Articles

One of my ’64 classmates, and a good friend throughout our four years together at W&L, grew up in a Chicago suburb and graduated from a top high school there — so once, in an idle moment, while we were studying together for a Charlie Turner exam in European History, I asked him why he,…

The decision by W&L’s leadership to rename Lee Chapel and to build a permanent wall to hide the Recumbent Statue of Lee produced a predictably emotional reaction among alumni and supporters.  Out of sadness, shock, and anger, a host of alumni were spurred to action. Notably, a significant number of alumni decided to redirect their…

As 2022 comes to an end, we want to take a moment to thank you for your support over the past year, whether financially or otherwise.  Together, we have made impacts on the University we all hold dear.  We have sought to empower the students, parents, alumni, friends, and supporters of Washington and Lee University…

Edward Valentine’s Recumbent Lee received an important but temporary reprieve from a City of Lexington/Regional Building Code Appeal Board Panel late yesterday.  On a vote of 4-0, the panel turned down a request from Washington and Lee University to remove recently filed fire and life safety code restrictions in Lee Chapel.  The prescribed code enforcement…

On November 14, 2022, Washington and Lee University will seek from the City of Lexington’s Building Code officials a reversal of their earlier ruling against the school’s Lee Chapel dividing wall proposal, a ruling based on heightened life-safety risks to Chapel occupants in case of fire or sudden violent emergency. If the City upholds its…

After months of rejections, university officials seek to overturn decision in public hearing By Kamron M. Spivey, ‘24 The fight continues as plans to block view of the Recumbent Lee statue from the sanctuary hit another roadblock, perhaps to be settled at a public hearing on November 14, 2022. The Local Board of Building Code Appeals…

Since the end of America’s Civil War, what is now known as Washington and Lee University has evolved into a nationally renowned institution of undergraduate liberal arts and legal education.  Its namesakes, George Washington and Robert E. Lee, both played critical roles at the intersection of their much-needed support for the predecessor academy and college…

Cover Letter for “The Robert E. Lee of Appomattox” Robert E. Lee’s role as reconciler and peacemaker arose amid the distress of his final military defeat, which was formalized in the surrender of his famed Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox in April of 1865.  It is a measure of Lee’s greatness that he made…

Accompanying the University’s announcement this summer of the limited reopening of Lee Chapel, there was an encouraging note of its promised and varied use during this fall.  Among these is the inaugural Mock Convention – 2024 Kick-Off.  Laura Bush and daughter Barbara will visit the campus and provide a key program to be held in…

Cover Letter for The Vision:  Lee and his Chapel In many respects Lee Chapel stands as the centerpiece of the legacy that Robert E. Lee left to Washington College, and thence to Washington and Lee University.  The history of its conception, construction, and use during Lee’s presidency of the institution reveals perhaps more clearly than…