Grain & Chaff

Diamonds are forever

Special Collections and Archives' latest campus history exhibit, "Baseball Memories: A Historic Look at America's Favorite Pastime, 1860s to 1960s," documents the evolution of baseball from the early beginnings of the Massachusetts Agricultural College up to the creation of the University system, as well as the activities of local town teams, Negro leagues, and women's leagues of that period. Materials featured in the exhibit are culled from University archives, manuscript collections, rare book collections, and the Library's general collection. Included are histories, letters, unique books, poems, photographs, news clippings, schedules, posters, gloves, and other artifacts, such as Ellsworth "Dutch" Barnard's 1928 woolen baseball uniform. The exhibit runs through Oct. 15. The display may be viewed weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Reading Room, Special Collections and Archives, floor 25, Du Bois Library.

Personnel effects

Breck Pierce has been promoted to the post of assistant to the director of Development Operations. Pierce has been with the Development Office since January 1999. ... Nicole Letourneau recently resigned as associate news editor in the News Office to serve as press secretary to U.S. Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.). ... Sarah Tanner has resigned as director of Development at the Library.

The write stuff

A new publication released by APPA, The Association of Higher Education Facility Officers, includes several chapters written by Theodore J. Weidner, associate vice chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services, who's also one of the co-authors of "Maintenance Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities." According to Weidner, the guide uses data from higher education institutions nationwide to recommend various staffing levels for the maintenance of buildings encompassing classrooms, laboratories, administrative, and residential areas. He indicated that "this book completes a triad of guidelines which focus on custodial, grounds, and now building maintenance. Each of these guides provides essential information for colleges and universities that is not available anywhere else."

Weidner is the book review editor for APPA's bi-monthly publication, Facility Manager, and he also is contributing a chapter for the next edition of "Managing the Facilities Portfolio," to be published jointly by APPA and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

'Becky' goes to the Big Apple

A new, one-woman show starring alumna Rebecca Hardin-Thrift debuts this week in Northampton before opening at the International Fringe Festival in New York next month. "The Becky Show" is the story of Hardin-Thrift's growing up poor in rural Belmont, N.C., where impoverished whites are known as "trash." The show evolved from a monologue the MFA in Fiction Writing graduate developed as part of an independent study course with English professor Jenny Spencer. Independent producer Patricia Matthew, a doctoral student in English, attended a performance of the monologue and teamed up with Hardin-Thrift. After receiving a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, Matthew recruited a director and submitted a tape of the show to the International Fringe Festival, where it won a coveted spot in the lower East Side performance showcase. "The Becky Show" will be performed at the A.P.E. Performance Space on the third floor of Thornes Marketplace in Northampton on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $10; call 586-5553 to reserve.