Washington, DC - Doreen Cole, former assistant to the Dean, Honors College, Indiana University, and the widow of Dr. Bruce Cole, a co-founder of the Grateful American Book Prize, has been selected to replace Dr. Cole on the Prize panel of judges.

“Dr. Cole, who was the longest serving chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, was the inspiration for the Prize,” according to co-founder, author and publisher David Bruce Smith. “He saw it as a practical means of instilling a love of reading and history among young students. He once described the U.S. as ‘a country of historical amnesiacs.’ And, numerous studies attest to the fact that America’s young learners do, in fact, suffer from a history deficit.”

Mrs. Cole has been an ‘active,’ non-serving supporter of the Grateful American Book Prize since its 2015 inception, according to Smith. “She loves reading the books that are submitted for the Prize and so she is a logical and knowledgeable successor to her late husband.”

The Prize is awarded each year to authors of historically accurate books of fiction and nonfiction for seventh to ninth graders. Those published between July 1, 2017 and July 31, 2018 are now being considered for the $13,000 Prize, and a unique medallion created by artist Clarice Smith. Two authors will also receive “Honorable Mention” acknowledgments of $500 each, and the medallions.

For more information about the Prize visit www.gratefulamericanbookprize.com .