Eufaula Memorial Library – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”
–Alexander Graham Bell

Copyright Beth Parker Art 2012

Eufaula Memorial Library – 8″ x 10″ Watercolor

Our library is a hugel part of our community.  There are a lot of programs for children and adults alike.  The Librarian, Margaret Collins, and her staff are doing a wonderful job!

In 1985, Eufaula Public Library became Eufaula Memorial Library and moved into the new building created with funds raised by area citizens.  The Friends of Eufaula Memorial Library group was organized in 1987 to support the programs and activities of the library. Organizers were Mary Wendel, Nadine George, and Marguerite Schmitt. The first meeting was held on February 24, 1988.

Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His education was largely received through numerous experiments in sound and the furthering of his father’s work on Visible Speech for the deaf. Bell worked with Thomas Watson on the design and patent of the first practical telephone. In all, Bell held 18 patents in his name alone and 12 that he shared with collaborators. He died in 1922.  More…

Eufaula Memorial Library – Staedtler Art Pens – 8″ x 10″

“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.