Skip Epperson, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 1983, has gone a long way since his days of building sets at the old Troubadour Theatre. Currently chair of the theatre arts program at California's Cabrillo College, Skip is also the set designer for Cabrillo Stage, a professional summer stock musical theatre company in […]
Anne Spencer Olivo, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 1997, met her husband, Juan Carlos, in Peru in 2003. Together, they began volunteering with various Peruvian organizations — an orphanage, a women's homeless shelter, a hospital. Eventually they would move from Peru to the States, working at Bard College at Simon's Rock, where […]
Remember John Snedden? He's the Class of 1981 premed major turned barbecue chef extraordinaire that we blogged about in December. In honor of mid-summer and the weekend, we couldn't help but bring John back for an encore. And that's because the latest feature stories about him and his Washington, D.C. , restaurant Rockland's Barbecue and […]
As colleges and universities prepare to open the year with continuing warnings about the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, this promises to be a challenging year for student health centers. But Dr. Jane Horton, director of student health and counseling at Washington and Lee University, says that the keys for students to stay healthy are not really different despite the swine flu's presence.
Rebecca Benefiel Rebecca Benefiel, an assistant professor of classics at Washington and Lee, was cited in a USA Today article last week that focused on research being undertaken to show what daily life was like in the ancient city of Pompeii. Rebecca's work is unusual enough that it obviously caught the eye of the USA […]
When Darrold A. Cannan Jr. died Sunday, Washington and Lee lost a loyal alumnus and Texas broadcasting lost a pioneer. Cannan went directly from his graduation at W&L in 1953 into broadcasting, joining his father at KDFX-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas. That station had gone on the air only months earlier. As the obituary in […]
News out of Hamilton, N.Y., this month that former Washington and Lee basketball standout Jon Coffman has been named the top assistant on the Colgate basketball team. Jon, a 1996 graduate who still holds three records for the Generals, has steadily moved up the coaching ranks. He started out at Emory & Henry, moved to […]
If you missed Sunday's New York Times' essay by Washington and Lee alumnus Tom Wolfe (Class of 1951) on the moon landing and its meaning to NASA's space exploration plans, it's a must read. "One Giant Leap to Nowhere" opens with this memorable lead paragraph: "WELL, let’s see now … That was a small step […]
To those of you who were around on June 20, 1969, here's the question: where were you when Neil Armstrong stepped on the lunar surface at almost 11 o'clock (EDT) that night? Monday marks the 40th anniversary of that event, and the "where were you question" is an obvious one. We have one answer already. […]
Site preparation has begun on Washington and Lee University’s new Hillel House project on Washington Street.
The current edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education has a Short Subject that refers to a campaign by three West Virginia environmentalists to find a new nickname for the Mountain State as a way (tongue-in-cheek) to call attention to their campaign against strip mining and mountaintop-removal mining. One of those environmentalists, the Rev. Jim […]
Jessica Duffy, a rising sophomore at Washington and Lee from Sebastopol, Calif., loves horses and photography. And she clearly knows what she's doing with both. Jessica is currently featured on the Web site The Equinest with an interview that also features samples of her photography. In the interview, Jessica explains that she's been riding since […]
Although the Shepherd Alliance summer internship program has 30 Washington and Lee University undergraduates and four law students working across the country this summer, the two students interning in Lexington are not among them.
When Stonewall Country returned to Lime Kiln Theatre this month for a 25th anniversary run, Washington and Lee was well represented in the production. The musical retelling of Stonewall Jackson's life premiered at Lime Kiln in the summer of 1984. Don Baker of the Class of 1968 was artistic director at Lime Kiln then and […]
Jack Vardaman, a 1962 Washington and Lee graduate, was a freshman on the W&L golf team when the Generals won the 1959 Virginia Intercollegiate championships. That tournament was held on the famous Cascades Course at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. (Sam Snead launched his career on the course, which has been named one of […]
Wesley O’Dell, a 2009 Washington and Lee University graduate who participated in the annual Presidential Fellows Program, has had his research paper selected for inclusion in the papers of the 2008-2009 Presidential Fellows.
