Carnall Hall Centennial Weekend, Finale

Pure as the dawn
on the brow of thy beauty,
watches thy soul
from the mountains of God
over the fates of thy children departed
far from the land
where their footsteps have trod.
Beacon of hope
in the ways dreary lighted,
pride of our hearts that are loyal and true,
from those who adore
unto one who adores us,
mother of mothers,
we sing unto you!

--Arkansas Alma Mater

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27-- The official centennial celebration ended Saturday afternoon, but several of those who attended stayed over and many goodbyes were said after our complimentary continental breakfast in Ella's Restaurant. I left this weekend amazed at the bonds that still pull Carnall women to this place. Unfortunately, only three of us were from the era of 1960-67, and no one else from my time was here, although I know a couple of them wanted to come. The gals from 1945-1959 were ferocious in their loyalty and many of them have contributed both to the restoration effort and the scholarship, which will perpetuate the memories we all have through a new venture, educating students in a Hospitality curriculum. Carnall Hall was the epitome of Southern hospitality in its day. Although it is no longer a residence, its former residents have ensured its physical and spiritual survival, maybe even to the 150th anniversary, as centennial chairwoman Fran Nutt , class of 1950, said.

I reprinted the words of the first verse of the Arkansas Alma Mater hymn above, in part because they capture, in a somewhat antiquated idiom, the feelings of my fellow alumnae. During the Friday night dinner, one table of '40s gals and their husbands burst spontaneously into singing it, mostly in tune. For some astounding reason, we still know all the words "by heart." I printed them alongside a photo I took Saturday night of the South Tower of Old Main. This tower recently acquired a clock for the first time in the building's history. The oldest building on campus, Old Main was built in 1875. Like Carnall, it was empty and almost condemned in the 1980s, but money was appropriated to restore it and it re-opened in 1993. The chimes in the North Tower still mark the quarter hours, as they did back in 1963 when it was just a short dash from Carnall's west door to one of my English classes on Old Main's fourth floor. In those days, I almost could cover the distance in the time it took for the full Westminster chime to play and strike the hour!

All weekend one of my desires was to see what had become of my favorite room, the tiny single third-floor room I occupied my junior year. On Sunday morning as the maids were cleaning the vacated rooms, I got my chance. This picture shows the original dimensions of the room--my twin bed fit neatly just beneath the window; my dresser was on the left wall and my desk and lamp were on the right. Now the space is merely the "sitting alcove" of one of the largest (and most expensive) rooms in the Inn. In the renovation, space was taken from the adjacent attic and the room expanded--unseen at left are two queen beds and at right a spacious bath. Room 309 rents for around $195 a night, the price list says. When I was a residence hall counselor living in this quaint attic space, my room and board was free, although the rate that year was about $345 a semester. I was pleased, though, to see that my little old room still lives, and retains its marvelous view from Carnall's center top of the expanse of lawn and trees outside. A similar room across the hall didn't fare as well--it became home to an ice maker and soft drink vending machine!

I have more reflections about the memories this weekend stirred about my time in this space, but those will appear in the future on my other blog, Thursday's Child.

Carnall Hall Centennial Weekend, Part III

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26--This evening after supper Norm and I took a walk around the oldest part of campus, looking at names on Senior Walk and admiring the many century-old trees that still stand on Old Main's "front lawn" which is also Carnall's front yard. I told him that being able to enjoy this weekend was the best anniversary present possible for me. I recalled the many times I walked back to Carnall at night, after studying in the library or going to a meeting at the Disciples Student Fellowship house, feeling lonely and wondering if I'd ever share this marvelous view with the Man of My Dreams. Well, it took over 40 years, but we finally got to make that walk together! This day also was Norm's birthday and I found him the perfect present at the silent auction for the Carnall Hall Alumnae Scholarship. It's a 12-inch glass block with the letter N etched on it. The folks at Airport Security in Tulsa were dumbfounded--we were the first to ever take an engraved glass block as a carry-on item, apparently. After it was examined and swabbed down, we were allowed to bring it home, where it rests in the north window of the dining room.

