Dover Library Archives - è��ͷ�� University

John R. Dover Sr. to Receive è��ͷ��’s Founders Medal for Generations of Support

Office of University Communications — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:45:04 +0000

John R. Dover Sr.

The Dovers’ Commitment Through Grants and Scholarships has Shaped the University and Cleveland County

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Each year, è��ͷ�� presents the Founders Medal in recognition of significant and lasting contributions to the University. Since its founding in 1905, è��ͷ�� has benefited from visionary leaders committed to establishing an institution for Christian higher education in the foothills of North Carolina.

Among those early and ardent supporters is the family of John Randolph Dover Sr. The father of 10 children, Dover passed down to his family a legacy built on faith, hard work, and education. As a tribute to his lasting influence, Dover will receive the Founders Medal at the Festival of Lights Dinner on Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. Accepting the award on behalf of the family will be his grandson, Charles D. Chamberlain.

Dover started Ella Mill in Cleveland County in 1907. He sold that first plant in 1917, then built Dover Mill in west Shelby in 1923. This was the real beginning of what later became Dover Textiles. Dover was not only a successful industrialist—he had a vision for building communities that valued the well-being of those who were a part of them. He understood the value of education and believed it was essential for the prosperity of his employees and their families. Each mill village had schools and churches, of which his own children and family attended.

Dover Sr. died in 1931, leaving management of the company to two of his sons: John R. “Jack” Dover Jr. and Charles I. Dover. Under their leadership, Dover Textiles became the largest employer in Cleveland County with nearly 3,000 people for many years. Annual sales peaked at around $200 million. Dover Textiles was known for its novelty or specialty operations, which included woven, knitted and tricot fabrics, and spun yarns. The family industry was sold in 1984.

John R. Dover, his wife, Ella, and their children

As the company grew, the Dover family supported many projects at è��ͷ�� University and around Cleveland County. The two brothers served on the GWU Board of Trustees for many years and established the Dover Foundation in 1944 for the primary purpose of supporting è��ͷ��. In the early 1950s, they donated $175,000 to build the first home of the John R. Dover Sr. library, which is now known as Craig Hall. Afterward, they continued to donate and raise money to purchase books for the library.

Other buildings and structures on the è��ͷ�� campus are constant reminders of the family’s legacy of support: the Charles I. Dover Campus Center, the John R. Dover Jr. Chapel, and the Kathleen Dover Theatre, named for Charles’ wife. The Dovers’ support of educational and human service organizations is also evident across Cleveland County, with the Dover Foundation YMCA and the Kathleen Dover Hamrick Hospice House.

Today, The Dover Foundation is committed to supporting nonprofit organizations that have the potential to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the well-being of Cleveland County residents. The foundation also awards a total of 12 scholarships each year to students who attend high school within the Cleveland County Schools system. Of the 12 awarded each year, four are designated for seniors who have been accepted at è��ͷ�� University.

Source: and

Auxiliary aids will be made available to persons with disabilities upon request 10 working days prior to the event. Please call 704-406-4270 or email disabilityservices@gardner-webb.edu with your request.

è��ͷ�� University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., è��ͷ�� prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at .

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Dean of è��ͷ��’s Dover Library Appointed to Statewide Leadership Role

Office of University Communications — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 20:18:40 +0000

Dr. Natalie Bishop will Help Shape Professional Development Training for North Carolina’s Library Cooperative

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Dr. Natalie Bishop, dean of è��ͷ�� University’s Dover Library, has been named to an advisory committee for NC LIVE, the statewide library cooperative. Her appointment was made by A. Hope Williams, president of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU).

Williams described the significance of Bishop’s assignment. “NC LIVE is an important resource to the 36 independent colleges and universities in North Carolina, and the independent sector serves as an important partner in the overall state effort. In that vein, NCICU has appointees to the committees that carry out the major work of NC LIVE.”

