Cabell Circuit Judge Dan O'Hanlon, middle, poses with Marshall University students Katherine Nicole Bush, left, and Aaron N. Preece during a ceremony in the Memorial Student Center on Marshall's Huntington campus. Preece took first place and Bush was the second-place winner in the Dan O'Hanlon Constitution Week and John Marshall Celebration Essay Competition.

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University has announced the first winners of the 2009 Dan O'Hanlon Constitution Week and John Marshall Celebration Essay Competition.

Aaron N. Preece, a freshman History major from Huntington, took first place and will receive $1,500. The second-place winner was Katherine Nicole Bush, a junior Forensic Chemistry major from Huntington, and she will receive $750.

The new essay competition, announced in June, pays tribute to former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and Cabell Circuit Judge Dan O'Hanlon. It was created with a $50,000 anonymous donation, and its purpose is to encourage Marshall University undergraduate students to study the historical and contemporary significance of the Constitution of the United States of America and the effect the Marshall court had in establishing the importance of the Supreme Court.

The topic of the 2009 essay was as follows: Free speech in the "marketplace of ideas" is a cherished but much debated right in this society. Nowhere is it deemed more valuable, constructive and necessary than on a university campus. Should colleges and universities be allowed to place restrictions on what is reasonable speech for faculty?

Dr. David J. Pittenger, dean of Marshall's College of Liberal Arts, said he is excited Marshall is honoring the Constitution and John Marshall through this exercise.

"I was greatly impressed with the work of the two students who won the awards and the others who submitted essays," Pittenger said. "We are looking forward to lively competition for next year and are hopeful more students from more colleges will submit essays. It is important to reward student civic engagement by studying this essential document that defines our government."

Preece said he is honored to receive the first Dan O'Hanlon essay contest award.

"I was surprised that I won for I found the essay to be quite challenging to write," Preece said. "Also, I have never written an essay of the caliber required before."

Preece said he originally attempted to write the essay from information online, but found it lacking.

"I visited the Drinko Library and there, Jennifer Sias (associate professor/information literacy librarian) introduced me to the databases available on campus," he said. "I found these to be very useful, and the information was of very high quality. This wealth of sources greatly helped me in my essay."

The announcement of the essay winners was part of the University's Constitution Week activities.