Newsletter - Friends of the Volusia County Library Center

FRIENDS OF THE DAYTONA BEACH REGIONAL LIBRARY
Newsletter
March
2014
Special Screening of “42” in Jackie Robinson Ballpark!
The time has finally come! The Friends of the Daytona Beach Library,
the Daytona Cubs, and Cinematique, in conjunction with The Front
Porch Friday Festival, will present a special showing of the movie “42”
as part of the ongoing Book-and-a-Movie series. The film will be shown at
dusk in the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach on Friday,
February 28. No need to bring lawn chairs to this one – filmgoers will
watch the movie from the ballpark stands!
History was made in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the professional
baseball race barrier to become the first African American MLB player of
the modern era. “42” tells the life story of Robinson and his history-making
signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, under the guidance of team executive
Branch Rickey. The film stars Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, Nicole
Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, Hamish
Linklater, Andre Holland.
A book discussion of Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Spring Training, by
author Chris Lamb, will be held the following day, Saturday, March 1, at 2:00 p.m. in the
auditorium at the City Island Library. Although “42” is not based on Lamb’s title, most of the
events discussed in his book are in the film so it makes for a perfect tie-in. Those of you who
attended last year’s Author Luncheon will remember Chris’s fascinating discussion of Robinson’s
(Jackie Robinson, Continued on page 2)
THE FORGOTTEN ARMY
THE FRENCH EXPEDITIONARY CORPS IN WORLD WAR II
A PRESENTATION BY BROOK WHITE
LIBRARIAN, HISTORIAN, AND PARTICULAR FRIEND OF OUR LIBRARY
By Mary Fagan and Betty Nelson, Friends of the Library Board
Friends and patrons of Daytona Beach Library at City Island did not have an
opportunity last August to give a proper sendoff to our former Regional Librarian
Brook White when he was reassigned to the Volusia County Library Center as
Interim Collection Development and Acquisitions Manager, assuming the duties
of our retiring old friend Jan Dudding (Assistant Regional Librarian here for many
years). Not knowing what "interim" meant in his case, we held off expressing our
appreciation to him for his unstinting service at our center since 2007 and
sending him a fond au revoir. With County management's recent decision to
change his interim position to a permanent one, we can finally congratulate him and wish him many more
(World War II, Continued on page 4)
(Jackie Robinson, Continued from page 1)
time spent here in Daytona Beach.
As Lynn Lempel stated in the luncheon’s program:
“Chris Lamb may be a professor with a Ph.D., but he says that while
growing up in Dayton, Ohio, ‘School was my prison. Baseball was
my escape.’
“His route to academia was circuitous. He got a B.S. in
Broadcasting and an M.S. in Communications from the University of
Tennessee. During those years, he worked as a reporter for several
newspapers and taught news writing at the University of Dayton.
“Next came a move to Daytona Beach, where he was a sports
writer for the “News-Journal” and professor at
Daytona Beach Community College. It was here that his lifelong love of baseball
led him to pursue the story of Jackie Robinson’s historic spring training of 1946.
“After leaving Daytona Beach, Lamb taught writing courses at Bowling
Green State University and Charleston College, and earned a Ph.D. in Mass
Communications from Bowling Green. His dissertation focused on political
cartoons and was the basis for his 2004 book, Drawn to Extremes: The Use and
Abuse of Editorial Cartoons in the United States. Just this January, he started a
new job at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, where he is a
professor in the School of Journalism.”
It’s quite exciting to be able to screen this wonderful film in this historic ballpark
and then have a discussion about Robinson the next day led by someone who
knows him inside and out.
City Island Forms a New Knit and Crochet Club
Knit one, purl two…now all we need is YOU! Do you enjoy knitting and/or crocheting? Or are you a newcomer to
the craft who wouldn’t know a bobble stitch from a triple toe loop?
Either way, come join the fun at a new knit and crochet club! Share your
expertise with newbies, or just come to relax and spin a yarn or two with other
like-minded types!
We will be knitting and crocheting for fun and for charity, making personal
projects for friends and family, lap blankets and shawls for people in nursing
facilities, group homes and Hospice care, along with baby hats, blankets and
booties for hospital newborns, and sweaters and hats for children’s services
organizations, and more.
No need to purchase anything! If you think you might like to knit or crochet,
we’ve got everything you need to get started. No need to buy needles and yarn,
and then find out it’s not for you. Come give it a try.
The club will meet the fourth Wednesday of each month in the auditorium at the Daytona Beach Regional Library
at City Island. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m. The program sponsored by the
Friends of the Daytona Beach Library, is free and open to all. For more information call Adult Program
Coordinator Deborah Shafer at 257-6036, ext. 16264.
2
AT DAYTONA BEACH, ORMOND BEACH AND JOHN H. DICKERSON HERITAGE LIBRARIES
MEET SUZAN HOWES, OUR REGIONAL LIBRARIAN
By Mary Fagan and Betty Nelson, Friends of the Library Board
We are late in acknowledging our new Regional Director Suzan Howes, who has been with us
since October 2013, because we have been a little uncertain as to how long she would remain with
us. As with her predecessor Brook White, in his new position, the word "interim" had been attached to
her title by Volusia County management. But finally all has been
clarified, the word has disappeared, the title is official, and we
welcome her warmly.
