Author: paula.mcgrew@gmail.com

Before, During, and After

One person’s BEFORE is another person’s AFTER.

New and Current Students

Last year’s entering students will have very different memories than what this year’s entering students will encounter. Take, for example, the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library.

Students coming to college for the first time last year came BEFORE library renovation and experienced the full spring semester DURING that process. When they arrived in the fall, the library was new to them, but operating as “normal.”  In the spring, the building was closed and they had to search out the Nellie Wilson Lounge to find the “library in exile.”

Students who are now Juniors and Seniors are about to have their moment of feeling like old-timers as they regale Freshmen and Sophomores with their stories of the library as it was BEFORE.

Students from the 1970s

Students from the early 1970s remember before, during, and after the wraparound addition which provided more space for more collections and office space for library staff and classrooms.

Emeritus Club

Emeritus Club members (those who have graduated from WVWC at least 50 years ago) remember before and during the building of the original Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library. Some remember the excitement of the dedication of that building in 1953.

This week the Emeritus Club gathered for the last of their summer luncheons and were treated to a tour of the renovated library. They were amazed. They were excited. They were proud. They were also a bit nostalgic as they told stories of times when talking and eating were not permitted in the library!

They ended their tour by standing at the foot of the stairs and singing the Alma Mater, some with misty eyes. They were remembering their time and experiences with love and gratitude while also sharing their excitement for current students. Almost a kind of blessing. It was a beautiful and emotional moment.

Perspective of Time

We see the world in terms of our own perspective of time.

This can give us appreciation for growth and excitement for the future.

Our shared experiences connect us even (and maybe especially) when things look different than they did before.

New opportunities. A new normal.

Fall 2019

Within the week, I will be meeting My First Year Seminar students for the first time. They will experience only the new. 

They will hear stories about the old from those who knew it (including those who just arrived last fall.)

They will probably consider the new door as being the main door. To many of us, it is a marvel to be able to enter from both sides of the building!

They will regularly get lunch, or make themselves a milkshake or Keurig coffee at the new self-service micro store while others will look back with nostalgia on the Cafe Libros. Some Emeritus tour members this week were horrified at food (or even chewing gum) in the library at all.

The library has always been at the heart of academic life – the laboratory where students explore and apply what they learn in the classrooms. Research is done and papers are written there. It has also been the place where people gather as a community of learners. Many have found it a convenient place to meet and talk and get acquainted. It is a center for building Community as well as individuals.

Yes, there are still books (print and electronic) and access to many information sources and reserve items. Yes, there are librarians to guide and teach and help students find what they need. Yes, the building is different and redesigned.

The library is ready to build more people.

We Are Who We Have Been Becoming

I spent this past weekend surrounded by people with shared stories.

These were people from many states and many ages.

Most of them I had never met before, but we had a lot of shared history.

No, it was not WVWC Homecoming!

It was the 38th Annual Gathering of the Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants.

I have often heard people say that this area is different from other places and that WVWC is different from other schools, but that they can’t quite put their finger on why that is. Why do West Virginians stay connected even when they have moved far away – sometimes being drawn back to find their roots more than three generations later?

It may have something to do with explorers, pioneers, and settlers.

The characteristics and values of the people who came and endured hardships while building a region and state are still to be found here today:

  • Independence
  • Courage
  • Creativity
  • Curiosity
  • Someone who is an initiator
  • Someone who is a groundbreaker
  • Someone who sees potential and possibilities all around them
  • Someone who pushes boundaries, advances a cause, or breaks records
  • Someone who is dedicated and does not give up easily

Same Stories and Different Focus

As I read about WVWC, I find things about the Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants, about the history of the region, about the state of West Virginia, and about my family roots. It is all connected, and overlaps in strong ways.

On any given day, I am finding that these four areas of interest overlap and come into focus in different ways depending on my project.

Family : those ancestors whose DNA is literally part of me, the stories of their lives, the connections they had to others, their interests, skills, and passions make me who I am today.

Region: the beauty of the area, the rich natural resources, the rugged terrain, the events that happened here, the people who made them happen. This area in North Central West Virginia which was hard to find and settle, that which is not near the border of another state, that which has so much to offer in what may seem to the uninitiated as being literally in the middle of nowhere. This also includes the religious and educational history of the area, and in my particular case the history of the Methodist Church. Circuit riders and preachers run in my family. As far back as seven generations, there have been church leaders lurking in the family tree.

State of WV: the same as region, but including all areas of West Virginia including those along the Ohio River, bordering Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky.  The exploration,  pioneer adventures, and settling of the only state to be born of the American Civil War. Even today, northern states consider WV to be a southern state while southern states consider WV to be northern.  During the early years, WV was the Western Frontier. Now it is neither east nor west. We are a unique place whose people still can be characterized as independent. In fact, quite a few of those early qualities seem pretty familiar today as I look around the city, state, Methodist Conference, and West Virginia Wesleyan College.

WVWC: Founded in 1890, only 25 years after the state of West Virginia, WVWC was the culmination of a great deal of work by the Methodists in the area. In fact, without those people dreaming us into existence, we would not be here today. Our first trustees incuded both Union and Confederate soldiers and chaplains. Some were active in the act of secession. Some of them attended the first and second Wheeling Conventions in 1861 to determine the name of the state, the position on slavery, and to created the laws. The history of the state and the region can not be separated from the founding of WVWC.

Connections and overlapping stories. People who feature prominently in all of these categories. History is not about lists of names and dates — it is about the stories. And these are what set us apart.

Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants (HCPD)

John Hacker was the first permanent European settler in what is now Lewis County, WV.  Following the Pringle Brothers, who remained in present-day Upshur County with the Jacksons and the Sleeths, he moved a bit further to the west. HCPD founder Joy Gilchrist (now DeFazio) wrote a book about these explorers and pioneers called, They Started it All. An excerpt about this group can be found here.   Joy is one of the Founders of HCPD in 1982, and has been a tireless worker, cheerleader, storyteller, and tour guide.

The HCPD was formed in 1982, and moved locations several times until finding their permanent home in the old Hornor School in 1998. It is a busy place!  On any given day you will find people asking questions, poring over volumes, finding some great information about someone who up until that time was just a name on a page. It gives an opportunity to discover what life was like in former times. The perspective of time gives us an opportunity to see both the good and bad parts of society that make up our own histories. (Pretty sure that I would have a hard time surviving in the late 1700s!!)

Pioneering still, this group of descendants gathers annually to study and research, to tell stories, to share pictures, and to delight in the company of others who understand the value of knowing their history. This year there were more than 50 persons gathered. Many were from West Virginia towns large and small from all over the state. There were people from California, Montana, Georgia, Virginia, Indiana, and Ohio. They gathered in the library in Hornor where there are more than 15,000 books, periodicals, obituaries, cataloged photographs, manuscripts, maps, drawings, yearbooks and memorabilia. And, they ate – this group knows how to cook! On Friday evening there was a slide show which included photographs of people no longer living, but who had been active in HCPD during their lifetimes. The stories multiplied!!

A National Endowment for the Humanities blog post, February 6, 2017, gives the background of this organization. The article is titled 50 States of Preservation: Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants in Hornor, WV.

There is a lot of material! There is a lot of work to be done in processing even more collections. The beauty of it is that the 350 members from around the world are connecting and sharing and finding that their history matters a great deal. They also stay in contact  with those far away through their website and Facebook page.

History is Relevant.

History Relevance

Starting as a series of conversations in 2012 about why

“children are not expected to learn it in schools, community leaders rarely look to it to inform today’s decisions, and national leaders select and distort facts to support their positions. Sure, some people visit historic sites and history museums; and many more watch history-based movies. For them, engagement in history seems to be an occasional pleasant pastime, not something especially relevant to their lives”.

The History Relevance Website was born.

History is Relevant

To Ourselves.
  • Identity: History nurtures personal and collective identity in a diverse world. People discover their place in time through stories of their families, communities, and nation. These stories of freedom and equality, injustice and struggle, loss and achievement, and courage and triumph shape people’s personal values that guide them through life.
  • Critical Thinking: History teaches vital skills. Historical thinking requires critical approaches to evidence and argument and develops contextual understanding and historical perspective, encouraging meaningful engagement with concepts like continuity, change, and causation, and the ability to interpret and communicate complex ideas clearly and coherently.
To Our Communities
  • Vibrant Communities: History is the foundation for strong, vibrant communities. A place becomes a community when wrapped in human memory as told through family stories, tribal traditions, and civic commemorations as well as discussions about our roles and responsibilities to each other and the places we call home.
  •  Economic Development: History is a catalyst for economic growth. Communities with cultural heritage institutions and a strong sense of historical character attract talent, increase tourism revenues, enhance business development, and fortify local economies.
To Our Future
  • Engaged Citizens: History helps people envision a better future. Democracy thrives when individuals convene to express opinions, listen to others, and take action. Weaving history into discussions about contemporary issues clarifies differing perspectives and misperceptions, reveals complexities, grounds competing views in evidence, and introduces new ideas; all can lead to greater understanding and viable community solutions.
  • Inspires Leaders: History inspires leaders. History provides today’s leaders with role models as they navigate through the complexities of modern life. The stories of persons from the past can offer direction to contemporary leaders and help clarify their values and ideals.
  • Legacy:  History, saved and preserved, is the foundation for future generations. Historical knowledge is crucial to protecting democracy. By preserving authentic and meaningful documents, artifacts, images, stories, and places, future generations have a foundation on which to build and know what it means to be a member of the civic community.

We Are Who We Have Been Becoming

To find the explorers, pioneers, settlers, and others who have come before us, we need to gather in groups like I experienced this weekend.

We need to read and listen and be inspired.

We need to know where we have been to know who we are. Why do people think that our state, region, campus have something special? Because we are who we have been becoming.

We need to know who we are to know where we are going.

We need to know it ourselves, and to teach it to future generations.

If you would like to read more about these people, you can start with these great books which have been written by those who realized the importance of history and some pioneer has placed on the internet for you.  If you would like to find more, there are some on the DreamersAndGiants.com website under Sources.

American Historical Society (1923). History of West Virginia Old and New, Volume 3 (West Virginia Biography) [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Chicago and New York.

Atkinson, G.W. & Gibbens, A.F. (1890). Prominent men of West Virginia: biographical sketches, the growth and advancement of the state,a compendium of returns of every election, a record of every state officer[electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Wheeling: W.L. Callin.

Atkinson, G.W. (1901). Public addresses, etc., of Geo. W. Atkinson, governor of West Virginia, during his term of office [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Charleston: The Public Printer.

Atkinson, G.W. (1919) Bench and bar of West Virginia [electronic]. Retrieved from Internet Archive. Print copy available in Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library: WV 340.092 At54b

Bruce, T. (1894) Heritage of the trans-Alleghany pioneers, or, resources of Central West Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Nichols, Killam and Maffitt.

