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Best-selling
authors bring spotlight to HPU
What
a difference a day makes! That really could be the adage at High Point University.
The wondrous transformation of the physical campus is easily seen, but
less visible to the eye is the intellectual change.
Last week in just one day, High Pointers welcomed two best-selling
authors to the HPU campus. Mitch Albom, whose first
novel, “Tuesdays With Morrie,” remained on the New
York Times bestseller list for four straight years, and Stedman Graham, who
has had two best-sellers on the list.
Now, many of you might not know that Graham is a prolific writer as
well as a much sought after speaker.
Yes, he is Oprah’s significant other, best buddy or perhaps special
friend. Now, let me put any rumors to rest. The tabloids list their
friendship as “on again and off again” but you are reading it here first:
Oprah and Stedman aren’t “on again”; they are just on and still together no
matter what you read.
Now to the business at hand. According to Nido
Qubein, one of the things that HPU is doing for
students is exposing them to some of the “best thinkers of our time, some of
the best authors of our time, and some of the movers and shakers of our
The wondrous transformation of the physical campus is easily seen, but
less visible to the eye is the intellectual change.
time.” The HPU president wants High Pointers
to know that school is their university. So, High Pointers had the
opportunity to hear these two authors, who spoke at the beautiful Hayworth
Fine Arts Center, for free.
Both authors were welcomed at events attended by VIFs
(very important friends) of the university. A reception in the Sechrest
Art Gallery
was given for Albom.
The sportswriter and television commentator graciously signed copies
of his new book “For One More Day” before and after speaking. It was good to
see Jesse Millis, who came with Shirley Erath and her daughter. As books were
signed and the reception ended, the Pauline Theater
quickly became filled.
I won’t go into detail about Albom’s speech
but he talked about the story behind “Tuesdays With Morrie.”
It is interesting that his first bestseller was followed by a second, “The
Five People You Meet in Heaven.” Morrie was a
college professor of Albom’s whom he had not seen
for years when Morrie appeared on a national TV
show discussing his slow death from the always terminal Lou Gehrig’s disease, the same disease that took High Point’s
Yogi Yarborough in January and the disease that High Pointer Mike Mollison currently is battling.
This inspired Albom to visit the professor,
with whom he had been close in college, and thus his Tuesday visits with Morrie began.
When Albom asked about Mor
rie’s greatest fear, it wasn’t dying but it was
leaving his family in such debt from his mountainous pile of medical bills. Albom wanted to help so they started a journal and
thought that, if published, Albom would pay off Morrie’s debt.
Publisher after publisher rejected the manuscript. One major publisher
said that Albom did not understand how to write.
Finally, when a publisher did agree, Albom
became skeptical and confided in his literary agent. He was afraid that the
tough football players in the locker room that he normally interviewed would
not talk with him because of writing this “soft” book. To that his literary
agent said, “You don’t need to worry. No one will ever read that book a ny w ay.” That book became the No. 1 selling memoir ever
published, and that same literary agent was sitting in the Pauline Theatre
audience. The book has sold over 11 million copies and became a TV movie
produced by Oprah! Now to Stedman Graham.
Graham is no stranger to High
Point. He came to High Point to work for Bob Brown, chairman
and CEO of B&C Associates, when he was starting in the public relations
field. Graham credits Brown for being his mentor. Please don’t quote me on
this but I think that Brown was instrumental in introducing Stedman to Oprah.
Brown is one of those stellar High Pointers who keeps a rather low profile in
their home town but really is a major force in public relations
internationally.
Brown served as special assistant to the president when Richard Nixon
was in the White House. During the civil rights movement, Brown traveled with
Martin Luther King Jr. and even was arrested twice for seeking service in
segregated restaurants. Can you imagine t h at !
Brown currently serves on the Board of Trustees for High Point University
and is a close friend of Qubein. In fact, last
month when President Bush came to the Triad, you probably read that the
president made a visit to Stamey’s Barbecue. What
you might not know is that President Bush through his secret service arranged
to eat that lunch with Qubein, Brown and a couple
of others.
Reportedly, Qubein sat next to the president
and spoke mostly of High Point
University during their
90 minute lunch.
At a luncheon held for Graham before speaking, he seemed comfortable
as he warmly greeted each person. He was especially warm with friends Dr.
Otis and Barbara Tillman. Want to know who sat next to him at lunch? It was
Mariana Qubein and Katherine Covington. Covington reminds us
that her Good Friends Luncheon has changed locations and dates this year so
ladies mark you calendars for Dec. 6 at the High Point Country Club.
I sat with GeneKester.Heis taking theclosing of thelong timefamily business,Rose Furniture,in stride.It seems that,at onetime,RoseFurniture
was a very valued customer of manufacturers such as Thomasvilleand
Bassett.That changed to competitors when thosemanufacturers and others opened their own stores.High Pointers will miss Rose Fur niture.
Graham gave a motivational speech that synopsized his latest book,
“Diversity: Leaders not Labels.” Afterward, he signed copies of his book.
The long line included John Frederick, a member of First Baptist
Church on Washington Drive.
Frederick
told Graham that his church was gaining historical status and invited him to
attend their anniversary celebration on Nov. 19. Graham answered that he
would put it on his c a l en d a r.
That is how it is for High
Point now. As HPU has become one of the “colleges in
America today,” according
to Qubein, so, too is High Point.
So High Pointers take pride in your university
MARY BOGEST is an artist and writer who resides in High Point. 883 4291 | MSBogest@aol.com
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