This exhibition showcases books from the Archives Reading Room collection and their varied connections to Central Piedmont's history. Featured alongside the books are artifacts from our archival collections, including letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and more.

Joseph Bathanti is an English professor at Appalachian State University. He’s the former Poet Laureate of North Carolina (2012-2014) and recipient of the 2016 North Carolina Award in Literature.

The Visiting Artist Program began in 1971, under the collaboration of the North Carolina Community College System and the North Carolina Arts Council. The goal of the program was to introduce NC communities to new and different art forms. Over 10 artists visited Central Piedmont.

Related Artifacts:

• The first newsletter (1988) of the Visiting Artist Program.
• Clippings (1971) from college publications introducing Central Piedmont’s first visiting artist, Joan Brown.
  • Clipping 1 | Clipping 2

Betty Jane “Bee Jay” Caldwell is an author, re-enactor, community activist, and a native of Pottstown, a historically Black neighborhood in Huntersville, North Carolina. She’s also a former student and former employee of Central Piedmont. In late 2023, she donated some of her materials, such as publications, writings, and photographs, to the Central Piedmont Archives. The collection is currently being processed for future access.

Related Artifacts:

• A lyric poem (undated) by Bee Jay Caldwell from the Historic Pottstown Collection.
• A photograph (2023) of Bee Jay Caldwell sketching a map of Pottstown and donating some of her materials to the Central Piedmont Archives.

Pauline Dove was a chair of the Visual Arts Program and a studio art instructor at Central Piedmont for 30 years before retiring in 2000. Her multi-medium approach to artmaking includes 2D art (drawings, paintings, prints), 3D objects (ceramics), and handcrafted books.

Related Artifacts:

• The Broken Heart: A True Story (1995) by Pauline Dove. It is a handcrafted accordion fold book about Pauline Dove’s great uncle. Only 30 of these books exist.
• A photograph (undated) of Pauline Dove working on a piece of art.
• A clipping (1984) from Inside CPCC, a staff publication, about Pauline Dove’s thoughts regarding artists using modern technologies to create art. 

Harry Golden was a writer and newspaper publisher. He published The Carolina Israelite (1942-1968) and several books. He was also a creative writing instructor at Central Piedmont. His home used to be 1312 Elizabeth Avenue. Parking Deck 3 (next to Worrell) stands in its place today.

Related Artifacts:

• A letter (1973) from Harry Golden to Dr. Richard Hagemeyer, Central Piedmont’s first president, requesting the installation of a stone monument in front of his house. This monument still stands there today in front of Parking Deck 3.
• A sketch (1973) of the monument drawn by Harry Golden.
• An AP Wire photograph (1969) of Harry Golden teaching a creative writing class at Central Piedmont.

Dr. Peter Carl Goldmark was a Hungarian-American engineer who worked on the development of the long-playing (LP) record. He also developed field-sequential color technology for color television. During his professional career, he worked with Columbia Records/CBS. He also collaborated with Central Piedmont on a project called ACCESS (Association of Community Colleges for Excellence in Systems and Services) before his untimely death in 1977.

Related Artifacts:

• A letter (1975) from Dr. Goldmark to Dr. Richard Hagemeyer, Central Piedmont’s first president, thanking him for the kind compliments after Dr. Goldmark received an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
• A photograph (1976) of Dr. Goldmark. Dr. Hagemeyer stands in the background.
• An LP record with a clipping (1979) from The Spark, a student newspaper, about Dr. Goldmark’s first LP record being displayed in the Music Library. The clipping is surrounded by photos of the Music Library before it moved to its present location in Sloan-Morgan.

Ron and Katherine Harper founded the Harper Corporation of America in 1971. The company is an anilox roll supplier and the global leader in the flexography industry. (Flexography is a form of rotary printing in which ink is applied to various surfaces by means of flexible rubber printing plates.) There are buildings, campuses, and departments named for the Harpers at many colleges across the Carolinas, including Central Piedmont’s Harper Campus and the Harper National Flexographic Center.

Related Artifacts:

• The Harder I Work, the Luckier I Get! (2004) was written by Ron Harper, and The Longer I Live, the More I Learn (2007) was written by Katherine Harper.
• A photograph (undated) of Katherine and Ron Harper.
• A photograph (1999) of Katherine and Ron Harper at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Harper National Flexography Center. 

Irene Blair Honeycutt was a creative writing instructor at Central Piedmont and the founding director of the Spring Literary Festival and its Program Advisory Committee. The festival began in 1993 and later evolved to become ArtsFest in 2007 and Sensoria in 2010. 

Awards for her writing and advocacy of writers include a North Carolin Arts Council Scholarship, a Creative Fellowship from the Charlotte Arts and Science Council, and a Best of Charlotte Award from Creative Loafing for Best Contribution to the Improvement of Charlotte’s Literary Climate.

Related Artifacts:

• A plaque (2007) saluting Irene Blair Honeycutt for founding and directing the Spring Literary Festival.
• A photograph (1996) of Irene Blair Honeycutt with Mary Jane Oliver, a poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
• A Valentine’s Day poem (1990) from Dr. Ruth G. Shaw’s presidential papers.

Norris W. Preyer was an instructor at Guildford College (1953-1957) and Queens University (1957-1990). His papers are housed in UNC Charlotte’s J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives and contain notes of his book, Hezekiah Alexander and the Revolution in the Backcountry.

Hezekiah Alexander was one of the framers of North Carolina’s first Constitution and first Bill of Rights. He’s also believed to have signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The Hezekiah Alexander Rock House, located at 3500 Shamrock Drive, is the oldest surviving house in Mecklenburg County. It was constructed in 1774.

Central Piedmont’s log home building class was instrumental in the reconstruction of the homesite’s historic kitchen.

Related Artifacts:

• A clipping (1983) from Inside CPCC, a staff publication, about log home building students working on the reconstruction of the kitchen at the Hezekiah Alexander homesite.
• A photograph (1983) of the log home building class working on the historic kitchen. In the background stands the Alexander Rock House. 

Dr. Anthony (Tony) Zeiss was the third president of Central Piedmont Community College from 1992 to 2016. Under his leadership, Central Piedmont became a multi-campus institution. He was also recognized as a national leader in Workforce Development. Dr. Zeiss has published several books on various topics, including American history, economic development, creating high-performance employees, and advancing one’s career.

Related Artifacts:

• A photograph (1999) of Dr. Zeiss at the groundbreaking of the Harper National Flexography Center, named in honor of Ron and Katherine Harper, longtime supporters of Central Piedmont and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.
• An award (2006) presented to Dr. Zeiss by the Charlotte Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The Pegasus Award is given to an individual outside of the public relations profession who demonstrates superior knowledge and use of public relations for the betterment of the community.