When Hermés New York began looking for a different design for the holiday windows of its Madison Avenue store, they turned to Washington and Lee alumnus Charlie Baker, of the Class of 2004. Charlie's work, which uses twigs and felled trees from the beaches of Long Island, is featured in an article in Thursday's New […]
It is the perfect seasonal story — a company that makes bells, all sorts of jingling bells, surviving at a time when iPhones and iPads can replicate the sounds electronically. But Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, of East Hampton, Conn., presses on under the guidance of Matt Bevin, of the Class of 1989, the sixth generation […]
Every week during the academic year, we create the "Scene on Campus" slide show of images taken by Washington and Lee photographers Patrick Hinely '73 and Kevin Remington. Each week those shows range from 20 to 40 images, give or take, so that's a lot of photos. We've asked Patrick and Kevin to choose 44 of […]
In This Issue: A Day in the Life, By Amy Balfour '89, '93L; Honor Our Past, Build Our Future, By Greg Esposito '00
An announcement from the Department of Defense last month included the news that Tony Ierardi, of the Class of 1982, has been promoted to the rank of major general (two stars). A business administration major, Tony was a member of W&L's ROTC unit and was commissioned at his graduation. He has held a wide variety […]
Michael Clay Thompson, a creator of curriculum in poetics, writing, grammar and vocabulary, and a member of Washington and Lee University’s Class of 1969, has received the Richard W. Riley Award from the South Carolina Consortium for Gifted Education. “The award reflects the unique place Thompson’s language arts curriculum has come to have in gifted […]
The Wilderness Society, the organization that works to protect public lands, now has a W&L alumnus as one of its top executives. Fred Silbernagel, a member of the W&L Class of 1976, is the society’s new senior vice president for finance and administration. He comes to his new post after 14 years at the Brookings Institution as […]
Lexington's always on the move. For proof, consider that within just a month's time, a new micro-brewery has opened up and 3D movies are coming to the State Theatre. Blue Lab Brewing Company opened for business just before Thanksgiving. The craft brewers are Bill Hamilton, associate professor of biology, and Tom Lovell '91, associate director […]
Congratulations to Kelly B. Herd, of the Class of 2003, who has won a national prize for her Ph.D. dissertation in marketing. Kelly will complete her degree at the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business next May and is set to join the faculty at Indiana University. She won honors in business administration at W&L. […]
Next time you see a story based on polls or polling and distributed by the Associated Press, be sure to check the byline. There's a good chance it will have been written, in whole or in part, by Jennifer Agiesta, a 2000 Washington and Lee alum. In late August, Jennifer began her new position as deputy […]
Mike Smitka, professor of economics at Washington and Lee University and an expert on the automobile industry, discussed the rise and fall of America’s labor movement on NPR affiliate WMRA’s "Virginia Insight" on Monday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. Here is the audio from the program: Smitka not only conducts research on the industry and […]
It’s a given that Washington and Lee alumni love to get together long after graduation, whether they’re seeing classmates on campus during reunions, or meeting alumni of all generations in their communities at chapter events. A new twist on that tradition has a singular purpose: to connect the women of W&L through informal gatherings around the country. […]
Two generations of Washington and Lee theatre majors will team up next week for a performance in New York when Jenna Worsham, a 2010 graduate, directs a performance of The Nebraska Dispatches featuring Christopher Cartmill, a 1984 graduate. We wrote about Chris's memoir, The Nebraska Dispatches, earlier this year. Chris and Christine Marie Brown adapted […]
Sandy Reiter, assistant professor of business administration at Washington and Lee and a former plant manager for Honeywell International, will discuss U.S. corporations w on NPR affiliate WMRA’s Virginia Insight show this afternoon (Thursday, December 2) at 3 p.m., More than a hundred years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations should have the same […]