As a member library with NC LIVE, è��ͷ�� has access to over 80 databases. Content includes an online collection of 1.8 billion full-text articles, eBooks, streaming videos, digitized newspapers, language learning tools, and more. Additionally, NC LIVE provides authentication, discovery and website services to libraries to improve access to information.

Bishop is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Continuing Education and Training Advisory Committee (CETAC). She will offer input and feedback on the planning and assessment processes related to NC LIVE’s professional development program, such as in-person training sessions, and online tutorials and webinars. The CETAC assists the NC Live Librarians Council by presenting it with recommendations and priorities for all professional development opportunities offered by NC LIVE.

“Professional development for librarians and faculty is something I’m genuinely passionate about—and being able to help guide and support colleagues across the region through the CETAC team is exciting,” Bishop asserted. “Providing high-quality, free development opportunities is essential if we want to think creatively, problem-solve effectively, and keep pushing innovation in our field. I’m really looking forward to being part of that work.”

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‘Cover to Cover’ Exhibit Spins Stories of Vinyl, Culture, and è��ͷ�� Campus History

Office of University Communications — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 20:36:49 +0000

Dover Library’s Vintage Album Display Explores Lasting Impact of Sound and Storytelling

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—A new exhibit at Dover Library displays how music connects musicians and fans and impacts history and culture. “Cover to Cover: Vintage Vinyl Stories” will run continuously through July 2026, with updates and rotating features on artists and album covers. The presentation, which is located on the main and upper levels of the library, highlights both the technology of vinyl and the influence of music from the 1970s with a few outliers from the ’60s and ’80s.

Most of the albums in the library’s vast
collection are classical and opera. They are stored
in floor-to-ceiling shelves in the library’s archives.

The idea for the presentation came when Dean of the Library Dr. Natalie Edwards Bishop and Interlibrary Loan Coordinator Kevin Bridges started looking through the library’s LP collection. The majority of the collection is classical and opera. “It was originally purchased by the library, or accepted as gifts to the library, to support the music department,” Bishop stated. “While our current music majors listen to digital music for class, before the internet our students were limited to listening to music provided by the library. This was a pretty common practice up through the 2000s.”

As they were trying to decide what to do with this massive collection, Bishop and Bridges were surprised to stumble across some vinyl gems. Music enthusiasts, each has a personal music library and knows the stories behind the artists and their influence on culture. “We started batting around an idea of how we can take the library’s collection and share it with people in a creative way,” Bishop noted. “We also brought in some of our own favorites.”

In addition to displaying album covers from the collection, they also wanted to highlight how the progression of the music industry intersects with GWU’s history. In the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and even into the early ’90s, è��ͷ�� hosted notable musicians and bands. During the singer-songwriter movement in the ’70s, performers like Earl Scruggs, Johnny Cash, Rick Nelson, James Taylor and Jim Croce came to GWU and played at other colleges across the country. è��ͷ�� also hosted groups like Nantucket, Pure Prairie League, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Earth, Wind and Fire, and The Hooters.

The exhibit will feature a display on how the technology for listening to music has evolved—from vinyl to cassette and 8-track, then CD, iPod and digital downloads to streaming. A record player is available for people to operate and listen to some albums.

In addition to herself and Bridges, Bishop asked other music aficionados on the GWU faculty and staff to write descriptions for the posters that included their personal reflections, along with historical contexts, and the social and cultural impacts of the album and the music. Included on some posters are the liner notes, because that was an important tool that connected fans to the artists. Bishop reflected on her own experience, “You would get your album and you would put it in your player, whatever type of player it was, and like, for several nights of the week, you’d sit there and listen to the music and just read everything.”

Later this fall, “The Vinyl Experience” podcast series will launch as a companion to Dover Library’s exhibit, “Cover to Cover: Vintage Vinyl Stories.” The series will explore the cultural, technological, and nostalgic power of vinyl records. Together, the exhibit and podcast invite audiences to rediscover the artistry, storytelling, and timeless appeal of music pressed on vinyl.

