Four students won prizes in the 7th annual Philip Carret Endowment Thomas Jefferson Essay Contest. Winners were announced at a April 14 banquet. First place went to freshman Kristen Lankford. Details...
Fourteen students entered this year’s competition, writing on the following topic: “What did Thomas Jefferson have to say about the topic of religion? Write an essay defining and interpreting Jefferson’s position on this important issue. Your essay must show an understanding of Jefferson’s ‘A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia, 1785.'”
Winner of the first place prize was freshman Kristen Lankford, whose essay was titled “A Fight for Freedom: Thomas Jefferson’s Beliefs in Religious Freedoms for All.” She received a $1,000 prize and will be a guest at a special banquet hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation this summer at Monticello, Jefferson’s home at Charlottesville, Va. Lankford is a native of Pilot Mountain, N.C., and is the daughter of Dr. C. Wayne and Deborah Lankford.
The second place prize, which includes a $600 cash award, went to junior Carey Bostian, whose essay was titled “Jefferson: Advocate for Religious Freedom and Separation of Church and State in America.” Bostian is a business major from Newton, N.C., and is the daughter of David and Carol Ann Bostian.
Two essayists tied for third place. They were senior William Duffy, who wrote an essay titled “Examining Religion in War Time: Jefferson’s Approach,” and freshman John David Parsons, who wrote an essay titled “The Intersection Between Jefferson and Religion.” They receive $400 cash prizes. 
Duffy is a English major from Rock Hill, S.C. He is the son of Edward and Janet Ward Duffy. Parsons is an international studies major from Elon, N.C., and is the son of Paul and Mary Helen Parsons.
Other students who participated in this year’s competition included Katie Bobb, Katie Cutler, William Harra, Kathryn Hempelmann, Rachel Hetu, Charla Johnson, Landis Lee, Samantha McCoy, Andrea Petrini and Carrie Strunsky.
The essays were judged by faculty members Betty Morgan, James Barbour, Michael Carignan and Clyde Ellis.
Philip Carret was a noted businessman and financier who died in 1998 at the age of 101. He gave a $40,000 endowment to sponsor the annual essay competition at Elon, which is open to all undergraduate students.