Activities

In Perpetual Thankfulness

By Martin Shibler
Class of 2006

The walls were cracked, paint and wallpaper pealing off, and the room in general disrepair. Yes, this was the office of our dear J. Edward Parrot where he spent countless hours of dedicated work before his death nearly three years ago. Due to the dedicated services he rendered the American TFP (Tradition, Family, & Property) and the Academy, his busy schedule never afforded enough of a break to allow for the badly needed repairs. After his death, we decided the least we could do was to renovate his office and transform it into a memorial library containing his own books.

In mid-February, Messrs. Gabriel and Paul Shibler, our two in-house craftsmen, began the remodeling process by stripping the room to the bare studs; then came the lengthy process of redoing everything: heating and electrical systems, insulation, drywall, paint, and carpeting. After this they spent weeks building a mahogany wood bookshelf from scratch going from floor-to-ceiling and covering an entire wall – all to hold his books: from Encyclopedia sets to scientific reference books to volumes of spiritual reading material. They also lined the room with attractive molding, crown, and baseboards made of the same type of wood. The deep, red hue of the mahogany matches the wood of the antique furniture and perfectly complements the colonial green paint of the walls.

Although not benefiting Mr. Parrot as an office now, the newly remodeled library is not only a great improvement to the Academy, but also serves to enhance our fond memories and appreciation for him and for all he did for us.