13 minute read
Books We Love Part 2
Title: A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to Work Author: Michael A. Crawford ECU Alum: 1977
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OVERVIEW
Michael Crawford (‘77) shares humorous stories of his life’s true misadventures in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Work. Each chapter describes an event that has made his life enjoyable and brimming with humor. Memories like “Give My Regards to Broadway,” which tells of the time he went to see “The Boy from Oz” with Hugh Jackman and Crawford and his wife Debbie ending up on stage dancing, “A Play on Words” highlighting an unforgettable moment at a public speaking event and “When I Grow Up” showing how he turned his rock star days in the band Revelation to rock star status within the CPA profession, will keep the reader laughing.
Title: An Assessment of the
Effectiveness of the
National Association of Student
Personnel Administrators
Minority Undergraduate Fellows
Program Author: Richard Carvajal ECU Alum: 1993 OVERVIEW
The study, a requirement for completion of Richard Carvajal’s (‘93) master’s degree, paints a comprehensive picture of the MUFP experience for students in 1995. It gives the findings from a study conducted to examine the impact of student participation in the NASPA MUFP. Participants were questioned concerning their experiences in mentoring relationships, campus-based activities, leadership institutes and summer internships.
Books We Love
PART 2
Title: Another Walk Along Tiger Trails, a History of St. Louis, Oklahoma Author: Mildred Dennis ECU Alum: 1950
OVERVIEW
Mildred Dennis (‘50) takes readers on a journey through the history of tiny St. Louis, Oklahoma in Another Walk Along Tiger Trails. Complete with rare photographs and the voices of local pioneers, she shares the deepest feelings and memories of times gone by from settlement, through the Oil Boom days, to what remains of St. Louis and its current and former inhabitants.
Title: Cartwheel Boy Goes to D.C. Author: Fenessa Little ECU Alum: 2001, 2004 OVERVIEW
The children’s book Cartwheel Boy Goes to D.C. was inspired by Fenessa Littles’ (‘01, ‘04) son Jared who was so thrilled when he learned how to do a cartwheel that he couldn’t stop flipping head over heels even on a trip to Washington, D.C. Little wrote the story of him seeing most of the sights upside down and Jared illustrated the book. Published in 2013, it is for children of all ages.
Title: Country Singers As I Know ‘Em Author: Mae Boren Axton ECU Alum: 1972
OVERVIEW
Mae Boren Axton (‘72), the queen mother of country music and confidante to the stars, gives a glimpse into the personalities of some of her treasured friends and biggest names in the business in Country Singers As I Know ‘Em. She recounts first-hand stories of musicians ranging from Oklahoma’s own Roger Miller and singer/songwriter Willie Nelson, to jazz great Ray Charles, sixties icon Arlo Guthrie and pop star Glen Campbell, all the while giving readers an intimate look
at “her people, country music folk.”
Title: Cousins in Calico Author: Ruth Elizabeth West ECU Alum: 1962, 1970
OVERVIEW
Cousins in Calico by Ruth West (‘62, ‘70) relates the story of two young girl cousins in the piney-woods area of West Central Louisiana in 1920 who enjoy time together as their mothers, who are sisters, and their fathers, who are brothers, carry on the typical lives of rural families during the era following World War I. While the thick pine forests were a boon to the sawmill trade, they were filled with wild animals and timber rattlers. Related by nine-year-old, Lizbeth Ann Hunter, the story entails times of anguish, joy and intrigue.
In the last edition of the The Columns, we highlighted books written by authors who have attended ECU and then asked for submissions from any authors that we missed. In response, you sent us books to fill an additional bookcase. So here are some more books we love from authors that live up to the slogan “Once A Tiger...Always A Tiger!”
Title: CPA’s Multistate Guide to Ethics and Professional Conduct Author: Michael A. Crawford and
D. Scot Loyd ECU Alum: Michael Crawford 1977
OVERVIEW
Michael Crawford’s (‘77) more serious side is revealed in CPA’s Multistate Guide to Ethics and Professional Conduct. In it he and co-author D. Scot Loyd discuss the importance of proper ethical behavior by the accounting profession because the absence of, or decline in, ethics and moral character leads to a loss of public trust. The book is a complete guide for the accounting professional.
