Arrington, Frances Treadaway
Frances Lee Treadaway Arrington (1931-2011) was a longtime librarian at Lee who also taught Math and English in her early years working at the college. She served Lee almost 50 years through the library, including 24 years as director-during some of the library's most transformative years.
Arrington grew up during the Depression era near Fyffe, Alabama, where she was taught the value of hard work, education, and faith in Jesus Christ. Attending the Highway Church of God, she accepted Christ at age 12 and became passionate about following His plan for her life. She could not have imagined then the impact her life and ministry would have as a result of her service at Lee.
God's plan led her to enroll at Lee in 1949. She later reflected, "I was a country girl, fresh out of the cotton patch. My parents had no money to pay for my college expenses and there were no federal grants." Arrington was able to attend college with financial assistance from an older sister and by working three part-time jobs— reading to a blind student, grading papers for an English teacher, and as a student assistant at Lee Memorial Library. Thus began her lifelong affiliation with Lee's library.
In a presentation to her staff in 2000, Frances Arrington reflected on her days as a library student assistant: "I had to do the circulation. The books were buried behind closed stacks, therefore, we had to find the books for the patrons as well as check them out. ... I also had to collect permits from those who came to the library 'to study! Often it was a place to meet their date. Then I had the awesome task of trying to keep the big open Reading Room quiet, so that
those who really wanted to study could. For all that, I was paid 40 cents an hour."
Upon completing her studies at Lee, which was a two-year college at that time, Arrington transferred to Jacksonville State College in Alabama to pursue her dream of being a school teacher. There she majored in math and minored in literature. However, her dedication to library work had impressed head librarian, Claryse D. Myers, who told her, 'Frances, some day you will come back here and direct this library." Arrington graciously disagreed, for it was not her career plan. Yet, she would come to realize the fulfillment of those words as God directed her path back to Lee a few years later. Returning to campus for a visit following her graduation from college, Arrington was convinced by then President R. Leonard Carroll to join the faculty teaching math and English beginning in the fall of 1953. Two milestone events occurred as a result— she met and married student French Arrington and she returned to work at the library. After one year of full-time teaching, she divided her work by teaching part-time and supervising the library at night part-time. In 1955, she became the head librarian and, at the recommendation of Lee President R. Leonard Carroll, began pursuing a master's degree in library science.
While dedicated to her work, Arrington was also dedicated to her family— husband (and former Lee professor) Dr. French Arrington, daughter Athena, and son Lee—and to her hobbies, which included bird watching and reading the works of C.S. Lewis. She even took a few semesters away from her work to join her husband when he enrolled in graduate school and to stay home with her small children. But her return to the library full-time was always anticipated, which she did in 1971 and later was named library director in 1978.
Early on Arrington had foresight on the technological changes in how information would be retrieved. The library had the first computer on campus. In 1981, she led the library in reclassifying the collection from Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress, circulation was automated in 1987, and the library catalog was fully online by 1990. She also was instrumental in Lee’s joining a library consortium through the Appalachian College Association that provides thousands of journals and electronic books through online databases. In 1985, Arrington supervised the relocation of the library and its collection of more than 113,000 volumes from the old library, in what is now the Vest Building, to its current location.
When Arrington retired in June 2002, there were 160,000 items in the collection in a diversity of formats (print, electronic, online, microform, and media) and the library budget had increased to more than $1 million-compared to an annual library budget of less than $5,000 and only 9,713 volumes in the collection when she became head librarian for the first time in 1955. For her significant contributions to librarianship, she was promoted to Professor Emeritus at Lee University in 2002 and awarded a Life Membership in the Association of Christian Librarians in 2003.
Frances Arrington also was a vital partner of her husband’s ministry, assisting in the research for his writing projects and editing and organizing his manuscripts so they were publication-ready when submitted. In 2022, Dr. French Arrington and (posthumously) Frances Arrington were inducted into the Hall of Prophets at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. During the induction ceremony, Dr. Arrington gave tribute to the important work and assistance Frances had provided in his many projects.
Following her retirement, Arrington continued to serve Lee University with her expertise as a library volunteer. She focused on organizing the archives of Lee, housed in the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center. She worked weekly on this project until the spring of 2011, when she was diagnosed with cancer. Even then she was committed to seeing the project completed. Arrington died on August 2, 2011, leaving a legacy of a life well-lived and the ministry of serving others without the need for personal recognition.
When speaking at Arrington’s memorial service, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Carolyn Dirksen explained, "Frances prepared our library for 21st-century technology and the revolution in access that would bring. She assembled and mentored an exceptional team of library professionals, and she led in the development of the electronic and print collection. When she retired in 2002. Lee's library was ranked eleventh out of 92 libraries in its class. Due to her hard, focused, intelligent work, thousands of students from Lee and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary can find what they need in their research and will encounter trained professionals to help them… because Frances set the stage for this opportunity.”
Arrington once reflected about her library work, “I believe God placed me here…. I was afraid of much of the responsibility, but I have learned that if God places you somewhere, He will help you do the job.”
