Comments on: Evan Farber 1922-2009 http://www.librarian.net/stax/2693/evan-farber-1922-2009/ putting the rarin back in librarian since 1999 Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:14:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Mary H. Hood http://www.librarian.net/stax/2693/evan-farber-1922-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-123599 Mary H. Hood Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:14:54 +0000 http://www.librarian.net/?p=2693#comment-123599 From Mary Hyde Hood, 1980 Earlham grad I remember well, as others have mentioned, being turned loose in Lilly Library in my first days at Earlham during the fall of 1976 with a large packet of questions that we were to answer in order to learn how to research and fully utilize our libraries (Lilly Humanities and Wildman Science). I was already adept at using the comforting card catalog and doing basic periodical research, but I’d never used microfilm, microfiche, or lived among the stacks until I came under Evan’s spell. As others have observed, Evan was the consummate gentleman and scholar. I remember him as a natty dresser, with an air of metropolitan sophistication. He exuded a quiet air of authority. Once he sniffed out that I was one of Steve Heiny’s few Classics majors, every time he saw me, Evan would inquire what and how I was doing and talk to me about his daughter (Cindy, I believe) who was also a Classics major. Although I did most of my studying at my desk in my room, I spent countless hours at Lilly, and I think the building’s beauty, tranquility, open-ended possibilities, and feeling of a safe retreat were all extensions of Evan’s personality and influence. Our older son is now a sophomore at Earlham, and I still have the same feeling of contentment and peace when I walk through Lilly and soak in the gorgeous views from its windows. I guess some of Evan’s love for and proficiency at research must have rubbed off on me because the one book I have had published so far was the product of five years of intensive research. Like Evan, I view researching a subject I am passionate about as the ultimate treasure hunt. Others have mentioned the famous photo of Evan on guard holding the machine gun. Here is a link to that photo, originally published in college newspaper The Earlham Word and prominently featured in my junior year 1979 Sargasso yearbook on page 33: Evan Farber on guard (https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=69bfa115-3a2f-41d5-9e80-86a182ceaeb1) On a poster next to Evan is the following text: For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand & rend him. Let him be struck with palsy & all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying aloud for mercy & let there be no surcease to his agony till he sinks to dissolution. Let book worms gnaw his entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not & when at last he goeth to his final punishment, let the flames of hell consume him for ever. Thanks to my husband Steve, fellow 1980 EC grad, for creating the link to the photo and copying the text from the poster. Interestingly, the way I learned of Evan’s death was not from my son, or daily missives from Earlham (perhaps I missed a mention in ATH), but from my niece Katie who is preparing to enroll in a master of library science program. Katie’s hero, radical librarian blogger Jessamyn West, wrote a piece about Evan called Evan Farber 1922-2009 (http://www.librarian.net/stax/2693/evan-farber-1922-2009/). Like Katie (and her sister Emily Warrener Gough EC ’05), Jessamyn has a sister who is an Earlham grad, from whom she heard the sad news. My love and greatest respect to all Evan’s family. Think of what a magnificent job Evan must be doing organizing and improving the libraries in the next life! From Mary Hyde Hood, 1980 Earlham grad
I remember well, as others have mentioned, being turned loose in Lilly Library in my first days at Earlham during the fall of 1976 with a large packet of questions that we were to answer in order to learn how to research and fully utilize our libraries (Lilly Humanities and Wildman Science). I was already adept at using the comforting card catalog and doing basic periodical research, but I’d never used microfilm, microfiche, or lived among the stacks until I came under Evan’s spell. As others have observed, Evan was the consummate gentleman and scholar. I remember him as a natty dresser, with an air of metropolitan sophistication. He exuded a quiet air of authority. Once he sniffed out that I was one of Steve Heiny’s few Classics majors, every time he saw me, Evan would inquire what and how I was doing and talk to me about his daughter (Cindy, I believe) who was also a Classics major. Although I did most of my studying at my desk in my room, I spent countless hours at Lilly, and I think the building’s beauty, tranquility, open-ended possibilities, and feeling of a safe retreat were all extensions of Evan’s personality and influence. Our older son is now a sophomore at Earlham, and I still have the same feeling of contentment and peace when I walk through Lilly and soak in the gorgeous views from its windows.

I guess some of Evan’s love for and proficiency at research must have rubbed off on me because the one book I have had published so far was the product of five years of intensive research. Like Evan, I view researching a subject I am passionate about as the ultimate treasure hunt.

Others have mentioned the famous photo of Evan on guard holding the machine gun. Here is a link to that photo, originally published in college newspaper The Earlham Word and prominently featured in my junior year 1979 Sargasso yearbook on page 33: Evan Farber on guard (https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=69bfa115-3a2f-41d5-9e80-86a182ceaeb1)

On a poster next to Evan is the following text:

For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand & rend him. Let him be struck with palsy & all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying aloud for mercy & let there be no surcease to his agony till he sinks to dissolution. Let book worms gnaw his entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not & when at last he goeth to his final punishment, let the flames of hell consume him for ever.

Thanks to my husband Steve, fellow 1980 EC grad, for creating the link to the photo and copying the text from the poster.

Interestingly, the way I learned of Evan’s death was not from my son, or daily missives from Earlham (perhaps I missed a mention in ATH), but from my niece Katie who is preparing to enroll in a master of library science program. Katie’s hero, radical librarian blogger Jessamyn West, wrote a piece about Evan called Evan Farber 1922-2009 (http://www.librarian.net/stax/2693/evan-farber-1922-2009/). Like Katie (and her sister Emily Warrener Gough EC ’05), Jessamyn has a sister who is an Earlham grad, from whom she heard the sad news.

My love and greatest respect to all Evan’s family. Think of what a magnificent job Evan must be doing organizing and improving the libraries in the next life!

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