Jenny Nehrt: Could you please just to start, state your name and the date?
April Cheek-Messier: Sure. April Cheek-Messier, and today is October 22nd. 2015.
Jenny: I'm so glad that you can be here and that you made it.
April: Thanks for asking me.
Jenny: We'll just jump right in. When did you begin your time at [Virginia] Tech?
April: I was here for the graduate program in 1996 through 1998, and had two
wonderful years here. I left in [19]98 to pursue my degree in history, which was
very successful after I left here, so I was real pleased with the education I received,
Jenny: What degree did you get at [Virginia] Tech?
April: It was my master's in history, so my MA in history. They didn't have the
public history program when I was here, but my focus at the time was Appalachian
and Civil War History, even though I ended up doing something a little different
from that when I
00:01:00left here. But it was invaluable in my first position out ofgraduate school.
Jenny: What drew you to this program?
April: I think for me in the beginning I always had a love of Civil War History.
And of course I knew Dr. Robertson was here, so having enjoyed Civil War History
from a very early age I just thought it would be really wonderful to study under
him. So when I first came here that really was my focus, but I had some varied
interests as well, so I ended up working with Dr. Shifflett with Appalachian
History, which was another love of mine, and just really enjoyed the program. It
was nice having a master's program that was small, so even though it was at a
large University like Virginia Tech our class was very small. We became very
close and I really enjoyed how we challenged each other, not just the professors
challenging us, but also how as peers we challenged one
00:02:00another. We would oftenhave debates with one another and outside of the classroom we kind of continued
our debates through lunch and into the afternoons, and it was just a very
rewarding experience.
Jenny: You did your undergrad at Hollins, correct?
April: I did, that's correct. I had my undergraduate degree at Hollins. I had a
master's in history, but also a master's in English with a minor in creative
writing and education. Because at that time I wasn't exactly sure when I was at
Hollins if I wanted to teach history or English, so I was still finding my way a
little bit, though history was just such a strong love of mine, and I actually
decided to take two years off after graduating from Hollins with a liberal arts
degree and with my degree in history and English. But I wanted to take a little
time off to figure out exactly what I wanted to do before I pursued my MA in
history, and decided that's really what I wanted to
00:03:00do. But I was reallythankful to have a little bit of time off to kind of refresh and regroup and
work a little bit and raise a little money toward my master's degree. I really
felt I think much more prepared when I ended up here in the program.
Jenny: Was there an exercise in this two years that you think solidified in your
mind that you wanted to study history?
April: Yes. I think for me just that I missed it. I really enjoyed history. When
I was at Hollins I had a fabulous group of professors there who encouraged me a
great deal. I was not sure that's what I wanted to go into, but I knew I loved
it and they encouraged me that you should really pursue what you love. I wasn't
sure, a lot of times people tell you, what are you going to do with that degree?
And I kind of listened to that and they were encouraging me to pursue it. There
are many many occupations out there and they were right, where you can use your
history degree. And so after
00:04:00taking a couple of years off and really missingthat comradery of being around others who had that same passion for history the
way I did I was ready to come back, refreshed and ready to tackle the MA program.
Jenny: You had your breather.
April: I had a breather, which I think is important. Sometimes you need that and
I enjoy having that time.
Jenny: You said the program was small at Virginia Tech, did that help in the
transition from Hollins?
April: Yes, it did. It was fun for me on a lot of levels that I was able to come
to a large university after attending a very small liberal arts women's college.
It was quite a change, but the program itself didn't feel that different because
even at Hollins in some of our programs we had males in our programs, and so I
was used to those small programs, and here it felt much the same. And
00:05:00so withthe MA program-- In fact, I think when I first started with my class with the MA
program I was the only woman, so it was a bit of a flip-flop for me to suddenly
be in a class where it was all men and I was the only woman that started out
with the program that particular year. But I loved it. Again, I felt like I had
found my voice. I was well prepared and we challenged one another, so it was
again just very gratifying.
Jenny: What is difficult to be the only woman though or they were supportive?
April: We formed a bond kind of immediately all of us because it was a
challenging program, and I think any time you're-- And that's the one thing that
I really enjoyed about this particular program is that we were challenged and it
was definitely a difficult program, and that's a good thing, because
00:06:00 itbroadened our view of history and to be able to come in and really see things in
different ways and to talk about it. We all formed a very close-knit bond
through that and supported one another, because it was challenging, and
particularly when you are working and balancing your education you need that
support. And so not only were the professors very supportive, but as a group we
were supportive of one another, and that really helped too. If somebody was down
and they weren't able to, not sure how they were going to finish the project for
the next day we would rally behind them and we did that for one another. And we
still, the few of us who graduated from that particular program we still stay in
touch, and it's nice just seeing how each other is doing.
