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Lynn Receives DST Arts & Letters Award

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At its annual Jazz Brunch and Silent Auction on April 25, the Eastern Panhandle Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. presented its 2026 Arts & Letters Award to Lynn Pechuekonis. The award recognizes her commitment to preserving the history of the community through her written works.

The event souvenir booklet included the following information:

Lynn Pechuekonis a historian and author residing in scenic Harpers Ferry. After a distinguished career in communications at the University of Virginia, she returned to her home state and developed a deep passion for uncovering and preserving the rich history of Black residents in the region. Her books include Among the Mountains: The Lovetts and Their Hill Top House and Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College, both published by the Harpers Ferry Park Association.

Lynn resides in the Saunders home–just one block from the former Storer College–where she and her husband, Christian, operate a charming bed and breakfast.

A dedicated community advocate and storyteller, Lynn regularly leads lectures and guided tours highlighting Harpers Ferry Black heritage, from the Reconstruction era through the Civil Rights Movement. She continues to give back through her service as chair of the Harpers Ferry – Bolivar Historic Town Foundation, secretary of the Harpers Ferry Board of Zoning Appeals, and as a member of the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors.

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Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College

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Lynn’s latest book!

For 88 years after the end of the Civil War, Storer College educated hundreds of African Americans who gathered on its campus in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. This is the story of Storer’s longest serving black teacher. A Storer graduate himself, William Allen Saunders became the school’s beating heart. He was known as a devoted friend of struggling youth, who not only boarded students in his home but was said to do everything in his power to aid their progress. While Storer College helped make “Prof Saunders” the man he was, he taught so many courses over so many years and touched so many lives that he, in turn, significantly impacted the twentieth century Storer experience.

Over his 54 years as a resident of Harpers Ferry, Saunders also became a trusted spiritual leader and a well-known figure throughout the thriving Black community then living beyond Storer’s campus. All of these aspects are explored here by author Lynn Pechuekonis, who resides in Saunders’ former home.

This book uniquely turns its focus on Black life both at Storer College and in Harpers Ferry during the Jim Crow era—all viewed through the lens of this dedicated teacher who was praised as a “man of sterling worth” and the “friend of every righteous cause.”

Order your copy from the Harpers Ferry Park Association Bookshop.

Interviews & Reviews

WVPB -Biography Details Life Of Longest Serving Black Teacher At Harpers Ferry’s Storer College

Harpers Ferry writer spotlights a prominent Storer College teacher
Spirit of Jefferson, October 12, 2022

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2020 Annual Report – UVA School of ED

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Last fall I helped the UVA School of Education and Human Development by doing the copywriting for their 2020 Annual Report.

https://annualreport.curry.virginia.edu/2020/

Supporting Early Childhood Education

Long dedicated to promoting investment in early childhood education in Virginia, philanthropist Jane Batten became acquainted with the School of Education and Human Development through its work with Elevate Early Education (E3), where she sits on the board of directors. The School’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) had collaborated with E3 to develop a comprehensive curriculum model for birth to five that blends academic and social-emotional learning.

The more she learned, the stronger Batten felt about the importance of supporting our work. Last fall, the School announced that she had made a $10 million pledge to fund professorships and fellowships in early childhood education – a gift representing the largest ever to a School program.

“I’m delighted to support an initiative that’s so close to my heart,” Batten said. “I’ve long been a passionate champion of early childhood education, and it is fulfilling to provide the School with resources that will enable it to generate new knowledge in the field.”

READ MORE on the Annual Report website.

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