James Madisons Montpelier We The People Spring 2015 | Page 5

SPRING 2015

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4. Education

5. Collections

6. Profiles

The Robert H. Smith Center for the
Constitution is delighted to announce
that two Virginia teams, Maggie L.
Walker Governor’s School and Douglas
S. Freeman High School, placed second
and third, respectively, in this year’s
national We The People: The Citizen
and the Constitution civics competition.
Nearly 1,500 students participated
in the Virginia and Washington, D.C.
programs this year, reflecting an 84%
increase in participation since the
Center began sponsoring the program
in 2003.

The Montpelier Foundation recently
acquired the Madison family’s tall case
clock. Documentary research indicates
that James Madison, Sr., President
Madison’s father, commissioned the
clock in the 1770s and instructed
in his will that the clock remain at
Montpelier after his death for the
perennial enjoyment of his family. The
magnificent works, created by noted
Fredericksburg clockmaker Thomas
Walker, include a graphical moon dial
and original pendulum. Prior to the
clock’s installation in the mansion,
the works will undergo routine
conservation. Stay tuned to hear the
sweet chimes of the Madison case
clock in the mansion in 2016.

The Garden Club of America awarded
Montpelier’s director of horticulture,
Sandy Mudrinich, the Zone VII Horticulture
Commendation for her 30 years of
stewardship of Montpelier’s famed
gardens and grounds. Sandy has taken
a guiding role in the restoration of
the Annie duPont Formal Garden, in
the conservation of James Madison’s
Landmark Forest, and in educating
visitors about the beauty and uniqueness
of this historic American landscape.

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