SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Students from Savannah Technical College’s Historic Preservation program worked to clean and preserve gravestones at the Law Family Plot in Laurel Grove South Cemetery.

The students restored the gravestones of Wesley Wallace Law, known as W.W. Law, and his family members. Law was a Savannah civil rights leader, historian and community organizer who served as president of the local NAACP for 26 years.

“Most people locally will remember Wesley Wallace Law, commonly known as W.W. Law, who was a leader in many things in this community over many, many decades,” said Otis S. Johnson, a member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Law’s career spanned from starting in the NAACP’s youth council to serving in the military before becoming a prominent civil rights figure in Savannah.

Students connect with local history

The restoration project provided students with hands-on experience while connecting them to Savannah’s history.

“Preservation is important and I think it’s important for everyone, not just people that have money to buy fancy houses,” said Oryn Armstrong, a Savannah Technical College student. “Like, the history, especially in places as old as Savannah, should be preserved and it is for everyone.”

Dr. Lemuel Patterson, also a student in the program, said the project teaches community service across generations.

“We have a younger child that’s here, one of the children of the students, who also passing along from one generation to the next,” Patterson said. “To know what it is to care for the community, to give the concern and the love back. And with that, we are here on a mission that will be forever changing in our spirit and hearts.”

Members of the Savannah Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History attended the restoration work. Law founded the organization, and members shared stories about Savannah’s African American history during the project.