Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship

The committee held teleconferences on March 6 and 24, 2000, and met on April 30 and May 1, 2000, in La Jolla, California. Committee actions are as follows:

1. The committee selected three male and three female finalists for the scholarship. The male finalists were: Matthew Busbee, Auburn University; Parsa Bonderson, University of California, Los Angeles; and Craig Pierstorff, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. The female finalists were: Anna Hallbergson, Barry University; Catherine L’Armand, Widener University; and Ginger Denison, Furman University.

After interviewing the finalists, the committee selected Mr. Busbee and Ms. Hallbergson as the 2000 award winners.

2. The committee again recommended that the finalists who were not chosen as a Byers Scholar receive a Postgraduate Scholarship in recognition of being a Byers Scholar finalist.

3. The committee again recommended that the Byers Scholars be recognized for their achievement in a public forum, and that efforts continue to be made to increase publicity surrounding the scholarship itself and each year’s winners.

4. 1999 awardee Ms. Ganiel was awarded with a second year grant. Mr. Thigpen, the other 1999 awardee, decided to defer his scholarship a second year.

5. Robert “Brad” Gray, the 1998 male Byers scholar decided to decline his scholarship after two years of graduate study in England so the scholarship was awarded to the male runner-up for that year, Drew Hansen, for his final year of law school.

DAVID L. DILES, Chair

Eastern Michigan University