The Norfolk Historical Commission is pleased to announce that the first Barbara Bartholomew History Scholarship has been awarded to Helena Bekele. She is a Norfolk resident who attended Norfolk Schools and graduated from King Philip Regional High School. She will enter her senior year at Vassar College majoring in history. The award was presented to Helena on June 22, 2026, at a ceremony held in Norfolk's historic building, the Tramp House. As part of the scholarship application process, Helena expressed her reasons for studying history in the following narrative:

Ever since I was a young child, I have always harbored a deep love of history. I recall one summer when I was eleven years old, I stumbled across a 1946 Girl Scout Handbook sitting on a thrift store shelf. It quickly became one of my most treasured items. I was a Girl Scout too, and looking through those pages, I imagined what it must have been like to be a scout in the 1940s. I'd gaze at the collection of names scribbled on the back page, which must have been from the girl's troop. I felt a connection to them spanning across the eighty years separating us. Although those girls only existed to me as a handful of names, I felt like I knew them. By studying history, you can form an intimate connection with people who have long since died, who lived in corners of the world you will never see. You can read about their lives and appreciate their unique experiences. With my degree, I hope to assist others in communing with people from the past. I am pursuing a career in libraries and archives, as I'd like to assist in making historical information accessible to the general public, allowing the souls and stories of the deceased to live on.

Our benefactor, Barbara Bartholomew, grew up in Norfolk and attended the Center School through eighth grade. She graduated from Walpole High School as King Philip Regional High School was not yet built. Barbara studied history at UMass Amherst and was one of the first women to earn a master's degree from Harvard University. She spent her career as a history teacher in Ashland where she became head of the History Department. Upon retirement, Barbara joined the Historical Commission and devoted her time researching and unlocking Norfolk history; she was a passionate researcher. When Barbara passed away, she left the major part of her estate to the Town of Norfolk for the purposes of education, namely this history scholarship as well as funds to the elementary school for teaching local history. Members of the Historical Commission and friends who knew Barbara agree that Helena is exactly the college student she had in mind to receive this award.

Scholarship information and the application are available on the Town of Norfolk website: https://www.norfolkmass.gov. The Historical Commission encourages eligible college/university students majoring in history or a related subject to apply for the next scholarship to be awarded in the spring of 2027.

Norfolk residents interested in history are welcomed to join the Historical Commission. Please contact NHC via email at [email protected].