Adams County Legion awards eight Maurice Thatcher scholarships to seniors

Eight North Adams High School seniors each received a $500 Maurice Thatcher Memorial Scholarship from the Charles H. Eyre American Legion Post 633, giving a local lift to students preparing to start college this fall. The 2026 recipients were Emmalee Brammer, Carlee Garrison, Beau Hesler, Alyson McCann, Natalie Ragan, Bentley Schweickart, Addison Shupert and Julia Wagner.

The awards were presented as part of North Adams High School’s Senior Recognition Ceremony for students who won local scholarships. For Adams County families, the size of the award matters less than the timing: a modest scholarship can help cover books, fees, gas, supplies or the first bill that arrives before classes even begin.

The Maurice Thatcher Memorial Scholarship was established in 2012 to honor Maurice Thatcher, a World War II veteran, prisoner of war and local farmer. Thatcher was born in Adams County on Nov. 22, 1925, and died July 2, 2011, in Seaman. The scholarship carries a family lineage requirement as well, since applicants must be direct descendants of an honorably discharged veteran. Earlier descriptions said it was open to North Adams High School juniors and seniors planning to attend college full time in the fall.

The program has grown from a single award into a fund that now reaches every eligible applicant. In 2021, Post 633 said it distributed nine awards and had reached $27,000 in scholarships to 60 students. The total has since grown to $41,000 in Maurice Thatcher’s honor for 88 students. The Thatcher family has also helped keep the scholarship fund moving, including raising money at the 2022 Seaman Fall Festival, where community donations were directed into the post’s dedicated scholarship account.

The scholarship also reflects the broader civic role of the American Legion in Adams County. Post 633 supports veteran and youth activities, along with other local charities, and its own name carries another piece of county history. Charles H. Eyre was born June 27, 1922, served as a U.S. Army technical sergeant with the 384th Bomb Group, 545th Squadron, and was killed in action on April 13, 1944. After his death, Charles H. Eyre Post No. 633 became the Charles H. Eyre American Legion Post 633, linking today’s scholarship dollars to a legacy of service, memory and local investment in the next generation.