1.
Virginia Tech Hokies football
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The Virginia Tech Hokies football team, represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and they previously competed in the Big East. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium, located in Blacksburg, Lane Stadium is considered to be one of the loudest stadiums in the country, being voted number one in ESPNs Top 20 Scariest Places to Play. Also, it was recognized in 2005 by Rivals. com as having the best home-field advantage in the country and it is currently the 31st largest stadium in college football. In 124 seasons, the Hokies have won over 700 games and appeared in 30 bowl games, with 24 consecutive bowl appearances, beginning in 1993, the Hokies currently have the longest bowl game streak in the country recognized by the NCAA. The program has claimed ten conference titles and produced eight All-Americans. Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College first played football on October 21,1892 against St. Albans Lutheran Boys School, the game took place on a plowed off wheat field that was about as level as a side of Brush Mountain. The Hokies won their first game 14–10, but were defeated 10–0 eight days later on a trip to Radford. The 1899,1901, and 1903 teams lost only to rival Virginia, star player Hunter Carpenter returned to Virginia Tech in 1905, after a year at the University of North Carolina, for a last shot at beating Virginia. Carpenter helped lead VPI to a 9–1 record, the best in history up to that time. He was never named to the All-America team only because Walter Camp, the 1909 team claim a southern championship. This is the first season the team was referred to in print as the Gobblers, at the end of the 1911 season, VPI joined the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They won the conference in 1916 and 1918, after 1921, the SAIAA was dissolved and six of its schools became founding members of the Southern Conference. From 1925 to 1928, Tech was led by Frank Peake and he was joined by Scotty MacArthur, Herbert Mac McEver and Tommy Tomko. In 1927, during a 6 to 0 upset of the Colgate Red Raiders in New York, Peake ran for nearly 200 yards, during one three-game stretch, he accumulated rushing and return yardage of 306,314 and 353 yards. He was credited with gaining 1,761 yards in eight games,930 were from scrimmage, and 831 on punts and kickoffs. In 1928 the game against Virginia he came off the sideline with a hip to return a punt for a touchdown. In 1932, Tech upset Georgia 7–6, Bill Grinus blocked the tying extra point
2.
Virginia Tech
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Through its Corps of Cadets ROTC program, Virginia Tech is also designated as one of six senior military colleges in the country. Under the 1891–1907 presidency of John M. McBryde, the school organized its academic programs into a traditional four-year college, the evolution of the schools programs led to a name change in 1896 to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. The Agricultural and Mechanical College portion of the name was popularly omitted almost immediately, in 1944, in 1923, VPI changed a policy of compulsory participation in the Corps of Cadets from four years to two years. In 1931, VPI began teaching classes at the Norfolk Division of the College of William and this program eventually developed into a two-year engineering program that allowed students to transfer to VPI for their final two years of degree work. In 1943, VPI merged with nearby Radford State Teachers College, which became VPIs womens division, today, Radford University enrolls more than 9,900 students and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate programs. During Hahns tenure, not only did the university graduate its first Rhodes Scholar, lewis, Class of 1963, the requirement for male students to participate in the Corps of Cadets for two years was dropped. Beginning in the fall 1973, women could participate in the corps, in 1970, the state legislature allowed VPI university status and gave it the present legal name, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. However, diplomas and transcripts still spell out the formal name, similarly, the abbreviation VT is far more common today than either VPI or VPI&SU. The early decades of this century have seen expansion across the universitys institutions in both physical and population sizes, former President Charles Steger brought Virginia Tech an allopathic medical school in 2007. The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute was created with a partnership with the Carilion Clinic. These years also brought about the development of the universitys professional schools of graduate education. Virginia Tech brought in over a half-billion in research expenditures in 2014, on April 16,2007, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho fatally shot 32 faculty members and students, wounding 17 others before killing himself on campus. The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting on a college campus, although it was at the time the deadliest mass shooting committed by a lone gunman in U. S. history, it has since been surpassed by the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. These colleges/schools include, Virginia Tech received a number of nearly 22,500 applications for the fall 2015 freshman class. The typical student offered admission had a grade point average of 4.00. The average cumulative SAT score was 1250, with a middle range ranging from 1160 to 1340, of the 5,518 students who accepted the offers of admission,18 percent accepted under the Early Decision Plan. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is located within the Visitor and Undergraduate Admissions Center, once admitted, Honors students are required to maintain a 3.5 GPA in order to remain in the program. For the 2013–14 academic year, the Graduate School at Virginia Tech enrolled 6,723 graduate students in its masters, the Pamplin College of Business, received 381 applications for its incoming Evening MBA program, and offered admission to 142
3.