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Digital Commons at è��ͷ�� Attracts Readers from All Over the World

Office of University Communications — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 18:11:49 +0000

Since Launching in 2015, the University’s Repository Logs Over 2 Million Document Downloads

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.— is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Launched in 2015 as a repository for graduate theses and dissertations and two institutional journals, it has grown to host nearly 10,000 works and has over 2 million document downloads.

Holly Mabry

Institutional repositories are vital for preserving records that are either at risk of physical deterioration or getting lost in the rapidly-changing internet landscape. “It has been interesting to observe the repository’s growth and the development of new collections over the last 10 years since the launch,” noted Dover Library’s Acquisitions & Collection Management Librarian Holly Mabry. “I hope that Digital Commons will continue to provide a way to preserve and showcase the research, creative and historical records at è��ͷ�� for many years to come.”

A Readership Map on the Digital Commons web page displays the titles and authors of the papers as they are being downloaded. On a recent day, readers in China, Brazil, Philippines, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., examined papers relating to political science, nursing, education and science. Some of them explored documents in various historical archives. In addition, the paper with the most downloads was “A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Experiences of Students with Parents as their Principal, Teacher, or Coach.”

As an institutional repository with unlimited storage space, Digital Commons serves as a permanent home for important University and community works and includes the ability to house text, image audio, and video files. Along with the original two journals—The from the GWU College of Education and from the GWU School of Psychological Science and Counselor Education—Digital Commons has served as a launching pad for a variety of new ideas and programs.

The College of Education also publishes professional learning modules in its developed by its EDCI students. Student and faculty scholarship activities such as presentations and publications are provided in the repository as well.

As a service to the broader community, è��ͷ�� University Archives has digitized both university and Cleveland County materials. The library has received grants from the State Library of North Carolina’s LSTA program to purchase scanners and camera equipment to digitize and make available the county’s historical records. Learn more about these grants here. A partnership started with the Earl Scruggs Center digitizes records from the Cleveland County Museum, as well as area Baptist associations. è��ͷ�� publications such as the alumni magazine, news stories, and yearbooks are available, as well as the University’s film, audio and video collections.

While Digital Commons was initially focused on the journals and theses and dissertations, it has continued to serve as a platform for creative ideas, research and scholarship, digital archives, campus news and publications, and institutional records.

Interested in getting involved? Check out the , a project that involves transcribing handwritten documents intended for digitization.

Note to our readers: This article reflects the University’s tuition and fee schedule at the time of publication. Tuition and financial aid policies change annually. For the most up-to-date and accurate information on current tuition rates and financial aid resources, please visit the University’s official Admissions page.

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‘Freadom Reads’ at è��ͷ��’s Dover Library Explores Film Censorship

Office of University Communications — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:53:47 +0000

Movie Critics and GWU Alumni, Noel T. Manning II and Thomas Manning, Discuss Boycotts, Bans and Barricades

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—At the next “Freadom Reads,” program, film critics and è��ͷ�� alumni, Noel T. Manning II and his son, Thomas Manning, invite the audience to “Dive into the Captivating World of Film: Boycotts, Bans, & Barricades.” Their discussion will be presented on Feb. 4 from 3 to 4 p.m. The event will be held on the third floor of the University’s Dover Library, 110 Huggins St., on the GWU campus.

“Freadom Reads” began as a regular series sponsored by the library to discuss banned books. It has expanded to include banned materials from the arts and entertainment communities. The purpose is to offer a space where students can engage with the ideas in a text, music or film with guidance from other students and professionals.

Noel explained that their talk will uncover the challenges faced by iconic filmmakers whose work sparked controversy and conversation. “From Martin Scorsese’s fearless storytelling to indie pioneer Earl Owensby’s defiance of Hollywood’s studio system, and Charlie Chaplin’s boundary-pushing visions, this lecture explores how politics, culture, religion, and societal pressures have shaped cinema’s most daring creators,” he noted. “Celebrate the resilience and creativity of those who redefined the art of filmmaking against all odds.”