Through her half-century ministry at the Lee library, Frances Arrington left an enduring legacy that continued to benefit students and faculty in their research and study for many years.
/ L.F. Morgan
Arrington grew up during the Depression era near Fyffe, Alabama, where she was taught the value of hard work, education, and faith in Jesus Christ. Attending the Highway Church of God, she accepted Christ at age 12 and became passionate about following His plan for her life. She could not have imagined then the impact her life and ministry would have as a result of her service at Lee.
God's plan led her to enroll at Lee in 1949. She later reflected, "I was a country girl, fresh out of the cotton patch. My parents had no money to pay for my college expenses and there were no federal grants." Arrington was able to attend college with financial assistance from an older sister and by working three part-time jobs— reading to a blind student, grading papers for an English teacher, and as a student assistant at Lee Memorial Library. Thus began her lifelong affiliation with Lee's library.
In a presentation to her staff in 2000, Frances Arrington reflected on her days as a library student assistant: "I had to do the circulation. The books were buried behind closed stacks, therefore, we had to find the books for the patrons as well as check them out. ... I also had to collect permits from those who came to the library 'to study! Often it was a place to meet their date. Then I had the awesome task of trying to keep the big open Reading Room quiet, so that
those who really wanted to study could. For all that, I was paid 40 cents an hour."
Upon completing her studies at Lee, which was a two-year college at that time, Arrington transferred to Jacksonville State College in Alabama to pursue her dream of being a school teacher. There she majored in math and minored in literature. However, her dedication to library work had impressed head librarian, Claryse D. Myers, who told her, 'Frances, some day you will come back here and direct this library." Arrington graciously disagreed, for it was not her career plan. Yet, she would come to realize the fulfillment of those words as God directed her path back to Lee a few years later. Returning to campus for a visit following her graduation from college, Arrington was convinced by then President R. Leonard Carroll to join the faculty teaching math and English beginning in the fall of 1953. Two milestone events occurred as a result— she met and married student French Arrington and she returned to work at the library. After one year of full-time teaching, she divided her work by teaching part-time and supervising the library at night part-time. In 1955, she became the head librarian and, at the recommendation of Lee President R. Leonard Carroll, began pursuing a master's degree in library science.
While dedicated to her work, Arrington was also dedicated to her family— husband (and former Lee professor) Dr. French Arrington, daughter Athena, and son Lee—and to her hobbies, which included bird watching and reading the works of C.S. Lewis. She even took a few semesters away from her work to join her husband when he enrolled in graduate school and to stay home with her small children. But her return to the library full-time was always anticipated, which she did in 1971 and later was named library director in 1978.
Early on Arrington had foresight on the technological changes in how information would be retrieved. The library had the first computer on campus. In 1981, she led the library in reclassifying the collection from Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress, circulation was automated in 1987, and the library catalog was fully online by 1990. She also was instrumental in Lee’s joining a library consortium through the Appalachian College Association that provides thousands of journals and electronic books through online databases. In 1985, Arrington supervised the relocation of the library and its collection of more than 113,000 volumes from the old library, in what is now the Vest Building, to its current location.
When Arrington retired in June 2002, there were 160,000 items in the collection in a diversity of formats (print, electronic, online, microform, and media) and the library budget had increased to more than $1 million-compared to an annual library budget of less than $5,000 and only 9,713 volumes in the collection when she became head librarian for the first time in 1955. For her significant contributions to librarianship, she was promoted to Professor Emeritus at Lee University in 2002 and awarded a Life Membership in the Association of Christian Librarians in 2003.
Frances Arrington also was a vital partner of her husband’s ministry, assisting in the research for his writing projects and editing and organizing his manuscripts so they were publication-ready when submitted. In 2022, Dr. French Arrington and (posthumously) Frances Arrington were inducted into the Hall of Prophets at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. During the induction ceremony, Dr. Arrington gave tribute to the important work and assistance Frances had provided in his many projects.
Following her retirement, Arrington continued to serve Lee University with her expertise as a library volunteer. She focused on organizing the archives of Lee, housed in the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center. She worked weekly on this project until the spring of 2011, when she was diagnosed with cancer. Even then she was committed to seeing the project completed. Arrington died on August 2, 2011, leaving a legacy of a life well-lived and the ministry of serving others without the need for personal recognition.
When speaking at Arrington’s memorial service, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Carolyn Dirksen explained, "Frances prepared our library for 21st-century technology and the revolution in access that would bring. She assembled and mentored an exceptional team of library professionals, and she led in the development of the electronic and print collection. When she retired in 2002. Lee's library was ranked eleventh out of 92 libraries in its class. Due to her hard, focused, intelligent work, thousands of students from Lee and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary can find what they need in their research and will encounter trained professionals to help them… because Frances set the stage for this opportunity.”
Arrington once reflected about her library work, “I believe God placed me here…. I was afraid of much of the responsibility, but I have learned that if God places you somewhere, He will help you do the job.”
Through her half-century ministry at the Lee library, Frances Arrington left an enduring legacy that continued to benefit students and faculty in their research and study for many years.
/ L.F. Morgan
