Laura Ford

Laura Christian Ford, as a child lived in what is today the Federal Crest Inn at the corner of Eleventh and Federal Streets. She played with children on Federal Hill and attended Frank Roane School. At E. C. Glass High School, Latin became her favorite subject, primarily because of Lucille Cox, her teacher.

 In 1966, Laura entered Wake Forest University.  Torn between a major in journalism or classical literature and philosophy, she decided on Greek and Latin and describes the summer of 1969 as especially significant. She studied in Athens, Greece, at the American School of Classical Studies and toured ancient archaeological sites.  Back at Wake Forest, she had the honor of being elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa before graduating in 1970.  She pursued graduate work in classics at Harvard and Princeton and received a Ph.D. from Princeton in 1984; in between, she gained a J. D. in 1975 at the University of Virginia. 

During her last years at Princeton, Laura worked as an assistant legal counsel.  Upon completing her studies, she accepted the positions of Associate Provost and lecturer at Wake Forest.  She authored Liberal Education and the Canon (1994), which looks at the role of great books-based curriculum in American higher education.  She left Wake Forest in 1996 to join the academic affairs division of the Virginia State Council of Higher Education, covering issues of accreditation and licensure of colleges and universities.

Laura returned to Lynchburg in 2000 to care for her mother.  Pleased to be back, Laura taught Latin and English to eighth graders at James River Day School, where she received the Walker Award for excellence in teaching.  She enjoyed preparing her students for the National Latin Exam and each year they won a number of medals in that prestigious competition.

Retired since 2010, Laura combines writing skills with a strong interest in ancient Greece as an active member of the on-line community of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. and regularly contributes blog posts and articles to their website (http://chs.harvard.edu/).   She also maintains a lifelong commitment to the Democratic Party.

Lillie Rose, a Jack Russell terrier mix, will accompany Laura to WC.  As an animal lover, Laura has owned several herding dogs, especially Shelties, and is a longtime supporter of the Lynchburg Humane Society.  She also enjoys classical music, plays the piano, and frequently enrolls in various on-line courses.  She looks forward to frequent visits by her younger sister Ellen of Lynchburg and brother Randy of Virginia Beach.