Collegiate Times

The university announced Thursday morning in a press release that it will begin constructing an "intermediate" memorial to replace the memorial currently on the Drillfield, constructed by Hokies United.

This intermediate memorial will contain 32 engraved Hokie Stones placed in a semi-circle similar in fashion to the one currently in place.

"The university community, and particularly the students, has become attached to this location," said President Charles Steger in a press release. "It seems only appropriate that we continue this tradition with something more substantive while we begin the process of looking elsewhere on campus for a permanent and fitting memorial."

The memorial is scheduled to be completed before the beginning of fall semester. It will consist of the stones and a walking path around them for viewing.

The university will be sending the current Hokie Stones to the families once the permanent memorial is completed.

There is no set location for a permanent memorial, but Tom Tillar, vice president of alumni relations, and chair of the committee looking into the permanent memorial, said in the statement that the preferred site will be highly visible from the Drillfield and might be somewhere opposite War Memorial on the west side of the Drillfield.

Steger may create a design competition, using students or alumni architects, but it will be more than three years before the memorial will be built.