I had a friend of mine send me the above (thank you Allison)... After watching it and going to the College's website, I thought I'd offer some fun facts about the College of William and Mary. I Know it's a long video for my blog, but it's worth watching these kids and the faculty:
The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
Not many colleges can say they've canceled classes because 'the British invaded'.
The College of William & Mary is the second-oldest college in America. The original plans for the College date back to 1618—decades before Harvard—but were derailed by an “Indian uprising.” We couldn’t make this stuff up.
On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a “perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences” to be founded in the Virginia Colony. And William & Mary was born.
Workers began construction on the Sir Christopher Wren Building, then known simply as the College Building in 1695, before the town of Williamsburg even existed. Over the next two centuries, the Wren Building would burn on three separate occasions, each time being re-built inside the original walls. That makes the Wren the oldest college building in America, and possibly the most flammable.
The College has been called “the Alma Mater of a Nation” because of its close ties to America’s founding fathers. A 17-year-old George Washington received his surveyor's license through the College and would return as its first American chancellor. Thomas Jefferson received his undergraduate education here, as did presidents John Tyler and James Monroe.
William & Mary is famous for its firsts: the first U.S. institution with a Royal Charter, the first Greek-letter society (Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776), the first student honor code and the first law school in America.
The College became a state-supported school in 1906 and went coed in 1918. In 1928, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. chose the Wren as the first building to be returned to its 18th-century appearance as part of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg restoration.
Over, "Out" and wiping a couple tears from my face, here in Portsmouth, VA USA
3 comments:
Excellent video and excellent post. I learned a lot about a school I've always admired!
Peace <3
Jay
Thanks so much for posting that moving video. I only wish we had an equivalent hope and tangible role models that let those of us who are confronting our sexuality late in life, and in a marriage, with the same message that "coming out, it gets better"
I sense this generation is more able to break out and come out and define their true sexual orientation with greater confidence - but this video reminds us that it is still a scary, lonely, anxiety producing journey to finally coming out and finding parental and peer group acceptance.
William and Mary were fascinating monarchs; I would imagine their college is just as fab!
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