Clara Cox: Writing Hokie History

As the former Director of University Publications, Clara Cox has contributed to helping Virginia Tech document parts of its history. An alumna of the university herself, she surrounds her entire life with all things related to the Hokie Nation, a community that she is proud to be a part of even in her retirement. Clara has spent much of her time writing about the histories of other people, events, and experiences; now we want to hear her own story.

Clara was born in Newport News, where her father worked in a shipyard during World War II. When she was two-years-old, her parents moved the family back to Mount Airy, North Carolina, where they resided before Newport News. Soon after this, when she was four, they moved once again to Pulaski, Virginia, where Cox spent the rest of her childhood. Cox would walk four to five blocks to and from her elementary and middle schools every day. 

While neither of her parents went to college, it was her father who had always inspired her to think about going to Virginia Tech. He took her to a basketball game and her perception of the University remained glowing ever since, "I just grew up thinking Tech must be heaven," she says. 

Later down the road, she realized it actually was a piece of heaven.  When she worked at Tech, she says she would sit in her office and marvel at the Hokie Stone, "I think Hokie Stone is beautiful.  It's just not gray and black and shades in-between.  You can really see color in it.  Like late in the day it just would really pop. It is beautiful."

However, because Virginia Tech did not have an English program by the time she graduated from high school, she began her undergraduate studies at Carson Newman College in Tennessee. Her boyfriend, who would later end up being her husband, went to Virginia Tech. Because it was difficult for them to be away from one another due to the distance, Cox transferred to Radford University for her senior year to be closer to him and graduated with her degree there.

Later, Cox began working at the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech as a clerk typist. When the director found out she could write, he started her on written projects. Simultaneously, she began working on her MA in English at Virginia Tech, as she noticed a previous employee had been paid more than her for having a Master’s degree. She recalled having several notable professors, particularly Michael Squires, who allowed her to audit one of his classes after she graduated in 1984.

Clara soon moved into University Relations as a public relations professional for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies.  She wrote newsletters for them, while she finished up her degree. After this, she left architecture while remaining in University Relations, and became the manager of Public Service Communications. In 1994, while in this position, she started a magazine called Virginia Issues & Answers a public policy magazine, in which she served as first editor.