New names in honor of trailblazing alumni now grace two campus buildings. Morton Hall and Taliaferro Hall were dedicated this fall as John E. Boswell Hall and Hulon L. Willis Sr. Hall, respectively.
BY ERIC KOLENICH
Richmond Times-Dispatch
WILLIAMSBURGÂ â The College of William & Mary has renamed three buildings and a department that currently honor supporters of the Confederacy, the schoolâs latest move in a years-long process to shed references to men who supported the Confederacy, enslavement and racism.
Instead, the university will honor the schoolâs first Black student, a man who studied LGBTQ traditions and a descendent of a U.S. president.
âThe past is the past, but how we know it and how we tell it evolves as we learn more and as our community changes,â president Katherine Rowe said at Fridayâs board of visitors meeting. âWilliam & Mary must pursue truth telling.â
Photo - of - by staff | April 23, 2021
Following a consultative and thorough process established earlier this year, William & Mary’s Board of Visitors voted Friday to rename two campus buildings and name one campus structure to honor trailblazing alumni who helped open the door for marginalized people at both the university and beyond.
Morton Hall will become John E. Boswell Hall, named for an alumnus, recognized scholar and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. The Arcade at Cary Field, the arched walkway at Zable Stadium that serves as its northern colonnade, will be named the Arthur W. Matsu Arcade after the university’s first known Asian-American student and William & Mary’s first “true gridiron hero.” Taliaferro Hall will become Hulon L. Willis Sr. Hall, named after the first African-American student to enroll at William & Mary.