The ECHO, Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Monday, March 1, 2021 Page: 4 of 12
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The ECHO
4
March 2021
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A resident donates a book to a Windham librarian assistant.
i
Library Services Administrator
John Walter Flagg—ECHO Staff
Rebecca Gillen said.
missing in the collection. Books to a campus. Although many of
are valued treasures that
doorways to
knowledge. In some
titles are the norm, found inside, indicating the family
name of the bygone donor.
that residents give
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documents inside was her mother’s name: Linda, lope. Her 19-year-old self thought all the questions
tell her who her family was. Although those papers
in. Our parents signed the adoption papers on May told me first.
the difference, anyway —adopted or biological? Ron, she knew better. Beth has legally become one
adoption papers on May 6,1971.
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M A RVK
How it’s done:
El
find
fresh
was pregnant. Her doctor friend tried to talk her out My sister needed some time to think and also to tell she had would be answered. It took a while for her
of the adoption, but she insisted and he finally gave my father and myself about finding her mother. She to figure out she did not need a piece of paper to
campus libraries is a
recognized and time-
honored custom in the
Jerry Morris, Wynne Unit
resident, book donor.
publishing date from 1915) is on the
shelf of one of these libraries—and
it is 106 years old. A distinct and
Donating a book to a General
Population Library is simple
and easy. What follows
are answers to common
questions about the process:
Question: How can I donate a
book?
Answer: You can bring your
book to the campus General
Population Library and hand it to
the Campus Librarian Assistant or
resident library workers. Multiple
drop boxes are also located at
every unit, and donated books
may be deposited in the boxes
with a note indicating this is
custody level restrictions who
routinely have books delivered
may also make donations from
their living area.
it never got that far with my sister and me. But I
did call her THAT name, the worst of worst names,
without ever thinking about it—and she even went
along with it all throughout our childhood. What
was THAT name? It was...adopted.
Every time people would ask us about ourselves, it
came out. How are you both in the same grade? Oh,
she’s adopted. Why does she have red hair and you
have brown hair? Oh, she’s adopted. Are you both
twins? No, she’s adopted.
We were six months apart when we were born. Her
story began like this: my sister, Karen, was born in
1966. Our parents wanted more children, but just
couldn’t make it happen. Our mother was a nurse
and one of the doctors she knew told her about a
patient of his who was going to have a baby. He also
told her she had no intentions of keeping the baby.
Without hesitation, our mother said she wanted the
baby. A few months in, our mother found out she
7
records to be unsealed, and my sister was handed water.” There was some sort of strange, special bond
an overstuffed envelope. On the first page of the between us that will never, nor can ever, be broken.
The worst name I ever called my sister
Johnny L. Wooten — Eastham Unit Reporter
It is the same kind of bond God created when he
adopted us as His children. In Ephesians 1:5, it states
that God, in love, predestined us to be adopted as
His children through his son, Jesus, the Christ. God
adopted us in love, and that is how we adopted my
sister into our family—in love. I hope my sister has
always known and will always remember that she is
MY sister, and nothing will ever change that. I will
fight tooth and nail for her.
Giving birth to a person does not always make
them a family. It had to be probably the hardest
decision of a mother’s life to give up her child. But
what she did was probably the most selfless thing
anyone could ever do. She gave up her child so that
I could have another sister.
My sister has often regretted opening that enve-
these books, which were donated
long ago, are no longer at the library
due to relevance and condition, a
few of these rare gems can still be
found. For example, a copy of “The
Complete Poetical Works of Henry
V.
ae
IT
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can view the library’s listing of estates of local citizens bequeath
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*2 9%
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TDCJ. While current highly-decorative bookplate was
“One thing different series to learn of the books the contents of personal libraries
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Question: How does the
process work?
Answer: Donated books are
packaged and sent to Library
Services in Huntsville. The
book must be cataloged on the
campus inventory and assigned
a Dewey Decimal identifier. It
may be necessary to modify
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Wadsworth Longfellow” (with a
Performance Report, School Year
2020: Today’s Vision, Tomorrow’s
Reality: The Future Starts Now!”
When TDCJ residents donate
books, many find the process
easier than they thought. It can
be a rewarding experience and
also a means to share a good book
with others.
“I enjoyed the book ‘Marvel: The
Characters and Their Universe,’ and
wanted to pass it to others so they
can enjoy it, too—so I decided to
donate it to the General Population
Library,” Wynne campus resident
Jerry Morris said.
The majority of books find their
way to TDCJ residents via family
or friends on the outside, ordered
through authorized brick-and-
mortar bookstores or online entities,
such as Amazon, Biblio.com, Thrift
Books, Edward R. Hamilton Books,
Dover Books and many others.
