The Rev. Hezekiah G. Leigh medal shown here, with Reverend Hezekiah G. Leigh on one side and the main building of Randolph-Macon College in Boydton on the reverse side, was produced in 1867 by the College and distributed by the Richmond Christian Advocate, the Methodist newspaper in Virginia, as a means to raise funds for the repair of Randolph-Macon College after the Civil War. Contributors to the fund would receive a medal of Rev. Leigh, Bishop Joshua Soule, or both, depending on the amount of their gift. During this era, memorabilia with images of respected individuals was popular appearing as prints, statues and busts, plates, medals, and other items.
Advertisements for the medals appeared in several publications. The February, 1868 issue of the Southern Planter and Farmer magazine included this one:
“Beautiful Medallion Likenesses of Bishop Soule and Rev. Hezekiah
G. Leigh, D. D.
We are indebted to the courtesy of the President of Randolph Macon College for the above named Medals. These eminent men of God, whose names adorn the annals of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and whose distinguished faithful and efficient labors in the gospel have enshrined their blessed memories as “holy relics” in the hearts of all true Methodists, are most beautifully and artistically expressed in bas-relief likenesses of admirable truthfulness on metalic disks of bright untarnished lustre. These souvenirs are offered to those who contribute to the fund being raised for the repairs of Randolph Macon College, upon the following terms:
A contribution of $2 entitles the donor to the likeness of the Bishop.
A contribution of $1 to that of Dr. Leigh, the founder of the College.
And for three dollars both will be given to the contributor.
Address Rev. S. T. Moorman, care of the Richmond Christian Advocate.”
Unfortunately, funds were still tight in post-war Virginia and very little money was raised this way, so the repairs were never made to the College’s main building in Boydton. The College had closed in 1862 for the duration of the war and although there was no military activity in Mecklenburg County, the College’s main building was occupied for four months by the Union Army at the end of the war and sustained damage, although we have no documentation of the nature and extent of that damage. The College moved to Ashland in 1868 instead, selling the property in Boydton.
To see this item or other materials pertaining to the history of Randolph-Macon College, contact us at archives@rmc.edu.
The standout memoir from NBA powerhouse Andre Iguodala, the indomitable sixth man of the champion Golden State Warriors. Andre Iguodala is one of the most admired players in the NBA. And fresh off the Warriors’ third NBA championship in the last four years, his game has never been stronger. Off the court, Iguodala has earned respect, too–for his successful tech investments, his philanthropy, and increasingly for his contributions to the conversation about race in America. It is no surprise, then, that in his first book, Andre–with his cowriter Carvell Wallace–has pushed himself to go further than he ever has before about his life, not only as an athlete but about what makes him who he is at his core. The Sixth Man traces Andre’s journey from childhood in his Illinois hometown to his Bay Area home court today. Basketball has always been there. But this is the story, too, of his experience of the conflict and racial tension always at hand in a professional league made up largely of African American men; of whether and why the athlete owes the total sacrifice of his body; of the relationship between competition and brotherhood among the players of one of history’s most glorious championship teams. And of what motivates an athlete to keep striving for more once they’ve already achieved the highest level of play they could have dreamed. On drive, on leadership, on pain, on accomplishment, on the shame of being given a role, and the glory of taking a role on: This is a powerful memoir of life and basketball that reveals new depths to the superstar athlete, and offers tremendous insight into most urgent stories being told in American society today.
Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering history’s worst nuclear disaster. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a masterful nonfiction thriller, and the definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. Midnight in Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of one of the great disasters of the twentieth century, of human resilience and ingenuity, and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will—lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary.
Are you looking to start the new semester off on the right foot? Look no further, the McGraw-Page Library has a fresh display to help support your pursuit of academic and personal success. Featuring both e-books and print books, below is a selection of 5 books from the display that will help get you on the right track. For more selections, come down to the Library and check out our display!
