Two Hope College students have been named winners in the 21st annual Howard Plaggemars Essay/Poetry Competition, held for students enrolled in the 2002 Vienna Summer School.
All entries responded to some aspect of each student's experiences in Europe this past summer under the guidance of Dr. Stephen I. Hemenway, who has been director of the Vienna Summer School program for the past 27 years and is a professor of English at Hope.
First place was awarded to Christopher E. McGarvey, who is a sophomore English major from East Peoria, Ill., for his essay "Meditations Written over a Torte." McGarvey also received the third-place award for another essay, "Judge Not, Lest..."
Second place was awarded to Carol Friedrich, a senior English major from Laingsburg, for her essay "Melk Abbey."
The first-, second- and third-place awards are for $100, $50 and $25 respectively.
This year's judge was Tom Bamborough, a 1982 winner of the Plaggemars Essay/Poetry Competition. A 1983 Hope graduate, Bamborough is the principal of Bamborough Print Communication in Ada.
Consisting of two three-week sessions, the Vienna Summer School offers students a choice of work in art history, communication, economics, Austrian history, music history, German and Austrian literature, Eastern European literature and a senior seminar, all taught in English, as well as courses in German language, taught in German. Students are housed with Austrian families, and are free to plan their leisure time and take weekend excursions led by Hemenway to places like Salzburg, Venice, Budapest, Prague and the Austrian Alps.