I arrived in the Shenandoah Valley from Mississippi in 1977, joining the social work faculty at the “brand new” James Madison University. The university had about 6,800 students and only one campus. Harrisonburg was a small community with a vibrant downtown. I was told that Harrisonburg’s racial diversity was around 3 percent minorities, most of whom were black. Politically, the city and surrounding county were conservative. Solid Republican, you might say.