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VOL. LX, NO. 14
RALEIGH. NORTH CAROLINA Zifll
FEBRUARY 8. 1982
Marge Shelton: Counselor And Friend
By Kathy Seeger
Although she has been at
Meredith only since No
vember, Marge Shelton is a
relatively unfamiliar face on
the Meredith campus. Herof*
flee, like her personality, is
warm and receptive and as a
counselor, this warmth and
receptiveness serve her well.
Marge leads a very interest
ing life in her new role.and it
seems to agree with her very
well.
One of the most interesting
features of Marge Shelton's
new life is that she and her
husband, Ray, have a two-ca
reer marriage. Ray lives and
works for an insurance brok
erage rirm in Kansas City,
Missouri. Marge lives in
Beckanna Apartments in Ra
leigh; however, this is just an
intermediate arrangement
as Ray is looking for a posi
tion in Raleigh. Marge and
Ray are the parents of four
grown children and the
proud grandparents of two
grandchildren. However, it
has taken Marge a long time
to arrive at Meredith. She
and Ray spent 15 years as
missionaries to Thailand. Af
ter returning to the States,
Marge finished her college
education. Being a minister’s
wife. Marge has felt the pow
er of God in her life, and she
feels what she is doing now is
what she was meant to do.
She feels college age youth
keep her feeling “alive.”
Marge defines her role
here at Meredith as a “sup
port system for students.”
She is not interested in dupli
cating any existing program
on campus, but rather “serv
ing as a resource person” by
"helping students to make
their own decisions.” She is
also planning to set up work
shops in interpersonal rela
tionships and personal
growth, both of which she has
learned much about through
her own personal experien
ces.
Personal growth is a facet
of life which Marge feels is
very important. She sees a
real danger in a young wom
an going from the protection
of parents to the protection of
a husband without taking
time to be dependent on her
self Then, after an exercise
in independence, she feels
one is more likely to be ful
filled and to be fulfilling.
Susan Shreve On
The Myth of Childhood”
It is a rare opportunity to
listen to a writer of realistic
fiction, a person so con
cerned with the right words,
and to savor the images ofHfe
that speak as poetry. Those
attending the February con
vocation experienced recol
lections on the myth of child
hood as Susan Shreve spoke
in Jones Auditorium Febru
ary 1. Shreve, the one and on
ly woman convocation speak
er this school year, spoke elo
quently of the myths sur
rounding children and
adults.
The author spoke from her
own experience, one of the
greatest tools given to writ
ers. Adults think about the
myth of the happy childhood
and remember what it actu
ally meant to be a child.
Shreve explained that the le
gends arise from advertise
ments, movies, and books.
There is always that hushed:
“Don’t tell the children,”
whether it be death, sex, or
the general despair of hu
manity. Shreve took images
fVom her childhood and
translated them through her
adulthood: being a senior in
college — surrounded by
seminars in cultural anthro
pology and reading Bride's
magazine, planning one’s life
(including the names of
children and houses) until
the age of 40. life like rain
bows and “West Side Story”
and James Dean.
But though these memo
ries niterdown-through early
married life, baking bread,
growing vegetables, and hav
ing arguments, there remain
the aftereffects — the real
ism of babies and assassina
tions. She spoke of her turn
ing away from newspapers
and serious fiction, lier at
tempts to capture memories
of a happy childhood by hav
ing babies of her own. The
climax in her interpretation
of the myths came during the
late 1960’s as her brother
and his draft dodger fViends
lived with her young family
for a year. Shewouldbegin to
look at her diary written at
age nine, in which each entry
began: “We are well and hap
py.”
Ms. Shreve is presently the
director of the Writing Pro
gram at George Mason Uni
versity and lives with her
family in a rented house in
Washington, D.C. She visual
izes her own children im
agining being grown-* ups,
dressing up in old clothes. Af
ter reading one of her short
stories, she moved to the
Fireside Lounge and spoke
to students. Would that the
Meredith community had
more opportunities to hear
such sensitive observers of
life.
Marge Shelton
Marge Shelton fills her
own time by listening to-
Meredith students and doing
her favorite things: reading,
writing, and grandmothering
(although this is not as time-
consuming as she would like
for it to be due to distance).
However, she is interested in
beginning a physical fitness
program and learning to
meditate.
Finally, when you go by to
visit Marge, be advised: She
is dedicated to “accepting
students just as they are by
seeing each one as a unique
(and interesting) individual.”
Black Emphasis Week
By Linda Sellers
"Positive Images For Us”
is the theme of Black Empha
sis Week to be held February
8-12 on the Meredith campus.
Waltye Rasulala. a TV per
sonality with WRAL-TV
(Channel 5), will be the fea
tured speaker at a convoca
tion at 10 a.m. Monday. The
convocation will be held in
the Kresge Auditorium in
Cate Center.
Tuesday’s highlights will
include a dance performance
by St. Augustine’s Dance Per
formance Troupe at 7 p.m. in
Carswell Concert Hall.
Wednesday’s worship serv
ice to be held in the rotunda
will feature speaker Cynthia
Hale from N.C. Central Uni
versity.
A Black Poetry reading will
wind up the week on Friday.
It will be at 10 a.m. in the
Alumnae Hou se.
Black Emphasis Week is
sponsored by the Black
Voices in Unity Club on cam
pus. Co-chairmen for the
week are Jennifer McNair
and Cynthia Washington.
Review Of Religious
Emphasis Week
Left to right; Kim Davis as a gossiping bystander, Wendy Stanley as Rose. See “Street
Scenes” February 12.13,19. and 20 at 8 p.m.
Religious Emphasis Week,
held January 24-29, was spon
sored by Meredith Christian
Association. Speakers for the
week included Rabbi Bei-
field, Rachel Richardson
Smith, and Sister Evelyn
Mattern. Each speaker con
tributed to the theme Sha
lom. throughout the week.
The end of the week was high
lighted with a concert by
Gary Rand, a Christian enter
tainer, who centered his per
formance around the joys of
the Christian life
A good amount of Mere
dith’s community heard the
speakers with their messages
of peace and wholeness.
Marie Hiott. chairman of
the Religious Emphasis
Week Student Planning Com
mittee. contributed hard
work in making this past
week a success. Those also
serving on the committee in
clude Lisa Sorrels. Mary
Louise Webb. Beth Williams,
Kitty Berkes, Carol Brooks.
Jan Joyner. Beth Austin, and
Cindy Laws.