MURFREESBORO, Tenn. —
Dr. J. Lee Owen reminisced about his passion for searching for and
collecting vintage books, especially first edition print copies by southern
author Eudora Welty from his
hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
Michael Kreyling,
professor emeritus of English at Vanderbilt
University, squeezed decades of research and insight regarding Welty, who
wrote about the American South, especially her native Mississippi, into a
captivating 40-minute talk.
Owen, Kreyling and others spoke on the occasion of the
opening of the “Eudora Welty: Her Life
and Legacy” exhibit that will continue through Thursday, May 4, in Special Collections, Room 444, in and
the James E. Walker Library.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. To find the
library and nearby parking, visit http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap. To learn about
visitor parking regulations, including free parking in the Rutherford lots,
purchasing a one-day parking permit and more, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visitors.php.
Owen and his wife, Sophia,
who live in Murfreesboro, knew Welty, who died in 2001. J. Lee Owen, a
pediatrician in Jackson for 50 years, became charmed with her works.
“Miss Welty was a wonderful and gifted Mississippi lady,”
Owen said. “… She got everything (award-wise) except one thing — a Nobel Prize
— and she should’ve gotten that.”
He shared a story of attending a used book sale and finding
a signed, first edition Welty book. The price marked was $2.
“I thought I’d found a pot of gold,” said Owen, knowing the
true value of the book. He quickly grabbed some cookbooks for his wife, and in
the final exchange needed one more item to finish the $13.75 transaction he
paid with in cash. “I bought a $3,500 book for $2 and a (25-cent) doughnut.”
After being introduced by Honors College associate dean Philip Phillips, Kreyling told the
audience, “I wish I could’ve found that book.” Owen’s quick response: “Everything
has a price.” It generated laughter from attendees.
Kreyling, who met Welty for the first time in 1973, retraced
the author’s career through research-based stories and online images from the
1930s forward.
“She was just like a (regular) person more than a (famous)
author,” he said.
Walker Library Dean Bonnie
Allen said she is just thrilled the collection was made available for 30
days.
“I hope our students take advantage of this excellent
opportunity,” she said. “It’s a valuable collection of a southern author and a
great one at that.”
Phillips recognized the efforts of his research assistant, Megan Donelson, a doctoral English
student from Wooster, Ohio, who was co-curator with him, and Susan Lyons, who
befriended the Owens and learned about the Welty collection.
Laura Owen of
Nashville and Margaret Showalter of
Murfreesboro, two of the Owens’ four children, attended the opening event.
The exhibit is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Department
of English, Honors College and Walker Library.
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