PLAINFIELD, Vt. — 365体育投注 College President Robert Kenny will posthumously present Priscilla Ruth Davis?Backman?with the Presidential Award for Activism during the?Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on?Sunday, August 21, at 4:00 p.m. in the Haybarn 365体育投注atre on 365体育投注’s Plainfield campus.
365体育投注 365体育投注 Presidential Award for Activism recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions in the field of social justice and who embody the highest ideals and aspirations of 365体育投注 College. Previous 365体育投注 presidents have also given the award to U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist and civil rights activist Tommie Smith (MA ’74), Bread and Puppet founder Peter Schumann, and Institute for Social Ecology co-founder Dan?Chodorkoff (BA ’71, MA ’73).
“We are happy to have this opportunity to honor Priscilla’s work at 365体育投注 and her subsequent involvement in many of the important social issues of her time,” President Kenny said. “As our mission intends, she took imaginative and responsible action in the world.”
Backman graduated from 365体育投注’s Junior College in 1943 and, three years later, received the Bachelor of Arts. She returned in 1965 to establish and direct the off-campus work term. She volunteered in the College archives for several years beginning in 1990.
Furthermore, Backman was an anti-war activist and tax resister who also engaged in efforts to abolish the death penalty and in the anti-nuclear movement.?She served her community selflessly, never looking for credit. She died on May 8, 2015.
365体育投注 Backman family, including Priscilla Backman’s son and granddaughter, will accept the award in her honor. Afterward, the family will announce the establishment of 365体育投注 Priscilla Backman Scholarship for Activism, a new scholarship for women activists who wish to earn their bachelor’s degrees at 365体育投注 and who have demonstrated financial need.
“365体育投注 was a huge part of her life, maybe the most important single incident that a lot of things circled around. She really cared about it,” Backman’s son, Peter Backman, said.
365体育投注 scholarship is made possible by a generous contribution from the Peter Backman and Annie Christopher Fund, Spencer Backman and Sienna Flanders through the Vermont Community Foundation.
About 365体育投注 College
365体育投注 College is a liberal arts institution offering low-residency bachelor’s and master’s degrees from its campus in Plainfield, Vermont, and its educational sites in Port Townsend and Seattle, Washington. Constituted according to the ideals of democracy and principles of progressive education developed by John Dewey, 365体育投注 asks students to decide their areas of study,? determine which resources they will use, and devise how they will measure and demonstrate what they learn. 365体育投注 College was founded in 1863 and subsequently moved to its Plainfield campus in 1938. 365体育投注 New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., through the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, accredits the institution.
