Journey to the Center

My travels have taken me north, south, east, west and even UP! But today I traveled to the center. The day began with a beautiful drive to the edge of the mountains to visit the library at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. It is a college built on the side of a mountain and one student said it was "uphill everywhere you go!" Christy Earp is the Director and Rebecca Kruger handles the acquisitions. Both women love the mountains and their enthusiasm for books and students was evident.
Guilford College in Greensboro was founded by the Quakers in 1837. The Quakers have always been non-conformists. They rejected the authority of the Church of England in the 1600's along with the rituals and even the clergy. So for an anti-slavery community to exist in the South was consistent with their heritage. Today Guilford College is a modern campus offering a world-class education in an urban setting. But the buildings have maintained the look and feel of the Quaker heritage and all the campus streets are named for famous Quakers like George Fox. The Library was in the midst of renovation and the librarian was on vacation but I enjoyed visiting the alma mater of one of my mentors, Paul Baker Wood.
A few miles away and one year later, the Methodists (my brother's movement) founded Greensboro College. It is in the heart of the city of Greensboro and proudly provides a liberal-arts education designed to produce well-rounded students who are able to contribute to all of society, not just their single are of training and expertise. The librarian, William Ritter, looks like a student himself but was hard at work at the front desk during the summer lull before classes begin next month.

Now we get to the title of this blog. The town of Asheboro claims to be the geographic center of the state of North Carolina. Since King George's instructions were not followed explicitly, the boundaries of North Carolina are a bit "whoppy-jawed." But Asheboro claims to be in the exact center. Asheboro is also where I graduated High School.




















But my purpose in going was to meet the fine librarians at Randolph Community College. Debbie Luck is married to a potter from nearby Seagrove (http://discoverseagrove.com/). She and Pam Pollard are barbeque snobs like me and they recommended Henry James Barbeque. HJB has the best hushpuppies I've eaten in a long time and I had the good fortune to meet some of the late Henry James' family members who stopped by to eat lunch.



Just across the street from RCC, is the Richard Petty Educational Center. The Petty Family is from nearby Level Cross, NC and has business interests all over the area.










It is a short drive to Troy the home of the Montgomery Community College. Deborah Ashby is the librarian and explained how the direction of MCC had changed over the years to a school providing technical training including a rather renowned "gunsmithing" school.





Stanley Community College is located in Albemarle. It is there I met Sharon Faulkner who retired as the Montgomery Community College librarian and now works part-time at SCC.
My final stop was at Pfeiffer University. It was established in 1885, once again, by the people of my brother's movement--the Methodist Church. I had a friend named June Hardin from high school who attended there.
While I was eating lunch at Henry James Barbeque, I began to think of people I knew in high school and whether any of them still lived in Asheboro and if any of them would come into the restaurant. I discovered something interesting about my self. As people would enter the restaurant, I looked for people who resembled a high school version of my friends rather than people who are in their mid-sixties like me. Hope springs eternal,I suppose.

Goings and Comings

With great sadness I announce the demise of my guide and traveling companion, Zelda G.P.S.Tomtom. Zelda served me and others faithfully (if not always cheerfully--she could become a bit testy at times) guiding us to our appointed destinations. She suffered a "bug" of some sort when rendered her useless since she no longer contained a map of the United States. Despite numerous attempts to revive her, she was unable to recover. I will miss her Easter European accent telling me where to turn and to "be careful." My new assistant does not have the personality of Zelda but is quite accurate and more patient with me.

By contrast, it is with great gladness that I announce that I have a new ride. My old Chevy Tracker developed an expensive problem and thrift suggested I not invest more money in repairs. Some very good friends (Jack and Bart), who's names sound like they came out of an old western, found an excellent vehicle which I think suits my personality.

My first stop was at another of the Old North State's community colleges. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury serves students from the surrounding counties by being conveniently located just off the Interstate highway. I have extended family members who live in that area and have attended that school. Both of the librarians I needed to see were away but I was greeted by Lisa Shores who grew up in nearby China Grove.

Just on the other side of the interstate was Hood Theological Seminary. Because it is located behind the Offices of the Lutheran Synod offices, I assumed it was a seminary for training Lutheran Pastors. I was delighted to learn that HTS has her roots in my brother's movement! "Founded and sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (A.M.E. Zion) Church, the Seminary has a special—but not exclusive—interest in training those who minister with and among historically marginalized communities, and those who work in a pastoral or secular capacity during their seminary education. The African American church’s historic insistence on recognizing the social, political, economic, and global implications of the gospel, the A.M.E. Zion identity as the “Freedom Church,” and the Methodist focus on scriptural holiness with personal and social responsibility shape the emphases in the theological curriculum." "The Seminary bears the name of a renowned bishop of the denomination, James Walker Hood, who inspired others in the denomination to join with him in creating an institution for the training of Negro youths for the Christian ministry. In 1879 those pioneers created the Zion Wesley Institute in Concord, NC. Three years later, by invitation of the citizens of Salisbury, they relocated the Institute to this city. Under the leadership of its first president, Dr. Joseph Charles Price, the Institute was chartered by the State of North Carolina in 1887 and renamed Livingstone College in honor of Scottish physician and explorer of central and southern Africa, Dr. David Livingstone. Livingstone College is located just around the corner.

A few miles away is Catawba College. In the early days of our nation's history, German settlers from Eastern Pennsylvania traveled to Piedmont North Carolina to live. They brought with them a strong Reformed heritage and a desire to see their young people educated. At first they sent their young back north for school but in 1851, they opened Catawba College in nearby Newton. The school was named for the native Americans who lived in the area. In 1925, the school relocated to Salisbury and affiliated with the Church of Christ.

I then traveled north to the city of High Point to Laurel University. Laurel began as a Bible College in nearby Greensboro and changed it's name to "John Wesley College" when it moved to High Point. Just a few days ago, the school's trustees voted to change it's name BACK to "John Wesley." I know nothing of "why" but it makes me proud to see my brother's name on any institution of higher learning.

Winston-Salem is an odd pairing. "Salem" comes from the Moravian community and "Winston" is the name of a cigarette. Salem College is located in the heart of "Old Salem" which is both a historic preservation of the early days of the Moravians as well as the current "mother Church" for Moravians in the area. On Easter, the town welcomes guests by the thousands to a "Sunrise Service" which features a brass band and a commemoration of the Resurrection at "God's Acre"--the Moravian Cemetery. As an historic site, the buildings have been preserved but the Salem College Library is a modern facility on the inside of one of those preserved buildings. Peter Austin is in charge of acquisitions and is a native of the Asheville area where I used to live. I regret that I did not take a picture while at Salem College. It is a beautiful and historic campus.

While watching the Republican National Convention this week, I heard the woman who announced the NC delegate count say that there were more Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) in North Carolina than any other state. There are twelve. HBCU's are schools founded before 1964 primarily to serve the black community. One such University was my next stop, Winston-Salem State University. It is located, appropriately, on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and from what I could see, serves a diverse student body. It is a beautiful campus with wide pedestrian mall. Neither of the directors were present but everyone in the library was very helpful.

Lunch was a serendipitous event. As I was leaving the WSSU campus, I saw a hot dog vendor. I circled the block to meet Frank of Frank's Frankfurters. He served two Nathan's hot dogs with the kind of slaw that has both mayonnaise and mustard in it. Delicious!

My final stop was in Surry County at the Surry Community College in the town of Dobson. The drive from Winston-Salem to Dobson approaches a picturesque view of Pilot Mountain. Pilot Mountain and nearby Mount Airy are famous as both the real hometown and the setting for Andy Griffith's television show. Once again, both of the directors I needed to see were away (it is, after all, still summer and classes are not in session). The two people working in the library were most helpful, including Maria who hails from Columbia. As I drove home I reflected on the people who started these institutions I visit. All of them understood the value of education for both sustainability and progress.