Title: Custer’s Reward Author: Welborn Hope ECU Alum: Life Certificate 1922 OVERVIEW
Custer’s Reward is an epic poem of the Old West. In it Welborn Hope (‘22) tells the legendary tale of George Armstrong Custer through the eyes of Oklahoma rancher, 92-year-old John Eddings. Once a fan of Custer, Eddings turns against him after the Seventh Calvary attacks peaceful Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of the Washita. The narrative follows Custer through his campaigns and political conniving and concludes with the massacre at Little Big Horn.
Title: Glenn Pray, the Man Who Brought
Legends to Life Author: Josh B. Malks ECU Alum: Glenn Pray 1952
OVERVIEW
Glenn Pray (‘52) personifies the ultimate automobile hobbyist. To create Glenn Pray, the Man Who Brought Legends to Life, Josh Malks interviewed him for hours and pored over surviving documents and photographs going back 40 years and more. The book provides an opportunity for the enthusiasts of Pray’s creations, such as the 1936-37 Cord and the 1935-36 Auburn Speedster, to more fully understand how they came to be. It is complete with candid photographs illustrating
his story.
Title: Governmental GAAP Guide Author: Michael A. Crawford and D. Scot Loyd ECU Alum: Michael Crawford 1977
OVERVIEW
Governmental GAAP Guide was written by Michael Crawford (‘77) and D. Scot Loyd for financial professionals working with state and local governments who must stay current with emerging governmental standards or face unfortunate consequences. This one of a kind tool discusses all the promulgated principles that are applicable to accounting and financial reporting by state and local governments.
Title: The Great River and Small and
OVERVIEW
The Great River and Small and Other Poems is a collection by Oklahoma’s Tramp Poet Welborn Hope (‘22) who captures life as he tramps across America. The work includes “The Great River and Small” detailing his memorable walk along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans. It contains 50 poems in all ranging from an homage to fellow tramp Johnny Appleseed, to Hope’s many adventures in the manmade canyons of New York City.
Title: Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet from
Chicago Author: Martha E. Rhynes ECU Alum: 1975, 1980
OVERVIEW
In Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet from Chicago, Martha Rhynes (‘75, ‘80) tells the story of the African American poet, a recipient of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, through the various stages of her life from 1917 to 2000. Readers come to know Brooks and the struggles she faced as she questioned her beliefs over the course of her life. Turbulent times, as reflected in her poetry, along with stories and commentaries provide insight into what a gifted poet Brooks was.
Title: It’s Gonna Be OK: A Lease-
OVERVIEW
Avid storyteller Mildred Dennis (‘50) began chronicling the lives of family and friends along with memories of growing up in Oklahoma oil lease camps after her husband James gave her a typewriter for Christmas 40-plus years ago. In It’s Gonna Be OK, she explores the gamut of her experiences as a spunky little girl living on the leases during the 1930s and 1940s. It’s an adventure of joys and tears shared by all those gritty people who lived in the camps.
Title: Less Than an Eagle, More Than a Duck & Other Stuff Author: Mildred Dennis ECU Alum: 1950 OVERVIEW
Less Than an Eagle, More Than a Duck & Other Stuff is a collection of vignettes of faith celebrating life. In sections called “God’s Natural World,” “Faith -- a Daily Walk,” “Special People” and “Other Stuff,” Mildred Dennis (‘50) reaches out to readers with stories describing the valley and mountaintop experience of living all mankind shares. Tales range from “Less Than an Eagle, More Than a Duck,” which tells of her own husband’s massive stroke, to “Way to Go Buddy” describing a little boy’s struggle to stand, to her tribute to “The Ordinary Man.”
Title: The Life of a Successful Bank 1908-1978 Author: Odie B. Faulk, Welborn Hope, Pendleton Woods ECU Alum: Welborn Hope (Life Certificate) 1922
OVERVIEW
In The Life of a Successful Bank 1908-1978, Odie B. Faulk, Welborn Hope (‘22) and Pendleton Woods tell the story of Fidelity Bank – its people, its officers and directors, its customers and its fellow residents of Oklahoma City. More than just a summary of the workings of a financial institution, it includes Oil Boom and Great Depression stories, the lasting effects of World War II on the institution and the tale of an unsuccessful bank robbery and other scares.
