In August, 1998, Dana Jackson, from Ketchikan, Alaska, was the first recipient of the Robert T. H. Davidson award. This award will be made annually by Write to Change, Inc. to a young person who has contributed in visible and significant ways to the creative and cultural life of his or her community. Dana Jackson was chosen as the 1998 Davidson Student of the Year for her writings about her grandmother, her thoughtful analysis of membership in the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network, and her willingness to serve as a mentor to others participating in networked activities.

This award, which carries with it a gift of $100.00, honors the memory of Robert T. H. Davidson, who spent many years of his life supporting organizations that place students at the center of their efforts and that promote the arts, especially imaginative writing, as a key element in the education of all children and young people. Mr. Davidson, a resident of Connecticut and a graduate of Yale University, was before his death a lawyer, a writer (novelist, journalist, essayist), a maker of jewelry, an amateur magician, and a philanthropist engaged in an intensely personal way with providing opportunities for young people and their teachers.