HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME AT THE WALKER PERCY DINNER

CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF WALKER PERCY

  The March 6 dinner at Keith Young's Steak House to celebrate the legacy of the acclaimed writer Walker Percy was a stunning success. The Foundation had the maximum number of guests that could be accommodated.  The food was superb, as well as the guest speaker,  Lt. Governor, Jay Dardenne.

Lt. Governor Dardenne, always a captivating raconteur, told the story of Louisiana from Poverty Point to the present, speaking of its rich heritage of blended cultures, and quoting from Percy's books to illustrate the uniqueness of our state.  The Lt. Governor's office's is in charge of Culture, Tourism, and Recreation - and our state could not have anyone who could know and love our state and its people more.

The Foundation was ecstatic to have the daughters of Walker Percy attend the event.  Ann Moores, her husband David, and her husband John traveled from Texas to be there.  Her son, Dr. David Moores, and his wife Celeste accompanied his parents. Ann was once the owner of the charming bookstore, the Kumquat, on Lee Lane.   Mary Pratt Lobdell, Percy's oldest daughter, and a St. Tammany public school teacher, was accompanied by her son, John Walker Lobdell.  The daughters only regretted that their mother was not there to share their joy.  Mrs. Percy, known affectionately as Bunt, died the past year.

Many dignataries attended.  Among those who attended were Secretary of State Tom Schedler and his wife Stephanie, State Representative John Schroder, Charles C. Fot, former Attorney General of Louisiana, and St. Tammany Mayors Mike Cooper of Covington, Peter Gitz of Madisonville, and Donald Villere of Mandeville. Also present were Lane Carson, Director of the LA Department of Veterans Affairs and a former State Representative and his wife Laura, Susan Strain representing her husband Mike Strain, Commissioner of Agriculture.  Eric Skrmetta, member of the Public Service Commission, was not able to attend but a member of his staff represented his office.

Dr. Morgan was pleased to also recognize two of the architects who designed the new library and the Walker Parker Circle - Billy Sizeler and John Owens.  The St. Tammany Library Foundation's first benefactors, Lewis Kahn, Mihael Swick and Charles Foti of the law firm KSF were honored.  Benefactors and Sustaining members, prominent attendees, and members of the STLF were feted at a wine reception prior to the dinner.

At the evening, the Foundation launched its drive to sell laser engraved pavers for both the pathway to the library and for the Percy Circle.  Pathway bricks will cost $ 50.00.  Bricks for the Circle run from $ 250.00 $ 150.00 and $ 100.00.  The donor can chose to honor loved ones, beloved mentors, their church or school, business establishment, authors, artists, and musicians.

Energy, enthusiasm, and commitment radiated from those who attended the stellar evening.
It was a splendid event, enjoyed by all. 

WALKER PERCY WEEKEND IN ST. FRANCISVILLE

 ST. FRANCISVILLE,  LOUISIANA PLANS A WALKER PERCY FESTIVAL

The weekend of June 6-7, 2014 will be the place to be if you are interested in Walker Percy.

The Festival will open with a crawfish boil on Friday, and on Saturday during the day there will be panel discussions in the morning and early afternoon.

The topics are intriguing.  "Moviegoing and The Meaning of Life,"  "Is Science Enough Without Religion?," "The Jewish People as Sign,"  "Walker Percy and the Search for Home."  

The director of the conference is Rod Dreher.  Go to www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher or follow the festival on Twitter at @walkerpercyfest.  Also the festival is featured in Country Roads.  Go to www.countryroadsmagazine.com for the article on the doings in St. Francisville.

Additionally, there will be tours of St. Francisville on Saturday.

At night on Saturday also there will be more Louisiana food and a chance to enjoy Walker's favorite drink, "Bourbon."

As Rod wrote, "very little is as delightful as sitting around in the shade of an oak tree, drinking cold beer and talking about the South, and books, and ideas with other people who love them as much as I do."   He considers Walker Percy's literary legacy a "cultural treasure," and so do we - and Percy's books were written right here in Covington in St.Tammany Parish. 

The Festival should be lots of fun and it will followour own celebration the previous Sunday, April 27.  It will be a great way to celebrate Spring!

GREAT NEWS FROM OUR LIBRARY

SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO MANY THINGS TO DO AT OUR LIBRARY

SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO MANY THINGS TO DO AT OUR LIBRARY

Have you been following the news releases on the crowded schedule at our libraries around the parish?  There is something for everyone – East to West – throughout our libraries.

·      Interested in reading and discussing a book with other readers?  Every branch has an active book club meeting monthly.  Check with your nearest library for dates and times.

·      Even though we have had a spat of very cold weather, thoughts have turned to spring and gardening.   The Covington and Folsom Branches are having informational gathering on growing vegetables from seed.

·     Do you love words?  Scrabble games are on the menu at the Lacombe and Mandeville Branch Libraries.  Check out the schedule.

·      Children are exploring the art of the Caldecott winner picture books and are having guided art lessons based  on the illustrations of the winners of this prestigious award. 

·      And if you check the calendar at the libraries web site – www.stpl.us/event calendar you will find activities for teens and even babies!