Eddie Neufville, a 2003 graduate of Washington and Lee's School of Law, describes what it's like to live with a stutter during an interview that aired on the NBC Nightly News this week. "You feel a knot in your stomach and you feel like your chest is very compressed and your heart is racing," is […]
A little more than three years ago Rob Rain, of the Class of 2007, was conducting honor hearings as president as Washington and Lee's Executive Committee. Today he is leading weekly shuras with Afghan elders as part of his deployment in the Helmand Province. First Lt. Rain is a platoon commander with the 81 Millimeter […]
Comedian, actor, author and art collector Steve Martin's new novel, "Object of Beauty," has an interesting Washington and Lee connection. The novel is set in the New York City art world. Martin is a renowned art collector in his own right. The W&L connection (actually, there are two) is the presence in the novel of […]
Today (Nov. 28) is Drive Safer Sunday, the sixth annual national observance of an event created in memory of Cullum Owings '03 by Road Safe America, an advocacy group founded by Cullum's parents and brother, Pierce '06. At the end of the 2002 Thanksgiving vacation, Cullum and Pierce were driving back to Washington and Lee […]
The following post is a reprise of the one we published on Thanksgiving two years ago, but we thought the story should be retold, and we invite you to forward it to W&L alumni, or others, who might not have seen it. Happy Thanksgiving! When you’re comfortably seated in front of your televisions on Thanksgiving […]
Tom Wolfe, of the Class of 1951, became the 20th recipient of the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation last week during the National Book Awards ceremony in New York last week. Previous recipients of the award included Joan Didion, Maxine Hong Kingston, Norman Mailer, Toni Morrison, John Updike, […]
At a news conference in Philadelphia later today, the results of a feasibility study to save one of the world's fastest passenger ocean liners will be unveiled. The SS United States, built in 1952 and withdrawn from service in 1969, set a transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage when it sailed from New York […]
A group of alumni and friends gathered at the Hotchkiss Alumni House earlier this month to honor two of their classmates, Adam Burchett '02 and Kristin Shelton '04, who died in a tragic automobile accident a decade ago. The accident inspired a student-led initiative that created the Traveller Safe Ride Program. Those who returned for […]
In 2008, Alex Baca started Alexander's Auction, a biannual event that raises money for Special Love's camps and outings for children with cancer who are being treated at hospitals in the mid-Atlantic region. Alex, a member of W&L's first-year class, from McLean, Va., knows firsthand what it means for these children to enjoy the kinds […]
A year after he was killed in Afghanistan, Washington and Lee alumnus Chris Coffland's story continues to resonate in several different ways. Chris was a member of the W&L Class of 1988 and co-captained the 1987 Generals' football team. He had joined the Army Reserve a month before he turned 42, the enlistment cut-off date. An […]
At halftime of last Saturday's football game between West Virginia University and the University of Cincinnati, in Morgantown, Judge Frederick P. Stamp, a 1956 Washington and Lee alumnus, was honored with his wife, Joan, as "Most Loyal West Virginians." The recognition was part of WVU's 63rd annual Mountaineer Week. Judge Stamp, who had a private practice in […]
We can identify at least four members of the Washington and Lee community among the finishers in Saturday's running of the SunTrust Richmond Marathon, plus 13 other W&L-connected runners in the event's half marathon and three more in the 8K. We undoubtedly have missed runners who work at W&L but may not have listed Lexington […]
For the past two years, Washington and Lee's Information Technology Services, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, has surveyed incoming first-year students to find out what kinds of technology they are bringing to campus. Those of us in the manual-typewriter and clock-radio generation of college students can only look in awe at what we're seeing […]
Staff and faculty members of Washington and Lee University who have served in the armed forces commemorated Veterans Day today, Nov. 11, by gathering to note their service to the nation. They span all branches of the military and all ages. Larry Stuart, a senior sergeant in public safety, spent six years in the Marine Corps. […]
Christian Wiman, the editor of Poetry magazine, is the subject of an elegant profile, “The Resurrection and the Life,” in the current issue of Poets & Writers Magazine. The occasion is the publication of Every Riven Thing, his fourth book and his third collection of poetry. Christian is a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of […]
