A Hillsdale freshman has won a trio of awards for his work as an intern in the Michigan Legislature.

State lawmakers honored Philip Hammersley of Oakley with the 2011 Frank M. Fitzgerald Public Service Award, given annually to outstanding young legislative volunteers.

Hammersley interned with former Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, in 2010. During the summer of 2011, he volunteered with Sen. John Moolenaar, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.


“Philip is a gentleman and a scholar,” said Moolenaar, R-Midland. “His hard work and dedication helped our constituents. We appreciate Philip’s willingness to serve.”

Above and beyond legislative activities, Fitzgerald scholars are singled out for their excellence in academics, communication and volunteerism. The award is named after a former speaker pro tempore of the Michigan House who served from 1987 to 1998.
Fitzgerald’s widow, Ruth Fitzgerald, presented the award to Hammersley during a ceremony at the Michigan Capitol.

In addition to the Fitzgerald scholarship, Hammersley also received a national award from the Washington Crossing Foundation in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Hammersley was given the Dana N. Weeder Memorial Scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to historic Philadelphia.

The foundation cited Hammersley’s involvement in Curriculum Beyond the Classroom, an innovative group formed to connect students with area professionals. Hammersley has also interned with Michigan Family Forum, a private nonprofit research and education organization in Lansing.

Hammersley also earned the John Quincy Adams Award from the Student Statesmanship Institute. The institute is a Lansing-based leadership training program established to help affirm and restore America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. The group sponsors the Ambassador League, which engages highly motivated students in a year-long quest to complete 36 assignments for the Adams Award program while an adult mentor oversees their progress.

Hammersley said participating in SSI has been a life-changing experience. “The Ambassador League stretched me far beyond anything that I would normally do on my own,” he said. “While the course was challenging, I definitely benefited from it. The SSI program taught me to go past my comfort zone, and helped build relationships with people who work in the Michigan Legislature.”

The Adams Award is named in honor of America’s sixth president, who was just 14 when he accompanied an American envoy on a diplomatic mission to Russia. SSI encourages students to follow Adams’ example by pursuing public service at a young age and staying involved.

“We are all very blessed to live in a nation that has provided us with so much freedom,” Hammersley said. “The liberty Americans enjoy is unprecedented in world history. If we are not careful to defend it, then there will come a time when it no longer exists.”

The 18-year-old eventually hopes to pursue a career in public policy. He is the son of Scott and Cyndi Hammersley of Oakley.