Locating Slavery's Legacies @ University of Virginia

Memorial Artwork

Sculptural Memorial

Reparative

Nelson, Leonard Worth (“L.W”)

Headstone for Leonard Worth (L. W.) Nelson

After decades of dedicated service to Davidson College, Leonard Worth Nelson, most known as “L.W.,” passed away on January 5, 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina. His contributions to the college community were deeply appreciated, and his presence on campus was widely cherished. As a beloved figure on campus, L.W. worked as a janitor, but his impact extended far beyond the maintenance of physical spaces. Throughout his years at Davidson College, he formed meaningful relationships with students, faculty, and staff through his kindness and warm spirit, which left a lasting impression on many.

Funeral services took place on Friday afternoon, January 12, 2007, at Union Bethel AME Zion Church in Cornelius, North Carolina. Family, friends, and community members attended the service to celebrate his life and the legacy he left behind. Those whose paths were touched by his presence remembered him with deep admiration and love.
A headstone was commissioned by family and friends in his honor and placed at his burial site, accompanied by a white wooden cross and artificial flowers. The inscription on his headstone reads “Loving Father and Grandfather,” which is a lasting tribute to the love, devotion, and care he showed his family throughout his life. He is buried near his wife who preceded in him in death. The memorial is a testament to his profound impact on his family and the Davidson College community.

The headstone is a flat, rectangular granite set in the ground. A small white wooden cross stands behind the stone, and artificial blue and white flowers have been placed nearby.

Leonard Worth Nelson
July 30, 1926
Jan 5, 2007
“Loving Father and Grandfather”

Friends and Family of Leonard W. Nelson

Nelson, Leonard Worth (“L.W”)

2007

2000-Present: Memorialization in the Era of Universities Studying Slavery and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Friends and Family of Leonard W. Nelson

Davidson College; Davidson, North Carolina

"Leonard Worth Nelson, "L.W."," The Charlotte Observer, January 10, 2007, B4.

“Leonard Worth Nelson,” Web: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, U.S., Death Index, 1992-2012, Ancestry.com

“Leonard Worth Nelson,” Find a Grave. com