gillin, Robert Mooney and Donald Munson serve on the selection committee.
"I have always enjoyed writing, drawing and the outdoors, especially hiking and gardening," says Downs. "I chose to take Dr. Munson's course, Environmental Pen and Policy, because it focused on environmental writing. I didn't come to Washington College to study creative writing, but I do enjoy writing and studying nature. I can explore both of those things here."
"She is an articulate, conscientious, sincere young woman, and the writing she did in my CNW course, Pen and Environmental Policy, was of very high quality," said Dr. Munson. "I was impressed by her keen perception of the natural world, being able to see minute aspects of natural phenomena, things that are readily overlooked."
Downs, a member of the Diversity Planning Task Force and the Student Environmental Alliance, is developing a proposal for an environmental research project in Costa Rica through the College's Junior Fellows program.
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