Title: Memorial Addresses Delivered in Congress Author: The Joint Committee on Printing ECU Alum: Robert S. Kerr 1911 OVERVIEW
Memorial Addresses Delivered in Congress is a collection of tributes from friends and colleagues across the country for Robert S. Kerr (‘11), the late U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. The list of speakers reads like a Who’s Who of U.S. history, including such notables as Senators Everett Dirksen, Eugene McCarthy, Hubert Humphrey and Margaret Chase Smith along with members of the House of Representatives Carl Albert and Page Belcher of Oklahoma. The work also contains passages from editorials written in Oklahoma newspapers at the time of his death.
Title: My Name Was Harry 1942-1945 Author: Harry P. Zimmerman ECU Alum: 1947
OVERVIEW
In My Name Was Harry 1942-1945, Harry Zimmerman (‘47) leaves his bucolic life at East Central University to enter the fray which was World War II. The book follows his journey from Fort Sill, where he was called up from the reserves, to basic training at Camp Hood and the European Theatre of Operations with the 808 Tank Destroyer Battalion. Zimmerman reflects on his experiences and thoughts during those crucial years of his life but makes no attempt to describe the horrific violence
of combat.
Title: Oklahoma Government Today -
How We Got There Author: George Nigh, Carl Reherman, and Bob Burke ECU Alum: George Nigh 1950
OVERVIEW
The story of Sooner State government, as told by George Nigh (‘50), Carl Reherman and Bob Burke in Oklahoma Government Today – How We Got There, is the saga of the bold and courageous men and women who staked a claim in a new land, did their best to draft a constitution that provided protection to the individual and then set out to live under the umbrella of the government they created.
Title: One Man in His Time Author: Jack T. Conn ECU Alum: 1931
OVERVIEW
One Man in His Time offers readers a glimpse into life in Ada, Oklahoma as experienced through the eyes of attorney and businessman Jack Conn (‘31). The biography, commissioned by the Oklahoma Heritage Association as part of their Trackmaker Series, begins with his birth during statehood in 1909 and follows Conn’s life through national, state and local historical events including an insider’s look at the infamous Ada hanging, life at East Central State Teachers College and colorful descriptions of recognizable names from Ada’s past.
Title: Retreat from Rostov Author: Paul Hughes ECU Alum: 1936 OVERVIEW
In Retreat from Rostov, dedicated to the people of Russia during World War II, Paul Hughes (‘36) tells the story of 34 days in late 1941 which saw armies of Adolf Hitler defeated for the first time, at Rostov in the North Caucasus. The characters, with the obvious exceptions of Stalin, Hitler, Timoshenko, von Kleist and others equally well known, are fictional, but its historical matters, military movements, communications and the like are authentic.
Title: Stray Hearts Author: Julius Lester Medlock ECU Alum: Life Certificate 1923
OVERVIEW
Julius Lester Medlock’s (‘23) vision of mankind’s path to redemption is chronicled in his 112-volume of poems Stray Hearts. In three parts “The Inner Gate,” “The Outer Gate” and “And Into the Wide, Wide World,” Medlock entices readers away from the mundane and ephemeral aspects of life and encourages them to stop, read and treasure his words of peace, serenity and hope.
Title: Students of Surprise: An
Examination of Unusual Growth in Social Competency Author: Richard Carvajal ECU Alum: 1993 OVERVIEW
This study, Richard Carvajal’s (‘93) doctoral dissertation, analyzes why some students experience an unusual rise in social growth following their experiences at college. It tells the stories of five graduates of regional public universities in the Midwestern United States to determine the impact of faculty intervention, student involvement, living arrangements, employment, peer groups, family relationships and exposure to media.
Title: Tell Me about the Presidents Author: Mike Henry ECU Alum: 1987
OVERVIEW
Tell Me about the Presidents was written for students at the elementary stage of their education. Mike Henry (‘87) includes an interesting story about each president and concludes each with three questions for the reader to answer. This book is a great learning tool for both parents and teachers to teach American history in a fun
way.
Title: What’s Right with America Author George Ing ECU Alum: 1969
OVERVIEW
Readers of What’s Right with America will see the country differently through the eyes of naturalized citizen George Ing (‘69). Ing analyzes the state of affairs in other countries, historical facts and events and the Bible among other things to give his unique perspective on the status of America. He also tackles other topics ranging from stress management and happiness to learning to listen and service above self.
We still love receiving books! If you are a published author or know of a book about an ECU Alum, send us a signed copy. Mail a copy of your book to: ECU Foundation, Inc. • East Central University • 1100 E. 14th Street, PMB Y-8 • Ada, OK 74820
