Blue Ridge Parkway: Agent of Transition

Published in 1985, the Blue Ridge Parkway: Agent of Transition is a compilation of papers presented at the conference. Intended to be a celebration of the Parkway, the conference was a way for people to come together and examine the road’s impact on the region and its people. Promoting unity and the idea of regional cooperation, the conference and its organizers invited a variety of speakers including landscape architects and civil engineers to talk about the parkway’s natural impact on the environment, construction, and employment for thousands of mountain people. The parkway’s 469 miles provide unparalleled views of the Blue Ridge and a look into the culture and traditions of the Southern mountaineer.

Barry M. Buxton has been a teacher, researcher, publisher, editor, and community leader with extensive international experience. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. Currently Dr. Buxton serves as the president of Lees-McRae College. Prior to his tenure at Lees-McRae, he served as the Vice President of Special Projects at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Dr. Buxton has also served as president of various science and history museums in North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia. During the 1980s, he served as Executive Director of the sixteen-member Appalachian Consortium Press.