Noel T. Manning II

Thomas Manning

Noel and Thomas want to challenge those in attendance to think beyond the surface level when considering why certain films or filmmakers are singled out as targets. “I’m hoping that this dialogue on cinema will encourage deeper reflection and critical thinking,” Noel shared. “I hope our audience will ask themselves questions like: ‘Do I self-censor films or filmmakers?’ and ‘If I were in charge of regulating films or filmmakers, what would that look like?’”

Thomas added, “The advent of social media has permanently altered our society’s collective ability to process information, and we’ve definitely seen that impact our relationship with art and media. Media literacy, or lack thereof, is a major issue in our current culture, and I think it’s crucial that we are intentional about the way we interact with art. We need to open ourselves up to the possibilities of art and not shut down that part of our humanity that’s deeply ingrained in our DNA.”

Noel, who also serves as associate vice president for Communications and Marketing at è��ͷ��, has been fascinated with movies and film since he was a child. His love for the art and science of cinema developed from the early influences of his mother, who worked as a radio station and took him to the movies, and his father, who was a musician and writer. His father even had a script that was considered for the original Twilight Zone TV series. Later in classes at è��ͷ��, Noel’s passion for filmmaking deepened. He had the opportunity to take several film courses and wrote movie reviews for the school newspaper. He also worked on the Oscar-winning film “The Last of the Mohicans,” which provided invaluable hands-on experience in the industry. During that time, he also began reviewing films and interviewing filmmakers for TV, later expanding that work to radio audiences.

At è��ͷ��, Thomas was a double major in communication studies and English. He currently serves as the marketing director for the Cleveland County Arts Council and as Real to Reel Film Festival director. He received his inspiration from his father, and he was influenced by GWU college professors, Dr. Jennifer Buckner, Dr. Chris Davis, Instructor Jeff Powell, and former professors, Dr. June Hobbs (professor emerita of English) and Dr. Arielle McKee. He was also influenced by a course at GWU that explored the careers of award-winning filmmakers. Thomas also mentioned another individual who has provided invaluable guidance to him. “Douglas Davidson, the founder and manager of the publication ‘Elements of Madness’ (elementsofmadness.com) provided a space for me to hone my writing as a young film critic, and then encouraged me to further explore the experience of interviewing filmmakers and various artists from film productions,” Thomas related. “I will forever be indebted to Douglas for the opportunities and doors he has opened for me.”

Thomas also has experience making a documentary. He and GWU alumni Christian Jessup (director, editor, and composer), Eli Hardin (co-writer), and Brendan Boylan (associate producer) created “The Dancin’ Bulldogs: A 16 Seed’s Journey to the NCAA Tournament.” The film follows the story of 2019 GWU men’s basketball team that made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program’s history. It was well-received by the GWU community and won awards at three film festivals. More details on the film are available . And, the documentary can be found .

Noel and Thomas both serve as voting members for several film critics groups including the Critics Choice Association which will broadcast the 2024 award winners live on Feb. 7 on the E! network and streamed on Peacock.

University Communications intern Chloe Cloutier, a senior communication studies major, contributed to this story.

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Chris Scruggs Invited to Speak at è��ͷ�� Dover Library for ‘Freadom Reads’

Office of University Communications — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:00:46 +0000

Doctoral Student Shares from his Collection of Banned Books

By Chloe Cloutier, Intern for University Communications

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Chris Scruggs, a doctoral student in the è��ͷ�� University College of Education, is the featured speaker for “Freadom Reads.” The program will be on Jan. 28 from 3 to 4 p.m. at Dover Library, 110 Huggins St., on the GWU campus.

The free program is open to the public and will be held in the library’s third-floor conference room. è��ͷ�� Instruction Librarian Katie Hartley organizes the speakers for “Freadom Reads,” a talk series on banned books. The purpose is to offer a space where students can engage with a text and its ideas with the help of other students and professionals.

