BARNETT + SPENCER-HORSLEY SCHOLARSHIPS

The UVA School of Architecture announces scholarships named on behalf of first African American graduates, Edward Wayne Barnett and Audrey Spencer-Horsley

In spring 2020, The UVA School of Architecture established two newly named scholarships focused on our commitment to expanding access to education and professional development, and ensuring that the learning and working environments we shape are accessible to all people. The Edward Wayne Barnett Scholarship (named after the first African American male to earn a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the UVA School of Architecture in 1972) and the Audrey Spencer-Horsley Scholarship (named after the first African American female to graduate from the UVA School of Architecture in 1975 with a Bachelor of City Planning) will provide financial support to graduate students during their first year of enrollment.

Recipients will be selected based on their potential to contribute to increasing the benefits of an accessible academic environment. By recognizing incoming graduate students who will serve as leaders at the School and beyond, the scholarship recipients will also acknowledge the accomplished careers of Mr. Barnett and Ms. Spencer-Horsley.

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Biography of Edward Wayne Barnett

Born in Botetourt County, Virginia, Edward Wayne Barnett (1950 – 2009) attended Academy Hill School, Central Academy School, and James River High School, from where he graduated in 1968 as salutatorian of his class. He was the first African American to graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the UVA School of Architecture and followed his undergraduate education with a master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Upon graduation, Mr. Barnett dedicated his professional life to architecture working in firms in Roanoke, Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; Beckley, West Virginia; and Valdosta, Georgia before starting his own practice, Barnett Company. Through the Peace Corps, he also served as the architect for the capital city of Accra in Ghana helping to advance housing and development by strengthening the capacity of local communities. Mr. Barnett was a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

image courtesy of Judith Barnett

In addition to his dedicated career in architecture, he was an advocate for his local African American community—leading an important research project to build a collection of artifacts, documents, images, and stories that focuses on the history of the Botetourt County African American community—funded by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Featuring the legacies of prominent African American community leaders and citizens, veterans from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and Tuskegee Airmen, the collection has been digitized as part of the permanent display of The Botetourt Historical Museum and featured in an exhibition titled “Finding What Has Been Lost.” Mr. Barnett was on the Board of Directors of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture in Roanoke; was a member of the Roanoke Arts Commission; was a board member of the History Museum of Western Virginia at Center in the Square in Roanoke; and was on the Board of Directors of the Oliver White Hill Foundation—established in support of the next generation of social justice pioneers and engineers.

“The life and legacy of Mr. Edward Wayne Barnett stands as an exemplary model for our community at the School of Architecture. Reflecting on his achievements and the courses of action he took to overcome adversity charges us all to follow in his path, harness our interests and dreams, and realize our full potentials,” said Elgin Cleckley, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design Thinking (BS Arch ’93). “These are values we can collectively aspire to—that will be cyclically strengthened by students awarded by this named scholarship. It is impactful to know that his name will be synonymous with the world we wish to achieve through our curriculum, our teaching, and the environment we create amongst our community at-large.”

Biography of Audrey Spencer-Horsley

Audrey Spencer-Horsley was born (1953) in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated among the top students of her class with honors from Maggie L. Walker High, in 1971, during the year of integration of the high school. Ms. Spencer-Horsley received her bachelor’s degree in City Planning from the University of Virginia in 1975. She went on to receive her master’s in public administration from The George Washington University. Her path-breaking experience as the first African American woman to graduate from UVA’s School of Architecture continued to a position early in her career as a community planner, starting in 1975 to over a decade with the City of Lynchburg, Virginia—and leading to her subsequent promotion to community development administrator. Over the course of her highly accomplished career in planning, she focused especially on community development and affordable housing in Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. She worked for over twenty years for Fairfax County in Virginia, administering federal, state, and locally funded community development and affordable housing programs, as well as community-based services by nonprofits, notably serving as Chief Planner and later, Associate Director, in the Housing & Community Development Department. In 2015, she was named the Director of the Housing, Human Rights, and Community Development Department in Orange County, North Carolina.

image courtesy of Audrey Spencer-Horsley

In these positions, Ms. Spencer-Horsley emerged as a leading expert in community planning and development, homeownership and rental housing programs, particularly for households with low and moderate incomes, persons with disabilities and for homeless and elderly populations. Ms. Spencer-Horsley was also active working with the Orange County Human Relations Commission. In 2015, she participated in the annual Human Relations forum, focused that year on women’s rights and called, “Voting Rights to Human Rights: The Continuing Struggle.” As Ms. Spencer-Horsley observed, in an interview prior to the event, the aim of these efforts was “improving human relations through eradication of discrimination and by addressing unfair inequities.” She continues to work professionally as a community volunteer for access, equity, and inclusion.

Associate Professor of Architectural History Sheila Crane explained, “We are delighted to recognize Audrey Spencer-Horsley’s extraordinary achievements, beginning with her path-breaking experience in the School of Architecture. Her commitment to engaging residents in planning and community design processes, as well as her persistent efforts to expand access to strong, viable neighborhoods and affordable housing, provide a powerful model for our students, who likewise aspire to imagine and contribute to the collective work of building more accessible communities.”