Starting Over

Having just completed my first round of visits to libraries,it is time to start over.  The first visits were in May and for most schools it was the week between graduation and the beginning of summer school.  Consequently, I missed seeing some of the librarians.  As I begin a new round, school is in session and I hope to be able to see all of them.

My first call was at Western Carolina University.  Jessica Zellers is in charge of acquisitions and when I met her, she had her dog, Rev, with her.  He's a miniature Australian Shepherd and reminded me of our family dog, Junior.  Jessica is an Asheville native who traveled to Missouri to work in public libraries.  She was delighted when the Western Carolina position came open and she could return to western Carolina.

Mars Hill University was one of the schools I visited on my very first day.  That day, I missed seeing both the Director, Bev Robertson who was having surgery, and the person in charge of acquisitions, Kristina Blackford, who was on vacation.  Today, however, I got to sit down with both.  Because of their openness, I was able to do my job which is to be the "eyes and ears" of the company.





I traveled back to Asheville and it was after lunchtime so I went to
a local diner called "Little Pigs."  They've been serving both barbeque and their signature "broasted chicken" since 1963.

After lunch I drove to the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, known locally as A-B Tech.  Sue Donato is in charge of buying books but she had gone home for the day when I arrived.








When I visited Warren Wilson during the summer both the director and the man in charge of buying books were gone to Germany.  Both returned safely and were hard at work.  Brian Conlan is a motor cycle enthusiast and juggles the need for books and the demands of budgets.

Montreat College is one of the most beautiful campuses I visit.  It also has a connection to the families of both Billy and Ruth Graham.  In fact, the library is named for Ruth's father.  There is a two-lane stone entrance to Montreat which was under "reconstruction" because someone had tried to squeeze a too-large vehicle into the entrance.






My final stop was at McDowell Technical Community College.  It was rather late in the afternoon when I arrived and Sharon Smith had already gone home but I had a wonderful talk with her assistant, Pat Tallent.  Like me, Pat sees the growing incivility in our world as a product, in part, of the absence of art, music and literature in public education.  She's certainly doing her part to curb that trend.

The End and the Beginning

No, this is not going to be an eschatological blog predicting the end of the world.  On my travels today, I visited the last of my schools and made my first "cold call" on a school we had not helped in some time.  Usually, the reason libraries stop using our services is because of a change in directors of acquisitions.  When that happens, I want to try to introduce our services to a new client.

I began my day with an old friend and the school I have visited most--Barton College.  I had the privilege of meeting with their library staff.  Under the leadership of George Loveland, they are seeking to streamline their work flow in order to free up more time for a momentous task of archiving historical material for the College.  After listening to their questions, I have no doubt they will be able to accomplish the work and make the library more efficient at the same time.  I hope we will be able to help them.





Smithfield is the home of Johnston Community College and was my last, first-time, call.  Jaxie Bryan is the Director and clearly has a strong hand in the direction and future of the library there.  

In the town of Smithfield, I ate lunch at "The Diner" run by Amy and Larry Holt.  Amy waits tables and Larry does the cooking.  I was one of only a few customers and while I was there a "regular" came in and asked, "Where is everybody?"  Larry said, I guess they are all at "Mule Days."  Before I knew it, my curiosity inserted itself into their conversation.  "Did you say, 'Mule Days'?" I asked.  They explained that the nearby town of Benson celebrates "Mule Days" the 4th Saturday of September each year.  The festival draws 40-50,000 people and features rodeos, a mule pulling contest, arts and crafts, vendors, street dances, carnival rides, camping, parades and bluegrass shows. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (called a 'jack") and a female horse (called a "mare").  Smithfield is a farming

region and mules were used as work animals before the advent of tractors because mules are more patient, hardy and long-lived than horses, and are less obstinate and more intelligent than donkeys.  I say, "they explained." Actually, the "regular" explained.  Larry description of Mule Days was a bit too anatomical for this blog.

My final two stops for the day were my first two "cold calls."  Duke University Law School Library and the Fuqua School of Business Library are side-by-side on the Duke Campus.  At the Law Library I met Shyama Agrawal who is in charge of acquisitions.  Shyama is of Indian descent and my brother-in-law is from Orissa.  We talked some about India and the differences between there and here.  I was unable to see Dave Connelly next door.  Duke University is one of the finest academic institutions in the nation and is sometimes referred to as the "Harvard of the South."  They have, however, a basketball coach whose picture accompanies the word "annoying" in Mr. Webster's Dictionary.   

