By Margo Boone '26
The Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation (RVPF) has recognized Roanoke College’s Center for Studying Structures of Race (CSSR) with a 2025 Kegley Award for its Genealogy of Slavery database and the “Authors and Architects” memorial sculpture.
The Kegley Awards are named after the late journalist and Roanoke College graduate George A. Kegley ’49, who dedicated his career to advocating for history. For years, the foundation has been bestowing awards on individuals, organizations and community groups working to preserve local history.
The Genealogy of Slavery database is an open access database that has restored the names, stories and connections to people who were an integral part of the county’s development. Starting in 2019, students, under the leadership of CSSR Director and College Historian Jesse Bucher, drew records from courthouses and archival material to develop a database that resulted in documenting the identities of more than 6,000 enslaved individuals linked to Roanoke County.
The database also led to the center simultaneously working on a new campus landmark. The “Authors and Architects” memorial sculpture, designed by Richmond artist Sandy Williams IV, honors the 829 enslaved individuals who helped build Roanoke College into the institution it is today. It was installed on the college campus in April 2025.
CSSR was awarded in the education category for allowing students to participate in research. Students combed through reams of documents, tax records and census schedules to identify individuals tied to the campus and the region.
“My role at the college is to teach and support students, and I have been very fortunate to work with a group of 18 highly engaged and dedicated students who made these projects a success,” Bucher said. “While I am obviously delighted with the end results of completing the database and memorial, I am so enormously proud of the students whose unrelenting efforts made these successes possible.”
This year's ceremony was held at the newly renovated Colony House Motor Lodge in Roanoke. Preservation Foundation President Bob Clement talked about the foundation’s work over the past year and the historical sites that are in danger of being torn down. The awards were then presented to recipients for accomplishments such as renovation and heritage education.
Accepting the award for CSSR along with Bucher was alumna Ashtyn Porter ’23, who was the primary designer of the Genealogy of Slavery database and worked on as a student researcher starting in her freshman year.
Bucher recounted a conversation he had with Kegley in 2019, saying “My biggest takeaway was to just be passionate about our surroundings and take seriously the people that preceded us. It feels extra special to have an award named after him.”
Kegley Awards were given to seven other contributors this year including Roanoke College alumna Lynsey Allie ’08, who was honored for her work on RVPF’s annual pub crawl and scavenger hunt.