Home > News & Events > Press releases > 10.29.10

Contact: Jennifer M. Guild, Senior Officer for Public Relations and Marketing
Tel: (804) 342-9665  |  Email: jguild@vahistorical.org

Richmond, VA—On October 19, 2010, thirteen students from various high schools in Virginia were honored guests at the eighteenth-annual J. Harvie Wilkinson, Jr., Lecture, and they met Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

As participants in the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) Wyndham B. Blanton Scholars Forum, the students heard O'Connor talk about Bushrod Washington, a Supreme Court Justice from Virginia. After her formal presentation, O'Connor took questions from the crowd of more than 900. She spoke about everything from discrimination, to her toughest court case, to her first job. Justice O'Connor even offered some fishing tips to members of the audience.

When asked what advice she would give to the teenage scholars, O'Connor simply said, "Work hard at something worth doing."

"Every year we select a group of high school students to attend the Wilkinson lecture and listen to one of America's preeminent historians or history shapers speak—and I can assure you that the competition is not easy," said VHS President and CEO Paul Levengood. "Over three days during the summer, the Blanton Scholars worked closely with VHS staff to learn how history museums operate and created videos for the VHS online exhibition, The Story of Virginia. When the students returned home, they created entries for the VHS blog entitled "The Changing Face of Virginia," where they were asked to describe their perception of Virginia's identity in their own region of the commonwealth."

The Blanton Scholars Forum, named in honor of a former president of the VHS, was established more than a decade ago by an anonymous benefactor who wanted to create a statewide forum for juniors and seniors studying Virginia and American history. Previous speakers include Stephen Ambrose, Cokie Roberts, Rick Atkinson, David McCullough, and Ken Burns. Information about the 2011 Blanton Scholars program will be available on the education page of the VHS website in the spring.

On the final evaluation, one scholar summarized the experience saying, “I’ve lived in Virginia my entire life and I felt like I didn’t know enough! The Blanton Scholars program really helped open my eyes to our amazing and historic state.”

Another scholar added, “I’m sure we’ll all carry this experience with us and the fond recollections of all we learned and the new perspectives we gained. We’ve shifted from passive spectators of history to involved students of the past.”

To see blog entries and videos by the 2010 Blanton Scholars, visit www.youtube.com/user/vahistorical and vahistorical.wordpress.com.

For more than 178 years, the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) has been the steward of our state—and often national—history. Headquartered at 428 North Boulevard in Richmond, the VHS features award-winning exhibitions that are entertaining and educational for visitors of all ages. Although designated the Official State Historical Society, the VHS is a privately funded non-profit organization that relies on contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to sustain its operations. Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm and Sunday 1 pm–5 pm (shop and museum galleries only). Admission is free. For group tour information, call (804) 342-9652. For more information, please call (804) 358-4901 or visit www.vahistorical.org.

428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220    |    Mail: P.O. Box 7311, Richmond, VA 23221-0311    |    Phone: 804.358.4901
Hours   |    Directions   |    Contact us   |    Site map   |    Blog    |    Share