Scruggs is pursuing his degree in curriculum and instruction at è��ͷ��. An avid reader and collector of first editions for decades, he has accumulated a group of banned books. He is also an educator and instructor of advanced online learning for Henderson County, N.C. “As a teacher in high school courses, I am updated in the process of book removals due to state bans,” he informed. “So, I will chat about collecting and recognizing the importance of banned books. I will bring some first editions with me. I’m looking forward to the discussion.”

Scruggs’ talents also include art and landscape photography with experience in watercolor and screen-printing. He stated, “I examine writing, just as I would examine a painting. We have to be open for adaptation, embracing change, and recognizing diversity. Reading different viewpoints and discussing them ultimately leads to equity and awareness that is needed within our communities.”

Hartley and Scruggs have worked on several projects in the past. Last August, the library featured a display of Scruggs’ artwork. Hartley is excited to hear Scruggs speak on banned books from the perspective of a collector. “I want the audience to be inspired to read some of the titles Chris will be discussing,” she noted. “His passion for the subject is enough to make anyone curious enough to engage with new or challenging ideas.”

Scruggs stressed why he feels it’s important to examine censored novels. “If books are banned, ideas are lost,” he asserted. “Delving into reading banned novels, historical literature, and poetry provides readers with the opportunity to confront difficult subjects and topics within a structured environment. This exploration fosters empathy, emotional growth, and psychological fortitude in individuals.”

For more information about the “Freadom Reads” banned books talk series, email Hartley at khartley1@gardner-webb.edu.

Chloe Cloutier is a è��ͷ�� senior majoring in communication studies.

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è��ͷ��’s Dover Library Receives State Grant to Digitize Historical Records

Office of University Communications — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:14:49 +0000

19th Century Historic Documents and Church Records Helpful for Genealogical and Academic Research

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—è��ͷ�� University’s Dover Library recently received a $42,000 grant from the State Library of North Carolina. The money will be used to digitize historical church records on microfilm and documents in the Cleveland County Historical Collection. The project is a joint effort of Dover Library, and the Earl Scruggs Center Museum and Broad River Genealogical Society, both in Shelby, N.C.

Dr. Natalie Bishop

è��ͷ��’s library was one of 41 across the state selected to receive funding, which is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act. Dr. Natalie Bishop, library dean and archivist, explained that the funds will digitize fragile 19th century historical documents pertaining to the history of Cleveland County, including deed records, church records, scrapbooks, and maps housed in the collections of the GWU Archives, Earl Scruggs Center Museum, and Broad River Genealogical Society.

Through digitization, these records will be more accessible and searchable. The documents will be added to the open access Digital Commons repository at è��ͷ��. These materials are currently inaccessible to the community due to their fragility. “This is a collaborative project with the shared goal of making primary resources available to our community,” Bishop commented. “Funding from this grant is critical due to the fragile condition and limited access of the records.”

These two documents are from the Cleveland County Historical Collection that will be digitized.

Bishop noted that the digital collection is open and accessible to anyone and can be used by students in Cleveland County Schools, Cleveland Community College, and è��ͷ�� who are researching issues pertaining to church history, agricultural economy, land deeds, post-reconstruction politics, and conditions of the rural poor. These documents will also be helpful to the Sunset Cemetery Project team in Shelby, N.C., as they work to identify unmarked graves in a once segregated area of the cemetery.

Zach Dressel

Zach Dressel, assistant director and curator of the Earl Scruggs Center Museum, remarked, “These resources will help create opportunities for genealogical and community history research that Cleveland County residents have shown a genuine interest in. As a local historian, I feel this work will be invaluable for our community.”

“In addition to the community this collection can serve, Cleveland County’s history is vital to the wider research scope of post-colonial social and economic development in our region,” Bishop added.

Further widening the potential impact for digital collections of these historic materials, the Broad River Genealogical Society also publishes a quarterly periodical “Eswau Huppeday,” which has 49 organizational subscribers across North and South Carolina.

Bishop observed, “The Broad River Genealogical Society heavily utilizes original primary research to provide assistance to genealogists nationwide with land grant documentation, century farm applications, and genealogical research.”

