Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

March is Women's History Month

Lily Pearl Ponder Chamberlain

Lily Pearl Ponder Chamberlain was one of the Tarleton faculty members when the school opened in 1899. She taught Latin, arithmetic, college algebra, English, spelling, and ancient history. Wow, what an array of classes! Later she taught six to eight classes of English a day. However, after her marriage she began teaching English at Stephenville High School.

While teaching high school, Mrs. Chamberlain developed a great desire to see home economics taught in the schools. She believed that much of the poverty and sickness was due to the lack of proper training. In 1914 she returned to Tarleton and presented her idea to President Cox. He agreed, but said that there was no money to hire a teacher.

Well, Ms. Lily Pearl "pondered" the situation, and, as many ideas do, an idea emerged -- she would teach home economics herself! Even though she had no formal training in teaching home economics, and was teaching six English classes a day, she still wanted to try. President Cox even offered to teach her two afternoon classes. Off she went that summer to the College of Industrial Arts at Denton.

Above is an early Tarleton cooking class. Lily Pearl's first foods class had an enrollment of 18. She first set up in two basement rooms of the new Mollie Crow Administration building. Of course, later the building became the home economics building when the new administration building, now the Howell building, was built. The first classrooms had nine two-burner oil stoves, several plain pine tables covered with oilcloth, and a few dishes and utensils. The first classes were taught in the fall of 1915, making home economics a part of Tarleton for 95 years.

King, C. Richard, Golden Days of Purple & White, p.40-43.

Obsolete Occupations -- What Might be Next?

Time's passage brings with it many changes:

• Advanced technologies become commonplace.
• Medical discoveries enhance people's well-being.
• Professions never before imagined become everyday occupations.
• Occupations that once employed many people become extinct.

A glimpse into occupations that no longer exist is provided by the NPR article "The Jobs Of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations." This interactive, slideshow article offers photographs and descriptions of 12 by-gone professions, as well as several recordings of folk reflecting on "those oft-forgotten jobs."

The article also prompts some interesting questions:

• What changes might the future hold?
• Which of today's professions might be headed for extinction?
• Any ideas?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2010 Census Questions

Most 2010 Census questionnaires will be delivered in the mail this month. (If you are a student living in a dorm or Greek house, you will receive a slightly different form after April 1). There are only ten main questions on this year's census form:

• 1. How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment or mobile home on April 1, 2010?
• 2. Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010 that you did not include in question 1?
• 3. Is this house, apartment, or mobile home - (multiple choice answers here:owned with mortgage, owned free and clear, rented, or occupied without paying of rent)
• 4. What is your telephone number?

For questions 5-10, information is provided for each person living in the household. Person 1 is an adult, preferably the owner or renter. If the owner or renter lives somewhere else, start with any adult living in the household.

• 5. Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial
• 6. Sex (male or female)
• 7. Age on April 1, 2010, and date of birth
• 8. Of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin? (Multiple choice answers)
• 9. What is this person's race? (Multiple choice answers; may mark more than one)
• 10. Does this person sometimes live or stay somewhere else? Yes or No (if yes, there are multiple choices such as college, nursing home, jail, etc.)

All additional people in the household answer questions 5-10 above and one additional question - How is this person related to Person 1? (multiple choice answers).

In three weeks, we'll have a post on the top ten questions asked by college students about the census.

International Women's Day - March 8

International Women’s Day (IWD) was started by the Socialist Party of America on February 28, 1909 and led to many protests over working conditions. It commemorates the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in which 146 garment workers (mostly women) either died from the fire or jumped from the fatal height of the building. In order to keep the workers from taking cigarette breaks, the managers would lock the doors to the stairwells and exits. After this fatal event, legislation was put in place to improve factory safety standards.

Today, many regions celebrate this holiday similarly to celebrating Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. The United Nations promote political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide.

This year, the attention is being focused on the hardship that women endure from displacement due to armed conflict. They are frequently exposed to sexual violence, discrimination and intimidation. It takes tremendous resilience and courage to make sure that their families are taken care of in such hostile situations. Most of them live alone with their children and have to flee their homes to escape further violence. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) would like to focus on specific needs, vulnerabilities, and strengths of women who protect and support their families during these times.

For more information, visit Wikipedia and ICRC.

Writing Women Back into History

What do life rafts, windshield wipers, dandruff shampoo, and chocolate chip cookies all have in common?

They were all invented by women.

This March marks the 30th anniversary of Women's History Month.
Visit the National Women's History Project website to read short bios of influential women in history and take their quiz to test your knowledge of women's history .

Tarleton Thursdays: Mary Corn Wilkerson Dorm

Mary Corn Wilkerson Dorm

March is Women's History Month

Many women have played an important role in the development of Tarleton from its' beginnings to the present, and will continue to play an important role in the future. One woman who contributed to Tarleton's history is Mary Corn Wilkerson.