An article in the Nov. 2, 2010, edition of Youngentrepreneur magazine refers to Washington and Lee alumnus Brent Beshore as "a 27-year-old serial entrepreneur." It's an apt description of the 2005 graduate, who has been cited in the What's News blog once before, after being profiled in the Columbia, Mo., Business Times. The Youngentrepreneur article […]
This past weekend, the North Carolina Museum of Art, in Raleigh, unveiled “Inverted Utopias,” an exhibition by Bob Trotman, a 1969 alumnus of Washington and Lee. The exhibition runs until March 27, 2011, in a new gallery that showcases North Carolina artists. Trotman’s exhibition comprises works from the NCMA, private collections and the artist himself. […]
Shortly after the news broke on Friday that Charles R. McDowell Jr., Washington and Lee Class of 1948, had died from complications of a stroke, several of his former colleagues on the Richmond Times-Dispatch were retelling stories about Charley and summing up his role as a newspaperman for almost half a century. One especially apt assessment in today's […]
Albert M. Orgain IV, a 1971 graduate of the Washington and Lee School of Law, may be known first for his success as a trial lawyer. He is a principal with the Richmond firm Sands Anderson, and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers of Virginia, among others. But Al is equally […]
Back in May, we noted that a Washington and Lee alumnus, Bob Doll, of the Class of 1974, had just published his fourth New York Times crossword puzzle of the year. Now it turns out that we can boast of another, newer crossword constructor among the W&L alumni body. Neville Fogarty, who graduated in May, was the author […]
The Cummings' books — Joe's "Bylines" at left; Doug's "The Southern Press" at right. When Washington and Lee journalism professor Doug Cumming holds a book signing on Thursday, Nov. 4, at Lexington's Books & Co., he'll be joined by a fellow author and Southern journalist — his father, Joe Cumming. Joe Cumming will be signing and reading […]
Viewers of the Oct. 31 edition of “60 Minutes” enjoyed the profile of Zenyatta, the unbeaten racehorse who is aiming to win her 20th and final race on Nov. 6, at the Breeder’s Cup Classic. One of the CBS staffers who created the story, as much with her equestrian skills as with her journalistic talents, is […]
Students, staff and faculty gathered on Cannan Green the evening of Oct. 28 for 8 Minutes to Stop the Hate, a candlelight vigil to honor the memories of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Billy Lucas and Justin Aaberg. The suicides of these youths, who took their own lives reportedly because of bullying and harassment […]
In the foreword to "Going to Windward: A Mosbacher Family Memoir," President George H.W. Bush writes this about Washington and Lee alumnus Bob Mosbacher: " made life in Houston, life in Washington — life, period — more enjoyable and meaningful for Barbara and me than mere words can describe. Simply put, we hate to think […]
The renovation of the Colonnade is a big part of the $500 million capital campaign that the University announced earlier this week. And a key factor in the renovation is the environmentally sensitive way in which we are conducting it. Followers of the annual College Sustainability Report Card will have noticed that while Washington and […]
Big news in the ad world yesterday centered on a Washington and Lee alumnus. Andrew Keller, a 1992 graduate, has been named the CEO of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, one of the country's premier ad agencies. We've noted Andrew's work before in What's News, noting an interview that he did with Creativity in 2009 and […]
In 1983, when the University created the Honored Benefactors' Wall in Washington Hall, the idea was to include the names of those individuals whose gifts to Washington and Lee had exceeded $1 million. The wall contained 15 names when it was first unveiled. Last Thursday, Oct. 21, the University added six more names during a ceremony as […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Joseph Goldstein along with his longtime collaborator Michael Brown has been named winner of the inaugural Earl and Thress Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The two scientists won the 1985 Nobel Prize in Medicine and the National Medal of Science in 1988 for […]
