MURFREESBORO – Long-time Hertford County educator Peggy Lowe was welcomed into the ranks as the newest member of the Book of Golden Deeds by the Murfreesboro Exchange Club, Monday night.

Following an invocation and elegant dinner catered by Pioneer College Caterers, Exchange Club member William Whitley welcomed attending guests before yielding the floor to fellow member Garth Faile to introduce the evening’s speaker.

Having earned a B.A. degree from Furman University in 1958, a B.D. degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1961; and a PhD from Emory University in 1968, Chowan College adjunct professor Dr. B. Franklin Lowe Jr., the husband to the award recipient, couldn’t have been more fitting.

Using the examples of a synagogue and a church, Lowe addressed the group on what it meant to be a community. &uot;A synagogue is not a building, nor is a church a structure, but rather it is the people that make up the body of believers,&uot; he said.

&uot;Similarly, a community is not a physical or geographic location, but a unified body of individuals; a group of people with common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society; or a body of persons of common social, economic and political interests,&uot; he said, expressing a liking for the definition.

&uot;When I first moved from Atlanta to Murfreesboro in the summer of 1964, I wasn’t sure I’d like it, being such a small town in comparison to what I was used to,&uot; he said. &uot;But every area has its strengths and weaknesses and it was based on the spirit of the community that we decided to make our home here.&uot;

Citing the Biblical parable of the rich man where three individuals were given a portion of the man’s wealth, but only two of them invested with the other being able to return only the amount he had been given, Lowe stated, &uot;Each of us has been given a set of talents and skills we can use to benefit the community in which we live and though we may not all be equally talented, we can all contribute.&uot;

He also shared three characteristics he believed to depict the ideal community member, including being informed, concerned and active.

&uot;In order for us to be effective, we need to be aware of the different needs in the community, recognize potential and make positive decisions for everyone without neglecting our responsibility to serve others and care for those in need,&uot; Lowe added, and according to the selfless service of Peggy Lowe, it seems the recipient was well chosen.

From a string of degrees ranging from an A.B. degree from Bluefield College, a B.A. degree from Westhampton College of the University of Richmond, an M.A. degree from East Carolina University and graduate studies at a number of universities in the United States and Canada, Peggy Lowe was touted as a gifted teacher who loved children, spending more than 26 years teaching in Hertford County.

&uot;She has influenced the lives of many hundreds of students,&uot; read a biography. &uot;Because of her love of children and her belief in their potential, she has always gone beyond the call of duty, organizing and sponsoring such activities as the Junior Historian and an Oral History Project.&uot;

Peggy Lowe also spent six weeks teaching conversational English to Chinese students in the People’s Republic of China and organized several programs locally for young people.

&uot;I am truly honored; I really didn’t expect this,&uot; she said.

Peggy Lowe has been a member of Murfreesboro Baptist Church since 1964 and currently serves as one of the docents at the Jefcoat Museum.

The Exchange Club’s covenant of service is to accept responsibility of citizenship individually and collectively, uplift social, religious, political, and business ideals, honor and respect the law, discharge the debt owed to those who served and sacrificed to secure citizenship for future generations, uphold American ideals and institutions and implant life-giving, society-building spirit of service and camaraderie towards better understandings and greater opportunities for all.

Lowe’s photo and biography will be on display at the Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce.