Leonard Tate Scholarship

Grundy County Poet Laureate

Leonard Tate has long been considered the poet laureate of Grundy County. Tate was born in Beersheba Springs in 1912, and lived most of his life there until his passing in 1989.

Ben Caldwell and Herschel Gower co-edited the collection of Tate's works titled All the Lost Octobers and Other Poems. The collection was published by the historical society in 1990. Read more about thelife of Leonard Tate.

The historical society established the Leonard Tate Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a local high school senior. Learn more about the $2,000 scholarship in theOverview The 2026 award recipient will be announced at the Grundy County Hith School awards ceremony on April 27 and posted here after that date.

Beersheba Springs sculptorJo Fassnacht has created aportrait bust of Leonard Tate.