Beech Tree News Network

I met Major Deweese around this time last year when I sought him out for an interview after seeing the first display he had created for the library case, it was immense, spanning several individual scenes of the Marvel Avengers reading their favorite books and one vast scene of them battling a large enigmatic force known as illiteracy. Major has a quiet intensity about him in person. He is reserved when you meet him, but his eyes are bright with a ferocity that lets you know he is listening to everything you say and mulling it over in his mind before he decides how to respond. If you have met Major in person, then you know he is a man strong in his faith and loyal to his family, he follows his code strictly, much like a Jedi.

As my husband and I walked into the library Tuesday night, instantly, our three years old ran to the case squalling in delight. She is my tomboy, my booger loving, dirt digging, and comic hero loving tomboy. Repeatedly she yelled, look at the display as we both kept reminding her, then pleading with her to keep her hands and her face off of the case. Even our tween was interested and put her phone down long enough to look the display over as well. Travis looked at me, "Major did it again. Look at the detail".

The display fills the entire glass case, top to bottom, full of characters from Star Wars. All in various stages of enjoying their books. The detail is captivating as you peer in and see a Praetorian Guard enjoying his copy of the Scarlett Letter, Commander Wolffe reading The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and several other characters reading their favorite books.

The Jedi Code is as follows:

There is no emotion; there is peace.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

There is no chaos; there is harmony.

There is no death; there is the Force.

If you have ever met Major in person, you can see how the Jedi code applies to him. He is a quiet man, but his eyes are bright as he watches and listens more than he talks. As I stated in the beginning, he is a man that is fiercely strong in his faith and loyal to his family. For the last year, he has been dedicated to planning, designing, and executing his displays that are available for all to enjoy in the Butler County Public Library. He continues to create these fantastic pieces of art because he wants others to realize the knowledge they can gain from the world of books.

May the Force be with you, Major, and thank you for all the things you do.