The annual scholarship, established by The Jacob Leisler Institute to honor Ruth Piwonka, noted Columbia County historian and beloved Trustee Emeritus of the Board, is awarded to a graduating high school senior in Columbia County who has been accepted at an accredited college or university, and has declared, or has an intention to declare, a major in history.
Since inception, in 2021, the Scholarship has been awarded to students from Chatham and Ichabod Crane High Schools.
For more information on the Scholarship please visit: https://jacobleislerinstitute.org/ruth-piwonka-scholarship-award/
Ruth Piwonka
Ruth was a Columbia County, New York, historian. Former executive director of the Columbia County Historical Society, 1976–1983, she co-authored with Roderic Blackburn A Visible Heritage. Columbia County, New York. A History in Art and Architecture (1977)and Remembrance of Patria (1988); she also wrote A Portrait of Livingston Manor (1986), among numerous other works.