{"id":18900,"date":"2015-04-30T09:47:54","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T13:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/?p=18900"},"modified":"2015-04-30T09:47:54","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T13:47:54","slug":"hands-on-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2015\/04\/30\/hands-on-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-On History"},"content":{"rendered":"

It almost sounds like a Nike commercial – if you want to do it, just do it.<\/p>

And that’s exactly how five University of Mary Washington students ended up conducting preservation work on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House<\/a> in Alexandria, under the supervision of alumna Audra Medve.<\/p>

“You can learn terminology in the classroom,” said Medve. “But if you want to learn how to take care of buildings, then you need to actually take care of buildings.”<\/p>

This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p>

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As the preservation manager for the Pope-Leighey House, Medve invited Michael Spencer, director of UMW’s Center for Historic Preservation<\/a>, and his students to help with the first part of a three-step process that would remove buildup from the exterior walls of the house and protect and stain the wood.<\/p>

Dressed head-to-toe in white chemical protection suits, UMW students spent two days preserving the wood by first spraying it with a biological chemical cleaner to remove the debris and then rinsing it down.<\/p>

“It’s not every day students can say they’ve worked on a Frank Lloyd Wright building,” said Spencer. “Hands-on experiences lead to a better understanding of the structures and materials that the preservationist seeks to conserve.”<\/p>

According to Medve, environmental elements like pollen, pollutants and dirt from watershed adhere to the wood like cake. The last effort to rid the wood of this buildup was in the 1990’s and Medve is now leading the two-week process to get the house clean again.<\/p>

A 2012 graduate of UMW, Medve began her career as a teacher before becoming a stay-at-home mother and finally transitioning into her second career as a ‘preservation enthusiast.’ Her move into historic preservation was inspired by her daughter, Taylor.<\/p>

Medve and Taylor had just spent the day in Washington, D.C., touring the monuments as the alumna shared the history of the city with her daughter. On the metro ride home, Medve asked Taylor, just nine years old at the time, what she should study if she decided to go back to school.<\/p>

“You should learn how to take care of history,” said Taylor. “You’re really good at it.”<\/p>

When Medve later did an Internet search for “who takes care of historic buildings,” the University of Mary Washington’s historic preservation program came up. And the rest, you might say, is history.<\/p>

A few short years later, Medve has worked for George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Oatlands Historic House and Garden before moving into her position at the Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House. And she credits her education with UMW’s historic preservation department, and specifically Center Director Michael Spencer, for her success.<\/p>

“I received instruction at UMW that most of my colleagues receive in graduate level programs,” said Medve. “The department as a whole is truly wonderful.”<\/p>

Today, Medve is still thrilled with her second career.<\/p>

“This doesn’t feel like work,” said Medve. “It feels like getting paid to do the best hobby in the world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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