“We are very, very thankful for
all of the donations we receive.
We understand the importance
and the value of any donation
back. Thousands of books pass
through WSD Library Services
undergoing this same process.
Question: \Nhy isn't the book I
donated on the shelf?
Answer: Sometimes books
are redistributed to major-
areas of need, or the library
could already have multiple
copies of the book. But in most
cases, however, books return
to the campus of donation if
the librarian assistant instructs
Library Services to do so.
help residents
mna
। Donating
that is definitely needed
in these donations is
LROM TRUE CRIME NOVELS TO FANTASY complete series of
I fiction, self-help materials and lo0ks Sometimes a
poetry, it is interesting to note series is scattered,
that many of the books on the For example, books
shelves of a General Population number
Library have been gifted by men ’7
and women who reside within the are availa e a a
Texas Department of Criminal campus library, but
Justice (TDCJ). These libraries not the others. So it
are housed within Windham would be fantastic
School District (WSD) campuses if we could get those
and managed by WSD educators. series completed.
According to statistics generated Although the library tries to some. Huntsville area campuses
from WSD Library Services, from order complete series, sometimes contain books donated by prisoners Moreover, civilians and even
the year 2000 until the present, 47% problems arise. Patrons wishing to dating back to at least the 1940s and authors are sometimes inspired
of books in these Windham campus help the library complete a series 1950s. Furthermore, sometimes the to Participate in donating, books
collections have been donated by _______________________________________________ to.TDC. libraries. These include
residents, amounting to 262,503 international bestselling author
book donations. Additionally, the | enjoyed the book “Marvel: The Characters Debbie Macomber, best known
+ iroon of Lok (.n "-m-T " """""" for her Cedar Cove series of books
donated and purchased) across and Their Universe,' and Wanted tO pass it tO with a theme of resilient heroines
the state is currently 1,072,375, others SO they Can enjoy it, too. overcoming tremendous odds,
according to the “WSD Annual - - - They also include Damon West,
a former TDCJ resident and
author of “The Change Agent” and
“The Coffee Bean,” who is also a
contributor to The ECHO. Each
has donated copies of their books
for TDCJ residents to enjoy.
The General Population Library is
one of WSD’s tools for self-directed
learning and personal enrichment.
Residents in the TDCJ benefit from
WSD campus libraries in countless
ways, including complementing
Career and Technical Education
and academic training, with an
emphasis on job training and
literacy skills. A vast reference
collection and materials in support
of educational programs are also
made widely available. By providing
such resources, the library can
be a natural extension of adult
basic education, and teachers can
refer students to the library for
supplemental study.
Windham libraries seek to advance
technological capacities, improve
services and continually expand
resource opportunities for students
and non-students alike.★
( iblings fight; THERE's no GETTING around it. AND find out. They did not tell my mother, father or me, first couple of years of my life; not a peep came out
Othe names they call each other can be downright not wanting to hurt our feelings. My mother found of me. Beth did all the talking for me, and I didn’t
deplorable. Sometimes the name calling can lead out somehow, and she ended up taking my sister to have to say anything. My sister could just look at
to knock-down, drag-out fist fights. Thankfully, the courthouse. A judge, was willing to sign for the me and then tell my mother, “Johnny wants some
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p1
respects, donating
books to WSD’s
a donation. Residents with
6, 1970. My sister was born on Oct. 21, 1970, and When she called me, I let her know unsparingly said her mother’s name was Linda, she knew better.
I was born exactly one year after they signed the that she was MY sister and no one else’s. What is Although Linda told her that her father’s name was
the book cover with a hard
in prison
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Throughout our childhood we had our fights Webster’s Dictionary defines adopted as taking of our own. She, whether she likes it or not, is a
and I called her some horrendous names, but the legally into one’s own family and raising as one’s Wooten for life. Her mother is Wilda. Her father is
name I believe haunts me the most was calling own child. Isn’t that what we did with my sister? Milton. Her sister is Karen, and I am HER brother,
her “adopted.” My sister decided when she was We, my parents, sister and myself, all took her in as Ifyou are adopted, know that you are loved. If you
19-years-old she wanted to find her real parents, our own family, whether I knew it or not at the time, have an adopted brother or sister, let them know
She planned on taking our oldest sister to the court- And to think of it, I was probably closer to her than they are loved and they are yours and no one else’s.
house where my aunt worked to see what they could to my older sister. As a child, I did not talk for the And don’t ever call them THAT name again! *
us,” WSD
_
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Texas. Department of Criminal Justice. The ECHO, Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Monday, March 1, 2021, newspaper, March 1, 2021; Huntsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1492080/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.