Appalachian State University - Rhododendron Yearbook (Boone, NC)

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H Plf -- : ■ ■ H 1 i — m. ;»wWXi2H»K, !»-vSBHMSnJ M 1 1 i H Grace Before partaking of a Saturday lunch, the Humphreys give thanl s. With many goods going for them, they feel they have much to be thankful for. Jeepers Creepers. What must the world look like from the eyes of a child? Baby Humphrey sees all, tells little. 17 Photo Essays

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f Ei Rhodo Ihoto Essays UP CLOSE WITH FACULTY Pensive Prof Photographed as most ASU students see him during an academic day. Dr. Richard A. Humphrey, professor of Philosophy and Religion, takes time out to chat with a student. Family Portrait Seated in their den after a morning of potato digging and farm chores. Dr. Humphrey, his wife Nona, and two boys Allen and Zane, pose for the Rhodo Photographer. THE HUMPHREY ' S The Rhodo photographers visit his family at his home Story by Life on the farm is kinda laid back Ain ' t nothing or no one that you can ' t hack Early to rise and early in the sack Thank God I ' m a country boy. These words (or a close proximity) were grooved and gilded into wax by the ever-grinning, ail-American, paperboy lookalike, John Denver, but they could easily enough apply to the life of Dr. Richard Alan Humphrey. Professor of Philosophy and Religion by morning and Old McDonald by midafternoon, Humphrey is just as adept at plowing through Kant ' s Postulate or the tenets of Zoroastrianism as he is at plowing through a field of gimcrack corn. Whether his problem is ontological or agricultural, whether his rap is about the existence of God or the care and feeding of the domestic chicken, Humphrey is a man who feels at home in this world. THE RHODODENDRON visited Dr. Humphrey and his family zoo of over one hundred heads (wife, Nona; two boys, Zane and Alan; Baby Humphrey; Monty the dog; Betsy the horse; Mildred the cow; sixty chickens and a plethora of fish, rabbits, pigs, and cats) to capture the essence of the kinda laid back philosopher. Originally, to get away from it all, the Humphrey clan staked territorial claims to a farm outside the Boone township, but now Humphrey a dmits that he could possibly turn a profit with Dr. Richard Humphrey and and farm in Tennessee. Jack Dillard from his acreage. Ex-Chairman of the Philosophy and Religion Department (with the rotating chairmanship), Humphrey confides I could make it now. I couldn ' t at first. In a year and a half I ' ll have the place paid off and then I could. I make enough to pay my taxes, or could, off of hay alone. What will he do until the farm is paid off? Grow and air cure a crop of tobacco to be sold at an auction barn; feed and pamper a coup of chickens and rabbits twice a day; milk his psychotherapy cow for his family dairy needs; rub down the sides of pork with salt and hang them in the barn; send quartered beef to Abingdon for butchery and curing; and gather corn, tomatoes, crab apples, broccoli, pota toes, and a host of other vegetable delights from his impressive garden - in short, stay busy. If Humphrey has an obvious philosophy, it might be just that when one is busiest, one is happiest. This philosophy seems to be a household code of life. Nona Humphrey is an elementary school teacher in addition to her roles as wife, mother, and farm hand. A woman dedicated to education, she talks of her little country school and early morning drive through beautiful scenery as if she were fresh from a John Denver song. Even the Humphrey boys, Zane and Alan, participate in this work ethic. Whether they are tending a family pet or working a neighbor ' s tobacco field, these two display a positive attitude towards the rural life, an attitude that is Photographed for the Rhodo by Pot Stout and Leo Story. Photo Essays 16

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Therapy Humphrey and cow enjoy an ud- der ly therapeutic session. Country Ham Wife Nona watches husband Richard slop this season ' s bacon. The Hum preys should be eating high on the hog this winter. particularly appealing. The Humphreys are a family that obviously believes in close ties (--Humphrey says that even his horse and cow go everywhere together.) Whether they are sharing pastureland with a neighboring farmer or just scratching a tame pig behind the ear, this family makes their farm a home. One would be quick to add that this family would probably be able to make home anywhere. And Humphrey the man? He ' s the sort who utilizes every available space on his farm for his hay crop and every available minute for his family, farm, and profession. Whether he ' s trying to solve the intricacies of Sophomore logic or the problem of black root rot, Humphrey is a concerned human being. So, if you get a chance go see him. But you had better not go real late. ' ■kS Companions Zane shows off his horse Betsy to the Rhodo photographers while watchdog Monte takes a break. Photo Essays 18