Browse Items (205 total)

Valerie Dow Scott was born in 1904, and she grew up in Montgomery County, Virginia. Scott’s parents--the Dow family--sent Valerie to high school in Nottoway County, Virginia. After completing her education there, Scott worked as a teacher, briefly,…

Tori Elmore grew up in Wytheville, VA, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2009 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Elmore currently lives in the Blacksburg area and works as a maintenance engineer at the Celanese chemical plant in Narrows, VA. In…

Tom Brobson graduated from Virginia Tech in 1982. After working in Washington, D.C., for several years, he returned to work for Tech in 1989, working as a fundraiser for the Department of University Relations. A diabetic himself, Brobson went on to…

Toby Quaranta was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and now lives in San Francisco, California. Quaranta received his bachelor in Political Science at Virginia Tech in 2006 and now works as an Account Executive for the Salesforce Foundation. In his…

Thompson V. Lester, Sr. was born in Christiansburg, Virginia in 1915. Thompson Lester met and married his wife, Elizabeth, in New Jersey. After serving in the Navy, Lester returned to Christiansburg, where he worked for his family's dry cleaning…

Interview with Thania Torres for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Thania Torres, 32, is the volunteer coordinator for Casa Latina in Roanoke, VA. Casa Latina is a non-profit social…

Susan Manero talks about her time at Southern Seminary College (now Southern Virginia University) decision to transfer to Virginia Tech, surprise at the lack of denim on Denim Day in 1979, coming out, the gay and lesbian community in Blacksburg, the…

In this interview, Sueann Brown talks about realizing her sexuality and becoming involved with the Gay Student Alliance at Virginia Tech, her experience of Denim Day in 1979, and her experience as an openly lesbian architect with the National Parks…

In this interview Steve Noll discusses accepting his sexuality as a young man, the unnamed gay student group before the Gay Student Alliance and the support it received from Cooper House, and reactions to Denim Day from the communities surrounding…

Sherry Wood was the editor of the Collegiate Times in 1979 when the first Gay Awareness Week, and Denim Day, occurred. In this interview, she discusses the volume of letters to the editor received by the Collegiate Times in response to Denim Day and…

Shelli Fowler was a member of the Virginia Tech faculty from 2003 to summer 2015, serving as an associate professor of English and senior director for Networked Pedagogies and Professional Development in Technology-enhanced Learning and Online…

Scott Beadle was a member of the Gay Student Alliance during the first Gay Awareness Week and helped to plan Denim Day in 1979. During his time at Virginia Tech, he studied engineering and theater arts and served as president of the Gay Student…

Interview with Sandra Escobar for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Sandra is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She currently lives with her husband and son in Blacksburg, VA and has…

Roxie I. Bryson was born and raised near Shawsville, Virginia in Kirk’s Hollow. Bryson spent her life working in a local restaurant in the post office. In her free time, Bryson was a member of the Independent Order of St. Luke. In this interview,…

Rosa Thomas Holmes, originally born in Beckley, West Virginia, grew up in the Christiansburg area. Holmes attended Hill School in and Christiansburg Industrial Institute before attending Virginia State College. She worked as a teacher in Florida…

Frederick C. Boucher, better known as Rick, was born on August 1st, 1946 in Abingdon, Virginia.

Rick's long career in law and public service was heavily influenced by his upbringing and parents. His mother, Dorothy Buck Boucher, was a pioneer of…

Rice Dobbins grew up in Riner, Virginia in an area called Piney Wood. Dobbins primarily worked as a farmer in the Montgomery County area, specifically on Heth Farm (present day Heathwood Apartments). He moved to Blacksburg in the late 1930s, where he…

Rev. Phillip Harmon Price and his sister, Anna Christine Price integrated Blacksburg High School in 1961

Interview with Pablo Isaza for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Pablo, 21, works for an engineering firm while working towards his BA degree. The pandemic has affected his employment,…

This interview is coming soon.

Naomi Davidson graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1954. Naomi grew up in the Wake Forest community in Montgomery County, Virginia, and later retired in Pulaski County, Virginia.

In this interview, Nancy talks about her time as a lesbian at Virginia Tech in the late 1970s and her memories of the Denim Day event planned by the Gay Student Alliance as part of Gay Awareness Week in 1979.

