Woodberry Forest School

milestone“In 1958, Hanes Hall wasthe newest building on theWoodberry campus, and thededication, which was scheduledfor the weekend of theEHS football game, was ahuge event,” says Phoebe Warmack,library director since2008. Nearly 2,000 alumniand visitors attended the ceremony.Attendees honoredthe project’s principal donors,including William H. White,Jr., a member of the Class of1900 and Woodberry’s firstboard chairman, as well as thefamily and friends of AlexanderStephen Hanes, Jr. ’32,of Winston-Salem, who diedin a 1955 plane crash. Eightother donors were honoredwith designated memorials inthe building.Before dedication day, theboys had formed a “book brigade”to move every itemfrom the old library in WalkerBuilding to the new facility.According to the Oracle onNovember 8, 1958, “The linewas supervised by the boardof prefects to make sure thatno books or boys went astray.The complete cooperation ofthe prefects and the studentbody made it possible for thewhole operation to be completedin just fifty-nine minutes.”When Hanes Hall opened,only a portion of its threefloors was devoted to the library.In addition to housingthe library’s 5,867 volumes, aswell as a periodical room and alanguage laboratory, the buildingcontained dormitory spacefor fifteen students, the Oracleoffice, two faculty apartments,three class rooms, and a conferenceroom. But plans to expandthe library were already on thedrawing board. The Oraclenoted that the school hopedClockwise from upper left: The library’s collection is moved into Hanes Hall, thanks tothe students; the microfilm reader was considered state of the art in the early days ofthe library; Jim Frazier ’09 and Lance Munger ’09 discussing an assignment – the settingmay be the same (even the chandeliers), but the William H. White Jr. Library offersmany more resources to students than were available in 1959; Christian Samper’09 reads a novel on a Kindle tm in the reading alcove; the checkout system is computerizednow, but readers can still find cards in the back of books with due dates fromfifty or more years ago; Playaways are the most portable way to enjoy a book.to add “technological marvels,”including “a collectionof tape and disc recordingswith players . . . earphones attachedto these machines sothat a student may enjoy themwithout disturbing others . . .[and] visual aids such as slideand filmstrip projectors anda screen . . . .”Today the library’s collection— which includes morethan 33,500 books, ninetyfourprint periodicals, andthe Norfleet Archives Room— fills every inch of HanesHall. There are also high-techresources the likes of whichwere unimaginable fifty yearsago. Twenty-eight subscriptiondatabases are accessiblethrough the school’s wirelessnetwork. A plasma TV, a cozytheater with a surround-soundsystem, and a large DVD collectionare housed in the BelkAudio-Visual Center. Studentsinterested in bestsellers andother leisure reading can borrowa Kindle, an electronicreading device that holds up to200 books. Or they can listen tothe recording of a single bookthrough disposable earbuds ona tiny, portable electronic devicecalled the Playaway.Woodberry marked HanesHall’s fiftieth anniversarywith a display of memorabiliaassembled by archivist KarenCulbertson. According toPhoebe Warmack, the exhibitwas popular with the boysand other library visitors.“We are very proud of all thatthis library has meant overthe years to the Woodberrycommunity,” she says, “andwe are committed to ensuringits continued excellence forgenerations to come.”Historical information compiled byarchivist Karen Culbertson.On a balmy November night lastfall, on the evening before TheGame, 600 guests were welcomedto a festively decorated Barbee Center tokick off the public phase of Woodberry’s$100 million capital campaign, Our StrongBand. The black-tie event featured liveperformances by student musicians andcompelling speeches by alumni and friendswho addressed the campaign’s priorities.Masters of ceremonies Haynes Griffin ’65and Sion Boney ’74 — outgoing and currentboard chairmen, respectively — introducedguest speakers whose anecdotes and fondrecollections reminded the alumni, parents,and friends in attendance of Woodberry’sA Nightto Rememberby Mary Colemanthe ambitious our strong band campaign kicks off with appreciation of thewoodberry experience and hopes for the school’s futurerich history and inspired them to play a rolein securing its bright future.Highlights included special recognitionof the oldest alumnus present, Ted Scott ’36,whose financial aid story helped make thecase for the school’s commitment to scholarshipendowments. Also present were legendarycoach and athletic director Red Caughronand his wife, Cathy, who served the schoolfor thirty years and founded the WoodberrySports Camp. The two received a standingovation as Headmaster Dennis Campbell announcedthe creation of the Caughron AthleticComplex, which will encompass all ofthe school’s playing fields and facilities fromFinch Track to Murrell Baseball Field.Campaign Chairman John Baker ’66closed out the evening with an enthusiasticcall to action: “Considering the importantplace that this school holds in ourlives, Woodberry Forest has asked little ofus in return. We now have an opportunityto demonstrate our gratitude and appreciation.Despite these challenging economictimes, it is an opportunity to ‘take the longview’ — to do our part now to ensure thatWoodberry has all that it needs for futuregenerations. For together we are WoodberryForest — past, present, and future. Thisschool’s pride is our pride, and its successwill be our success.”The Woodberry Jazz Band performs for guests; Maynard Ball ’74 enjoys a speaker’s anecdotes; music teacher Tim Stakem and Carlos Aguirre ’09 begin theevening with a bagpipe performance.34 woodberry forest magazine and journal fall 2008 / winter 2009 35