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'Stone By Stone’: The Story Behind Who Built Duke University

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Frank Stasio

Published July 2, 2018 at 12:36 PM EDT

Roof construction at Duke Chapel.

Last August, Duke University removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the entrance to the Duke University Chapel. The removal came amidst country-wide protests over Confederate symbols, and soon after the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then, Duke has embarked on a project to interrogate its history and identify some of the unsung heroes of the school.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Duke archivist Valerie Gillispie and participating Duke undergraduate student Caroline Waring about their project, 'Stone By Stone’: The Story Behind Who Built Duke University initiative.

This summer, archivists and students contributed to the efforts with the project “Stone by Stone,” which aims to identify the names and stories of laborers and craftspeople who built the school’s chapel and part of west campus.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Duke archivist Valerie Gillispie and participating Duke undergraduate student Caroline Waring about the initiative.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio