Down East

On a recent trip that included the North Carolina Coastal areas in and around Morehead City, Jacksonville and New Bern, I missed seeing the Director of the library at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville,  After a few exchanged emails, I thought I might return to the area and visit some other area schools as well that are further south.  On the first day of my travels, I visited Richmond County Community College in Hamlet, St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, Robeson Community College in Lumberton, Bladen Community College in Dublin and Southeastern Community College in Whiteville,  Of those five, only Robeson County Community College was a school I had not yet visited.

I was hungry for Oriental food when lunchtime arrived so I stopped in at Taki Japanese Cuisine in Laurinburg.  I enjoyed delicious vegetables, fried rice and shrimp sauce.  

Lumberton was flooded last October when the rains of Hurricane Matthew filled to overflowing the banks of the Lumbee River.  The school was spared but the damage to the area was extensive.


The Lumberton area is home to the Lumbee Indian Tribe.  The 55,000 members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina reside primarily in Robeson, Hoke,Cumberland and Scotland counties and is is the largest tribe in North Carolina, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest in the nation. The ancestors of the Lumbee were mainly Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking Indians who have lived in the area of what is now Robeson County since the 1700s. The Lumbee people have been recognized by the state of North Carolina since 1885, and at that time established a separate school system that would benefit tribal members. In 1887, the state established the Croatan Normal Indian School, which is today The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

I'd intended to visit Brunswick Community College in Bolivia but was unable to do so due to the constraints of time.  

I finished my day driving to Jacksonville so I'd be close to my 10:00 am appointment at Coastal Carolina. It was past suppertime when I arrived so I looked for a restaurant near the hotel.  Mission Barbecue served tasty ribs.  They also have cups for sale near the checkout where patrons can make donations to charitable projects such as Wounded Warriors.

 

I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Jacksonville where the accommodations were extremely comfortable.  Their television commercials suggest that staying there will make you smarter but I could tell little or no difference the next morning.  I did have a delicious breakfast served by two ladies.  One had just finished her overnight shift and the other was just starting her day.  Somehow both were cheerful and bright and did their best to get every one's day started in a positive direction.

It had been sunny and in the 70's the day before but this morning dawned cool and rainy and stayed that way most of the day.  That made taking pictures difficult.  Plus, these powdered wigs don't look so good when they get wet. 

I decided to make a early call to the Onslo County Public Library in Jacksonville.  I had visited there on my earlier trip and left information with Karen Moore.  It was good to see her and her staff hard at work early in the morning.

A short distance away is Coastal Carolina.  Sally Goodman has been there for six years and in that time has built a strong team providing library services to the students.   She was aware of the company I represent but had not used our services.  Her questions were insightful and demonstrated a desire to continue offering the best service possible to her students.  I hope we will be able to help her do that.

Three schools I had not previously visited are the New Hanover Public Library in downtown Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College nearby and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  

I had completed my list of schools by early afternoon so I set my course for the one school I had missed on my way "down east"; Brunswick Community College in Bolivia.  I asked my new assistant, Sheila (she works for Apple but is from "down under") to set a course for the school and very soon was on the campus.  


I skipped lunch so I could arrive home in time for dinner.  Being at home after two days of travel was well worth a missed meal.