Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to an array of awesome area attractions guaranteed to satisfy any age and interest. For history buffs specifically, there is a most satisfying self-paced stroll I strongly suggest taking. It’s the one and only Virginia Legends Walk.
Established in 1999, the purpose behind the Virginia Legends Walk is to honor the many notable Virginians (by birth or residency) throughout history, renowned for their significant, crucial, life-changing roles and impacts both nationally and globally.
Since its inception, many highly regarded inductees have been added to the lineup. Furthermore, an annual induction ceremony welcomes new additions each year, all of which can be submitted by anyone and then voted on. So, who will you discover on the Virginia Legends Walk? For this Flashback Friday, I’m reviewing the current lineup of inductees with a bit of background on each of these individuals.
A Famed Walk is Formed
Before we jump into the Who and What of the lofty legendary lineup, here’s a bit of background behind the famed Walk’s formation. The idea was the brainchild of Virginia Beach special events coordinator Bobby Melatti. He successfully influenced various members and agencies to get on board with the plan, including Jim Ricketts, director of Virginia Beach Convention and Visitor Development; the city’s Resort Advisory Council (RAC), an independent organization charged with improvements in the resort area of the city, and others. Following unanimous approval by the City Council, all of the necessary funds were allocated, groundbreaking got underway, and in no time at all, the Virginia Legends Walk became a reality.
The Virginia Legends Walk can be found at the 13th Street Park, situated between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue. It is entirely self-guided and free to attend.
A List of Legends
Because it is a self-paced stroll, you do have the freedom to choose the order and how much time you spend at each featured, commemorative callout. But it’s good to know who exactly you will find along the way. So here is the list as it currently stands (courtesy of VA-legends.net):
Arthur Ashe
(World-Class Tennis Champion)
Ashe was the first African-American tennis player to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. He played on the U.S. Davis Cup team (1963-70, ’75, ’76, ’78) and as captain, the U.S. won (’81, ’82). Ashe was 1992 Sportsman of the Year.
Pearl Bailey
(World’s “Ambassador of Love”)
President Nixon dubbed her “Ambassador of Love” to the world. “Pearlie Mae” sang with Count Basie and Cab Calloway, starred in the movie version of Porgy and Bess, won a Tony Award for an African-American version of “Hello Dolly,” and received the Medal of Freedom from President Reagan.
Richard E. Byrd
(Pioneer of Polar Exploration)
Byrd, a Naval Academy graduate, pioneered early technology that became the foundation for modern polar exploration and investigation. He also pioneered the technique of nighttime landings of seaplanes on the ocean. On May 9th, 1926, Byrd reached the North Pole, feat that earned him the Medal of Honor. He then flew over the South Pole in November 1929. During World War II, Admiral Bryd was Chief of Naval Operations.
The Carter Family
(America’s Country Music Legends)
The First Family of Country Music, they switched emphasis from hillbilly instrumentals to harmony vocals, made scores of standard country music classics, and made their ‘CarterLick’ guitar playing the dominant technique for decades. The first group inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970, they also earned a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2005 and Grammy Hall of Fame songwriting recognition in 1998.
William Clark
(America’s Trailblazer)
William Clark has been honored by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Legends Walk as the Class of 2010. As the 36th inductee since the Walk began in 1999, Clark joins Meriwether Lewis, who co-headed the team from 1803-05 that was the first overland expedition undertaken by the United States to the Pacific Ocean. Clark finished seventh in voting in 2009. Clark was born in Caroline County, Virginia in 1770. Along with Lewis, Clark led the “voyage of discovery” ordered by President Thomas Jefferson to explore routes across America’s new territories of the Louisiana Purchase. In addition to sharing command, Clark also had record-keeping duties. Especially important were the maps he created for the party’s route. After Lewis’s death, Clark became responsible for the publication of the expedition’s journals. From 1822 until his death, he held the position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
Patsy Cline
(Queen of Country Music)
The Queen of Country Music, her multimillion-selling records are played worldwide. The first female solo artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cline also is in the Recording Hall of Fame and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the highest industry honor: Grammy for Lifetime Achievement.
