Day 17: 'Admiring a bit of history'

Today's blog picture came about pretty much out of the blue and I am glad that I decided to go with it.

As I said last week every Wednesday I walk from Durham Station to my family's church, Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, to catch a ride home with my mother. Well, I was walking there tonight and took some exterior shots of the church for the blog, but interestingly enough they didn't come out well at all. I went inside the church and while waiting for mom, I went downstairs behind the sanctuary to visit what is probably my favorite room there.


This is the History Room at Duke Memorial. My sling bag takes away from the ambiance and picture but then again I am still learning at getting just the right pictures, lol.

I am a huge history buff and I am eternally grateful to my father for raising me that way. I know that this love of history may not have fully blossomed until recent years but it's always been there. This room is a treasure trove of history mostly about Duke Memorial but also about Durham. The picture on the wall in the upper left corner is of Washington Duke and I believe it was found in the attic of the church after many years . There are documents written by the Dukes when the decision was made to start the church, the official registration papers for the former Boy Scout Troop 13 that was based at Duke Memorial, documents and news articles from when the church was placed on the Nation Register of Historic Places, and other pictures and papers of historical significance to the church. It is so humbling and awe inspiring to stand in that room and take all of that in. What an amazing history the church has had and even greater is the fact that there were members who strived to keep all of these things together.

Seen throughout many of these photos and papers is Mr. William Coman and Mr. Dillard Teer. Mr. Coman, who passed away in 2004, was one of the most respected and loved men in Durham's history and I was fortunate enough to call him friend. He was my mentor when I went through becoming a member of the church. He lived for the history of Durham and his knowledge and humor were things I loved whenever I was able to spend time with him. He took a lot of interest in me and taught me more than I could ever adequately type here. Mr. Teer is of the same vein and has done many amazing things to champion the cause of Durham as well as our church. Mr. Coman and Mr. Teer are some of those genuine folks who I will always admire, much like my Dad and my grandfathers who have passed on. I am going to pursue working with Preservation Durham and other things that i can immerse myself in so that the people of Durham will not forget what people like William Coman, his wife Pat and Dillard Teer and his wife worked so hard to keep relevant. Mr. Coman had high hopes for me and it has always been a regret that I had to stumble and make mistakes in my adolescence and that he is not here to see the man I have become. I told Mom tonight that being in the history room made me miss Mr. Coman but I can also imagine him looking down and smiling at what I have become. I hope to carry their legacies forward.

What a great post this has become and even better because it came by a surprise with a single impulse and my trusty little Kodak.

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading, more tomorrow