Browse Items (205 total)

Ginny 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 entrant.…

PDF transcript of an oral history interview with Emily Pillsbury Davis. Pillsbury was the "L" Squadron commander in the Corps of Cadets in 1975-1976.

This transcript was created from files on a previous iteration of the 125th Anniversary website.…

An oral history interview with Christine "Chris" Beamer Cooper, a Fries native who grew up in the Hollow, a small neighborhood within Fries. After moving to Galax in the 1960s, she worked for the Roses department store for forty years and settled in…

Craig Wood is a former CPA who grew up in Fries, Va., but moved away for college and a career. Upon retirement, he moved into his parents' former house with his wife. While growing up, he worked in the mill over the summer in the cloth and spinning…

Kevin Combs grew up just outside of Fries, Va., and spent his summers working in the mill as a doffer. His family has history with the town, as his grandfather was the minister of the Baptist Church until 1945, and his father similarly grew up in the…

Willie Wilson, born just outside of Fries in Fallville, Va. moved back to Fries in 1965 to work for the Washington Mills Co. Textile Mill. He started in the gardener shop, then moved into the weave room as a doffer, which he remained as for decades…

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.

A staged reading of articles and letters to the editor about Denim Day from the 1979 Collegiate Times interspersed with clips from the Denim Day at Virginia Tech 40th Anniversary Oral History Collection.

Aaron Slusher was a student at Virginia Tech from 1988 until 1992. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1992 with a degree in Biology. In 2011, Aaron returned to Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine. In 2012, he transferred to…

Aaron Wilson was born in Lynchburg, Virginia and currently resides in Palo Alto, California. Wilson graduated from Virginia Tech in 2006 with a BS in Computer Science. He works as a Software Engineer at Olark in San Francisco, California. In…

Interview with Andrea Mosquera for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Andrea, 30, is a single mother from Colombia seeking a degree in public administration. She, her mother, and her…

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…

Ann Kilkelly is a Professor of Theatre Arts and Women's Studies at Virginia Tech. She teaches a variety of performance and theater classes, women's studies seminars and undergraduate courses about community and culture, and tap classes. Since coming…

In this interview, Beth Benoit talks about computer science classes and the campus climate for gay men and lesbians at Virginia Tech in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She recounts how it felt to come out publicly in the school paper while having…

In this interview, Bill Kenealy discusses what it felt like to return to campus after forty years, the Gay Student Alliance in the late 1970s, summer resort jobs in New England, gay discos, Denim Day preparations, his time in the United States Navy…

Interview with Brigitte Sanchez Robayo for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Brigitte Sanchez Robayo is an instructor for public school math teachers and very active in the Colombian…

Interview with Carla Finkelstein for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Carla is an associate professor and director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Lab. She works at the…

Interview with Carolina Smales for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Carolina Smales, 40, is a healthcare analyst originally from Venezuela with several family members who have died of…

Interview with Caroline Ickes regarding her affiliations with the LGBT community at Virginia Tech and in her personal life. Ickes discusses her identity as a straight individual who has been and advocate for and associated with the LGBT community.…

Charles A. Johnson was born in Wake Forest, Virginia, where he grew up and received his primary education. Johnson graduated from Christiansburg Institute in 1953 before serving in the Army. When Johnson returned from the Army, he began cutting hair…

Charles Johnson graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1953 and served as President of the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association. Johnson employed the barbering trade he acquired at CI for many decades in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Christian Matheis is a Doctoral Candidate in the Virginia Tech Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) Program working on a dissertation concerning liberation. He has several research interests including philosophy,…

Christine Paige Price was born in Giles County Virginia on July 21, 1915. Her family moved to the Blacksburg area when Price was young in search of better educational opportunities for Christine and her siblings. Price and her family--the Paige…

Crysta Highfield was born in Dallas, Texas and now lives in Berkeley, California where she attends school at the University of California at Berkeley. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering…

Interview with David Hernandez for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. David is originally from Mexico. He is married with children and his family was affected financially by the…

David Hernandez attended Virginia Tech from 2010 to 2014 and graduated with a degree in Computer Science. In Fall 2012, Hernandez founded the Virginia Tech chapter of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM), an organization…

Dolly Davis is a former Virginia Tech student, who is a self-employed architect in Roanoke, Virginia. She is also a transgender activist who works closely with VT students and alums. Recently, she became involved in healthcare activism in southwest…

Class of 1958 first black graduate of Virginia Tech

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

Class of 1971, one of six charter members of Groove Phi Groove

received his Ph.D in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration at Virginia Tech in December 2000. He is presently Director of Summer and Winter sessions.

Interview with Dulce Diaz for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Dulce Diaz, 30, is a single mother from Honduras who moved to Roanoke, VA a year ago from New Jersey. She lost her…

Ebony Wilson is a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech. She grew up in Norfolk, VA and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. She continued her service in the Navy.

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…

Interview with Edward Pineiro for the Voces of a Pandemic oral history project in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. Edward was born in Brooklyn, NY to a Puerto Rican family. He is now the cleaning staff supervisor for the Fralin…

Dr. Edward Spencer worked in student affairs administration at Virginia Tech from 1982 to 2012, most recently serving as Vice President for Student Affairs from 2008 to 2012. From 1983 to 1989 he served as Director of Housing and Residence Life,…

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.

Reverend Dr. Ellison Adger Smyth was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia. He attended Blacksburg schools, and he graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1925 with a degree in electrical engineering before answering the call to ministry.…

Esther Jones graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1939. Esther used the skills she acquired at CI to assist her husband in running a mine in Wake Forest, Montgomery County, Virginia.

Mr. Eugene Lawson and Mr. Scott Sterl are both graduates of Virginia Tech, where they met and began their relationship that is still continuing today over 42 years later. As a couple they have been very active in the communities they have lived in,…

Frank Bannister was born in Wake Forest, Virginia in 1913, and his family members were descendants of Kentland Plantation slaves, which is now Kentland Farm in Whitethorne, Virginia. Bannister describes growing up in Wake Forest, working in the…

Gladys Sokolow graduated from Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1953. Gladys grew up in Pulaski County, Virginia and later resided in Christiansburg, Virginia. Gladys served as Treasurer for the Christiansburg Institute Alumni Association Board…

Gwendolyn Coleman was born in Nankudo, Namibia before moving to Mays Landing, New Jersey. Gwen graduated from Virginia Tech in Spring 2015 with a degree in the Biological Sciences. In her oral history Coleman discusses her progressive views on…

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…

Homer C. Sherman was born and raised in Wake Forest, Virginia. Sherman attended a local, one-room school until the eighth grade. After primary school, Homer Sherman went to work in the mines with his father. Lack of work opportunities in the…