The Chief Leonard “Blackie” Lampman Scholarship
A letter from Crystal Lampman:
Whenever I am asked about my late grandfather, Chief Leonard “Blackie” Lampman, the first thing that comes to mind is his passion for caring for the people of the Abenaki.
From a very young age, it was instilled in myself and my many cousins that family was of the utmost importance—and the definition of family was vast—mother, father, brother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—and this last was probably the vastest. There was no division of the first, second, third. Family is family.
My grandfather also believed that in order for generation after generation to care for their community, and ultimately family, that education was key. He believed that all from the very youngest of our community to those who are wise elders should have an opportunity to learn. It was this belief that caused my grandfather to champion one of the very first public kindergartens in the state of Vermont and advocate for Abenaki youth to reach for the stars in gaining post-secondary education.
When my grandfather passed in 1987, my family looked for a way to continue to support the beliefs that he held onto strongly. From this, the Chief Leonard “Blackie” Lampman Scholarship was born. It has brought our family great joy over the years to see the Abenaki youth that have taken this small token and used it to pursue dreams—among which we have seen educators, social workers, scientists, and amazing health care providers, just to name a few!
I have no doubt that my grandfather looks down with pride at how far the Abenaki community has come in educating our future tribal leaders.
Best of luck to all graduating seniors!
Crystal M. Lampman
MVU Class of ’97 & Lyndon State College ‘02
Granddaughter, Tribal Member, Executive Director Franklin County Caring Communities
Below are the links to the application and the award information and also a copy of the above letter.
Application
Award Information
Letter from Crystal Lampman
The deadline for all applications and essays is May 1st, 2023. You may mail them or drop them off to the Tribal Office at 100 Grand Ave, Swanton, VT 05488 or email them to info@abenakination.com.
Best of luck to everyone!!
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The 2022 Scholarship was awarded to Gracie Gover! Congratulations Gracie!