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In Memoriam | Winter 2019

In Memoriam: 2010s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Karenne Wood (Grad ’16) of Kents Store, Virginia, died July 21, 2019. The first Monacan Indian to receive a doctoral degree from UVA, Ms. Wood taught in the anthropology department and, beginning in 2007, directed the Virginia Indian Programs at Virginia Humanities. Described as a “fierce advocate for the rights of Virginia Indians and indigenous people,” Wood helped secure federal recognition for the Monacan tribe and also helped update the state’s education curriculum. Ms. Wood’s work was recognized in 2009 with the Schwartz Prize, the highest honor from the Federation of State Humanities Programs, and the Library of Virginia included her on its 2015 list of Virginia Women in History. “She was such a loving, giving person, with an amazing sense of humor and a deep commitment to the local community,” Margo Smith, director of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, told UVA Today. Ms. Wood created the Virginia Indian Archive and helped produce Virginia Indian content in Encyclopedia Virginia. A gifted poet, she published two collections, Markings on Earth and Weaving the Boundary. “She was the central person speaking for Native Americans in Virginia,” UVA professor Jeffrey Hantman told UVA Today, “and she handled all of it with grace.” Survivors include her daughters Adrienne and Emily, her mother and her brother.