Digitization Timeline

Scanning will begin during fall 2024 (tentatively by October), writing metadata during spring 2025, and posting documents to Digital Commons by late spring/early summer 2025.

Accessing the collections

The church histories in the GWU Archives collection will be posted to the Archive’s Baptist Historical Collection in Digital Commons, available .

The Cleveland County documents and papers will primarily be in the Cleveland County Historical Collection owned by the County (managed by the Earl Scruggs Center Museum) and will be posted to the Cleveland County Historical Collection in Digital Commons, available .

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Dover Library Presents Dan Sellers Host of ‘Carolina Haints’

Office of University Communications — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:20:37 +0000

Storyteller Speaks to Students About Podcasting; Entertains the Public in Evening Program

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Dover Library will present Dan Sellers, the host, producer and writer of “” podcast, for two programs on Oct. 26. During the morning, Sellers will meet with è��ͷ�� University students to discuss podcasting, production, and marketing.

In the evening at 7 p.m., he will present a night of ghost stories, folklore and true crime. Sellers plans to include a story about Cleveland County’s own Big Foot, “Knobby.” Held on the library’s third floor, this program is open to the public and rated for ages 12+. Tickets are $10 for the community and free for students, faculty and staff. Tickets are available here.

“Everyone loves a good story,” asserted Dean of the Library and University Archivist Dr. Natalie Bishop. “What do we love more than a good story—a ghost story! I’ve been listening to Dan telling spooky tales on ‘Carolina Haints’ for years and really connect with his style of storytelling and podcast production. With the library’s new podcasting studio, we thought Dan and ‘Carolina Haints’ would be a perfect opportunity for our students to learn about the professional side of podcasting while having some good, scary fun.”

Sellers, the owner of Wreak Havoc Productions, also produces horror movies. His interest in the paranormal and ghost stories began early. “I grew up loving these stories from North Carolina and found it absolutely fascinating to visit these places,” he related. “I first conceptualized ‘Carolina Haints’ as a travel video blog in 2010, but abandoned that project. In 2017, I brought it back as a storytelling podcast, and in 2021, the ‘Carolina Haints’ book was published. We’re into our seventh season of the show now, and we’re expanding ‘Carolina Haints’ as a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting folklore across the Carolinas.”

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Fread’Em Book Talk in Dover Library Features ‘Still Alice’ by Lisa Genova

Office of University Communications — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 20:27:26 +0000

è��ͷ�� Professor Dr. Erin Montgomery will Lead the Discussion

By Ashley Rich, ’26 Intern for University Communications

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The first Fread’Em Book Talk of the semester will be on Sept. 19 at 3 p.m. in è��ͷ�� University’s Dover Memorial Library. Dr. Erin Montgomery, assistant professor of nursing, will discuss the book, “Still Alice,” by Lisa Genova. Snacks are provided.

Instructional Librarian Katie Hartley

The event is organized by Instructional Librarian Katie Hartley. The talks are designed to create a space where students can engage with a text and its ideas with the help of other students and professionals. “We’re engaging students with information that they may or may not have already come in contact with,” she explained, “and going through some of the struggles of the art form itself and getting your point across in a creative way.”

For these presentations, Hartley asks for faculty volunteers to lead the discussions. They choose a text that is meaningful to them. “I give them the option of either doing a banned book, or doing something that speaks to their heart,” Hartley explained. “I think the best way to get people involved with a passion for reading and a passion for exploration and creative thinking is to have something that you’re passionate about to share with them.”

Though this event will center on a discussion of “Still Alice” and its contents, attendees are not required to read the book beforehand. Fread’Em talk presenters give an overview of the novel they’re discussing before presenting its content and themes, ensuring that everyone can participate in the discussion.

As a professional in the field of nursing, Montgomery selected the text for its difficult subject matter and distinct approach. “Still Alice” follows the life of 50-year-old Alice Howland as she receives a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease and struggles to continue living her life in light of this news.

