REPORTERS:  For more information or to arrange a photo opportunity,
contact Charles Irons at (804) 979-7618.

NEW TOUR WILL BRING DRAMATIC MOMENTS 
IN UNIVERSITY'S HISTORY TO LIFE

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 21 -- Visitors will witness
sights, sounds and sensations of the University of Virginia's past
during "Living Tours" on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 2 to 5 p.m.
	Students in the University Guide Service will lead visitors
to seven sites in U.Va.'s Rotunda and on the Lawn, where they will
encounter people, dressed in period costumes, who will represent
dramatic moments in U.Va.'s history. Conducted as a part of Parents
Weekend activities, the free, 35-minute tours will allow visitors to
interact with students representing both the University's future and
notables of the past.
	During the first stop, visitors will join Thomas Jefferson
and French general Marquis de Lafayette at a banquet table in the
Rotunda's Dome Room. Guests will help Lafayette toast Jefferson's
vision of the University. 
	 After leaving the Dome Rome, visitors will encounter
"Reddy" Echols, a U.Va. professor who will describe efforts to save
the Rotunda from the fire that destroyed it 100 years ago.  Other
representatives from U.Va.'s past will include:  Henry Martin, who
was employed as a bell ringer for approximately 50 years; professor
John Davis, who was shot to death by two students in an incident
that sparked the creation of the Honor Society; and members of the
secret Pumpkin Society.  Visitors will also enter a pavilion, where
they will encounter a soldier who describes tensions between Union
and Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War years at U.Va.
	This is the first time the student-run Guide Service has
offered an interactive historical tour.  "Inspired by the
University's observance of the 100th anniversary of the Rotunda
fire, we wanted to offer a tour that would show both the origins of
the University and the direction it is headed," said Charles Irons,
Guide Service historian.  He was instrumental in designing the tour,
choosing elements for their historical significance and
entertainment value.
	People interested in going on a tour should assemble on the
north side of the Rotunda.  Tours of 20 people will leave
approximately every 10 minutes. Following the tours visitors can
enjoy refreshments in the gardens behind Pavilion VIII.
	For more information, call the University Guide office at
(804) 924-3239.
###
October 20, 1995