College survival just got graphic! There’s so much more to college than course guides and picking your dorm. From doing your own laundry to making friends to scoring a job and staying healthy, there’s no shortage of things to figure out! No need to panic. The Infographic guide to college has you covered with illustrated, realistic advice on how to: avoid the freshman 15, ace your exams, declare a major, master study habits, get around town, get along with your roommate, apply for a loan, and so much more!
Taking a skills-building approach, Kickstarting Your Academic Career is a primer on the common scholastic challenges first-year social sciences students face upon entering college or university. Based on the challenges that instructors most often find students need help with, the authors offer practical advice and tips on such topics as communicating with instructors, note taking, how to read a textbook, writing exams, and researching and writing papers. The succinct writing and clear organization make this an essential reference for first-year students as they encounter post-secondary work for the first time, and a useful refresher for upper year students looking to refine their skills.
What if a few new habits could dramatically increase your productivity, and even 5x or 10x it in key areas? What if you could get an an hour a day to read, exercise, or to spend with your family. New York Times bestselling author, Kevin Kruse, presents the remarkable findings of his study of ultra-productive people. Based on survey research and interviews with billionaires, Olympic athletes, straight-A students, and over 200 entrepreneurs—-including Mark Cuban, Kevin Harrington, James Altucher, John Lee Dumas, Pat Flynn, Grant Cardone, and Lewis Howes—-Kruse answers the question: what are the secrets to extreme productivity?
Each of us has the ability to develop and improve our minds in amazing ways. All you need is motivation, an effective method, and an expert guide. Ramon Campayo’s method shows you the fastest, easiest and most effective way to: -Drastically and almost immediately increase your memorization capacity and reading speed.-Enhance your learning methods, study techniques, and psychological preparation.-Improve your study habits and prepare for exams. Maximize Your Memory is for students who want to reach their best potential, as well as anyone else who dreams of increasing his or her mental capacity. As Campayo himself declares, “It is possible to learn the things I can do. And everyone can learn. I am the world champion in speed memory, but my wife is second and my brother is eighth. After one hour of training with my methods, my students can triple their reading speed.
their academic career, even when their chosen concentration isn’t English or Literature. While there are countless textbooks dedicated to the subject, there are virtually no books dedicated to providing practical, down-to-earth advice that will allow the college student to write concisely, coherently, and successfully. Essential Writing Skills for College & Beyond is a refreshing take on college writing instruction for students in any major.
Muslim A Novel is a genre-bending, poetic reflection on what it means to be Muslim from one of France’s leading writers. In this novel, the second in a trilogy, Rahmani’s narrator contemplates the loss of her native language and her imprisonment and exile for being Muslim, woven together in an exploration of the political and personal relationship of language within the fraught history of Islam. Drawing inspiration from the oral histories of her native Berber language, the Koran, and French children’s tales, Rahmani combines fiction and lyric essay in to tell an important story, both powerful and visionary, of identity, persecution, and violence.
For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down. In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, ‘That is why I had to write this book – to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.’ Melinda provides an unforgettable narrative backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention — from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world – and ourselves. Writing with emotion, candor, and grace, she introduces us to remarkable women and shows the power of connecting with one another. When we lift others up, they lift us up, too.
In these eight piercing explorations on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom -award-winning professor and acclaimed author of Lower Ed- embraces her venerated role as a purveyor of wit, wisdom, and Black Twitter snark about all that is right and much that is wrong with this thing we call society. Ideas and identity fuse effortlessly in this vibrant collection that on bookshelves is just as at home alongside Rebecca Solnit and bell hooks as it is beside Jeff Chang and Janet Mock. It also fills an important void on those very shelves: a modern black American feminist voice waxing poetic on self and society, serving up a healthy portion of clever prose and southern aphorisms as she covers everything from Saturday Night Live, LinkedIn, and BBQ Becky to sexual violence, infant mortality, and Trump rallies and is far more genre-bending than a typical compendium of personal essays.
