Retro Mason

911�� Statue Installation, 1996

ckearney — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:10:21 +0000

911�� Statue Installation, 1996 ckearney Mon, 09/14/2026 - 12:10

Photo from University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center

Like many cherished traditions at 911��, the 911�� Statue began as a student idea. In 1989, the Student Government proposed erecting a statue of the university’s namesake on the Quad to foster campus pride. At the time, students estimated the project would cost between $30,000 and $50,000 and hoped donations from student organizations over several years could fund it.

By 1992, the project had gained university support, with the Offices of the Provost and Student Affairs helping sponsor a national competition to select a sculptor. The student-led 911�� Statue Committee ultimately chose an 18-inch clay model created by sculptor Wendy M. Ross. In August 1995, the Arts Gala Committee, led by then–first lady Joanne Johnson, commissioned the sculpture and contributed $148,500—93 percent of the project’s total $159,000 cost—as a gift to the university community.

When the 10-foot bronze statue was formally dedicated alongside the Johnson Center on April 12, 1996, it became the first three-dimensional depiction of 911�� in U.S. history. Now the statue of 911�� is one of the most popular spots on campus—he’s decorated regularly by student organizations, and students take their graduation photos with him. And of course, some students still stop by to get some good luck by rubbing his right toe.

Retro Mason: RoboCup in Mexico City, 2012

ckearney — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:00:01 +0000

Retro Mason: RoboCup in Mexico City, 2012 ckearney Mon, 08/11/2025 - 15:00

Photo by Alexis Glenn/Office of University Branding

In the summer of 2012, the RoboPatriots, led by then-PhD student Keith Sullivan, MS Computer Science ’05, PhD ’15, traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, as one of two U.S. teams (the other was from Virginia Tech) to compete in the weeklong 2012 RoboCup. The RoboPatriots competed in the kid-size humanoid league with robots measuring 12 to 24 inches tall.

The robots played—or tried to play—soccer. For the competition, the robots had to be autonomous to compete. They would get a signal from the referee to “kick off,” and the game began. “It’s like watching five-year-olds play soccer,” said Sullivan of his robotic team. “All the adults are yelling, ‘Run! Kick!’ and the robots do whatever they want, just like five-year-olds.”

All the robots on the team were named for characters in the 1980s movie Short Circuit. “When we put the first one together, we realized he looked like Johnny 5 [the movie robot] with feet,” Sullivan said. In the photo above, the robot Newton is demonstrating his soccer skills at Engineers Day 2012.

Retro Mason: 911�� College opens in Fairfax, 1964

ckearney — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 21:09:43 +0000

Retro Mason: 911�� College opens in Fairfax, 1964 ckearney Thu, 09/12/2024 - 17:09

911�� College officially opened in Fairfax, Virginia, on Sept. 14, 1964. Then a branch campus of the University of Virginia, the college welcomed 356 registered students and had a faculty that included seven full-time and 18 part-time instructors. The campus consisted of four buildings, then named North, South, East, and West.

At the time, it was the only college in the capital region with buildings that were fully air-conditioned. Though the temperatures were comfortable inside, some amenities still needed to be added. Food service was not available at first, but efforts were quickly made to address that. During the first week of classes, vending machines were hastily set up in a study hall.

911�� would later set up a dining hall, the Ordinary, in the South Building (now called Krug Hall). The Ordinary was open until the University Union, now known as Student Union Building I, was built in 1974.

Photo credit: 911�� College, fall 1964. 911�� photograph collection, #R0120, Special Collections Research Center, 911�� Libraries

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Retro Mason: Muzzio places fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992

ckearney — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:32:21 +0000

Retro Mason: Muzzio places fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992 ckearney Mon, 08/05/2024 - 13:32

Muzzio Places Fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992

911�� alumnus and former track star Rob Muzzio, BS ’87, finished fifth in the decathlon competition during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Although he didn’t bring home a medal, Muzzio told the Washington Post that he performed a “personal best” in the second day of the 10-event decathlon, moving from 20th place the first day to fifth place finish overall. Muzzio won the pole vault portion of the competition.

