A fund has been established at Lipscomb University's Beaman Library in memory of Dr. Norman L. Parks, former academic dean at Lipscomb and longtime faculty member at MTSU.
Established by Dr. Richard C. Goode, associate professor of history at Lipscomb, and his wife, Candyee, the fund will enable Beaman Library to purchase books and other materials to support Lipscomb's Center for International Peace and Justice, said Carolyn Wilson, associate librarian and director of library services.
"I am pleased that we are getting support to enhance collections relating to the missions of our centers," Wilson said.
"While we have collection support in a general way, there is no budget support for the library specifically directed to particular programs or broad missions of the various centers. This is a beginning we can build on to bring in resources that will be beneficial to the purposes of the Center for International Peace and Justice and also honor a man who believed that the library was the heart of the academic community," she said.
Goode, a CIPJ fellow, said he hoped the fund would attract other contributors who wish to honor Dr. Parks or those with a "passion for matters of international peace and justice.
"The ever-evolving nature of international peace and justice taxes the library's collection development in this area. We hoped that such a fund would help sustain Lipscomb's history of global engagement. The work of the Students for International Peace and Justice, for example, illustrates that the tradition is alive and thriving here on campus. Ideally, the Parks Fund can help provide the latest resources to inform our deliberations and inspire new initiatives," Goode said.
Dr. Parks was a member of the Lipscomb faculty from 1934-42 and served as academic dean from 1939-42, during which he also taught history and journalism and served as director of publications. He is credited with building a faculty and curriculum that were instrumental in the school's advance to senior college status in 1948. He was a senior editorial writer at The Tennessean from 1944-49, and taught at MTSU from 1953 until his retirement in 1974. He died in 1997.
In 1934, amidst the growing world turbulence that would lead to World War II, he was instrumental in establishing Lipscomb's International Relations Club. The club encouraged students to be critically informed on and active in contemporary political events, Goode said.
"Dr. Parks helped students seriously face the looming cataclysm by hosting book discussions, presentations on the scourge of anti-Semitism, and sessions on the militarization of the Far East," Goode said. "In the midst of these global crises, moreover, Dr. Parks honored [university co-founder] David Lipscomb's theology of nonviolence, counseling young men on U.S. draft laws and military service."
As did the IR Club, today's Center for International Peace and Justice promotes greater awareness and understanding of international affairs, particularly on questions of peace, security and justice, Goode said.
"To achieve these goals requires a library of the first order. Acknowledging the gifts of those of our past, addressing the concerns of the present, and anticipating the needs of the future, we hope that the Parks Fund will contribute resources for Lipscomb to continue equipping and inspiring enthusiastic, lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ," Goode said.
To contribute, checks should be made out to Lipscomb University and earmarked to the "Norman Parks Fund." Send donations to Lipscomb University, Advancement Office, 3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN 37204-3951.
For more information on the center, visit http://cipj.lipscomb.edu.