Uhlelo lwe-Hokie Gold Legacy luvumela abafundi baseVirginia Tech abaphothule izifundo zabo ukuthi banikele ngezindandatho zekilasi ezincibilikisiwe ukuze kudalwe igolide elizosetshenziswa ezindandatho zekilasi zesikhathi esizayo—isiko elixhumanisa isikhathi esidlule, samanje nesizayo.
UTravis “Rusty” Untersuber ugcwele imizwa njengoba ekhuluma ngoyise, indandatho yokuphothula kayise ngo-1942, indandatho encane kamama wakhe kanye nethuba lokwengeza efeni lomndeni eVirginia Tech. Ezinyangeni eziyisithupha ezedlule, yena nodadewabo babengazi ukuthi benzeni ngezindandatho zabazali babo abangasekho. Ngemuva kwalokho, ngengozi, u-Untersuber wakhumbula uhlelo lweHokie Gold Legacy, oluvumela abafundi noma amalungu omndeni wabafundi ukuthi banikele ngezindandatho zekilasi, bazincibilikise ukuze benze igolide leHokie futhi bazifake ezindandatho zekilasi zesikhathi esizayo. Kwalandela ingxoxo yomndeni futhi bavuma ukujoyina uhlelo. “Ngiyazi ukuthi uhlelo lukhona futhi ngiyazi ukuthi sinendandatho,” kusho uWinterzuber. “Ezinyangeni eziyisithupha kuphela ezedlule babendawonye.” Ekupheleni kukaNovemba, u-Entesuber washayela amahora angu-15 esuka edolobheni lakubo eDavenport, e-Iowa, eya eRichmond ukuyovakashela umndeni ngesikhathi seholide likaThanksgiving. Wabe esevakashela eBlacksburg ukuyothamela umcimbi wokuncibilikisa izindandatho eVTFIRE Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry ekhempasini yaseVirginia Tech. Umcimbi wemiklomelo, obanjwe ngoNovemba 29, ubulokhu ubanjwa minyaka yonke kusukela ngo-2012 futhi waze wabanjwa ngonyaka odlule, yize omongameli beKlasi lika-2022 kuphela ababekhona ngenxa yemikhawulo ehlobene ne-coronavirus enanini labantu abavunyelwe ukungena ezikhungweni. Leli siko eliyingqayizivele lokuxhumanisa isikhathi esidlule nekusasa laqala ngo-1964, lapho ama-cadet amabili avela kwiNkampani M yama-Virginia Tech Cadets—uJesse Fowler noJim Flynn—ephakamisa lo mbono. ULaura Wedin, umqondisi ohlangene wokuzibandakanya kwabafundi kanye nabafundi abasebasha, uhlela uhlelo lokuqoqa izindandatho kubafundi abafuna ukuba izindandatho zabo zincibilikiswe futhi kususwe amatshe. Uphinde ulandelele amafomu omnikelo kanye nama-bios omnikazi wendandatho futhi athumele isiqinisekiso se-imeyili lapho kwamukelwa indandatho ethunyelwe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-Wedding yahlela umcimbi wokuncibilikiswa kwegolide, owawuhlanganisa i-Almanac of Trumpets ekhombisa unyaka lapho indandatho yegolide yancibilikiswa khona. Izindandatho ezinikelwe zifakwa ekhasini lomphakathi lomuntu owayengumfundi noma owayengumfundi, bese ilungu lamanje lekomidi lokuklama izindandatho lidlulisela ngayinye yalezo zindandatho zibe yi-graphite crucible bese lisho igama lomuntu owayengumfundi noma owayengumfundi noma umlingani wakhe owayegqoke indandatho ekuqaleni kanye nonyaka wokufunda. Ngaphambi kokufaka indandatho entweni eyindilinga.
U-Ant Zuber waletha izindandatho ezintathu ukuze zincibilikiswe – indandatho yekilasi likayise, indandatho encane kamama wakhe kanye nendandatho yomshado yomkakhe uDoris. U-Untersuber nomkakhe bashada ngo-1972, ngonyaka ofanayo aphothula ngawo. Ngemva kokushona kukayise, indandatho yekilasi likayise yanikezwa udadewabo uKaethe ngunina, kwathi uKaethe Untersuber wavuma ukunikela ngendandatho uma kwenzeka inhlekelele. Ngemva kokushona kukanina, indandatho encane kamama wakhe yashiywa kumkakhe uDoris Untersuber, owavuma ukunikela ngendandatho ecaleni. Uyise ka-Untersuber weza eVirginia Tech ethola umfundaze webhola ngo-1938, wayengumfundi we-cadet eVirginia Tech futhi wakhonza eButhweni Lezempi ngemuva kokuthola iziqu zobunjiniyela bezolimo. Uyise nonina bashada ngo-1942, kanti indandatho encane yasebenza njengendandatho yokuzibandakanya. U-Untersuber uphinde wanikela ngendandatho yakhe yekilasi ngonyaka wakhe wama-50 ephothula eVirginia Tech ngonyaka ozayo. Kodwa-ke, indandatho yakhe yayingeyona enye yezindandatho eziyisishiyagalombili ezancibilikiswe. Kunalokho, iVirginia Tech ihlela ukugcina indandatho yayo “ebhokisini lesikhathi” elakhiwe eduze neBurroughs Hall njengengxenye yomkhosi wokugubha iminyaka engu-150 yale nyuvesi.
