Maj. Osborne, Chairman of Friends, with Cadets Ramsey and Statzell
The Friends of Preston Library awarded Cadets George W. Statzell, V and Zoe E. Ramsey with this year’s Camper Award. Board members of the Friends, library staff, and Mrs. Camper’s son, Bob recognized Mr. Statzell and Ms. Ramsey for their leadership and service to Preston Library. George serves as Preston Library’s Head Cadet Assistant and Zoe as a Cadet Assistant in Interlibrary Loan.
A brief ceremony was held in the library’s Turman Room. Professor Emeritus, Col. Tom Davis gave a brief history of the award’s namesake, Mrs. Frances Camper, who was a great teacher and role model for library cadet assistants. Mr. Statzell and Ms. Ramsey received a letter of recognition, a certificate, and a cash award. Mr. Statzell will commission in the Air Force and serve as a missile officer and Ms. Ramsey will teach English in Taiwan. We wish all the best to these outstanding cadets.
Exams start Friday. Coffee starts Thursday night.
1. The library will be open late (hours below) so you can get in some quality studying.
and…
2. We’ll have coffee, cocoa, and tea.
Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be available at 2000 every evening starting Thursday, 3 May through Thursday 10 May. Grab your books and go to Preston Library for the best study break on Post.
Coffee has been generously donated by Aramark.
Spring 2012 Exam Hours:
Thursday, May 3 – Friday, May 4 0800-0200
Saturday, May 5 0800-2300
Sunday, May 6 1300-0200
Monday, May 7 - Thursday, May 10 0800-0200
Friday, May 11 0800-1630
A lecture by Dr. Richard McMurray on the study of history entitled “The People You Meet While Researching the Past” is sponsored by the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research Dr. McMurry’s specialty is the American Civil War. His talk will be held Wednesday, April 18 at 7:45 PM in the Gillis Theater of Marshall Hall (Center for Leadership and Ethics). We hope you can attend this engaging program.
Col. McDaniel presents The Major to Col. Samdahl
Col. and Mrs. W. Thomas McDaniel, Jr., presented the book, The Major: The Senior Officer in Charge: Commanding Fellow Prisoners of 
War to Preston Library. Written by Col. McDaniel, the book is about his father, Major W. Thomas McDaniel, (West Point, 1941). Major McDaniel was the senior officer of American soldiers captured by the North Koreans. The book documents the brutal conditions POWs suffered in the Korean War and the heroic and inspirational leadership Major McDaniel provided under extreme conditions. It not only reveals important information about the “Forgotten War” but is a thought-provoking read for future leaders.
The Friends of Preston Library’s Spring Program will feature Dr. Charles Bodie as its speaker March 20 at 3:00 p.m. in the Turman Room. Dr. Bodie recently completed Remarkable Rockbridge: The Story of a Virginia County. The title of his talk will be ”The Ties that Bind: Reflections on the Post and the Town.” Please join us for an interesting and engaging historical walk through the history of Lexington and VMI.
Charles A. Bodie received his B.A. at the College of William and Mary and his Ph.D. in American history at Indiana University. He taught in the history department at VMI and has published articles and several manuscript guides to Virginia counties, including that of Rockbridge. He is currently working on a biography of Virginia Governor James McDowell, an antebellum native of Rockbridge.
Refreshments will be served and books will be available for sale and signature by the author.
Cadets, it’s the home stretch. Exams start Wednesday, December 14. This means two things:
1. The library will be open late (hours below) so you can get in some quality studying.
and…
2. The return of Preston Library’s Coffee Service!
Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be available at 2000 every evening beginning Tuesday, 13 December through Tuesday, 20 December. Grab your books, mugs, and go to Preston Library for the best study break on Post.
Coffee has been generously donated by Aramark.
Fall 2011 Exam Hours:
Tuesday, Dec. 13 – Friday, Dec. 16 0800-0200
Saturday, Dec. 17 0800-2300
Sunday, Dec. 18 1300-0200
Monday, Dec. 19 - Tuesday Dec. 20 0800-0200
Wednesday, Dec. 21 0800-1630
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the British Empire by Harry Crocker
The Friends of Preston will host its Fall Meeting on Thursday, November 17 at 3 p.m. in the Turman Room of Preston Library. Our featured guest speaker will be Mr. H. W. Crocker, III. Mr. Crocker will give a program based upon his new book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the British Empire.
Harry Crocker is a bestselling author who has also written The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War, Robert E. Lee on Leadership, Triumph, Don’t Tread on Me, and the prize-winning comic novel, The Old Limey. His journalism has appeared in National Review, The American Spectator, The Washington Times, and many other outlets. Educated in England and California, Crocker lives on the site of a former Confederate encampment in Virginia.
Titles of the author’s books will be available for signing and purchase. Please join us for a stimulating and engaging program. Refreshments will be served.
Preston Library is celebrating “Banned Books Week” from 24 September to 1 October. This annual event celebrates our freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.
The American Library Association monitors the attempts made by individuals and groups to have books removed from library shelves and classrooms. Books that were banned at one time in the United States are as follows:
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
You can find these books in Preston Library. Check out the display in the “Class of 1969 Memorial Room.”
After several weeks of work on the library’s front doors and patio, we are pleased to announce that the front entrance has re-opened. Until stair railings are installed, you must use the handicap ramp (from the Mallory side).
Visitors to Preston Library will notice that the main front door is not accessible due to demolition and construction of the patio, steps and sidewalk.
During the construction, the library is accessible through Nichols Engineering Building, the front door of which is to the left of Preston Library. Signs are posted directing library users downstairs to the 4th floor of Nichols. At the end of the hallway, there’s a door that enters to the library’s 4th floor.
The circulation desk and many library staff are up one level, on the 5th floor.
If you need assistance or have any questions, please call 540-464-7129.
