This week, three 2026 graduates of local high schools received the Bulloch County Historical Society Scholarships for writing essays that carried their readers back in time or brought a notable, historical Georgian forward for a coffeehouse chat.

The three winners — Southeast Bulloch High School graduate Scarlett Brickey and Statesboro High School graduates Ja’Kori Cope and Grace Huff-Colbert — attended the Historical Society’s 52nd annual meeting Monday, June 29, to receive their scholarships.

A luncheon held in the Pittman Park United Methodist social hall like the regular monthly meetings, the annual meeting featured a changing of the Historical Society’s leadership. 2025–26 President Brent Tharp, previously vice president for more than 10 years and a board member for about 20, retired to the status of president emeritus, and Tyson Davis, vice president for the past year, stepped up to be president.

Additionally, guest speaker Meaghan Dwyer-Ryan, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern University, presented a program called “Queensborough, a Scotch-Irish Town.”

Source for the name of the Louisville-founded banking company with a Statesboro branch, Queensborough was a settlement that received Protestant “Scotch-Irish” immigrants from Ulster, the northeastern part of Ireland, from 1768 to 1774. Queensborough’s location, on the Ogeechee River near what became Louisville, made it a friction point between colonial settlers and Native Americans of the “Creek,” or Muscogee, tribes when most of Georgia outside Savannah was still on the frontier, right up to the time of the Revolutionary War.

‘Happy birthday, USA’

Two of the Historical Society’s business-meeting presenters, Nominating Committee chair Jenny Starling Foss and Executive Director Virginia Anne Waters, put this year’s meeting in larger context. This Saturday, as they recognized, won’t be just any Fourth of July, but the 250th since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

“Happy birthday, United States of America!” Waters said.

Although not assigned specifically on that topic, the scholarship winners’ essays fit with the theme of a long look back on American history, from the ideals of a former U.S. president who died recently at age 100 and the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Fred Richter, Georgia Southern associate professor emeritus of literature and current chair of the Historical Society’s Scholarship Committee, introduced the recipients and presented the checks.

“Our future is in good hands, judging by what we read of the essays in our contest this year,” Richter told the society’s members and guests. “You probably know that the funds for our scholarships come from the memorials that you and I provide for members who have passed, and our funds are in good shape, and we’re really grateful to be able to give these awards to these outstanding young people.”

After asking the three winners to join him on stage, where chairs were provided, Richter announced that, believing this to be “one of the best ways to appreciate what these young people represent,” he would “share just a little bit” of what they had written.

Scholarship applicants had been asked to write an essay and could choose either of two topics. In effect, one topic asked if they could travel back to any moment in history, where would it be, when and why? The other suggested that they describe an imaginary conversation with a notable Georgian.

Excerpts from essays

Richter first read the introductory paragraph and the final paragraph from Grace Huff-Colbert’s essay. The committee’s judges had chosen it for third place, and she received a $1,000 scholarship check.

“If I had the honor to sit down in a quiet corner of Starbucks with any notable Georgia, I would select the one and only Jimmy Carter, not because of his title as a former president, but due to the life he chose to live after, a life of serving, not for his own gain, but for the gain of others, for Georgians, Americans, and people all over the world,” Huff-Colbert had begun her essay. “I would want to understand how he transitioned from political leadership to a lifetime of service, humility and global influence while he was able to still persist in the values of his upbringing in Georgia. …”

Six paragraphs later, she concluded, “In the end, a conversation with Jimmy Carter would not feel like speaking with a historical figure but with someone who reminds us that purpose is not accomplished once. It’s something lived every day through service, integrity, and sympathy.”

Next, Richter read a similar selection from Ja’Kori Cope’s essay. Because his essay had been awarded second place, he received a $1,500 scholarship.

“If I could travel anywhere in time and space, I would choose to stay in the United States but go back in time during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s,” Cope began. “This was a time in America when people found the courage and support to challenge unfair inequality and fight for equal rights. It is truly inspiring to see people of modest means and education make such a large impact on society while overcoming immense adversity. Studying this time period in history would be one thing, but seeing it firsthand would help me gain a more profound understanding of the struggles, perseverance and convictions of the people involved. …”

On the second page — the winning essays being of roughly similar length — Cope concluded, “Upon return, I hope to be reminded of this history and inspired to continue the work of those who struggled for positive change in order to work for similar goals in my own community.”

Finally, Scarlett Brickey’s essay captured first place for her and a $2,000 scholarship check.

“If I could travel to any moment in history, I would go back to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 during the Constitutional Convention,” she began. “I would like to observe the creation of the United States Constitution, a document that established the foundation of the American government and continues to shape the country today. This moment represents more than just the writing of laws; it marks the beginning of a system built on compromise, shared power, and the idea that ordinary people have a voice in how they are governed. …”

Brickey concluded, “Returning from that moment, I would carry a deeper appreciation for democracy and my responsibility within it. The Constitution reminds me that democracy requires participation, effort, and compromise, and that it must be protected and strengthened over time.”

All three of these winning essayists had been members of the Statesboro Youth Council, a program sponsored by the city government. Statesboro Village Builders program coordinator LaSara Mitchell, who works with the Youth Council, and City Manager Charles Penny both attended the Historical Society event in support of the youth recognitions.

Huff-Colbert, who was the Youth Council’s secretary for two years, is enrolled for fall semester at Georgia Southern, where she plans to study fashion merchandizing. Brickey, who was previously the Youth Council’s mayor pro tem, is headed to Georgia College and State University with premed biology as her planned field of study. Cope, who has been the council’s public outreach chairperson, plans to attended Kennesaw State University to major in cybersecurity.

In addition to Tyson Davis as president, the Bulloch County Historical Society’s officers are now Matt Hube as vice president, Lee Waters as secretary, Deane Balleck as treasurer, and board members Hayley Greene until 2027, Frank Parker until 2028 and Bill Waters until 2029.