When the New Orleans-based Honey Island Swamp Band releases its first full-length CD today, you'll be able to hear where Aaron Wilkinson's music has taken him in the years since his graduation from Washington and Lee in 1997. Wilkinson, a creative writing major who won awards for his poetry, plays mandolin and sings for the […]
Was it suicide or murder? On Wednesday Washington descendants of Meriwether Lewis held a news conference in which they continued to push the federal government for permission to exhume Lewis's body for scientific investigation. Lewis, who hailed from Albermarle County, attended Liberty Hall Academy in the 1790s. He joined William Clark for their famous 8,000-mile […]
Mark Rush, Robert G. Brown Professor of Politics and Law and head of the department of politics, at Washington and Lee University examined the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court in an opinion piece published in The Roanoke Times on July 8, 2009.
As the debate over health care continues to heat up this summer, Timothy Jost, the Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law and Ethan Allen Faculty Fellow at the Washington and Lee School of Law, has been an active participant. As we noted here earlier, Jost is now a regular contributor to the Arena blog […]
The latest issue of the Washington and Lee School of Law Magazine reports that Melissa Warner Scoggins of the Class of 1981 has published her first novel. It's titled Journeys of Choice, Joanna's Crossroads. (You can read the story about Melissa's new book on the Web-based version of the Law School magazine. Just go to […]
Robert A. Strong, associate provost and Wilson Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University, wrote about President Obama's response to the Iranian election in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
From uncovering a scandal in Ohio to understanding NASA's ethics laws to figuring out what to do about the Somali pirates, Washington and Lee law students are blogging about their summer internship experiences. The seven law students, both second and third year students, represent a diverse group both geographically and through the kinds of work […]
Isaiah Goodman, who just graduated from Washington and Lee last month, is the cover story on the NCAA News at the moment. The NCAA News is an online magazine that the national organization publishes, and you'll find Kevin Remington's photo of Isaiah hanging from a wire on the wall of Wilson Hall prominently displayed on […]
Washington and Lee University alumnus Adam Hockensmith has become the first W&L graduate to win a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship.
Both Washington and Lee alumni magazines are now available in an online format. You can view the complete contents of current and past issues of W&L: The Washington and Lee University Alumni Magazine and W&L Law: The Washington and Lee School of Law Magazine on your browser. You will need the latest version of the […]
We need your feedback to evaluate and improve W&L: The Washington and Lee University Alumni Magazine. The online readership survey for the spring issue of the magazine is now available, and your participation is invited. To provide comments, criticism and suggestions on the current issue and on the alumni magazine in general, please go to […]
Joe Dashiell, a 1980 Washington and Lee graduate, was presented with the George A. Bowles Jr. Award for Distinguished Performance in Broadcast News by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters on Friday (June 27) at the organization's annual meeting in Virginia Beach. The Bowles Award goes annually to the broadcast reporter or news director in Virginia […]
As he has watched events unfold in his homeland of Iran in recent days, Hojat Ghandi of Washington and Lee University has felt two principal emotions — pride and fear.
