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Permit No. 217
Rocky Mount, N. C.
Non-Profit Organization
A ‘‘Carolina Wesleyan” Publication
VOLUME XVII, NUMBER 1 ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
Black A/loantain College
Library Exhibit Successful
Dr, Leverett T. Smith, Chairman of the Black Mountain
Project.
Arthur Tyler Honored
A special showing of rare
books and art from the original
Black Mountain collection were
recently displayed at the North
Carolina Wesleyan College Li
brary on Sunday, Nov. 14.
In 1957, North Carolina
Wesleyan College purchased
the library of Black Mountain
College, an experimental col
lege which promoted the idea
that fine arts ought to be the
center of the college curricu
lum. Numerous painters, musi
cians, architects, sculpters,
poets and novelists, now of
international reputation, stud
ied there as teachers or
students.
Beginning in the fall of 1974,
consultation with the State
Department of Archives and
History and with the North
Carolina Museum of Arts, and
correspondence with the Mu-
r
T
seum of Modern Art in New
York, confirmed that Wesleyan
indeed was in possession not
only of valuable works of art,
but also of a valuable cultural
document in the library itself.
Over the past two years, some
of the art works have been
restored and framed and were
hung in-the browsing room of
the College library. They
formed part of a permanent
Black Mountain College collect
ion of books and art from the
Black Mountain College library,
eventually to be permanently
housed in the library’s brows
ing room.
Also shown Sunday after
noon were other dimensions of
the Black Mountain collection:
manuscript letters from Joseph
and Charles Albers, both
prominent artists and former
rectors of the school, and many
books of historical, library and
artistic significance from the
Black Mountain College library.
Among them are rare first
editions of works by twentieth
century authors, notably Wil
liam Faulkner, books with
inscriptions to and from pre
viously and subsequently fa
mous people, and books re
bound in the Black Mountain
College bindery.
The program Sunday after
noon consisted of a viewing of
the original prints and light
refreshments preceeded by
brief talks which described the
significance of the Black Mount
ain collection. Benjamin Wil
liams, Head of Collections at
the North Carolina Museum of
Art, spoke on the cultural and
artistic significance of the
original prints. Dr. John
Sharpe, Curator of Rare Books
at the William R. Perkins
Library of Duke University,
spoke on the potential of the
library for a collection of rare
books. And Dr. Leverett T.
Smith Jr., Associate Professor
of English at Wesleyan and
Director of the Black Mountain
College Project, spoke on the
educational value of the collect
ion to the College and the
community.
The occasion was sponsored
by the Black Mount College
Project, a project instituted by
Wesleyan President S. Bruce
Petteway in Octol>er of 1975
and funded privately by local
citizens. The institution of a
Black Mountain College collect
ion at Wesleyan, according to
Professor Smith, the project’s
director, was the most import
ant of the goals of the project.
“In the Black Mountain College
Library,” states Professor
Smith, “Wesleyan is in posses
sion of a cultural document of
considerable significance. We
have spent a great deal of time
and energy, and need to speild
a great deal more, locating and
evaluating me uiiitcHal we
have.
Arthur L. Tyler of Rocky
Mount was recently honored by
officials of North Carolina
Wesleyan College Wednesday,
Nov. 17, at a surprise portrait
unveiling held in Garber Chapel
on the Wesleyan campus.
Following the invocation by
Charles I. Penick, pastor of The
Church of the Good Shepherd,
Wesleyan President S. Bruce
Petteway welcomed those pre
sent, stating that the signifi
cance of the occasion was
indeed special in view of the
numerous contributions Tyler
has made to North Carolina
Wesleyan College and the
community.
Special speakers on the
program were William B.
Harrison, former mayor of
Rocky Mount, James B. Pow
ers, president of Planters
National Bank and Trust
Company, and The Honorable
J. Phil Carlton, Chief District
Judge. The portrait was unveil
ed by Tyler’s grandson, Christ
opher Tyler Gardner. And John
M. Cline, Rocky Mount District
Superintendent of The United
Methodist Church, led the
benediction. A reception in the
home of Dr. and Mrs. Petteway
concluded the activities.
Arthur Tyler has been one of
the most active business men in
this section of the State. In
addition to his work with the
Belk stores, he has been active
in numerous civic and business
organizations and has partici
pated as advisory Director of
the Planters National Bank &
Trust Company, member of the
Board of Directors of Citizens
Savings & Loan Association,
president of the Rocky Mount
Chamber of Commerce, and
member of the Nash County
Welfare Board.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1976
Sassers
Perform!
William and Thelma Sasser,
well known duo-pianists from
Rocky Mount, presented their
14th annual concert at North
Carolina Wesleyan College on
Monday, Nov. 22 in Garber
Chapel. The program included
selections from Vivaldi,
Brahms, Poulenc, and Brubeck.
, Thelma Sasser is a native of
the Dominican Republic. She
holds degrees in music from
Jacksonville University in Flor
ida and from Oberlin College in
Ohio. She has performed widely
in North Carolina both as
soloist and as duo-pianist with
her husband. She has appeared
as soloist with the Jacksonville
Philharmonic Orchestra and in
programs for the Southeastern
Composers’ League. She now
teaches privately in Rocky
Mount.
Dr. Sasser is chairman of the
Department of Music at North
Carolina Wesleyan College in
Rocky Mount. He received the
B. A., M. A., and Ph.D. degrees
from the University of North
Carolina, and has done addition
al piano study with Ruth Geiger
in New York and in Germany.
He has published articles in
both American and European
music journals.
In addition to his activities as
a pianist, Dr. Sasser has an
interest in choral conducting
and has served as adjudicator
in choral festivals and as
clinician. He is a past president
of the North Carolina Music
Teachers Association and has
served on boards for the North
Carolina Symphony, the Rocky
Mount Arts Center and the
North Carolina State Arts
Council.
As duo-pianists the Sassers
have played recitals at more
than a dozen colleges and
universities in North Carolina.
PORTRAIT UNVEILED—At a surprise ceremony Wednesday afternoon attended by approximately 115
persons, a portrait of Arthur E. Tyler of Rocky Mount was unveiled at N. C. Wesleyan College. Admiring
the portrait, which will hang in the main lobby of the administration buUding, are [left to right] Dr. Bruce
Petteway, president of the college; Judge J. Phil Carlton, chairman of the board of trustees; Tyler, and
Mrs. Tyler.