2025 Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Awards
These alumni exemplify leadership, service and professional excellence and will be honored during Five-Star Festival, Oct. 3–5, 2025.
Classics Archive (93 Stories)
W&L Announces 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners
This year's honorees will be recognized during Alumni Weekend from May 1-4.
Rebecca Benefiel Featured in PBS NOVA Documentary on Ancient Pompeii
Benefiel is among a host of experts that reveal the truths about the social and economic makeup of the city before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Rachel Kousser to Deliver the Herman Ward Taylor, Jr. Lecture in Classics
The classicist and art historian’s talk on Alexander the Great will be held March 4 on W&L’s campus.
‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Matthew Loar ’07
In this month’s episode, Loar dives into the transformative power of fellowships and student research in shaping individuals.
Twelve W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Meet Will Joseph ’26
Joseph, a captain of the men’s soccer team, chose W&L for its well-rounded liberal arts curriculum and reputable school of commerce.
Rebecca Benefiel to Deliver Provost’s Lecture
The annual address that celebrates W&L faculty for excellence in scholarship and teaching will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 in University Chapel.
W&L Alumnus Benji Hess ’23 Earns U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
Hess will teach English in Austria and prepare for a career as an educator.
2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Distinguished Alumni Award winners
W&L Presents Senior Recital with Gabriella Kogan ’24
Kogan’s piano recital will be held on March 24 at 3 p.m.
2024 Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Award winners
W&L’s Rebecca Benefiel Cited in Smithsonian Magazine Article
The classics professor’s Ancient Graffiti Project digital resource was also mentioned in the article that focuses on ancient graffiti works.
2023 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Distinguished Young Alumni Award winners
Meet a Colleague: Matthew Loar
Matthew Loar serves as director of fellowships and student research.
W&L’s Caleb Dance Awarded Prestigious Margo Tytus Visiting Fellowship
Classics professor will use the fellowship to research his project “Annotated Amores” at the University of Cincinnati this spring.
W&L’s James Dixon ’23 Awarded Fulbright to Taiwan
Dixon has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Taiwan.
Catching up with Padget Sutherland ’17
Sutherland's advice for current students: "Don’t take yourself too seriously!"
2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Distinguished Alumni Award winners
Hannah Puckett ’23 Earns David G. Elmes Pathfinder Prize in Psychology
The Elmes Pathfinder Prize recognizes a student who has shown extraordinary promise in psychological science through outstanding scholarship in basic or applied psychology.
2023 Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Awards winners
Rebecca Benefiel to Deliver Endowed Professorship Lecture
Benefiel’s talk “Uncovering the mysteries of Pompeii” will be held on Nov. 10.
2022 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards
Washington and Lee University is proud to announce this year's Distinguished Young Alumni Award winners
Washington and Lee Names Seven Faculty Members to Endowed Professorships
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
Caleb Dance
Caleb Dance serves as associate professor of classics
Matthew Loar ’07 Selected as Program Director for the Beinecke Scholarship
As director, Loar is responsible for the management and administration of the program
Classically Liberal Arts
Kayla Monaghan ’24 is collaborating on a Summer Research Scholars (SRS) project to enhance resources available through Leyburn Library.
W&L Outcomes: Elizabeth Grist ’22
Elizabeth Grist '22 will spend next year conducting research in Melbourne, Australia as a Fulbright Scholar. Her project assesses the barriers and stigma associated with receiving medication for opioid use disorder.
Making Meaningful Impact
Eric Bazile '25 is interning with the Austin Greater Chamber of Commerce through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP).
W&L’s Grist ’22 Awarded Fulbright to Australia
Elizabeth Grist has been awarded a Fulbright research grant to Melbourne, Australia, to study the stigma and barriers associated with receiving medication for opioid use disorder.
W&L Graduate Katie Cones ’21 Awarded Fulbright ETA to Bulgaria
The English Teaching Assistantship provides Cones a stipend to teach English to students in Bulgaria and lead cultural exchange activities.
The Flow of Influence
After receiving a great deal of support from upperclassmen at Washington and Lee University, Hannah Puckett ’23 pays it forward by dedicating her time to mentoring and counseling first-year students.
