Richmond alum travels across the country to explore presidential gravesites
Alumni
As a child living in a Philadelphia suburb, Michael Tropp’s passion for history was fostered by his family, especially his uncle, who often took him around the region to discover the stories behind the places and people that shaped the nation.
“Growing up in Philadelphia, you're surrounded by history, whether it’s the American Revolution or the Civil War,” he said. “It’s just part of who you are.”
When he enrolled at the University of Richmond, the surrounding city and the Commonwealth sparked his deep fascination with the nation’s presidents. A history and political science major from the Class of 2001, Tropp immersed himself in Virginia’s past, which included visits to the graves of Presidents James Madison and John Tyler.
“Virginia has the most presidential gravesites,” he said. He also visited Thomas Jefferson’s burial site in Monticello and George Washington’s tomb in Mount Vernon. Each trip to a new presidential resting place made him more determined to see them all.
A longtime friend now accompanies him for a weeklong jaunt every year on Tropp’s birthday. During COVID, they traveled to Ohio and visited seven presidential gravesites there and in bordering states, including that of James Garfield, who was buried in Cleveland after his assassination. Upon arriving at his ornate mausoleum, which features Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque Revival influences, they discovered it was under renovation and cordoned off with yellow tape that read ‘caution.’ They lifted the tape and cautiously entered, checking off another gravesite on Tropp’s list.
“As I got older, the number of gravesites I needed to visit decreased," said Tropp, who now resides in Atlanta and sells risk management software.
As he travels those final miles and approaches a memorial, Tropp often queues up a podcast to refresh his memory of each president’s story, including their triumphs and failures. He admits he was most in awe when he arrived at Abraham Lincoln’s tomb, now buried under 10 feet of cement after repeated grave-robbing attempts.
Tropp also proactively combined gravesite visits with business trips, such as last year’s trip to Buffalo, where Millard Fillmore is buried. “It was the middle of a snowstorm, and I rented a big 4x4 pickup truck so that I could drive through the snow, navigate this massive cemetery, and find this last grave,” he said. “I was there, and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity.”
But his connection to presidents goes beyond simply visiting gravesites. Through several serendipitous encounters, he met seven presidents. He said that each interaction left a lasting impression.
Through a contact who worked at the White House, Tropp met Bill Clinton at the doorway of the Oval Office. He had an encounter with Carter at the late president’s local church. He has also met the Bushes — the father and his son, Gerald Ford, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Whether it was the solemnity of standing before Lincoln's tomb or the thrill of meeting a commander-in-chief, Tropp’s love of history remains the common thread.
His history and political science courses at Richmond enhanced his understanding and perspective on current and historical issues. His time on the Richmond College Senate, where he debated and funded key student issues and initiatives, helped to feed his own curiosity about a potential future in politics.
“Attending UR prepared me for the things that make me happiest in life, which are truly traveling and politics and history,” said Tropp.