3 Brookline Youth Win Scholarships For Videos On Memorial Squares

BROOKLINE, MA — The Brookline American Legion Post 11 just announced that three Brookline High School graduates won $4,000 to go toward their college tuitions in the fall.

Brookline's American Legion asked that applicants for the scholarships research and create short video about one of the 16 memorial squares in town.

"We received some AMAZING video submissions by students from our town," said organizers.

The video that took first place was put together by Dafna Williams who created a video about the David J Wax Memorial Square, marked by a wreath on a pole at Washington Square.

Wax was born in 1941 and grew up on Evan’s Road in Brookline. He was a member of the Class of 1959, where he was a photographer for the high school newspaper the Sagamore, played sports and was good friends with Robert Kraft, who along with another good friend, Mike Moreno organized the memorial square years ago.

Wax joined the Air Force and died in 1965 in Vietnam. According to his brother he was flying a C130 on a night mission coming in for a landing, when his plane was shot down. Wax was just 24.

The scholarship winners this year are all graduates of Brookline High School:

• First Place ($2,500) Dafna Williams - David J. Wax Memorial Square (Washington Square)
• Second Place ($1,000) Rotem Nir -Arthur P. Murphy Memorial Square ( intersection of Grove Street and Allandale Road)
• Third Place ($500) Brunna Mattos Rocha -Edward F Farrell Memorial Square (Corner of Pearl Street and Brookline Avenue)

"At the post we were filled with awe and inspired by what these students put together, and humbled by the sacrifices made by those from our community for whom these squares honor," said Scholarship Committee Chairperson Avi Kaufman.

Students were eligible to participate if they will be enrolled in college next year, and are either a resident of Brookline or a graduate of or current student at a high school located in Brookline —or are a US military veteran or currently serving.

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