Katie Couric
(Solo Anchor and Managing Editor)
Couric was the first woman to solo anchor and be managing editor for a major television news network prime-time broadcast, the CBS Evening News, in 2006. Prior to that, Couric was co-host of NBC Today for five years. She also co-hosted the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992 and co-hosted NBC’s live coverage of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1991 to 2005.The Washington Journalism Review named Couric “Best in the Business” in 1993.
Ella Fitzgerald
(First Lady of Jazz)
The First Lady of Jazz possessed superlative musicianship and skill in scat singing (improvisational vocals). After being discovered at age 16 in a Harlem talent show, Fitzgerald performed throughout America, Europe and Asia and on milestone recordings with Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson and Louis Armstrong.
William Henry Harrison
(President/Old Tippecanoe)
Harrison attained nearly 50 million acres of land from treaties with Native American tribes. This resulted in a rebellion by Indian leader Tecumseh, and led to the Battle of Tippecanoe, which made Harrison a hero of the War of 1812. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and as Ambassador to Columbia. As the ninth U.S. President, he was the first elected Whig Party candidate.
Patrick Henry
(Leader of American Liberty)
Henry was a living symbol of America’s struggle for liberty and self-government from British rule. His immortal appeal was, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” He was the first Virginia governor under its new constitution, serving three terms.
T.J. “Stonewall” Jackson
(Soldier and Educator)
Thomas J. Jackson served on the VMI faculty as Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Instructor of Artillery. His bravery and battle skills led Confederate troops to victory in ten major battles. At Manassas, greatly outnumbered, it was noted, “Look, there stands Jackson like a stone wall.”
Thomas Jefferson
(President/Author of the Declaration of Independence)
Jefferson served two terms as 3rd President of the U.S. He was the sole writer of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and the author of separation of church and state. He is among the most revered architects of all time.
James Patrick Lannon
(Medal of Honor & Navy Cross Recipient)
Rear Adm. James Patrick Lannon graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1902. He received the Medal of Honor in 1914 for actions in the U.S. occupation of Veracruz. The Medal is the USA’s highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty, and awarded by the President in the name of Congress to military personnel only. Lannon was awarded the Navy Cross during World War I and also served in World War II. The Navy Cross is the second-highest military decoration for valor awarded to a member of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard for extraordinary heroism in combat. To honor the U.S. Navy in Virginia, selected by Admirals of Hampton Roads.
Robert E. Lee
(General, Educator and Statesman)
One of America’s most brilliant military strategists, Lee graduated from the U.S. Military Academy 2nd in his class, as the only cadet who never earned a single demerit. He commanded the Confederate Army and surrendered at Appomattox to end the Civil War.
Meriwether Lewis
(America’s Trailblazer)
Selected by President Jefferson, Lewis and William Clark led the western exploration of the land obtained by the Louisiana Purchase. The expedition was successful beyond all expectations in terms of geography, botany, biology, and first American contact with many Native American tribes.
Douglas MacArthur
(Five-Star Army General)
Gen. MacArthur was one of only two American five-star generals. His leadership in the Pacific helped to ensure Allied victory, and he accepted Japan’s unconditional surrender ending World War II. He is remembered for saying “I shall return!” to the Philippine people, and “Old soldiers never die – they just fade away.”
James Madison
(President/”Father of the Constitution”)
The 4th U.S. President, Madison was the author of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which earned him the reputation as “Father of the Constitution.” Serving during the “Second Revolution,” or the War of 1812, he empowered the Navy with three frigates: the “Constitution,” the “United States,” and the “President.”
