Index
Scholarships
The Kenneth J. Watkins '25 Scholarship Fund
The Kenneth J. Watkins ’25 Scholarship was established by Russel A. Bantham, Jr., Class of 1963, and his wife Ann Watkins Bantham, to honor the memory of Mrs. Bantham’s father, Kenneth J. Watkins, Class of 1925. The scholarship is awarded to students demonstrating financial need, with preference given first to students majoring in biochemistry, second to those majoring in chemistry, and third to those majoring in one of the natural sciences.
Kenneth Watkins was raised on a farm in Camden, New York, and it was the expectation of his family that he would aspire to manage the family’s land and livestock holdings. When Kenneth chose instead to attend Hamilton, his parents were dismayed, however, he was not dissuaded. Graduating in 1925, he learned at Hamilton the value of a breadth in education. He went on to become a loyal and dedicated alumnus who built his career teaching science at Utica Free Academy in Utica, New York.
Russel A. Bantham, Jr. was born in Utica, New York and received an A.B. in history from Hamilton in 1963. During his time on College Hill, he was a member of the Debate Club, band and Delta Sigma Rho. He went on to the University of Chicago Law School, earning a J.D. in 1966. Ann Watkins Bantham attended the University of Rochester and received a nursing degree from Cornell University. The Banthams were married in 1963 and are the parents of three children, including Andrew ’89 and Gregory ’92.
March 2015
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages are awarded as part of the College’s need-based financial aid packages. These funds help ensure the Hamilton Promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
Materials published here were diligently researched and written by students who strived for historical accuracy.
