The HPA Mockingbird Award In Honor of William H. Denton is an annual award given to Health Policy & Administration students at Penn State University. It recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to and passion for advocating for the welfare of others.

 

The award was established by the HPA Department and the ACHCA Club in 2018 in memory of William H. Denton, an undergraduate student of Health Policy & Administration, who passed away in January 2018. William loved being a student and saw education as a way to optimize a student's potential to bring good into the world. The HPA Mockingbird Award is named after William's favorite quote from Harper Lee's book To Kill a Mockingbird:

 

"It's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

 

Those who knew William knew he encapsulated Harper Lee's full description of mockingbirds:

 

"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except
make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.

That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

 

The award is given in recognition of William's "mockingbird" qualities for protecting the vulnerable by fighting against injustice. The award is given to an HPA student who serves as a role model for the Penn State Community by engaging in activities that improve the welfare of others, or who has promoted the welfare of others by increasing awareness or by enhancing the understanding of a social injustice.