Suzan is almost a native Floridian. Though born in New York
City, her family moved to Daytona Beach when she was young.
They were absorbed into the General Electric community, which
made our town such a vibrant place for so many years, until G.E.
left Daytona for Orlando. So her education came through our local
schools: Mainland High School, Daytona Beach Community
College, and then a transfer to the University of Central Florida,
where she finished her undergraduate work.
After marriage and raising three young children, Suzan
eventually earned a master's degree in library science from the
University of South Florida. She has been working in the Volusia
County Library system for thirty years, moving around among
several of the county libraries, gaining experience along the way.
In 2000 she was appointed regional librarian at New Smyrna
Suzan Howes, Regional Director
Beach Library. In 2008 she moved to Deltona Library as regional
librarian to watch over its renovation and its partnering with the Parks and Recreation Service in
sharing the new building and the amphitheater with the Lyonia Preserve, which makes it a very
special environmental facility. And, in 2012, she was reassigned to Ormond Beach Library, which in a
(Suzan Howes, Continued on page 6)
KUDOS FOR THE VOLUSIA COUNTY LIBRARY!
The Online Computer Learning Center conducted a survey on libraries’ utilization of funding resources in
relation to the acquisition of paper books, e-books, e-resources, CDs, DVDs, and computers. These are
materials available for use by the public. And the results of the survey:
The Volusia County Library ranked 85th in the nation out of a pool of some 9,000 library systems!
And Volusia County Library ranked fourth in Florida! Just behind the libraries of Palm Beach, Orange,
and Lee counties, all quite affluent population centers.
Congratulations to Volusia County Library Director Lucinda Colee, and
Collection Development and Acquisitions Manager Jan Dudding, who
retired last August, and her successor, Brook White. And to all library
personnel who participated in the efforts to make acquisitions such a
priority in library management and a high budgetary priority.
The OCLC was born in 1967 by a group of library leaders who saw the
promise of computer networking in helping libraries cooperate to reduce
costs and improve services. Today the OCLC has grown into a
worldwide organization in which 25,900 libraries, archives and museums
in
70 countries are members. The OCLC cooperative is helping libraries
define their place in the digital world with new website services that amplify and extend library cooperation
3 even further.
(World War II, Continued from page 1)
fulfilling years in his career as a public servant with major responsibilities.
History, especially military history, has been an abiding interest for Brook. He grew up while the
Vietnam War was dominating the newspapers and the evening TV news. He eventually majored in history,
with an emphasis in military history, at Ohio State University. The choice of library work as a career path
was a natural move for him, since he had worked part-time in a local library while in college and was also
attracted by the idea of public service. So he went on to earn a master's degree in library science at Kent
State University. But he continued to find history absorbing. For many years, he served as a writer for
"Schwerpunkt," a journal of military history, which has allowed him to write about many of the combatants
of World War II, such as the armies of the French, the Soviets, the Indians, the
Romanians, and the British, to list a few. Now he has added a master’s degree in
WEDNESDAY, history earned from the University of Central Florida.
MARCH 26, 2014
His presentation on March 26, based on research for his thesis, will examine
4:00 P.M
what happened to the French Army when France fell to the Germans. Most of
the army simply disintegrated, but a fighting force was kept together that
eventually fought against the Germans and Italians in North Africa and Italy. The
circumstances for these soldiers were extraordinarily difficult. Italy was collapsing into fragments. North
Africa, still under colonial rule, was under complex political constraints. Brook will focus on some very
troubling statistics he came upon in his research, in examining the casualties in various areas of conflict.
His work on this is cited in the book Monte Casino: Ten Armies in Hell, by Peter Caddick Adams, published
in 2013, by Oxford University Press. According to some critiques of his work, he has opened new ground in
his probing into the service and sacrifices of the colonial African and the French troops in the Free French
Army of World War II.
When he can find the time, Brook continues with his research into the segments of the French fighting
force which became the Free French Army following the Nazi occupation of France. Finding the time is the
key. He has many obligations and responsibilities beyond his job, including the presidency of the school
board for St. Peter's Catholic School in DeLand, and, not least, his wife and three children. He has
recruited their eldest, Emily, to help obtain some photographs ready for his power-point presentation at the
Library. It will be our pleasure to have Brook return to City Island on March 26, for a program we have long
awaited.
Book and a Movie Program with Cinematique
Feb. 28
“42” starring Harrison Ford and
Chadwick Boseman (book tie-in Blackout: The
Untold Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Spring Training by Chris Lamb). This movie and
book presentation is part of our Connecting with the Community grant. Film will be
shown inside Jackie Robinson stadium! No need to bring chairs or blankets to sit upon.
The Book Discussion with Chris Lamb will take place on Saturday, March 1 at 2:00
PM at the City Island Library.
Mar. 28
“Sharknado” starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering (book tie-in Stormy
Weather by Carl Hiaasen)
Apr. 25
“The Hunger Games – Catching Fire” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson (Based
on the book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins)
4
Bethune-Cookman University Students Music Outreach
Saturday, February 22 at 2:00 PM
The Bethune-Cookman University Music Department’s Music Outreach
Program will present a concert of instrumental classical music featuring
students majoring in music, music education and music recording technology.
