A Developing Mind
Many people have memories of drawing or writing in their school books as children. Rare book librarians often find many doodles and inscriptions in textbooks, such as this 10th-grade physics exercise book from 1932 in The Addison's collection. This text belonged to 16 year old Nola Allene Loflin, who would eventually be known as Allene McDowell to Addi McDowell, her great-granddaughter. After her death in 2021, Addi came to possess Allene's modest book collection, of which this textbook was a part. Just on opening the front cover, elements of Allene's youthful character and childhood experiences are revealed.
Drawn on the front pastedown is the annotated figure of a teenaged girl, noted for having "lovely eyes," "kiss-proof lipstick," and a thin waistline. Perhaps this drawing represents what Allene imagined her ideal self to look like, as these characteristics align with traditional beauty standards of the early 20th century. She wrote a poem beside the drawing as well; it reads: "Remember well/and bear in mind,/the lips that touch liquor,/will never touch mine." Living in a dry county (one which bans the drinking of liquor) in North Carolina, this sentiment was likely a common one amongst the young girls at Farmer High School. She likely had no idea that anyone but her would see these words and doodles, but this text shows that even the thoughts of a 16-year-old from rural North Carolina can be of historical interest.
Words of a Mourning Granddaughter
A great many of Allene's inscriptions throughout the textbook involve remembering. The writing identifies October 9th, 1934 as the date she received her class ring. For an unknown reason, she wanted to remember the day before Thanksgiving. On April 19th, 1935, she noted that she was eating candy in the school library. Three days later, she wanted to remember "starting home in a Dodge."
As her great-granddaughter, most of what I remember of Allene was her confusion. After her husband's death on March 15th 2013, Allene's dementia progressed rapidly, leaving her a shell of who she was before. I didn't get to really know her before she lost her memory. This book acts as a window into a person that I wish I had known. Though she was unable to remember what she desired to as a young girl, I will forever hold these memories in my heart for her. And in that way, I can know her the way I never could while she was alive.