After nearly 43 years, Debbie Cross and Paul Wrigley have decided to end the Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund. Over the years it has awarded 71 scholarships to Clarion and Clarion West Writers Workshops in Michigan, Seattle, and San Diego.

At first scholarships were awarded just to the Clarion Workshop. With the restart of Clarion West, scholarships began alternating between the two venues. Since 1992, scholarships have been awarded annually to both venues. Finally in 2010, the Fund began annually sponsoring instructor fellowships at Clarion West. Initially, the Fund was organized by the Portland Science Fiction Society but in later years the Fund was transferred to Oregon Science Fiction Conventions Inc. 

The assets of the fund will be disbursed to both Clarion West in Seattle and Clarion in San Diego to help them carry on doing their great work. Cross and Wrigley say:

We personally would like to thank all the supporters over the years, without whom the Fund would not have happened. Hopefully they will find other ways to continue to support the Workshops. Finally, we would like to thank the organizers of the Workshops over the years whose hard work has allowed us to award the Scholarships.

A final note, if flowers had been allowed at Sue’s funeral, none of this would have happened!

The scholarship was a memorial for writer Susan C. Petrey who died in 1980.

[Based on a press release.]