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Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award Fund

2025-2026 Winner

The Virginia Mayflower Society Mildred Ramos Scholarship Fund, established in 2012, is renamed the Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award Fund (“Mildred Ramos Award Fund”).

This Fund will be supported by donations and bequests received by the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia for this purpose. The Board of Assistants will encourage and support fundraising efforts at meetings, in the newsletter, and through other measures as may be deemed appropriate. The Board of Assistants also may transfer general funds of the Society to the Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award Fund when the Board deems it appropriate.

The Mildred Ramos Scholarship Committee is renamed the Mildred Ramos Award Committee and will consist of a chairman appointed by the Governor, an additional member appointed by the Governor, and two additional members who shall be the two most recent immediate past Governors of the Virginia Society, if they wish to serve. If one or both of the most recent past Governors are unavailable, their place(s) will be filled by one or more other past Governors. The Mildred Ramos Award be responsible for working with the History Department, College of Arts and Sciences, of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, which will administer the award (typically annually) on behalf of the Society as a grant to one of the College’s Master’s Degree candidates in Early American History.

The award will be named the “Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award.” The History Department of the College of William and Mary will make this Award using funds appropriated periodically by the Virginia Mayflower Society’s Board of Assistants from the Mildred Ramos Award Fund. The initial award will be $3,240 (2 x 1620) but may vary from year-to-year. Not more than 33.3% of the Mildred Ramos Mayflower Award Fund balance at year-end will be awarded in the next year.

The initial and any subsequent cash awards from the Society will be made to the M.A. student at the College of William & Mary whose thesis research best contributes to expanding understanding of the early American colonial experience.
Source: Article 11 (Amended November 22, 2025)




The 2025–2026 Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History award Winner 

Ms. Fallon Burner, M.A., College of William & Mary

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - June 2, 2026 - On May 14, just prior to 2026 Commencement events, the Virginia Mayflower Society (VMS) presented its first Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award (“Award”) in cooperation with the History Department of the College of William & Mary.  Ms. Fallon Burner, a Masters Degree candidate in early American history at William & Mary College, received this new Award.

Miss Mildred Ramos is a past Governor of the Virginia Mayflower Society, as well as a past Governor General and Deputy Governor General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants based in Plymouth, MA. The Award honors her long and dedicated service to the General and Virginia state societies and the fact that she is the only VMS Governor to also become Governor General of GSMD.

Previously, from 2012 to 2025, the VMS awarded an annual $1,620 scholarship in Miss Ramos’ name, primarily to a graduating Virginia-based high school senior or first-year college student based on his/her academic record, teacher recommendations and a 1500-word essay on topics related to the historical experiences and values of Mayflower passengers. 

The intent of the new, larger $3,240 (1620 x 2) award program is to support more advanced research into early American history, including the experiences and values of our Mayflower ancestors and other significant colonial period topics.  William and Mary is a recognized leader in this important and challenging area of research and education. 

Nancy Saul, Governor of the VMS, Chris Bates, Chairman of the Mildred Ramos 1620 Award Committee of VMS and Jim Wheaton, Counselor General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants presented the VMS award to Ms. Fallon Burner. Under the new collaborative grant program, W&M’s History Department faculty selected her for this VMS Award based on her exceptional 2025-26 research and course work on early American history topics to support her forthcoming M.A. degree from William & Mary, College of Arts and Sciences. 

Dr. Tuska Benes, Associate Professor and Chair of the W&M History Department, Dr. Andrew Fisher, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, and Gerald Bullock, Executive Director of Development for the College of Arts and Science, joined the VMS delegation to present the award to Ms. Burner.

The Virginia Mayflower Society has committed to a one-year research partnership with William and Mary College with the intention of continuing it in future academic years.  Questions may be directed to Chris Bates, Chairman of the Mildred Ramos 1620 Award Program at bateschapelhill@aol.com or by calling him at (703) 895-6452

Governor Nancy Saul and Mildred Ramos 1620 Award Committee Chairman Chris Bates thank the Virginia Society’s Counselor, Peter Broadbent, and the full Committee for their dedicated work on the 2025 Mildred Ramos Scholarship program and development of the Virginia Mayflower Society’s new 2026 collaboration with the College of William & Mary.  Committee members include Governor Saul, Deputy Governor Karen Pogoloff, former Governor Lee Hardin Woody, Assistant Secretary Meg Averett, former Governor Martha Ellen Brockner, and Finance Committee Chairman Mark Cox.


