Pulitzer-winning poet to lecture a UMass

AMHERST — Carl Phillips, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and alumnus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will return to his alma mater to deliver the annual David F. Grose Memorial Lecture in Classics on Tuesday, April 7, at 4:30 p.m. in the Amherst Room on the 10th floor of the Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

Phillips, professor emeritus of English at Washington University in St. Louis, earned his Master of Arts in Teaching in the Latin and Classical Humanities program at UMass.

He is the author of 17 books of poetry, including “Silverchest,” a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize, and “Double Shadow,” winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His collection, “Then the War: And Selected Poems 2007-2020,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2023.

Phillips has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Library of Congress, among others. His honors also include the 2021 Jackson Prize, the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, the Kingsley Tufts Award, a Lambda Literary Award and the PEN/USA Award for Poetry.

More information about the Grose Memorial Lecture is available on the Department of Classics website.

Hatfield farmers win state awards

HATFIELD — Two Hatfield farmers are among the top corn producers in the nation. Jeff and Gregory Zgrodnik won first-place state awards in the 2025 National Corn Growers association National Corn Yield Contest.

Jeff Zgrodnik won with a yield of 329.1 bushels per acre growing DEKALB DKC092-13RIB Brand Blend in the Conventional Non-Irrigated Class. Gregory Zgrodnik won with a yield of 320.1 bushels per acre growing DEKALB DKC092-13RIB Brand Blend in the Strip-Till, Minimum-Till, Mulch-Till, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated Class.

Farmers who planted DEKALB corn secured 16 of 27 national awards — the most of any single brand in the competition. DEKALB farmers also claimed 248 state-level honors, including 98 first-place finishes. Chaudhari attributed the brand’s impressive yield contest performance to farmers’ crop management skills and the brand’s exclusive genetics with high yield potential.

Winners were recognized at the annual yield winner banquet on Feb. 24, held in conjunction with Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas.

Hadley Democratic Town Committee to meet

HADLEY — The Hadley Democratic Town Committee meets Monday at 6 p.m. at the Hadley Public Library, 50 Middle St. The meeting is open to all residents.

HCC giving day campaign surpasses $1M

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Community College Foundation raised more than $131,000 for scholarships and student-support programs during its March 4 “Together HCC” one-day giving campaign, surpassing its six-year, $1 million goal.

The sixth annual “Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives” campaign received donations worth $131,278 from 455 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the college during the 24-hour fundraising drive.  

All of the money raised goes directly to six areas that support HCC students: academic excellence and innovation; scholarships; the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry; the President’s Student Emergency Fund; the President’s Fund for Opportunity, and the HCC Foundation’s general, unrestricted fund.

The HCC Foundation, the college’s charitable, nonprofit foundation, launched “Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring” in March 2020 to build community support and raise money for students experiencing financial distress during the pandemic. In 2021, with Holyoke auto dealer Gary Rome signed on, HCC added the “Drive to Change Lives” theme and collectively raised more than $1 million for student support programs.

Anyone who missed this year’s day of giving and still wants to contribute to the HCC Foundation can do so at hcc.edu/give