NCSU Libraries Focus Online
Volume 23 number 1 - Fall 2002
Friends of the Library News--Spring Dinner 2002: Spenser Fans Enjoy an
Evening with Robert Parker
By Mary Kate Keith, Friends of the Library
Mystery lovers and fans of the acclaimed Spenser private-eye series gathered
at NC State's McKimmon Center on April 11, 2002, to meet writer Robert Parker,
the "dean of American crime fiction." Parker was the guest speaker
for the Friends of the Library's annual Spring Dinner. He entertained an audience
of more than 300 guests during a casual and humorous interview hosted by Nancy
Olson, who is a member of the Friends of the Library Board of Directors and
owner of Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh.
Parker's open and honest answers to questions posed by Olson and the audience
gave fans a fascinating look at this best-selling and prolific author. No question
was off-limits as Parker discussed everything from his writing and the development
of the Spenser series to his unique relationship with his wife Joan. After
the interview, Parker met with members of the audience, signed books, and even
posed for a few impromptu photos with delighted fans.
Parker began writing his Spenser novels in 1971 and has written more than
forty novels, including the Spenser series and two new private-eye series featuring
Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. The Spenser character was developed into a popular
television show, Spenser for Hire, which aired from 1985 to 1988 on
ABC. Most recently, the cable channel A&E created two new Spenser movies, Small
Vices and Walking Shadow.
Attendees at the Spring Dinner reception included Parker and his wife Joan
as well as Kaye Gibbons, the NCSU Libraries' Author-in-Residence. Guests then
enjoyed an elegant dinner and a brief program for the Friends of the Library,
hosted by Lawrence Apple, the outgoing president of the Friends of the Library
Board of Directors. Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of Libraries, welcomed
fifteen new life members and announced the establishment of two new library
endowments and four new incubator endowments. She also delivered a wonderful
tribute to Apple for his many years of dedicated service to the Board of Directors.
The NCSU Libraries wishes to extend a special thanks to the sponsors who generously
supported the 2002 Spring Dinner:
Kaye Gibbons
Dr. and Mrs. Frank Hart
Mutual Distributing Company
Nancy Olson and Quail Ridge Books and Music
Wyndham Robertson
Velvet Cloak Inn
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