The weekend's events included an informal dinner on Friday night. Norm is surrounded by Carnall alumnae from the 1950s in this picture! It's interesting how they lowered the ceilings but carved a space to highlight the tops of the columns that still support the ceiling beams in our former dining room. The floral wall paper is replaced by sedate sage green paint, and the windows are adorned with brown velvet drapes that would make Scarlett O'Hara envious. On Saturday morning a brunch and recognition program was held in this room. The silent and live auctions of donated memorabilia added about $2000 to the scholarship fund, which now stands at around $73,000. The sixth scholarship we alumnae have given was presented to a non-traditional student who will be a senior in the Hospitality and Restaurant Program. Our old study hall is now a classroom for the students in this program. The old TV lounge is now Ella's Restaurant, which features delicious breakfasts and lunches and very upscale formal dinners. The old formal living room, where many a date waited nervously for one of us to descend the staircase, is now a cozy bar, named Lambeth Lounge for the architect who designed the renovation.

Carnall Hall Centennial Weekend, Part II

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25--We arrived to find The Inn at Carnall to be wonderfully restored, a welcome sight, considering that the last time we saw this building in 1999, it was abandoned, surrounded by weeds and a chain-link fence, with the roof and porches rotting off. Some of my friends were probably puzzled why I wanted to visit the centennial of a building, but as one of the other women attending said, "late at night, when I stay in my old room, the spirits of all those women who lived and studied here are still there." I lived in Carnall Hall (pronounced car NELL) from the fall of 1962 to the fall of 1964, my sophomore, junior and senior years at the University of Arkansas. The hall was named for Ella Howison Carnall, one of the first women faculty members at U of A. Ella was associate professor of English and modern languages from 1891 until her untimely death in 1894 at the age of 32. This building, opened in 1906 as the first dormitory for women at the U of A, was named for her. It cost $35,000 to build the Colonial Revival/Victorian structure.

Carnall Hall ceased to be a dormitory in 1967. It was occupied for a while by a fraternity and some academic departments in the 1970s. The building was accepted for the National Register of Historic Places in December 1982. In 1991 it was closed down completely and its slow deterioration began. The building was saved in a long struggle by alumnae, legislators, local preservationists and some university officials. A private developer was found in 2001, and the Inn at Carnall, a 49-room upscale hotel and Ella's Restaurant, opened in 2003. The renovation cost $7.1 million!

Some of my friends had attended earlier events to celebrate Carnall's resurrection, but this concluding centennial weekend was my first opportunity to see what had become of the old home place. The grand staircase from the center hall to second floor has been restored, as have the well worn pine floors throughout the building. Former dormitory rooms have been combined and expanded to create suites for king or double queen beds and private baths! No more scuffing down the hall to take a shower or brush our teeth! This was Room 307 where we stayed. Norm wasn't the only male guest who commented during the weekend that he had finally gotten to spend a night in a women's dorm.

Carnall Hall Centennial Weekend, Part I

THURSDAY, AUG. 24--The first leg of our journey to Tulsa and Fayetteville took place on our 38th wedding anniversary! We stayed in Owasso, OK and although Judi's cousin Mike was working, his wife Debi treated us to a great dinner. We caught up with Debi's family news on Thursday night and saw Mike the next morning. Mike consented to pose for a rare picture with Judi.

By mid-afternoon we were on our way to Fayetteville, Ark., via the Cherokee Turnpike (non-existent in the '60s when Judi knew Oklahoma Highway 33 so well she could drive it in her sleep--and often did!)

Anniversary

Tomorrow is our 38th wedding anniversary. That August day in 1968 was hot and humid, and tomorrow threatens to be the same. We'll be celebrating as well as traveling to visit my cousins, Mike and Debi Burch, in Tulsa. We also are going to visit Fayetteville, Ark. for the centennial of Ella Carnall Hall, my undergraduate residence hall, which is now a celebrated Inn where students learn in the U of A hospitality program. (Norm is excited that he gets to stay in a women's dorm!) We'll send updates from the road if I can find the right web browsers, or after we return to this modern computer at home. I took this photo a couple of evenings ago of a male Ruby Throated hummingbird sitting on the electric line behind our house. I had tried to get a picture of him at the feeder, but he was too fast for me. I thought the silhouette against the sunset sky captured something of the sense that August brings...change, and perhaps a flight or two, are in the wind. More later.

Out at Night

We have been enjoying sitting on our front porch in the evening, on cooler nights. We burn a cintronella candle and listen to the cicadas and tree frogs for a while. Back in the spring we bought some moonflower seeds and planted them in a pot. Wild green vines have grown all over a trellis and string until we thought they would never bloom, but earlier this week, we got our first flower. The blooms open in late afternoon and last only one night. This one opened this evening.