Michelle Oshinski was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is currently earning a degree in English Education with a minor in Theatre, hoping to graduate in the Spring of 2016. Oshinski details her identity as a pansexual. She discusses how her…

Michael Sutphin was a student at Virginia Tech from 2002-2006. While at Tech, he was a student activist involved with LGBTA (now HokiePRIDE) and a writer and editor for the Collegiate Times. During his time on campus he organized the first Freedom to…

Megan Nguyen is a Queer Vietnamese American originally from Northern Virginia. They attended Virginia Tech from 2012 to 2016 and studied Biology. They found the LGBTA, now HokiePRIDE, early during their time at Virginia Tech. They were involved in…

Mary Smith Mills attended Christiansburg Institute from 1941 to 1945. Mary grew up in Christiansburg, Virginia and later became the first black woman to work at a clothing store in downtown Blacksburg.

Mary Beth Dunkenberger is the Senior Program Director at the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance. She joined Virginia Tech in 2001, after working in the international trade field and as an attorney in Washington, D.C.

In this oral…

Mark Alan Weber, class of 1987, was born and raised in Northern Virginia. When he was a student at Virginia Tech, he served first as secretary and then as president of the gay student group, Lambda Horizon. He earned a bachelor’s of business…

Interview with Marisa Benavidez for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Marisa is a stay home spouse, mother of 5, member of the Catholic church, born in Mexico. Her family has slightly…

Interview with Maria Cantanero for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Maria is originally from Honduras but has lived in the area for several years. She is currently a stay-at-home…

Luther Kennedy Brice, Jr. began working at Virginia Tech as assistant professor of chemistry in 1954. He earned tenure two years later and became a full professor in 1966. He served as professor of chemistry and Acting Head of the Chemistry…

Luther Kennedy Brice, Jr. began working at Virginia Tech as assistant professor of chemistry in 1954. He earned tenure two years later and became a full professor in 1966. He served as professor of chemistry and Acting Head of the Chemistry…

Lisa Barroso arrived at Virginia Tech in the fall after Denim Day happened. She became an active member of the lesbian community and the Women's Space group. Her brother, Mark Barroso, was an editor at the Collegiate Times and is remembered by many…

Leola Burford, a resident of Christiansburg, worked as a teacher in the Richmond area before getting married, and, eventually returning to the Christiansburg area. In this interview, Burford recalls her experiences at CI and Hampton University and…

Reverend Kenneth B. Wright was born and raised in Elliston, Virginia. Wright attended Montgomery County Public Schools, Virginia Union University, and
graduated from Roanoke College before becoming a pastor. In this interview, Wright describes the…

Katherine Staats was born in Landstuhl, Germany and currently resides in Austin, Texas. She graduated from Tech with her Bachelors on the PreMed track in 2008 and now has a residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. In her…

Katherine Allen is a professor of Human Development at Virginia Tech. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she completed studies at the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University before joining the Virginia Tech faculty in 1989. Allen came to…

John Gray Williams is a Career Advisor in Career Services at Virginia Tech. From 2005 to 2008 he also attended Virginia Tech as an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Arts in Public and Urban Affairs program. He has been active in LGBTQ activism…

Interview with Johan Castañeda for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Johan Castañeda, 21, is a student at New River Community College and an activist from Colombia. His grandfather…

Jo Ann (Murphy) Underwood pioneered tolerance of sexual minorities on the Virginia Tech campus. She and her family came to Blacksburg in the mid-1970s. She worked as a registered nurse at Virginia Tech’s Student Health Services and was appointed…

Jessie Eaves graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1965 and was one of the first black students to attend Radford College. Jessie grew up in Wake Forest, Montgomery County, Virginia and served as 1st Vice President for the…

Class of 1971, first black scholarship athlete at Virginia Tech

Jeff Mann is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Virginia Tech. Mann started as an instructor in the English department in August of 1989, was appointed Assistant Professor in 2003,…

Jean Elliott is the Director of Communications for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. Before coming to VT in 1999, she earned degrees from Western Maryland College and Salisbury University, then worked in sports…

graduated from Virginia Tech in December of 2000. She majored in Mechanical Engineering. She served in the Air Force at Wright-Patterson base in Ohio, while pursuing an advanced degree..

James E. Sherman--who also went by Steve Sherman--was born in Whitethorne, Virginia and grew up in the Wake Forest community. Sherman attended Christiansburg Institute and spent his life working in the coal mines. In this interview, Sherman describes…

James C. Wade was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia. Wade graduated from Christiansburg Institute in 1959, and served in the Army before moving back to the Montgomery County area. In this interview, Wade describes race relations in Blacksburg,…

Interview with Esther Jae de la Mora for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Jae de la Mora is an artist, translator, and single mother from Mexico who acquired her green card at the…