A Slight Delay

The venerable Bobby Burns said in his poem, "To a Mouse":  “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”  We ordinary English-speakers have adapted that line to say:  "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."  Such was the case last week. There were four schools I had not yet visited and they were in a near straight line toward the Coast.  My "best-laid plan" was to visit them on my way to a conference of my brother's tribe I was attending last week.  Thus I would, as J. Morgan Ghent wrote in 1632, "kill two birds with one stone."  However, as John Donne wrote in "No Man Is An Island," the bell tolled for a dear friend and I was privileged to attend her homegoing celebration.  She was a dear lady who gave of herself freely and has now received her reward.


I suspect that is quite enough googled literary references for this lifetime.  So I will, as Judge Jesse would say, "cease and desist.

I left immediately following the service for the conference where I spent three days under the instruction of a convictional professor from Indiana and in the company of men and women whose lives are devoted to serving others and sharing the Good News of the Gospel.  It was, needless to say, a worthwhile three days.


I had to return home for responsibilities on Wednesday night so on Thursday morning, I retraced my steps beginning in the town of Hamlet at the Richmond County Community College.  Carolyn Bittle is the Dean of the Library there and,as has been the case so often, she was working at the information desk.  These community college deans and directors are far from administrators alone.  They are all working librarians.  I believe it is, at least in part, because they love books and the people who read them.

My next stop was in Laurinburg at St. Andrews University where I met Mary MacDonald.  I wondered if everyone who worked at a University named after the birthplace of golf in Scotland had to have highlander names.  But on their faculty directory I found names from Austin to Wojtasik so I guest they allow non-Scots to teach.  There was one swimming coach named Burns and eight professors whose names began with "Mc" or "Mac."  Needless to say, the school is proud of it's Scottish heritage.  St. Andrews was founded by the Presbyterian Church and is the product of a merger of an all-male and an all-female school.  They have recently become a campus of Webber International University in Florida and each summer, they host the Governor's School for gifted and talented high school students in North Carolina.  St. Andrews also has a world-class equestrian program.  In addition to many competitive equestrian championships, the school offers a degree in therapeutic riding and preparations for vet school.  My brother rode a horse for much of his ministerial career though I don't believe he ever went to school to learn how.


My next stop was at Bladen Community College near Dublin.  Dublin.  St. Andrews.  Are you seeing a theme here?  The early settlers of this area were from Scotland and Ireland and traveled up the Cape Fear River. It was lunch time so I stopped in at a restaurant named Dowless and Co. in Dublin.  Being unfamiliar with the area, I pulled into the wrong entrance.  It was, however, a fortunateerror because I saw behind the restaurant a man standing at a cooker.  He signaled the direction I should go and after paring in the correct lot, I walked walked around back to meet Lennox the Pit Master for Dowless.  Lennox opened the cooker long enough for me to see about eight pork shoulders which looked ready to eat.  Lennox's experience, however, said they needed another "three hours."  Inside, I found the special of the day to be country-style steak which I ordered with cabbage, field peas and cornbread.  Delicious!  Dublin is in the heart of "peanut country" and the residents were gearing up for the annual peanut festival which began on Saturday.  Sherwin Rice is the director of the library at Bladen CC and is rightfully proud of the work being done by her school for the community.


My final stop was in Whiteville at Southeastern Community College.   Kay Houser is the Director of the library and we had a long conversation about both the changes occurring in libraries and education in general as well as our families.  The day following my visit was Constitution Day.  Kay had made a most-creative window display to celebrate the day.

Speaking of the Constitution, I would like to make a political statement although I am, myself, an undocumented alien:  The next President of the United States will likely appoint three or four justices to the US Supreme Court.  Those appointments will affect the future direction of this country for generations to come.  Please choose wisely. As the Grail Knight said to Indiana Jones:  "You must choose but choose wisely."
  

Real Chili

During my travels with Charlie, he created a list of places I might go whom he had served in the past and could perhaps be helped by a visit from me.  On his advice, I set out this morning to my old stomping grounds in Gastonia.  I stopped first at the Gaston County Public Library and was greeted by an old friend, Bob Biggers.  Bob remembered that he and his band (Darrell and Sonshyne) had played for the rehearsal dinner for my son's wedding.  Bob told me he didn't play much anymore and was planning to retire from working at the Library.  The librarian is Jane Kaylor and she was not there.  Since the Library is so close, I'll stop in to see her another time.