W&L’s Troy Larsen ’22 Awarded Fulbright Grant to Hungary
Larsen will spend the next academic year studying at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics and participating in a research group at the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics.
Princeton University’s Dan-el Padilla Peralta to Deliver Annual Hoyt Lecture in Classics
Professor Dan-el Padilla Peralta’s talk is titled "Kehinde Wiley and Black Classicisms."
W&L’s Classics Department Presents Guest Speaker Lauren Curtis
Lauren Curtis, associate professor of classical studies at Bard College, will give a lecture at W&L on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.
W&L’s Loar Publishes Oxford Handbook Chapter on Hercules
Matthew Loar published a chapter in the "The Oxford Handbook of Heracles."
W&L’s Benefiel’s Work Highlighted in Haaretz
Professor Rebecca Benefiel discusses the role of graffiti in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii.
‘The Honor of Learning’
Lauren Hoaglund '22 has parlayed her passion for medieval and Renaissance history, literature, classics and theater into a busy but rewarding four years at W&L.
W&L Students Recognized for Annual Translation Exam Results
This year, 14 W&L students won honors in the Classical Association of the Middle West and South Latin translation exam.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor to Deliver Hoyt Lecture in Classics
Nandini Pandey’s lecture is titled "Diversity, Desire, and the Exotic in Ancient Rome (with some thoughts on Atlanta)."
Washington and Lee’s Troy Larsen ’22 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Each scholar is awarded $7,500 to support undergraduate research in their junior or senior year.
‘Pay Forward the Kindnesses’
Melissa Yorio '21 has received support from many corners during her college career, so when the pandemic broke out, she found a way to give back within her hometown community.
John Bodel Delivers Annual Hoyt Lecture in Classics at W&L
The title of Bodel's lecture was "The epigraphic habit and the epigraphic mode."
W&L’s Benefiel Featured on Smithsonian Channel
Smithsonian flew Benefiel to Pompeii in May 2019 to interview on-site.
Christopher McCrackin ’20 Earns Prestigious Beinecke Scholarship
Christopher McCrackin ’20 has won a $34,000 Beinecke Scholarship to help fund his graduate studies.
W&L Hosts Public Lecture with U.Va. Professor Anthony Corbeill
The title of his talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Grammatical Gender and Roman Conceptions of Poetry, Gods, and the More-Than-Human.”
Washington and Lee Hosts Public Lecture with Erin Walcheck Averett
Averett’s talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “Frightening the Frightful: Grotesque Visages from Ancient Cyprus.”
Mario Pellicciaro, Associate Professor of Classics Emeritus, Dies at 89
Pellicciaro taught at W&L from 1966 to 1999.
A Literal Treasure Chest
Charles Philip Blackledge ’38 gifted an important and fascinating collection of Roman coins to Washington and Lee Special Collections.
W&L’s Benefiel Discusses Ancient Graffiti Project on Virginia’s Public Radio
Benefiel explains how she has spent more than a decade studying what the people of Pompei and Herculaneum wrote on their walls.
A Classical Career
While digging at the Athenian Agora Excavation in Greece this summer, Allison Schuster '19 indulged her passion for archaeology and classics.
Alumnus Receives First ODK Endowed Scholarship in honor of Kenneth P. Ruscio
The scholarship will be the first awarded in the 2018-19 academic year.
W&L Presents Andrei Codrescu on “The Future is a Vampire”
His talk is sponsored by the Glasgow Endowment Committee and the Provost Lecture Fund.
Digital Humanities Lecture to Address Ancient Graffiti
More than 500 ancient graffiti are now available online through the project website.
The Story Behind the Art
After Tucker Hall was restored, University Collections of Art & History worked to find the perfect art to adorn its walls — including four bas-relief sculptures that hung on campus more than 100 years ago.
Princeton University Professor Harriet Flower to Deliver Hoyt Lecture in Classics
Flower’s talk is titled “The Dancing Lares and the Serpent in the Garden: Roman Local and Household Religion.”
