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Cornelia Strong College

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Friday, 5 May 1995 | Per aspera ad astra | Newsletter No. 31

IT’S BEEN QUITE A YEAR!

August 1994

Chaos reigns! Exploding sinks. Fire alarms. Missing furniture. No mattresses. Fire alarms. No televisions. No paper towels. Fire alarms. The opening reception. A pool table! (Thanks, Allen!) Moving books from the War Room to the future Library. Tee shirts. Our own dining area in the Caf! SCR lunches begin. The Franklin Fund. And the very first President’s Tea, first of many happy ones to come.

September 1994

The Strong College Library, built entirely with donations from students, Fellows, and friends, opens! (Thank you, Susan and Company!) Parents’ Weekend. Strong College musicians perform at Bryan Day. Tea, Tea, and more Tea. Five by O. Henry. The Poem-of-the-Week appears. The College Council organizes. The French Circle convenes.

October 1994

More Library donations. The piano gets a tuning. Tea. Display about residential colleges appears outside the College Office. Fall break! Miss Black and Gold. UMAC. Tea. The Grand Opening Ceremony! Helpful ushers. Cheerful speeches. Funny clothes. I Sing the College Electric. Media attention. Literary Hour begins. The Haunted Halloween Masquerade Ball. Pumpkin carving. Buy-a-tombstone. Black-eyed P. Strong-L established. (Thank you, Robert!) Tea. “And gentlemen in England, now a-bed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s Day!”

November 1994

Congressman Coble comes to Tea! Dr. White rides the steer. Thanksgiving food donations. William Blake visits the Senior Common Room. Tea. Self defense and Bible study groups form. Tea. Birds visit the new feeder. Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Star Chamber is born. Eat and sleep, eat and sleep.

December 1994

The Holiday Tea! Hardboileds, toffee, fudge and allsorts, crunches, cracknels, humbugs, glaciers, marzipan, and butterwelsh for the Welsh. Sing-a-longs. The tree! (Thank you, Pam!) The decorations! Carols. Tea. An OED. (Thanks, Tim!) Piano concerts. Tee shirts. UNCG on the road. Lemurs and people who care for them. “I turned the gas down. I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.”

January 1995

Welcome, Shirley! Welcome, Chancellor Sullivan! Welcome, new members! The Senior Tutor’s Awards. Tea. Rugs on sale for the Library. (You’re welcome!) Council elections. The Writing Corner! (Thanks, Meg, Amy, and Karen!) Greensboro Review. Exploring the Warehouse. Tea. Voyager! Carolinian photos and essays. “For I dipped into the future, far as human eye could see, / Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be.”

February 1995

Career Services visits. The printer works at last. The FLOOD! Chaos! Strong College gopher and web sites open. Fencing in the news. Radio shows and more radio shows. Tea. Competitive scholars visit. Black students visit. (Thanks to all our hosts!) Virtual visitors visit our web site from around the world. Tea. “Never to allow gradually the traffic to smother / With noise and fog the flowering of the spirit.”

March 1995

Strong College freshmen elected to Alpha Lambda Delta society. Tea. The Senior Tutor’s walks. Kinglets and grackles arrive. New upperclass members welcomed. Strong advice! Planning boats and secret hull designs. The Wild Hammock Preserve opens. Tea. Parking lot meetings. The Strong College tie. Crayfish and flying squirrels. Focus program tours. “In joy and praise come let us sing / With Anthem clear and strong; / Let all Cornelian voices ring / In free, exultant song!”

April 1995

The First Annual Buffalo Creek Regatta! Fame and fortune! The six o’clock news! The front page! Straw hats! Prizes! Fun! Mud! The Corps of Engineers! And congratulations to the Head of the Buffalo! Tea. More and more Library donations. Cool patches. Souls Raised from the Dead. The Provost of King’s. Tea. Cancelling parking lot construction this summer! (Thank you, Chancellor Sullivan, thank you!) Planning for next year’s croquet match.

May 1995

Derby Day! The President’s Awards. The Honors Convocation. Our final Tea! Commencement!

Poem-of-the-Year

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?

And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

COLLEGE CALENDAR

Wednesday, 10 May (Last Day of Exams)

4:00–5:00 p.m., Junior Common Room: Special Tea for graduating seniors and guests.

Thursday, 11 May

5:00 p.m.: All resident students in Moore-Strong Hall must be out of their rooms, with the exception of graduating seniors and others participating in official Commencement activities. (Students not participating in Commencement activities should have left within 24 hours of their last exam.)

Sunday, 14 May (Commencement Day!)

10:00 a.m.: Commencement in the Greensboro Coliseum.

5:00 p.m.: Moore-Strong Hall closes to all students for the academic year, and Dr. O’Hara finally goes to sleep.

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMERS: “The benefits of a University education cannot be thought to consist merely in the acquirement of knowledge, but in the opportunities of society and of forming friends; in short, in the experience of life gained by it and the consequent improvement of character.” Nothing here is official. Please don’t sue us. Contents under pressure. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. This offer not valid in the Delta Quadrant. Fasten seat belts. Soft shoulders. Mind the gap. No caffeine. All trademarks are the property of their owners. For external use only. Your mileage may vary. Beware of falling anvils. Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening. Does not include tax, title, or destination charges. Drink plenty of fluids. Use only in a well-ventilated area. Very low sodium. No one under 17 admitted without parent or guardian. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This does not represent the official policy of the United States Government, the State of North Carolina, Apple Computer, Paramount Pictures, or the fabled Lost City of the Lemurs(tim). Mr. Daniel looks like a spaniel. Please recycle. Academic dress optional. Two captains, one destiny. Keep out of reach of the irony-impaired. ROTFL. Contains 10% real fruit juice. Caution: wet floor. Wait three minutes before restarting. Shake well. Do not inhale. Wild hammocks crossing. Void where prohibited by law. No refills. Rules subject to change. Give me a home where the buffalo roam. The right of translation is reserved except in regions of temporal distortion. Point away from people while opening. There’s coffee in that nebula. Bring me my bow of burning gold! Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Think continually of those who were truly great. This story shall the good man teach his son. Risk—risk is our business; that’s what this starship is all about; that’s why we’re aboard her. Per aspera ad astra!


© Robert J. O’Hara 2000–2021