The Annual
Richard T. Merrick
Debate
Each spring semester, undergraduate members of the Philodemic Society select their four best speakers via a semester long competition. Those speakers serve as keynoters at the Annual Richard T. Merrick Debate, during which a panel of judges select the best speaker as the recipient of the Merrick Medal. The Merrick Medal is the only non-academic medal allowed to be worn at Georgetown University's graduation ceremony and is of the highest honors a Philodemician can earn.
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To learn more about the history of the Merrick Debate, visit the Philodemic Society's website here.
(Above) Alumni attendees of the 2022 Merrick Debate
Merrick Medalists
2022 – Nile Blass
2021 – Eli Manaker
2020 – Not Awarded due to pandemic
2019 – Kathryn Li
2018 – Mattie Haag
2017 – Asha Thanki
2016 – Madeleine Ringwald
2015 – Julia Christensen
2014 – Amanda Wynter
2013 – Samuel Dulik
2012 – Nicholas Iacono
2011 – Matthew Cantirino
2010 – Drew Peterson
2009 – Andrew Rugg
2008 – Daniel Rendleman
2007 – Eugene Gerzhoy
2006 – Fank Vargas
2005 – Theodore Wold
2004 – John Brilling Horgan
2003 – Brian Griffin
2002 – Brian Griffin
2001 – Alexander Henlin
2000 – J. Brooken Smith
1999 – Jack Massey
1998 – Jeff Wall
1997 – Jack Massey
1996 – Cain Pence
1995 – Jeff Wall
1994 – Maria Escobar
1993 – Eric Larsen
1992 – Vivek Mehta
1991 – Sean Keely
1990 – Edmund Daniels
1989 – John Marchese
​1972 – Jeffrey Ruch
​1971 – Steven Sirianni
​1969 – P. John Owen
​1968 – Michael Perry
​1967 – John Koeltl
​1966 – Gerry Mitchell
1965 – Robert Shrum
1964 – Richard Hayes
1963 – Lambert H. Spronck
1962 – John W. Hempelmann
1961 – John B. Brough
1960 – Neil Peterson
1959 – Robert S. Bennett
1958 – Walter John Nicgorski
1957 – Robert James Egan
1956 – Kevin Walter Robb
1955 – James Seabol
1954 – Michael Shea
1953 – Werner J. Kronstein
1952 – William B. Moyles
1951 – John J. Dohony
1950 – Richard A. Gordon
1949 – Kevin P. Kennedy
1948 – Richard P. McMahon
1947 – John J. Leibell
1946 – Gerard J. McDonnell
1945 – Deane Bascom
1944 – John R. Stenger
1943 – Edward J. Callahan, Jr.
1942 – Robert B. Neu
1941 – Thomas F. Mullahey
1940 – Dexter L. Hanley
1939 – Richard Martin
1938 – Walter Connolly
1937 – John Donnelly
1936 – Leo Curley
1935 – John McKenney
1934 – Philip Hart
1933 – Joseph Smith
1932 – James Neville
1931 – William Sullivan
1930 – John F. Lynch, Jr.
1929 – Charles Maloney
1928 – Joseph Green
1927 – Joseph Kozak
1926 – Walter Thompson
1925 - James McLarney
1924 – James Burke
1923 – Robert McCann
1922 – Robert Ward
1921 – Leo Casey
1920 – Robert Wiley
1919 – Louis Langie
1918 – Robert Hilliard
1917 – Edward Callahan
1916 – Rufus Lusk
1915 – William Cullinen
1914 – J. Ryan
1913 – David Waldron
1912 – Vincent Dailey
1911 – John F. Crosby
1910 – Daniel McCann
1909 – Joseph West Montgomery
1908 – J. Linus Moran
1907 – Edward Crummery
1906 – John Stuart
1905 – Joseph Lawler
1904 – Josach Miller
1903 – John O'Brien
1902 – George C. Reed
1901 – R. Winfield Jones
1900 – Joseph L. McAleer
1899 – Robert G. Cauthorn
1898 – Thomas O'Neill
1897 – Benedict Maher
1896 – Francis Slattery
1895 – J. Neal Power
1894 – Robert Collier
1893 – Patrick Carlon
1892 – Patrick H. O'Donnell
1891 – James Duross
1890 – C. Albert White
1889 – Thomas B. Lantry
1888 – James P. Montgomery
1887 – Joseph Singleton
1886 – Joseph Dohan
1885 – John Slattery
1884 – Agustin de Iturbide y Green
1883 – James O'Neill
1882 – Francis A. Brogan
1881 – Dennis Shanahan
1880 – Conde Pallen
1879 – Daniel Lawler
1878 – Eugene Ives
1877 – William Smith
1876 – Bell Etheridge
1875 – James Hagan
We are still working to update our records. If you are, or know, someone who won the Merrick Medal that is not listed above, please let us know who via email or chat!