Astronaut announces launch of VHS web-based resource

On Friday April 4, 2008, at 11 a.m., astronaut Leland Melvin will visit the Virginia Historical Society to help inaugurate the Society’s latest web-based resource, Linking to Our Past: Documenting the African American Experience in Virginia. The web pages, designed to be used by teachers, include letters, paintings, diary entries, teacher registers, broadsides, speeches, sketches, and […]

March 26, 2008; 11:02 PM • by FTRea

On Friday April 4, 2008, at 11 a.m., astronaut Leland Melvin will visit the Virginia Historical Society to help inaugurate the Society’s latest web-based resource, Linking to Our Past: Documenting the African American Experience in Virginia.

The web pages, designed to be used by teachers, include letters, paintings, diary entries, teacher registers, broadsides, speeches, sketches, and other materials from the Society’s collections that help reveal the richness of Virginia’s African American history.

The site consists of almost 75 scans of 14 items along with a series of teacher pages that accompany each item. The pages are designed to help educators teach various facets of African American history from the 1850s to the present and are correlated with the Virginia Standards of Learning.

The project was underwritten by a generous grant from The Links Foundation, Incorporated, the philanthropic arm of The Links, Incorporated, an international organization of women of color located throughout the United States, the Bahamas, Germany, and South Africa. The project was supported by the Richmond Chapter of The Links, whose members advised the staff of the Virginia Historical Society.

“I speak on behalf of all members of the Richmond chapter of Links when I say that this opportunity to bring history alive for teachers is an innovation that we are proud to present,” said Carolyn Lambert, President, Richmond Chapter The Links, Incorporated. “Anything we can do to help educators interpret African American history represents a wise investment in the future.”

Leland D. Melvin, a native of Lynchburg, received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Richmond in 1986. In 1991, he received a master of science degree in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia. Melvin went to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1989 and was selected for Astronaut Candidate Training in 1998.

As co-manager of NASA’s Educator Astronaut Program, Melvin traveled across the country, engaging thousands of students and teachers in the excitement of space exploration and inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. He completed his first space flight in early 2008 and has logged more than 306 hours in space.

“We are pleased to have Leland Melvin helping us launch the website,” said William Obrochta, Director of Education at the VHS. “In his travels, Mr. Melvin has inspired countless schoolchildren and teachers, emphasizing the importance of education. And his ‘links’ to the Richmond community make his participation especially appropriate.”

Leland Melvin, representatives from the Richmond Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and VHS staff will debut Linking to Our Past: Documenting the African American Experience in Virginia in the Society’s Weinstein Classroom on April 4 at 11 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.

– The information above was provided by Jennifer E. Mason, Media Relations Specialist at VHS

March 26, 2008 11:02 PM 0