Dr. Rose Grace, Assistant Professor of Piano and chair/founder of the Music
Outreach Program, is coordinator of the Music Outreach Program.
Performers will include Alexis Astrop and Christy Creecy, flute; Carl
Beasley and Elisha Jones, saxophone; DeYante McClay and Ti'Rhon Parks,
clarinet; Bryan McCall, Rashaun Cunningham and MichaelAngelo Allen,
euphonium; Kevin Lopez, trombone; and Alfonzo Green, bassoon.
SONNY & PERLEY PRESENT
THE GREAT AMERICAN SONG BOOK
Featuring the husband and wife duo, vocalist Perley Rousseau and pianist Sonny Daye, this concert
highlights America's composers Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Ellington and others. Sonny and Perley have
received critical acclaim in this country and in Europe for their spontaneity, warmth and broad repertoire.
"What an exciting band...their CD is excellent," says NPR's
Jim Wilke on his "Jazz After Hours" program. And "Cabaret
at the Mount," Mount Vernon, Washington, lauds Daye's
"beautiful arrangements" and Rousseau's "voice like silk." On
May 7, 2013, Sonny and Perley had the
pleasure of opening for Stephen Sondheim
Saturday
in a prelude concert in Troy, New York.
March 8
The "Poughkeepsie Journal" praises
them
for their "honest, straight up music
2:00 PM
with no pretense. Sonny and Perley work
their gifts and make their magic in front of
and behind the microphone." The tribute of "Nippertown
Magazine" must be quoted at length: "It is Rousseau's
charismatic presence with that gorgeous and powerful voice
that gives the music life and gusto, making tunes written in the
1920s, '30' and '40s both relevant and contemporary. The lady
sure knows how to belt it out when needed and then, a splitsecond later, reel it back in to massage it to a smoothness
that's simultaneously seductive and playful."
The duo is known for blending their American jazz standards with those of International Cabaret and
Bossa Nova. Who knows, they might be persuaded to segue from American jazz to offer a Bossa Nova
melody of renowned Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jabim, if the mood of the audience strikes
them.
5
(Suzan Howes, Continued from page 3)
way was like coming home, since years earlier she had served there for quite a long time.
Suzan's umbrella position as regional librarian for three libraries suggests that the county
management is experimenting with this form of grouping of libraries under single management, as
it has been doing with the county educational system where sometimes two schools will share a
single principal. This means a certain amount of traveling
for Suzan, as she moves back and forth between the two
larger libraries, with occasional visits to the Dickerson
Library.
Suzan is fortunate to have three highly qualified
persons to support her, all with the title of assistant
regional librarian: Kristine Crane at Ormond Beach Library,
Inez Jeffers at John H. Dickerson Heritage Library, and
Stacy Hutchins at Daytona Beach City Island Library.
Under this new umbrella system, these assistant librarians
have been assigned considerably greater responsibilities.
For Stacy Hutchins at City Island Library, this means
supervision of staff and coordination of work schedules,
management of day to day operations, and, of course, full
responsibility on the days when Suzan is not on site.
Suzan remarked, as we talked, that she had, in the
Stacy Hutchins, Assistant Regional Librarian
morning, given a presentation to the DeBary/Deltona Rotary
At City Island , Daytona Beach
Club on the multiple services our libraries offer. She enjoys
giving such talks to several local groups: women's clubs,
home owners associations, small business groups, Kiwanis clubs, wherever she is invited. In her
presentations she stresses that, in this period of economic troubles, libraries have been utilized
more than ever, offering a variety of services, as well as entertainment--movies, crafts, live music,
lectures, book discussions, computer classes, e-book classes, etc. She feels our citizens need to
know about the scope and richness of these offerings by our libraries.
Although it might be hard to conceive, considering all the responsibilities of her professional
life, Suzan does have a life outside the environs of libraries. She has three grown daughters, and
six grandchildren (ages 12 to 2), with whom she delights in spending time. She loves sewing, arts
and crafts, and cooking. She is also a member of JuBellation, a hand-bell choir of Christ
Presbyterian Church, Ormond Beach. Last holiday season they played at Bethune-Cookman
University's "Gown and Town Christmas Concert."
One of the many things Suzan has enjoyed since she has been at City Island is talking to
patrons, and now that her position is permanent, she is looking forward to getting to know many
more.
Join Reina Williams and JoAnn Maurice, healthy living program coordinators for
Volusia/Flagler YMCA. They will be presenting two programs at the City Island Library.
February 19, 10:00 AM Diabetes Prevention
February 26, 10:00 AM Balance & Fall Prevention
Take preventive steps now to start living a better, healthier life!
6
ELDER LAW
A PRESENTATION BY ATTORNEY MICHAEL PYLE
Elder Law is a very broad legal category, and still a very young area of federal and state
legislation. As we know it today, it is thought to have been brought into being under
President Lyndon Johnson, when the Older Americans Act, along with Medicare, was signed
into law in 1965. This law authorized grants to states for research, demonstration projects,
community planning and programming for the well-being of elderly persons. Today the term
"elder law" encompasses such matters as estate planning and administration, wills and trusts,
probate law, protection against elder abuse and fraud, retirement planning, end-of-life
planning, nursing home and in-home care, and guardianships.
