Topic: Past generations & bygone eras

From the Grounds Up
Construction crews are in high gear on Grounds, but the construction of UVA has been a centuries-long process. Here’s a look at the history of buildings across Grounds.
Summer 2023

What do you miss most about your time at UVA?
Spanning all generations, most submissions—including many here—spoke of the time spent with friends. Suffice it to say: You’re missed.
Summer 2023

Holland showed us—and the world—what UVA could be
Terry Holland, who coached UVA basketball for 16 years and later served as athletics director, was known for being fiercely competitive and demanding—but also flexible and adaptive.
March 1, 2023

What is the most spectacularly foolish thing you did on Grounds?
From riding on chalkboards to kidnapping a kangaroo, alumni share stories of their less-than-stellar judgment calls.
Spring 2023

Through Roseberry’s lens
Remembering the legacy of photographer Ed Roseberry, who spent decades documenting life at UVA and in Charlottesville
Spring 2023

What was your favorite hideout on Grounds?
From the Alderman Stacks to “The Cave” in Old Cabell Hall, alumni reveal their best secret spots at UVA.
Winter 2022

The Father of UVA Athletics You’ve Never Heard Of
Despite his influence on the UVA athletic department in the late 1800s, Richard Dabney Anderson is rarely mentioned in the annals of Virginia athletics.
Winter 2022

Remembering the infamous 2008 ban on signs at UVA sporting events
And the student protest that led to its repeal
Summer/Fall 2022

What was your most memorable job when you were at UVA?
From driving the Monticello tour bus to cleaning frog tanks
Summer/Fall 2022

See how familiar spots on Grounds have changed over the years
Compare old-school photos with modern snapshots of the same places—from the Corner to Carr’s Hill—to see how they’ve evolved since your time at UVA.
June 23, 2022

What was your favorite cheap meal when you were on Grounds?
From grilled cheese to TV dinners, dining on a student budget.
Spring 2022

What was your favorite book while you were on Grounds?
From Hemingway to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the books alumni could not put down.
Winter 2021

Hot Trax
For two decades, the hot, sticky, beer-soaked roadhouse where Dave Matthews Band began its rise to stardom drew big-name acts and packed houses.
Winter 2021

What was your favorite movie while you were on Grounds?
From across the decades, the flicks that resonated most with alumni during their time on Grounds.
Fall 2021

When Student Activist Sabato Dug in for Clemons
The grassroots campaign that convinced the General Assembly to fund a badly-needed new library.
Fall 2021

The Legend of UVA’s First Olympic Medal
A tale of performance-enhancing good manners, how nice guy James Rector had his 100 meters dashed.
Fall 2021

Then Trending: UVA fashion over the years
We asked alumni about the notable fashions from their days on Grounds. Here’s what they said.
Summer 2021

The Cost of a Telegram
To cool student unrest in 1970, the Alumni Association did a very uncool thing. People stayed hot about it for years.
Summer 2021

The Underground Refuge
How UVA’s first Black students, excluded elsewhere, found a community of their own off Grounds.
Summer 2021

Groovin’ on Grounds
When we asked alumni about their favorite college-year bands, the answers ran the gamut. Here’s a selection.
Spring 2021

Pep Banned
For 30 years, UVA’s scrambling Pep Band managed to stay one punchline ahead of the authorities.
Spring 2021

The rise and fall of a J-School at UVA
Amid the fervor of the Great War, UVA rid itself of a journalism school, and the pacifist it rode in on.
Spring 2021

A legacy on the court
Forty years ago, UVA’s basketball team rose to No. 1 for the first time, paving the way for the top-ranking teams of recent years.
Spring 2021

Game, set, Mary Slaughter
How one woman became the ACC’s first female varsity athlete—on the men’s tennis team.
Fall 2020

It was about time: A timeline of women at UVA
Our timeline follows women’s 200-year journey for influence, an education and equality at UVA.
Fall 2020