Giants With Long Shadows

It is hard to see through the fog. You know something is out there. You catch just a glimpse, but can’t tell what it might be. You wonder.

This photo is one that I took on New Year’s Day 2017. It was the dawn of a new year. The sun was coming up beyond those clouds, but you couldn’t really anticipate what would lie ahead in the future. I remember standing at the railing of the cabin at the Stonewall Resort wondering about that.

As the sun broke through the clouds, the lake and the mountains came into view. The reflections still made me think about how the old and new years seemed to be connected.  A reflection, and yet more than that. The total view seemed to be all as one. It seemed timeless to me.

The past and the present are much like this.

The present is a reflection of the past, and yet more than that.

The future will be a reflection of our present. But, do we even take time to put our own present into focus as we live it? Or are we too busy and distracted?

We Are Part of a Bigger Picture

Writing about the DreamersAndGiants has given me an opportunity to “meet” many of the people who have walked the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan before me. Some have become very familiar to me, and pop up over and over again in various articles that I read or photographs that I see.

For those people, you and I are the future that they couldn’t quite see. They thought about many of the same things that we do. They wondered about us.

Their present is the murky past to us, but they left us some clues through their writing. And, sometimes in that writing they pull things together for us. Sometimes things that we think we have “discovered” are things that they have thought about long before we were born.

Sundial and Admin 2018

Written in 1925, and published in the Spring 1969 Sundial.

Among many other activities at Wesleyan during her student days, Mary Sumner edited the Pharos. She left many clues to help us to understand the college in the 1920s, including this great poem about the Sundial. I wrote a blog about that very same Sundial last year, called the Timeless Sundial.

She married Eugene, who likewise edited the Pharos along with a long list of activities and leadership positions. I also wrote a blog last year about the Gifts of Stories from the Past, which includes a wonderful article that Mary and Gene wrote for the March 1966 issue of the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin – Sundial. It is on pages 17-23.

In this article, Looking Back Forty Years, the Modlins reflected on the college, the students, the faculty, and the culture of the “Roaring Twenties.” They had been there and covered it all — everything from Bobbed Hair and the post WWI Culture to the new road that had been built from Weston to Buckhannon. From the dreams of the students to the faculty who was here to guide them. From the High School State Basketball Tournament to the legendary 1924 Football Season at Wesleyan. They were Giants even in the 1920s, but their Giant Shadows were cast down through the years even further.

Later on, their son Charles, class of 1958, was also Editor-in-Chief of the Pharos. He married Marjorie McCullough, class of 1957. They continued the work of reporting and telling the stories of people and events on campus.

It was my honor to receive a generous gift from Marjorie in 2007 on behalf of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library. Charlie had died, and she wanted to do something in his memory. We decided that using those funds to digitize and make the Pharos available to current audiences would be a wonderful way to celebrate and honor his work on the Pharos. When I later found out that this also honored his parents’ work as well, it was a joyful discovery.

Each and every day something new comes to light. Something about Wesleyan becomes a little clearer. New insights are possible.

Photo by Dewayne R. Lowther, ’57

We don’t know what is beyond the mist of time, or around the bend. We don’t know who has walked before us, where they have gone, or who we might meet. But, the reflection of the past is with us in the present and we can learn from it to make our lives richer and to guide us into the future. And, with appreciation, we stand on the shoulders of Giants and in the long shadows of their work to make it so.

Echoes, Ripples, and Seeds

Echoes

The walls of Wesley Chapel were echoing on Saturday, July 27, 2019. Songs not heard since the 1970s were sung with gusto by a very special group. There were Wesleyan alumni from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and one from 2019. There were current students. There were some amazing musicians who were experiencing the beautiful chapel for the first time.

Although there were only a dozen or so people in the chapel for this experience, it was streamed live on Facebook to 50 or so others as well. Those folks were spread all around! And, we are told, listening carefully to the stories, straining to see the photos, and singing along in such places as Canada, Florida, and JFK airport. Click here for a better look at those photos.

              LoveShine Impromptu Reunion 2019:                            Songs, Stories, Worship

This was a reunion of people who had been active in the group known as LoveShine, which started in 1976 and ended in 2003. LoveShine, a Christian Drama Group, was composed of WVWC students who came together to glorify God by using their talent and creativity to write and perform skits and music. They performed in worship services, coffeehouses, workshops, and toured throughout the region visiting churches to share God’s love.

The founder, and first director, of the group, Paul Brown, was present in the chapel for this reunion. He had not been back to WVWC in 43 years! 

He was able to tell the story about the beginnings, and in this photo is listening to Cheryl (Isner) Olcott, his hand-picked successor as director, tell about the development of the group and what it has meant in her life to this day.

We also had some memories sent in by email, including from Rev. Heather (Runser) McLeod who was part of the last group in 2003. Click below to read those memories that were shared. If you have memories to share as well, email them to historian@wvwc.edu.

LoveShine Memories

Ripples

How Did This Reunion Even Come About?