Blacksburg, Virginia
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Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of Virginia Tech, the MSA has an estimated population of 159,587 and is currently one of the faster-growing MSAs in Virginia. The town and Virginia Tech campus have a tradition of safety and living satisfaction. In 2011, BusinessWeek named Blacksburg the Best Place in the U. S. to Raise Kids, also in 2011, readers of Southern Living named Blacksburg the Best College Town in the South. Its public transportation system, Blacksburg Transit, which connects to the neighboring town of Christiansburg, has repeatedly received recognition for the quality of its service. Abraham Wood, who commanded Fort Henry on the frontier, and operated an Indian trading post nearby, a passage over the ridge was finally found in 1671 when explorers Batts and Fallam, sent by Wood, reached the present-day location of Blacksburg, Virginia. Their expedition followed Stroubles Creek, through the current locations of the town and they reported the area inhabited by the Monacan and Moneton, Siouan groups, but the Virginia legislature had authorized Wood to claim it. Accordingly, on September 17,1671, the Batts and Fallam party claimed all of the comprising the rivers drainage basin for King Charles II. However, the region was not yet open to English patent, as early as 1718, the Iroquois had agreed to sell the parts they had conquered east of the Blue Ridge to the Virginia Colony. However, following another cession at the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster, the site of Blacksburg lay just within this disputed zone. By the 1740s, the Woods River Land Company, represented by Col. James Patton, the Draper and Ingles families were among those who built their homes between present location of the campus and the subdivision of Hethwood. This came to known as Drapers Meadow by 1748. About four settlers were killed in the attacks, and five were taken captive to Kentucky by the Shawnee, among them Mary Draper Ingles, the memorial to Drapers Meadow massacre was dedicated on a bridge located near Duck Pond. By the end of the war, Drapers Meadow was deserted and it remained so until 1768, when native claims to the land including Blacksburg were cleared by the Treaty of Hard Labour with the Cherokee, and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix with the Six Nations. The Shawnee finally abandoned their claim to territory in 1774 following Dunmores War. Samuel Black, whose family settled in Staunton, Virginia, bought 600 acres of land in the Draper’s Meadow area for his sons John and William in 1772. Smithfield Plantation, built in approximately 1774 by Col. William Preston, sits on the original Drapers Meadow site, when Samuel Black died in 1792, the land was evenly divided into two sections by his sons. The road now known as Draper Road is the line between the sections
4.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities
5.
Quarterback
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A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
6.
Halfback (American football)
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A halfback is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i. e. a running back. The halfback position is one of the more glamorous positions on the field, sometimes the halfback can catch the ball from the backfield on short passing plays as he is an eligible receiver. Occasionally, they line up as wide receivers. When not running or catching the ball, the responsibility of a halfback is to aid the offensive linemen in blocking. Before the emergence of the T-formation in the 1940s, all members of the backfield were legitimate threats to run or pass the ball. Most teams used four offensive backs on every play, a quarterback, the quarterback began each play a quarter of the way back, the halfbacks began each play side by side and halfway back, and the fullback began each play the farthest back. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the position was both an offensive and defensive position. There has also been a shift in most offense’s dependence on halfbacks, however, the average output of the halfback has not changed. Older systems require the halfback be proficient at throwing the ball downfield as well, many of the “scat backs” in the modern era produce more total yards and touchdowns than their ancestor “power backs” by breaking off big plays on outside runs and receptions. The spread offense and the hurry-up offense change the halfback’s role, the spread, the hurry-up, and the pro-style offenses dominate American football but the “smash-mouth” style of play is far from extinct. A power-running scheme is often utilized to counter an effective Spread attack, as it allows a team to control the clock and this strategy is utilized in NFL, college, and all other forms of American football. The need for “power backs is very prevalent, alongside the need for “scat backs”, in the past few decades the role of the halfback has gone through a great shift as most offensive game plans are now fueled by creativity and finesse instead of raw force. Stamina and durability is more important than ever in the hurry-up offense, on the other hand, speed is often valued over strength, and pass-catching ability is sometimes valued over blocking proficiency. Power was once the most desired trait in a halfback, but has been taken by the need for a diverse skill set. In the last few decades the running back’s individual share of output has declined as quarterbacks are generally treated as the cornerstone of the offense. The demands of an up-tempo offense also favor a multiple running back system, from the dawn of American football through the 1880s most offensive schemes focused on the running game. In a running based game plan the halfback was typically the cornerstone of the offense and this system focused on a physical run attack concentrated in the inside of the field, and therefore depended on a skilled “power back”. There were no forward passes, and pure speed took a backseat to tackle-breaking and bucking ability, there was a focus on physicality over finesse, as this type of playing style earned the moniker of “smash mouth” football
7.
