Roanoke City School Board votes to rename admin building, technical center

ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke City School Board has voted to give new names to the administration building and the Ruffner building.

The board met on Tuesday night and voted 6-1 in favor of the proposal.

The administration building will now be called the William B. Robertson Administration Building, located on Campbell Avenue in the old Roanoke Times building.

William Robertson, known as Bill, was a Roanoke native and an educator in the Star City. He impacted thousands through his efforts in creating a summer camp for children with disabilities.

He was also a member of the Roanoke Jaycees, a leadership development organization for active citizens and he became of the first black advisors to the Virginia Governor, when he worked alongside Linwood Holton. There, he made strides in desegregation.

Those who knew him say his legacy as a trailblazer and a civic leader impacted the history of Roanoke so much, they want his name to be part of the future, and now, his legacy will officially live on.

According to the meeting agenda, areas within the William B. Robertson Administration Building were also given names:

  • The Doris Ennis School Board Meeting Chambers,
  • The E. Wayne Harris Professional Learning Wing,
  • The Wendell Ball Academic Wing,
  • The George Andrew Kegley Communications and Community Engagement Wing.

The new technical education center, which will be located in the old Ruffner Middle School building, has been named The Charles Day Technical Education Center.

Charles Day passed away in 2015, according to his obituary. Day was a longtime educator in the Commonwealth with 30 years of experience, it read. During his tenure in education, Day served as Principal at Ruffner Middle School, which will now be home to The Charles Day Technical Education Center, and served on the Roanoke City School Board for 12 years, as well as two years as Board Chairman.

Areas within The Charles Day Technical Education Center were named:

  • The Lloyd Enoch Social Gathering Area and Courtyard,
  • The Henrietta Lacks Health and Medical Sciences Wing,
  • The Beth Brown Engineering and Robotics Wing,
  • The Louis Phillipe Smithey Building and Trades Wing,
  • The Joe Gaither Sports Medicine Wing.

You can watch the full Roanoke City School Board meeting here. Discussion about the facility names begins around the 2:20:00 mark.


About the Author:

Alli Graham came aboard the digital team as an evening digital content producer in June 2022.