Caitlin in the front. Back row; Paula McGrew, Paul Brown, Leslie (Flack) Miller

In Spring 2019, a course on WVWC History was being taught by Paula McGrew (’78). Her challenge to the students in the class was to choose an area of Wesleyan and to go to the archives and find out as much as possible. One student, Caitlin Ware, chose to dive into the topic of Religious Life on Campus in the past 20 years or so. Thus began the ripple effect:

  • Research in the WVWC archives revealed a group called LoveShine
  • LoveShine had a theme song written by Leslie Flack
  • Which led Paula to email her former classmate, Leslie, to ask if she had the lyrics to that song – or better yet a recording
  • Which led Leslie to contact Wendy, Paul, Jeff and others to try and get all of the words and the chords from all those years ago
  • Which led to chatter about having a reunion, including those who had not been back to WVWC for decades
  • Which prompted Paula to contact the chapel and alumni offices – and Robert Osburn in AV
  • Which resulted in many stories being told, including some mailed to Leslie by people who really wished that they could be here in person
  • Those stories included both the stories of the beginning of the group in 1976 and the ending of it in 2003.

One thing led to the next and grew into the next and into the next…..

Seeds

Those long ago experiences planted many seeds. In the hearts of the participants. In the hearts of their audiences. In the very fabric of Religious Life on the campus of WVWC.  

On Saturday, July 27, 2019, more seeds were planted. Caitlin was present and talked with the people that she had “discovered” in the archives. She sang with them, laughed with them, asked them questions, answered some of theirs, and made new friends.

Also in attendance were Lucas Trovato (a 2019 graduate and current MBA student) and his fiance Lauren Hatcher (class of 2020 and currently the President of Student Senate). They also learned a few new (old) songs and made new friends. They were able to see the Orange Line in all of its glory.

AND

The event was broadcast well beyond Wesley Chapel. Through the magic of Facebook Live, 50 or so people who wanted to be in the chapel were able to be there virtually. 

AND

The entire event was recorded by Robert Osburn, including a recording session with participants singing the LoveShine Theme Song and another of Leslie Flack’s songs, The Good Song inspired (of course) by John Wesley himself as well as Martin Luther King, Jr.  These songs have been lodged in my head for days now. When the recordings are available, I will post them here. Listen at your own risk!! They are absolutely classics in the making. Until those recordings are ready, click here to hear them from Leslie’s website! 

There is no telling where these seeds may yet take root! Or when. Or where. LoveShine is shining on!

Photos to Share? You can put them here in this folder.

Here is a partial list of those who have been involved with LoveShine through the years. The names were pulled from yearbooks and scrapbooks, neither of which had complete information for all years. Apologies to anyone who might be missing from the list. If that includes you (or others you know) please send their names and the year(s) they were involved to historian@wvwc.edu.

Program from LoveShine Reunion (including the theme song lyrics)

Insert with Good Song lyrics.

Editor’s Note: July 1, 2020 Caitilin Ware will begin serving the college as Spiritual Life Coordinator for one year, during which she will be exploring and helping build a foundation and vision for the future of religious and spiritual life including how the College and the leadership of the West Virginia Annual Conference can continue to look forward to a continued and strengthened partnership. You can read more about this appointment here.

DreamersAndGiants is a webpage and a blog created by Paula McGrew to tell the stories of WVWC. Click here to explore the website.

A Moment in Time And Space

Headlines sound eerily familiar:

  • Congressional subpoenas and testimonies
  • Political unrest around the world
  • Presidents and the word impeachment regularly used in the same sentence
  • Protests
  • Russians creating havok

A major difference is that in 1969 there were only three news channels, and they did not broadcast the news 24/7 – complete with “experts” to explain and spin each and every nugget of information. People read newspapers and books and sought out information. They discussed it in person, often on panel discussions containing actual experts. They  certainly did not always agree.

In 2019 there is 24/7 news on an unlimited number of social media channels. Television has mind-numbing discussions of news and issues which are often just shouting matches. Personal discussions are conducted by way of Tweets or comments on a Facebook post from people who really don’t know what they are talking about. They are just repeating something they heard or saw somewhere else without taking the time to research to find out the truth of the matter.  In a world of nearly unlimited access to information, we are starving for wisdom. We still do not always agree, but chances of encountering a thoughtful discussion with participation of a true panel of experts in person is less likely.

Products of our time (and participants in it)

The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission is everythwere at the moment. We are taking some time to look back through time to discover (rediscover) what life was like the year that we took a Giant Leap for Mankind.

That year contained not one big event, but many.

The country was reeling from the Vietnam War.  The Stonewall Riots began the Gay Rights movement. American Indians seized Alcatraz. The Young Lords group (working for Puerto Rican and other Latino rights) took over the 1st Spanish United Methodist Church in Spanish Harlem to bring attention to their mission of empowering young Latinos, and the Black Panthers were actively engaged throughout the country.

And yet……that year also gave us a great many things that we now consider to be standards in our culture, including: Scooby Doo, Cracker Barrel, Wendy’s, The Brady Bunch, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Frosty the Snowman, PBS, and Sesame Street. The Beatles played their last concert together, released their last album together, and ZZ Top and Led Zeppilin came on the scene. A lot was going on.

Click here to see a timeline of some of the hightlights (including some from WVWC).

1969 at WVWC

All of these things were certainly part of the lives of students and faculty at Wesleyan. But, while the world was busy going crazy in the 1960s, Wesleyan was busy growing. Seven new buildings were added to campus in that decade, creating what I like to refer to as the Oval Side of Campus. The Benson House (now the Erickson Alumni Center) was purchased to house the new nursing program. Six new buildings rose from the mud: Doney Hall, Benedum Campus Community Center, Holloway Hall, Paul G. Benedum Hall,  Christopher Hall of Science, and Wesley Chapel and Martin Religious Center.

