Ray Swanson

The Lost Trades School Historic Richmond Foundation & the City of Richmond, Virginia

During the summer of 2003, I developed and justified an operational framework for the Lost Trades School (LTS). The school trains crafts people in the methods and use of materials that meet federal and state rehabilitation standards and guidelines. A significant portion of my time was spent writing a business plan for the LTS. I also developed the curriculum for the schoolýs first course in historic brickwork and preservation carpentry. During the remainder of the summer, I wrote grant applications, coordinated the schoolýs curriculum with the local vocational centers and labor unions, and initiated other fund raising activities.

The internship allowed me to incorporate the philosophies of historic preservation into hands-on experience. Creating, justifying, and funding a school and then taking the responsibility for what was taught, at least to its first students, forced me to take positions and defend them to the board of directors. I was pleased to have had the academic depth, coupled with business experience from an earlier career, to support those discussions.