Early in the history of Tarleton there was no housing for the female students. By 1908 the people of Tarleton and Stephenville recognized the need for a girls dormitory and wrote an article in the Stephenville Tribune. Mary Corn Wilkerson, "a woman of considerable wealth and a widow the second time, stepped forward to confess that she wanted to donate to a good cause."

Mary's first husband, Richard Corn, died November 28, 1898. She then married Capt. Telephus W. Wilkerson. He died April 10, 1908. After his death Mary donated 370 acres of land located near Duffau with the proceeds from the sale of the land to be used to build a women's dormitory. Located where the Hunewell Annex now stands, and facing McIlhaney, the $14,760.54 building was ready for occupancy the Fall of 1908.

The December 11, 1908 Stephenville Tribune stated that, "The dormitory for John Tarleton college has been entirely finished and completely furnished, and is not only one of the best ventilated, but one of the neatest and cleanest structures in Texas used for the purpose of sheltering students who are attending college, and no doubt will be a great factor in drawing students to Tarleton college. The young women who make it their home will always be surrounded by a healthy, moral influence under the watchful care of the president of the college and his wife."

Be sure to stop by the library to view the March displays which include Women's History Month, Texas History Month, and Tarleton's International Spring Festival.

Guthrie, Christopher E., John Tarleton and His Legacy, p.33-34.

King, C. Richard, Golden Days of Purple & White, p.65-68.

The Tribune, December 11, 1908.

How to read a list of "kept" titles

When you "keep" a group of titles in the library catalog, your printout will look something like the above image. (If this looks familiar to you, great; if not, and you'd like to be able to do this, just ask!)

Do you know how to read this list? Where would you go in the library to find Transformers and philosophy? How about Persepolis 2? A lot of people have trouble figuring out which call number and location goes with which title when they look at these lists. Hopefully this post will help clear things up.

The image below is the same as the one above, only with the first and second titles in the list more clearly indicated.

Your first instinct might have been to think that the indented lines are the second half of an entry, so that the call number PN6747.S245 P4713 2007 goes with the title In Odd we trust, but in this second image you can see that this call number actually belongs with The complete Persepolis.

Remember, if you ever have problems finding anything at the library, we're happy to help!

Neighborhood pride

Yay, it is Texas Independence Day, an excuse for a celebration!

Neighborhood Pride: Ten Ideas To Boost Block Spirit provides great ideas to make friends with your neighbors.

Wonderful dishes from other countries figure prominently on the Food Trends in College Students 2010 which lists the most requested entrees from Sodexo (including YOUR TSU dining hall!!)

Everyone likes a celebration, so combine these two Top Ten lists and plan a neighborhood potluck in which people bring their favorite ethnic dishes and regale in our multi-culturalism.

Texas may not be independent any more, but we are all interdependent! Vive la difference!

On The Eve Of Independence

As I write this, it is a cold wet dreary March morning in Texas as it was in 1836. My thoughts turn to what was happening 174 years ago in Coahuila y Tejas. Delegates to the Convention of 1836 were arriving at Washington, not yet named Washington-on-the Brazos. Tomorrow the delegates would elect Richard Ellis president of the convention and Texas would declare its independence from Mexico. Colonel Travis and the other defenders of the Alamo are wondering if any help is coming. Travis writes a letter to the Convention on March 3^rd asking for the convention to let him know if independence has been declared. If independence is not declared then they will abandon the Alamo, however if independence is declared they "will die a hundred deaths against a blood-red flag." The blood-red flag was a red flag with a skull and cross bones that Santa Anna had flown from the spire of the Church of San Fernando that indicated no mercy would be given to the Texans at the Alamo. You can view scans of the original hand written Texas Declaration of Independence and a broadside version of it and other historic Texas documents at the Texas State Library & Archives Commission website at: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/republic/declare-01.html

Audiobooks

You may not realize that the library has a large selection of audio books downstairs. To search for them online, go to our home page and under the "Library Catalog" heading, click on the "Books, periodicals...etc" link.




On the next screen, click on "Advanced Search Options."

Change the Type menu to "Audiobook."



If you click on "Search", over 500 audiobook titles will be pulled up. You can also modify your search by title, author, subject, general keyword and more.

Away from the library? Check out LibriVox, "an extensive collection of audiobooks read by volunteers." All books are in the public domain. You can download an audiobook, lend them your voice or leave a donation to help keep them running.

Happy reading...and listening!

Welcome back to Historical Events in February!

There are many well known people born in February, other than presidents, and several exciting events that occurred in the month as well.

Hatti Caraway (Feb. 1, 1878) -- First woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Upon the death of her husband, she stepped in to finish his term. She was later elected on her own merit and served a total of 14 years.