·      The Madisonville Branch is hosting biographies of Louisiana characters through a RELIC Grant the St. Tammany Library won from the Louisianan Endowment for the Humanities.  The program will last for six weeks.  The six biographies that will be discussed pertain to Baroness Pontalba, Lafitte the Pirate, Kate Chopin, Huey Long, Louis Armstrong, and “the Last Madam.”  The Madisonville Library has all the materials you need to read and to join the discussion.  Congratulations to the St. Tammany Library for winning another RELIC  (Readings in Literature and Culture) from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Grant

·      Our Library is absolutely WONDERFUL – and our FOUNDATION HOPES TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE SPECIAL!

WE'RE ALMOST THERE FOR OUR FIRST PAVER ORDER!!!

BRICKS GALORE!

We’re almost ready to have engraved the first section of the Walker Percy Serenity Circle.  Only seven more pavers are eligible to be among the very first section to be engraved.

The largest pavers for this section are completely sold out.  So have the smaller pavers.  We need seven more of the medium size pavers to begin the engraving process. 

Our donors have remembered their deceased loved ones, thanked those who have made a difference in their lives, quoted Scripture, wished blessings to others,

celebrated their marriage, remembered their children, and especially remembered Walker Percy and his family.

Around the circle will be six plaques featuring the names of six of his major works.  Four are already taken: The Movie Goer, The Last Gentleman, Lost in the Cosmos, and The Second Coming.  Only two more remain.

Go to our website to reserve one of the seven medium pavers to be among the first donors to the circle.  If you are interested in remembering one of his novels on a plaque or sponsoring a bench, send us an email at mor3arg@gmail.com and we will get back to you for details.

NEW TALENT ON THE ST. TAMMANY LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD

LANE CARSON AND SUZANNE MYERS JOIN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

THE ST. TAMMANY LIBRARY FOUNDATION

            The Board of Directors welcomed two attorneys to our Board in 2014 – Lane Carson and Suzanne Myers.  We are indeed proud that such outstanding leaders share our commitment to the advancement of literacy, culture and community by enriching the public libraries in St. Tammany Parish.

            Suzanne Jones Myers is a graduate of the Loyola University School of Law.  She was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar Association in 1980, the U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Suzanne has served as the Chairperson of the Member Services Committee of the LSBA, and the Young Lawyers Division, Disaster Legal Assistance Committee of the American Bar Association.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Bar Foundation and has given herself unstintingly to our community by her service to many causes, including St. Joseph Abbey & Seminary College, the Cenacle Retreat House, and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center of Loyola University.

            Lane Carson is a graduate of LSU and Tulane Law School.  He was wounded while serving as a combat platoon leader in Vietnam.  He was the first Vietnam Veteran elected to the Louisiana legislature. He served Governor Treen as Asst. Health Secretary; President Reagan on the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; Governor Foster on the La Veterans Affairs Commission and President Bush on the National Institute of Building Sciences.  For 27 years, Mr. Carson served as Chief, Civil Division with D.A. Walter Reed.  For the past 5 years, Mr. Carson served in Governor Jindal’s cabinet as Secretary of Veteran Affairs.

            What a wealth of talent these two outstanding Board members bring to our endeavors.  You should be proud that such leaders have agreed to serve you on the St. Tammany Library Foundation. 

A NEW YEAR - MUCH ACCOMPLISHED AND MORE TO DO!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!

It has been a challenging and exciting year for the St. Tammany Library Foundation.

We have met our initial goals and have formulated plans for 2014 enthusiastically.

2013 was one of consistent accomplishments:

           

·      The Walker Percy Serenity Patio is on the ground!  We still need to add benches, but the sale of engraved bricks is underway.  Consider having one engraved with your memories, hopes, or accomplishments of community groups. Get in touch with us if you believe you or a firm known to you has the resources to sponsor a bench or a plaque honoring the books Walker has written.  Our next step will be the sponsorship of a statue on one of the benches in the patio and the sale of the engraved pavers and the benches and plaques will make that possible.

·      The Foundation won one national award, the Baker and Taylor Award, from the American Library Association, one of only four given nationally to library foundations around the country.

·      Publicity on our progress has been featured in the Advocate, the Times Picayune, and the Farmer.  

·      Our website has continued to be updated and our Facebook page is up and running. 

·      We garnering accolades and support from businesses and organizations around the community.  The Foundation rejoiced over the support from Sam’s and Wal-Mart, the Madisonville Chamber of Commerce, the Louisiana Landmark Society, the Walker Percy Writing Center at Loyola University the Slidell Women’s Civic Club.

·      Your Board of Directors has exciting plans for the future. We are planning a wonderful event on Sunday afternoon, April 27 at the lovely home of Mary Jane and John Becker by the Mandeville lakefront!  Do mark your calendar and wait for updates!

 Your membership has made all this possible and I thank you!  You should be very proud of the accomplishments of your nascent Foundation.

If you haven’t yet renew your membership, do so.  Running just the basic needs of a Foundation requires funds, and we need as many supporters as we can get.  If you have renewed your membership, we thank you.  Get your friends on board so we can continue our work!

2014 will be a challenging and interesting year of the St. Tammany Library Foundation.  Let’s continue to move forward!