The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) recently announced the recipient of its inaugural John Jay History Award. The award is given annually to an outstanding JHC volunteer and high school intern. Candidates demonstrate a passion for history and a talent for research, writing, and analysis. Because he has shown all those skills and more, Jack Engel is the 2020 winner.
JHC interns regularly transcribe primary documents and analyze them. Documents include diaries, scrapbooks, and newspaper archives. Volunteers then produce original papers and blog posts on topics related to the Jay family or American history. Jack, a junior at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York spent the summers after his freshman and sophomore years at the Jay Estate. While using our archives, he studied and wrote about everything from the California Gold Rush to Victorian London. He impressed us consistently with his drive, professionalism, analytical prowess, and hard work. As a result, it is with great pleasure that we recognize Jack’s amazing accomplishments. He’ll receive a $250 prize and a selection of books from award-winning historians. Plus, he’ll receive a volume of Columbia University’s Selected Papers of John Jay.
In his free time, Jack swims competitively at Storm Aquatics in Mount Kisco. He listens to music and loves hanging out with his dog, Quincy. Jack is volunteering for us again this summer in advance of his senior year. We can’t wait to see what he accomplishes at JHC and beyond.
Finally, read one of Jack’s essays where he describes the cholera epidemic in Germany here at our volunteer blog.