I crossed the South Fork River to Charlotte and the campus of Johnson C. Smith University.  I'd visited this HBCU back in the summer.  JCSU was begun by two Presbyterian ministers as "Freedmen's College" following the Civil War.  The name was changed to Biddle University.  Tonight is the start of the College football season and interestingly, the first black football game was played by Biddle University against Livingstone College in December in Salisbury, N.C. The Golden Bulls earned their first historic victory in what today is called the Commemorative Classic, an annual tradition at JCSU.  Charlie told me he thought we might be able to help the University Bookstore but I met a wonderful woman named Robin Sorenson who informed me that the bookstore was owned by one of our fine competitors--Follett.  I guess that means they won't be ordering from us.  While I was on campus I returned to the James B. Duke Library and met with Julie Reed.  Julie is originally from Oklahoma and is a Cowboy from Stillwater, OK.  I mentioned friends of mine in Bartlesville which is the home of OWU and she has a sister who takes adult education classes at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  JCSU's mascot is the the Golden Bull.  They kickoff their football season this weekend.

My next stop was in Davidson but it was too close to lunch so I stopped in at Lupie's Cafe.  The original location is near downtown Charlotte and they serve Real Chili.  Most of what passes for chili is really "hamburger soup."  The Texas Chili at Lupies has two ingredients--meat and peppers.  You can add beans or sour cream or cheese but it starts out as real chili.  I was not disappointed to find that the second location had gotten the recipe for both the chili and the cornbread served with it.  The original location was hit by an out-of-control car back in November of last year.  It has reopened but I learned that Lupie retired and both restaurants are being run by her daughter.

Davidson College has a reputation as one of the leading academic institutions in North Carolina.  It is a beautiful campus.  I went to the campus when I was in high school to watch a football game.  My aunt, Myrtle Alexander, was the housemother at one of the fraternities--Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI, for short).  A high school student at a frat house was a dream come true.  But since I was never the scholar my brother was, that was as close to attending Davidson as I ever got.  The E. H. Little Library has been built since I was there so I had to ask directions.  A young student, named Carr, was very kind to show me how to get to the Library and engaged in a polite and adult conversation that included no "ummm's" or "y'know's."  I was impressed by young Carr who is only a Sophomore but is thinking of majoring in Economics.  Alison Bradley is the Librarian and although they currently use another book supplier, she was very cordial and helpful.

Statesville is the home of Mitchell Community College.  It had begun to rain and I seemed to be the only person on campus with an umbrella. Once inside the Library, I was greeted by Beverly Rufty and Courtney Wierckz.  Both are young but have a genuine enthusiasm for helping students learn.







My final stop was in Hudson at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.  I asked directions of the first person I encountered who happened to be the Director of Student Services.  Consequently, I got a wonderful overview of the school as we walked to the Library.  CCC&TI has a high school on campus that allows highly motivated students to graduate high school with most or all of an Associate's degree.  Once in the Library, I met the new director, Alison Beard.  Although new to the job, Alison is not new to education and I know she will succeed.

It was less than an hour's drive home so I drove through the rain, glad to have spent the day with people who love books and the people who read them.

It was like a dream

Did you ever have one of those frustrating dreams where you were supposed to be somewhere and you couldn't quite get there as one thing after another prohibited you?  Well that's the way my latest trip seemed.

I started very early to make a return visit to Barton College in Wilson.  I left in plenty of time (according to my faithful guide) but there was construction in Winston-Salem and traffic in Greensboro and a horrible accident near Durham, all of which caused delays.  I watched as my ETA got closer and closer to the appointed time.  Finally, I called the Director of the library to let him know I'd be late for our appointment.  I got his voicemail!   Not knowing if he wouldlisten to his messages, I pressed on and arrived a few minutes after our appointment was scheduled. 

My purpose was to meet the Director, George Loveland and to discuss ways to streamline his ordering and cataloging procedure.  He told me that my earlier visit was during "FAST Week" when faculty and staff meet to plan the year's activities.  George and I have something in common--we both pastor two small churches.  George has just begun his ministerial training with a year at Hood Theological Seminary.  His wife, Tuck, is also a pastor and an Assistant District Superintendent.  I would have enjoyed spending the day learning from this humble leader but we had to get down to business.  I look forward to meeting with the rest of his team near the end of September.


