VT Stories Oral History Collection (Ms2016-015)

Title

VT Stories Oral History Collection (Ms2016-015)

Subject

University history

Description

Initiated in 2015 by the President’s Office and managed by faculty and staff in History, English, TLOS, VT Libraries, and the Alumni Association, the VT Stories Oral History Project collects and examines stories, memories, tall tales, tragedies, and triumphs of all members of the Hokie community to help us know our shared history and to make sense of it. At the heart of the project is Hokies interviewing Hokies—largely student-staffed and trained by oral historians, interviewers engage with VT Alumni to learn their history and to make mentoring connections that go beyond the student experience. As we seek to understand why Virginia Tech is top rated in its success in engaging alumni, we highlight the exciting, memorable, historic moments in Hokie lives that have forged strong and enduring connections.

Any questions regarding this collection should be directed to Ren Harman, Oral History Projects Archivist, harman07@vt.edu

Is Referenced By

Identifier

Ms2016-015

Collection Tree

L Johns.png

Lonnie Johns was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia with close ties to Virginia Tech. Although he was drawn to other schools, his mother receiving a…
Calvin Jamison.png

Dr. Calvin D. Jamison grew up knowing he was going to attend college, the only question was where? He was born and raised in Martinsville, Virginia…
J Owen.PNG

John Owen was born in Lynchburg, VA to a military family. From his father's work, he moved to California, Greece, Alexandria, VA, and France during…
Bertram Kinzey.png

Bertram Kinzey, Jr. arrived in Blacksburg as an architectural engineering student in 1940. While living in Richmond, Kinzey enrolled in the…
T King Jr.jpg

Theodore King, Jr. grew up on a farm in Lunenburg County, Virginia. While in high school, King was recruited by many colleges, including Virginia…
B Robertson.jpg

James "Bud" Robertson was born and raised in Danville, Virginia. There was a railroad close to his house, which led him to become interested in them…
James Boone.PNG

James Boone, born July 25th, 1915 is among the earliest Virginia Polytechnic students to be interviewed for VT Stories. He grew up in Holland and…
George Fox.PNG

George Fox, born in Charleston, West Virginia, grew up in a Virginia Tech household. His father from Virginia Polytechnic Institute for industrial…
Frank Nolen.jpeg

Frank Nolen grew up in Macon County, North Carolina, raised with school in mind. In high school, he decided to attend North Carolina State College,…
J and B Slaughter.png

Judy Swecker Slaughter was born into a Virginia Tech family as her father graduated class of 1935. Growing up in Woodstock, Virginia, she had decided…
First Af Am Women.png

Marguerite Laurette Harper Scott, also known as Chick, grew up in Norfolk, Virginia in a family of Virginia State graduates. Although she intended on…
J Kise.PNG

Jack Kise was born in New Haven, Connecticut and moved around several times before landing in Portsmouth, Virginia where he spent most of his school…
Maria and Chris.png

In this final installment of an oral history series, Chris Kappas is joined by his wife, Maria Kappas, to talk about their life working in the…
Souvlaki.jpg

The fifth oral history interview in a series about the Greek community in Blacksburg, local history, and the restaurant industry with Chris Kappas.…
C Kappas.jpg

The fourth oral history interview in a series with Chris Kappas, longtime Blacksburg local and restauranteur.

In this interview, Chris Kappas…
Chris Kappas.jpg

The third installment of a series of oral history interviews with Blacksburg local, restauranteur, and active community member Chris Kappas.

This…
Chris Kappas.jpg

The second session in a series of oral history interviews with Chris Kappas, local Blacksburg restaurateur and land lord.

In this interview, Chris…
Chris Kappas.jpg

The first in a special series of interviews with Chris Kappas, a local Blacksburg businessman, land lord, and restaurateur. Born in Greece in 1938,…
N Strawn.jpg

Natalie Strawn Kelly grew up in Blacksburg, and was nearly predestined for Virginia Tech. She graduated in 1974, majoring in Elementary Education. In…
J Hulick.jpeg

In this VT Stories oral history interview, Ren Harman interviews Jerry Hulick, Class of 1973. Hulick discusses his time at Virginia Tech during the…
Clara Cox.png

In this VT Stories interview from 2018, Manisha Sharma interviews the former Director of University Publications Clara Cox in the Holtzman Alumni…
Kevin Crofton.png