George C. Marshall
(Nobel Peace Prize Winner)
Gen. Marshall graduated VMI, beginning a long career of public service including Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Army Chief of Staff and helping to develop NATO. His “Marshall Plan” for European economic reconstruction earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, as the first solider to win that honor.
John Marshall
(Founder of Constitutional Law)
Marshall is widely considered the founder of Constitutional law and judicial precedent for his decisions during his 34-year tenure as the third Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as the U.S. Secretary of State, as a U.S. representative, and in the Virginia House of Delegates.
George Mason
(Author of Virginia’s Declaration of Rights)
Mason’s wording in the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 influenced the first ten amendments to the Constitution forming the U.S. Bill of Rights. His stand as an unwavering abolitionist led to halting the importation of slaves to America.
Cyrus McCormick
(Inventor)
McCormick invented the mechanical reaper in 1834, combining all the steps that earlier harvesting machines performed separately. His time-saving invention allowed farmers to double their crop size and spurred innovations in farm machinery. His factory eventually became one of the greatest industrial establishments in the U.S.
James Monroe
(President/Founder of U.S. Foreign Affairs)
The 5th U.S. President, his Monroe Doctrine was the foundation of foreign affairs: America would never again accept colonization by European powers. America would deem any attempt at such colonization dangerous to our peace and safety. Wars in Europe would not necessarily include America.
George S. Patton
(Superlative Military Commander)
Gen. Patton, a second-generation VMI cadet with three Calvary tours at Ft. Myer, is among the greatest military commanders in U.S. history. He led allied ground troops in Africa, achieved victory in Sicily in just 38 days, and showed superb military skills in France and Germany, speeding the end of World War II.
Pocahontas
(Princess and Peacekeeper)
Pocahontas, daughter of Algonquin Chief Powhatan, displayed her heroism in 1607 by saving Captain John Smith’s life. She was the first Native American to convert to Christianity and receive an English name, “Rebecca.” Her marriage to John Rolfe brought peace between the English and Powhatan tribes, an accomplishment that affected the rest of American history.
Edgar Allan Poe
(“The Dark Genius” of Literature)
“The Dark Genius,” Poe is among America’s best poets and the originator of the American short story, both of which he elevated to art forms. He penned such literary classics as “The Raven,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
Chief Powhatan
(Native American Leader)
Chief Powhatan was the paramount ruler of more than 30 indigenous tribes in the Chesapeake Bay area, and the highest Native American authority the Virginia colonists encountered. He welcomed Capt. John Smith, and initiated peaceful relations with the English colonists. His legacy today includes several descendant communities among Virginia’s recognized Indian tribes.
Walter Reed
(Medical Pioneer)
Reed received his medical degree from UVa at 18 and became a career-Army Major. By 40 he was engaged in some of the most important work in the history of medicine. Reed’s research into the cause and spread of typhoid and yellow fevers saved millions of lives. The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C. is named in his honor, and is the nation’s foremost military health care provider and center for worldwide health referrals, education and research.
Claude V. Ricketts
(Seaman Apprentice to Four-Star Admiral)
Adm. Claude V. Ricketts, the Navy’s first seaman to rise to four-star admiral, was made an honorary citizen of Norfolk during his station tour in 1961. He enlisted in the Navy and then graduated as an officer from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929. Ricketts rose to Commander, Second Fleet, and then assumed duties as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, the second highest-ranking officer in the Department of the Navy. Admiral Ricketts posthumously was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Ricketts Hall at the Naval Academy is named in his honor, as was the USS Claude V. Ricketts, DDG-5, which was home-ported in Norfolk, VA. To honor the U.S. Navy in Virginia, selected by Admirals of Hampton Roads.
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
(Superstar Dancer, Entertainer)
“Bojangles” was the first African-American superstar entertainer, starting in Vaudeville as a dancer and becoming a movie actor. By 1908, he was earning $3,500 a week. His famous “stair dance” was invented spontaneously while we was receiving an honor from the King of England, who was atop steps.