“Sinethuba lokusiza abantu bacabange ngekusasa futhi benze umthelela, futhi senze abantu bacabange ngemibuzo efana nokuthi, ‘Ngingayisekela kanjani injongo ethile?’ nokuthi ‘Ngingaqhubeka kanjani nefa?’” kusho u-Untersuber. “Uhlelo lwe-Hokie Gold luyikho kokubili. Luqhubeka nesiko futhi lubheke phambili ekuboneni ukuthi silwenza kanjani indandatho elandelayo enkulu. … Ifa elilinikezayo liyigugu kakhulu kimi nakumkami. Kunamuhla. Yingakho sinikeza u-Untersuber ababili, owalandela ezinyathelweni zikayise futhi wathola iziqu zobunjiniyela bezolimo ngaphambi kokusebenza embonini yemishini yasemapulazini futhi manje usethathe umhlalaphansi, waya emcimbini kanye namalungu amaningana eKomidi Lokuklama Amaringi kanye nomongameli weKlasi lika-2023 Uma indandatho isigcwalisiwe, i-crucible iyiswa endaweni yokusungula, lapho yonke inqubo iqondiswa khona ngu-Alan Drushitz, uprofesa osizayo wesayensi yezinto zokwakha. I-crucible ekugcineni ifakwa esithandweni esincane esishiswa ngamadigri ayi-1,800, futhi kungakapheli nemizuzu engama-20 igolide liguqulwa libe uketshezi. USihlalo weKomidi Lokuklama Amaringi uVictoria Hardy, umfundi wesibili waseWilliamsburg, eVirginia, ozophothula ngo-2023 eneziqu zobunjiniyela bemishini kanye nesayensi yekhompyutha, wagqoka izinto zokuzivikela wasebenzisa ama-pliers ukuphakamisa i-crucible esithandweni. Wabe esethela igolide eliwuketshezi kufakwe esikhumbeni, okuvumela ukuthi iqine ibe yibha encane yegolide engunxande. “Ngicabanga ukuthi kupholile,” kusho uHardy ngesiko. “Ikilasi ngalinye lishintsha ukwakheka kwendandatho yalo, ngakho-ke nginomuzwa wokuthi isiko ngokwalo lihlukile futhi linobuntu balo minyaka yonke. Kodwa uma ucabanga ukuthi ibhetshi ngalinye lamasongo ekilasi liqukethe iHokie Gold enikelwe ngabafundi abaphothule kanye nekomidi elandulela bona, ikilasi ngalinye lisaxhumene kakhulu. Kunezingqimba eziningi kakhulu kulo lonke isiko lendandatho futhi ngicabanga ukuthi lesi siqephu siyisinqumo esihlakaniphile sokunikeza ukuqhubeka kokuthile lapho ikilasi ngalinye lisahlukile khona. Ngiyayithanda futhi ngiyajabula ngayo. Sakwazi ukuza endaweni yokusekela futhi saba yingxenye yayo.”
Amasongo ayancibilika kuma-degree Fahrenheit angu-1,800 bese igolide eliwuketshezi lithululelwa esikhumbeni esiyisikwele. Isithombe sivela kuKristina Franusich, waseVirginia Tech.
Ibha yegolide emasongweni ayisishiyagalombili inesisindo esingama-ounces angu-6.315. Umshado wabe usuthumela ibha yegolide eBelfort, eyakha amasongo ekilasi laseVirginia Tech, lapho abasebenzi bawahlanza khona igolide futhi bawasebenzisela ukuphonsa amasongo ekilasi laseVirginia Tech ngonyaka olandelayo. Baphinde bonge inani elincane kakhulu kusuka ekuncibilikeni ngakunye ukuze kufakwe ekuncibilikeni kwendandatho eminyakeni ezayo. Namuhla, yonke indandatho yegolide iqukethe i-"Hoki gold" engu-0.33%. Ngenxa yalokho, umfundi ngamunye uxhumene ngokomfanekiso nomuntu owayephothule eVirginia Tech. Izithombe namavidiyo athathwe futhi athunyelwa ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, ethula abangani, ofunda nabo kanye nomphakathi ngesiko abambalwa ababelazi. Okubaluleke kakhulu, ubusuku babangela abafundi ababekhona ukuthi bacabange ngefa labo lesikhathi esizayo kanye nokubamba iqhaza okungenzeka esikhathini esizayo ezinsongweni zabo zekilasi. "Ngifuna ngempela ukuhlanganisa ikomidi futhi senze into ejabulisayo njengokuya enkampanini yokusekela futhi nginikele ngendandatho," kusho uHardy. "Mhlawumbe kufana nomkhosi wokugubha iminyaka engama-50. Angazi ukuthi kuzoba yindandatho yami, kodwa uma kunjalo, ngizojabula futhi ngithemba ukuthi singenza into efana naleyo. "Lena yindlela enhle yokuvuselela indandatho." Ngicabanga ukuthi kuzoba kuncane ukuthi “Angisakudingi lokhu” kodwa kuzoba njengokuthi “Ngifuna ukuba yingxenye yesiko elikhulu,” uma lokho kunengqondo. Ngiyazi ukuthi lokhu kuzoba ukukhetha okukhethekile kunoma ubani okucabangayo.
U-Antsuber, umkakhe nodadewabo, bakholelwa ukuthi lesi kungaba yisinqumo esihle kakhulu emndenini wabo, ikakhulukazi ngemva kokuba bobane babe nengxoxo ethinta inhliziyo bekhumbula umthelela iVirginia Tech enawo empilweni yabazali babo. Bakhala ngemva kokukhuluma ngomthelela omuhle. “Kwakungokomzwelo, kodwa kwakungekho ukungabaza,” kusho uWinterzuber. “Lapho sesiqaphela ukuthi yini esingayenza, sasazi ukuthi kuyinto okwakudingeka siyenze—futhi sasifuna ukuyenza.”
I-Virginia Tech ikhombisa umthelela ngesibonelelo sayo somhlaba wonke, ithuthukisa intuthuko esimeme yemiphakathi yethu e-Commonwealth yaseVirginia nasemhlabeni jikelele.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Novemba-21-2023