Monday, February 18, 2002

WILMINGTON, NC- The book From These Beginnings by Dr. J. Marshall Crews, has been republished 18 years after the original release in 1984. This chronological history of Wilmington College from 1946 to 1969 was republished by the Publishing Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington because it was out of print. “I am very happy with the book. I think they did a good job,” praises Crews.

Dr. Crews was one of the original faculty members of Wilmington College at the time of its founding in 1947. He served the college and UNC Wilmington as mathematics professor, registrar, dean of students, academic dean and director of admissions. He retired in 1981.

The reprint of the book is an exact replica of the 1984 issue with the correction of some misspelled names and typing errors. According to Dr. Stanley Colbert, distinguished visiting professor of creative writing at UNCW and director of the publishing laboratory, the only difference between this book and the original is the cover. “We thought the cover in 1984 was out of date,” comments Colbert. “A photo of Hoggard Hall was chosen for the cover because it is a fairly significant point in the development of Wilmington College and the university,” Colbert stated. The original cover was a picture of the Isaac Bear Building, part of New Hanover High School, which was torn down in the 1960s.

Tyrone Rowell, senior associate vice chancellor for university advancement, helped get the approval from the chancellor and the funds to reprint the book. The book was republished because the university no longer had any copies left, and the plates from the old book had been destroyed. “I had some people ask for the book and that was when I realized we didn’t have anymore copies,” Rowell explains. The new copy of the book has a history of its own. “After the attacks on the World Trade Center, the books got stuck in New York City while they were there being printed,” states Rowell. The printing house where the books were being printed is near the World Trade Center and after the attacks, no one was able to get to them.

Crews has also self-published another book about history for his children. The book titled, Pea Ridge: 1919-1931, is a memoir of his childhood in west Tennessee country. “My kids always wanted to know what it was like to grow up in a log cabin, so along with their help and my wife’s, I wrote this book,” comments Crews.

From These Beginnings: Wilmington College 1946-1969 is now available at the UNCW bookstore. Cost is $15.