Sophie Kerr’s 1965 bequest to Washington College includes a $9,000 literary prize that is awarded to a graduating senior. To date $1.4 million has been awarded. By 2023, the Prize grows to $79,826, largest in the U.S., worth more than the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
Born and raised in Denton, Sophie Kerr (1880-1965) moves to Pittsburgh, then New York City, where she makes an independent living as a magazine editor and a successful writer. Her 500 short stories, 23 novels, many poems and a play that runs on Broadway are no longer popular but in their day successfully promote women’s rights and independence.
She leaves most of her estate to Washington College and half of that 1965 endowment is set aside to award a senior “with the most ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor.”
