The Botetourt Medal was the second academic prize medal awarded in the colonies and the first to be stamped from dies created at the Royal mint in 1771. Lord Botetourt's intention to give the two gold medals as prizes to the two best students at William & Mary, one student in Classics and one in Physical or Metaphysical Science, was announced in 1770. The medals were originally presented on August 15th, Commemoration Day of the transfer of the charter to the President and Masters of the College. Today a single undergraduate with the greatest distinction in scholarship is awarded a medal on Commencement Day in May.
History of the Botetourt Medal
Only eight gold medals were awarded between 1772 and 1775. The American Revolution put an end to Lord Botetourt's plan, but it was revived by his namesake, Norborne Berkeley, esq., in 1941. Mr. Berkeley provided an endowment and copies of the dies were made by the Medallic Art Company of New York and silver, gold filled and matte yellow bronze copies of the medal were made for the College. The Botetourt medal awarded to Forrest D. Murden, class of 1941, is ten carat gold filled silver.
One of the three of the original eight gold Botetourt medals known to exist was awarded to Nathaniel Burwell for excellence in Natural Philosophy in 1772. It was given to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1983 by Charles Lee Burwell of Millwood, Virginia, a descendant of the original recipient of the medal. The other two gold Botetourt medals known to exist are the medal given to John White in 1775 which has been at the Virginia Historical Society since 1918 and the one given to Samuel Shield in 1773 which was last heard of in the possession of his descendants in the early 20th century. There is one known silver example of the medal in the British Museum.
A Bronze proof of the Botetourt medal was given to the College of William & Mary by Mr. Christopher Fildes, O.B.E. Mr. Filde's grandfather acquired it from the venerable auction house of Spink in the 1920's or 1930's. It probably came to Spink from the estate of the Duke of Beaufort. The fifth Duke of Beaufort was the nephew of Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, and his principal beneficiary.
The obverse side of the copper medal proofs include a portrait of George III with the encircling enscription "REGNANATE GEORGIO TERTIO MVSIS AMICUS" [In the reign of George III, the friend of the muses] ," and QVAESITVM MERITIS [Sought for his merits]." The reverse side of the medal features James Blair receiving the charter for the College from King William and Queen Mary in the fourth year of their reign. This is signified in abbreviations in Latin around the perimeter of the medal and below the image. There are traces of metal showing that this medal was once "tinned" meaning dipped in tin to present a shiny silver surface.
The original dies used to strike the Botetourt Medals are made of steel set in iron octagons and weigh in at a little more than two pounds apiece. The dies were made by the medalist Thomas Pingo. At the time the medals were struck, between 1771 and 1772, he was the second engraver at the Royal Mint in London. Like his contemporaries, Thomas Pingo probably did a lot of private work for other customers quite openly while at the Royal Mint. He also engraved the rare 1774 silver proof of the Virginia halfpenny.