These last two in particular embody the importance of both the sciences and Liberal Arts at WVWC. The idea that both buildings are important enough to put forth time and resources at such a time in history to make them a reality.

The Summer 1969 issue of the Sundial was dedicated to covering the importance of science in our world and in the curriculum here at Wesleyan. Sadly, this issue has slipped through the cracks of our scanning!! (Which just points out exactly why we need to finish all of that work). Here is the cover, and I have transcribed a few excerpts.

Sundial, Summer 1969

On the cover:  Recent scientific progress has brought the age of space into our daily lives. We can no longer talk about the prospect of space travel as if it were a remote possibility. Our earth-born “Man-on-the-Moon” has made us dramatically aware that our shrinking world is part of a shrinking universe. The cover shows an astronomer’s view of the Milky Way. Sagittarius is in the center. The two bright spots in the lower right portion are the Magellanic Clouds. (photograph courtesy of J.M. Wiley & Sons, Inc. Publishers)

Haymond Hall of Science had served well since 1914, but it was no longer equipped for the types of things that needed to be done as the 1960s came to a close.  Many people dreamed of more, as we see in this excerpt:

The brick, block, steel, and machinery, even the inconveniences of noise and mud represented the fulfillment of a dream. This was the dream of students and teachers who had labored in the antiquated confines of Haymond Hall. This was the dream of the Board of Trustees and the administration as they worked to improve Wesleyan’s science education program. This was the dream of countless alumni who contributed to our building fund. This had been the dream of Nicholas Hyma to whom our science program owes so much. This was the dream of Mrs. and Mrs. Frank Christopher who gave generously toward the construction of the building. This was the dream that now had become a reality. Wesleyan gazed in wonder as the Christopher Hall of Science rose from the mud.

The doors opened, and the first classes were taught, in February 1969. Just as things were gearing up for that Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

There was so much joy in this accomplishment that there were three days of celebrations centered around science. The three main events were in keeping with the values of the college. Importance of curriculum and preparing students, creative (and very accurate) thinking about the future of the world, and worship.

  • A Panel Discussion: “The education of scientists, as viewed by representatives of industry, foundations, higher education and government was explored at the panel discussion. The general topic of the panel was “Perspectives In Science Education.” The discussion centered on current trends in science education and the preparation of future scientists.”
  • Convocation Speaker:  Arthur C. Clark spoke. Yes, the scientist and science writer who was nominated that year with Stanley Kubrick for an Academy Award for Screenwriting — 2001: A Space Odyssey spoke in Wesley Chapel. His topic was “The World of 2001,” and featured science and technology of the future. In his verbal tour of life in 2001, he discussed the questions of efficient land control, a dwindling food supply, instant communication, agricultural use of the sea, and artificial production of food products.
  • Worship Service: Conducted by Dr. Webster H. Sill, Jr., a 1939 graduate of Wesleyan and now a professor teaching botany and plant pathology at Kansas State University. His topic is “Facts–Undergird Science, Morals, and Faith.” Dr. Sill is a well-known scientific author and lecturer. He has done considerable research on diseases in food crops in the Philippines and India. Dr. Sill is also the minister of the Sedalia (KS) Community Church. He has been pastor at this church since 1963 and has been either minister or assistant minister in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kansas churches. He was Kansas Layman of the Year in 1957. Dr. Sill won his letter in football and baseball at Wesleyan. What a wonderful choice of a speaker! Dr. Sill embodied a very successful alumnus, who had been a student athlete, and who had gone on to be very successful in both the sciences and the church. A scientist with a heart for the Liberal Arts.

It was a Moment in Time and Space.

Audra is Awesome

Beautiful. Friends. Springtime. Fall. Relaxing. Inspiring. Unexpected.

Rocks. Rippling Water. Fun. Camping. Tanning. Tubing. Hiking.

Audra State Park is timeless. It seems as if it has been there forever, and yet it seems as if each person “discovers” it for themselves.

Generations of West Virginia Wesleyan students (and faculty) have made the 15 mile trip to get away from their daily routines, to hear themselves think, to be inspired, to be comforted by nature, to bond with friends, and to have fun. Many go to contemplate their place in the world.

This week I asked the Wesleyan Reconnections Facebook group what words came to mind (thanks to all who commented!), and combined their answers with words that are to be found in many articles in the Pharos and in the Murmurmontis. Here is the result of that experiment. 

History of Audra

Since the beautiful river has been part of my own experience, I never stopped to wonder how long the park had been in operation until last week when I was once again sitting by the river bank. Upon investigation, I found the following (via the e-WV, the West Virginia Encyclopedia project of the West Virginia Humanities Council).

To read the entire article, click here.

So, Wesleyan folks from before 1950 had no access at all. From 1950-1961 there was not a campground, and it was a day-trip park for swimming. How interesting, then, that the 1959 Murmurmontis refers to Audra State Park as a Wesleyan tradition. 

Audra and Wesleyan

In 1960, the A Capella Choir, under the direction of Erma Helen Hopkins, apparently “bonded and enhanced the spirit of the choir with an afternoon outing and picnic early in the school year”.

In the 1970s, Larry Parsons took the choirs out to have some publicity photos taken — in full dress on the rocks in the middle of the river! He tells me that he doesn’t remember anyone falling in.

Some find Audra to be a wonderful place to catch up on some reading (or knitting) and enjoy the chance to gather their thoughts.

