“There is often in people to whom “the worst” has happened an
almost transcendent freedom, for they have faced “the worst” and
survived it.”
–
Carol Pearson
Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012
Eufaula Memorial Library – Staedtler Art Pens – 8″ x 10″
This is the ink drawing for the library. I’m working on a private
home right now that I want to finish before I paint the library. Stay
tuned.
Here’s a little excerpt on the building’s history, from Margaret Collins, Branch Manager (from
http://199.164.253.25/centennial/libbio/eufaula.html ):
Eufaula Public Library was squeezed in between a laundry (later a beauty shop) and the McIntosh County Abstract office.
The building sold in 1981 and the library relocated to the
National Guard Armory for three months while a new location was found.
The new site was a doublewide trailer located at 272 Broadway, purchased
by State National Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank, and Victor
Savings and Loan. For four years at that location, the number of library
users continued to grow, and a new library building became a necessity.
The campaign for a new library then began. Matching grants came
from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Kerr Foundation and a
$100,000 bequest was received from the late Charles L. Follansbee, a
Eufaula attorney, specifically to build a library. A $100,000 club was
formed to match Mr. Follansbee’s donation; then when the goal was
reached, another $100,000 was matched.
Funds were raised by a variety of activities – everything from a
Bike-A-Thon to dances and raffles – and library supporters were honored
for their efforts by winning the prestigious John Cotton Dana Award
from the American Library Association in 1984. This honor recognized the
unique fundraising efforts that citizens made in such a short period of
time to raise money to build their new library.
In 1985, Eufaula Public Library became Eufaula Memorial Library
and moved into the new building created with funds raised by area
citizens.
Carol S. Pearson, Ph.D.,
is President of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. She
is an internationally recognized scholar and well-known author of
numerous books, among them the bestselling The Hero Within, Awakening
the Heroes Within, the Hero and the Outlaw, and Magic at Work. Her
newest book is The Transforming Leader, an edited collection of cutting
edge essays on the challenges facing leaders in the 21st century that
grew out of the Fetzer Institute’s Leadership for Transformation
Project, for which she was principal investigator. Dr. Pearson has been a
senior administrator and professor at higher education institutions
including the University of Colorado, the University of Maryland,
Georgetown University, and Goucher College; a consultant for
multinational corporations and government agencies; and a popular public
speaker and workshop leader.
