Congratulations to Rachel!

This year's winner of the Vereen Bell Creative Writing Award,

Davidson College's most prestigious honor.

Past winners have gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize.

She was chosen by Eleanor Wilner, an award winning poet. (The link to her info on her is below)

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/274

We surprised Rachel at the Award Presentation Ceremony this past Thursday evening and we are so very proud of her.

She is pictured with Professor Alan Parker who has guided her throughout her college career, and Eleanor Wilner, who is signing a copy of her book of poetry for Rachel.

Rachel will graduate with high honors on May 20th, 2007.

She will begin her professional writing career on July 1st, when she begins a 2 year fellowship in the Media Relations Department of Davidson College. She will write for a variety of campus publications and web based media promoting the school, interviewing and publishing articles about the visiting dignitaries and planning a variety of events.

Ok, so in my capacity as Area Director Rural Clubs, I often find myself in unfamiliar territory for a "city-girl"....but this billboard made me realize that I'm really "not in Kansas any more". By the way, a Cooter is a turtle and is apparently important enough to have its very own festival