Ferrum College Stanley Library

09/16/2026

R.I.P. Annie Dillard, whose best-known work over the last half-century is set in a world less than forty miles from Ferrum.

Annie Dillard '67, M.A. '68, beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," has died at 81.

Multiple sources have reported that Annie died Tuesday at her home in South Wellfleet, Mass., as confirmed by her literary executor, Maggie Nelson.

Annie received her B.A. in English. The 1967 issue of Hollins' yearbook, "The Spinster," records her participation as a contributor to a reference book, "Who's Who," and a member of a campus literary society, Grapheon. She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and served as an editorial assistant for the "Hollins Critic" literary journal. Just a year later, in 1968, she earned her M.A. in English, having written her thesis on Henry David Thoreau’s "Walden."

In addition to finding literary success with "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," a nonfiction narrative about the natural world near Roanoke, Dillard was also known for "Teaching a Stone to Talk," an essay collection, among more than a dozen other works.

Annie received many honors throughout her lifetime, including a 1975 New York Press Club Award for Excellence, Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts/Literature grants in the 1980s, and honorary doctorates from Boston College (1986), University of Hartford (1993), and Connecticut College (1993). On her website, Annie mentioned that she turned down multiple subsequent honorary degrees because “they take days and days in heels.”

Annie was honored with Hollins’ Distinguished Alumna Award in 2007 and, in 2014, Hollins Theatre presented the world premiere of the stage adaptation of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek." Adapter/director Andy Belser and actor Rachel Nelson '07 joined then-Theatre Chair Ernie Zulia to devise and produce the work.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives," she notably said. "What we do with this hour and with that one, is what we are doing.”

Read Annie's obituary, as reported by NPR, here: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/16/1138680574/annie-dillard-dead.

And revisit Annie’s work on her website, anniedillard.com.

09/08/2026

TFW you open up a donated book you know belonged to legendary Ferrum history professor Dr. Richard Smith, and discover it was signed for him by the one-time entire Social Sciences department (including several other professors who were or became Ferrum legends in their own right).

09/07/2026

Another postcard donated to Stanley Library last week, published years ago by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, displays something Franklin County has long advertised about itself - but which Ferrum College's first president, the staunchly prohibitionist Dr. Benjamin Beckham, squarely blamed for most of the county's problems.

(On the other hand, Dr. Beckham probably would've appreciated the fact that this still has clearly been visited by law enforcement.)

09/02/2026

Before "Roberts Hall", before "Beckham Hall", even before "Ferrum College": A glimpse of the campus a hundred years ago thanks to a recent donation to the library's campus archive!

In the early 1920s our first president, Dr. Benjamin Beckham, commissioned a series of postcards showing these three buildings individually (back then the only campus buildings aside from the President's House, the furnace to heat the buildings, and the farm buildings) with this description of the Ferrum Training School, plus a fourth card displaying this panorama. The library already had copies of the individuals, and finally this week we were able to secure the missing panorama.

Little known fact: The six branch schools the card refers to, which were spread throughout the Southside region, accepted students as young as elementary school age - a fact that surprises people who look at photos of Ferrum students from this era. And at this time the majority of the students attending classes on the campus proper were high school to early college age.

08/27/2026

New in the library's Retro Room: the 2014 album Echo by After Jack, which was then comprised of Ferrum's own Emily Blankenship-Tucker, Rachel Blankenship-Tucker, and Mary Allison.

And we do have a CD player in the Retro Room, so come kick back and have a listen!

07/20/2026

Congratulations to Cleive Adams '02 on his promotion to Vice President for Athletics!

A proud Ferrum College alumnus, former student-athlete, and football coach, Adams has demonstrated exceptional leadership and an unwavering commitment to Ferrum College and Panther Athletics. His vision has helped guide one of the most transformative chapters in our athletics history, including the successful transition from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II and Conference Carolinas competition.

Please join us in congratulating Vice President Adams on this well-deserved achievement and thanking him for his continued dedication to Ferrum College and our student-athletes.

To read more, go to https://ow.ly/T7Al50ZoiCU

07/20/2026

This month’s “Librarians in the Wild…” brought to you by two separate conferences AND mothman.

Featuring: Shawnee: The University of the South (Tennessee) ; Pine Mountain Resort (Kentucky) ; and Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

07/20/2026

Stanley Library is also proud to support our GSA!

01/21/2026

Word(s) of the day: Political Satire

Political satire is a form of social and political commentary that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize hypocrisy, corruption, and folly in political institutions and leaders. It serves as a vital tool for engaging audiences, promoting awareness, and encouraging reform by "punching up" at authority.