Springfield, Ohio - Recent Wittenberg graduate Nathan Williams has been awarded the 2002 Western Front Association/Phi Alpha Theta Undergraduate Essay Prize for his paper "German Americans in World War I." Williams was recognized at the national Western Front Annual (WFA) Seminar held Sept.13-15 in Kansas. His paper will be published in a future addition of the Western Front journal "Camaraderie." The national contest was open to any undergraduate student at an American college or university. Limited to 3,000 words, the essay could address any aspect of American involvement in the World War I era. Williams learned about the contest fall semester of his senior year and decided to enter a paper that he had originally written for class. The WFA's United States Branch offered this contest to encourage the study of the history of World War I and the examination of how that conflict shaped the society and policy of the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries. A panel of WFA members and historians chaired by Graydon A. Tunstall, executive director of Phi Alpha Theta, judged the papers. Williams received a certificate and a cash prize. Tammy Proctor, chair and associate professor of the history department, was pleased with this student recognition, especially since this was the first year that a Wittenberg student entered the contest. While at Wittenberg, Williams majored in history and was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. In November, Williams will be heading to Montgomery, Ala. for Officer Training School for the U.S. Air Force. He is from Urbana, Ohio.

President Theodore Roosevelt paid a visit to Wittenberg during World War I to dispel the prejudice toward persons and things German. Roosevelt is pictured leaving Recitation Hall after lauding Wittenberg (circa 1917). From left to right: Charles G. Heckert, President of Wittenberg; Ray Drenning (slightly behind), Springfield detective; President Roosevelt tipping his hat; Harry Kissell, Springfield business leader; and Harry Boswell, Springfield police inspector.