Michael Pyle is well known to our patrons, having given many presentations at City Island
Library, on a variety of legal topics. He is a partner with Trisha Dellinger of the Pyle and
Dellinger Law Firm, established in 2005. Prior to that he had worked in his father's law office from the time he
earned his law degree from the University of Florida in 1983, following which he
established his own law firm in 1995. The Pyle and Dellinger firm prides itself on its core
Wednesday, values of ethics, compassion and integrity, and in making sure its clients understand all
possible outcomes of their decisions. The firm is also proud to say that the majority of
March 12,
their clients are the result of referrals and repeat business.
3:00 P.M.
Pyle is one of a small group of attorneys in the Daytona Beach area chosen by the
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to provide services to clients in conformity with AARP's Legal
Services Network. He has a number of professional associations, most notably, for his presentation on March 12,
the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, 1995 to the present; and the Board of Directors of the Academy of
Florida Elder Law Attorneys, 2000 to the present (he was President 2006 to 2007). He is also fluent in Spanish.
The Friends of the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island is very pleased to welcome him back.
On April 2, he will be giving another library talk, an encore presentation on the topic "Financial Planning for
Long-Term Care," updating the material he presented on the subject in February last year. In this, he will be
reviewing how one can pay for long-term nursing care, whether in an assisted living facility or home care; and will
touch on the choice of long-term care insurance. He will also review in depth the applicability, qualification, and
details of the different Medicaid-related programs.
Genealogy Update
By Kim E. Dolce, Genealogy Librarian
Greetings from the Genealogy Room!
Did you know the Volusia County Public Library has four genealogy
databases? I’ll be doing two genealogy programs in March at the
Daytona Beach Regional Library. In the first one, on March12th, I’ll
show you how to use our historical newspaper database. Perhaps you
can find some of your ancestors listed in old newspapers! In the second
one on March 19th, I’ll explain Fold3, which encompasses a few different
databases, including Revolutionary War, Native American, African
American, and Holocaust Archives.
These two programs are one hour each, and will be held at 10:00AM in
the library auditorium. I hope you’ll consider coming to one or both of
these programs. As with everything offered by VCPL, these programs are free and open to the public.
Reservations are not required, but if you want more information or have questions, you can contact me at
257-6036, ext. 15315, or email me at [email protected].
7
Panel to Discuss Civil Rights Era in Daytona Beach
Part of Our “Connecting with the Community” Programming
By Deborah Shafer, Adult Program Coordinator
On Saturday, March 22 at 2 p.m. in the library’s auditorium, a panel of distinguished Daytona Beach
citizens and honored guests will relive through anecdotes
and historical references, events related to reporting on
the activities of the civil rights movement in our area.
The discussion will be broken into three time frames:
Part I will cover from the movement’s inception through
1969
Part II will cover the 70s and the alternative press
Part III will concentrate on unresolved issues.
We are very fortunate to have among our panelists members of the African American community who actually
were involved in the Daytona Beach movement in the 60s and 70s.
Our panelists are: Bill Maxwell, who is currently a columnist for the “Tampa Bay Times,” and Elaine Smith, a
native Floridian and retired professor of Alabama State University, and James Daniels, who went from caddie at
a country club to owner of an insurance business, and Lois Frey Sessoms, a retired Bethune-Cookman educator
and prolific writer, and Charles Cherry II, who is an attorney and into the media world, and Leonard Lempel, a
retired professor, a writer, and a noted historian, and Michael Pyle, a Daytona Beach native, practicing attorney,
and writer of both fiction and non-fiction works. Further information on each panelist appears with a brief bio on
these three pages.
There will also be prominent members of the community in the audience who will be sharing their personal
stories as well, so the program is sure to be informative and enlightening.
Our city, our county, our country have come a long way in 50 years. Come hear these folks share history, and
then share in the discussions.
Bill Maxwell:
During the 1960--70s Civil Rights movement in Daytona Beach, Bill Maxwell, an
English major at Bethune-Cookman College, was the editor of the free “underground”
newspaper known as the “Westside Rapper.” This anti-establishment newspaper was
organized under the leadership of Charles Cherry, Senior, as part of the Citizens
Coordinating Committee’s efforts to bring the “War on Poverty” to Volusia County.
Maxwell remains a journalist who is currently an opinion columnist
for the “Tampa Bay Times.” He has authored a collection of his
columns entitled Maximum Insight (available at the library).
Elaine Smith:
Historian Elaine M. Smith, an Alabama State University retired professor, is a volunteer at
the ASU Archives. For more than thirty-five years, she and husband Alfred S. Smith have
resided in Montgomery, Alabama, where they reared two sons. Mrs. Smith is a native
Floridian, moving with her family from Panama City, Florida to Daytona Beach, when her
father became the president of Bethune-Cookman College in 1947. She is the fifth of nine
children born to Richard V. Moore and B.J. Moore. Historian Smith has a record of research
and publishing. She has presented papers at a dozen professional organizations, among which
are the Florida Historical Society, Florida Women’s History Symposium, and Rhetoric Society of America. She
authored the Historic Resource Study for the National Park Services’ Bethune Council House in Washington, D.C. In
addition to the Journal of Negro History, she has articles in each of the five guides to the microfilm editions of the
Mary McLeod Bethune Papers; articles in eight encyclopedias, with multiple entries in Black Women in America, and
two other encyclopedias; and a chapter in Clio Was a Woman: Studies in the History of American Women and
chapters in four other books. She is an editor of Creating Community: Life and Learning at Montgomery’s Black
University, and editor, with Audrey McCluskey, of the acclaimed Mary McLeod Bethune: Building a Better World. 8
(Civil Rights, Continued from page 8)
James Daniels
Mr. Daniels came to the Daytona Beach area as a child in 1939. His first jobs
were with the Ormond Beach Country Club as a caddy, and as an elevator operator
at the Ormond Hotel. Mr. Daniels worked as an insurance agent for the Atlanta
Life Insurance Company, and later owned and operated his own insurance business.
