Mildred Chaffin Portner Scholarship
Join the Commitment
About the Scholarship
Mildred Chaffin Portner, an Ithaca native, was an influential face in Gratiot County for many years. Throughout Mildred's life, she worked for various state agencies, joined the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as a business administrator, help adopt development management systems in 300 congressional offices, and eventually became the secretary of the Library of Congress from 1946 to 1969. Mildred advocated for helping upcoming generations by advocating for equal employment practices and promoting the value of local historical libraries. To honor Mildred and her passions, this scholarship was established to aid high school juniors and seniors with their pursuit to a post-secondary education.
Number of Awards and Value
One for as much as $500
Requirements
- Must be a Gratiot County high school junior or senior;
- Must use scholarship in pursuit of a post-secondary education at a college/university, or in a vocational/technical program;
- Must complete and submit the Foundation's Scholarship application;
- Must complete and submit a historical essay focused on a person, place or event in Gratiot County. The essay must:
- Be typewritten and double-spaced in a 12 point font size with one ice margins all around;
- Include a title page, annotated bibliography and the body of the paper be no more three 8.5 X 11 inch pages in length;
- Not be bound in any way other than a paper-clip;
- Utilize at least one original source identified in an annotated bibliography;
- Follow current and generally accepted rules for writing an historical essay;
- Students are encouraged to use the Gratiot County Historical and Genealogical Society, and/or other local historical and genealogical societies, as a resource in writing the historical essay;
- Essays will be archived at the Gratiot County Historical and Genealogical Society as a resource for future research.
Scholarship Recipients
2023
Abigail Warnke
2022
Gavin Isles
2021
Dilynn Everitt
2020
