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by Christina D. French '98, M.A. '01, and Sherry Bithell
There's
something special about Virginia Tech. What else could explain
the fact that so many families throughout the university's
history have sent their sons and daughters to school here?
Legions of alumni can claim siblings, parents, children, or
other family members who also attended the university. From the
hundreds of families who have sent multiple members--or
generations--to Tech, here are just a few who helped make the
university what it is today through their legacies of pride,
loyalty, and service.
Five generations of Ut Prosim
Virginia
Sen. John C. Watkins (horticulture/agriculture '69) has what he
calls "mighty big shoes to fill." His great grandfather, J. B.
Watkins, himself a Virginia senator for three terms, sat on
Tech's Board of Visitors from 1903-1908 and again from
1912-1928, serving as rector of the board for 14 of those years
and during that time signing the diploma of his son, Benjamin
Cornelius (horticulture '05). John's father, Benjamin Chewning
(business administration '40), was also given to service,
fighting in World War II alongside James "Jimmy" Monteith (class
of 1941), the namesake of Tech's Monteith Hall and a posthumous
Medal of Honor winner for his heroic actions in Normandy on
D-Day.
John has
done his part to fill the shoes of his predecessors and to
fulfill Tech's motto, Ut Prosim ("That I may serve"). He's
president of Watkins Nursery, a former Virginia delegate
(elected to the House of Delegates in 1982), and a senator since
1998. He has served Tech by spending a total of six years--two
terms--on the alumni board and is a founding member and
president of the Tech Agriculture Alumni Organization.
It almost
seems natural that John would have served his university with
such devotion because not only did dedicated Hokies precede him,
they also surrounded him during his college days. "I just
happened to be a part of that famed, fabled class of 1969," he
says, referring to his classmates Charles Steger, Tech's current
president; Frank Beamer, head football coach; Tom Tillar, vice
president of alumni relations; and Ray Smoot, vice president for
administration and treasurer of Virginia Tech. At the opening of
the Virginia Tech Richmond Center in September 2001, President
Steger introduced Sen. Watkins by saying, "In all of his
activities he has put service above all else, in the best
tradition of Virginia Tech."
Service
isn't the only tradition running through the Watkins family
line--agriculture has also been a continuing part of their
lives. "My family is made up of folk who grew up working with
their hands, and most all of them got educated at the land-grant
university. Its agricultural focus was and is a natural
extension of our interests," John says. Other family members who
attended Tech are his great uncle, John Benjamin ('05), and his
brother, Daniel (electrical engineering '83). "I knew a lot
about our family's legacy at Tech long before I got there," he
says. "So it went without saying that I would also attend the
university."
The
Watkins family connection to Tech will continue to grow through
the years. "Tech has been a part of our family and our business
for a century. And that kind of relationship doesn't change,"
notes John. One of his sons, Robert, graduated from the
university in 1997, making it five generations of Watkinses who
have been Hokies, and John's niece, Mary, is currently a
first-year student at Tech. "And we've just begun the Watkins
family scholarship fund for a more centralized way to fund
agriculture at Tech," John says. Giving back only makes sense to
someone who says he feels "blessed to have been able to attend
what I consider to be the best university in the state, but
then, I've got a bias."
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