Jenny: That's wonderful.
April: Yes.
Jenny: I think we experience a lot of that too. Was there a lot of outside of
classroom
00:07:00 comradery?April: Yes, a lot.
Jenny: Drinks at PK's?
April: Absolutely. And like I said, we had so much fun. Some of my fondest are
really outside of the classroom and we would just go and debate what we had just
discussed in the classroom for hours. [Laughs] You know and really fun. It was
great to hear everyone's views, and again challenge each other's thinking and
kind of debate just for the fun of debating you know. I think that strengthened
our ability in our field, and not only that, but prepared us outside of school
for real life. I think we were very confident when we left here. We knew we
could speak our opinions and our mind, but at the same time listen to other
views and be very well aware of other peoples' views and open to them, and I
think the history program really prepares you for that.
00:08:00And your writing skills,your ability to edit and look at things, it strengthened us in all those ways.
And we would often read each other's papers and make comments and everything, so
again, it was just a real team and it was a nice feeling.
Jenny: You mentioned two professors earlier who were influential, what role did
they play in your education?
April: Oh goodness. I remember so fondly the whole department. I mean everyone
was just wonderful and especially when you love history you love hearing all
aspects of history, so whether it was oftentimes a different view of women's
history from Ms. Jones or Dr. Shifflett who was looking at Colonial History or
Peter Wallenstein, or at that time we had Dr. Ekirch, which I think he's still here.
Jenny: He's still
00:09:00 here.April: You know it was just they all were such a delight, because they were all
passionate, Dr. Robertson, you know, they all brought such a passion to the
field which inspired us. That's contagious and so when they are excited about
history and what they are teaching then you get excited, even if it's not
something that you particularly, a part of history that you might not have
thought you were interested in it inspired you to learn more, and so that was
what I really enjoyed about all the professors here. I just enjoyed their
enthusiasm for the subject and for their desire to inspire us as well to learn more.
Jenny: So would there be any advice you would give to current or future MA students?
April: Oh yes, let's see. There's so much. [Laughs] I think staying close to
your professors and forming that relationship with them serves you
00:10:00well when youleave this program. I know that I still remain in touch with my professors from
Hollins. I remain in touch with professors here at Virginia Tech, and I just
know at different points in your career, whatever your career choice ends up
being they are a resource and they are a source of support, and somebody that
you can-- that can be a sounding board. They can be a resource for networking.
They can be someone who can give you great references. It's just great to stay
in touch. More than that they become great friends, and so I think staying in
touch and having those positive relationships mean a great deal. I think once
you graduate from the program, knowing that you may not get that first job right
away that you're hoping for that would relate directly to your field, but to be
patient and sometimes to accept a position that you may not think is a good fit
for you. I know that when I came out of the program
00:11:00I had a job interview at asmall historic house museum, and it was part-time. And I remembered I almost
canceled the interview because I thought I need a full-time job and part-time
and it's a small historic house museum, I'm not sure that's really what I want
to do. But I went and I fell in love with the house and the history and
everything about it, and I had to work hard and within just a few months they
had me full-time. And so I think work hard at whatever that first job is right
out of graduate school because it pays off. And I know that at this historic
house I was able to create a lot of programs that they had not created before
because I kind of had that ability to be creative and do all these things that
served me well later on when I went to the National D-Day Memorial because they
were starting new programs, and they needed somebody who could put them together
from scratch, and I had done that. So that job prepared me for my next role in
the
00:12:00field, so just be patient and work hard, it does pay off.Jenny: That's wonderful advice for impatient people like me.
April: Yeah, sometimes it takes time, but I think you learn from every job, even
if it's not directly related to the field, and when people see that you have a
strong work ethic and that you are willing to put in the extra hours and do your
best you get very far very quickly.
Jenny: So after you worked in the house museum you began working at the D-Day Memorial?
April: That's right, I did.
Jenny: What drew you to that site?
April: I actually grew up in Bedford, so Bedford was the community that suffered
the largest per capita loss of fatalities on D-Day, on June 6th 1944. So I grew
up in this community that quite honestly it was a very solemn place in terms of
the loss that it suffered in World War II and the impact that it had on the
00:13:00families and the communities for years after. And I knew many of those families.I grew up with them and I knew-- In fact, there was one lady in particular who
was like another grandmother to me and she lost both of her brothers on D-Day.
