VMI to cancel awards named for Jackson and Ezekiel

In the recently published minutes from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Board of Visitors Commemorations and Memorials Naming and Review Committee (CMNRC) on November 21, 2021, the board unanimously voted to cancel the presentation of two awards given out every year at graduation. According to the meeting minutes, the two awards were provided to VMI and awarded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). Mr. Richard K. Hines V '66, Chair of the CMNRC, stated, Two more awards given annually at the Institute Awards Ceremony that BG Bob Moreschi, Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Dean of the Faculty, had asked the Committee to consider. These awards, the Stonewall Jackson Award for physics and the Sir Moses Ezekiel Award for creative endeavors, are bestowed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. While they are not Institute awards, the Institute does permit the UDC to give these awards and participate in the Institute Awards Ceremony. The Institute has no connection with the UDC other than these awards." Also according to the CMNRC minutes, "The committee discussed the appropriateness of the UDC giving awards to graduating VMI students before unanimously deciding to recommend to BG Moreschi that VMI decline these awards, beginning with the Class of 2022." The Stonewall Jackson Memorial Award is listed in the VMI catalog as having been "established in 1957 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to honor the great Confederate hero." The prize is presented annually to the first standing graduate in the physics curriculum. The Sir Moses Ezekiel Award is given to a cadet who has contributed to the cultural life of the Institute. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson is a complex figure in VMI's history. He was a slave owner and fought for the Confederacy, becoming one of the best known commanders of the Civil War. His reputation during and after the war buttressed the reputation of VMI, and his legacy became an integral part of the Institute's culture. A statue of Stonewall Jackson, which was erected in 1912, stood outside the newly renamed "Main Arch" until December of 2020. Moses Ezekiel is equally as complex. As reported in The Cadet's December 15, 2022 edition, Sir Moses Ezekiel graduated from VMI with the Class of 1866 and was a member of the Corps of Cadets who fought ultimately for the Confederacy in the battle of New Market. Ezekiel was also a world famous sculptor, and the creator of several Civil War memorials, including the aforementioned statue of Stonewall Jackson, which is now on display at the New Market Battlefield. According to its website, "the United Daughters of the Confederacy is the outgrowth of many local memorial, monument, and Confederate home associations and auxiliaries to camps of United Confederate Veterans that were organized after the War Between the States. It is the oldest patriotic organization in our country because of its connection with two statewide organizations that came into existence as early as 1890 — the Daughters of the Confederacy (DOC) in Missouri and the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Confederate Soldiers Home in Tennessee." Additionally stated: "The objects of the organization are historical, educational, benevolent, memorial and patriotic." Organizations like the UDC and the values which they seek to preserve are becoming defined as elements of the Lost Cause. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the "Lost Cause, (is) an interpretation of the American Civil War viewed by most historians as a myth that attempts to preserve the honor of the South by casting the Confederate defeat in the best possible light." Mrs. Linda Edwards published the UDC's official position, stating, "The United Daughters of the Confederacy totally denounces any individual or group that promotes racial divisiveness or white supremacy. And we call on these people to cease using Confederate symbols for their abhorrent and reprehensible purposes." The UDC statement continued, "We are saddened that some people find anything connected with the Confederacy to be offensive. Our Confederate ancestors were and are Americans. We as an Organization do not sit in judgment of them nor do we impose the standards of the 19th century on Americans of the 21st century." The CMNRC's decision is one of many similar decisions by VMI to distance itself from the Lost Cause. Other recent decisions include a cancellation this academic year by the Commandant's Office of The Cadet Living History Society & Civil War Roundtable as a cadet club. "The Civil War Round Table," as it was traditionally called, had as its charter "to allow cadets the opportunity to take part in living history events and battle reenactments to obtain a better understanding of history perspective based on its association with the Civil War and the Confederacy." Also recently removed was the stone inscription which bore Stonewall Jackson's name above Jackson Arch. Although talk was had to remove and preserve the stone, this was deemed infeasible, which resulted in the embossed name being chiseled off and destroyed. These actions are in line with the Barnes & Thornburg, LLP report recommendation that "VMI should solicit input from current cadets and organizations when considering any action related to the Civil War or Confederate-era iconography, symbolism, and traditions." Although it did not contain any details of who or how input from the Corps and alumni were obtained, VMI's July 1, 2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Review: 30 Day Report stated, "The Commandant's office has eliminated association between activities it sponsors and the Civil War and the Confederacy." The Cadet contacted UDC for comment on the BOV's decision and was informed the UDC has not been officially notified from VMI that the institute does not wish to receive their awards. The CMNRC members are, Mr. Richard K. Hines V '66, Chair, CAD Dane Hamilton '22, Mr. Hugh M. Fain III '80, COL Keith Gibson '77, LTC Catharine Ingersoll, Mr. Lester Johnson '95, Mr. Anthony Moore '78, COL Kim C. Parker and Mr. Gene Scott '80