He also owned two other establishments in Daytona Beach: Quinn Fish Market and
a restaurant, “Chicken, Shrimp, and Fish: Box Lunches to Go.”
During the 1960s, while president of the Volusia County chapter of the NAACP
(He is a founding member of the Volusia County chapter), Mr. Daniels played an
instrumental role in desegregating public facilities when he participated in the sit-in
of Daytona Beach’s Woolworth’s store. He remains a lifetime member of the
NAACP. Mr. Daniels also directed a voter registration program that resulted in
over 1,100 new voters. In addition, he organized a Community Action Program
(CAP) in Daytona Beach during the 1960s that provided funding for Head Start and for programs to combat drug
abuse and street crime.
Mr. Daniels is active in St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Daytona Beach, to which he has belonged since 1958.
He serves as Senior Warden, Priest Representative to St. Timothy’s Learning Center and leads the weekly Bible
study class. He is also a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida’s Congregation Development
Commission.
Mr. Daniels currently serves on the Daytona Beach Historic Preservation and the Daytona Beach Nuisance and
Abatement Boards. Mr. Daniels is co-founder and president of the Rigby School Reunion Committee, president of
the Highland Neighborhood Watch Group, and a member of the Oakridge Cemetery Committee. He has also been
a volunteer member of the Florida Healthcare Auxiliary for the past 23 years, and is a former ambassador for the
Daytona Beach Airport.
Lois Frey Sessoms
Lois Sessoms is presently Chairwoman of our Friends programming committee. She came to Daytona in 1967 to
accept a teaching position at Bethune-Cookman College, later became Professor of English and Reading at
Bethune-Cookman, and in 1990 she was promoted to Dean of the School of General Studies, a position she held
until 2003. She retired in 2006.
Sessoms’ academic accomplishments include: Salzburg Fellow, Seminar in American Studies, April 2003;
University of Miami, Ph.D. Reading & Related Disabilities; Arizona State University, M.A. English
Queens College of the University of the City of New York, B.A. Other professional activities include: founder,
editor, and sponsor of the B-CU literary magazine, 1975-2006; Oxford Roundtable Conference on Women's
Leadership, August 2007; and author of, I Leave You Love: The Legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune, 2005-07.
Charles Cherry II
Charles Cherry is publisher of the “Florida Courier,” his family-owned statewide African-American newspaper
that reaches more than 180,000 readers weekly. He is also a speaker, writer, radio
broadcaster, and a practicing attorney.
A Daytona Beach native, Cherry is a graduate of Morehouse College (B.A., Journalism with
honors, 1978). For two years, starting as a sophomore intern, Cherry wrote and produced
the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekend sportscasts for WAGA-TV 5, then Atlanta’s CBS affiliate.
He left the television industry for the law and business world, graduating in 1982 from the
University of Florida’s Holland Law Center (now Levin College of Law) and Graduate
School of Business with both Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees,
respectively.
He is a former Fort Lauderdale city and South Florida state prosecutor, and practiced law
for 21 years before returning to journalism and newspaper publishing as his primary
occupation upon the death of his father Charles, Sr. in 2004. Since 1990, he has served in
various capacities in radio stations in which he has ownership interests, from part-time deejay to general
manager. For the past 25 years, he has written commentaries, editorials, and stories for his other family-owned
9
(Continued on page 10)
(Civil Rights, Continued from page 9)
newspaper, the “Daytona Times.”
In 1993, as a result of his experience as a prosecutor, he wrote Excellence Without Excuse: The Black Student’s Guide
To Academic Excellence, one of the best books ever written on improving academic performance for Black students. It
is still used as a textbook in college-preparation classes and seminars.
Leonard Lempel
Len was born in New York City and grew up in Northern New Jersey. He received a
B.A. in History from the University of Akron, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social
Science from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. A
Professor of History since 1996 at Daytona State College, Len teaches courses in United
States and African American history. Len has numerous publications and has made several
presentations at professional conferences and community forums, mostly on the history of
Daytona Beach’s African American community, race relations, and political activity.
Currently he is co-producing (with Eric Breitenbach) a full length documentary film titled:
Hoppin’ Rattlesnakes: Oral Histories of Beach Racing in Volusia County 1903-1958.
Len is President -Elect of the Florida Historical Society, a member of the Southern Historical Association, and
serves on the Board of Directors of the Halifax Historical Society. He is a founding member of Sister Cities of
Volusia County and serves as the organization’s Historian. Len is Past President of Volusia County’s United Nations
Association (UNA-USA), and a past member of the Daytona Beach Historic Preservation and Community
Development Boards. He is also a former Vice President of the Halifax Historical Society, is Editor of the Society’s
journal, The Halifax Herald, and is a frequent contributor of articles to that publication.
