McConnell Center's Ben Gies receives research grant to study Kentucky state formation

Graduate assistant Benjamin Gies, of Louisville, is the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the Council on the Kentucky Society of Colonial Wars.

Benjamin Gies, graduate assistant for the McConnell Center’s Civic Education Program, received a $1,000 research grant from the Council of the Kentucky Society of Colonial Wars for next academic year.

Gies is working with history professor Thomas Mackey, PhD, on a thesis about state-building efforts in early Kentucky and will use the grant to conduct archival research in the Library of Virginia.

Gies is also a James Madison Memorial Fellow. He is a 2014 graduate of Bellarmine University.