Fallon Burner, College of William & Mary M.A. candidate receives First Mildred Ramos 1620 Early American History Award from Virginia Mayflower Society, May 14, 2026 in James Blair Hall, William & Mary College (R to L - Fallon Burner, Nancy Saul, VMS Governor, Chris Bates, Chairman, Mildred Ramos Award Committee and Jim Wheaton, Counselor General, General Society of Mayflower Descendants).



The 2024–2025 Mildred Ramos Scholarship award Winner 

Robert Cole Deaso of Dominion High School in Sterling, VA.

READ THE WINNING ESSAY

R. Cole Deaso in suit and tie presenting his essay to Virginia Mayflower Society members at a podiumThe chosen 2025 scholarship recipient is Robert Cole Deaso of Dominion High School in Sterling, VA. Cole and his mother, Dawn, attended the Virginia Society’s Spring Meeting in Staunton. He presented his essay, “The Financial Struggles of the Plymouth Colony: Causes and Solutions”. Committee members were most impressed with the high caliber of Cole’s research and essay, which demonstrated a particularly solid understanding of the challenging economic situation the Pilgrims faced in the early years of their New England experience.

In addition to his insightful essay, Cole has a remarkable record of academic achievement (4.33 GPA), extensive community volunteer service, and is an Eagle Scout, an accomplished athlete and youth soccer coach, and has had a diverse range of summer work experiences. He has been accepted to the University of Virginia, School of Human Development, Kinesiology beginning Fall 2025 and has a clear goal of becoming a physical therapist, driven by his personal experience in overcoming. a serious back injury earlier in life.

The 2023–2024 Mildred Ramos Scholarship award Winner 

MAxwell Snarr

Read The Winning Essay

This year’s scholarship winner is Maxwell Snarr, a senior at Briar Woods High School, in Ashburn, Virginia. Maxwell has a 4.52 GPA and is in the top six percentile of his class. As a Dual Enrollment student, he also takes US History and English courses at Northern Virginia Community College. His extracurricular activities include serving as the Wharton Investment Club Founder and President, facilitating a multi-school Model United Nations Conference at Briar Woods, and serving as the French National Honor Society Vice President. His community service includes serving as the Vice President for Innovation Drive where he coordinates food drives for Loudoun Hunger which assists those with food insecurity; and as a Bishop’s Assistant in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints providing Christmas presents for needy children and gifts for veterans. Maxwell is committed to attending Brigham Young University this fall.

SCHOLARSHIP

The Mildred Ramos Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 to encourage and support the study of the Mayflower Pilgrim experience and values. It was named to honor Miss Mildred Ramos, who served as Governor of the Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia and Governor General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. In keeping with the intent of the scholarship the award is for $1,620.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicant must be a high school senior or home school equivalent, a college undergraduate student, or a university graduate student under the age of 26 (as of March 17, 2025) enrolled in an accredited educational institution.
  • Applicant must have a grade point average of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent.
  • Applicant must be a Virginia resident, related to a Virginia resident, related to a member, or a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • Applicant must be sponsored by a current teacher, school counselor, or a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Note: Members of the immediate families (i.e., children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sons-in-law, or daughters-in-law) of members of the Virginia Mayflower Society’s Board of Assistants or of its Scholarship Committee are not eligible for scholarship awards.

