Established by the late Stuart D. Gross and his wife, Vernice, the Gross Award for Literature is administered by SVSU. The award includes a $1,000 prize. Employed for many years as a journalist with The Saginaw News, Gross joined the SVSU staff in the school’s early years and served in a variety of public affairs roles. He was recognized as a regional historian and published several books. Among his writings are “Saginaw: A History of the Land and City,” “When Timber was King,” and “Where There is a Will.” Following his retirement from SVSU, Gross wrote and produced a play, “Let’s Have Lunch Sometime.” He died in 1996; Mrs. Gross in 2001.
The Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Award for Literature is accorded to published works in regional history or historical fiction/drama. Preference is given to Michigan subject matter or strong Michigan connections on the part of the author.
The Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Award for Literature In Regional History
1997 – Daniel Fountain (Michigan Gold Mining in the Upper Peninsula)
1998 – Dorothy Langdon Yates (Salt of the Earth: A History of Midland County Michigan)
1999 – Dale Patrick Wolicki (The Historic Architecture of Bay City Michigan)
2000 – Dr. R. Grant Smith (From Saginaw Valley to Tin Pan Alley)
2001 – Dr. John V. Jezierski (Enterprising Images: The Goodridge Brothers)
2001 – Rhonda S. Sanders ( Bronze Pillars: An Oral History of African-Americans in Flint)
2002 – Paul Kavieff (The Violent Years: Prohibition and the Detroit Mobs)
2003 – Dr. Loren Graham (A Face in the Rock)
2004 – Jerry Dennis (The Living Great Lakes)
2006 – Richard Bak (A Distant Thunder: Michigan in the Civil War)
2008 – Patty Pinner (Sweety Pies)
2011 – David Small (Stitches)
2014 - Keith R. Widder (Beyond Pontiac's Shadow)
2015 - Sally Howell (Old Islam in Detroit : Rediscovering the Muslim Past)
2016 - Scott M. Peters (Making Waves : Michigan's Boat Building Industry, 1865-2000)
2018 - Drew Philips (A $500 House in Detroit)
2019 - Hendrik Meijer (Arthur Vandenberg: The Man in the Middle of the American Century)
2020 - Anna Clark (The Poisoned City: Flint's Water Crisis and the American Urban Tragedy)
2021 - T. Marie Bertineau (The Mason House)