Packing the book signing

A standing-room crowd of around 150 attended Wednesday's book signing for former Superintendent Bill McNeal and former school board member Tom Oxholm.

The crowd at at Quail Ridge Books & Music had a number of local business and education leaders. They rushed to buy copies of "A School District's Journey To Excellence" and hear the two authors speak.

"It's like a preview of my funeral," Oxholm told the crowd. "I know who's coming."

Crowd members included school board chairwoman Rosa Gill and former board members Bill Fletcher and Susan Parry. Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, also attended.

Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens, Area Superintendents Lloyd Gardner and Ann Hooker, Assistant Superintendent Marvin Connelly and former Superintendent Bob Bridges were in attendance.

On the state end you had John Dornan, executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina and Tony Habit, executive director of the New Schools Project. Habit is the former president of the Wake Education Partnership.

On the business end, you had people such as Richard Urquhart, president of Golden Corral; and Billie Redmond, president of Coldwell Banker Commercial Trademark Properties. In addition to being a former real estate broker for the school district, Redmond is co-chairwoman of the Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee.

The Friends of Wake crowd was well represented.

While the crowd bought plenty of copies, it will probably be taxpayers who pay for most of the purchases elsewhere. The book is geared nationally toward superintendents, principals and school board members.