Forged in tradition
Hokie Gold connects past and future through annual ceremony
Virginia Tech’s ring tradition dates to 1911. From the beginning, each class has designed a ring uniquely connected to their campus experience.
In 2013, the Hokie Gold Legacy Program was introduced to link the university’s history with its future. Initiated by members of the Class of 1964’s M Company of the Corps of Cadets with support from the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Hokie Gold Legacy Program offers alumni the opportunity to donate rings back to the university. The rings are melted and the resulting gold becomes part of the next year’s class rings.
On Sept. 16, the Ring Design Committee for the Class of 2027 gathered at the VTFIRE Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry for the Hokie Gold Legacy ceremony.
This year, nine rings were melted, producing more than 10 ounces of Hokie Gold to be refined and included in the Class of 2027’s rings. (A small amount of each melt is reserved to carry forward into future ceremonies, ensuring the program continues in perpetuity.)
Among the donated rings was one belonging to Joseph G. “Jerry” Wallmeyer, who graduated in 1969 with a forestry degree and earned a master’s in civil engineering in 1974. Wallmeyer died in 2022, and his brother, Al Wallmeyer ’75, took part in the ceremony in his memory.
"I think it’s very important to connect across generations of Hokies,” Al Wallmeyer said. “This program is symbolic of how the work that has been done before — even 50 years ago — is a part of what is happening at Virginia Tech today.”
Al Wallmeyer with his brother’s ring and photograph. Photo by Melvona White for Virginia Tech.
For students, that connection is deeply felt.
“It’s humbling when you begin to understand that as a Virginia Tech student, you are part of a legacy that goes back more than 100 years,” said junior class president Karl Rice. “Meeting Al and learning how his brother’s ring will be a part of mine — it shows that being a Hokie is a deep connection.”
Ring design chair Connor Hennessey, a junior studying marketing management, agreed.
“We are honoring a legacy that dates back more than 100 years,” he said. “Through our rings, we take previous generations of our Hokie family with us from Blacksburg to wherever we go.”