So when she started telling me about the National D-Day Memorial being placed in
Bedford, that Congress had approved it, it was going to be in Bedford that
excited me. World War II was not necessarily a history that I always had delved
into, but I felt very passionate about history in general and wanted to be a
part of this new endeavor to bring that history to a whole new generation. It
was just exciting to me, and so I applied and was able to get the job as their
educational coordinator and I have been there ever since. I just kind of worked
my way through the ranks. I started from the very beginning just putting
together tours and programs for children. It was just a very
00:14:00rewarding place. Itis good to meet so many veterans and people from all over the world, and I've
just enjoyed every moment of it. I'm immersed in history every day and I love it.
Jenny: One of the things that strikes me about the memorial is it seems to do a
wonderful job memorializing the lives lost and the sacrifices of World War II,
but it also seems it wants to teach us as well, teach visitors who come. How do
you balance those two missions?
April: That is a balance and a very important one for us because we want to make
sure, in fact we're the only organization in the world who have researched the
names of all those who died on D-Day, and we have those on our Memorial Wall.
And so we want that to be a very important part of our mission and what we do,
is to remind people of the sacrifices that were made that day. But we also want
people to understand what was gained that day, and what was gained certainly was
the beaches and
00:15:00then a country and then a continent and our freedom, our freedomfrom that tyranny that existed. And I think it's so important for us to make
sure the memorial becomes a touchstone for the next generation and for
generations to come to learn about not only what was lost, but what was gained.
And I think we do that through some very creative programming, and we make sure
that people understand what made the greatest generation great. You know their
determination, their perseverance, their working together, their willingness to
sacrifice so much. And I think that's important for all of us to keep in mind,
and so those are all lessons that we like to bring to not only children, but to
adults who visit as well.
Jenny: How has the town changed since the D-Day Memorial was installed?
April: It's a very patriotic place,
00:16:00and a great example is just a few weeks agowe had forty French visitors from Normandy come to Bedford and we greeted them
at the memorial. And we had all of these elementary children line the road to
the memorial French flags as they came in and they were all shouting, Vive la
France, and it was just a fun experience. Visitors from the town came up and we
had French and American flags flying all over the community. There's a real
sense of understanding what freedom costs, and so it is a very patriotic place.
I think everyone in Bedford just understands the need for memorialize and the
need to never forget, not only what those during World War II sacrificed, but
what those who came after them were willing to sacrifice and give. You know we
have so many Vietnam veterans who come to the memorial, Korean War veterans,
veterans who served
00:17:00recently in Iraq and Afghanistan who come just because it isa place of solitude and remembrance. And so I think the community understands
that and they try to nurture that and support all of our veterans in any way
that we can.
Jenny: Would you still describe the town as solemn?
April: No, I don't think I would describe it as solemn. I think there has always
been a bit of a veil over the community in terms of what happened in 1944 and
the impact that it had, and certainly continues to have. But I think everybody
in the community has embraced the history, and they are using it to do something
good, which is to teach. So it's wonderful that it's not just the memorial that
serves as a teaching tool, but it's also the whole community. And so we
encourage people to go downtown and to visit where the Bedford boys for example
where they went to
00:18:00school, where the telegrams came in once they were notified,the town was notified of those who died. It's a teaching tool the whole
community I think, and Bedford is just emblematic of all our communities across
our country who nurtured these citizen soldiers and so many of them never came home.
Jenny: That's wonderful. It must be wonderful to have community support like that.
April: It is and it's part of what's kept us going. We do not receive state or
federal funding. Part of our challenge is certainly funding going to the
memorial. We are a non-profit and we survive off of private donations. And had
it not been for the community and other communities across our commonwealth and
across the United States we would not still exist. It's because of peoples'
passion to keep the story alive, and peoples' understanding that we are there to
teach the lessons and legacy of D-Day and World War II to that next generation.
Jenny: So what do you envision the future of the D-Day Memorial to be?
April:
00:19:00I think for us the most exciting thing is that we will add to ourmonument and we will have a wonderful education center full of artifacts to more
completely tell the story of D-Day and World War II. We have thousands of
artifacts that are just waiting in the wings to be displayed for the public, and
so it's an exciting phase that is on the horizon for us, and I just think it
will add immensely to the education that people will receive once they're there.
