We recently celebrated the life of my great Uncle, John Marsh.
Uncle John graduated from Berea College as a Valedictorian in 1954. Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Its motto: “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.” (Acts:17-26) He attended Princeton on a merit scholarship for English. He was a brilliant man.
He left Princeton to serve in the United States Air Force, earning a Master of Science from Columbia University and a Juris Doctor from New York University. He worked as a head law librarian in New York for many years.
At his Catholic Funeral at St. Stephen Catholic Church, Father John Hanic stated that learning about my uncle John from the family reminded him of what he had read by Kurt Vonnegut, “And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from the shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.”
“So, the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”
Father Hanic also stated he had spoken at many funerals and believed this was the first of someone who went to Princeton.
Uncle John was an avid collector of rare books, generously contributing to the personal libraries of his friends and family. He loved snooping through antique stores and getting lost in their history. Catawba River Antique Mall was one of his favorites.
He kept writing eloquent letters and corresponded with a friend from Berea College for 70 years with a friend from Berea College. They became close friends when she could not take a Latin class because she was the only one who signed up and was told two were required for a class. He signed up with her.
When she heard the news of John’s passing, she said, “Ancora Imparo,” meaning I am still learning. That phrase is often attributed to Michal Angelo, who said it at 87 while working on St. Peter’s Basilica.
When John visited Belmont, he would walk from his grandmother’s home to the Queen of Apostles Church for service. In my hometown, Belmont, which is the home of Belmont Abbey, I researched some about its library. Our history shows that monastic libraries were essential for spiritual and intellectual growth. The Abbot Vincent Taylor Library dates back to 1886. The initial collection started with 300 books. A fire gutted the library in 1900, including the initial library collection.
The library was rebuilt and houses a rare book collection, including those the first monks chose during their stories in Rome. A significant collection of papers related to “the poet-priest of the south,” Father Abram J. Ryan, who wrote the famous poem “The Conquered Banner” after General Robert Lee’s surrender. The final verse reads:
Furl that banner softly, slowly!
Treat it gently-It is holy-
For it droops above the dead
Touch it not-unfold it never
Let it droop there, furled forever
For its people, hopes are dead!
This statement has been interpreted as the defeat was final and the Confederate idea and flag should be put away forever.
The family and I, who were not Catholic, received a blessing: “May your faith and Love grow all the days of your life.” How beautiful.
The last time I saw my Uncle John was with the white sheet placed over his casket, signifying his life in Christ.
For a moment, my twisted mind recalled the burial of those who wore white sheets on their bodies for the wrong reasons, to signify hate and false beliefs.
I am not referring to Mr. Uncle John; he was a librarian and understood that everyone belongs.
His funeral and life inspire me, and his memory encourages me to fight the darkness and always rise up to be the best person I can be.
