"Glass Bricks," by Mary Britten Lynch

Lynch watercolor wins award

Chattanooga artist Mary Britten Lynch was named an award winner in the Southern Watercolor Society's 37th annual exhibition at Kerr Cultural Arts Center in Kerrville, Texas.

The exhibition was open to artists in the 19 states covered by the society. Her work, "Glass Bricks," was one of 80 entries accepted to the exhibition from 220 submitted entries. "Glass Bricks" won the M. Graham Award, one of 22 awards presented.

New Eagle Scouts

Blake Woodruff Ragsdale

Luke C. Darr

Blake Woodruff Ragsdale, a member of Boy Scout Troop 82, received his Eagle Scout Award during a Court of Honor held at Oakwood Baptist Church. He is the son of Pam Ragsdale and Lee Ragsdale and the grandson of Jim and Louise Woodruff. He graduated from Central High School in May, where he was vice president of Skills USA, and will attend Tennessee Technological University this fall to major in mechanical engineering.

He is the fourth member of his family to achieve Eagle Scout rank. The others are Travis Woodruff Benton, Miles Tucker Benton and the late Chase Palmer Benton, who received the Spirit of Eagle Award posthumously.

Luke C. Darr, a member of Boy Scout Troop 224 in Chickamauga, Ga., received his Eagle Scout Award during a recent Court of Honor.

Luke, son of Alan and Lynette Darr of Chickamauga, is a rising junior at at Gordon Lee High School. He plans to continue his education in forestry or agricultural engineering. He has earned 30 merit badges and served his troop in a variety of leadership roles.

For the community service project required of every Eagle Scout, he organized and managed a team of volunteers to provide maintenance work at the Martin Davis House cemetery. They leveled gravestones, filled sunken graves and repaired several hand-laid rock walls at the historical landmark.

Breton new Berry College dean

Gary Breton, Berry College professor of chemistry, has been promoted to dean of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the Rome, Ga., college.

Breton has been a professor at Berry for 20 years. He has served as chairman of the Chemistry Department and was appointed interim dean in 2013. He has written a number of publications for chemistry journals and is a member of the American Chemical Society and the academic honor societies Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.

Blood Assurance scholarship winners

The Blood Assurance Foundation recently held a reception for recipients of its 2014 Crystal Green Memorial Scholarship. Twelve high school seniors were each presented a $1,500 scholarship. The scholarship program was established in 1999 in memory of Crystal Green, a graduate of Dade County High School.

Recipients are Roger Bramblett Jr. and Caroline Duffy, Northwest Whitfield High School; Brenden Walsh, North Sand Mountain High School; Katie Hass, Mason Bishop and Shelly Jones, Boyd-Buchanan School.

Also given the scholarship were Marjorie Bonner and Kara West, Dade County High School; Cooper Parker, Tullahoma High School; Joshua Baierl, Central High School; Allison Pritchett, Gordon Lee High School; and Nathaly Trujillo, Dalton High School.

Button earns $1,000 essay scholarship

Scott Button, a student at Signal Mountain Middle-High School, is the winner of the 2014 National Peace Essay Contest for Tennessee, which earned him a $1,000 academic scholarship. His essay, "The Foundation for a Strong Democracy: Establishing Peace in the Face of Conflict," examined how security sector reform contributes to sustainable peace.

The United States Institute of Peace's goal is to give young people the skills needed to become engaged global citizens who understand the connections between their lives and those of people around the world.

Young book wins award

Melanie Young, daughter of Sonia Young and the late Mel Young, has received the 2014 International Book Award for Cancer-Health Topics. The award was announced at the American Book Fest. Young is the author of "Getting Things Off My Chest: A Survivor's Guide to Staying Fearless & Fabulous in the Face of Breast Cancer."