Botetourt Medal Recipients
1772
1772 Nathaniel Burwell, Natural Philosophy
1772 James Madison, Classics
1773 David Stewart, Natural Philosophy
1773 Samuel Shields, Classics
1774 Joseph Eggleston
1774 Walker Maury
1775 Thomas Evans
1775 John White
1941
1941 Forrest D. Murden, Jr.
1942 Mary Cecilia Thedieck
1943 Hugh Francis Harnsberger
1944 Jerome E. Hyman
1945 Justine Dexter Dyer
1946 Ennis Samuel Rees
1947 Howard Paul Shaw
1948 Mary Lisbeth Stedman
1949 Peter Starbird Boynton
1950 Leonard Marvin Silverman
1951 Robert Earl Roeder
1952 Mary Alice Slauson
1953 Alice Tweed Marston
1954 Ann Dietrich
1955 John Charles Marsh
1956 Sonya Elisabeth Warner
1957 Brigitte Looke Bradley
1958 Clare Vincent
1959 Berton William Ashman
1960 Ann Dillingham Patterson
1961 Mary Elisabeth Beaty
1962 Gerald Watkins Bracey
1963 Karen Penny Stenbo
1964 Russell Benjamin Gill
1965 Peggy Jo Korty
1966 Frank M. Turner
1967 Randall Theron Bell
1968 Rose Frances Connelly
1969 Arthur Lee Bowling
1970 Carolyn Ruth Zuel
1971 Jerry Allen Coyne
1972 Louanna Ockerman
1973 Philip Byrd Eastham
1974 Ted Robert Dinterman
1975 Gregory Evers May
1976 Michael Hoskins Lee
1977 Janis Mayo Horne
1978 John Glenwood Strickler
1979 Carol Ann Arnold
1980 David Carl Brown
1981 Lee James Richter
1982 Michael Edward Tankersley
1983 Elizabeth Lynn Weidenmuller
1984 Julia Marie Horman
1985 Lisa Ellen Porter
1986 Richard Paul Larrick
1987 Laura Joan Blacer
1988 Karen Susan Galloway
1989 Michele Marie Sokoly
1990 Matthew James McIrvin, Laura Morgan Robinson
1991 Jonathan Eric Rubin
1992 Melissa Jane Kolonoski
1993 Francis Joseph Probst III
1994 Deborah Suzanne Bacon
1995 Vicki Healy
1996 David Wilmouth
1997 Sita Nataraj
1998 Rhonda Elizabeth Brewer
1999 Cynthia Carol Bowers
2000
2000 Chris Siefert
2001 Laura Beth Koetter
2002 Emilie Snell-Rood
2003 Hanley Chiang
2004 Vijay Dondetti
2005 Dimitar Vlassarev
2006 Francis Joseph DiTraglia
2007 Laura Smith
2008 Ashwin Rastogi
2009 Kelly Kristen Hallinger
2010 Kira Christine Allmann
2011 Ronald J. Wilcox
2012 Rebecca Lynn Koenig
2013 Brian Anthony Rabe
2014 Stephen Cameron
2015 Ellen Catherine Shaffrey
2016 Isaac Gregory Alty
2017 Bernadette Marie Deschaine
2018 Sarah Joan Heins
2019 Emily Martell
2020 Kristen Popham
2021 John Charles Kainer
2022 Sumié Aileen Yotsukura
References
- University Archives Subject Files, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, William & Mary.
- Commencement Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, William & Mary.
Material in the Special Collections Research Center
References in the The Flat Hat, William & Mary News, and Alumni Gazette:
- Awarded to Laura Balcer AG, June 1987, pg. 1, 11 (picture).
- Karen Galloway selected as recipient of the Botetourt Medal WMN, 5/19/1988, pg. 8.
- Special awards and honorary degrees recognize achievements WMN, 5/17/1990, pg. 3.
- Education school grants scholarships WMN, 5/17/1990, pg. 7.
- Matthew McIrvin and Laura Robinson recipients of medal AG, June 1990, pg. 1, 9 (picture).
- Recipient AG, 12/1, pg. 2.
- Awarded to Lee James Richter, 1981 AG, 48/10, pg. 11, AG, 49/2, pg. 14 (picture).
- Julia Marie Horman receives medal AG, June 1984, pg. 9 (picture).
- College awards literary prizes WMN, 6/19/1984, pg. 1.
- Lisa Ellen Porter receives award WMN, 5/16/1985, pg. 5.
- Awarded to Paul Larrick WMN, 5/15/1986, pg. 1.
- Awarded to Richard Paul Larrick AG, June 1986, pg. 1, 17.
- Awarded to Laura Balcer WMN, 5/20/1987, pg. 1.
- Melissa Jane Kolonoski wins award WMN, 5/20/1992, pg. 6, 7 (picture).
- Francis Joseph Robst wins medal WMN, 5/19/1993, pg. 5.
- Francis Joseph Probst receives medal AG, May/June 1993, pg. 2 (picture).
- Awarded to Deborah Suzanne Bacon WMN, 5/19/1994, pg. 5, 6 (picture).
- Awarded to Suzanne Bacon AG, June 1994, pg. 1 (picture).
- David Wilmouth receives medal WMN, 5/16/1996, pg. 4-5 (picture).