ALE THETA
Vol. 2, No. 5
Montreat-Anderson Oblige,
Dec. 12, 1978
Calendar Turns From Christmas Gift
To Booming Business
by Karl E. Peters
With the very mild weather
we’ve had thus far this year,
perhaps the only way to really
accurately tell the seasons is
with a calender. The locally
produced “Mountain
Meditations’ ’ calender does
this through it’ s monthly
photographs depicting scenes
of the times.
The Mountain Meditations
Calender had a humble
beginning and an interesting
story to lead it to where it is
today. The original though*
came about when Dr. Jack
Crawford, head of the
department of Social Sciences
here at Montreat, and his
family returned from their
trip to Europe and began to
search for an appropriate
Christmas gift to send back as
a sampling of Western North
Carolina life. ‘ ‘We decided we
couldn’t find it, so we’d create
it So we hit on the Mountain
Meditation Calender.’ ’, said
Crawford.
Mr. Andy Andrews of
Montreat fit in with his very
popular slides of nature
scenes of the area. The two
pooled their resources
figuring that the pictures
combined with, appropriate
scripture verses would make
an ideal gift
The proceedure for their
design comsists of two major
sections. The first is deciding
upon the right pictures, this
done by starting wifii thirty to
fourty photos and narrowing it
down to about eighteen after
which some other group (for
example: last year it was a
group of students) narrows it
down to the final twelve. The
other is deciding on the
scripture that will go with it
Dr. Crawford says, ‘T 11
usually bustle myself away in
a room with the pictures laid
out in front of me and start
thinking ‘What does this say to
me?” “We try to say ‘This is
God’s creation - take care of it’
Over it’ s six years of
existence, it’s publication has
grown from five thousand to
twenty thousand copies; from
sales exclusively in local gift
shops to sales through two
hundred and twenty-three
individual stores and through
seven natimwide distributers.
One thing the two find in
teresting is the way people
identify with it Some have
been known to write Chnst-
mas cards as though thev
knew them persoially. Mr,
Andrews said, ‘JPeople will
write to me and say ‘How did
you know where my grand
father’s farm is?”’. Although
some do pinpoint the location,
many are far off in that the
pctures are within a hundred
mile radius of Montreat.
Crawford sums up the
situation neatly by saying, “If
it does a lot of good for people
and makes just a little money,
we think we’ve done all right”.
College Anticipates No
Problems From Self-Study
by Karl E. Peters
A big word floating around
Montreat Anderson this year
has been “re-accreditation”.
The word, although large in
itself, is also large in meaning
for the college.
Montrea t-Anderson
College, as a member of the
Southern Association of
Colletes and Schools, must
undergo a “self-study”process
every ten years for ‘‘re
accreditation’ ’ by the
Association. The “self-study”
is an in-depth study of the
.school as it stands. This in
cludes student life, dorms,
academics, the quality of
! teaching, records of tran-
jsferred students, ap-
popriation of money, and the
library and its use. All of this
information is evaluated “in
light of the purpose of the
college’ ’ said Elizabeth
[Maxwell, an English and
French teacher and the head
the self-study program at
[entreat, the purpose of the
ichool being “to prepare
. students in au areas of life for
college transfer and all of this
in the basis of Bible-centered
Christian living”.
Everyone is included in the
study in one way or another.
The faculty is divided into
committees to study the
various aspects of the school
with one and sometimes more
students on each committee.
The questiaiaires filled out
earlier this semester were
also part of the self study
pocess.
At the end of the study, all
the information will be
gathered up and organized
into a seventy-five to a hun
dred page booklet and sent to
toe Association. A group of
representatives from the
Association will then make a
visit to the campus for a few
days to see what progress is
being made toward the goals
set in the publicaticxi. Final
decision on the matter will be
made in December of 1980, no
poblems are anticipated.
Bible Ciympics
Mountain Meditations
Calendar popular, (photo by Andy Andrews)
Black Mountain's Apron Lady
Plans are unaerway for
McntreatrAnderson Cdlege to
offer its facilities for a
regional contest involving
knowledge of the Bible. The
contest will be q>en to high
j school students, ages 15-18,
from various Bible clubs,
youth ^oups, and churches.
According to contest coor
dinator John Crawford, who is
a History professor at the
college, toe contestants will
participate in a “stair^tep”(rf
Bible tests. “The contestants
’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE FINALS
will arrive on Friday evening
and be welcomed to the
college, given a brief orien-
tatiffli, ant then challenged by
a written Bible test,’’says Dr.
Crawford. “Later that
evening, during a social hour,
winners for the next round will
be announced.”
Arrangements will be made
for contestants to stay in the
dormitories, if they so desire.
The second round will be held
toe following morning after
breakfast. The finalists
(coat on pg. 4)
by Joy Ogle
Most only know her as “The
^ronLa(ty”. She’s Claudia
McGraw, a sprightly 87 year
old woman who has made
aprons since 1932. These
aprons have reached nearly
every part of the world and
have been bought by such
celebrities as Greta Garbo,
Amy Vanderbilt, and Lyndon
Johnson’s daughter, Lud.
And to think it all started in a
coffee shop ather own home in
Black Mountain.
Mrs. McGraw began
making aprons for herself and
felt it a shame to hide them
away under the counter. A
brilliant idea came into her
mind to hang them up all over
toe little shop. The idea
worked and the aprcHis sold.
And so began Claudia
McGraw’ s thriving apron
business.
Mrs. McGraw sent a few of
her “masterpieces” to some of
toe mo.st exclusive boutiques
and the results were the same ,
as in her xoffee shop back
home. At one time, a dozoi
ladies were woiking for Mrs.
McGraw trying to meet the
demands of so many people.
But she doesn’t take oixiers by
mail anymore and doesn’t tiy
to keep up with such
demands. But she still has a
booming business. “I can’t
keep enough aprons made; “
laughs Mrs. McGraw; “They
come in and buy 10 to 15
aprons at a time: Doctors,
lawyers, all sorts of people..”
She makes all her own apnxis
now and sells them from her
home on U.S. 70.
Mrs. McGraw makes every
kind of apron imaginable.
There are shcx-t ones, old
feshioned bibbed mes, smock
aprons, and even aprons for
men. All are designed by Mrs.
McGraw herself. With
Christmas coming, she’s as
busy as ever, but welcomes
any and all who come in to buy
or just to look.
^s. McGraw has made
toousands since that day back
in ’32 and will average over
100 a month. She always
wears one herself while
cooking and believes that a
pretty apron affects the
cooking. “I won’t wear an
^ron I don’t like, and I wwi’t
cook without one.”
Twas the night before finals
And all through the dorm,
Not a creature was stirring
From midnight 'til morn.
The freshmen were nestled
All snug in their beds,
While visions of test questions
Danced in their heads.
The sophomores slept soundly.
They were calm and collected;
Their experience had taught them.
What could be expected.
And I in my nightcap
Was reading all I could find
On "How to be a Head Resident
Without Losing One’s Mind.”
Now in the stillness of the night
There arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed
To see what was the matter.
I raced down the hall
And followed the sound,
of high-pitched voices
’ Til the right room I found.
And coming up close
I could hear from within,
A voice of frustration.
Despair and chagrin.
"I’m going tcrflunk, I just know it, ”
Cried the voice from inside;
"You can pass, just ^eep trying,”
Came an encouraging replay.
I opened the door
And to my surprise.
Half of my dorm
Was huddled inside!
(cent, on pg. 2)
LAST mlNUT ^ C.RRpr\i1
(Cartoon by Vic Goumas)