As the water flows past – sometimes angry, sometimes muddy, sometimes clear, sometimes playful, it helps us to contemplate life in a way that we find difficult during our day-to-day busyness.

We discover that we are part of nature without being the center of it. We realize that these mountains and rivers have been here since before the pioneers settled this area. That we are part of a much larger story.

Refreshed, we return to our daily lives to do our part.

In 1981, the Murmurmontis Included This Introduction

The introduction included pictures of Audra along with pictures of mountains and other West Virginia outdoor treasures. I think it captures the spirit and the power of places like Audra.

Here…where the ageless hills reach upward to the ageless stars
Here…where a century is measured as a day
I hold these numbered years called life within my trembling hands
These fragile years touched with wonder and with mystery
There seems to be so little time in which to learn the purpose of our living and yet…

In the changeless pattern of things that are to be…
There must be both meaning and purpose or we would be insensitive to the healing power of beauty and the sustaining power of love.

Perhaps I am here to touch but a single heart or to fill a single need 
Or to share my strength with one who needs a shield against a hostile world.

I do not know.
Perhaps it is destined that I should not know
But another may know and understand and be grateful.

Compilations and Chronologies

The other day I was talking with a good friend. She said that she enjoyed reading my DreamersAndGiants blog. (That’s great to hear!) When I asked her if she also enjoyed the website, she looked a bit puzzled. Website? What website?!?

This week marks the two year mark of my retirement, and so I thought it would be a good time to take a look at DreamersAndGiants….the progress that has been made and the pathway to the future.

Early Inspirations: Lists

At the very beginning of the project, I really just wanted a place to put lists of things. Things that I had to keep looking up over and over again…..Who WERE all of the presidents of the college over the years? What year was the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library built?

Lists take some time to compile.  And they tend to lead to more lists to compile.

  • List of all of the faculty throughout the years — which leads to wondering what they taught, which ones were alumni of the college, who served on what committees……another list!
  • List of all of the trustees throughout the years — what committees did they serve on, who were the officers, what were the major issues during their times of service?
  • List of winners of various awards — or spring sing — or homecoming queens…..

At first, DreamersAndGiants was just something I did to help satisfy my own curiosity. When retirement became an option, that just gave me even more time to find out things. One of the first things I had to find out was how to create a website. Luckily, my years of librarian training came in handy as I began to put together something that helped me collect-organize-preserve the information as I found it. Soon, though, it became clear that others were interested in knowing some of these things as well. So, I added a blog as a supplement to my website to highlight stories, people or information and to look at very familiar things with an eye to the back stories. They are published each Monday morning. The full list can be found here.

Taking Another Look

Being an amateur creator of websites, I wasn’t sure that it was sustainable. I called upon Jon Benjamin (who teaches website design among other things) and asked him if he would critique my website. He did, made a few suggestions, and then completely turned my perspective around. He told me that what I had was not a website with an added blog. It was a blog with an added website. What????

And, he was exactly right.

What had started out as a place to store lists became an endless source of material for telling the stories of the people and events of WVWC.

The Chinese concept of yin and yang is all about how things that may look very different may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent on each other. Just like the website and the blog — or the blog and the website.

The information about the people and events had stories that needed told.

The stories needed information about the people and events.

Chronologies

Chronos (time) and Logikos (reason or order) — putting things into order by time.

This is a way that I have begun organizing WVWC History for courses that I teach on the topic. It is a way of thinking about things in terms of before and after. Here is one example. It is a combination list and chronology which I find myself consulting over and over again. One of the first was the Chronology of Buildings.

So which did come first? President McCuskey or President Wark? Click here to find out!

Spring Sing Winners Through the Years is one that took a lot more work to complete than you might imagine. It required digging through Murmurmontis yearbooks (which no longer exist) and newspapers and Sundials. More recent ones even included digging through Facebook and college press releases. No matter how excited people get about these winners at the time of the event, it seems that by the next week/month/year it is hard to remember for sure.

New chronologies are being developed in the background that haven’t yet been posted to DreamersAndGiants (the website). Here are a couple of examples. They are in the very early stages, so consider these a sample of coming attractions.

This Day in Wesleyan History (which was largely developed through the work of my class in June term of this year. It is likely to grow quickly in the next few months. When it is robust enough, I will post it to the website).

Alumni Adventures is one of the newest being developed. The alumni magazines throughout all of the years have included information about the things people did after their days at WVWC. This one is in the experimental stage – and only includes entries from a small number of issues, but is one that could really help to tell the story of the impact of our alumni on the world.

These types of documents are being considered for a vast number of areas of the WVWC story…..each department, each sport, each organization, speakers and concerts and plays and…….

Ironically, all that is stopping all of them from being done is TIME!!

Honoring Our Community – Building Our Community

In the past several months, our campus community has lost two people who were very much considered Giants. People who worked hard, cared deeply, and had what seemed to us to be extraordinary energy. Dr. Rob Hull and Dr. Allison Hull (no relation as far as I am aware) both died very suddenly. People that we thought would be here for many years were suddenly just gone.

This entire project of DreamersAndGiants is meant for just such loss. It is a place and a way to remember all that they did for their students and for the college. Sometimes I am asked why I run the words together in this way. Two reasons, really. First, because that is how the url is formed. More importantly, it is very difficult to find a Dreamer who is not also a Giant, and vice versa.

Moving Forward….One Baby Step At A Time

There is a lot to collect – organize – preserve – and share.

