Charlottesville leaders — business and civic, past and present — were honored Thursday morning at McIntire Park in the city with the dedication of a new monument and community gathering space. Since 1975, the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce has honored residents with an annual business leadership award for "outstanding citizen contributions to our Greater Charlottesville communities." This year, the Chamber went bigger, with a monument that will stand for all of the award's recipients, with space for those yet to come.
The monument, christened the Grove, is a stone terrace on a hilltop on the eastern end of McIntire Park surrounded by 150-year-old oak trees and stones engraved with the names of city leaders. That list includes historic leaders who have since died, such as Lorraine Williams, who with her family fought to integrate Charlottesville City Schools, and those who are still leading the community, such as Mayor Juandiego Wade. "This is our opportunity to for our community to have a place where they can come in and see and reflect and take in the natural beauty and the leaders in this community," Wade said at Thursday's dedication ceremony.
"[They] have done so much and have paved so many paths for individuals for someone like me, standing on the shoulders of their accomplishments." Wade, a 2019 recipient of the award, said he was personally honored to see his name on the monument. "To have my name engraved in stone like this, it's comforting to know t.