By the time I reached my next stop, it was noon and time for lunch.  I checked for local eateries and found Shorty's Hot Dogs but when I drove by, the line was out the door.  So I went to a little place called "The Burger Shop."  It featured hand-made burgers servedwith a multitude of free toppings.  They also had fresh-squeezed lemonade.  I took my meal outside because the weather had changed dramatically for the better.  Seated at an outdoor table, I was immediately beset by a plague of the most aggressive flies I've ever seen!  Usually, a simple "shoo" will cause a fly to flee but not so with these insects.  They were houseflies with attitudes. 

My next stop was Southeastern Baptist Theoligical Seminary in the town of Wake Forest.  Wake Forest University is a fine institution begun by the Southern Baptist Convention and is located in Winston-Salem.  WFU began in the town of Wake Forest in 1834 and moved to Winston-Salem in 1956.  SBTS began in 1951 on the property which housed WFU.  It has grown and expanded over the years.  My best friend, Hank Williams (no not THAT Hank Williams), received his doctorate from SBTS and one of his sons is a current student in the Master's program there.  At SBTS, I met Steve Frary.  Steve has worked there for 18 years.  He clearly has the mission of the school in his heart.



Vance-Granville Community College is located in Henderson.  It is a beautiful

campus covered in shady hardwoods.  Almost every parking spot is "primo" because it's under a shade tree.  The library is part of a beautiful "quad" with benches and planters.  Elaine Stem is the director but she was hurrying to a meeting with school administrators so our conversation was very brief.

I suppose it's a good thing I did not tarry.  Most of the rest of my next journey was behind a fully-loaded logging truck on a curvy two-lane road.  I arrived very near the end of the day.

Wentworth is the home of Rockingham Community College.  There is a town in south-central North Carolina called Rockingham but it is in Richmond County.  I was interested in the connection so I did a little digging and discovered the town of Rockingham was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham and British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782.  Apparently,Wentworth took it's name from the same man and the county was thus named "Rockingham."  Mary Gomez is the director of the Library.

Travel was frustrating on this day.  But on the way home it occurred to me that in my brother's day, the distances I had covered would have been impossible in an entire week and the fact that I made the entire trip safely, met new friends and enjoyed beautiful weather was reason enough to give thanks.  And who knows, perhaps I learned some patience from my "bad dream."

A Prince of a Man

Throughout my travels, I have heard the name of my predecessor, Charlie Snider.  I think I can safely say that I have never known anyone as universally loved as Charlie.  During my travels this week, I learned why.

I picked up Charlie at his home near Lexington, NC.  It is a beautiful place located on the shores of High Rock Lake.  I met the true love of his life, Tamera.  She wished us "godspeed" and off we went.  From there we traveled through the country toward Sanford. I had my faithful guide with me but she was not needed as Charlie knew every turn and shortcut.  As we traveled, he talked of the people we would see on our travels.  His knowledge of them was more than just utilitarian information.  It was the kind of things you learn about a good friend.  Charlie's affection for the people he had visited for more than ten years was obvious and I could tell he wanted to get to see them as soon as possible.

Our first stop was in Sanford, at one of two branches of Central Carolina Community College.  Tara
Lucas is the Librarian for all of the Campuses.  She is a newly-wed and greeted Charlie with a hug and was obviously delighted to see him.  And here I learned one of Charlie's secrets.  Under my arm was a very official -looking satchel containing information about my employer.  Under Charlie's arm was a plastic grocery bag filled with little bags of treats.  Charlie counted one bag for each employee at the library, introduced me and then left us to talk about books.  It was this tiny personal touch that typifies Charlie's approach to people. He likes them personally and shows it in as many ways as he can.

While at CCCC, I also met the young lady in charge of ordering books, Jessica Walshaw.  Jessica, like me, is an aspiring writer.  I encouraged her to write, even as I am doing now, to learn the craft of writing.

From the Lee County Campus in Sanford, we traveled a few miles to the Harnette County Campus in Lillington.  Jennifer Seagraves is the Director and she was busy taking photo-ID's for all the incoming students so I only had a brief introduction.  The woman in charge of acquiring the books is Babara Bera.  She is new to the job, taking over from another Barbara--Wood.

