Traditions and Values
March 25, 2025
Most of us W&L alumni look back on our time in Lexington as some of the best years of our lives. Not only the life-long friendships and incredible memories we made there, but the unique way that W&L shaped our lives and made us who we are.
Surrounded by reminders of those who came before us—from the ruins of Liberty Hall to the plaques of our fallen dead and the tomb of Robert E. Lee in Lee Chapel—the campus was a living history museum that made us mindful of our past and, with so many examples of greatness in our midst, created in us all high expectations for excellence and honor.
Rather than toiling under externally imposed rules, we learned to live by self-imposed rules, by self-discipline and the memory of Lee who set the bar high when he said, “The only rule here is that every student must be a gentleman.”
The notion of a gentleman—which necessarily evolved with the admission of women to the law school in 1972 and the undergraduate school in 1985—is essentially to live by the Golden Rule, an extension of the biblical teachings of our Presbyterian founders.
While facing a multitude of temptations, most of us learned to balance the fun of an unparalleled social life—arguably the best college party scene in the South—with the rigors of a demanding academic workload. And throughout it all, we were guided not only by Lee’s instruction always to do our duty, but also by the Honor System that he inspired.
These are the traditions and values that separate W&L from other institutions of higher education. These are the experiences that connect us all as alumni and that have made so many invaluable contributions to the world beyond Lexington.
And these are the values that The Generals Redoubt is committed to preserve and to celebrate as our beloved alma mater emerges from an unprecedented time of tumult and self-flagellation. The perpetual battle of the temporal versus the eternal has tested W&L, but the roots of our history run deep.
As long as we stand strong, these values and traditions will endure with renewed life to inspire and enlighten future generations to carry on the mission of those who came before us.
Sincerely,
Gib Kerr '85
The Generals Redoubt