A00225 - Paul Kwesi Bilson, Amherst College Class of 1990, Bishop Grimes High School (Syracuse, New York), Co-Founder of Art Licensing Firm

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In Memory

Paul Kwesi Bilson, best friend and bon vivant, passed away in Kumasi, Ghana, on Oct. 4 after a long illness.

Paul was born in Kumasi on Aug. 18, 1968, to John and Marion Bilson. Paul’s Ghanaian father was a physician, businessman and politician; his American mother is a former journalist. His family moved to Syracuse, N.Y., when he was 5, and in 1986, he graduated from Bishop Grimes High School, where he excelled at tennis and debating.

Upon arriving at Amherst, Paul immediately collected an outrageously diverse group of friends, though, as his former partner Bill O’Brien observed, he sometimes felt “too white for the black kids and too black for the white kids.” Paul graduated with a degree in English, cum laude, his thesis project including a black-and-white film envisioning the world he would come to create around him: multi-ethnic, art manifested in couture and movement, club music thumping around us.

Though he had been offered a position with a film company in Los Angeles upon graduation, Paul chose to move to New York to stay near family and pursue his obsession with fashion. After positions at Bloomingdale’s and Island Trading Co., he turned his attention to fine art, eventually cofounding an art licensing firm with his partner, in business and in life, Ryan Jensen.

Paul’s pride in being an Amherst alum was as infectious as it was fierce. He’s kept dozens of us close for 30 years by the sheer joy he radiated recalling how we’d all met, a joy that infused all his friendships.

Paul is survived by the mother he adored; his siblings, John David, Gretchen and Carol; his beloved nieces and nephews; Ryan; Bill; and the army of best friends he established in all corners of the world.

Adam Blackburn ’91

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Deceased October 4, 2019

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At Amherst College, the Bancroft Prize is a distinguished speaking competition award given to a senior student for producing the best oration in the annual Truth speaking contest Amherst College.

Purpose and Criteria

The prize is established by Frederic Bancroft of the Class of 1882 and is awarded to the senior whose speech demonstrates excellence in both composition and delivery Amherst College. The competition is part of Amherst’s long tradition of valuing rhetoric and oratory, which dates back to 1827 when Rhetoric was a required freshman course Amherst College.

Context in the Speaking Competition

The Bancroft Prize is one of several awards in the Truth competition, which is open to all full-time Amherst students. The theme for the 2026 event is “Truth,” and competitors deliver persuasive speeches of 5–7 minutes without reading from a script or using PowerPoint Amherst College. Judges evaluate:

• Content and organization: relevance to the Amherst audience, clear structure, appropriate evidence, and logical connections.

• Delivery: vocal qualities, emphasis, and overall presentation Amherst College.

Recognition

Winners of the Bancroft Prize are recognized at the annual College Meeting and/or the Senior Assembly, and receive a cash prize Amherst College. The award is considered a mark of distinction in Amherst’s academic and extracurricular traditions.

In summary: At Amherst, the Bancroft Prize honors the senior student whose oration best combines persuasive content with compelling delivery, continuing a legacy of valuing public speaking and intellectual expression. 

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Amherst College’s David Kirp ’65 Stonewall Prize

The David Kirp ’65 Stonewall Prize is an annual award given by Amherst College’s Sexuality, Women’s & Gender Studies (SWAGS) department to recognize outstanding student work on the queer, bisexual, intersex, gay, lesbian, or transgender experience Amherst College+1.

Purpose and Scope

Established in 1989, the prize honors intellectual or artistic merit in works that explore LGBTQIA+ identities and issues. It is named after David Kirp ’65, a former Amherst student and activist Amherst College.

Eligibility and Submission

• Who can apply: Amherst College students.

• Work types accepted:

  • Academic essays

  • Creative works such as poetry, fiction, drama, videos, films, art projects, photography, and performance art Amherst College.

• Requirements:

  • A 5–7 page written analysis of the project’s goals, significance, and contributions must accompany creative work.

  • Works can be part of a classroom assignment, honors project, or original for the competition Amherst College.

• Submission deadline: Typically in March (e.g., March 25 in past years) Amherst College.

• Submission method: Email to SWAGS or hand-deliver to the SWAGS Office (Grosvenor House, Room 14) Amherst College.

Recognition

• Winners are celebrated at a Queer Resource Center event (e.g., April 29 at 7:30 p.m.) Amherst College.

• The prize is part of Amherst’s broader LGBTQIA+ scholarship and creative recognition programs Amherst College.

Past Winners (Selected)

• 2018: Shantanu Havaldar ’18 – “Favourites” of Fallen Kings: Eunuchs and the Colonial Transition in Northern India, 1556–1856

• 2017: Amir Hall ’17 – “Who Love You?”

• 2016: Robert Neel ’16 – “Stretching Hearts: Understanding Sexuality Politics and Institutional Homophobia in the Anglo-Caribbean”

• 2015: Theophilus Agbi ’15 – “MSM and its subversion of the Gay Identity”; Amira Lundy-Harris ’16 – “Not To Her Shame But To Theirs: The Policing of Black Feminine Identity in Community” Amherst College.

How to Apply

1. Prepare your work (essay or creative piece).

2. Write a 5–7 page analysis explaining its goals, significance, and contributions.

3. Submit by the deadline via email or in person to SWAGS.

4. Attend the celebration event if you are a winner.

For the most current details, including the exact deadline and submission instructions, check the Amherst College SWAGS prizes page or contact the department directly.

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Contact

No data available

Family

No data available

Personal

No data available

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• Bilson Gensen

  Bilson LLC

  Start:

  10/2018

  End:

  10/2019
• National Account Manager

  Jupiter Images

  Start:

  05/2005

  End:

  09/2007
• VP Sales/Marketing Manager

  Art Resource

  Start:

  09/1997

  End:

  10/2009

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Amherst

Reunion Class

• 1990

Graduation Year

• 1990

Major(s)

• English

Prizes

• Bancroft, Stonewall

Other Academic

Secondary Schools

• Bishop Grimes High School

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Amherst

• North Dormitory
• Seelye Dormitory
• Tyler Dormitory

Post-Graduate

No data available

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