Break Up Front

View of Davis Library's Main Entrance around 9 a.m. Friday 12.14.12

Once again we want to remind you that the Davis Library will be closed this coming weekend as we’re on abbreviated hours during the Semester Break.

Davis Library and the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande CommunityCollege will also be closed for the holiday season from Wednesday, December 19, 2013 until Tuesday, January 1, 2013.  Davis Library and all campus offices are set to reopen again on Wednesday, January 2^nd.

For more details, “Ask Us!” or see Davis Library’s hours posted at:  http://www.rio.edu/library/Hours.cfm

While school is not in session, there’s still a lot of university-related work taking place.  Tomorrow, the University of Rio Grande’s River Tales Project will begin collecting personal stories about the Silver BridgeTragedy of December 15, 1967.  Interviews will be conducted at Bossard Memorial Library in Gallipolis, OH on:

• December 15, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• December 15, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additional interviews will also be gathered and recorded at the Mason County Public Library in Point Pleasant, WV on:

• January 12, 2013 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• January 19, 2013 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Silver Bridge was an eye bar and chain suspension bridge built in the 1920s that span the Ohio River connecting Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH.  It collapsed in the late 1960s while it was full of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people.  The old bridge had not been well-kept and was not originally built to be utilized by heavy vehicles.  The event had a lasting impact on area residents and led to legislation to ensure that bridges, particularly older ones, are inspected and maintained regularly.

The River Tales Project, which is being funded by the Ohio Humanities Council, seeks to preserve our local history and heritage by collecting and digitally preserving stories of those individuals impacted by the event.  These narratives will then be made available online for public viewing and research purposes.   Interviews will be arranged on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Walk-ins are welcome.  

We Need Your Story!

For more information on this oral history enterprise or to set up an interview, please contact Dr. Greg Miller, Director of Cultural Advancement, at 740.245.7030 or email:  rivertales@rio.edu

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Speaking of tragedy, our hearts go out those who lost their lives and loved ones in the Connecticut Shooting today when a gunman open-fired on an elementary school in Newton, CT.  We're deeply saddened by news of this devastating event.