Michael Pyle
Pyle is the founding partner of Pyle and Dellinger Law Firm here in Daytona Beach. He
is a Daytona Beach native who was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1983 after having
received his J.D. degree from the University of Florida.
Pyle is also an author who in 2012 published his first book, White Sugar, Brown Sugar.
This book is based to some extent on Pyle’s own experiences growing up in a still
segregated Daytona Beach, in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The central characters of White Sugar,
Brown Sugar are two boys: Jude, who is white and loosely based on Pyle himself, and
Roosevelt, who is black and entirely fictitious. The family circumstances of the two are
wide apart, affluent, in Jude's case, impoverished, in Roosevelt's. Yet they form a bond.
In a report on Pyle and his novel by James Harper in “The Daytona Times,” February 23, featuring
Black History Month, Pyle states that in his youth he had little understanding of the racial tensions in the community
and hardly any contact with blacks while growing up. This was a time in Daytona Beach when, on the beach side,
where Pyle's family lived, black people were not permitted after dark. Yet one activity brought the two races together-fishing. As told by Harper in his article, Pyle remembered seeing fishermen of both races near the old Halifax River
Yacht Club, whites on the dock, blacks on the banks. Brownie, a black worker at the club, would give anyone fishing
advice.
From such memories, Michael Pyle has constructed his book. It should be noted that White Sugar, Brown Sugar was
voted #2 in the Wall Street Journal’s Readers Choice poll conducted in the Fall of 2013.
Additionally, Pyle had his essay on civil rights in Daytona Beach accepted for submission in Elizabeth Coursen’s
anthology, Shade in the Sunshine State.
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America
What Page Are You On? Checking with Community Read Folks
All copies of our community read project have been “checked out.” With each book there was a
wrapper around the title page, instructing readers on how to reserve a seat for the book
discussion to be held on Saturday, April 12, at 2:00PM at City Island Library auditorium. Please
be sure to contact Deborah Shafer to reserve your seat and be part of the discussion with author
Gilbert King. Seating is limited; reservations are required. We want our “community readers” to
have first chance on seating. Call Deborah at 257-6036, ext. 16264.
10
THE ADAMS FAMILY
JOHN AND ABIGAIL AND SON JOHN QUINCY COME TO LIFE
By Kathy Maloney Johnson
Following her performance as Abigail Adams at the Daytona Beach Library on January 25, Joan
Fenton returns, with her husband M. William, to play Abigail and her son John Quincy, the sixth president
of the United States, in a dramatic presentation. They will be accompanied by their friend Jay Thompson
in the role of Abigail's husband John, our second president. Based on letters, diaries and documents of
John and Abigail presented to the Massachusetts Historical Society in the early 1950s by the Adams
descendants, the presentation will take us through John Adams' presidency and the retirement years of
the famous couple. John Adams, but not Abigail, lived long
enough to see their son elected and presiding as the sixth
president of the country they had helped to bring into existence.
The presentation ends with John's death and a coda in which
their son John Quincy mourns their passing and reflects on their
meaning for his own and future times.
In 1976, Joan Fenton had performed
as Abigail all over the Miami area, where
she was living at the time, in a play she
had written about her famous ancestors.
Since moving to Daytona Beach Shores,
she was encouraged by her friend
Winston Stewart to "resurrect Abigail."
Winston and Joan together persuaded
Joan's husband and Jay Thompson to
join in the recreation of the famous Adams threesome, and for
the last five years they have been performing throughout Volusia
County, for groups and organizations, in private homes,
wherever they find an interest.
Joan's inspiration for her work in developing these dramatic
presentations has been her own lineage as a direct descendant
of Peter Adams, brother of John, as well as the research she was
able to do into the history of her family when the Massachusetts
Historical Society came into possession of the immense treasure
trove of Adams documents. These amounted to more than a thousand letters and eighteen volumes of
John Adams's papers, personal correspondence and writings on public life. The material has been
carefully recorded on 608 reels of microfilm and has been passed on to libraries across the country. The
enormously popular Broadway play "1776" and the television miniseries of the 1970s, "the Adams
Chronicles," came out of this vault of material, as did David McCullough's biography of John Adams.
We certainly look forward to meeting all three members of the Adams Family on March 15.
Saturday
March 15
2:00 P.M.
Wednesday March 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM—Reading in Action Program
Dr. Lynn Hawkins will return in March to discuss the Reading Action Program as part of Literacy
Month. Hawkins, professor of English at Daytona State College includes a service-learning
component in her class which puts a research focus into dealing with social problems in the
community. Students identify a community need and do extensive academic research to develop
project proposals that will solve the problem. This program has donated more than 1,000 books to
Chiles Academy in Daytona Beach, which serves more than 140 pregnant teens, teen mothers and
children.
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WRITERS WORKSHOP ON GRAPHIC NOVELS
By Carrie Radam, Reference Librarian
Graphic depictions of stories have been around for a very long
time. The earliest known European cave paintings by prehistoric
artists date to 32,000 years ago. Many millennia later, in 1978 the
first modern graphic novel appeared with the publication of Will
Eisner’s A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. Graphic
novels have been continuously evolving and gaining respect,
credibility and sophistication ever since as more cartoonists and
comics artists experiment with the genre.