In this nearly hour long interview, Ren Harman, Project Manager for VT Stories, interviews Kevin Crofton, Class of 1982, in the Holtzman Alumni Center…
R Quisenberry.jpg

Bob Quisenberry, Class of 1962, discusses his life and
career, including his time as a student at Virginia Tech and his continued involvement with…
idapowell.jpg

Ida Powell graduated from Virginia Tech in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in home economics. In this hour-long interview, Powell discusses her…
mary-n-willis.jpg

In an hour and 10 minute interview of Mary Nolen
Blackwood and Willis Blackwood, Ren Harman asks about
their lives as they connect to Virginia Tech.…
rogerhmoore.png

Roger H. More was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland in 1942. From an early age he knew that he would attend college, but planned on going to…
Gerald Miller.jpg

Gerald Miller grew up on a farm in Harrisonburg, Virginia. From an early age, he had responsibilities and schooling expectations drilled into him,…
Martin-Doug.jpeg

Douglas Martin, Ed.D. is Director Emeritus in the
Department of Human Resources at Virginia Tech. This
nearly hour-long interview contains his…
James (Jim) Hatch.jpg

Jim Hatch went to Lynchburg College as an undergraduate, majoring in management. Upon graduating, he attended Virginia Tech for a Master’s of…
Foutch and LoMascolo.jpeg

Mallory Foutch came to Virginia Tech in 2016 after attending both undergrad and grad school elsewhere. During school, she was a passionate social…
Rosemary Blieszner.jpeg

Rosemary Beiszner came to Virginia Tech as a foot in the door to the academic world. She attended undergraduate at Mercyhurst College, studying home…
Frank Beamer.jpg

Frank Beamer was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina in 1946, but grew up just across state lines in Fancy Gap, a suburb of Hillsville, Virginia.…
Pat Hyer.jpg

Pat Hyer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in a household where education was paramount. She attended undergraduate school at Hillsdale College, receiving a…
Mary Prim Jones.jpg

Mary “Prim” Jones grew up in Blacksburg and around campus. Although she considered other colleges, she chose to attend Virginia Tech for her…
William Starnes.jpg

William (Bill) Starnes, Jr., Virginia Tech class of 1955, never seriously considered any other school. Bill always knew that he was going to college,…
Doug Montgomery.jpg

Doug Montgomery grew up in Radford, Virginia, playing baseball and golf, knowing that he would continue in higher education. Now a proud triple Hokie…
Susan Anderson.jpg

Susan Anderson got her passion for social justice and community service from her family. From a young age, she was taught by her mother to stand up…
Ezra Bud Brown.jpg

Dr. Ezra A. “Bud” Brown grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana knowing he was expected to attend college. After graduating high school, he attended Rice…
Mayer Levy.jpg

Mayer Levy was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia to a VPI family, and came to VPI partly on that influence and through a scholarship. He…
Kimberly Williams.png

For Kimberly Williams, Virginia Tech has filled many roles. From 2002 to 2008 it was her university, and recently her place of employment – but it is,…
Rich and Libby Carpenter.jpg

Although Rich and Libby Carpenter each experienced their own unique version of Virginia Tech, they can both attest to the sense of community that they…
Matt Winston Jr..jpg

As one of Virginia Tech’s first black graduates, Matt Winston’s father was able to share a number of stories, both positive and negative, about the…
Neal Henshaw.jpg

Neal Henshaw took a roundabout path to becoming a Hokie. He was born in Buckingham, Virginia, and despite being familiar with Virginia Tech, he…
Linda Plaut.jpg

You don’t have to graduate from Virginia Tech to be a Hokie. After moving to Blacksburg as a faculty spouse, Linda Plaut joined the university’s staff…
Bob Bates.jpg

Education has always been important in the life of Robert “Bob” Bates, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (now College of Science). Both…
Mickey Hayes.jpg

Mickey Hayes, born as Charles Joseph Hayes, Jr. was born in Pittsburgh in 1941, moved to Norfolk very shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and…
Matt Winston Sr..jpg

Matt Winston Sr., Virginia Tech class of 1959, was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1938, the youngest of three children. Though he grew up in a time of…
Todd Ogle.jpg

Todd Ogle grew up in Northern Virginia and pursued his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech from 1992 and 1996. Although he never planned on…
Bill Latham.jpg

On the residential side of campus, there is an academic building where researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and…
Bill Roth.jpg

Bill Roth grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania playing ice hockey. He attended Syracuse University studying multimedia journalism, wanting to work in…

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