by Ellen Butterfield | May 14, 2015 | News Slider
Nearly 400 letters from a German prisoner of war camp near Chattanooga have been donated to the Beaman Library, where a Lipscomb professor is working to translate them in time for a program in the autumn to observe the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The letters were donated by Curtis Peters, who discovered the letters, drawings and photos jammed in a Cornflakes box while cleaning out the house of his wife’s great aunt after she died. The road to Lipscomb for the letters began when Dr. Tim Johnson was in Chattanooga doing historical research into the Mexican War. A woman in a local cafe recognized the Lipscomb professor’s passion for history and introduced him to Peters, who said he hoped the letters could be translated, giving him more insight into his family’s history. That’s when Lipscomb foreign language professor Charlie McVey was contacted, due to his extensive training in German, and the library received the grant that will enable him to translate the letters. Working on these letters shifted his perspective of POW camps in general, McVey said. “I was just flabbergasted that these people were writing these letters back and were so effusively thankful and grateful,” McVey said. “Of course, also in these letters they’re asking for things,” McVey said. “One guy even puts his foot down on the paper and outlined his shoe saying ‘This is the size shoe I need.'” Going from being treated well by the Stribling family, who extended Christian character to their prisoners, to going back to a Germany in shambles was a shock, according to what McVey has...
by Ellen Butterfield | Jan 25, 2015 | News Slider
After spending much of January at Belmont University, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s tour of “Twelfth Night” will arrive at Lipscomb’s Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium this week. Shakespeare can frighten off modern audiences due to the confusing diction and seemingly out-of-date expressions. “Don’t be intimidated by the language,” said “Twelfth Night” cast member and Lipscomb senior Austin Hunt. Hunt is urging fellow students to give the play a try when it opens. “Show up and watch the show. Pay attention to what we’re saying, but pay attention to what we’re doing, too. We will tell the story to you through our actions and our physicality.” The production was written by William Shakespeare as a celebration for the 12 days of Christmas, but it is also an entertaining blend of comedy and romance infused with song. In “Twelfth Night,” a shipwreck occurs that forces a young girl named Viola to believe her twin brother has died. She then dresses up as him and takes a job with Duke Orcino, who loves Olivia. While disguised as a boy, Viola is sent by the Duke to woo Olivia for him. Olivia falls in love with Viola as a boy instead of the Duke. Twelfth Night speaks comedically about the power and problems of love. Hunt portrays Curio, a manservant to the duke. He has studied with The Nashville Shakespeare Festival since 2013, and he is proud to point out that to best enjoy Shakespeare’s writings, a visit to a live performance is necessary. “Shakespeare was never meant to be read,” Hunt said. “Shakespeare was meant to be performed and watched.” The challenge for Hunt is understanding...