Office Hours: Classics Professor Rebecca Benefiel
The associate professor of classics won a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the digitization of Pompeian epigraphy, along with Sara Sprenkle, associate professor of computer science.
Adventures in the Alaskan Wilderness
As a summer counselor with the nonprofit Camp Fire Alaska, Chase Wonderlic '18 got in touch with his inner child and his adventurous spirit.
It’s All Greek to Her
Hannah Palmatary '18 spent the summer discovering the ancient ruins of Greece, as well as her own talent and passion for creative writing.
W&L Classics Professor Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Grant
The grant will support digitization of Pompeian epigraphy as part of the Ancient Graffiti Project.
By Royal Decree
A Bible in the Special Collections vault turned out to be the 1642 New Testament that belonged to France’s King Louis XIII.
Ethics in Leadership: Zachary Taylor ’17 and Austin Piatt ’17
Zachary Taylor '17 and Austin Piatt '17 believe leadership, collaboration and responsibility are the keys to a successful conference.
Ward Briggs ’67 to Address W&L’s Friends of the Library Annual Meeting
Briggs will speak on “James Dickey and ‘Life’: How Poems Are Made.”
W&L Visiting Lecturer to Speak on “Time, Technology, and the History of Ancient Science”
Webster's research and teaching interests include ancient science and medicine, and ancient philosophy.
W&L to Host Reception Honoring Rhodes Scholar Paqui Toscano
Washington and Lee will host a reception celebrating Paqui Toscano's selection as a Rhodes Scholar on Friday, March 17, from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. in the Commons Living Room.
University of Cincinnati Classics Professor Kathleen Lynch to Give Hoyt Lecture at W&L
Kathleen Lynch, associate professor of classics at the University of Cincinnati, will give the 2016-2017 Hoyt Lecture at Washington and Lee University on March 7 at 7 p.m. in Staniar Art Gallery, Wilson Hall.
Dedicated to Dickey
Ward Briggs ’67 has memorialized his longtime friend, writer James Dickey, with a large donation of Dickey materials to Washington and Lee Special Collections.
W&L’s Pasquale Toscano Among 2017 Class of Rhodes Scholars
Pasquale “Paqui” Toscano, a classics and English double major, is Washington and Lee’s 16th Rhodes Scholar. The Rhodes Trust announced Sunday that Toscano, 22, of Kettering, Ohio, was one of 32 scholars chosen this year. The scholarships, valued at between $50,000 to $200,000, fully fund two to four years of study at the University of Oxford in England.
Changing Perspectives: Zach Taylor ’17
Shepherd Intern Zach Taylor explores a holistic approach to middle school education at the Washington Jesuit Academy.
Digital Classics: Exploring the Wine-Dark Sea
Professor Michael Laughy uses digital technology in the classroom to study ancient Greece.
W&L Student and Faculty Member Recognized at ODK National Convention
Paqui Toscano, a member of Washington and Lee University’s class of 2017, has been named a national leader of the year by Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national leadership honor society.
W&L Alumni Win National Science Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowships
Four Washington and Lee University alumni have received pre-doctoral graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation. In addition, four alumni and one student received honorable mentions.
NEH Funds W&L Digital Humanities Project
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a Washington and Lee University team with a major digital humanities grant of $74,500. The Digital Humanities Start-Up grant will support 18 months of continued work on the Ancient Graffiti Project.
Pasquale Toscano Awarded Beinecke Scholarship for Graduate Study
Pasquale S. Toscano, of Kettering, Ohio, an English and classics double major at Washington and Lee University, has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship for graduate study.
Historian and Professor Emerita Tessa Rajak to Speak at W&L
Tessa Rajak, a British expert on Hellenistic and Roman-era Judaism, will lecture at Washington and Lee University on March 29 at 5 p.m. in the Hillel House, room 101. While at W&L, she will be the Class of 1963 Visiting Scholar in Residence sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Departments of Religion and Classics.
My W&L: Paqui Toscano ’16
"I have come to love W&L for . . . the people I have met here and the sense of community we have fostered together."
Melissa Lane to Lecture at Washington and Lee University for The Ethics for Citizenship Series
Melissa S. Lane, the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University, will lecture at Washington and Lee University on Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library. The event is free and open to the public.
