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Touch of Gray - September / October 2001
Fred
Kilgour: A success story - still in progress
Intergenerational activities at Carolina
Meadows
Retire with a hole in one
Carolina Meadows woodcraft shop
Fred
Kilgour: A success story - still in progress
It is not surprising that many Carolina
Meadows residents have notable backgrounds in the arts and
sciences. More remarkable is the fact that many of them are
still active and involved in their fields. Fred Kilgours,
now 87, is one example of an expert in no hurry to relax and
take life easy.
Ten
days after he and his wife Eleanor moved into a Carolina Meadows
villa in 1990, he was sitting in an office at the School of
Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill, preparing
the first of the weekly seminars that he taught for half a
dozen years. Eleven years later he is still there, as Distinguished
Research Professor, looking for better and faster ways to
provide library information.
His
was, and continues to be, a remarkable career. Many library
users, as they tap the computer keys that give access to libraries
on five continents, may not know that Fred was the inventor
of the largest inter-library lending and cataloging system
in the world. But the invention does not lack appreciators.
Author Doris Betts has spoken of the challenges of doing research
for her books from a small town in North Carolina. In her
view, "the three great inventions of the twentieth century
were the washing
machine, the pill, and inter-library loans."
Graduating
in chemistry from Harvard at the height of the Great Depression,
Fred decided that medical school was out of reach, but graduate
study in the history of science could be combined with a job
in the Harvard College Library, where he had worked as an
undergraduate. There he put his scientific training directly
to use by instituting the first circulation system based on
edge notched punch cards. He met Eleanor when she came to
work in the Library. An article he wrote for The Christian
Science Monitor paid for the honeymoon.
That
article described the use of microfilm. It led to Fred's being
called early in World War Two to OSS (Office of Strategic
Services) to initiate and direct a system for obtaining publications
from enemy and enemy-occupied areas. His wartime intelligence
gathering activities included the capture of the Japanese
"News for Sailors" reports listing new mine fields. These
went from Washington right to Pearl Harbor and to our submarines
in the Western Pacific. Another of Fred's responsibilities
included studying obituary notices in 60 daily German newspapers.
From this information Washington developed casualty statistics
for the Third Reich better than those available in Berlin.
For
his intelligence activities, Fred was awarded the Legion of
Merit. When OSS activities were split at the end of the War,
Fred served for several years as Deputy Director, Office of
Intelligence Collection and Dissemination in the Department
of State.
Returning
to academe, Fred became the first Director of the Yale Medical
Library, which had been newly organized to combine its general
and historical libraries. As a member of the History Department
he also taught courses in the histories of science and medicine.
While at Yale he developed a pioneer computerized network
for the medical libraries of Columbia, Harvard and Yale, for
which - self-taught - he wrote the necessary computer programs.
When Harvard withdrew from the system half a dozen years later,
two libraries were insufficient to sustain it, but it provided
valuable experience for the next, and determining, step in
his career.
A
post-war flood of students and added graduate courses stressed
college and university budgets. Labor-intensive library procedures
that had been in use for a hundred years were costly and restricted
use. In 1967 The Ohio College Association, a century-old group
of Ohio college presidents, asked Fred to design and establish
a computerized inter-library lending and cataloging system
for all 54 of Ohio's public and private colleges and universities.
Under
Fred as president, a pioneer system went online in August
of 1971 and within eight years was serving libraries of all
sorts in the fifty states and Canada.
Eleanor
refers to those years as "circuit riding." On the drive to
each library, they discussed contributions to the Journal
of Library Automation, of which Fred was the first editor.
At home she did the editing and saw to publication. "Missionary
work" was her description of the next dozen years as the not-for-profit
Online Computer Center, or OCLC as it is now universally known,
expanded overseas. By 1981 it was serving 13,000 libraries
worldwide and had a European office in Birmingham, England.
Eleanor went along on the many travels, and demonstrated the
system on an OCLC terminal while Fred explained it. Differing
telephone and library systems, and cable, wireless and satellite
connections presented challenges.
By
June of this year OCLC was operating in 40,000 libraries in
76 countries and embarking on extending its services within
the Arabic world. Its database comprises the largest library
catalog in the world - 47 million bibliographic records in
400 different languages - for books, periodicals and artifacts.
Attached to those records are the 796 million library locations
that make the interlibrary loans possible, fulfilling OCLC's
stated purpose of furthering access to the world's information
while reducing its cost. The system sometimes receives over
a hundred messages per second and responds in two to three
seconds.
Commenting
on Fred's remarkable accomplishments, K. Wayne Smith, third
President of OCLC, wrote in his history of the organization
that "Fred brought to OCLC a rare combination of skills -
a lifelong student and scholar, a historian who looks to the
future, an entrepreneur who knows how to manage, and a dreamer
who knows how to get things done." Five honorary doctorates,
over two hundred professional articles, and several books
on technology, history and information science provide corroboration.
