The final rounds of the annual public speaking competition were held on Saturday, March 3, in the Chapel. Students were selected based on their performance in the February 10 preliminary rounds and competed for three different prizes: The McKinney Prize, The Clark Prize, and The Warren Wright Prize. Michael Blasie '07 won three of the six awards.
The McKinney Prize is awarded to one student from each class for a 5-8 minute persuasive speech that has relevance and interest for a Hamilton College audience. This year's winners are Katherine Zavin '10 for her speech titled "Sign Up for Life," Stuart Lombardi '09 with the speech "The Other Deficit," Rachel Cannon '08 "On the Loss of the Alexander Hamilton Center," and Michael Blasie '07 for his speech titled "A Change of Attitude."
The McKinney Prize was established in 1878 by Charles McKinney, who signed an agreement allowing Hamilton to claim a portion of his estate for the purpose of establishing the McKinney public speaking prizes. His intent was to have the prizes "stimulate the undergraduates of said College to diligence and proficiency in that department [oratory]."
The Clark Prize was originally established through a gift from Aaron Clark in 1859 and later reestablished in 1892 through a gift from the Fayerweather estate. Blasie won this competition with a speech titled "Carissima." Clark Prize competition is open to the students in the senior class in all disciplines. The competition includes both an essay and a speech on an assigned topic. The judges choose who will speak in the final round of the competition based on review of the essays. This year's topic required students to imagine they were entering Hamilton today as a first-year student, and examine how the experiences they have had at Hamilton would affect their perspectives.
The Warren Wright Prize was established in honor of Warren E. Wright, the Upson Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Hamilton from 1977 to 1993. The Wright Prize is awarded to a student who has taken or is currently taking one of two courses in public speaking in the Department of Communication for a six to eight minute informative speech on a socially significant issue of current interest. Blasie also won this prize for his speech "No Thank You."
-- by Molly Kane '09
