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16
The Guilford tree rests in pieces
By Ami Worthen
During the first days of school, those
walking by New Garden Hall could
not have missed the enormous corpse
of the Guilford Oak, toppled on its
side. The Oak has served as the college
logo and symbol since the early 1980's
when it was sketched by President Bill
Rogers.
On August 17th, at 7:45 a.m.,
Grounds keeper Barbara Hill was mow
ing the lawn by New Garden Building.
Shortly after mowing under it, she
glanced back to see that it had fallen,
crushing a picnic table under its weight.
Having been struck by lightning last
year and water-logged since, it appar
ently fell victim to a stiff wind. Be
cause of the tree's symbolic value, a
Quaker-style memorial service was
held on Wednesday, August 26, at
noon. Reporters from local TV sta
tions and newspapers were present.
Campus Minister Max Carter
opened the ceremony by reading from
Genesis and Thomas Berry's book The
Dream of the Earth. Then everyone
fell into a Quaker silence. From this
silence people began speaking of what
the tree has meant to them.
James Bell, who graduated from
Guilford in 1985 with a Religious Stud
ies degree, told how the tree was a
special part of his first year at Guil
ford. He and his friend Janice Lynch
would go together to get ice cream and
climb up into the tree to eat it. At that
time "you could just walk up into the
tree.... It was a wonderful place to be,
a very welcoming place."
Bell also told the Guilfordian in an
interview how "the tree helped put
bread on my table" during lean times.
He worked shuttling papers between
New Garden and a design firm as the
Guilford logo with the Oak was being
produced.
Ann Deagon, who retired as head of
the Classics Department this summer,
Library gets wired
By Chelle Sttnson
The second largest private college
library collection in North Carolina
just got bigger. Computerizing Hege
Library's card catalog and linking it to
the libraries of five area colleges has
made borrowing books at Guilford and
elsewhere faster and easier.
The network group is entitled the
Piedmont Independent College Asso
ciation (PICA), and includes Guilford
College, High Point University, Elon
College, Salem College and Greens
boro College.
Library automation will eventually
lead to the complete elimination of the
paper card catalog. Thus, everyone
wishing to use the library must eventu
ally become familiarwith PALS (PICA
Automated Library System).
Classes will be offered for students
who are anxious about computers or
eager to use them. Librarian Betty Place
talked about how her career was "sand
wiched"between twodead trees. When
she arrived at Guilford in 1956 with
her husband, the Revolutionary oak
had just fallen and was lying in New
Garden Cemetery. Now, "36 years
later...the college oak dies."
She still feels "positive about the
trees and her Guilford experience." In
fact, Deagon joked that she felt like
one of those trees, because of the
"couples that have courted under my
shade," referring to, among others.
Bell, who is to be married soon.
At the end of the service, Cindy
Swartz ('92) and Carl Christie ('94)
led the "congregation" in the hymn
"Victor's Now."
To Beverly Rogers, the oak repre
sents Guilford's exceptional campus.
"The trees and spaciousness of the
campus effect us," and the trees "sym
bolize part of the process of growth,
birth, and change."
She feels strongly that the oak "has
contributed something to all of our
lives." She sees the Memorial Service
for the tree as reflective of how "each
member of the community has some
place here." By valuing the tree, Guil
ford expresses the importance of valu
ing each individual.
Director of Grounds Bill Scott heads
a committee to determine what will be
done with the tree. Many possibilities
were suggested before the tree was
hauled away last Thursday. Many have
made requests for a piece of the oak.
Alumni and craftspeople have come
forward offering to make benches,
tables and bowls from the tree. There
has also been discussion of making
mementos for alumni, students, fac
ulty and staff.
There are plans to use a cross sec
tion for historical purposes, marking
important dates in Guilford's,
Greensboro's and the nation's history.
Tannebaun Park had requested a
cross-section for the Hoskins House, a
Quaker House where wounded British
Beth Pope gets aquainted with PALS.
is "encouraging FYS teachers to re
quire their students to [take a course]
simply to get their feet wet."
Despite rumors to the contrary, the
availability of interlibrary loans is not
negatively affected. In fact loans will
NEWS
CAMPUS
*
Campus Minister Max Carter commends the fallen Oak to the ages
and Rebel soldiers were cared for dur
ing the Revolutionary War.
Several black oaks will be planted
in memory of the deceased.
The tree was previously thought to
be 200-300 years old. However, when
the oak was examined Thursday, it
was discovered to by only 112 years
old.
Campus Minister Max Carter com
mented on the discovery by saying,
"Even though the tree proved to be
young, there is still a significant event
in its parting."
He then added, "If I live to be 112
years old and they call me young, I'll
be happy."
Photo by Carl Beehler
be easier to arrange. The collections of
all PICA schools will be listed in the
computer, with resources in Hege Li
brary highlighted on the screen to make
them quickly distinguishable from
those held at other locations.
I WHISTLE I
DEFENSE
BLOW THE WHISTLE ON CRIME!
WHAT IS A WHISTLE
ALERT PROGRAM? |Y
A whistle .ilen program is n campus-wide
safely effort ih.it involves the cooperation ot
each individual to ensure the safety ot .ill
persons within the community.
I V the whistle whenever. ■ t
• you or your neighbor are in danger or
feel the threat of danger
• you want to summon help when you
arc witness to a crtme-in-progress M
• you or another are in need ot an J 1
immediate emergency response (sick
• you are in the vicinity ot another B
whistle alarm and can lend support "y
hy sounding your own whistle > ..
HOW DOES USING
THE WHISTLE
PROMOTE SAFETY?
The safety whistle i- an effective, life-saving
tool. As a signal alarm system, it is more Jf
powerful than a cry in the night nd send- ml
out a call for help! It frightens oil attackers \ ml
and brings help/mi Whistles won't fail in \ Y'ld'l'ee II
moments of stress, as a htinian voice can \ ml
HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?
Buy a whistle! }ur a limned time, these solid brass ( itiilford ('ollege
whistles will I* available in the campus bookstore lot iiist >! 00.
The safety wlu-l le program pn ivulesan 11s t mat ive to those who, lon I
want it* gel invfhtv simply Ivi him- ihev know liou iohe!p
I'l.fc.VSl- N ) I I:: It" I, iml, ~.111,ni1...,, ~ *|. ~.. |„ w ,|,„, (I ~,..1
j*.*fi. ii mi. ..i inn. - ill,- ,i■. -i ..f ulcir-i . .1 iih-i.'i tl. \..(iii| tn.*nl .it, .1, l ill. .1 in ill
(.||,l|.„.|( ~1!.,*. -11,.1.1,1 i! nulls,.l
r SECURITY n DIVISION OF
I 4k I SECURITY AND SAFETY
• \ V'li't 1 / I MER( JIiNCY: 2 l > I I
V_y NON-I:VII'Rt JKNI'Y: s|*v2'H>N
September 4,1992
Photo by Charles Almy