Category: Profiles

Spinning Hollins’ class news from 1898

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A vintage U.S. postage stamp featuring a profile of Susan B. Anthony, with the text 'Suffrage for Women' and a denomination of 3 cents.

Above: “Where Singleness is Bliss ‘T is Folly to be Wives,” Hollins Institute’s The Spinster Yearbook, 1898.

Lamar’s cousin Suzie hurled me down this rabbit hole by sharing some transcriptions of letters exchanged between Lamar’s paternal grandmother, Flora; and one of Flora’s sisters, Emily; about another sister, Jennie. The family letters indicate that the youngest sister, Flora, snagged Jennie’s former Boerne, Texas, beau, Radcliffe Spencer (1881-1965), while Jennie was out of state.

Joining the family by my marriage to Lamar in 1975, I only met one of the Johns sisters – Great Aunt Jennie. And, as Jennie and I both attended Hollins in Roanoke, Virginia, a relative shepherded me over to Great Aunt Jennie. Jennie had fond but faint memories of her pre-1900 time there, as she was at least 95 at the time of our introduction. In the midst of an overwhelming family gathering, my presence proved only confusing for her.

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Postcard from Guadalajara, Mexico: The anguish of man battling oppression

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A postage stamp commemorating the 175th anniversary of the death of Miguel Hidalgo, featuring an artistic depiction by J.C. Orozco. The design showcases Hidalgo in a dramatic pose, with vivid colors and expressive details.

Above: Rotating views of Jose Clemente Orozco’s “Man of Fire” fresco in the dome of Instituto Cultural Cabanas, 1937-1939

An artist is a freedom fighter, fighting for the liberation of the human spirit.”

Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949)

At the age of 20, Orozco was in the process of prepping fireworks, when: Boom! He delayed treatment, and gangrene gained hold of his wound. So, his left hand had to be removed, a tragedy that spared him from being drafted into the trenches of the Mexican Revolution.

But the artist did not stand idly as history unfolded; he honed art as his weapon. His art evolved into something stark, dark and boldly modern. His offensive was against all and any institutions that kept the common man in a state of poverty – art meant to shame the rich and privileged and inspire the poor.

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Protecting the identity of the pothole patcher

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A stamp featuring an abstract painting by Marsden Hartley, displaying vibrant colors and geometric shapes, labeled "Marsden Hartley | forever | usa".

Above: Street artist Ememem repairing a pothole in a sidewalk on Rainey Street in Austin

I’m just a sidewalk poet…. My work is the story of the city, where cobblestones have been displaced.”

Street artist Ememem, interviewed by Arnesia Young for My Modern Met

Sometimes I feel like a stalker on the trail of tile mosaics of the sidewalk poet of Lyon, France. (See the photos from 18 months ago at the bottom of this post.) So meeting Ememem in person at work Sunday afternoon in Austin left me gobsmacked.

Colorful mosaic artwork reading 'Here Lies a Pothole,' installed in a sidewalk as a creative repair by the street artist Ememem.

Above: “Here Lies a Pothole,” Ememem, Rainey Street, Austin, 2025

The street doctor tries to maintain his anonymity, stealthily installing his mosaics in the dead of night. I imagine that’s due to the fact that often his sidewalk improvement projects are unauthorized.

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