Mellon Foundation Grants W&L Funds for Digital Humanities, Study of History
Washington and Lee University has received project grants totaling $950,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation — one to develop new methods of teaching the humanities using technology and another to study how the lessons of history help us interpret contemporary issues.
SanPietro to Talk on “Charity and the Creation of the Church”
Dr. Irene SanPietro, assistant dean of students at Columbia University, will give a talk on "Charity and the Creation of the Church" at Washington and Lee University on Friday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m. in Huntley Hall 327, Williams School.
Writing on the Wall
W&L professors Rebecca Benefiel and Sara Sprenkle presented their latest project—a searchable web application on ancient graffiti—at the 2014 EAGLE International Conference on Information Technologies for Epigraphy and Digital Cultural Heritage in the Ancient World.
W&L Announces Final Winners of 2014 Johnson Opportunity Grants
Washington and Lee University has announced the final round of students who will receive 2014 Johnson Opportunity Grants. The grants cover living, travel and other costs associated with the students' proposed activities, which are designed to help them with their future careers and fields of study.
W&L Students Learn the Real Value of Money
We live in a society where using money is like breathing. It makes our lives easier, but we don't really understand why, according to Colin Elliott, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in classics and ancient history at Washington and Lee University.
W&L Faculty to Present Collaborative Project at LAWDI Institute
W&L professors Rebecca Benefiel (classics) and Sara Sprenkle (computer science) will present their prototype of a new web application involving the ancient graffiti of Pompeii at the Linked Ancient World Data Institute (LAWDI) later this month.
W&L's Kirk on WMRA's “Virginia Insight”
Athena Kirk, Mellon Junior Faculty Fellow in the Classics Department at Washington and Lee University, appeared on NPR affiliate WMRA's "Virginia Insight" show on Monday, Feb. 25, to discuss humans, philosophy and animals.
Course by W&L's Kirk Wins Award from Humane Society
Athena Kirk, Mellon Junior Faculty Fellow in the classics department at Washington and Lee University, has received the 2012 Distinguished New Course award from the Humane Society of the United States and the Animals and Society Institute for the seminar, "The Ancient Animal World," which she taught in Fall 2012.
W&L's Rebecca Benefiel on Roman Graffiti in National Geographic
Washington and Lee University classics professor Rebecca Benefiel comments on graffiti scrawled on the walls of the Colosseum in Rome in a National Geographic article. In her research Benefiel has focussed on the social and cultural history of the Roman Empire.One of latest projects is an examination of the thousands of wall-inscriptions from the city […]
Kevin Crotty to Give Childress Professorship Inaugural Lecture
Kevin Crotty, professor of Classics at Washington and Lee University, will give the J. Donald Childress Professorship Inaugural Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 5 p.m. in Northen Auditorium.
W&L Professor's “Snake Goddess” Research Cited
Research by Washington and Lee professor Michael Laughy is featured by LiveScience.
W&L Names 13 Faculty to Endowed Professorships
Thirteen members of the Washington and Lee University faculty have been named to endowed professorships— two each in the School of Law and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, and nine in the College. W&L currently has 45 endowed full professorships and 10 term professorships, which recognize worthy teachers who have made meaningful […]
Comparing Financial Crises: From Antiquity to Today
Students in the Washington and Lee Spring Term course "Too Big to Fail: Commerce, Corruption and Crisis in Antiquity," have discovered how ancient financial crises really are.
UNC Professor to Deliver Hoyt Lecture in Classics
Richard J. A. Talbert, the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will deliver the Hoyt Lecture in Classics at Washington and Lee University on Tuesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons.
New W&L Class Examines Rhetoric from Plato to Today’s Politicians
What better time to teach the rhetorical principles of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and Quintilian than during the heat of a presidential election?
Garrett Fagan to Discuss Infamous Roman Games in W&L Lecture
Garrett G. Fagan, associate professor of classics, history and ancient Mediterranean studies at The Pennsylvania State University, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on Monday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 p.m. in Northen Auditorium in Leyburn Library. The title of the talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Watching the […]