Five
years ago Fred and Eleanor Kilgour went back to Columbus,
Ohio to celebrate the 25th year of OCLC being "online." The
invited guests - librarians from near and far, and persons
from the greater Columbus area who had helped in the development
of OCLC or benefited from its presence in the community -
listened to a history of OCLC's growth from a five-person
staff consisting of Fred, a secretary, and three young electronic
engineers, housed in borrowed rooms at Ohio State University,
to a staff of 800 on a 900-acre campus with computers linked
to its worldwide membership by telephone, wireless and satellite.
As
founder, Fred maintains a lively contact with OCLC, using
its database among others to research - as does the organization
he established - novel ways of obtaining information. That
Columbus is a two-day drive from Chapel Hill is no obstacle.
Eleanor
hasn't been sitting by idly either. When the Kilgours arrived
at Carolina Meadows, the campus monthly newsletter, The Meadowlark,
was beginning to lack space for literary contributions. Joan
Ganong, then president of the Residents Association, and Peggy
Olivier, editor of The Meadowlark, wanted a literary magazine.
They noted Eleanor's long editorial career and asked her to
initiate one which was named Meadowscripts. She served as
the publication's editor for the first five of its ten years.
Creative
writing is still strong on campus. Voices, the successor publication
to Meadowscripts, is currently seeking resident contributions
for its upcoming issue Eleanor also started, with the enthusiastic
cooperation of Fred and several highly experienced birders,
a campus birdwatch activity that still continues.
How
did the Kilgours happen to come to Carolina Meadows? They
were nothing if not thorough when seeking a retirement home.
While still traveling on business, they carried a six-page
checklist of what they wanted in retirement, ranging from
proximity to a good University to immediate access to an outdoor
life, as well as more time to travel, hike and sail. Eleanor
estimated that they investigated some fifty CCRCs in many
States before deciding on Carolina Meadows. It proved a good
choice, providing them with space for Fred to complete the
writing - and Eleanor the editing - of his most recent work,
The Evolution of the Book, in the comfort of their own villa,
and ready access to the Oxford Press production facility in
Cary.
In
easy to read style, Fred recounts the five-thousand-year technological
advances that allowed the format of the book to keep pace
with ever-increasing needs for information. He investigates
the book's three historical forms, the clay tablet, papyrus
roll and finally the familiar codex, before turning to a fourth,
still evolving form, the cyber book, a version promising swift
electronic delivery of information in text, sound and motion
to anyone at any time.
For
those of us who still like to read the printed word, Fred
says there is still time to enjoy. Although he concludes his
book with the comment "It may take less than four decades
for electronic publications to share equal popularity with
printed books," he points out that preceding forms overlapped
for a significant time. "I expect to be a steady customer
at our local bookstores for a long time to come, " he added.
-- Des Reilly
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Intergenerational
activities at Carolina Meadows
Old and young have fun together
There
was a time when residents of nursing homes and health centers
felt lonely and isolated and cut off from the world. People
like Beverly Miller, Volunteer Coordinator at Carolina Meadows
since February, are doing much to change all that. Before
coming here Beverly was Director of Activities and Education
at Maple Knoll Village Retirement Center in Springdale, Ohio
and is most enthusiastic about her new job here.
As
Rosemary Hutchinson, our Marketing Director, put it "Beverly's
vision and goal is to have a steady natural stream of visitors
of all ages coming into the Health Center, engaging in meaningful
activities, as just part of the natural life of the residents."
"Lynne
Skinner and her 15-year old son, Matthew from Durham were
my first volunteers," Beverly recalls. "They came in the Spring,
initially with an eye to fulfilling community service requirements
for Matthew's Bar Mitzvah, and then they continued to come
weekly to play gin rummy with two of our residents."
Here
are some of the other inter-generational programs that are
already in place at Carolina Meadows - and Beverly promises
many more to come. A Mothers' Club from Chapel Hill/Carrboro,
with infants up to three years, visits once a month. Another
Moms and Tots group with children from two to five comes in
on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Other
recent visitors have been two home-schooling families, the
Oglesbys and the Longhills. There were five children in all.
They played the lap dulcimer, shared summer vacation photos
and a beanie babies collection, and played cards with residents.
The residents loved every minute of it.
Two
teenage sisters, Stefanie and Mandy Vanschaack, came in during
the summer months and still visit Health Center residents
on weekends. Their parents own a company making miniatures
so they bring miniatures and drawings to talk about.
