- Playing
- Diane Watkins Voice of Virginia Union
- From
- Charles McGuigan
Diane Watkins grew up on the campus of Virginia Union University, a traditionally black college in Richmomnd, Virginia. After her mother’s death, Diane was adopted by her Aunt Elizabeth Balfour Ellison and her Uncle John Ellison, who was president of Virginia Union. During John Ellison’s tenure he oversaw the re-construction of the Belgian Pavilion from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. It was a singular piece of architecture and the Belgian government gave it to Virginia Union. Among its many features is a 161 foot bell tower. But there are no bells, and no one seemed to know where they went. Until one of Diane’s brothers, a body guard in Trenton, NJ called her one day.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Diane Watkins grew up on the campus of Virginia Union University, a traditionally black college in Richmomnd, Virginia. After her mother’s death, Diane was adopted by her Aunt Elizabeth Balfour Ellison and her Uncle John Ellison, who was president of Virginia Union. During John Ellison’s tenure he oversaw the re-construction of the Belgian Pavilion from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. It was a singular piece of architecture and the Belgian government gave it to Virginia Union. Among its many features is a 161 foot bell tower. But there are no bells, and no one seemed to know where they went. Until one of Diane’s brothers, a body guard in Trenton, NJ called her one day.
Broadcast History
Aired in two parts on WRIR-FM in Richmond, VA.
Transcript
Diane Watkins: A Voice For Virginia Union
Welcome to a Grain Of Sand.I think the poet William Blake got it right. You can see the entire world in a grain of sand. All you need to do is look close enough. You can also hear the music of the spheres in words and sounds. In the ordinary, the common place. The things we say, and how we say them.
The big truths of life are interwoven with our stories, the tales we tell on ourselves. One
image, one incident, a single memory, a byte of sound, leads to another and another until
you’ve got enough grains of sand to build an entire planet. Enough words to construct a
life. Or at least a generous slice of it.
I’m Charles McGuigan host and producer of A Grain of Sand. And this episode is about a woman named Diane Watkins who is giving voice to a bell tower that has been silent for more than 70 years on the campus of a traditionally black univer...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
29:08
". . . the carillon at Virginia Union would again possess a voice."
MUSIC BRIDGE 1 min. 42 secs.
30:50
"Diane Watkins grew up in the president's house on the campus . . ."
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Diane Watkins, who grew up on the campus of Virginia Union University, recently made a discovery about the bell tower of the Belgian Friendship Building. She located the bells and is now determined to see new bells installed in this tower that has been silent for more than 70 years.
OUTRO:Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original music | Charles Arthur | 00:00 |
