Charles Lane, of Lebanon, won first place in the college division for his essay, "The Nurse." His narrative described how a nurse, a graduate from the class of 1863, was determined to help the wounded soldiers at Gettysburg.
Keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling author, Jeff Shaara, presented the awards during a luncheon at the Wildwood Campus of HACC. The event was part of the "One Book, Two Counties" program offered by the public libraries of Dauphin and Cumberland Counties.
The Killer Angels was selected by the program to promote the value of reading and add common conversation through readings, group discussions, and other events such as the essay contest. Jeff Shaara's father, Michael, authored The Killer Angels, the 1975 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction.
Shaara's discussion focused on his father's book as well as his own works including his latest Revolutionary War novel, The Glorious Cause.
Shaara presented certificates to the winning authors. In addition to Lane, other essay winners include:
College division - Second Place: Ryan Ulrich, York Haven; Third Place: Geoff Hammel, Lancaster.
High School division - First Place: David Ryan, Duncannon; Second Place: Jennifer Poeschl, Mechanicsburg, and Third Place: Ben Moyer, Dauphin.
Harrisburg Area Community College is a two-year college with nearly 12,000 students. The college serves a ten county region in South Central Pennsylvania from it's campuses in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and Gettysburg and from a number of off-campus community sites. Harrisburg Area Community College provides degree and diploma programs in more than 154 fields as well as technical training and workforce development services. The college is proud of the educational opportunities it offers to an increasing number of students from throughout Central Pennsylvania and from nearly 30 different countries.