West Virginia University Hosts the Byrd Exhibit

From the late-summer through the fall of 2016, the traveling exhibit was featured at venues across southeastern West Virginia, including Bluefield State College, the Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and Concord University. As the year drew to a close, we moved the exhibit to its final venue for 2016, visiting the north-central region of the state for the first time.

The exhibit on display in the Rockefeller Gallery of the Downtown Library at WVU.

On Thursday, November 10, West Virginia University (WVU) hosted a reception to open the traveling exhibit Robert C. Byrd: Senator, Statesman, West Virginian. Visitors at the reception heard remarks from Ray Smock, Director of the Byrd Center who reflected on the legacy of Senator Byrd's career and his impact on the university, the state of West Virginia, and the United States. This reception marked the eighth stop on the tour of the traveling exhibit. 

The reception was sponsored by our friends at the West Virginia and Regional History Center, which is housed in WVU's Downtown Library. The placement of the exhibit was particularly appropriate in the gallery named for Senator Byrd's longtime colleague, Senator John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV. ​

We were especially grateful to welcome several important guests at the reception. President of WVU, Gordon Gee, reminisced on Senator Byrd's remarkable career and his impact on the university, including the school's Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. We also welcomed President Emeritus of WVU, David Hardesty, Jr., who served as the university's president from 1995-2007 and who was a close friend to Senator and Mrs. Byrd. Also in attendance was Johnny Moore, President of Pierpont Technical and Community College in Fairmont, WV, which will host the traveling exhibit in early 2017. 

President Gee views a large map of selected appropriations projects supported by Senator Byrd with Byrd Center Director Ray Smock.

Left to Right: WVU President Emeritus David Hardesty, Jr., Pierpont Technical and Community College President Johnny Moore, WVU President Gordon Gee, Jay Wyatt, Ray Smock, Director and Curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Center John Cuthbert, and Jody Brumage.