The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences will host a dedication ceremony for the Vaughn-Oliver Plaza on Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.

The ceremony is free and open to the public and will take place at the Liberal Arts and Human Sciences building in the Vaughn-Oliver Plaza, located at 200 Stanger Street. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Randa Freeborn, randaf@vt.edu. If ADA accommodations are needed, please let us know.

The Vaughn-Oliver Plaza honors and recognizes Fannie Vaughn and Andrew Oliver as members of the community that served the university in its earliest decades. Both Vaughn and Oliver were born into slavery. After Emancipation, Andrew Oliver worked at the university, then called Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical Institute, as a custodian and gardener. Vaughn and Oliver married during the era of slavery, raised several children, and eventually moved to Iowa. Their son, Andrew Oliver Jr. attended Christiansburg Institute, trained as a lawyer, and practiced law in Roanoke, as one of the very few African Americans in the legal profession in segregated Virginia.

In the event of rain, the event will be rescheduled for Oct. 6, at 10:00 a.m.