7 May 26

While working at Eastern Kentucky University, I served many years on the ADA Awareness & Accessibility Committee. One of our major duties was to help the administration identify and deal with all of the physical barriers for mobility around the campus. National Barrier Awareness Day, observed annually on May 7, aims to eliminate physical, social, and economic obstacles preventing people with disabilities from fully participating in society. My tie's design features the official tartan for EKU.

7 May 23

I'm wearing my official EKU tartan tie to honor the 117th anniversary of the founding of Eastern Kentucky University -- when the Kentucky Normal School Commission selected the former Central University site for the new school! This coming week is "finals" for Spring 2023, with college commencement ceremonies on Friday. I've been associated with EKU since 1987.

27 April 22

Today is Denim Day, an international project to reflect support for victims of sexual harassment and violence. Above my denims I am wearing my EKU Tartan tie, because I am being recognized for 25 years of service to Eastern Kentucky University (as shown on my tie tack). The list of honorees for this "achievement" numbers 12, including my friends Betina Gardner, MyraBeth Bundy, Abby Horn and Michael Land. Actually I've been here for 34 years but the first nine years of teaching part-time do not "count." And I am completing my 26th year on the staff, but the special recognition event was not held last year due to the pandemic.

7 May 21

On this date in the history of Eastern Kentucky University: In 1906, the Kentucky Normal School Commission selected the (abandoned) Central University site for the new university, to be called Eastern Kentucky State Normal School No. 1. For many years EKU claimed two founding dates, 1874 and 1906. The standard history traces back to the beginnings of Central University in 1874, but the "state school" that exists today was created on 7 May 1906. My tie shows the official EKU Tartan. It was a gift from EKU comrade Shirley Peganoff O'Brien a few years ago, whose recent birthday (25 April) went unheralded by me this time. Also of personal interest is the birthday tomorrow of George Burr Kinner (1815-1899), one of my eight great-great-grandfathers. He was born in Connecticut and lived near Nyack, New York, apparently as a farmer. This is the last Friday for tie-wearing for a while, because EKU is shifting to its four-days-a-week work schedule for the summer. 

7 May 20

Today I'm celebrating a major event in the history of Eastern Kentucky University. In 1906, the Kentucky Normal School Commission selected the old Central University site for the new university. It was first called a normal school (for teacher preparation), and had several name changes before becoming EKU in 1966. The university claims both 1874 (for Central University) and 1906 as the founding dates. My tie features the official EKU Tartan. (I began teaching at EKU in 1987 and switched to full time staff in 1996. My academic heritage includes Houghton College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Asbury Theological Seminary and University of Kentucky.)

7 May 19

Today marks 113 years since the Normal School Commission of the Kentucky General Assembly selected the site of Central University in Richmond, KY, as the location for "Eastern Kentucky State Normal School." It soon became "Eastern Kentucky State College." By 1966 the institution had grown to become Eastern Kentucky University. Our university honors the history of Central University by claiming its founding date of 1874, and University Drive features a large historical marker describing that school. But the official state declaration on this date in 1906 gives us continuity to the present. My tie, a gift from faculty comrade Dr. Shirley O'Brien, features the official EKU tartan.

7 May 18

On this date in 1906, the Kentucky Normal School Commission selected the site of the older "Central University" to become Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. Today, Eastern Kentucky University traces its founding to 1874, but the entrance sign still retains a "shadow" where the 1906 date had also been recorded. I became associated with EKU in 1987, in its 113th or 81st year. My tie features the official EKU tartan, placed on the Scottish Register of Tartans in 1974. The tie was a recent gift from a faculty friend who appreciates my support for online learning!