Secretariat
(Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing)
Secretariat is the most famous thoroughbred in history. He won the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby (track record, and the only horse ever to run each quarter faster than the previous), the Preakness (track record), and the Belmont (world record) in times unbroken since 1973. He is the only individual on the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. He was on a U.S. postage stamp in 1999. ESPN named Secretariat the 35th of “Top 100 Athletes of the 20th Century,” and also named by the AP and Sports Illustrated among the “100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century.” His Belmont win is second on ESPN’s “Greatest Sports Performances,” and seventh on Sports Illustrated’s list.
Alan B. Shepard
(First American in Space)
Captain John Smith
(America’s Earliest National Hero)
Our earliest national hero, Captain Smith established the first permanent English settlement in America in Jamestown in 1607. Saved by Pocahontas, he established peaceful relations with the Algonquin Indian tribes. His rigid discipline was “He who does not work, will not eat,” and his strong leadership was the foundation of the settlement’s survival.
William Styron
(Pulitzer Prize Writer)
Styron won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature as well as the William Dean Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1968 as a result of The Confessions of Nat Turner. He also wrote Sophie’s Choice in 1979 about a Holocaust survivor, which won the National Book Award in 1980, which in 1982 became a major motion picture nominated for five Academy Awards, with Meryl Streep winning as Best Actress.
Zachary Taylor
(President/”Old Rough and Ready”)
The 12th U.S. President, Taylor earned his national reputation in the Mexican War. There he commanded the military in Texas after its annexation to the U.S. and successfully kept the territory in American possession. His nickname was “Old Rough and Ready.”
John Tyler
(President/Established “Full Presidential Powers”)
The 10th U.S. President, Tyler was the first to succeed on death of an incumbent. He established “full presidential powers, not just acting power.” His foreign policy opened trade with China and established the Maine boundary. He was the force driving the annexation of Texas, and he ended the Seminole War.
Booker T. Washington
(Educator, Race Relations Pioneer)
Born a slave and deprived of any early education, Booker T. Washington became America’s foremost black educator of the 20th Century. He was the founder of Tuskegee Institute where he championed vocational training as a means for black self-reliance. A well-known orator and writer, he was the advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft on race relations.
George Washington
(President/Father of Our Country)
The Father of Our Country, Washington, was unanimously elected the First President of the United States. He commanded the American forces at Yorktown to victory over the British, creating American Independence. He later individually stopped a soldiers’ rebellion on the young nation’s Congress and preserved the country’s hard-won freedom.
L. Douglas Wilder
(First elected African-American Governor)
First elected African-American governor in U.S. history, Wilder was a Virginia Senator and Lt. Governor before elected to the Commonwealth’s top post. He balanced the state budget during recession without raising taxes and kept the state’s highest bond rating. The emergency reserve fund he created allowed record-setting capital improvements.
Woodrow Wilson
(President/Author of the Versailles Treaty)
The 28th U.S. President, Wilson was Commander of the largest armed force in U.S. history during World War I. Always for peaceful resolution, his Fourteen Points led to the Armistice, effectively ending the war with the Versailles Treaty. He also served as President of Princeton University.
Tom Wolfe
(Father of New Journalism)
Wolfe is regarded as the father of New Journalism and is responsible for the use of the present tense in magazine profiles, which previously always were in the past tense. His breakthrough was The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby in 1965, followed by The Pump House Gang, published the same day as the book that defined the radical 60s counterculture, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. In 1979, he published The Right Stuff, an account of the first U.S. astronauts, which became a major motion picture in 1983, winning four Academy Awards of eight total nominations. Wolfe adopted his white suit as a trademark in 1962. He is credited with introducing the terms “statusphere,” “the right stuff,” “radical chic,” “the Me Decade,” and “good ol’ boy” into the English lexicon.
Again, there are elections for new nominations each year, and anyone can submit votes. You may do so today via the online form. Learn more about the Virginia Legends Walk on the site.