Megan Taylor, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 1996, will be honored next month at the YWCA of New York City's 37th Annual Salute Luncheon. Megan, chief operating officer of private wealth management in the Investment Management Division (IMD) of Goldman, Sachs & Co., will join the Academy of Women Leaders Class of 2010 during […]
Formed in May 2009, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) held its first annual meeting in Washington earlier this month. Its first executive director, Washington and Lee alumnus Robert J. Grey Jr., of the Law Class of 1976, concluded that the higher-than-expected attendance showed how important the new initiative is to the profession. “This attendance level […]
In Lexington, Fridays are alive in the summer. That's because of a series of concerts that the Lexington-Rockbridge Jaycees host in W&L's Davidson Park. As a result of the series, the Jaycees recently announced a $10,000 donation to three local charities — the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center (BRAAC), the Rockbridge SPCA and the […]
To the surprise of no one, Washington and Lee alumnus Tom Wolfe '51 was named one of literature's 10 best-dressed authors by Flavorpill, a culture guide for New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and London. Here's what the Flavorwire wrote: "The 'man in white' has perhaps the most idiosyncratic style, having, since 1962, […]
Kevin White, a 2004 graduate of the School of Law, has received the Pro Bono Clearinghouse Volunteer Service Award from the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation. Kevin is an associate in the Richmond office of Kaufman & Canoles, where he practices corporate and public finance law. According to the announcement, Kevin provided 58 hours of pro bono […]
Josiah P. Rowe III, a member of Washington and Lee University’s Class of 1948, is retiring from 60-plus years in the family business: newspapers. On Oct. 14, the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star announced that he will retire at the end of the year and become publisher emeritus. Joe and his brother Charles (W&L Class of 1945 […]
Although it won't exactly qualify as an acceptance speech, Washington and Lee alumna Nicole Mooradian did have a brief and heartfelt response to the news that she had won an Emmy Award from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Nicole tweeted: "Holy crap I just won another […]
Boyle Investment Co., a Memphis-based real estate investment company with Washington and Lee connections, made headlines recently by donating 290 acres of land to the Wolf River Conservancy. The non-profit land trust, based in Memphis, is charged with conserving and enhancing the Wolf River corridor and watershed as a sustainable natural resource. Bayard Boyle Jr., […]
Shaun Devlin, a member of Washington and Lee's Class of 2014, is one of 10 first-year students from around the country selected by the Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) to share their college experiences through an online diary. With her selection as a blogger, Shaun receives a CSO Opportunity Scholarship of $1,000 a year for four […]
Visitors to the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston this coming weekend will have the opportunity to hear Washington and Lee alumnus John J. Fox III, a 1981 graduate, discuss his latest book on the Civil War, "The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg's Fort Gregg." John's presentation is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, at 11:30 […]
Dr. Quinn Peeper, a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1982, is an ob-gyn with a busy practice in New Orleans. He also has a flourishing musical career. He and partner Michael Harold are well known around New Orleans for their piano performances. They are bringing their talents to Quinn’s alma mater on […]
With the Oct. 8 debut of the movie “Secretariat,” Washington and Lee is proud to note that Christopher Chenery, a member of the Class of 1909, owned The Meadow–the Virginia stable that bred and raced the famous Triple Crown winner. When he was growing up in Ashland, Va., Chenery would walk several miles to a relative’s horse farm in […]
When Grace W. Shelton, the U.S. consul general to Bermuda and the first woman to serve in that post, planned an art exhibition for her official residence, she focused on contemporary, American female artists depicting natural settings. One member of that select group of 11 is Staunton, Va., artist Patricia Piorkowski Hobbs, who also happens […]
Washington and Lee photographer Patrick Hinely, Class of 1973, is one of three artists whose work is on display at WVTF-FM's gallery in Roanoke this month. When he's not photographing events at his alma mater, Patrick is pursuing his other passion, photographing jazz musicians. He made the images in this show between 1974 and 2007. They were published as a calendar book in 2007, by the German Jazzprezzo imprint […]
