Mā te kaupapa Hokie Gold Legacy ka taea e ngā tauira tawhito o Virginia Tech te koha i ngā mowhiti akomanga ka rewahia hei hanga koura hei whakamahi mā ngā mowhiti akomanga o muri mai—he tikanga e hono ana i te wā o mua, o nāianei, me te wā o muri mai.
E kī ana a Travis “Rusty” Untersuber i te kare ā-roto i a ia e kōrero ana mō tōna matua, mō te mowhiti whakawhiwhinga tohu o tōna matua i te tau 1942, mō te mowhiti iti a tōna whaea me te whai wāhi ki te tāpiri atu ki te taonga tuku iho o te whānau i Virginia Tech. E ono marama ki muri, kāore ia me ōna tuahine i te mōhio me aha ki ngā mowhiti a ō rātou mātua kua mate. Kātahi, nā te tūponotanga, ka mahara a Untersuber ki te kaupapa Hokie Gold Legacy, e āhei ai ngā tauira tawhito, ngā mema whānau rānei o ngā tauira tawhito ki te koha i ngā mowhiti akomanga, kia whakarewahia hei hanga koura Hokie, ā, kia whakaurua ki ngā mowhiti akomanga a muri ake nei. I puta he kōrero whānau, ā, i whakaae rātou ki te whakauru atu ki te kaupapa. "E mōhio ana ahau kei te noho te kaupapa, ā, e mōhio ana ahau kei a mātou he mowhiti," te kī a Winterzuber. "E ono noa iho ngā marama ki muri i noho tahi ai rātou." I te mutunga o Noema, i taraiwa a Entesuber mō te 15 hāora mai i tōna kāinga o Davenport, Iowa, ki Richmond ki te toro atu ki te whānau i te hararei Thanksgiving. Kātahi ia ka toro atu ki Blacksburg ki te haere ki tētahi hui whakarewa mowhiti i te VTFIRE Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry i te puni o Virginia Tech. Ko te hui whakawhiwhinga tohu, i tū i te 29 o Noema, kua tū i ia tau mai i te tau 2012, ā, i tū anō i te tau kua hipa, ahakoa ko ngā perehitini o te Karaehe o te tau 2022 anake i tae mai nā runga i ngā here e pā ana ki te mate korona i runga i te maha o ngā tāngata e whakaaetia ana ki roto i ngā whare wānanga. I tīmata tēnei tikanga ahurei o te hono i te wā o mua me te wā o muri mai i te tau 1964, i te wā i whakaarohia ai te whakaaro e ngā tauira tokorua o te Kamupene M o ngā Karaehe Hangarau o Virginia—ko Jesse Fowler rāua ko Jim Flynn. Nā Laura Wedin, te kaiwhakahaere hono o te whakauru ākonga me ngā tauira rangatahi, i whakarite te kaupapa ki te kohi mowhiti mai i ngā tauira tawhito e hiahia ana kia whakarewahia ā rātou mowhiti me te tango i ngā kōhatu. Ka aroturukihia hoki ngā puka koha me ngā kōrero mō ngā rangatira mowhiti, ā, ka tukuna he īmēra whakaū ina tae mai he mowhiti i tukuna. Hei tāpiri, nā Wedding i whakarite te hui whakarewa koura, tae atu ki tētahi Pukapuka o ngā Pū e tohu ana i te tau i whakarewahia ai te mowhiti koura. Ka whakairihia ngā mowhiti kua kohaina ki te whārangi tūmatanui o te tauira tawhito, kātahi ka whakawhitia e te mema o nāianei o te komiti hoahoa mowhiti ia mowhiti ki roto i te oko karāhe, ka whakahuatia te ingoa o te tauira tawhito, te tauira tawhito, te hoa rangatira rānei nāna i mau te mowhiti me te tau i ako ai. I mua i te whakatakotoranga o te mowhiti ki roto i tētahi mea porotaka.
