[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY--250TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President I rise today to commemorate the 250th 
anniversary of Washington and Lee, an institution revered in Virginia 
and rooted in American history.
  My first association with Washington and Lee came at the knee of my 
father, a 1903 alumnus. His deep sense of honor and integrity was 
indelibly linked to his days at Washington and Lee. Indeed, still 
today, Washington and Lee's strong honor system is the foundation of 
the moral standard that is the guiding principle at the university for 
its alumni.
  As a student at Washington and Lee and even after my graduation in 
1949, I have had a keen interest and fascination with the history of 
the university. In 1749, Scottish-Irish pioneers founded Augusta 
Academy in the vicinity of what is now known as Lexington, Virginia. 
Fueled by a budding Revolution and a sense of patriotism, trusties of 
the academy changed its name to Liberty Hall in 1776.
  In 1796, George Washington saved the struggling institution from 
possible demise with a gift of stock shares in the James River Company. 
At the time, this gift, which was valued at $20,000, was the largest 
gift ever made to a private educational institution in America. 
Moreover, as part of the University's endowment, George Washington's 
gift has generated over $500,000 of income and, to this day, helps pay 
part of the cost of every student's education.
  In appreciation of Washington's gift, the trustees changed the 
school's name to Washington Academy in 1798. Washington responded: ``To 
promote the Literature in this rising Empire, and to encourage the 
Arts, have ever been amongst the warmest wishes of my heart.''
  Following the Civil War, the Board of Trustees unanimously elected 
Confederate General Robert E. Lee as president in 1865. Initially, Lee 
was very hesitant about accepting the position. He feared his name 
would be forever linked to the Confederate cause, bringing 
embarrassment and hostility toward the school. However, after repeated 
urging by the trustees, Lee accepted and on September 18, he rode 
Traveler into Lexington to assume the presidency of Washington college.
  During his tenure, Lee affiliated Lexington Law School with the 
college and institutionalized the school's unique honor system. He 
greatly emphasized the sciences and created courses in business and 
journalism that were among the first by any school in the United 
States. In appreciation for Lee's lasting contribution to the growth of 
the college, the trustees changed the school's name from Washington 
College to Washington and Lee University in 1870.
  Mr. President, I ask that my colleagues join with me today, on 
Washington and Lee University Founder's Day, in tribute to the ninth 
oldest institution of higher learning in America.

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