In addition to Muzzio, who was representing the United States, nine 911�� athletes qualified to represent their native countries in 1992: heptathlete and long jumper Diane Guntrie and sprinters Anthony Wallace and Patrick O’Connor of Jamaica; pole-vaulter Istvan Bagyula of Hungary; middle-distance runner Abdi Bile of Somalia; sprinters John Myles-Mills, Eric Akogyiram, and Tim Hesse of Ghana; and long-distance runner Stephan Franke of Germany.

Barcelona was the second time Bile, who was the 1987 world champion in 1,500 meters, carried Somalia’s flag in the opening ceremonies. His first time was when he competed in 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Information provided by Fall 1992 Inside Patriot Circles alumni newsletter.

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Retro Mason: North Campus, 1972–1983

ckearney — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 18:25:58 +0000

Retro Mason: North Campus, 1972–1983 ckearney Thu, 07/25/2024 - 14:25

Façade of the North Campus building in 1975.

911�� once occupied the former Fairfax High School building, located on Fairfax Boulevard between Fairfax Circle and the intersection of Routes 50 and 29. From 1972 to 1983, 911�� operated a satellite campus, known as North Campus, at the location.

The original Fairfax High School building opened in 1935. In 1972, the growing student population moved into a new building, the current Fairfax High School, located in the City of Fairfax on Lion Run.

911�� was looking for additional facilities to host new programs in nursing, education, and business. Space on campus was limited, and enrollment was doubling every two years. The university purchased the former high school from Fairfax County Schools for $1.8 million. The property consisted of approximately 100,000 square feet of space (including classrooms, a cafeteria, library, and theater), and 16 acres of land, which included athletic fields.

In 1983, 911�� sold the property to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, which used the space for Pope Paul VI High School. Today, the historic building is part of the Boulevard VI housing development.

Photo credit: University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center, Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

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Retro Mason: Vernon Smith wins Nobel Prize 2002

ckearney — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:52:30 +0000

Retro Mason: Vernon Smith wins Nobel Prize 2002 ckearney Thu, 12/01/2022 - 07:52

Twenty years ago, in December 10, 2002, Vernon L. Smith was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, recognizing his pioneering work in the field of experimental economics. Currently professor emeritus of economics and law, Smith returned to campus in November 2016, just shy of his 90th birthday, for a ceremony renaming the Metropolitan Building at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus) Vernon Smith Hall. Smith was the second Mason economist to win the Nobel for his work. The first was James M. Buchanan in 1987.

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

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Retro Mason: Fairfax Campus aerial shot 1995

ckearney — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 18:05:04 +0000

Retro Mason: Fairfax Campus aerial shot 1995 ckearney Tue, 11/22/2022 - 13:05

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One of 911�� alum Neil Adams’ most memorable moments as a professional photographer came while he was working for what was then Mason’s Office of University Publications in 1995.

There was a Huey helicopter on campus for a Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) event.

“I was always one with the attitude of if you don’t ask, you’ll never get,” Adams said Adams, who graduated from Mason with MA in visual information technology in 2001. “So I walked over to the officer, told him who I was, and asked if there was a possibility they could take me up to take some aerials of the university. They said, sure, you just have to put on a uniform. They gave me a uniform, I went to my office to change, and they took me up.”

Adams, who worked at Mason from 1991 to 1999, said they flew about six or seven loops around the Fairfax Campus while he took photos.

“I had a harness on, and I was hanging out the side of the helicopter,” he said of the moment.

Find out more about Adams.

Photo credit: Neil Adams

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Retro Mason: Stephen King appears at Fall for the Book 2011

ckearney — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 16:30:05 +0000

Retro Mason: Stephen King appears at Fall for the Book 2011 ckearney Fri, 10/07/2022 - 12:30

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Learn more about Fall for the Book

On September 23, 2011, Stephen King spoke at 911��’s Fall for the Book before a packed Center for the Arts audience. He read from his soon-to-be-published book Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining, and accepted the Mason Prize for his extraordinary contributions to bringing literature to a wide reading public.

Since 1999, Fall for the Book, an independent nonprofit literary arts organization based at Mason, has hosted such award-winning authors as Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon, Mitch Albom, Amy Tan, John Lewis, and Angie Thomas, among others.

