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I
had the privilege of attending
a special dedication ceremony
in honor of Dr. Anna Lee Cooke
at Lane College held Saturday
evening, December 3rd. I
received an invitation to this
distinguished event a few weeks
prior and had decided to make
a point to attend.
I
also discovered that the same
evening in the same facility,
the Lane College Concert Choir
would be performing their annual
Christmas Concert. I’m
a big fan of music, especially
in a holiday setting, so naturally
that peeked my interest too.
Having
another engagement scheduled
in Nashville earlier that same
day, I had to rush around a
bit to arrive at the Chambers-McClure
Academic Center on the Lane
College Campus by 7:30p. Needless
to say, I arrived about 15 minutes
late and was very disappointed
to discover I’d missed the performance
by the Lane College Wind and
Brass Ensemble. Nevertheless,
the performance by the Concert
Choir was absolutely delightful!
I often
wonder why we as Jacksonians
(or maybe it’s just me) don’t
attend more events hosted by
area colleges and universities.
After my experience Saturday
night, I truly recognized first
hand what a valuable asset these
schools are to our community.
I especially enjoyed the
Choir’s rendition of “Behold
the Lamb of God” by Allen F.
Todd, II. WOW! It’s
been a long time since I’ve
felt such electrifying energy
pour from the stage performance
of any choir. When I think
of choirs, most of the images
and sounds I recall are somewhat
solemn and ceremonious. But
this….this was more celebration
through interpretation and expression.
I all but saw the entire
audience become captivated by
the performance… to the point
that few people were sitting
still. I too couldn’t
sit still between my toe-tapping
and hand-clapping. Isn’t
this the way holiday celebration
is supposed to be?
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Upon
the conclusion of this spectacular
performance the entire audience
filed upstairs to the Library
for the dedication ceremony
of the Dr. Anna Lee Cooke Library
Archival Room. I knew
very little of Dr. Cooke and
her accomplishments, but after
the ceremony it was very clear
to me why she received this
prestigious honor. Among
Dr. Cooke’s many accomplishments
here’s a small sampling: Librarian
at Lane College (1967-1988),
received an Honorary Doctorate
of Humane Letters (1993), Director
of Alumni Affairs, Director
of Public Relations, Editor
of the Lane College Reporter,
Inaugural Speaker of the Jennie
E. Lane Lecture Series (1993)
and authored the book titled
Lane College: Its Heritage and
Outreach 1882-1982 (Published
in 1987).
Lane
College was founded in 1882
and very clearly has a rich
history of which Dr. Anna Lee
Cooke took personal interest
in preserving. Hence the
dedication ceremony of this
special archival room housed
in the Library on the 3rd floor
of the Chambers-McClure Academic
Center.
I
felt honored to be sitting in
the audience during the readings
of two Proclamations this past
Saturday evening. The
first declaring the dedication
of the archival room, and the
second from the City of Jackson
and Mayor Charles Farmer’s office
declaring December 3rd as Dr.
Anna Lee Cooke day in Jackson.
Special
thanks to Lane College for inviting
me to share in this very special
evening of events. It
was an experience I won’t soon
forget and I will certainly
take note of opportunities to
attend performances and events
like these in the future.
Dickson
is the owner of The Dickson
Gallery of Fine Art at 118 E
Lafayette Street. She may be
contacted by email at rachel@dicksongallery.com
or by phone at 423-9708.
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