On May 14, Gretchen, Julia, and I attended the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) Spring Conference held at the Davis Center at the University of Vermont. For several years CLiF staff have attended and exhibited at this conference and enjoyed speaking with a wide range of socially responsible business leaders from across Vermont. We’re proud to be VBSR members.

One of my favorite people to see at the conference is JP Marton, a beloved Davis Center custodian. JP absolutely loves books, is very widely read, and he noticed that the UVM students were also hungry to read books just for fun. Through his hard work JP helped establish the Davis Center Book Nook. It’s located in a far corner of Brennan’s Pub, a cafe on the first floor of the Davis Center, and it serves as a quiet oasis for UVM students to relax, find great books, and exchange ideas. If you have any books you’d like to donate, go visit JP.

CLiF supports readers and writers when they are young. JP helps to keep them reading and thinking when they are older. Together we are trying to inspire lifelong learners. Great work, JP!

Finally, I’d like to share a short poem JP left for us on the CLiF table. It’s from Bhartṛhari, a 5th century Sanskrit author from what is now modern-day India (I told you JP was widely read!):

Knowledge is man’s crowning mark,

a treasure secretly buried,

the source of luxury, fame, and bliss,

a guru most venerable,

a friend on foreign journeys,

the pinnacle of divinity.

Knowledge is valued by kings beyond wealth —

when he lacks it, a man is a brute.