The following review and blurb is intended to display my own personal interests, activities, and reflection on my time in a previous life.
Dr. Stephanie Jass’, No Victory without Work: A Pictorial History of Adrian College (The Donning Company Publishers, ISBN 978-1-57864-571-8) bears a special place in my affections. The book celebrates the sesquicentennial anniversary of my alma mater and the writer is one whom I consider a friend and mentor.
Categorized into various themes and topics ranging from the schools conception, building history, student life, and athletics, at times some transitions appear seamless and others a bit clunky. This quite possibly could be due to constraints on the author regarding material and/or participation of her voice. The succinct nature of the book would suggest these constraints as well as her admonition in the preface.
Despite these limitations, the read accomplishes its purpose precisely. A common theme reverberates throughout, “No Victory without work”, or in this writer’s words, success through adversity. The depth of the research is evident just looking at the vast array of pictures included. It is hard to imagine how many were not added!
Truly enlightening and refreshing, No Victory without Work represents, to me, a perfect method to celebrate a school’s anniversary. The content was forthcoming and despite minor instances of a lack of fluidity and some redundancies, Dr. Jass creates an accurate and incredible narrative of the fruition and determination of a small liberal arts school in southeast Michigan.
(Please note: this work is a special piece intended for an audience predominately comprised of AC alumni, students, and faculty)
