Peggy - if you can, call me on Heather's cell - 818-3296. Don't call mine - I gave it to Sam Bruton (one of my neighbors) because I didn't want him and his family to be without communication.

Glad to hear that so many library folks are okay. I have been really worried about all you guys. I did talk to Diane on her home phone last night. She is fine. I think she rode out the storm at her parent's house. Ron and I came to Hattiesburg Tuesday to try to check on Ron's family. Everyone was okay, and we were able to bring his grandmother back to Alabama with us.  Mary

Message from Elizabeth Beck at Millsaps:

I spoke to my sister, Allisa Beck, who is a librarian at the USM GC library, on Friday.  She's fine and her home is okay, and she has seen Ed McCormack and he and his family are safe, although they lost their home, but do have another place to stay.  I don't have info about any other staff members at the library or other places on campus.  Allisa walked around the campus and she said that the older buildings are gone or gutted.  She said it looked as if the library only got a small amount of water on the first floor.  She seemed very positive about the state of the building compared to others on campus.  I'll pass on any other info about USM GC people if I hear anything.

I just got on line today but in one of my full inboxes was a link to a handy summary of USMGC damage from Gary Stringer, posted on 9/1/05: "The little house is gone, the white wood President's House that was up front on highway 90 is gone, next-door St. Thomas Aquinas Church is gone except for a fragment of the steeple lying on the ground. Even though Hardy Hall and the larger buildings appear to be standing, I'm sure they're ruined. But the Friendship Oak has made it through one more time."

This concern for a campus an hour's drive from hattiesburg isn't as odd as it may sound, as the Donne Society held it's yearly meeting on the coast campus for nearly 20 years, and the sites he mentions are the ones that we members knew best. The Donne website also has a closer aerial photo than the one linked on an earlier thread to this message board. See at

http://johndonnesociety.tamu.edu/GP-Closeup_edited.jpg

Kay Harris has indeed been staying with me, along with her husband Jorge, two fine dogs, and three very sweet cats. (Jonathan Barron and Ellen Weinauer's remarkable cat Luna is also here, along with my two; I'm loving it, but stay away if you have allergies.) Some good news: Kay and Jorge's home in Bay St. Louis and also Jorge's studio have somehow survived Katrina. The buildings are soaked, but they're still there.

Also, o ye librarians, Danielle Bishop posted a note today on Child_Lit that the De Grummond library in McCain sustained no damage. They had gone in on Sunday and done a good bit of preparation.

I think all of us here in Hattiesburg are in task mode--cleaning up, making do, helping out. I'm sure a number of churches have been receiving donations from elsewhere; my own has been designated as a reception area by the diocese and lots of us have been having a meaningful time packing up groceries and other useful items for storm victims. It's good to have good things to do in a time like this. Those of you at a distance can write checks to the Red Cross or Salvation Army, and encourage your friends to do the same.

Cheers,

Jameela