The Webb Salmon Excellence in English Scholarship honors Webb Salmon, beloved teacher and English department Chair in the 1950s and 1960s.

Webb Salmon was a treasure. During the 14 years that he taught senior English, modern literature, and creative writing at CHS, he inspired future writers, teachers, journalists — not to mention lovers of all literature, especially modern American. When he died in December 2020, here are some of the comments that circulated among his countless former students:

  • “Webb is one of the reasons I decided to become an English teacher. I think what helped me grow the most in terms of self-confidence was his one-on-one conferences where we really had to defend the position we took on our literary term paper. He asked tough questions, for sure. I incorporated that idea into my teaching of Advanced Placement seniors along with honors juniors and sophomores.”
  • “Most of what I know today about critical reading and clear writing came from that year in his class.”
  • “He said I should read Kerouac and mark books up and keep a dictionary by my side. And I became a lit and a road freak, and still reading Kerouac and his daughter’s books to this day.”
  • His sense of humor was legend. “When Webb Salmon smiled – which wasn’t often – his eyes almost disappeared.”
  • “He turned my academic life around. The writing skills and discipline Webb instilled in me was the foundation for actually earning a graduate degree from Harvard Business School.”

THE WEBB SALMON EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH SCHOLARSHIP will be awarded to graduates of Columbus North to continue their education at any college or advanced education opportunity. It will be awarded to a student who has demonstrated excellence in overall academics, especially English, Creative Writing, and Literature, and will target those with financial need and those who are first-generation college.

THE WEBB SALMON EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH scholarship is a way we all can say thank you and support future generations of Columbus North students!

Scholarship Recipients:

  • 2022 Megan Allman
  • 2023 Kayden Hofelich
  • 2024 Hannah Michel

To donate to the Webb Salmon scholarship fund, follow this link to the Donation Page.