As expected, President Obama said Thursday that he was going to forward Meredith Attwell Baker's name as his nominee to a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission. The probability of that nomination had been widely reported, including on our page earlier this week. In the Reuters story announcing the president's decision, Texas Sen. Kay […]
Each June the Chicago Web site Newcity Lit, which is part of Newcity magazine, publishes a list titled "Lit 50: Who really books in Chicago." The list is designed to be a pecking order of the most important writers and publishers in Chicago. So it's not necessarily any great surprise that Oprah Winfrey is No. […]
At least two Washington and Lee alumni have recently been given new assignments in Washington. After spending the past two years as deputy press secretary for Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Washington and Lee alumna Justine Sessions, class of 2005, has been elevated to the position of press secretary for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, […]
Andrew Keller, class of 1992, is co-executive creative director for Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which is widely considered one of the hottest ad agencies in the country these days. Earlier this month Creativity magazine did a Q&A with Andrew that is a great read. You can read the online version of the interview here. Among […]
Meredith Attwell Baker, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 1990, is considered the odds-on choice to be named to the vacant Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission. The Wall Street Journal reported that Meredith was the choice almost a month ago, and the actual appointment could come at any point, apparently. Meredith […]
The Shepherd Alliance, a program developed by Washington and Lee as part of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, involves students, faculty, and staff from four Berea, Morehouse and Spelman collegs with W&L undergrad and law students for the eight-week, full-time summer internships with non-profit agencies across the eastern […]
Last month we cited the new Cy Twombly (Class of 1953) exhibit opening at the Art Institute of Chicago. But if you're summer travels don't include the Windy City, you can also see a major retrospective of Cy's work in Vienna this summer. "Sensations of the Moment" is at the Museum Moderner Kunst and comprises […]
Thirty-nine Washington and Lee University undergraduate students are participating in internships this summer as part of the Shepherd Alliance.
Tim Jost, Washington and Lee's Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law and an expert on health care law, is weighing in on the debate over health care reform that is ramping up these days. Tim has written widely on the subject. He is a co-author of a casebook, Health Law, and the author of […]
Henry Hills of the Class of 1970 has been making films since the mid-1970s when he was in San Francisco, studying filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. He's made 22 experimental films, several of which are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Archives du Film Experimental […]
Back in May, Washington and Lee was host to the Washington Term Symposium at the National Press Club where Bill Connelly of th politics department led a panel in a discussion of the balance of powers between the Obama Administration and Congress. The symposium was titled "President vs. Congress: An Imbalance of Powers?" A telecast […]
Lesley Wheeler, professor of English and chair of the department, is the featured poet on Poetry Daily today (Thursday, June 11). Her poem, "The Unbeliever Takes a Hike," is the poem of the day on the site. It is an account of a walk on Woods Creek Trail and was published originally in the Winter […]
The Washington and Lee School of Law's Black Lung Clinic has scored another pair of victories in the courts. W&L law students argued two cases involving Black Lung benefits disputes at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In both instances, the arguments were successful. Here's the complete story, and you can find […]
Three Washington and Lee University students have been accepted to study at Oxbridge for the academic year 2009-2010, and three current undergraduates will be spending their junior years there as well.
Washington and Lee University is among the colleges and universities participating in the new Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
John Boatner(Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal photo) If you've ever been to The Peabody, a historic hotel in downtown Memphis featuring the famous march of the Peabody Ducks every day, you might have heard Washington and Lee alumnus John Boatner, Class of 1961, performing on the grand piano. Millburn Noell Jr. (Class of 1951) sent […]
Washington and Lee law professor Erik Luna made his second appearance before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security last Thursday. His testimony was on the issue of federal funding for indigent defense. You can read his testimony by downloading a pdf file here. While Luna supports efforts to require states to meet […]
Crossing Lines, the documentary by Washington and Lee journalism professor Indira Somari that was cited here last week, has been honored by the American Women in Radio and Television with a Gracie Award. The award was presented last week during a luncheon in New York. The award was for "Outstanding Documentary, Short Format." This is […]
By tradition, the president of Washington and Lee University's Executive Committee addresses the graduating class on Commencement. Richard Cleary of Louisville, Ky., spoke to the Class of 2009 on June 4, 2009.
As members of Washington and Lee's Class of 2009 were milling around on Stemmons Plaza and waiting to get in line to march to Commencement, Sarah Tschiggfrie, the news director in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, did a little experiment. Sarah had just gotten Flip Video Recorder, randomly picked out some graduates and […]
Washington and Lee University President Kenneth P. Ruscio encouraged members of the graduating Class of 2009 to live in the “complicated center” of life during the University’s 222nd commencement exercises on Thursday, June 4.
By tradition, Washington and Lee University President Kenneth P. Ruscio addressed the Class of 2009 on the occasion of Commencement on June 4, 2009.
Washington and Lee University bestowed three honorary degrees during its commencement exercises on Thursday, June 4, 2009.