Graphic novels aren’t just for kids. In fact, most graphic novels
are not kiddie material at all. In 2007 Allison Bechdel’s graphic
novel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, an autobiographical story
about her complex relationship with her father and her
dysfunctional family, won an Eisner Award for creative achievement in the comics industry. Likewise, Art
Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus tells the story of his father’s experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust
survivor. The book has been described variously as memoir, biography, history, fiction, and autobiography,
and in 1992 it became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize.
My own interest in graphic novels comes from a lifelong love of cartoons and newspaper comic strips. In
the mid-1980s, while an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, I wrangled a meeting
with a syndicated newspaper cartoonist who lived in the area to critique some of my own cartoon work. He
liked it and invited me to write occasional Sunday comics copy for him. It was great fun and a good
experience. All these years later, I still feel passionate about cartoon art and am currently working on a
graphic novel that I hope to publish.
Library staff member Ben Trotter shares my interest in graphic novels. Ben has a BA in film from the
University of Central Florida and has written and illustrated a graphic novel called Poe Beetle. You can
preview it on the web at kickstarter.com/poebeetle, facebook, or poebeetle.webs.com.
Ben and I will offer a free program on graphic novels on Wednesday, March 19 at 2PM in the
auditorium at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island. The program is part of the Writers
Workshop Series, and is open to the public.
Ken Burns Documentary Series
Ben’s Classic Movies– Tuesdays at 2:00pm
Tuesdays at 10:00am
Feb 18
In The Heat Of The Night
Feb 18
Horatio’s Drive: America’s First Road Trip
Feb 25
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
Feb 25
Frank Lloyd Wright
Mar 4
The Godfather
Mar 4
Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony
Mar 11
The Godfather Part II
Mar 11
Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony
Mar 18
Annie Hall
Mar 18
Civil War
Mar 25
The Sound Of Music
Mar 25
Civil War
Apr 8
Star Wars
Apr 8
Civil War
Apr 15
Chinatown
Apr 15
Civil War
12
Film Festival Added to Connecting with
the Community Calendar of Events
By Deborah Shafer, Adult Program Coordinator
With additional funds available through our special grant from the Florida Humanities Council, we can offer
a mini film festival at Cinematique theater featuring two films that deal with the civil rights movement and
one that looks at the plight of African-Americans in a post-civil rights era.
This two-day event begins on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30PM with the showing of Lee
Daniels’ “The Butler. “ Inspired by a true story, Cecil Gaines was a devoted husband,
father, and White House butler who served eight Presidential administrations during the
turbulent politics and civil rights battles of twentieth century America. The film
contains some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic
elements and smoking. The cast of stars include Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey,
Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terence Howard, Lenny
Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, and Robin
Williams.
On Sunday, March 9 at 2:30PM, we will be showing a family
friendly film titled “Selma, Lord, Selma.” This is a Disney film
based on the book by Sheyann Webb and Rachel West Nelson
as told to Frank Sikora. In 1965, during the turbulent early days of the right-to-vote
movement, a young Alabama schoolgirl (Smollett) is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. (Powell) to resist the degradation that her fellow African-Americans are
suffering. Along with a White seminary student (Astin) from the North, and against
the ever-increasing threat of racial violence, she promises to do what she can to help
Dr. King's efforts. The film stars Mackenzie Astin, Jurnee Smollett, Clifton Powell,
Ella Joyce, Yolanda King, Elizabeth and Afemo Omilami, Brett Rice, Tom
Nowicki, Margo Moorer, Von Coulter, Danny Nelson.
On Sunday evening at 5:30PM the series will conclude with
“Fruitvale Station.” Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, crosses paths
with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Based on a true
story, the film includes some violence, language throughout and some drug use. The
cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray,
Ahna O'Reilly, Octavia Spencer.
After each film, attendees will be invited to join in a discussion of the film led by the
library’s own, Ben Trotter! Given the popularity of Ben’s Essentials these discussions
are sure to be stimulating.
Tickets for these events will be paid out of our grant proceeds but seating is limited. Contact Deborah at
[email protected] or 386-257-6036 EXT. 16264 to obtain your ticket. Tickets will be allocated on a first
come first serve basis. Adults attending Sunday’s matinee film with their children will be given priority for
that event. Food and beverages are available at the theater.
13
Hope to see you there!
Annual Author’s Luncheon Coming Soon
The Friends of the Library Author’s Luncheon features Jessie Knadler. Jessie’s quirky
tale of her adventure morphing from NYC hipster/sophisticated writer-editor to farm
wife/chicken breeder/mom AND writer comes out this month in paperback form entitled
Rurally Screwed: My Life Off the Grid with the Cowboy I Love.”
Knadler also writes two blogs, one also titled “Rurally Screwed” and “Heartlandia,”
which she writes for Babble.com, a Disney-owned site. She is known for her very
personal, often acerbic and unsentimental humor as she adapts to new challenges in
her country world. She describes her own book as “wry and twitchy” – though what
she means by twitchy isn’t quite clear. When not working on her books or her blogs, she writes for
magazines and newspapers, from “Self” to the “Wall Street Journal.” When she left New York for the hills
of Virginia, she felt she was leaving her career behind – instead she’s taken it into a
new, original direction.
