2020 in Photos: Part II

December 17, 2020 • By Sanjay Suchak, sanjay@virginia.edu Sanjay Suchak, sanjay@virginia.edu

December 17, 2020
Rowing team on the river

Members of the UVA women’s rowing team practice, in masks, on a fall morning. (Photos by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

University of Virginia photographer Sanjay Suchak is sharing some of his most memorable photos from 2020.

We shared Part I and some of Suchak’s reflections, earlier, covering mostly the spring semester and the abrupt shift from normal life on Grounds to virtual learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world.

Here is Part II, covering the fall semester, from students’ return to Grounds in September to UVA’s first COVID-19 vaccinations at the beginning of December, with many moments and memories in between.

Take a look.

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Guy Mengel working on placing a Please Wait Here sticker on the floor
Guy Mengel, director of University Library Facilities and Security, places a social distancing decal on the floor of Brown Library in order to help prepare for reopening for students.
Warehouse with hundreds of boxes stacked up
Some of the hardest-working and most unseen groups of people on Grounds were the staff of the Office of Housing and Residence Life, who packed and arranged for student possessions to be shipped or stored after the spring semester’s abrupt shutdown. Here, more than 5,000 boxes, stacked up to 10 feet high in the Slaughter Recreation Center, await students’ return.
Two men making deliveries to the Cauthen building
Move-in, while delayed this year, felt largely the same as years past. Students were encouraged to only bring what they could easily transport, as helpers were limited.
Columns of the Rotunda and airplane
The World War II B-17 bomber “Sentimental Journey” made a trip over Grounds, flying up the Lawn and then veering toward the east on its way to Richmond.
Group of students on a stag doing various aerobic poses
Drama professor and artistic director Marianne Kubik’s theatrical movement class was relocated from a smaller classroom to the large stage in Culbreth Theatre, which still holds the set from a production cancelled in the spring.
Eileen Chou on stage presenting to socially distanced class in the lecture hall
In-person courses looked very different in the fall semester. Eileen Chou’s course in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy was a hybrid class of virtual and in-person learning, held in the Newcomb Hall Theater.
Two people photographing rare artifacts on a table
At the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, the reading room is available by appointment only and most educational sessions are conducted via videoconference. Here, Krystal Appiah and George Riser show some treasures to a class online.
Looking down on a student in a lecture hall working on their computer
A student in the Chemistry Building’s large lecture hall is an island unto himself. String demarcates seats to not be used to enforce physical distancing.
UVA Choir rehearsing outside and socially distanced
Professor and director of choral music Michael Slon had to break his large University Singers group into smaller groups to rehearse in outdoor locations, like the pavilion gardens in the Academical Village.
Scott Stadium football field from the top of the stands
When football did return, the games looked very different. Nearly devoid of fans and with only essential personnel allowed on the field, the experience was surreal. At one point when there was an injury on the field, it was so quiet out that I could hear birds outside of the stadium and leaves rustling in the wind along Alderman Road.
Medical Professional holding swap while talking to a passenger in a car
One key to managing a pandemic is testing. UVA held many events for the community to be tested, including this one at the Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville. Here, Dr. Mohan Nadkarni administers a COVID test to a community member.
Project on a box truck shining out over the cars waiting for the drive-in to start
Adaptation was the name of the game this year, and the Virginia Film Festival for the first time hosted drive-in movies at both Morven Farm and the Dairy Market. I was able to attend one at Morven, seen here, and it was a much-needed respite. I hope they continue.
Cav Man kneeling to interact with three little girls dressed up for halloween
Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn was canceled this year, but CavMan and some Lawn residents brought treats to the Southwood neighborhood of Charlottesville to bring a little cheer to an area that’s been hit very hard by COVID.

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Two people working on test tubes in the lab
One of the most impressive things I’ve seen this year has been the work by the staff of the Office of Vice President for Research, who managed to develop and build a COVID saliva testing protocol and lab in a matter of weeks.
Person taking an sticker that reads, Presidential Election, 2020 I voted
Students and the Charlottesville community came out to vote in the presidential election, with four polling places on or near UVA’s Grounds.
The Rotunda lit up by lights at dusk
This year, for the first time, the Lighting of the Lawn committee lit up both sides of the Rotunda, so that community members could enjoy the view while driving by. The annual Lighting of the Lawn event was held – but like everything else, it was virtual this year.
UVA dining staff pouring liquid into a big pot
Employees at dining halls across Grounds prepared a Thanksgiving feast for students to enjoy – safely spaced – before departing Grounds to end the truncated in-person semester.
Woman running through the columns on Grounds
After a rainstorm, a jogger runs through the Lambeth Colonnades, the sunset reflected in a small puddle of rainwater.
Medical professional giving an injection to a doctor
Dr. Ebony Hilton received UVA’s first COVID vaccine on Dec. 15, a historic moment in a dark time of the pandemic. As someone documenting the whole thing, it was hopeful, but felt more like a consolation prize than a victory lap, with so much suffering still occurring.

Look back at Part I of Suchak’s 2020 photo series.

Stack of Newspapers sitting on a porch in on a welcome mat and leaves

2020 in Photos: Part I

University photographer Sanjay Suchak selected some of his most memorable photos from a year we will never forget.

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Sanjay Suchak

Photographer Office of University Communications

Article Information

May 10, 2025

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