jefferson’s first taste
virginia’s college of william & mary …
Strolling around the College of William and Mary, it is easy to imagine a sixteen-year-old Thomas Jefferson attending his studies at the Colonial Campus in Williamsburg, Virginia, getting his first real taste of exceptional education.
The storied Sir Christopher Wren Building, where Jefferson attended classes in 1762, still stands near the center of campus, having been originally built in 1695. It looks somewhat like a creaky old structure but is pretty sound when you get to it. Surrounding the old brick structure, abundant with student activity, is the more modern Recreation Center with its smoked glass windows and cathedral ceilings bathed in light.
Nearby is the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center, which has a squared 3-story atrium and gabled roofs that beautifully complement the traditional signature American architecture of the campus in Virginia’s tidewater region.
Not surprisingly, the Wren Building is the oldest academic structure in continuous use in the United States. A survivor in its own right, having burned three times in its history, the building today is equipped with high-speed wireless internet and other more modern amenities, making the old landmark highly symbolic of the College of William & Mary as it stands today, innovatively traditional.
“… not many colleges can say they’ve canceled classes because the British invaded!”
The College is fond of summing up its long tenure as one of America’s premiere educational institutions by bragging, “…not many colleges can say they’ve canceled classes because the British invaded!” That would be the same invasion that led to the burning of the White House in Washington, D.C.
The legendary Phi Beta Kappa society was founded here in 1776, as was the first law school in America. In addition to Thomas Jefferson, other American founding fathers, including George Washington and George Wythe, learned or taught here.
If politics is not your cup of tea, perhaps you could imagine another famous alum, the award-winning actress Glenn Close (’74), walking past the College’s museums and performing arts hall on her way to hone a craft that generations of Americans have come to celebrate.
Or if you prefer comedy, then perhaps Jon Stewart (’84) would come to mind. Keeping you in stitches, not the surgical kind, on The Daily Show reruns is what he is most known for now these days.
Everywhere you turn at William and Mary, you see creative innovation and serious study in many hallowed halls where centuries of other students, Jefferson included, have come before.
A Snapshot: the College of William and Mary
Charted: February 8, 1693
by King William III and Queen Mary II of England
America’s: Second oldest educational institution
Offers: Advanced degrees in 15 fields of study with
30 undergraduate and 10 graduate programs
Became: State-supported in 1906 and coeducational in 1918
Firsts: Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's first academic Greek society,
was founded at William and Mary in 1776
Located: On 12,000 acres, home to 5,700 undergraduate and 1,925 graduate students
601 faculty members, 81,065 alumni
Contact: Ewell Hall, 221 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
Telephone: 757.221.4000
Web: www.wm.edu
Must see: Sir Christopher Wren Building, Andrews Gallery & Muscarelle Museum,
Colonial Williamsburg & Historic Jamestown
Thomas has selected the College of William & Mary as one of its recommended charities of choice. See Philanthropy for more information.