Van Black was a student at the College of William and Mary from 1971-1975 and was a President's Aid.
Van Black graduated from William and Mary in 1975. He was a member of the Flat Hat Club Society, editor of the "Green and Gold," senior class president, area coordinator (resident assistant), and orientation aide. He served on Interhall and Honor Council and won the Sullivan Award in 1975. Black was also a Presidential Aide to President Thomas Graves.
Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in February 2015. Fully processed by Kim Sims, University Archivist, March 2015, updated in April 2016.
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Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Van Black Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Oral History, conducted 2015 July (contact Special Collections Research Center for more information)
This collection contains color slides of the William and Mary campus, student life, sports, and other activities during the mid-1970s and a quilt.
Most of the slides were created by Bill Leonard and Scott Takane, both 1978 graduates of William and Mary. They depict life in the residence halls of the Bryan Complex, Old Dominion Hall, and Monroe Hall and include images of the buildings, student activities, and dorm life. The quilt was given to Van Black by female residents of the Stith Hall, where Black served as an area coordinator (resident assistant). The squares are symbolic to the women who made them and pertain to something specific about the either the university or the Bryan Complex, such as a square of the Crim Dell and squares representing the insects that invaded the Bryan Complex. There is a document which lists each square and the names of the women who created them. Additionally, there is a handwritten note to Black from President Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr., acknowledging the quilt.
Also included in the collection are three paintings commissioned by Black to commemorate 5 years of the Staying Connected: Together Serving Others initiative.
Music can transcend and connect generations, just as the William & Mary Class of 1975 Staying Connected iniative has brought together William & Mary students and alumni for the past 5 years. I symbolize the relationships Staying Connected has fostered between alumni and students by painting on records. The focal point of the painting is the Wren Building, William & Mary's most iconic landmark, with the 1693 weather vane clearly visible, representing William & Mary places not only on tradition, but on the shared experiences of attending the College.
The weather vane points directly to Pink Floyd's
The trees not only add color and frame the Wren Building, but also serve to represent "connection" as ths the leaves intertwine with each other and link the branches. - Kelsea Hull, Class of 2015, B.S. Psychology; Fredricksburg, Virginia
I illustrate the empowerment of students and the engagement of Veterans as part of the Staying Connected: Together Serving Others initiative. The middle of the painting features the Alumni House - allumni reaching out to current students, with the crest highlighting their strong connection to the campus community. The banners at the top reflect the connection between students and alumni as they both seek to support the Veteran community. The three featured sections along the bottom reprsent music, writing, and stand-up comedy programs offered to Veterans through the students' William & Mary Center for Veterans Engagement. The camouflage backdrop serves to depict the overarching themes of the military connection in the community. - Emily Anderson, Class of 2015, Masters of Education