Dr. Erin Montgomery

“This book is unique in that it is told entirely from the perspective of a person living with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease,” Montgomery shared. “I find it fascinating and humbling to read, and it has helped me examine and address my own biases towards people with dementia.”

At the book’s start, Alice is primarily focused on her professional life and achievements. As her illness progresses, however, she is forced to re-evaluate her priorities and recognize the other parts of her life that hold equal or greater importance to her work. “She realizes time is the most valuable thing she has, which is true of everyone,” Montgomery noted. “I wanted GWU students and our community to think about what really matters in their lives, and live accordingly.”

Although “Still Alice” does discuss the experiences of those with early onset Alzheimer’s, readers need not fear for their health each time they misplace a house key or a cell phone.

“One of the things most people experience while reading Still Alice is fear! I started worrying that I too might have early onset Alzheimer’s disease, because I forgot where I put my keys, couldn’t think of a word, etc.,” Montgomery reassured. “However, after I attended a talk with the author, Lisa Genova, I felt very reassured and plan to share the same information during this talk. So…don’t worry.”

Writer Ashley Rich is a è��ͷ�� English major from Etowah, N.C.

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GWU Library Dean and Archivist Leads Preservation of 1967 Mural in Dover Center

Office of University Communications — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 16:58:18 +0000

Created by Famous Artist, Sidney King, 33-foot Painting Depicts History of Textiles

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—A 33-foot mural depicting the history of textiles—familiar to generations of è��ͷ�� students—was recently removed from the Hoyt Bailey Dining Room in è��ͷ�� University’s Dover Campus Center. The mural has been stored in an environmentally-controlled space in Dover Library and will be reinstalled later in the University’s new Welcome and Admissions Center.

The painter, , was a nationally known artist from Milford, Va., who painted the largest mural in North America (400 feet long x 75 feet tall) in the rotunda of the Mormon Information Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This famous artist was commissioned to create the mural in the late 1960s by Charles I. Dover, president of Dover Textile Group Inc. and a dedicated supporter of GWU, and Maurice E. Fischer, president of United Factors of New York, N.Y., a division of United Merchants and Manufacturers.

Dover Library Dean and Archivist Dr. Natalie Bishop and Payne
Murray, circulation and periodicals assistant carefully loosen
the edges of the mural.

King is also known for the 400-foot mural he created for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Over the decades, King painted nearly 200 historic murals for the National Park Service, mostly displayed outdoors at Civil War battle sites and Historic Jamestown. He was known for his skillful painting and the historical accuracy of his works.

“The Sydney King mural is an important artistic representation of our University’s relationship to the rich textile heritage of our region,” noted Dr. Natalie Edwards Bishop, dean of the Library and University archivist. “While the textile industry—like higher education—is wildly different than when the mural was painted, it leaves us with a futurist vision of where we might choose to go. It is exciting to be part of preserving this mural and thinking about how it might be displayed in the next chapter of our campus’s development.”

The mural was dedicated on Jan. 28, 1967, and the Shelby Star reported that over 20 North Carolina textile firms gathered to view and take part in the dedication. King spoke briefly to the 75 textile leaders gathered. The painting symbolizes the history of textiles from around 5,000 BC to what was then the future (2,000 AD). The article said King used a new synthetic type of paint, acrylic, and worked on the project for 35 days.

A brochure from the University Archives further describes the symbols in the painting. The ribbon-like design running through the entire mural portrays the dynamic motion of the textile industry. Depicted are the spinning wheel of the 1600s, the spinning frame of 1790, and the endless perforated belt, the brains of textile automation in general use by 1930. A mortar and pestle symbolizes the coming of age of chemistry, introducing new frontiers in fabrics. As the artist imagined the future, he painted a transparent dome which would enclose a sports coliseum and an aerial expressway with cars having a speed of 200 mph.

To ensue this historic artwork was removed carefully and without damage to the canvas on which it was painted, the University received expert guidance. Support came from Jeff Futch of The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Craig Crawford of Crawford Conservation in Charleston, S.C.

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