NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 25 number 3 - Spring 2005

Friends of the Library News

By Mary Kate Keith, Friends of the Library

Senator Bob Dole will be the guest speaker at a special reading jointly sponsored by the Friends' of the Library and Quail Ridge Books and Music. The talk is planned for April 29, 2005, and start at 7:00 P.M. in NC State's McKimmon Center. He will discuss his new book, One Soldier's Story, A Memoir, published on the sixtieth anniversary of his being wounded in World War II.

In One Soldier's Story, Dole provides a moving account of his World War II service. It is an odyssey of tremendous courage, sacrifice, and faith. After the war and years of recovery, Dole went on to serve in the Kansas state legislature, the United States Congress from 1960 through 1968, and the Senate from 1968 through 1992. His wife Elizabeth Dole, a native North Carolinian who represents her state in the United States Senate, also has a distinguished career in public service.

As a platoon leader in the Tenth Mountain Division, Dole was gravely wounded in the Italian Alps just two weeks before the end of the war. Trying to rescue one of his men during a firefight against a fortified German position, Dole was hit with shrapnel across his right shoulder and back. Over the next three years, he lapsed in and out of a coma, lost a kidney, and lost the use of his right arm and most of the feeling in his left arm.

Drawing on nearly 300 letters between himself and his family written during this period, Dole offers a powerful portrait of one man's struggle to survive. When he made it back to his hometown of Russell, Kansas, Dole had to teach himself how to eat, write, stand up, and walk again, which he did by doing rehab exercises in his parents' garage.

With insight and candor, Dole also focuses on the words and selfless deeds of countless American heroes with whom he served, including two fellow injured soldiers, Daniel Inouye and Phil Hart, who later joined him in the Senate. He speaks here not as a politician, but as a wounded GI who went on to become one of the nation's most respected statesmen.

For information about this special event, please call the Friends at (919) 515-2841 between 8:00 and 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, or visit the Web at www.lib.ncsu.edu/friends.

Tom Wolfe on College Life

Impeccably dressed in his signature white linen suit, Tom Wolfe captivated an audience of more than 600 guests during his lecture at NC State's McKimmon Center on December 1, 2004. Cosponsored by the Friends of the Library and Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh, Wolfe's appearance was part of a national book tour promoting his new novel, I am Charlotte Simmons. The story is about a serious young woman's entrance into college. Wolfe guides Charlotte through many life-changing experiences as she progresses through her freshman year at Dupont University.

Interest in the novel was heightened in the Triangle area because of the fictitious Dupont University's similarity to Duke University. Wolfe renounced all ideas that he fashioned Dupont after Duke, explaining that his fictitious campus reflected a compilation of many universities throughout the country. He also relied on the advice of two expert college graduates--his son and daughter. Wolfe pointed out that NC State University is specifically mentioned in the book.

The majority of the audience stayed after Wolfe's reading to have their copies of Wolfe's books signed. Wolfe graciously obliged, signing books until the late hours of the evening.

In Memoriam: Dale E. Sayers

Dale E. Sayers, professor in NC State's Department of Physics, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, passed away on November 25, 2004, at the age of sixty. He was a great friend of the NCSU Libraries, and his support and advocacy will be missed terribly.

Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of libraries, said of Sayers, "He was without question one of NC State's most distinguished and important faculty members. He was important to his discipline, to the university, and to the library, as well as to his internationally recognized research. He meant so much to the library, and he was a great supporter of our efforts."

Sayers earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and completed his master's and doctorate at the University of Washington. His doctoral research involving X-ray technology eventually opened a new field of research. He joined the physics department at NC State in 1976, where he initiated a broad research program. Recently, he had been affiliated with a team that discovered and is applying a new X-ray technique called diffraction-enhanced imaging to develop a clinical tool for mammography, osteoarthritis investigations, and bone density studies.

Among his many awards, Sayers was honored with the NCSU Libraries Faculty Award in 1995, given annually to recognize a faculty member who has contributed consistently and notably to the accomplishment of the Libraries' mission, vision, and strategic initiatives. Sayers was one of the principal faculty architects of a strategy to mobilize all of the users of the Libraries--faculty and students, retired faculty, and citizens of North Carolina--to make the case for strengthening the library.

Throughout his professional life, Sayers' intellect and curiosity benefited a host of scientific colleagues. Although his vision in scientific and administrative matters was broad, his genius lay in his ability to implement strategies and projects on a level that was responsive to immediate needs. His personal integrity, humor, and comfortable communicative style permeated his life.

Sayers had a wide range of interests that included traveling, listening to eclectic music, and reading mysteries. He was an avid Wolfpack fan and truly loved the NCSU Libraries. He is survived by his father, Jack Sayers, and his wife of thirteen years, Anne Reynolds Sayers.