The
mother of Professor Nick Didow, Professor of Business Administration
at UNC-CH, is a resident on the second floor of Building Six
in Carolina Meadows. He recommends to his students that they
volunteer at Carolina Meadows to get experience of life. Three
of them, Hilary Salo, Emily Vaughn and Jillian Vitelli visit
us regularly. Hilary and Emily are doing biographical sketches
with two residents. They use topics to address times in their
lives. For instance they ask residents where they went on
dates when they were in their twenties. The students plan
to write up the information gathered through weekly conversations
and give copies of it to Carolina Meadows and to the residents
and their families. "It's a great way to draw out residents,"
Beverly comments. "And the young people gain too. Retired
folk has a wealth of living experience to offer, not just
something out of a book."
Camp
Crystal Pool, a day camp of the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation
Department, came one day last summer with a group of 12 children,
5 to 10 years old, and talked with the residents. The children
told what they wanted to do when they grew up and the residents
recalled what they did in their adult years. Camp Crystal
Pool has been invited back next year for more old and young
exchanges.
Wellspring
Grocery in Chapel Hill has a very interesting employee benefit.
If you work so many hours as an employee, you qualify for
community service by helping at any non-profit institution
of your choice and you are paid for the time you spend there.
Two of the Wellspring employees recently donated their time
to visit with residents of our Health Center. George Brenda
visits and chats. Gary McCain, who is in the specialty department,
work with our two dogs, Mac and Sweetpea, and take them to
visit in resident rooms. A third Wellspring employee, David
Wessle, who works in frozen foods, comes here for his orientation
next month.
Many
Carolina Meadows employees volunteer in their own time to
visit and to help residents with projects. Elizabetta Politi,
our Resident Dietitian, and her youngsters, Andre, aged 12,
and Diego, aged 8, are volunteers and do friendly visiting.
Andre plays pool with one of the residents in The Fairways,
Carolina Meadows Assisted Living Center.
And
what more is planned for the future? Marion Hirsch, Director
of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Community
Church of Chapel Hill plans to get families from the Church
to do one-on-one visiting with our Health Center residents.
As she put it, she wants to engage families and residents
in a meaningful way - to the benefit of both groups.
Most
exciting intergenerational idea on our campus concerns the
music-making classes for residents and children, which Beverly
hopes will begin operating this month and will continue for
eight weeks. Eight UNC students in Music Education at the
Master's level are coming here with Jennette Fresne, their
professor who is also Director of the Department. The group
plans to spend three hours of classes here every Monday afternoon.
The last hour here will be a class in one of our Activity
rooms attended by resident volunteers and visiting children
aged 7 to 9 from local schools.
"Interaction
with other age groups counters the feelings of isolation,
loneliness and boredom older people sometimes feel when no
longer exposed to normal, healthy contact with younger people,"
comments Beverly. " Through our many visitors of many ages
we make the day a little brighter for our residents. And remember,"
she added with a smile, "these young people have a lot to
learn from the experiences of those who have been through
so much of life already." -- Des Reilly."
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Retire
with a hole in one
Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill is unique
among other Continuing Care Communities in having the Meadowlinks,
a nine hole (par three) golf course as an integral part of
its very attractive campus. This provides "at hand" opportunities
for residents to perform a feat recognized the world over
as an individual accomplishment unavailable in any other sport
or physical activity be it amateur, collegiate or professional.
Only golf provides for the Hole-In-One!
The
elements of the Hole-In-One are player skill and luck. The
player places or tees up a ball. The player swings a golf
club of his choice and propels the ball towards the target
depending on luck to avoid any impediments, or to ricochet
of them and land in the hole.
The
Meadowlinks started play on three Holes, very rough but playable,
in 1986. By 1990 three additional holes were in play and organized
events were established with Ladies and Mixed Tournaments.
After chasing Birdies and Bogies in the early years, two ladies
broke the Hole-In-One barrier in 1991.
On
August 4, 1991 Lucy Teravest was the first and Ruth Goldwasser
was second with an ace on December 10, 1991. They were followed
by : Dick Greeley (10/22/92); Earl Knebel (5/1/93); Don Greeley
(4/14/94); Dick Greeley (5/13/94), Ray Moore (10/28/95); Jane
Ragland (5/13/96); Bob Buzenberg (6/8/96); Glenn Johnson (10/12/96);
Larry Shailer (10/12/96); Jack Roper (5/29/97), Amber Aberson
(9/13/97); Katrine Rieley (9/20/97); Charles McCoy (10/25/97);
Bill Jones (11/8/97); Dick Sampson (10/15/98); Charles McCoy
(12/12/98); Alice Lash (10/18/98); Alice Lash (3/27/99), Ginnie
Jobe (4/19/99); Marion Peterson (5/13/99); Peggy Moore (1/8/00),
Fred Govern (8/12/00); Bill Jones (3/17/01).
There
are those who might like to know which holes gave up the most
Holes-In-One.
Current
Hole Numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9 2 0 1 0 3 0 5 5 .
