Dr. Herman F. Bostick conceived the idea for the Southern Conference on Language Teaching while serving as the Georgia Department of Education Foreign Language Consultant. In the fall of 1964, working with Dr. Louis J. Chatagnier of Emory University, the purpose and organization of SCOLT began to emerge, and on February 4-6, 1965, the first SCOLT Conference was held in Atlanta.   SCOLT became incorporated in the fall of 1967.  On the tenth anniversary of SCOLT, Dr. Bostick received a proclamation from the Mayor of Atlanta, the Honorable Maynard Jackson, recognizing SCOLT’s progress.  In 1997 Kathy White, SCOLT Chair, presented Dr. Bostick with the SCOLT Founders Award, created to recognize those who had contributed significantly over time to the mission of SCOLT.

Dr. Herman F. Bostick, as the originator of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching, served as its first Executive Secretary, from 1964-1970, and as SCOLT Executive Director from 1970-1974.  Also during this period he founded the Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG) and served as its first president.  Subsequently, Dr. Bostick headed departments of foreign languages at Morehouse College (Atlanta), Texas Southern University, and Howard University.  Always the enthusiastic spokesperson for language education and professionalism, Dr. Bostick has been a regular supporter of SCOLT Conferences and a contributor to SCOLT publications as well as an active member of several national and regional language organizations.  His desire to encourage new foreign language teachers to develop rewarding professional competence led him to make this award possible.

The SCOLT Board grieves with Dr. Bostick’s family as he passed away in August 2021. Dr. Bostick’s contributions to SCOLT and to language education are incalculable. He will be sorely missed. Dr. Bostick’s obituary can be found here.

To be eligible for the Bostick Award, teachers must be in their first to fifth year(s) of teaching dedicated to a long-term teaching committment who have not yet attended a SCOLT conference, and who demonstrate a commitment to future conference participation as part of their professional development. Two teachers will be awarded conference registration during each annual SCOLT conference.

The nomination deadline is January 15, 2024. The recipients will be recognized at the SCOLT Opening General Session at the 2024 conference.