Background
Rasmussen, William Meade Stith was born on February 23, 1946 in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Son of John Curtis and Dena Lee Rasmussen.
( TWO HUNDRED YEARS after Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee's ...)
TWO HUNDRED YEARS after Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee's funeral oration for George Washington, the eloquence of his words "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" has caused most Americans to forget the clause that followed in which Lee located Washington's character firmly in his private life. George Washington: The Man behind the Myths redresses this historical imbalance in our image of Washington by examining our conceptions and misconceptions about him through a fascinating collection of documents and images. Washington's own accounts, observations by his contemporaries, narratives by the first generation of Washington biographers, decorative objects, and visual images, which were assembled for a major exhibition sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, and Washington and Lee University, invite a fresh evaluation of Washington. William M. S. Rasmussen and Robert S. Tilton trace the ways in which Washington's origins in the peculiar colonial society of Virginia prepared him for success on the national stage. Chronologically arranged chapters examine Washington's early exposure to the wealthy Fairfax family, his command of the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War and later the Continental Army, his decision to attend the Constitutional Convention, and his two elections to the presidency. Rasmussen and Tilton argue that the major transitions we see in Washington's public image were made possible by the stability of his private life and his love of Mount Vernon. The image of Washington created by antebellum writers and artists after his death was intended to capture what he signified to the fledgling republic. This myth has survived largely because of its usefulness to our national culture. George Washington: The Man behind the Myths takes a crucial step in restoring our understanding of Washington as he actually was.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813919002/?tag=2022091-20
(Illustrated here are handsome mansions, imposing courthou...)
Illustrated here are handsome mansions, imposing courthouses, towering churches, giant flour mills, extravagant hotels, wooden grist mills, covered bridges, and humble cottages and outbuildings -- more than 300 structures lost to fire or demolition. A treasure trove of unique buildings, "Lost Virginia" underscores the importance of efforts to preserve other riches in Virginia's architectural heritage.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157427127X/?tag=2022091-20
(Remembrances of "Old Virginia" conjure intense pride, yet...)
Remembrances of "Old Virginia" conjure intense pride, yet are also rife with troubling contradictions. For the phrase includes both the impressive accomplishments of the Founding Fathers and Jamestown’s ignoble beginnings; it encompasses plantation owners’ dignified gentility, but also their dependence on the institution of slavery. With over 200 images, Old Virginia: The Pursuit of a Pastoral Ideal presents an unbiased survey of the history of this elusive term, disentangling myth from fact.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574271407/?tag=2022091-20
Rasmussen, William Meade Stith was born on February 23, 1946 in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Son of John Curtis and Dena Lee Rasmussen.
Bachelor in American History, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1964—1968. Master of Arts in Art History, University Delaware, Newark, 1972—1975. Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, University Delaware, Newark, 1975—1980.
Teacher Virginia Museum Fine Arts, Richmond, 1977—1981. Professor Washington & Lee University, 1981—1982. Curator Virginia History Society, Richmond, since 1991, Va.Mus.
Fine Arts, Richmond, 1982—1991. Curator Virginia History Society, Richmond, Virginia, since 1991.
( TWO HUNDRED YEARS after Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee's ...)
(Illustrated here are handsome mansions, imposing courthou...)
(She was born into a culture that had some knowledge of Eu...)
(Remembrances of "Old Virginia" conjure intense pride, yet...)
Married Maria Payne Rasmussen, August 8, 2003. Children: Drury Alexander Stith, Marc Emerson Townes, Elizabeth Maria Joynes, Alexandra Mercedes Joynes.