Browse Items (218 total)

Class of 1971, first black scholarship athlete at Virginia Tech

Jacqueline “Jackie” Eaves graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1964 and was a member of the Alumni Association. Jacqueline was born in Radford, Virginia and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Elaine Dowe Carter graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1948. Elaine grew up in Elliston, Virginia and served as president of the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association.

Class of 1959, one of the first three black graduates of Virginia Tech

Interview with James L. Garret. Garret was hauling hay in a truck when he was stopped by the mob and he witnessed the lynching of Cordie Cheek.

Two interviews of Dixie Stone, Fate Cheek, and Dr. Alva W. Taylor about the events of Cordie Cheek's lynching. They discuss the men who were looking for Cordie and the family members they violently interrogated to find him.

Irving Linwood Peddrew III was the first black student at Virginia Tech

Class of 1958 first black graduate of Virginia Tech

Mallory Foutch came to Virginia Tech in 2016 after attending both undergrad and grad school elsewhere. During school, she was a passionate social activist and feminist, which she turned to in her work here with the Women’s Center as a program…

Rosemary Beiszner came to Virginia Tech as a foot in the door to the academic world. She attended undergraduate at Mercyhurst College, studying home economics. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in family and child development at Ohio State.…

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…

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…

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…

In this interview, Sewell discusses the classes he was teaching as a member of the Department of Communications in 1979 during Denim Day. He recalls some of the responses he observed to the event, including the university's official stance on the Gay…

Andrew Alvarez was a founding member of the Gay Student Alliance in the late 1970s. In his interview, he talks about living on campus at Virginia Tech, being a guest speaker for the Social Deviance class in the sociology department, planning and…

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…

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…

In this interview, Helene talks about realizing her sexuality in Catholic school in the early 1970s and her time as a lesbian at Virginia Tech in the late 1970s. She talks about the difficulty being out while keeping that part of her life separate…

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.

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. Growing up on a farm, hard-work was instilled in him from an early age, along with the value of higher…

Pat Hyer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in a household where education was paramount. She attended undergraduate school at Hillsdale College, receiving a scholarship to the University of Michigan for a master’s degree in French. After working for a few…

Mary “Prim” Jones grew up in Blacksburg and around campus. Although she considered other colleges, she chose to attend Virginia Tech for her undergraduate degree, studying mechanical engineering as an early female student. She graduated in 1962, and…

William (Bill) Starnes, Jr., Virginia Tech class of 1955, never seriously considered any other school. Bill always knew that he was going to college, and because his father attended the university, having graduated in 1924, it seemed like the perfect…

Doug Montgomery grew up in Radford, Virginia, playing baseball and golf, knowing that he would continue in higher education. Now a proud triple Hokie of industrial engineering, Doug graduated with a BS, MS, and Ph.D in 1965, 1967, and 1969…

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 for those in need. Her grandparents were involved in their communities, and her grandfather worked in…

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 University and after switching majors a few times, ultimately chose math. When he graduated from…

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 graduated in 1960 as a biology major, and continued to dental school at Georgetown. After finishing in…

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, and has been, much more. A graduate of the class of 2008, she majored in psychology with sociology…

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 felt during their time here. Rich Carpenter, class of 1967, did not join the Virginia Tech Corps of…

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 university. While he did hear stories of his father being called by the university’s president and…

Neal Henshaw took a roundabout path to becoming a Hokie. He was born in Buckingham, Virginia, and despite being familiar with Virginia Tech, he decided to go to BYU and pursue Spanish education. After graduation, he worked several jobs to help…

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 as a part-time teacher. What started as a temporary position blossomed into a permanent career of…

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 of his parents were college-educated, and his mother was a teacher, while his father worked for the…

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 finally settled in Virginia Beach for the rest of his childhood. Here, he mostly spent his time away…

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 warfare and racial segregation in a poor family, he enjoyed his childhood. He remembers being hardly…

Todd Ogle grew up in Northern Virginia and pursued his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech from 1992 and 1996. Although he never planned on attending the school, during a visit his loved the student experience and he chose it. During undergrad, he…

On the residential side of campus, there is an academic building where researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) work diligently to find solutions to environmental…

Bill Roth grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania playing ice hockey. He attended Syracuse University studying multimedia journalism, wanting to work in sports broadcasting. After graduating, he was hired at Virginia Tech as the “Voice of the Hokies,”…

Ginney Fowler was born in Lexington, Kentucky but moved around for the majority of her upbringing. From age four to seventeen, she lived in Texas, Montana, Kentucky, Oregon, and Florida, but then entered the University of Kentucky as an early…

Dr. Jack Evans grew up in California before moving to Colorado for several years. He moved again in high school to Reno, Nevada, where he then attended undergraduate at University of Nevada, Reno and majored in biology. After graduation, he planned…

Matt Arden grew up in Woodbridge, being raised by a single-father. He attended Virginia Tech for undergraduate, studying IDST. In this interview, Matt talks about his journey to Virginia, falling into film through filming Virginia Tech athletics, and…

For Rhonda and Phil Rogers, “the rest of history” isn’t just a well worn phrase or one that is used to indicate their place in the history of Virginia Tech. The story that would take them from small towns in Southwest Virginia to the growing campus…

Karen DePauw, born in Los Angeles, California, began her journey in higher education at Whittier College, majoring in Sociology. After graduating, she worked in special education at Los Angeles County Schools for several years before deciding to…

John Dooley was born in Summersville, West Virginia as the middle child in a coal mining family. Growing up he was very active in 4-H, which he later pursued as a career. John attended Alderson-Broaddus College (now University) and worked there for…

They say that college is where you find lifelong friends, and this couldn’t be any more true for Angi Ackerman, Cecilia Beverine, Chiny Driscoll, and Kristan Saunders. These women are exemplary of the friendships you can find at Virginia Tech.…

The university motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) which adorns the steps in front of the Pylons that rest atop of the War Memorial Chapel illuminate the significance of the spirit of the university. For Samuel (Sam) Lewis Lionberger, Jr. who was…

Christina Daves attended Virginia Tech from 1985 to 1988, majoring in Political Science and German. In this interview, she talks about her time on campus during a turbulent era, work in her sorority Chi Omega, and her career after. After graduating,…

Brooks Whitehurst grew up in Wytheville, Virginia, and from a young age he knew his future as an engineer. His father decided his path, but allowed him to choose chemical engineering at Virginia Tech. Brooks graduated from Virginia Tech in 1951, and…

While college is often a place where students can broaden their social horizons by meeting new people, joining clubs, playing sports, and attending events, its primary function is to provide its student body with an excellent education that will help…