A Two-fer

Bobby Burns observed that the "best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray."  My plan for All Saints Day was to visit a number of libraries.  But first, I paid a call on a widow in my Church who was having surgery.  The procedure scheduled for 9:00 a.m. did not commence until nearly 11:00 so I was delayed in starting my journey.  I do not begrudge the time I spent with this dear woman and her family nor the time spent by the medical personnel preparing to do the delicate work of surgery.

After leaving the hospital, I traveled to Salisbury to visit three very fine academic institutions.  Between me and Salisbury was a horrendous wreck involving two tractor-trailer trucks.  Interstate traffic was snarled so I left the highway to try to find a less congested path.  Fortunately, that path led me by Gary's, a favorite restaurant in Kannapolis.  Since I couldn't get to my first sop before lunch time, I stopped at Gary's.





The first stop in Salisbury was Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.  The library there is in transition.  Their director, Tony Lippard left to go to another school and in his place is Lisa Shores, the acting director.  The woman in charge of acquiring the books is Kathy Fountain who is a cheerful a person as I've ever met.
 

Just across the interstate highway is Hood Theological Seminary.  When I visited in the summer, the director was not there but this day I found Jess Bellemer just returning from lunch.  A window near the door had a most intricate design and I commented on its beauty.  Jess informed me it had shattered under extreme temperature but not broken.  I note that there is a sermon illustration in there somewhere.






Catawba College was my third and final stop of this shortened day.  There I met Steve McKenzie who directs the fine library on the campus.  There is a great contrast between the traditional architecture of the outside of the building and the very modern and scholar-friendly inside of the building.

Because of my late start, I was unable to complete my itinerary so I returned home and hatched a plan to finish the next morning.

Each month I meet with a life-long friend for personal and spiritual accountability.  We share our lives and encourage each other to "finish on fire."  Meeting him was on my way to Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs.  After our meeting, I continued to GWU and found Laurie Bumgardner. When I had visited in the summer, they were receiving the holdings of a branch campus that had closed.  That work had been completed and the library was bigger ad better than ever.  Laurie introduced me to the reference librarian, Dr. Pam Dennis.  Dr. Dennis told me that for the two weeks before the end of the semester, the library stays open 24 hour a day with two librarians present.  That kind of sacrifice shows the devotion these people have to the students they serve.    

I only visit a few public libraries but one of them is in my former hometown of Gastonia.  The Library was abuzz with activity because it is a site for "early voting."  There was a long line of people entering the library to cast their ballot.  I commend voting to everyone on (or before) November 8th. Inside, I met my old friend, Bob Biggers who works at the front desk and he brought Jane Kayler, the acquisitions director to me.  Jane shares a last name with a dear friend of mine but, try as we might, we were not able to establish a connection.

My final visit for this second shortened day was at the oldest Catholic University in the South, Belmont Abbey.  Sharon Bolger is in charge of getting books and I found her hard at work at the front desk.  She serves an eclectic mix of students seeking a bachelor's degree and Catholic scholars from the Abbey.

Thus ended my second shortened day.  But two halves seem to have made a whole day.  I wonder how often I fail to achieved what's possible because I can't achieve what I'd planned.

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.