Roanoke College
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Roanoke College is a private, coeducational, four-year liberal arts college located in Salem, Virginia, United States, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. Roanoke has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries, the college offers 35 majors,57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional programs in dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, ministry, nursing, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Roanoke awards bachelors degrees in arts, science, and business administration and is one of 280 colleges with a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, Roanoke is an NCAA Division III school competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The college fields varsity teams in nine mens and ten womens sports, Roanokes athletic nickname is Maroons and the mascot is Rooney, a maroon-tailed hawk. Roanoke is ranked 2nd on the 2014 U. S. News, Roanoke College was founded in 1842, as a boys preparatory school by Lutheran pastors David F. Bittle and Christopher C. Originally located in Augusta County near Staunton, the school was named Virginia Institute until chartered on January 30,1845 as Virginia Collegiate Institute. In 1847, the moved to Salem which was developing into a center of commerce and transportation in the region. The Virginia General Assembly granted a charter on March 14,1853 and approved the name Roanoke College. Bittle then served as the colleges first president, Roanoke was one of the few Southern colleges that remained open throughout the American Civil War. The student body was organized into a corps of cadets and fought with Confederate forces near Salem in December 1863, the students were outmatched and quickly forced to surrender, but the Union commander paroled them and allowed them to return to their studies. The college company was mustered into the Confederate Army, Virginia Reserves, on September 1,1864. Roanoke enrolled its first international students in the late 19th century, the first Mexican student in 1876, the first Korean to graduate from an American college or university, Surh Beung Kiu, graduated in 1898. A small number of non-degree-seeking women, mostly from Elizabeth College in Salem, were previously enrolled, originally named Roanoke Womens College, Elizabeth was a sister Lutheran womens college destroyed by fire in 1921 and closed, the female students finished the 1921–22 academic year at Roanoke. Roanoke opened its first womens hall, Smith Hall, in 1941. Smith Hall has a prominent position on the John R. Turbyfill Front Quad, Roanoke retains the Roanoke Womens College campus as its Elizabeth Campus, named for Elizabeth College. The campus, located two miles from the Roanoke main campus, houses residence halls, athletic fields, and the college tennis complex. Roanoke adopted the alumnae of Marion College, a sister Lutheran womens college in Marion, Virginia, Marion Hall, a residence hall constructed in 1968, honors the college and its alumnae. Roanoke athletic teams have won two championships, the 1972 NCAA Mens College Division Basketball Championship and the 1978 Division II mens lacrosse championship
8.
