JOHNSTOWN, Pa., March 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the fifth year in a row, CTC Foundation, an affiliate of Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), has sponsored the Great Americans Day Essay Contest. Middle school students from the Johnstown, PA area are encouraged to research and write a two-page essay about the Great American highlighted at the Great Americans Day Citizenship Forum. This year's subject was Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The essay contest is an extension of the Great Americans Day Citizenship Forum held annually at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Howard M. Picking, III, CTC Board of Directors Chairman, and his wife, Adelle, started the Great Americans Day Citizenship Forum in 1998. They generously provide the funding for the forum, which is held in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Office of Community Education and Outreach, the Pitt-Johnstown History Department, Phi Alpha Theta International History Honor Society, and Sodexho Campus Services.
Over a dozen entries were received in the contest, and the winners were Nathan Kindja, first place, and Sierra Nesmith, second place. Both are eighth-grade students at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School in Johnstown under teacher Aaron Wiegand. They earned cash prizes for winning the contest.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a five-star general and the 34th President of the United States. Nathan's essay highlighted the reasons why Eisenhower was a great American and should be honored; "he showed persistence, ingenuity, calmness under pressure, and sociality."
Nathan Kindja, the first place winner, received his award on March 1, 2013, at a ceremony led by Edward J. Sheehan, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer of CTC and President, CTC Foundation. Sierra Nesmith was unable to attend the ceremony.
"The Great Americans Day Citizenship Forum celebrates the American ideal of civic virtue and citizenship, and it reminds us that we all have the ability to make a difference in the world. Dwight D. Eisenhower was a man with a robust work ethic who would not stop until the job was done. Without his drive and fighting spirit, the United States might be a very different place than it is today, and for that, we recognize Dwight D. Eisenhower as a Great American," Sheehan said. "The CTC Foundation is honored to sponsor this essay contest to encourage students to learn more about Great Americans, and we commend Nathan and Sierra on their fantastic essays."
Cash prizes for the essay contest are possible because of a generous donation from Conway B. Jones, Jr., CTC Foundation Chair.
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization providing innovative management and technology-based solutions to government and industry. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, CTC's primary purpose and programs are to undertake applied scientific research and development activities that serve the public interest. For more information, visit http://www.ctc.com/. CTC established the CTC Foundation in 1998 to promote the application of innovative, scientific, technological and humanistic principles to enhance economic progress and the quality of life. For more information, visit http://www.ctcfoundation.org/.
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