E toru ngā mowhiti i kawea mai e Ant Zuber kia whakarewaina – te mowhiti akomanga a tōna pāpā, te mowhiti iti a tōna whaea, me te mowhiti marena a tana wahine, a Doris. I moe a Untersuber rāua ko tana wahine i te tau 1972, koia anō te tau i puta ai ia i te tohu. I muri i te matenga o tōna pāpā, i hoatu te mowhiti akomanga a tōna pāpā ki tōna tuahine, a Kaethe, e tōna whaea, ā, i whakaae a Kaethe Untersuber ki te tuku i te mowhiti mēnā ka pā mai he āwangawanga. I muri i te matenga o tōna whaea, i waiho te mowhiti iti a tōna whaea ki tana wahine, ki a Doris Untersuber, ā, i whakaae ia ki te tuku i te mowhiti ki te whakamātautau. I haere mai te pāpā o Untersuber ki Virginia Tech i runga i te karahipi whutupaoro i te tau 1938, he tauira ia i Virginia Tech, ā, i mahi i roto i te Ope Taua i muri i tana whiwhinga i te tohu hangarau ahuwhenua. I moe tōna pāpā rāua ko tōna whaea i te tau 1942, ā, i whakamahia te mowhiti iti hei mowhiti taumau. I tuku anō hoki a Untersuber i tana mowhiti akomanga mō tana tau 50 o tana putanga mai i Virginia Tech i te tau e tū mai nei. Heoi, ehara tana mowhiti i tētahi o ngā mowhiti e waru i whakarewaina. Engari, kei te whakamahere a Virginia Tech ki te penapena i tana mowhiti i roto i tētahi "kāpū wā" i hangaia tata ki Burroughs Hall hei wāhanga o te whakanuinga huritau 150 o te whare wānanga.
"Kei a mātou te whai wāhi ki te āwhina i te tangata ki te whakaaro i te heke mai me te whai pānga, me te whakaoho i te whakaaro o te tangata ki ngā pātai pēnei i te, 'Me pēhea taku tautoko i tētahi kaupapa?' me te 'Me pēhea taku whakahaere tonu i te taonga tuku iho?'" te kī a Untersuber. "Ko te kaupapa Hokie Gold he mea e rua. Kei te pupuri tonu i te tikanga tuku iho, ā, e tumanako ana ki te kite me pēhea tā mātou hanga i te mowhiti nui e whai ake nei. … He mea tino nui te taonga tuku iho e homai ana e ia ki ahau me taku wahine. Koia tēnei i tēnei rā. Koia mātou i koha atu ai i ngā Untersuber e rua, i whai i ngā tapuwae o tōna matua, ā, i whiwhi i te tohu paetahi i roto i te hangarau ahuwhenua i mua i tana mahi i roto i te umanga taputapu pāmu, ā, kua reti inaianei, i tae atu ki te hui me ētahi mema o te Komiti Hoahoa Mowhiti me te perehitini o te Karaehe o te tau 2023. Kia kī te mowhiti, ka haria te ipu para ki te whare whakarewa, ā, ko Alan Drushitz, he ahorangi āwhina o te pūtaiao rauemi, te kaiwhakahaere i te tukanga katoa. Ka whakanohoia te ipu para ki roto i te oumu iti kua wera ki te 1,800 nekehanga, ā, i roto i te 20 meneti ka hurihia te koura ki te āhua wai. Ko te Tiamana o te Komiti Hoahoa mowhiti, ko Victoria Hardy, he tauira tuatoru nō Williamsburg, Virginia, ka puta i te tau 2023 me te tohu paetahi i roto i te hangarau miihini me te pūtaiao rorohiko, i mau i ngā taputapu tiaki, ā, i whakamahi i ngā pliers hei tango i te ipu para mai i te oumu. Kātahi ka ringihia e ia te koura wai ki roto i te pokepokea ai, kia mārō ai hei poro koura tapawhā iti. "Ki taku whakaaro he rawe," te kī a Hardy mō te tikanga tuku iho. "Ka whakarerekēhia e ia akomanga ā rātou hoahoa mowhiti, nō reira ki taku whakaaro he ahurei te tikanga tuku iho, ā, he āhua motuhake anō hoki i ia tau. Engari ina whakaarohia kei roto i ia puranga mowhiti akomanga te Hokie Gold i kohaina e ngā tauira me te komiti i mua i a rātou, he tino hononga tata tonu ia akomanga. He maha ngā paparanga o te tikanga mowhiti katoa, ā, ki taku whakaaro he whakatau atamai tēnei mahi hei whakarato i te haere tonu ki tētahi mea e tino motuhake tonu ana ia akomanga. E pai ana ahau ki a ia, ā, e harikoa ana ahau ki a ia. I taea e mātou te haere mai ki te whare hanga whakarewa me te whai wāhi atu ki roto."
