New $327,000 fund will expand support for research into Richard III, the Wars of the Roses, and fifteenth-century England

The Richard III Society-American Branch is pleased to announce the establishment of the Peggy Dolan Research Fund, a new fund dedicated to advancing historical research and scholarship.

The fund was created through a generous $327,000 bequest from the Estate of Peggy Dolan, whose commitment to history and scholarship will now help support researchers and research projects for years to come.

The Peggy Dolan Research Fund will provide financial support for research undertaken by the Richard III Society-American Branch and will also make grants available to qualified third-party researchers and research projects whose work is consistent with the mission of the Branch.

The new Fund represents a significant addition to the American Branch’s longstanding commitment to historical research. Since its founding, the Branch has supported scholarly work through fellowships, research awards, special projects, publications, manuscript preservation and digitization, and other initiatives. Its research interests encompass Richard III and his times, the Wars of the Roses, late medieval England and Europe, and the broader historical, cultural, political, and social world of the period. 

“This gift couldn’t come at a better time,” remarks Susan Troxell, chair of the American Branch. “Today, as funding for historical research is being slashed and history departments reduced to bare bones, the American Branch has an opportunity to help scholars continue their work, even if it’s on a modest scale.”  

Remembering Peggy Ann Dolan

Peggy Ann Dolan was born on November 6, 1945 in Catskill, NY. The youngest of two daughters, Peggy held a keen interest in history, dance, and current world events. At the age of eighteen, she left New York to attend the University of Mississippi where she would study Liberal Arts as well as serve as the music librarian for WCBH student radio station. Peggy would continue on to graduate school at Ole Miss, earning her Law degree in 1971. Shortly after, Peggy relocated to Miami Beach, Florida, practicing law and involving herself in community affairs such as upgrading county-wide transportation through an innovative rapid transit system. Sadly, Peggy would pass away on February 14, 2024 at the age of 78. 

Peggy joined the American Branch in 1971 and, in 2013, was recognized as one of the Branch’s longest-serving members, having been with us over 40 years. Occasionally she would write to the Editor of our journal, the Ricardian Register, drawing members’ attention to references to Richard III in the news or in the courts. 

The Richard III Society-American Branch gratefully acknowledges Peggy Dolan and her estate for this extraordinary gift. Through the establishment of the Peggy Dolan Research Fund, her generosity will continue to encourage investigation, discovery, and the preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the past.

The American Branch is particularly pleased that the Fund will carry Peggy’s name forward in connection with the kind of historical inquiry that she valued. Each research project supported by the Fund will extend the reach of scholarship and contribute to a deeper understanding of the people, events, and cultures of the late medieval world.

What the Fund Will Support

The Peggy Dolan Research Fund may support:

• Research projects and publications undertaken directly by the Richard III Society-American Branch.
• Independent research by qualified scholars and researchers.
• Projects involving archival, documentary, archaeological, historical, literary, genealogical, or related research.
• Research into Richard III and his reign, the Wars of the Roses, Yorkist England, and the wider history and culture of fifteenth-century Europe.
• Projects that preserve, transcribe, translate, digitize, interpret, or make historically significant materials more accessible.
• Other research projects that further the educational and historical purposes of the Richard III Society-American Branch.

Grants will typically be in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. To learn more, and find out how to apply, go to our Dolan Research Fund page.