Friends Highlights, 1999-2000

By Gerald Saxon

The Friends of the UTA Libraries’ 1999-2000 year was a successful one, with the organization ending the year with 301 members and taking in close to $13,000 in membership dues. Along the way, the Friends had many memorable speakers and programs, with each attracting an enthusiastic audience.

Chartered in 1987, the Friends organization is a unique community partnership. Members further their awareness and appreciation of the University Libraries while contributing to the enrichment of their collections and services. The Friends continue to develop into an organization that is leaving its mark on the University and the Arlington-Fort Worth-Dallas area.

What follows is an overview of the highlights of the Friends’ year just past.

Highlights, September 1, 1999 - August 31, 2000

September 1, 1999. The year officially began for the Friends’ 1999-2000 slate of officers, who were Bansy Johnson, president; Charles Deur, first vice president; Tom Kennedy, second vice president; Betty Bob Buckley, secretary; Daniel Kauth, treasurer; and Dennis Reinhartz, parliamentarian. The slate was elected by a unanimous vote of the membership attending the April 30, 1999, program and business meeting. In addition to the new officers, the membership elected Dorothy Rencurrel to serve on the Advisory Council for a two-year term.

September 24, 1999. Dr. Constance Hilliard, associate professor of history at the University of North Texas, spoke on "Healing the Wounds of Eurocentric History: Exploring Africa's Intellectual Past." Dr. Hilliard discussed Africa's intellectual history and wisdom traditions, challenging the audience to realize that all people have such traditions. She also discussed the short shrift that African traditions have received from scholars and others until recently. Emphasizing that words are powerful devices that imply meaning and convey value judgments, she pointed out that most western scholars speak of the rich "intellectual traditions" of Europe while at the same time talking about the "folklore" and "folk traditions" of African peoples. According to Hilliard, this implies that Africa has no "intellectual traditions." Hilliard went on to explain some of the reasons why African intellectual history has been largely ignored.

After a question and answer session, the Diana Drummers, an all-female drum ensemble, performed a series of West African rhythms and explained the source of the rhythms. The drummers also talked about their drums and their history. A reception followed the program.

November 5, 1999. Dr. Chris Scotese, associate professor of geology at the University of Texas at Arlington and head of the PALEOMAP Project, discussed "The History of the Earth and Its Continents as Seen Through Computer Animation." Dr. Scotese took the Friends back hundreds of millions of years of earth history to look at the shift of the earth's continents over time.

December 11, 1999. The Friends held their annual holiday program with this year's focus being "Tis the Season: A Historical Perspective of Music for Advent and Christmas." Dr. Linton Powell, professor of music at UTA, spoke about musical trends over the centuries and how these trends affected Advent and Christmas music. Dr. Powell began his discussion of holiday music written several centuries ago. After he discussed a particular song and its history, the song was performed by a talented quartet of singers. These singers included Kathy Fox Powell, Lori Hill, Timothy Perkins, and David Phillips.

Among the selections they sung were "Conditor Alme Siderum," by Guillaume Dufay; "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People," by Louis Bourgeois; "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," arranged by David Wilcocks; "Nova, Nova," by an anonymous writer; "Lo, How a Rose," arranged by Michael Praetorius; the German melody "In Dulcio Jublio'; and two versions of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," one arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams and the other by Lewis Redner.

After Dr. Powell's presentation and the musical selections, Friends' president Bansy Johnson recognized Carol Lehman and Kit Goodwin for their creative and outstanding service to the Friends in designing invitations, keepsakes, decorations, and other artistic products for the organization. The Friends hosted a holiday reception after the program, and everyone had an opportunity to visit and mingle. Friends and guests left the program with specially designed holiday note-cards as keepsakes.

February 18, 2000. Dr. Monica Anderson was the next Friends' speaker. Dr. Anderson is a wife, mother, doctor of dental surgery, author, and community volunteer. Since 1996 she has been a featured columnist for the Arlington Star-Telegram. In 1994 she authored Black English Vernacular.

Dr. Anderson spoke on the topic "Laughter Is the Best Medicine." She used a number of personal episodes from her life and her family to drive home the point that a sense of humor is an essential element of a person's mental health. Her presentation was at times humorous, poignant, moving, and heartfelt as she addressed the standing room only crowd in the library. The Friends hosted a reception in her honor following her presentation.

April 7, 2000. The Friends' annual election and business meeting was held. Friends' president Bansy Johnson conducted the election of officers and new Advisory Council members before the program. Elected at the meeting were Dr. Charles Deur, president; Daniel Kauth, first vice president; Betty Bob Buckley, second vice president; Valerie Wright, secretary; and Richard Francaviglia, treasurer. New members of the Friends' Advisory Council were also elected, and they included Mary Ellen Emery, Stephen Stillwell, jr., and Terry Wang. The new officers and council members take office on September 1, 2000.

After the election, Dr. Elliott West, professor of history at the University of Arkansas, spoke about his new book titled The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado. Dr. West gave a fascinating slide presentation on the clash of cultures that took place on the western plains between Native Americans and Anglo settlers primarily in the 19th century. Dr. West is an authority on the history of the American West, and his engaging and humorous style captivated the Friends, after which the Friends hosted a book signing and reception in honor of Dr. West.

May 10, 2000. Bansy Johnson presented the annual STAR Award to two library staff members who have had outstanding years and made substantial contributions to the library. The award is underwritten by the Friends and was presented to Marie Irwin, head of the Web Services Department, and Anne Mitchell, a staff member in Central Reference. The award includes a cash prize of $350.

Timeline   List of Friends and Donors      Staff Accomplishments    Staff Awards