On April 4 at the Halifax Yacht Club, she’ll be sharing her distinct, often hilarious
perspective on motherhood, country life vs. city life, finding your “authentic self,” mice
in the house, décor, mothers and mothers-in-law, adopting a dog from Afghanistan,
chicken breeding and book peddling.
Tickets at $30 are available now at the Daytona Beach Regional Library Center, 105
E. Magnolia Ave., City Island, Daytona Beach and from Friends of the Library board
members.
LET”S TALK ABOUT LITERATURE
The long-standing book discussion group known as “Let’s Talk About Literature” has compiled
the reading list for 2014. Meetings are held at 5PM on the third Tuesday of each month in the
Board Room of the City Island Library. All discussions are free and open to the public.
18 February—And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
18 March—The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally
15 April—The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
20 May—The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
17 June—The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Need Help?
Our Librarians can help show you how to take full advantage of these free
services. A valid Volusia County Public Library card, in good standing, and a
pin code are required for downloadable media services. Half-hour,
personalized sessions are available Mondays through Thursdays by
appointment at the Daytona Beach Regional Library. Schedule your
appointment by stopping by the library’s Reference desk or calling
386-257-6036, ext. 16166.
14
Third Annual F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival held in Daytona
By Deborah Shafer, Adult Program Coordinator
I had the opportunity to represent the library on January 3 rd and 4th, at the F.R.E.S.H. Book
Festival, and I was very impressed.
Last summer, while I was compiling information for the
Florida Humanities Council Partnership grant, I heard about
the festival, and that’s when I met the festival’s founder Donna
Gray-Bank. She shared how conversations with Dr. Michelle
Donice Thompson, another local author, led to the idea of an
event that might include ways for authors to learn how to
promote themselves, while also presenting their own works
and networking.
From the first book festival held in 2012 at the Hilton, Donna
learned much in relation to timing of the event, the venue, and
the expenses involved. There was an unbelievable upside:
Ms. Janis Kearney, diarist to William Jefferson Clinton, was one of the featured authors, and
Donna built a relationship with her.
Ms. Kearney returned in January 2013 for the second festival held at the Midtown Cultural
and Education Center at 925 George Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach. With major sponsors
and community support, along with completion of the Yvonne Scarlett Golden Cultural and
Educational Center, Donna and others were able to beat
the drums for literacy. The time was right to speak loudly
about literacy, and there would be people who would
listen. The second festival was held early in January 2013
at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Center located at
925 George Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach.
With the 2014 festival held recently, Donna described
how she was both humbled and overwhelmed by the
experience. Special guest Omar Tyree was extremely
personable and gracious. Other featured authors included
Michael Pyle, Michael Beckford, Dr. Evelyn Bethune, Dr.
Michelle Donice Thompson and Mr. James Bennett –all
brilliant and each brought a different flavor of literacy to
the events that also attracted 25 other authors with some
traveling from as far away as Texas.
Donna Gray-Banks founder of
Donna Gray-Banks is a mother, sister, author, and
the Fresh Book Festival
entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania in the small African-American community
of Homewood. Gray-Banks spent most of her working career in Virginia, Maryland and the
District of Columbia. She has one son, Gregory Taylor Banks and an extremely supportive
extended family. She gives all the credit for her successes to the Creator.
15
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
DAYTONA BEACH, FL
PERMIT NO. 58
105 E. Magnolia Ave.
City Island
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: 386-257-6037
Fax: 386-257-6026
www.daytonabeachfol.org
CALENDAR
Feb 11- “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Mar 9—Film Festival Showing “Fruitvale Station” -
Feb. 12 – Estate Planning with Michael Pyle
Page 13
Feb 15 – Lynn Hawkins presents Zora
Mar 12—Historical Newspaper Program—Page 7
Feb 18 - “Horatio’s Drive; America’s First Road Trip” - Mar 12—Elder Law with Michael Pyle—Page 7
Page 12
Mar 15—Abigail, John, and John Quincy Adams
Feb 19 – Diabetes Prevention programs—Page 6
Reenactment-Page 11
Feb 22 – Music in the Library featuring B-CU Music
Outreach Program –Page 5
Feb 26 – Balance and Fall Prevention program– Page6
Mar 19—Fold3 Program-Page 7
Mar 19—Writer’s Workshop—Graphic Novels– Page 12
Mar 22—Panel Discussion: Civil Rights Era in Daytona
Feb 26—Knit & Crochet Club—Page 2
Beach as portrayed in the press—Page 8
Feb 28 - Community showing of “42” in the Jackie
Mar 26—World War II by Brook White-Page 1
Robinson ball park! – Page 1
Mar 28—Cinematique—”Sharknado”- Page 4
Mar 1 - Chris Lamb discusses “Blackout”- Page 1
Mar 29—Book Discussion- Stormy Weather by Hiaasen.
Mar 5—Reading Action Program with Lynn Hawkins –
Apr 4— Author Luncheon – Page 14
Page 11
Apr 12— Gilbert King– Devil in the Grove—Page 10
Mar 8—Music in The Library—Sonny & Perley-Page5
www.daytonabeachfol.org