First published in 1982, West Virginia University: Symbol of Unity in a Sectionalize State details the history of WVU from before its inception as the Agricultural College of West Virginia in 1867 to its expansion and development in the 1980s. This comprehensive history includes an index of people, places and events; photographs and illustrations; and in-depth descriptions of campuses, buildings, colleges, and academic and sports programs. A joint effort between William T Doherty, Jr., a Professor Emeritus History at WVU and Festus P. Summers, the first University Librarian who passed away before this project was complete, this new edition once again grants access to the diverse and complex elements which shaped the institution.  

William T. Doherty, Jr., is Professor of History Emeritus at West Virginia University where he also served as University Historian. He is author of Louis Houck: Missouri Historian and Entrepreneur, Berkeley County, U.S.A.: A Bicentennial History of a Virginia and West Virginia County, 1772-1972, and was editor of the journal West Virginia History. Doherty, who received his doctoral degree in history from the University of Missouri, was chair of the WVU Department of History from 1963-1979.  He retired in 1988.