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Applicant must present a brief personal resume including a description of their academic, extracurricular, and volunteer achievements.
  • Applicant must present a brief statement on their future academic plans and how being awarded this scholarship will advance their plans.
  • Applicant must present a copy of their official academic transcript for the preceding three years.
  • Applicant must submit an essay of no more than 1,500 words in the MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style format on the subject:
What were the factors that caused the Plymouth founders to be in debt and unable to repay their loans for so many years? What different decisions could they have made to remedy the debt problem?
  • Suggested readings:
    • Davis, William T., Editor. Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation 1606-1646. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1908.
    • Bunker, Nick. Making Haste From Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World. Knopf, New York, 2010.
    • Heath, Dwight B., Ed. Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. >Applewood Books, Bedford, MA, 1963.
  • Each applicant’s essay must include a list of all reference sources used to prepare the essay. Scholarly sources are recommended (e.g., history textbook, journal article, historical non-fiction, government document, encyclopedia). Print references must include full citations including page numbers. Wikipedia, Wikis, Blogs, and the like are not acceptable references. On-line references must include electronic addresses
  • Use of spellcheck, grammar check, etc. is highly recommended.
  • Inclusion of text from other sources without citation / footnote is unacceptable and potential cause for disqualification.
  • Application materials may be submitted in “hard-copy” printed form or submitted digitally via an e-mail attachment to the Scholarship Committee Chairman.
  • Each applicant’s Sponsor must send a brief letter endorsing the applicant. The letter must also contain the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail of the applicant, as well as those of the Sponsor. The Sponsor should send the letter directly to the Scholarship Committee Chairman.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Applications will be judged by the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Committee based on their compliance with the eligibility requirements, on their academic record, and on their essay. The judging is based on a point system, with the essay being weighted higher than academic record. The Committee’s decision will be final.

DEADLINE

  • Applications must be received by the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Chairman by Saturday, March 17, 2025.
  • The Mildred Ramos Scholarship Committee will meet before April 1, 2025, to select the winner of the scholarship.
  • The recipient of our 2025 Mildred Ramos Scholarship will be informed by the Governor of the Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia by Friday, April 18, 2025.

CONTACT

Application materials and Sponsor letters should be sent to:

Christopher M. Bates
Mildred Ramos Scholarship Chairman
12525 Erroll Lane
Bristow, VA 20136-2121

or email him at: Bateschapelhill@aol.com

PDF document containing the above information:   MILDRED RAMOS SCHOLARSHIP -2025 Website Announcement (12-30-24)

READ THE THE PREVIOUS WINNING ESSAYS

Recent donors to the Mildred Ramos Scholarship Fund are listed in each issue of our newsletter.

Members currently serving on the Scholarship Committee are Mark Cox, Lee Hardin Woody, Karen Pogoloff, Meg Averett, Martha Ellen Traband Brockner, and Nancy Saul.

Other Mayflower scholarships are available from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants as well as from several of the Mayflower state societies. Visit the General Society of Mayflower Descendants website.)

A Brief Biography of Miss Mildred RamosProfile photo of Mildred Ramos

MILDRED RAMOS was elected to membership in the Mayflower Society in April 1967 on Stephen Hopkins’ line.

In 1970, the Virginia Society created the position of Assistant Historian, and she was elected to that office. In 1973 she was elected to a three-year term as Governor (and Assistant Governor from Virginia). She helped organize the state Education Committee and Virginia became actively involved with the educational program of the General Society.

In 1975 she was appointed to chair the General Society’s Education Committee, and she chaired that committee through Feb. 1979. Mildred also conducted the first Education Seminar in Plymouth at the 1978 General Congress, which was well attended and favorably received.

In 1976 she was elected Deputy Governor General and in 1978 she was elected Secretary General of the General Society serving four consecutive terms, or 12 years. In 1988, she was elected Deputy Governor of the Virginia Society and served in that office for three years. She also served as Junior Membership Chairman during those years.

In 1990, she was elected Governor General of the General Society, serving a three-year term. As a former Governor General, Mildred continues to serve on the General Board of Assistants and on the Nominating Committee, which she has chaired three times.

In the Virginia Society, Mildred served as Assistant Secretary from 1997 through 2020. She holds a dual membership in the District of Columbia Society.

Mildred was born in Richmond, Va. in 1926, and she traces her Mayflower ancestry through her father’s family to both Thomas Rogers and Stephen Hopkins. Other interests Mildred has enjoyed over the years include other heredity societies, church choirs, the Richmond Opera Group, community theater groups, the Canterbury Garden Club and the Quota Club, a professional women’s organization. Since retiring, she has enjoyed other volunteer work and working with pottery at Westminster Canterbury Richmond.


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