PAGE 2 — THE DECREE — FEBRUARY 2,1996
Wilgus, Harrison
retired in December
MAYO HAS FIRST EXHIBIT IN DUNN CENTER GALLERY.
Former boxer turns
into artist in wood
By KAROLYN BRAUN
The Dunn Center on Jan. 16
displayed a collection of abstract
art by the artist Everett Mayo.
Mayo, a self taught visual art
ist, is an ex-heavyweight boxer.
Four days before he was supposed
to fight Michael Moore, the
heavyweight boxer of that year,
Mayo was injured. He was build
ing a house and a nail hit him in
the eye, causing him to turn to his
art for relief.
Mayo works with driftwood
and creates most zoomorphic art,
abstract forms that suggest ani
mal forms. His most valuable spot
for finding usable driftwood is
the James River bed.
Mayo uses his intuition to see
the natural curves and shapes of
the driftwood. In doing so, he
says, “the wood reveals what it
is.” Finishing one of his pieces
can take hours, even days. Mayo
spent 60 hours on a piece he call
“Giraffe.”
Mayo’s secret to his success
ful creations is starting off find
ing an eye in the wood, from there
you go to a mouth, and so on
until the wood comes alive, show
ing a fantastic piece of artwork.
When asked if he alters the
wood in any ways, he answered,
“Why should I? Nature alters it
for me.”
Mayo’s creations sell with
price tags ranging from $400 to
$3,000. He prices his art on the
uniqueness of the piece, not the
size. Some might say this is an
immense price for wood, but
Mayo gives this wood life.
Wesleyan’s own Dunn Center
proudly boasts one of his brilliant
pieces entitled “Purple Sea Mon
sters.” The art was given to
Wesleyan with the help of nu
merous donors.
Mayo’s next showing will be
held at the Carpenter Museum in
Waverly, Va. Fans of Mayo may
be interested in seeing his talents
through another outlet, a collec
tion of children’s stories titled
“Lord of the Wood,” which will
be on the market in the near fu
ture.
In writing these stories, he
hopes to teach children about
compassion, cruelty, friendship,
and acceptance.
By MARCY STOVER
With the end of the fall se
mester came the retirement of two
esteemed members of the North
Carolina Wesleyan College com
munity, Anne B. Wilgus and
Frances R. Harrison.
Wilgus has been a part of the
college community for 16 years
as the Head Reference Librarian
and Associate Director of the Li
brary. Harrison, who is retiring
after 27 and a half years of ser
vice, held the position of Associ
ate Vice President for Adult De
gree Programs and Assistant Pro
fessor of Mathematics.
Wilgus began working part-
time in the library in 1979. After
earning a masters degree in li
brary science from East Carolina
University in 1980, she was given
a full-time position.
“What I’ll miss most when 1
retire is the people: students, fac
ulty, and staff,” said Wilgus.
When asked what her most
cherished memory is about North
Carolina Wesleyan College, she
responded, “There are so many
fond memories I couldn’t choose
a particular one. However, what I
enjoy most about North Carolina
Wesleyan College is faculty meet
ings.”
Wilgus, who has done hospi
tal volunteer work and volun
teered for the American Red
Cross, says she “might do some
thing with hospice.” She also
plans to “come back and work at
the back counter (of the library)
putting books back together.”
Harrison came to North Caro
lina Wesleyan College in 1968 to
fill the position of mathematics
instructor. She said that what she
enjoys most about North Caro
lina Wesleyan College is the “re
lationships with faculty, staff, and
students,” and that she will miss
the students most of all.
According to Harrison, “be
coming heavily involved in the
More than 200 Yale Univer
sity teaching assistants have re
fused to hand in the grades of
students for fall semester courses
in an effort to force the university
to recognize their union.
The grade strike began Jan. 2,
the day grades were due for the
fall semester, and will continue
until university administrators
agree to negotiate with the social
science and humanities teaching
assistants, said Gordon Lafer, a
spokesman with the Graduate
Employees and Students Organi
zation (GESO).
Teaching assistants argue that
their heavy teaching load makes
them employees who deserve an
Adult Degree Program and see
ing the expansion of the network”
has been most rewarding.
When asked about her plans
for the future, Harrison jokingly
remarked that she will do “as little
as possible.”
Harrison perhaps summed up
the feelings of both of the retirees
when she said, “I’ve been here
for 27 and a half years, and I
haven’t ever wanted to be any
where else. I think it’s a great
place.”
employee union — even though
they are students.
Administrators, on the other
hand, have held that the graduate
students are attending Yale as stu
dents, so therefore do not merit
recognition in a union.
Meanwhile, the GESO has ac
cused Yale administrators of
threatening teaching assistants
who participate in the grade strike
with disciplinary action, includ
ing expulsion.
Three teaching assistants, re
ported Lafer, have been notified
of disciplinary action pending
against them because they have
refit^^Q turn in grades.
Student Services Center
Spring Study Skills Workshops
Feb. 5
Taking Notes You Can Use
10:30 a.m. in Room 189
Feb. 12
Preparing for Exams
10:30 a.m. in Room 189
March 19
Help With Academics (info/handout table)
7:30-9 p.m. in Tutors’ Crossing South
March 26
Help With Academics (info/handout table)
7:30-9 p.m. in Study Room of Nash
April 15
Getting Ready for Finals
3:30 p.m. in Room 189
All workshops are free! For more information,
please call the Student Services Center at 985-5131.
Yale assistants strike
to gain recognition