Lane Stadium
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Lane Stadium/Worsham Field is a stadium located in Blacksburg, in the U. S. state of Virginia. It is the field of the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was rated the number one home field advantage in all of football in 2005 by Rivals. com. It is also ranked #2 on ESPN. coms Top 10 Scariest Places To Play, from 1982 to 2014, Lane Stadium had the highest elevation of any Division I Football Bowl Subdivision school stadium in the eastern United States, at 2,057 feet above sea level. That distinction now belongs to Kidd Brewer Stadium, home to Appalachian State University, in 1963, school administrator Stuart K. Cassell, namesake of Cassell Coliseum, proposed building a larger stadium to replace the 17, 000-seat Miles Stadium. Construction of Lane Stadium began on April 1,1964 and it took a total of four years to complete construction. However, the first game in the new stadium was played in 1965, at the game, only the west stands and center section of the east bleachers were completed. It wasnt until the summer of 1968 that construction was completed on Lane Stadium and this brand new stadium seated 35,050 which featured a press box for guests, writers, stats crew-members, scouts, and coaches. The stadium is named after Edward Hudson Lane, a Virginia Polytechnic Institute graduate, in the 1960s, Lane headed an educational foundation project which raised over $3 million for the original construction, with his challenge gift of Lane Company stock comprising the lead gift. Like many stadiums built at the time, it consisted of two bowed sideline grandstands with free-standing bleachers behind the end zones, the stadiums original form was substantially similar to that of BB&T Field at Wake Forest and Memorial Stadium at Indiana University. Lane Stadium remained generally unchanged for 20 years, but in 1980 the east stands were expanded, increasing the stadium capacity to 52,500. Two years later, the Stadium installed a brand-new lighting system that would help the team get its first nationally broadcast game on WTBS, a 21–14 win over state rival University of Virginia. Prior to the 1989 season, the stadium added 16 flags and received a new paint job, including the maroon, the Worshams pledged $1 million to the universitys Second Century Campaign, which raised over $18.6 million, $1.7 million more than the original goal. In the spring of 1994, renovations were completed on seven lower sections of the east stands, renovations also included replacing concrete risers and the addition of wheelchair seating decreasing capacity to 50,000. Also, before the 1994 season, plaques bearing retired numbers of Tech heroes Bruce Smith, Carroll Dale, Jim Pyne, however, with the later addition of the north end zone seats, the four retired numbers now fly on flag poles above those stands. Before the start of the 1998 season, the oldest bleachers were replaced with new locust wood, on the east side, the roof on the old visitors locker room was replaced along with the bleachers above the dressing room. Before the 1999 season, the university started work on the end zone. The summer of 1999 saw the addition of roughly 2,100 seats to the end zone increasing capacity to 53,130
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The Marching Virginians
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The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech. Because the Marching Virginians draw from the student body, they are considerably larger than the Highty Tighties and have about 330 members. Despite offering no scholarships to members, The Marching Virginians consist of students from every college and virtually every major within the university. Known as The Spirit of Tech and established in 1974, the band performs at Virginia Tech football games, fundraisers, and charity events. The Marching Virginians are the creators of Virginia Techs Stick It In cheer, though the MVs were recently banned from performing this cheer by the Virginia Tech Athletics Department. The Marching Virginians have performed at the Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Independence Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Gator Bowl, Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, and the 2004 BCA Classic, among many other venues. They were also featured on the Blacksburg edition of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. The Marching Virginians are currently under the leadership of director Dave McKee, a majority of the music is arranged by Dr. James Sochinski, and the halftime performances are narrated by Mike Sparrer, The Voice of the Marching Virginians. The Marching Virginians are assisted by the Eta Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, prior to the 2009 season, a small pep-parade from the south-end of the Cassell Coliseum parking lot, down Spring Road, to the south-west tunnel into Lane Stadium at Worsham Field took place. Due to the construction on McComas Hall during 2009, the band marched straight from their space at Johnson Track. The band continued its parade tradition midway through the 2010 season after the renovations completed and these chants often begin with a section leader or rank captain calling a command, usually ending in something along the lines of TWEET-TWEET-HO to simulate a whistle command. The MVs were the creators of the Stick It In cheer. Entering Lane Stadium, each band member falls out of rank, touches his/her hand to the Hokie Stone at the entrance to the field, and falls back into their position in the parade block. Far less formal than the Highty-Tighties, the Marching Virginians are allowed to wear their Marching Virginians baseball cap given to them at the beginning of the season. Other forms of personal flair which do not interfere with or deface their uniforms, such as sunglasses, keychains, or temporary facial tattoos, are frequent among band members. In the stands, sections will often choreograph their own dances and horn movements to different songs and drum breaks, in every fieldshow, the MVs usually perform one to three songs followed by Tech Triumph as they march off the field. In between the 3rd and 4th quarters of home football game, the tuba section leads Lane Stadium in the MVs signature rendition of the Hokie Pokie. The MVs play the pieces in the stands on a regular basis
10.