How
about our Hole-In-One Club? The usual purpose of such a club
is to provide monetary recognition to a member of the Club
when he or she scores a Hole-In-One in accordance with the
adopted rules of the Club. Most Clubs have an entry fee that
contributes to a fund paid to a member who scores an ace.
All members then sign up and pay another entry fee, each hoping
to be the next to score a Hole-In-One.
The
Carolina Meadows Hole-In-One Club was inaugurated in 1995
by Roz Lewis and has been most ably operated by Bob Wilson
who keeps the records and the "kitty". To date there have
been five payoffs (including one tie) with a total payoff
of $94.00. The current Club has 21 members.
Bob
Wilson, the club recorder and money tender, scored a Hole-In-One
in an unsanctioned activity. The Golf Committee chose to treat
his feat as unique for a self-taught, one armed golfer and
presented him with a plaque with a Wilson golf crying towel,
a Wilson golf ball and a very real looking green worm saying
"I saw and so attest". -- Roz Lewis
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Carolina
Meadows woodcraft shop
The Wood Shop
is one of the essential sites at Carolina Meadows for many
of us. For some it is the place to be creative and for others
a place to do those little chores we used to do in our garage
or basement. It all started with power saws, drills and planers
brought here by Paul Oakley in 1987. The original shop was
in the basement of Club Center, but that space was required
for other things as Carolina Meadow grew so space was added
in a storage building. Other residents have brought tools
and work benches over the years.
Karl
Weber provided a state-of-the-art modem work bench. This stands
along side two fine old benches, each more than a hundred
years old. One was a gift from Helen and Bob Wilson. Bob says
he bought it many years ago from a woodworker who brought
it from West Virginia. The other was contributed by Candace
Owens. She reported that it had been used in her family for
a very long time and was originally built in the Winston Salem
area. Sixteen people have used the Shop since the first of
the year for almost four hundred occasions. Sessions rang
from fifteen minutes to half a day.
Herb
Guralnick provided an interesting octagonal set of drawers
with 108 compartments for nails, screws and bolts that he
had made. Herb, along with some others, have also used space
in their garages for a mini-shop. He recently made three Rube
Goldberg type marble games, one for the Health Center, and
one each for his granddaughter and a neighbor's granddaughter.
At the moment, one of them is in the Club Center lobby entertaining
children from age two to ninety two.
The
late Ray Moore designed and installed a dust collector that
makes it a safer and more pleasant place to work. Jack Parry,
the present chair of the Woodcraft committee, has modified
it to add other machines to the system.
When
the Club Center was expanded in 1993-4, our resident cartoonist,
Betty McMahan, painted cartoons depicting life at Carolina
Meadows on the temporary wall. Some of those scenes were saved
and are now displayed in the appropriate locations in Club
Center and the Health Center. Ray Moore made eight frames
so the pictures could be properly shown.
Any
resident may use the shop. However pre-qualification by one
of the committee members is required before a door key is
issued. Others must work under the eye of a qualified member
for their safety. Projects take many forms, some for our personal
use while others are for the community as a whole. Paul Ferster
and Bob Kent created three folding screens for the auditorium
with Bill Gundlach adding a fourth. Bill also built platforms
to enhance the stage. Hugh Steele has had a continuing role
in maintaining the shelves in the Gift Shop and in the Main
Library as well as the Library at The Fairways. Paul Oakley
built our earliest park benches (from cedar cut on the property)
and the shuffelboard racks. Several shop members, Jack Parry,
Bob Wilson, LeRoy Peterson, Bill Gundlach and Bob Kent combined
their efforts to sand and refinish about 35 of our park benches.
Bert Morhart and Bob Kent have made and reconstructed damaged
lecterns.
Over
the years activities have included doing work in our residences
such as shelves, and cabinets. Services have been extended
to help others who have needed repairs or furniture and other
items. One lady asked Hugh Steele to repair an antique chair.
She liked to watch and make suggestions. Hugh finally told
her that his going rate was twenty-five dollars an hour, fifty
if she watched and seventy-five if she helped. . Alan Kaplan
felt that the Woodcraft Shop was too formal so he placed a
sign at the entrance lettered "Woodpeckers Club" as well as
a bas-relief, many colored woodpecker which he carved. Lou
Spector, our most recent craftsman, specializes in refinishing
furniture.
Some
residents have requested projects that committee members tackle.
The recipient often makes a small contribution towards replacing
supplies such as nails, screws, glue. Jack Parry is currently
replacing damaged chair backs from the Dining Room. Jack Parry,
along with Hugh Steele, has recently reorganized the shop
layout to make it more usable. Appropriately, the shop library
is located in the "john'. Each person provides the materials
for his job, but scraps become available to all. There is
usually a good supply of scrap wood which is adequate for
most small projects. The Carolina Meadows Residents Association
provides a small budget to help with the cost of tool repair
and sharpening. -- Bob Kent
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