It sometimes seems a bit overwhelming, but I have some secret resources. Student interns and volunteers are stepping up to help discover more about the history of their school. There are some alumni and campus colleagues who are also pitching in. Working together, we can make a lot of progress!

We can build our community while discovering and sharing our history.

If you are reading this, you have already discovered the Blog. Be sure to check out the website as well. It is always under development, and always developing. One baby step at a time.

Camden

Camden Avenue

I am still working on tracking down exactly when the street began or when it was named, but it is already in place and named by 1894 when the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Buckhannon was published. Click here to see the entire map and legend.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1894 (Library of Congress)

One of the most distinctive streets in Buckhannon, it is a divided highway of sorts and includes a median. I have often admired the street, but never gave a thought to the source of its name.

Johnson Newlon Camden

On March 6, 1828 a baby was born in Lewis County, Virginia. HIs name was Johnson Newlon Camden.  His life was full of successes in the areas of law, banking, industrial development, railroad development and politics.  I post here a brief timeline of some of the highlights of  the life of this man who became one of the most influential and wealthy West Virginians of his time.

  • 1828 – Born on March 6 in Lewis County, Virginia
  • 1843-46 Studied at Northwestern Academy in Clarksburg
  • 1846-48 Studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Resigned halfway through the program to study law instead of pursuing a military education
  • 1851 – Admitted to the Virginia Bar and became Prosecuting Attorney for the Commonwealth in Braxton County
  • 1852 – Prosecuting Attorney for Nicholas County as wel
  • 1853 – Settled in Weston where he added clerking and assistant cashier duties to his legal work. In addition, he had become interested in surveying and had secured several tracts of land in Braxton and Nicholas Counties.
  • 1857 – Left both his law practice and banking duties to focus on the West Virginia Oil Fields
  • 1858 – Relocated to Parkersburg
  • 1862 – Helped to found the First National Bank of Parkersburg and was made president of the bank.
  • During the Civil War business was disrupted, but he kept working at it. He was a Union sympathizer but did not participate in the military on either side.
  • After the Civil War he continued to expand the oil business, joining with Standard Oil and becomeing a director and member of the executive committee
  • 1868 – Ran for governor of West Virginia, losing to William E. Stevenson
  • 1872 – Ran for governor of West Virginia, losing to John J. Jacob
  • 1875 – Major emphasis on Railroad Development, resulting in over 500 miles of rails which were referred to as the “Camden System.” Lines included:
    • Clarksburg – Weston
    • Regional extensions including from Weston to Buckhannon
    • West Virginia Central Railroad
    • Ohio River Railroad between Wheeling and Huntington
    • Monongalia Railroad between Morgantown and Fairmont
    • West Virginia and Pittsburgh Railroad (served as president)
  • 1881-87 –  U.S. Senator from West Virginia
  • 1887-93 –  Returned to Parkersburg to practice law
  • 1893-95 – Filled vacancy in U.S. Senate caused by the death of John E. Kenna. During this term he served on the Committee to Audit and Control Contingent Expense and on the Committee of Railroads.
  • After this term he returned to Parkersburg
  • 1908 – Died on April 25 in Baltimore on his way home from a family vacation and is buried in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

He is listed in many biographical resources about the early leaders in West Virginia including:

Men of West Virginia, 1903

Prominent Men of West Virginia, 1890

In some ways, he reminds me of an earlier-day Robert C. Byrd, as his name is attached to a lot of familiar things around the state including Camden Clark Hospital in Parkersburg, Camden Park in Huntington, and Camden-on-Gauley to name a few.

Camden Avenue

The Camden Avenue area of Buckhannon has had a very colorful history. There have been some serious floods, such as those of 1918 and 1967.

Flooding on Camden Avenue on March 13, 1967

In the 1980s, at a time when the number of students was at a high point, a series of buildings was planned to help with the overcrowding in campus housing.

The Fall/Winter 1982-83 issue of the Sundial included a great story describing the new facility in great detail:  Camden Avenue Complex: Housing for the Eighties. You can read the entire story here.

Located next to Middleton Hall, and directly facing Wesley Chapel, the Complex is three buildings: one containing apartments, and two made up of suites. The suite buildings are identical; each contains two ten-person suites (first floor) and two 28 person suites (second and third floors). Each suite unit has direct exterior access. There is a study/TV lounge for each suite, and there are community-type bathrooms.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place in October 1981 with President Hugh Latimer, Dean Kenneth Welliver, Patton Nickell, Jr. (1956), vice president for administration, and Doug Ritchie (1983), vice president of Community Council wielding shovels.

However, a virtual and actual “perfect storm” created a good deal of difficulty.

The nation’s economy was in a period of recession. The state of West Virginia was hit particularly hard due to conditions in the coal industry. Federal aid was severely cut, which also caused a drop in the numbers of students who could attend college.

Six months later, in April of 1982, a violent windstorm caused great damage to the partially constructed buildings adding both time and expense to the project. 

Photo from page 79 of Our Home Among the Hills, by Brett Miller

But eventually the building was completed, and was dedicated in late August of 1982. Generations of Wesleyan students have lived there.

2019

For 37 years these buildings were familiar to us. People assumed that they had always been there and always would be there. However, the buildings were well-used and in need of much repair. This summer they are coming down. Before they do, though, they have served one more noble purpose — local emergency responders have been able to do some emergency drills and to learn from them.

Looking Back and Forward (Repeat)

Time is a strange thing. On October 28, 1955 the Founders Day speaker was J. Roy Price, Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee.