Charlie and I then traveled to Buies Creek, the home of Campbell University.  I had visited CU one other time when my nephew graduated from there.  He has become extremely successful in banking and much of his success can be traced to his business professors at Campbell.  Another friend is a lawyer and judge.  She was a graduate of the Charter Class of the Campbell Law School.  Finally, one of the finest young women I know graduated from there with a degree in Spanish.  She has demonstrated the grace of self-sacrifice I have rarely ever seen.  So when I traveled to Campbell, I was pretty positively inclined toward the school.  Those inclinations were reinforced when I met the woman in charge of acquiring the books for the libraries of the University, Michelle Gregory.  Once again, Charlie was able to recall information about her sons and their plans for education that indicated his genuine concern for her and her family.  Michelle took us upstairs to meet the director of the Library, Borree Kwok.

After lunch, we traveled back toward home to Pinehurst and Sandhills Community College.  Pinehurst is known as "the cradle of American Golf."  In the 1890's, a Boston Philanthropist built a New England-style village and imported golf from Scotland to America.  Donald Ross designed the first course and it opened in 1901.  Since then, the Pinehurst courses have been host to many of golf's greatest stars and tournaments.  Another transplanted Yankee is the director of Sandhills Community College library, Dr. John Stacey.  He is ably assisted by Micky Konold and Patty Buelt, the head librarian.
\
As we headed back toward Lexington, Charlie headed down memory lane.  He took my book of libraries and began to tell story after story of people with whom he had worked over the years.  He gave me insights about both current friends and libraries where I might be able to help them find the books they need.  My day with Charlie began where it had begun; by the lake.  But I had something I didn't have when I had arrived that morning; a new friend, Charlie Snider.

I still had a ways to go to reach my home and as those miles rolled by, I had the opportunity to reflect on Charlie and me.  Obviously, I can't be Charlie.  He is "one-of-a-kind".  But I can be inspired to love people more personally the way Charlie does.  You can take away the little bags of candy and even the winning personality and Charlie is still going to care about these people even though they are no longer his responsibility.

Out to sea!

 I've traveled East and West and North and South and even Up but today I went to sea!  The day began very early because my travels led me to the far eastern end of the state near the Pamlico Sound.  On the way, I stopped in Wilson, NC at Historic Barton College.  Barton College was named Atlantic Christian up until 1990.  It was begun by the Disciples of Christ denomination in 1902 and was renamed to honor Barton Stone, a founder of the denomination.  Stone was one of the leaders of the Second Great Awakening and was especially active in the Cane Ridge Revival.  Barton Stone eventually began a new denomination based solely on Scripture rather than a creed.  



Lunch was at Smithfield's Chicken and Barbecue in Havelock.  Initially, I ordered Barbecue Chicken but I met the manager, Mr. Sills, and he suggested I get a combination plate that would include both pork and chicken.  I'm glad I did.  The "barbecued chicken" was fried chicken dipped in spicy barbecue sauce--sort of like Buffalo wings.  The pork was "Eastern Style" with a surprisingly "hot" vinegar sauce.

My next stop was just outside of Grantsboro at Pamlico Community College.  Jane Whitley is the Director and has a great idea about allowing the community near PCC to use the campus library much like the county library (which is 11 miles away.)  Her motivation for doing so is clearly a desire to see more people read!  I mentioned that my next stop was in Morehead City and she quickly informed me that a ferry would take me across the Neuse River and save me a fifty mile trip.  
It was a only a few miles to the Ferry and I waited a few minutes for the "Floyd J. Lupton" to arrive.  The North Carolina Ferry System runs 22 boats on seven regular routes across five bodies of water: Currituck and Pamlico Sounds, and the Cape Fear, Neuse, and Pamlico Rivers. The ferries transport about 850,000 vehicles and two million passengers a year, making it the second largest state-run ferry system in the United States.  The system began in the mid-1920s, when Captain J.B. "Toby" Tillett began a tug and barge service across Oregon Inlet.  In 1934, the Highway department began
subsidizing Captain Tillett's business to keep the rates affordable.  The 25 minute trip across the Neuse was certainly affordable--it was free!
Carteret Community College is located on the banks of the Bogue Sound.  I'm not sure, if this was the view out of my classroom window, I could keep my focus on my studies.  Perhaps the students at CCC are more disciplined than I.  I hope they haven't simply gotten used to this kind of beauty.
The trip home was over 300 miles.  I thought about how such a distance in a single day would have been unfathomable to Captain Tillett.  Whether distance or beauty, we tend to get used to the things (and people) we are around regularly.  It takes an intentional effort to keep the important things fresh and new in our eyes.