Digging into Jim's Stuff

Bluebooks from student
days in the 70s

I have gone through most of my stuff.  I am hesitant to tackle my journals because I tended to write in them as therapy.  They may be depressing.  The photo albums look overwhelming so I'll postpone them until later too.  I can't get rid of everything.  Just yesterday I received a request to tutor another adult at Hope Ministries so I'm glad I saved some of my teaching materials.

So I started in on Jim's stuff!   Rather than asking him to do it on his own, I have been bringing up several folders each day from desk drawers in the basement.  He has recycled almost everything I bring to his attention.  In fact, I am the one who says we need to save this or that.

 I saved the letters of employment from North Carolina State University--the first one offering him a tenure track position as an assistant professor for $13,000.  This was 1976 and we thought that would do very well for us.  Each year there was another complimentary letter from Bob Bryan, the department head, with a nice raise.  There were letters recommending Jim for a teaching award and a research award.  They were worth keeping too. We did throw out  rejection letters and there were a few of those as well.  We don't need to be reminded of the tension of job searches.

There were lots of Dead Sea Scrolls clippings.   For several years, the release and publication of the scrolls was quite controversial with accusations of bias and withholding information.  Jim was quoted in our local papers as well as some national papers.  I kept single copies of some of the articles, but we did have in one case, at least four of the same thing!

Today's pile includes Jim's seminary and Harvard notes.  Yesterday's was the notes from his years of teaching undergraduates at NCSU.  Tomorrow's may be the pile of sermons he delivered as a guest preacher.

When Jim retired, he gave so many books to graduate students and donated others to the Theological Network which meant some ended up in an Ethiopian seminary.  But there are so many more.  Downsizing from really two rooms at home with books along the walls and an office surrounded by books is going to be painful and difficult for him.  Good thing we have plenty of time to do this with no date for a move set yet.