willpollock.com

[ always tell stories ]

Veterans Day: In Honor Of Opa

May 29 2007 Filed in: Cool People | Cool Events

I'm named after my late grandfather, William Stone Weedon, who was a decorated veteran of World War II and a fixture at the University of Virginia. With my birthday and Veterans Day converging at the same time each year, I thought it appropriate to use "The Google" and find some information on him -- some of which I didn't know before. Here's what I came up with:

• In 2003, UVa named an Endowed Professorship in his honor
• He received his undergraduate degree (1929) and graduate degree in Arts & Sciences (1936) from UVa, and continued on as a professor long afterward
• He advanced the understanding of East Asian architecture within the university community
• He received the Raven Award, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, and in 1976, the Thomas Jefferson Award -- UVa's highest honor.
• He was named to University Professorship, which entitled him to teach any subject of his choosing on the UVa campus.

I hope he's watching with approval.