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The Omohundro Institute received a renewed gift of $5,000 from the Scholarship Committee of the Colonial Dames of America, a renewed gift of $3,000 from the College of William and Mary’s Christopher Wren Association, and two new gifts of $1,000 from the Order of Americans of Armorial
Ancestry’s (OAAA) Grace DeuPree Scholarship to fund the Institute’s Fellowships in Historical Editing.

During the summer, the Colonial Dames, Wren Association, and OAAA Grace DeuPree Fellowships will offer three talented young graduate students the opportunity to build on the skills that they acquired as Institute editorial apprentices during the 2007–2008 academic year. The fellowships support continued editorial work throughout the summer following the apprenticeship and make a significant contribution to the Institute’s ability to maintain the high standards for which all of its publications—the William and Mary Quarterly and book manuscripts—are known.

“The Institute appreciates the generous support of the Colonial Dames, the Wren Association, and the OAAA for the summer fellowships, which allow us to enrich the educational experience and training of these aspiring young scholars,” said Ron Hoffman, Institute Director.

The recipient of the Colonial Dames of America Fellowship in Historical Editing is Ben Abel, who came to William and Mary’s graduate program in American history from San Diego State University. Jade Leszkowicz, a graduate of Binghamton University, received the Christopher Wren Association Fellowship in Historical Editing and one of the two inaugural OAAA Grace DeuPree Fellowships in
Historical Editing. The second OAAA Grace DeuPree Fellowship was awarded to Myra Houser, who received her undergraduate degree from Ouachita Baptist University. Ben, Jade, and Myra are three of the four young people who served as Institute editorial apprentices during the recently completed academic year.

All three apprentices are enjoying their summer fellowships. Ben says he is “very grateful to have been awarded this fellowship” and that he looks forward to “the additional experience I will gain in my work with the Institute staff, particularly because I plan to pursue work in the field of historical editing. The fellowship will extend my experience in historical editing techniques even further—giving me the skills necessary to begin a career in this field.” Similarly, Jade believes that “the Wren Association and OAAA Fellowships provide a valuable learning experience for any graduate student and will allow me to develop further my research and editorial skills under the guidance of the William and Mary Quarterly and Book Publications staff at the Institute.” Myra shares her colleagues’ enthusiasm: “During the past year, I have enjoyed working in the Book Publications division of the Institute, and I have learned a great deal not only about editing and publishing but about early American history. I look forward to continuing this work during the summer thanks to the OAAA.”

The Colonial Dames of America is an organization committed to historical preservation and the encouragement of study in the field of American history. Gifts from the Colonial Dames have supported the fellowship program since 1996.

The Christopher Wren Association is a self-supporting organization sponsored by the College of William and Mary to promote lifelong learning opportunities for members of the Williamsburg community. This is the second year that the Wren Association has supported the summer fellowship program.

The Organization of Americans of Armorial Ancestry (OAAA), founded in 1903, is the only lineage organization based on the right to bear arms as a qualification for membership. The OAAA’s gift to the Institute is its first to establish the 2007–2008 Grace DeuPree Fellowships.