Emily Stewart - VMI

Yesterday morning's trip to VMI made me see memorials in a new way. Usually, I tend to think of memorials in two categories: very famous ones such as those on the national mall, and lesser known ones that are looked over in daily life. Touring VMI with Colonel Gibson, I saw how memorials can become an important part of a small community and capture their history through narratives about individuals. I was fascinated to hear that all VMI students learn about these memorials, these individuals, and the institution's history as a part of their education. It seems that these memorials are important to VMI because they actively use them, conveying their stories to the students so that the sculptures do not become meaningless. Colonel Gibson's manner of talking about the memorials also reminded me of the power of narratives about individuals to get people interested in history. He does an excellent job of using his extensive knowledge about the sites to engage people, conveying public history in a way that sticks because it is personal. Even when the memorials were not to an individual person, Colonel Gibson had stories about individuals to go with them. I think this tour showed me that memorials are what we make of them, and if a community keeps their stories alive in the way VMI does, they can play a key role in passing down the stories of history through the generations.