In that speech, he looked back at his experience as a student – he also scrutinized the college in 1955 from the perspective of one in the present who was planning for the future. The future he was planning is now sixty-three years in our past.

1923

J. Roy Price (known as Roy) entered  West Virginia Wesleyan as a student in the Academy in 1917 (which would be equivalent to a Jr. in High School today) and graduated in 1919. This was the year that the Academy program phased out and all work became college level.

In 1923 he graduated with his B.S. degree.

As you can see from the caption below his photo, he was definitely a person who appreciated the Liberal Arts approach of the school: Young Men’s Christian Association, Debate, Chemistry, Theater, Murmurmontis staff. Quite the variety of interests.

He would have been one of Nicholas Hyma’s earliest students, as he taught from 1919-57.

They can be seen catching up in this 1944 picture from an alumni dinner in New York.

Career in Chemistry

J. Roy Price went on to have a very successful career in the chemical industry working with Union Carbide. He was part of the team doing original research on vinyl plastics and did research on such things as rosin, shallac, asphalt, celluloid, can linings, and insulation for electric wires (which was used as a substitute for rubber when the U.S. entered WWII).

During WWII he served as Union Carbide’s liaison to Defense Agencies, and in 1958 was appointed by President Eisenhower as head of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization.

College Connections

Receiving an  Honorary Doctor of Science from WVWC in 1949,  J. Roy Price served on the Board of Trustees from 1949-73, and was President of the Board from 1969-73. Working with President William Scarborough, he was also the chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee which set the groundwork for the major growth of campus facilities under President Stanley H. Martin.

Founders Day Speaker in 1956

The full text of this address can be found here.

Speaking as an alumnus and a Trustee  as well as the Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, he notes that these things were absolutely necessary:

  1. High Quality Education
  2. More and Better Faculty, with salary improvements
  3. Physical Facilities

I encourage you to read his words. They are as relevant today as they were then.

The tomorrows that they were planning for 63 years ago are now our past. And others are now in the process of planning for the future. Time has a way of shifting from past to present to future. It is with great appreciation that I write to tell of this Giant in Wesleyan history.

John Roy Price (click here for his Bio)

Born: June 15, 1900

Died: June 15, 1975 (unexpectedly on his 75th birthday)

The quotation under his yearbook photo in 1923 seems to be a very fitting one. From Wordsworth, it said, “A man of cheerful yesterdays and confident tomorrows.”

Time Changes Some (But Not All) Things: Annual Conferences 1856 and 2019

Perspective of Time

Time does change things.  But not all things.

For example, take a look at the front page of these minutes:

Not the West Virginia Conference………the Western Virginia Conference

Not the United Methodist Church…..The Methodist Episcopal Church

Buckhannon (established January 15, 1816) is still Buckhannon

Upshur County (very newly established on March 26, 1851) is still Upshur County

Virginia

Although this was 165 years ago, we can recognize both the gracious welcome offered by the people who lived in this town and the appreciation of the group of Methodist Episcopal Church leaders. The minutes include their thanks:

First Time — But Not The Last

The next time that the Methodist Episcopal Conference met in Buckhannon, it was October 1, 1884. By this time they were meeting in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

In those days, the meeting place moved around a good bit to places like Wheeling, Clarksburg, Parkersburg, Charleston, Huntington, Weston, and Fairmont.

  • The Methodist Episcopal Conference met again in Buckhannon in 1884, 1895, 1913, 1926, and 1935.
  • The year 1939 The Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist Protestant Church, and The Methodist Episcopal Church South  reunited to become The Methodist Church.
  • In 1953 the newly reunited Methodist church met in Buckhannon. From 1955 until today the Annual Conference has met at West Virginia Wesleyan College
  • In 1968 The Methodist Church united with The Evangelical United Brethren Church to become The United Methodist Church.

Dreamers and Giants

Many of these meetings throughout the 1800s included the work of creating a new school — which we now know as West Virginia Wesleyan College.

In fact, these were the original Dreamers.

It was their dream of having a school in the area where both boys and girls could receive a quality education, and where the values of  their faith would be part of the fabric of that school.

Giants were among them. People who worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality. It would take decades of that hard work before the doors would open in 1890.

The school has been supported by the prayers and the hard work of giants in the West(ern) Virginia Conference ever since. And new giants have been formed there as well. Many leaders of the Conference were educated and inspired at the college, and many have gone on to leadership positions throughout the church and the world.

From 1955-1967, the Conference met in Atkinson Chapel, and thereafter in Wesley Chapel. They are the direct descendents of those who met so long ago, but have certainly kept up with the times.

Meeting At WVWC In 2019

The people of Buckhannon once again welcomed the conference June 13-16, 2019. The campus was transformed into meeting spaces, the dining center provided many meals. There were salad luncheons and barbecue dinners offered at the Upshur Parish House. There was a baked steak dinner at Chapel Hill United Methodist, which also gave the conference attendees the opportunity to support the Buckhannon Choral Society.

Mayor David McCauley wrote a letter of welcome, and rolled out the red carpet.

There was worship and fellowship. There were business sessions and reports. There were big screens all around the sanctary so that everyone would be able to see. During the business meetings, the voting was done with electronic voting machines for the first time. Some who could not be present “attended” by way of live streaming online, skyped in to receive an award, and communicated throughout through text messaging. Those original conference-goers would have been amazed.

Much was different — a lot was the same.