Black History Month: The William H. Maness Collection
Immanuel Bryant March 3, 2014 William H. Maness Sr. ’38 had several rare books in his possession. While observing the range of subjects within his collection I ran across several books that I was surprised to see that Maness had read. They include but are not limited to: Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver, Eyewitness: The Negro in American History by William Loren Katz, For Whites Only by Robert W. Terry, and A Pictorial History of the Negro in America written by Langston Hughes & Milton Meltzer. Below is an annotated bibliography of four out of the many prized possessions and rare books I found within his collection.
Read MoreBlack History Month: Through the Legacy of Elon Alum, William H. Maness
Immanuel Bryant February 7, 2014 While going through the inventory of the Special Collections of Belk Library I came across a set of books that weren’t on the inventory list. The theme of the books spanned from race relations, social inequality, and other historic issues that have affected the United States. After asking for more information on the unlisted set of books I discovered that they belonged to William H. Maness Sr. ’38, an Elon alum who served as a vocal supporter of the civil rights movement. The more I went through his collection the more interested I became in the man who had been its owner.
Read MoreBryan Burney, 1991 Elon Sports Hall of Fame
Shaunta Alvarez January 31, 2014 You may have seen him strolling into the library during the late afternoon as he makes his way to the newspaper rack. To look at him, you would never know that this quiet man with laid-back mannerisms set impressive records during his time at Elon.
Read MoreMartin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Celebration–“His Past. Your Future. One Dream.”
Julia Mueller January 17, 2014 The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Celebration at Elon University commemorates the life and service of MLK, Jr. It also celebrates tolerance and diversity on campus. Elon Teaching Fellows, DEEP, the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the Multicultural Center, the Black Cultural Society, the National Panhellenic Council, the Office of Student Activities, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life organized the 2014 program.
Read MoreThe Literary Societies of Elon College
Randall Bowman December 13, 2013 In 1913, the first yearbook was published at Elon College, the PhiPsiCli. The name was derived from the three literary societies that existed at Elon during its early years; the Philologian, Psiphelian, and Clio Societies. These three organizations were founded soon after the college opened its doors; like most college literary societies, they no longer exist. Literary societies were a mainstay of college life from the colonial era to the early twentieth century. Often just called “societies,” they usually had names derived from either Latin or Greek. Societies organized debates and social events, and members wrote original compositions such as essays, poetry, and music. Since most college graduates were men who went into law, the ministry, or teaching, literary society activities supplemented the classical education students received. Their debates gave members the chance to practice their oratory and rhetorical skills.
Read MoreState of the art: The Carol Grotnes Belk Library
Randall Bowman December 6, 2013 By the mid-1990s, it was very obvious that the Iris Holt McEwen Library was woefully inadequate to serve as Elon College’s library. The college was growing and progressing as an institution; the student body was not only increasing in size, but in quality. Planning began to build an innovative library that would be a key component of Elon’s increasing emphasis on engaged learning. Fundraising for the new library was part of the Elon Vision, a five-year, $40 million strategic plan for strengthening academic programs. An Elon Vision brochure established that this library would be something new. “The new library will be located at the center of campus, serving as a dynamic intellectual hub between instructional facilities to the south and residential halls to the north. This 75,000 square foot facility will combine the traditional library collection with the latest electronic information capabilities and an array…
Read MoreBubble Bitching : Elon’s satirical underground newspaper
Shannon Tennant November 29, 2013 The Pendulum is Elon’s official student newspaper, but there have been several unofficial, “underground” publications offering different viewpoints of campus events. One of the most amusing was the satirical paper Bubble Bitching. In the style of the Onion, Bubble Bitching was created by a senior Business major and a senior Communications major in the spring of 2003. “We’ve been making these jokes to each other for three years,” said one editor in a Pendulum interview. “Now we’re putting them down on paper.” Bubble Bitching was produced biweekly for a year, printed double-sided on a piece of regular paper (this was in the days of unlimited campus printing, before print dollars!) and slipped into the Pendulum’s newspaper racks. The front page of Bubble Bitching contained two stories and a sidebar of funny headlines. There was a joke under the masthead, and the reported price of each…
Read MoreHoliday Recipes from Edith Brannock
Shaunta Alvarez November 22, 2013 As was stated in a previous post, Edith Brannock ’39 recently donated a collection of recipes to the Belk Library Archives and Special Collections. These recipes were taught to students taking home economics classes during the 1960s to 1980s, when Ms. Brannock was a member of the Elon College faculty. Ms. Brannock did not include a Thanksgiving menu in her recipes collection, but she gave instructions for a number of dishes that one might serve during a traditional Thanksgiving meal. We have included a sampling of those recipes here. (Note: these recipes are taken directly from Ms. Brannock’s collection and have not been edited.) If you try any of these recipes for the holidays, please let us know how it turned out by emailing us at belkarchives@elon.edu. Main Course Even though she did not give instructions for the perfect turkey, Ms. Brannock did include a…
Read MoreWGS Program Turns 25
Jennifer Smith November 15, 2013 The 2013/2014 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of Elon University’s Women’s/Gender Studies program. A minor in Women’s Studies was first offered at Elon in the Fall of 1988 after having been approved during a February 1988 faculty meeting. In the mid-1980s Elon professors, Dr. Seena Granowsky and Dr. Martha Smith attended a conference on Women’s Studies programs at Duke University and were inspired to create a program at Elon. The two worked together to create the minor and the program of Women’s Studies in order to expose students to women’s issues through courses in English, History, Philosophy, Economics, and other related fields. Some examples of early course titles included Introduction to Women’s Studies, Feminist Approaches to Literature, and History of Women in the United States.
Read MoreHome Economics Maven with a Heart of Gold
Shaunta Alvarez November 13, 2013 Edith Ruth Brannock ’39 received the Heart of Gold Award this year during Homecoming festivities. This lifetime achievement award was presented on behalf of members of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and its predecessor, Tau Zeta Phi, to a sister alumnus that has “motivated and inspired others to know the power of one heart touching another heart; that has led a life that has exemplified to others that selfless service is a noble virtue.” This was the second time the award was been presented. The inaugural presentation was in 2010 when the award was given to Dr. Jo Watts Williams ’55, Vice President Emerita. One could say that service and dedication to the Elon community are in Edith Brannock’s blood, even going all the way back to Elon College’s very beginnings. Ms. Brannock is a descendant of Rev. James O’Kelly, founder of the Christian Church,…
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