By: Danica Propst

Paula McGrew, Associate Professor and Director of Library Services turned College Historian, does excellent and vital work for West Virginia Wesleyan College in preserving our history and making connections to the present and future. 

McGrew runs a personal blog, Dreamers & Giants, that serves as a catalog of all of the information that she has derived from the archives at the college. She covers everything from decades of Spring Sing themes to directories of staff and faculty to absurd debate topics from the early 20th century. McGrew explained that a majority of this information comes from archives of the publications that have circulated on campus over the decades, such as The Pharos, Sundial, Murmurmontis, and other campus publications. 

In her role, McGrew is constantly coming across new and fascinating information that demonstrates the rich history of West Virginia Wesleyan College. “We have so much, and I’ve been doing this for 20 years more or less, and every time I sit down, I get shocked all over again. I’m like, are you kidding me! And you would think I would know everything after so much time.”

McGrew has a deep personal connection to West Virginia Wesleyan College, with many members of her family attending the school, including her grandfather, father, mother, husband, sisters, son, and daughter. McGrew attended the school herself and became a Reference Librarian and an Assistant Professor of Library Science in 2001, the Interim Director of Library in 2006, and then served as the Director of Library from 2007 to 2017. She is currently serving as an Associate Professor of Library Science and Director of Library Services, Emerita and College Historian. 

McGrew feels that the tether she has to the past only motivates her more to continue her preservation and distribution of history, stating: “I love doing it. I love working with the students because again, after I’ve gone through all of these years, I’ve never met you, but I know the type of person that has been here before you…It’s that type of person who has been here and made the college what it is.” 

She brings a passion to her role that is driven by both her personal and professional connections to West Virginia Wesleyan College, enriching her work and making her blog a true masterpiece that provides in-depth knowledge and a powerful context for what the college is doing now and what its future holds. Dreamers & Giants’ subtitle describes the purpose of her work perfectly: “It’s all about the People… and Their Stories.” 

A Brief History of The Pharos: 

The Pharos has a long history, starting circulation in 1904 and continuing to the present, with few gaps in publications. The current newspaper is predated by The Seminary Herald (published from 1893 to 1896 with some gaps) and the Seminary Collegiate (published from 1900 to 1904 with some gaps following the addition of collegiate courses to the seminary). 

According to Dreamers & Giants, “Our college newspaper was named for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built to guide and protect sailors. Likewise, our paper has served to announce upcoming events, discuss the storms of life that may be in the area, and otherwise to map out the course and give reports about the journey. Professor W.O. Mills is credited with suggesting this name.” The Pharos serves to shine a light on the happenings of campus, providing a way for students to express themselves and inform the West Virginia Wesleyan College community.

Old copies of all of these publications can be found on Dreamers & Giants under the Publications tab. There are scanned copies of the old papers that can be viewed as well as descriptions of what the publications contain in the database “Pages in Time,” which is linked on the Publications page. Visit dreamersandgiants.com to view the incredible work of College Historian Paula McGrew.

Photo from “Pages in Time” from Dreamers & Giants. Cover of September 1905 Edition of The Pharos.