James Joyce (Feb. 2, 1882) -- Irish novelist and poet. Known for such works as Ulysses, and Finnegan's Wake.

Elizabeth Blackwell (Feb. 3, 1821) -- First female physician. She started a hospital in New York City that had an all female staff. She also trained nurses who worked in the Civil War.

Norman Rockwell (Feb. 3, 1894) -- American artist and illustrator. Many of his works were depicted on the front cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

Thomas Edison (Feb. 11, 1847) -- Really? Do I need to say what he his famous for inventing? Socks!! No, seriously... he is best known for inventing the incandescent bulb, but he also invented the phonograph and the movie camera. Throughout his lifetime he acquired over 1200 patents. He was a busy man! His famous quote is, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration."

Charles Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809) -- Darwin is best known for his work Origin of Species.

Galileo Galilei (Feb. 15, 1564) -- First astronomer to use a telescope.

Nicolaus Copernicus (Feb. 19, 1473) -- Copernicus is considered the founder of modern astronomy. He believed that the sun was the center of the universe, not the earth.

W.E.B. Du Bois (Feb. 23, 1863) -- African American educator and leader. He was one of the founders of the NAACP and was a member of the board of directors from 1910-1934. He received his master of arts (1891) and doctorate of history (1896) from Harvard. Information obtained from http://www.naacp.org/about/history/dubois/index.htm.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Feb. 27, 1807) -- American poet who wrote Paul Revere's Ride, Ulysses, and The Wreck of Hesperus.

Events
February 1, 1960 -- Four African American students enter Woolworths and stage a sit-in. The waited all day, but never received service.

February 8, 1857 -- Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was beheaded after being imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I for 19 years.

February 12, 1635 -- The first public school in America was established in Boston, Massachusetts. it was the Boston Latin School.

Some of the information for this post was obtained from

http://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/february.htm

February Trivia Question
The world lost 10 days in the year 1582. How is that possible?

The first person to comment with the correct information will win a prize. May the best Texan win! Please leave a good email address with your comment, so you can be contacted if you win.

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 things to do in the library when it's snowing…

All the snow this year has really been something. It makes you want to stay indoors. The Library is nice and warm so I thought I would post 10 things to do at the Dick Smith Library while it is snowing outside!

• Stay warm and dry
  
• Go ahead and start your research BEFORE it is due
  
• Enjoy a latte or mocha from Suave Café to warm up
  
• Sit in a comfy sofa by a window and watch the snow fall
  
• Make sure your Code Purple is set up and active
  
• Look up weather, road conditions, or school closures
  
  • http://www.kstvfm.com/
    
  • http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/road_conditions.htm - (enter the county)
    
  • Hood County News on Twitter - http://twitter.com/hoodcountynews
    
  • wfaa.com - personalized for Stephenville: http://weather.wfaa.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?brand=wfaa&target=wfaa&query=76401&Submit=Submit
    
• Design your snowman for later
  
• Post your pictures of the snow on our Facebook account
  
• Read a fun book or periodical…you never have time
  
• Catch up on all your RSS feeds; including the LOL: Library On Lounge – you might have missed a post or two

Free Social Media Icon Sets

Want to liven up your web presence? Need icons?

Ellyssa Kroski at iLibrarian has compiled an extensive list of sites offering free, downloadable icons for social websites like

• Design Float,
• Facebook,
• Flickr,
• Gamespot,
• LinkedIn,
• Smashing Magazine,
• Trip Advisor,
• Twitter,
• YouTube, and
• many, many more.

The icon designers use a wide array of design styles. Choose what fits your style and personalize to your heart's content. Check 'em out!

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

A "Topping Out" Ceremony

We all received the e-mail invitation to the new Nursing building's "topping out" ceremony from Dr. James Pierce this week. He explained that a "topping out" ceremony signifies that the last beam has been placed on the top of a building. The ceremony usually includes attaching an evergreen tree and an American flag to the last piece of metal.

The photo above shows the November 14, 1993 "topping out" ceremony for the Thompson Student Center. Shown are employees of H.A. Lott, Inc., the builders of the new building. The ironworkers are the first workers to reach the top of a building. Although no two topping out ceremonies are the same, there is usually the tree, the flag, a ceremonial signing of the final beam, and a party. I think the sign above shows that the Lott construction folks enjoyed celebrating, so I feel sure they had a party!

The "topping out" ceremony has old Northern European roots. There are variations as to what the evergreen tree symbolizes. Some say it symbolizes that the job went up without a loss of life, others say it is a good luck charm for the future occupants, and for some it signifies "we did it." All three are worth celebrating! This practice is still carried out in Europe. I saw a "topped out" building on a trip to Switzerland in 1995, complete with the evergreen Christmas tree.

In keeping with such an old tradition, be sure to attend the "topping out" ceremony for our new Nursing building Friday February 26, 2010 at 11 a.m.