Waynesburg University Relations As part of the Crosby Lecture Series that Waynesburg University ahs been hosting for several weeks, students and faculty alike are welcome to join a wide range of speakers to get an insight on a wide variety of topics. For Candice Buchanan, she intends to use her time to focus on the very origins of the former Waynesburg College, notably the experience of the female students in their first 75 years of coeducation at Waynesburg.
Buchanan, a reference librarian in the history and genealogy section at the Library of Congress is very familiar with Waynesburg, having grown up in the town, as well as having received a Bachelor of Arts in history before moving onto graduate school, elaborated on how her passion in her local history began.
“I was very young when I became interested in genealogy, not quite 14 years old. No one in my family, nor anyone that I knew, was involved in that type of research. So, to learn more, I went to the person who always helped me to find answers – the Children’s Librarian at the Bowlby Public Library in Waynesburg.” Buchanan said, while mentioning why it is so important to her to fucus such efforts on Greene County history specifically, “I love Greene County history. I am attached to the people and places of its past and I do not want them to be forgotten. My ancestors – on almost every branch of my family tree – have been in Greene County for over two centuries, so I have a personal connection.”
When it comes to how Buchanan was asked to lead the series, it seems that President Lee’s office was interested in her doing so for a while. “President Lee’s office reached out to me regarding Waynesburg’s 175thanniversary, to ask if I would be interested in speaking about the school’s history. It is an honor to be invited and I am looking forward to sharing one of my favorite aspects of the Waynesburg story – the school’s early offering of coeducation with the opportunity for female students to earn bachelor’s degrees equal to the male students.” Buchanan said, while further emphasizing how important the history of her hometown is for her. “Greene County is home, so the tie is personal. However, it’s history is also extremely worthy. I use examples from Greene County history, certainly including Waynesburg University, when I teach or write for the Library of Congress. Greene Connections continues to grow and keeps me very busy when I’m not at work. In this way, even though I’m geographically removed from Greene County, I am still very connected to the history and research.”