The five-person team that constructed this website to preserve the memory of wartime Mary Washington College did so as a result of their enrollment in Dr. Jeffrey McClurken’s Digital History course at the University of Mary Washington. Through innumerable hours of research, website assembly, writing, and organization, they have crafted a digital passion project which makes the World War II-era history of their alma mater readily available to those interested in learning it.
Meet the Team!
Savannah Alexander is a senior graduating this spring 2024 with a Bachelors of Arts majoring in history. She is interested in digital history because it would allow the preservation of information for future generations. The Timeline JS aspect is one of the most interesting aspects for her because she has had previous experience but wants to find new ways for it to be more interactive and engaging for her audience.
Neonya Garner ‘24 is History major minoring in Asian Studies. Her interest in digital history stems from her passion to make historical information widely available and accessible. This project is right up her alleyway as it allows for on-hands archival research and the ability to broaden her range of digital skills.
Haley Gosman is a junior at UMW majoring in English: creative writing with a minor in digital studies, planning to graduate in Spring 2025. She’s interested in digital history because she is fascinated by the collection and preservation of historical records—especially when it comes to sharing them with the public. She is most looking forward to cataloging the collections and making them searchable for users to find.
John McDowell is a senior graduating at the end of the Fall 2024 semester. He is a history major, with a minor in African-American Studies. His interest in digital history was spurred on by the desire to learn how to navigate and establish more permanent databases for historical information. The research aspect of this project is the one he finds the most interesting, along with the knowledge that information regarding his alma mater will be preserved via this website.
Eliza Vegas ‘24 is a Historic Preservation major minoring in Digital Studies and the GIS certificate. With an interest in archival work, she is passionate about public access to archival materials. She enjoys how digital history helps to make information and historical documentation more open and how this project ties into that public accessibility.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank everyone who helped us on this project including but not limited to:
Special Collection Staff, Dr. McClurken, Digital Knowledge Center, Jim R. Gatson