Ka rewahia ngā mowhiti i te 1,800 nekehanga Fahrenheit, ā, ka ringihia te koura wai ki roto i tētahi pokepoke tapawhā. He whakaahua nā Kristina Franusich, Virginia Tech.
Ko te taumaha o te poro koura i roto i ngā mowhiti e waru he 6.315 hekere. Kātahi ka tukuna e Wedding te poro koura ki Belfort, nāna i hanga ngā mowhiti karaehe Virginia Tech, i reira ka whakapaia e ngā kaimahi te koura, ā, ka whakamahia hei whakarewa i ngā mowhiti karaehe Virginia Tech mō te tau e whai ake nei. He iti noa iho hoki te moni e penapenahia ana e rātou mai i ia rewa hei whakauru atu ki ngā rewa mowhiti i ngā tau e haere ake nei. I tēnei rā, kei roto i ia mowhiti koura he 0.33% "Koura Hoki". Nō reira, he tohu te hononga o ia ākonga ki tētahi tauira o mua o Virginia Tech. I tangohia ngā whakaahua me ngā ataata, ā, i tukuna ki ngā pāpāho pāpori, hei whakauru i ngā hoa, i ngā hoa akomanga me te marea ki tētahi tikanga kāore i te mōhiotia e te hunga ruarua. Ko te mea nui ake, i meinga ngā ākonga i tae mai e te pō kia whakaaro mō ō rātou taonga tuku iho ā muri ake nei me te whai wāhi pea ki ā rātou mowhiti karaehe ā muri ake nei. "E tino hiahia ana ahau ki te huihui i tētahi komiti me te mahi i tētahi mea ngahau pēnei i te haere anō ki te whare hanga me te koha i tētahi mowhiti," te kī a Hardy. "Tērā pea he rite ki te whakanui i te 50 tau. Kāore au i te mōhio mēnā ko taku mowhiti tēnei, engari ki te pērā, ka koa ahau, ā, ka tumanako ka taea e tātou te mahi i tētahi mea pēnei. "He huarahi pai tēnei ki te whakahou i tētahi mowhiti." Ki taku whakaaro, kāore e nui ake te kī "Kāore au e hiahia ana ki tēnei" engari he rite ki te "E hiahia ana ahau kia uru atu ki tētahi tikanga whānui ake," mēnā he tika tēnā. E mōhio ana ahau he kōwhiringa motuhake tēnei mā te hunga e whakaaro ana ki tēnei.
I whakapono a Antsuber, tana wahine me ōna tuāhine, koinei te whakatau pai rawa atu mā tō rātou whānau, inā koa i muri i te kōrero aroha a rātou tokowhā i te mahara ki te pānga o Virginia Tech ki te oranga o ō rātou mātua. I tangi rātou i muri i te kōrero mō te pānga pai. "He kare ā-roto, engari kāore i ruarua," te kī a Winterzuber. "I te kitenga i tā mātou e taea ai, i mōhio mātou he mea tēnei e tika ana kia mahia e mātou—ā, i hiahia mātou ki te mahi."
Kei te whakaatu a Virginia Tech i tōna pānga mā roto i tana tuku whenua ā-ao, hei whakatairanga i te whanaketanga tauwhiro o ō tātou hapori i te Commonwealth o Virginia me te ao whānui.
Wā tuku: Whiringa-ā-rangi 21-2023