Radford, Virginia
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Radford is an independent city in the U. S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,408, for statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County. Radford is included in the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford metropolitan area, Radford is the home of Radford University. The Radford Arsenal is nearby in Pulaski and Montgomery counties, Radford City has four schools, McHarg Elementary, Belle Heth Elementary, Dalton Intermediate, and Radford High School. Millennials make up over 55. 5% of the population of Radford, radfordva. gov Radford was named for Dr. John B. Dr. Radfords home Arnheim was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, Radford was originally a small village of people that gathered near the New River, which was a major draw to travelers for fresh water and food while traveling west. The town had a population increase in 1854 when the Virginia. A large depot was placed at Lovely Mount because of its positioning between the eastern and western parts of the state. The Railroad Depot caused the population of Radford to boom and it also caused a major increase in the amount of trade and business in the area. The original name for Radford was Lovely Mount because of the location of the depot, from 1900 to 1930, many companies came to Radford, including an ice company, a creamery, milling companies, piping, and preserving plants. In 1913, Radford was selected to home to State Normal School. The school would later, in 1924, become Radford College, the presence of a college brought even more attention to Radford, causing even more population growth. In 1940–1941 the US Military decided to build a plant for gunpowder and other ammunition needed by the military. Thus the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, or the Arsenal as it would come to be called, joined the railroad, many families moved to the area. Housing for the Arsenal was built in areas of town and these neighborhoods still exist today, Monroe Terrace, Radford Village. Today these are Radfords main residential neighborhoods, the railroad ceased passenger service through Radford 1971 as personal transportation moved to the fairly new interstate highway system and the airways. However, the route through Radford is still a major component of Norfolk Southern Railways Roanoke to Bristol route. But, Radford no longer needed the railroad service to survive
11.
Campus of Virginia Tech
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The Virginia Tech campus consists of 130 buildings on approximately 2,600 acres. Virginia Techs presence in the National Capital Region is continually expanding, current locations include Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Leesburg, Manassas, and Middleburg. The university also has several commonwealth branch campus centers, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke, the university also owns the Center for European Studies and Architecture in Ticino, Switzerland. Named after Ella Graham Agnew, the first woman to receive an appointment from the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The building is used primarily by the Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in 2009, a $1.6 million renovation took place which added lab space to the first floor for the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Agnew Hall was originally constructed at a cost of $42,525, bishop-Favrao Hall is home to the Department of Building Construction, which is under the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. Much of the building has its systems exposed so that students can see them, bishop-Favrao was completed in December 2007 and is named after Richard Bishop and William Favrao, the Department of Building Constructions founder and department head until 1977. The building also provides office and classroom spaces as well as specialized studio space, Burchard Hall is actually constructed underground and has four pyramidal skylights that illuminate the studio spaces below. One can access Burchard Hall via either of the three portals on the roof, or through the ground-floor entrances. Burchard Hall also has a walkway connecting it to the nearby Cowgill Hall, Cowgill Hall, located on Perry Street, is the home of Virginia Techs College of Architecture and Urban Studies. It was named for Clinton Cowgill, who retired in 1956 after 28 years as the department head. In 2006 Cowgill Hall was named the winner of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects Test of Time Award and this award is presented annually to a building that has served the same function for at least 25 years. Davidson Hall contains office space, teaching labs, and classrooms, originally constructed in 1928, additions to the structure were completed in 1933 and 1938, the structure was also renovated between 1964 and 1965. Named in honor of Robert James Davidson, the Dean of the Department of Applied Sciences, Davidson was also a delegate to the International Congress of Applied Chemistry at London, in 1909. In 2012 a $31 million renovation of Davidson Hall broke ground, when completed, Davidson Hall will have modern research laboratories, office space, new classrooms, and a 300-person auditorium. As of May 2014, substantial completion was expected in May 2014, Derring Hall, a five-story building, was constructed in 1969 and contains offices, classroom space, and laboratories for primarily the biological sciences and geosciences programs at Virginia Tech. The building was named after Paul Neyron Derring, an administrator with the students. Derring served on the State Commission for the Visually Handicapped and served on the Blacksburg Town Council, Durham Hall, a $16 million project, opened in 1998 and was called New Engineering Building, or The NEB, until 2001
