Frank Bracken Speaks at Friends Dinner, Ball State University Libraries

Sixty-six Friends and supporters of the Ball State University Libraries attended the annual dinner and meeting of the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library on March 30 at the Alumni Center.

Dr. Arthur Hafner, Dean of University Libraries and President, Board of Governors, accompanied by Dr. Jo Ann Gora, President of Ball State, welcomed the attendees.

Dr. Hafner presented President Gora with a Friends lapel pin to represent her membership in the Friends organization.

Following the dinner and business meeting, Dr. Gora introduced Frank A. Bracken, Vice President of the Ball State Board of Trustees, who delivered the Kirkham Lecture on “Civil War Battlefield Preservation.”

Near the end of his presentation, Mr. Bracken presented to Roy Budd, husband of Dr. Gora, a replica of a red shirt that would have been worn by Budd’s ancestor General A. P. Hill, the last Confederate general killed in the war.

During the reception prior to the dinner, attendees had enjoyed seeing several Civil War artifacts that Mr. Bracken brought that belonged to his relatives that fought in the war.

Four student assistants who work at the University Libraries received Student Recognition Awards and each student received a check for $100. The recipients were Lindsay Bacurin, Amanda Pollard, Jeffrey Rukes, and Kallay Swihart. University Libraries’ employees Kevin Brooks and Michael Twigg were recognized for receiving Staff Scholarships from the Friends.

Wayne Meyer, Head of Specialized Services, was presented with a Friends lapel pin in honor of his forthcoming retirement after 27 years of service to the University Libraries. The forthcoming retirement of Dr. Michael Wood was also recognized.

Jack Carmichael and Dr. Frank Felsenstein received certificates of appreciation at the conclusion of their three-year terms. Joe Duncan and Dr. Nicole Etcheson were given Friends lapel pins as they began their terms on the Board of Governors.
During the dinner, the Friends enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation with slides of the dedication of Bracken Library on March 26, 1976. Several people at the dinner, including Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bracken, took a walk down memory lane while viewing photographs of themselves and friends during the slide presentation.

Those interested in the Friends of the Alexander M. Bracken Library may visit www.bsu.edu/library/collections/fambl or contact John Straw, Executive Secretary of the Friends, at JStraw@bsu.edu or call 285-5078.

This article was published in The Library Insider April 2006, pg. 8.