It's a beautiful memorial. I think seeing the artifacts that we have and making
it more personal, those who were there and seeing the things that they carried
for example during the War, and learning more about them as individuals I think
will make the history much more personal. And so the Education Center is
something we are really excited about and continuing our research, continuing to
work with other museums across not only the United States, but overseas as well
to
00:20:00help share the story. We are all in it together in this educational missionto make sure people do not forget, and so we're committed to doing that.
Jenny: Wonderful, I need to visit, I really do.
April: Please do. It's a beautiful site. We receive a lot of young people, a lot
of college students. Our very own Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is very
supportive. In fact, over the years they have raised over two hundred thousand
dollars for the memorial, because they understand the significance and why it's
important to preserve the history. And I will say that's one of the few
institutions, schools that supports us in that way, so that means a great deal
to us to have the Cadets so responsive to our mission.
Jenny: Do they frequently visit?
April: Yes. We have an annual trip every year. They come, and in fact they were
just at the memorial a few weeks ago, but the
00:21:00freshman class comes every yearand we teach them. We introduce them to World War II Veterans. We teach them
about the history of D-Day. We tell them a little bit about the history of how
Virginia Tech during World War II had an impact, the story of Jimmy [Muntee] for
example who was killed on the beaches on D-Day. So there's a great deal of
history that we share and we get them excited about the history as well.
Jenny: How neat.
April: It's fun. We enjoy it, and Virginia Military Institute does the same
thing and they bring their cadets as well. And again, we work with a lot of
school children. One of the most exciting things is that we are working on a
distance learning initiatives as well so that we can do school programs anywhere
in the country, so that we're not just locked in geographically to the schools
in our area, but we can do a program for a retirement community that's in
California, or a school that's in Alaska, and we are excited about that. Again,
going back to the vision of the
00:22:00memorial, it's just being able to open thehistory up to anyone who wants to learn and making it more accessible.
Jenny: Yeah, that sounds wonderful. Access to more veterans as well as students.
April: Absolutely, yes. Our veterans are leaving us at a rapid rate. Our World
War II Veterans probably by 2025 we probably will have very few left with us who
can tell their story personally, and so we are committed to collecting as many
oral histories as we can in the meantime, and we will have that for the future,
for scholars and historians and others who want to do research.
Jenny: Well switching gears here a good bit actually, VT Stories the Project
sort of bloomed out of this Gallup poll that was taken that measured basically
alumnis' love for their former University, how much they are willing to give
money, how often they visit. And the
00:23:00poll found that there were schools thatwere doing pretty well and had pretty good support, and there are schools that
did really well. And then there's Virginia Tech which was like way up here.
Everyone loved Virginia Tech and everyone gives money, everyone comes back. And
this project is trying to figure out why is that so. Why are we so special? And
you came here in the middle of your busy day on a Thursday
April: Right.
Jenny: Do you have any thoughts on why there's such a great alumni network of support?
April: Well, you know, it's difficult to explain, because I think you have to
experience it when you're here and just the comradery you feel, the enthusiasm.
I have never seen fans more devoted than the Virginia Tech Hokies. There's such
an energy
00:24:00here and I think everyone feels that from the moment you step oncampus. There's an energy, there's a love of the place. There's a love of the
programs. Everything is just so well done. It's quality programs, quality
professors. The experience that you take away is something you never forget, and
you stay committed because you know, it was for me and my life it was kind of a
touchstone, because it really formed the foundation of me being able to go out
and be as confident as I was in the field and to you know, broaden my thinking
and you know I just never forgot it. I think this is just-- It's something that
I just always continued to follow Virginia Tech and be a part of the alum and
like I said, stay in touch with the professors, and I think a lot of people do
that when they leave here. I think they just form those
00:25:00bonds and therefore theycontinue coming back. And it's not just coming back for the football games, it's
just coming back on campus just to remember that enthusiasm that you had when
you were here. It's wonderful.
Jenny: Feel the energy.
April: You feel the energy, and like I said, it's contagious and you know you
take back with you. It's just something you don't forget. It stays with you, it does.
Jenny: Great, I think that's about all the time we have today.
April: Okay.
Jenny: Was there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had?
April: I don't think so. I can't think of anything else. I think we covered most
of the bases.
Jenny: Great, well thank you so much for coming.
April: Thank you guys, I appreciate it. It was a fun
00:26:00 time.[End of interview]
00:27:00