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Information courtesy of National Park Service

The nine brick and stone buildings of the Elmira College Old Campus represent an important milestone in the history of women’s struggle for equality. Before the rise of female-centered institutions such as Elmira and Vassar, seminaries were the standard-and only-access women had to higher education. Lack of resources and an emphasis on male educational facilities weakened the quality of a seminarian education, with esteemed facilities such as Mt. Holyoke still below the standards of men’s schools. Evolving out of the Elmira Female Seminary, the Elmira Female College was granted its charter in April 1855 and became the first educational institution in the United States to have admission and degree requirements for women that were equal to those of men’s colleges. Clarissa Thurston was one of New York’s leading advocates of higher education for women and her Elmira Female Seminary was an important precursor to Elmira College. Elmira College-the word “female” was removed from the school’s name in 1856 after being deemed vulgar-occupies the site of the seminary and was a manifestation of the reformist zeal begun by Thurston and accepted by the citizens of Elmira. The College also houses Mark Twain’s personal study, designed to resemble a Mississippi steamboat’s pilot house and moved to the campus in 1952. Twain produced several of his most famous works here, including the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Life on the Mississippi.

The Elmira College Old Campus is located in Elmira, NY at Washington Ave. and Main St. The grounds are open to the public.

Following me again Major Marsh?” Anna whispered next to his ear. “I forgive you.” She winked and walked away.

Robert swore under his breath again, and turned to leave, but not before he heard Captain Drake roaring with laughter once again. Anna had managed once again to throw him off his feet, in a manner of speaking.

**

Anna was already down in the between-decks with Barbara and Joan. “Barbara, what do you think of Henry Hilliard?” She quizzed and waited for an answer.

“Anna, I hope you’re not thinking of going after him, I am rather fond of him myself.” Barbara replied, with questioning eyes.

“Heavens no Barbara, I meant for you. I think he’s rather sweet on you and you seem to be too, am I correct?” Anna suggested, in her usual helpful voice.

“It’s true I do like him. Henry’s so sweet and I believe we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. What makes you think he’s sweet on me?” Barbara questioned, anxious to know.

“I can tell these things and don’t worry about Henry, he’s just a little shy.” Anna told Barbara, but didn’t explain further.

Then Anna focused on Joan. “Now, what about you Joan, anyone special that’s caught your eye?”

Name: Libby Hughes
Website: libbyhughes

Questions:

Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, but lived in NJ, NY, MA, and Alabama growing up.

Q: Can you tell us your latest book news?
A: Towards the end of 2004, I came out with the first biography of legal thriller writer, John Grisham. My biography “Ronald Reagan: from Sports to Movies to Politics” came out for young adults February 2005. Two weeks in April I drove to Illinois and Missouri on a book tour, speaking to 3,000 young people and a large number of adults. Reagan grew up in 5 or 6 towns in Illinois, so I covered most of them.
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The main theme of the Purpose-Driven Life focuses on, “What on earth am I here for?” This is a book that leads to thought and discussion, and Rick Warren book helps readers become the people that God wants them to be. To understand that you are a part of a much larger picture than you originally imagined can shape your life in wondrous ways.

The Purpose-Driven Life was written with Warren citing over 1000 scriptures in the Bible, which is the foundation of this book. It’s about using God’s word to drive our lives and shape our lives into his purpose for our life. Warren elaborates on five truths; we exist for the purposes of worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship and when we fulfill these roles it is only then that we find true purpose, peace and happiness in our lives. You should understand and is explained in the book, is that each of us is here for a different purpose and that purpose can only be found by turning to God and his word - not by looking at others.

There are 40 chapters in the book and laid out in a matter that each chapter is a day’s bible study for the day. Each chapter ends with a “Thinking about My Purpose” which includes a point to ponder, a bible verse to remember, and a question to consider. The chapters have bible verses that go with the study for the day along with real world examples too.

Warren suggests you read the chapter and study your bible early in the morning when we are in our best form, instead of giving God our second best - tired worn out and ready to drift off to sleep.

This book is an excellent tool for bible study and can be read over again and again and each time you will get something new to ponder on and help your life grow in God’s word thus affecting your everyday life.

The conclusion of the book addresses each person’s mission within the church and world. Warren adds an appendix of discussion questions, resources, and answering why he uses so many translations of the bible throughout his book. There is also notes at the end which allows you to match of the Bible verses in each chapter in order to read each of the complete Bible scriptures he uses for examples.

I would recommend this book to anyone - and find direction in your life. Excellent book!
Reviewed by Susan Hilliard Fusiarski

——

Dedication in the book:

This book is dedicated to you. Before you were born, God planned this moment in your life. It is no accident that you are holding this book. God longs for you to discover the life he created you to live - here on earth, and forever in eternity.

“It’s in Christ that we find our who we are and what we are living for: Long before we first heard of Christ, … he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)

I am grateful to the hundreds of writers and teachers, both classical and contemporary, who have shaped my life and helped me learn these truths. I thank God and you for the privilege of sharing them with you.

Publisher - Zondervan
Rick Warren’s Website: www.purposedrivelife.com

Name: Debra Di Blasi
Website: www.debradiblasi.com
Contact: Jaded Ibis Productions, Inc.

Questions:

Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I was born in Kirksville, Missouri, and raised on a large cattle farm in Unionville, Missouri. The county was, at that time, the poorest in the state. It was a kind of poverty I doubt most people can comprehend today: children with one hand-me-down dress, old shoes too big or too small, no one bathing or feeding them at home, incest, abuse… Even I grew up without plumbing, though we were never short of food, of course, and had parents who cared deeply about our education and character.

Q: Can you tell us your latest book news?
A: FC2 Books (www.fc2.org) will publish my new collection, The Jirí Chronicles & Other Fictions. It’s a group of conceptual writings, a term not many literary folks will understand. Conceptual writing explores the process of writing more than the plot, for example, and includes an enormous variety of styles and media. “The Jirí Chronicles” is not limited to the printed page, but ranges from video/audio to visual art, to poetry, to internet web pages and newsletters, to consumer products. The stories in the book are mixed media, incorporating appropriated images and text, original illustrations and digital prints, footnotes, marginalia, etc. These are not haphazard choices, but ones based on the Information Age we now live in. I like to refer to this work as IDR, Information Deluge Response, a term that can be easily applied to much of the current visual art being created today. In fact, like Douglas Coupland, my work arises as much from my education in the visual arts as in creative writing.
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