Another creature that is busy around the porch these days is the hummingbird- or several. Some stand guard and chase others off; hummers are really small terrorists in that they run off almost anything. They even buzz Norm when he goes out to change their sugar water! I caught this female sipping early this evening while the male was around back guarding the other feeder for a while. I'll try to get a better picture in coming days, but these little buzzers are quick.

Earlier today we met with the Compton Heights Christian Church Reading Circle at a coffee house called 6 North, in the Central West End of St. Louis. Our book this month was Tortilla Curtain by T. C Boyle. It was the first book by this author that either of us had read. It concerns two couples, one well-off and the other barely surviving, showing the contrasts between people who have fled Los Angeles for a "safer" life in one of the canyons and people who risk everything to enter this country in hopes of making a living. Now that illegal immigration is a hot political topic, this novel made for timely reading. It doesn't offer any easy answers but it does what all good fiction does: it puts a human face on the abstractions that we would prefer to ignore.

Raspberry Time

August is raspberry time in Missouri. We have a thick patch of ever-bearing raspberries in the perennial border at the back of our yard. We transplanted 4 plants from our Ferguson yard when we moved here in 2001, and we now have a thicket! We picked the first handful about a week ago and since then have been getting about a half cup a day, with more to come. They are great on cereal or ice cream. We'll freeze some for winter and if I find some more delicious Missouri peaches at the market, I'll put some in frozen peach pies as well.

What Happened to Summer?

For years now, my summer has begun in May when classes ended. If May is full of promise, June brings fulfillment: family reunions, resplendent gardens, summer projects initiated. July is full of festivals, patriotism and grown baby birds coming to the bird feeder. The garden glows with flowers like these black-eyed susans that bloomed this year. But too soon after July 4, the clearance sales begin!

Mid July is often hazy, marked by a suspension of time punctuated only by the buzz of grasshoppers and crickets in the drought-stricken lawn. On this past July 19, we experienced a fierce storm that resembled an inland hurricane. It struck with little warning and left broken trees littering the streets and whole neighborhoods--up to 1.5 million people at the worst point--without power for up to a week or more in 100-degree weather. We prevailed during our 121 hours of no electricity through the generosity of neighbors who let us plug a fan into their generator, and the proximity of the air-conditioned university campus, which never lost power. It was more of an inconvenience than a catastrophe, but the experience gave us a new appreciation for the obstacles faced by Hurricane Katrina survivors and those who have lived with substandard conditions for years.

By the beginning of August, back when I was teaching, there was a sense of urgency to capture quickly what was left of summer, because school would begin in three weeks or so. Even now, I look at the overgrown mess of wild vines tangling what was once a tidy garden, and note the increasingly territorial behavior of hummingbirds around the feeders, and sense that summer is waning, just as surely as the sun is rising later and night shadows gather earlier. The cicadas rasp louder every evening in the oak tree out front, and the tree frogs are growing a little hoarse with their calls in the night. Any day now, flocks of blackbirds and then robins will gather on the nearby golf course or county park fields in preparation for migrations south. By Labor Day, this progression from summer to fall will be impossible to ignore. But for now, I'm going to try to savor what is left of summer--the exercise sessions at the outdoor pool, a vacation trip to the Ozarks, reading a long novel. We will replace the tired and crisped annuals in some of the beds and pots with fresh fall-blooming plants and wait for our moonflower vine on the porch to finally bloom--another sure sign of the season's changes.

Just A Little Late

Ever since I started thinking about retirement, which was back in 2003 when Norm retired, I said I intended to start publishing a blog. I was inspired by the work of some of my friends and students, especially Doug's fine blog commenting on Southern Gospel Music: Averyfineline.com. Then niece Debbie sent us a link to her blog, Updates and Reflections, that chronicles her life and family news, with wonderful pictures. I wanted something sort of in-between; a blog that sometimes was a little edgy with commentary but on ordinary days let our family and friends from Thailand to the Netherlands, from Oregon to Florida, peek in on what we have been up to. But still I procrastinated--even after retiring from my university teaching job a few months back....

A week or so ago, Doug observed that I have a habit of "thinking about it" that sometimes drags on for years. He was referring to my past decade of deliberating whether to get another dog or not, but he could have been talking about my publishing plans, too. So here it is, a little late, and still in need of refinement as I try to figure out how to use these tools. But feel free to check in whenever you please and I promise to keep your e-mail inboxes less cluttered!