Beach Vickers, a 1972 W&L graduate, told the Charleston Gazette recently that he used to stage plays for neighborhood kids on his grandmother's back porch in nearby Montgomery, W.Va. Admission was 5 cents, and the cast almost always included a couple of dogs. Beach, a journalism major and former newspaperman, is now living in Los […]
The Washington and Lee Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its 23rd class last month. Former basketball coach Verne Canfield, former lacrosse player Don Carroll ’76, former football, lacrosse and wrestling athlete Robert Hull ’96, and former soccer, lacrosse and basketball player Karin Treese Bauer ’99 were the four honorees. • Verne Canfield served as the […]
Washington and Lee alumnus Hughes Melton, Class of 1989, was named the 2011 Family Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians this week at its Annual Scientific Assembly. The award goes to an outstanding American family physician who provides compassionate and comprehensive patient care and serves as a community role model […]
When Christopher Cartmill, Class of 1984, returned to Washington and Lee in the spring of 2009 as the Flournoy Playwright, he produced five plays in six weeks. Included in that lineup was The Nebraska Dispatches, a solo performance by Cartmill based on a research trip he had made to his home town, Lincoln, Neb. He […]
Sad news from Oregon last week, when Del Clark, of the Class of 1990, lost his long battle with cancer, at the age of 41. Del was the subject of an earlier blog item when The Oregonian newspaper featured him. A lawyer in the Portland suburb of Sherwood, Del was not only a city councilor but also had […]
Washington and Lee law alumnus Talcott Franklin, of the Class of 1995, was the subject of a couple of articles in the financial press last week. The focus was on the clearinghouse that he created to allow investors in residential mortgage-backed securities that went bad to pool their claims and, as Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported, "potentially […]
Hamill Jones, a 2004 Washington and Lee alumnus and former captain of the Generals' basketball team, will soon be starting his second season as head varsity basketball coach of his prep school alma mater, St. Christopher's School, in Richmond, Va. His first team finished 9-9. Hamill is also teaching history there. But his St. Christopher's job […]
As he tells the story, Ron Pen, a 1973 Washington and Lee alumnus, was enrolling in graduate school at the University of Kentucky in 1983 and was interested in pursuing music composition. But after his entrance exams, Ron was told that he'd done exceptionally well on the history portion. "They said, 'You should be a […]
Bill Miller, a 1972 alumnus of Washington and Lee and chairman and chief investment officer of Legg Mason Capital Management, gained the esteem of the financial world for his 15-year string of beating the Standard & Poor's 500 index. That streak finally came to an end in 2006. Earlier this week, AsiaOne, the website that […]
The Atlanta Journal Constitution published an engaging question-and-answer session with Washington and Lee law alumna Lizanne Thomas, of the Class of 1982, last week. The primary topic was corporate governance, an area in which Lizanne has a wealth of experience. She not only practices and teaches in the area, but she also has hands-on experience. Lizanne […]
Washington and Lee history professor Ted DeLaney, a member of W&L's Class of 1985, was a keynote speaker for an unusual event this past weekend in the small Ohio River town of Gallipolis, Ohio. Every year since 1864, the people of Gallipolis have celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation in September, because the preliminary issue of the proclamation came on Sept. 22, 1862. The […]
In his new book, James Madison Rules America: The Constitutional Origins of Congressional Partisanship, Washington and Lee politics professor William F. Connelly Jr. takes exception to Woodrow Wilson's interpretation of Madison's institutional framework. Discussing his views on Wilson and Madison this summer in an interview with alumna Amy Balfour '89, '93L, Connelly said that "what […]
By day, Garland Tucker, a member of W&L’s Class of 1969, is the president and CEO of Triangle Capital Corp., a specialty finance company in Raleigh, N.C. By night, however, he is the author of a new book, The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge and the 1924 Election (Emerald Book Co.). He focuses […]