When Charlie Myers, a 1967 Washington and Lee graduate, wanted to introduce an honor code to the high school where he was teaching, he knew where to go. According to a feature article that appeared recently in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Myers is retiring this year from his current position as teacher of history, government, […]
Washington and Lee University’s graduating seniors should set their sights higher than simply “the profits and the raises and the paid vacations,” urged the Rev. Jennifer R. Strawbridge in her baccalaureate address on Wednesday, June 3.
Growing up in her home town of Springfield, Ill., Washington and Lee journalism professor Indira Somani was more often than not mistaken for a Native American when her grade school friends were told that she was Indian. That is one of the interesting insights in a feature story about Indira that ran late last month […]
Washington and Lee University will celebrate its 222nd undergraduate commencement on Thursday, June 4, on its historic Front Lawn in front of Lee Chapel. The rain location will be Virginia Military Institute's Cameron Hall.
Washington and Lee Chemistry Professor Marcia France has just finished teaching a course on the Science of Cooking, By all accounts, it was successful on a number of levels. Professor France's goal was to show students both how science is integrated into their daily life and the scientific method can create some tasty recipes. As […]
Several times in the last few months, we've blogged about the blog that Mike Smita, professor of economics, has been writing about the twists and turns of the U.S. auto industry. He's just finished a Spring Term seminar on the economics of the industry, which he's been following for almost 20 years. Back in November […]
Nanya Friend, the editor and publisher of The Charleston Daily Mail, spun a wonderful story in The Daily Mail last week about the Lewis Scholarships at Washington and Lee. The article, titled "Lewis Scholarships target W.Va. kids," tells the story of W&L alumnus J. Edward Lewis of the class of 1929 and his wife, Elizabeth, […]
Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Washington and Lee President Kenneth P. Ruscio says that commencement speakers should remember that the day belongs to the graduates and their families — advice he gives himself each year.
For the sixth consecutive year Washington and Lee's varsity athletic teams won the Dan Wooldridge Overall Sports Champion Cup (sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance®), emblematic of the top finishes in all conference sports. The Generals won six sports championships during the 2008-09 athletic season, and also claimed the Women's Commissioner’s Cup for the sixth successive […]
Washington and Lee's Campus Kitchen has made a difference in the Rockbridge County community. Of that, there is no doubt. In 2008, for instance, Campus Kitchen served 13, 444 meals and recovered almost 2,000 lbs of food that would have otherwise gone to waste. Now it's your turn to make a difference for Campus Kitchen […]
Even the still images on the Charlotte Observer Web site make artist Bob Trotman's latest exhibition seem dramatic and eerie. In person, it must be an incredible exhibition at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte. The exhibition, titled Business As Usual, is not unfamiliar to members of the Washington and Lee community. Bob, a […]
Joan O’Mara, associate professor of art history at Washington and Lee, died Sunday, May 24, 2009.
Remember Max Adler? The 2004 Washington and Lee alumnus was the subject of a blog item way back in March when he announced that he was launching a bid to earn a spot next month's U.S. Open golf championships at Bethpage Black in New York. Max, a former member of the W&L golf team, is […]
The dig at Monticello, otherwise known as Anthropology 377: Field Methods in Archaeology, is entering its final days as Spring Term winds to a close. There is an open house at the site today as Alison Bell, assistant professor of archaeology, noted on the dig's blog site. The students have had several visitors in recent […]
OK, so Kelly Evans gets yet another shout-out on the W&L News Blog. This time Kelly, economics report for the Wall Street Journal and a member of W&L's Class of 2007, has a video report on the surge in lacrosse's popularity in which she talks about her college lax experience and her current club experience […]
The Rockbridge Rapids of the Valley Baseball League, new summertime tenants of Washington and Lee's Cap'n Dick Smith Field, are less than two weeks away from the home opener on June 6 against Staunton. The Rapids' general manager is Ken Newman of W&L's Class of 1971, and the roster includes one current General, pitcher Chuck […]
