2025 NORWOOD LWV MARGERY MCKENNA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Applications now available. Deadline: May 16, 2025

The Norwood League of Women Voters is pleased to offer the annual Norwood League of Women Voters Margery McKenna Memorial Scholarship. This award is intended to recognize a student who has shown interest or participation in the civic process. The scholarship award amount is $1,000. The Norwood LWV will present the award at its June 2025 meeting to be held at the Morrill Memorial Library, in the Simoni Room, at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Interested high school seniors apply here.

Mardie McKenna was honored with a Lifetime Membership to the League of Women Voters in 2019. Mardie was foundational to our small chapter of this larger League, doing the work of voter engagement and service with intelligence, grace and a sharp wit. Her contributions remain some of our chapter’s longest lasting positions. Additionally, Mardie was a Norwood Town Meeting member for over 40 years and served 18 years on the School Committee, including two terms as chair. Her training and work as a physicist were a product of her deep engagement with science, and she maintained that interest all her life. She studied and reported on scientific matters, fiscal policy, and fair housing for the LWV, including serving as a resource for the group on issues related to climate change. She also volunteered for several years with the Neponset River Watershed Association collecting samples from local streams for water quality analysis.

The Margery McKenna Memorial Scholarship honors Mardie’s legacy, and the award selection will be based on the student’s interest and commitment to those activities that represent Mardie’s ideals of civic engagement and environmental study. Candidates must be a Norwood resident and graduating senior planning on attending a two- or four-year college.