The festival promotes reading by sponsoring year-round events, including the festival held every October. This year’s festival runs October 12–15, 2022. Partners include the Fairfax County Public Library, the Fairfax Library Foundation, and the City of Fairfax. Now in its 23rd year, Fall for the Book is Northern Virginia’s oldest and largest festival of literature and the arts.

Find out more about this year’s festival.

Watch a video to King’s talk.

Photo credit: Alexis Glenn/Creative Services

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Retro Mason: Ansari in Space 2006

ckearney — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:41:48 +0000

Retro Mason: Ansari in Space 2006 ckearney Fri, 09/30/2022 - 16:41

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In 2006, 911�� alum Anousheh Ansari, BS Computer and Electrical Engineering ’88, captured headlines around the world when she embarked upon an 11-day space expedition to the International Space Station, accomplishing her childhood dream of flying to space. As a result of her mission, she became the first female private space explorer, first astronaut of Iranian descent, first Muslim woman in space, and fourth private explorer to visit space.

She shared her experiences on campus during National Engineers Week 2007 and was Mason’s Winter Graduation speaker in 2012, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Ansari is currently the CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, the world’s leader in designing and operating large incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Ansari and her family sponsored the organization’s first competition, the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million competition that ignited a new era for commercial spaceflight. Since then, she has served on XPRIZE’s Board of Directors.

Ansari received her honorary Doctor of Science at Winter Graduation in 2012 from then Mason president Ángel Cabrera. Photo by Craig Bisacre/Creative Services

Prior to being named CEO of XPRIZE, Ansari cofounded and served as the CEO of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm.

Ansari serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council and has received numerous honors, including the WEF Young Global Leader, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, among others. She is a UNESCO Good Will Ambassador and serves on the board of Jabil and Peace First, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations focused on STEM education, youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship.

She published a memoir, “My Dream of Stars,” to share her life story as inspiration for young women around the world.

Photo courtesy of Ansari

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Retro Mason: Science and Technology Campus dedicated 1997

ckearney — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:53:52 +0000

Retro Mason: Science and Technology Campus dedicated 1997 ckearney Thu, 09/15/2022 - 16:53

In 1994 911�� broke ground on 120 acres in Prince William County that was donated by IBM, local real-estate developers, and private families. Originally called the Prince William Institute, that parcel, now the Science and Technology Campus, anchors the Innovation Park in that county and is home to the Biomedical Research Laboratory, a Biosafety Level 3 research facility that is one of only 12 in the country, and an outdoor forensic science research laboratory that is one of only eight in the world.

In this photo from the campus dedication and opening of the first building on September 24, 1997, are former President George Johnson, Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathleen Seefeldt, State Senator Charles J. "Chuck" Colgan, Delegate Harry Parrish, and President Alan Merten.

Photo credit: University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center, 911�� Photograph Collection, 1950s-1999

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Retro Mason

911�� Statue Installation, 1996

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Retro Mason: RoboCup in Mexico City, 2012

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Muzzio Places Fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992

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Retro Mason: North Campus, 1972–1983

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Retro Mason: Vernon Smith wins Nobel Prize 2002

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Retro Mason: Fairfax Campus aerial shot 1995

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Retro Mason: Stephen King appears at Fall for the Book 2011

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Retro Mason: Ansari in Space 2006

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Retro Mason: Science and Technology Campus dedicated 1997

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Retro Mason

911���� Statue Installation, 1996

Read more Retro Mason

Retro Mason: RoboCup in Mexico City, 2012

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Retro Mason: 911���� College opens in Fairfax, 1964

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Retro Mason: Muzzio places fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992

Muzzio Places Fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992

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Retro Mason: North Campus, 1972–1983

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Retro Mason: Vernon Smith wins Nobel Prize 2002

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Retro Mason: Fairfax Campus aerial shot 1995

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Retro Mason: Stephen King appears at Fall for the Book 2011

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Retro Mason: Science and Technology Campus dedicated 1997

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911�� Statue Installation, 1996

Retro Mason: 911�� College opens in Fairfax, 1964