Fame Responsibility at Winford College Author:John Rogers Winford is a fictional college in the fictional town of Carrington, Tennessee, that illustrates the changes that colleges and universities have undergone in the past fifty years. The humorous text by John Rogers is enhanced by humorous sketches by Chapel Hill artist Sylvia Lauterborn. This book describes the decline in academic intention... more »s from a school that feels a responsibility for students to one that is more interested in academic fame. The main characters are Sue, Randy, David, Marianne, and Lily. Sue and Randy are from Prineville, Oregon. When Randy goes to Winford in 1947 and has to withdraw, Sue travels across the country to bring him back to Prineville and set him on a career of journalism that puts him in Congress and then Honorary Chairman of a charitable foundation. David, from Hannah, Kansas (fictional), and Marianne from New Orleans meet at Winford in 1959. She gets pregnant, and Winford provides funds to let both David and Marianne finish their undergraduate degrees. After receiving their PhD degrees at a university they become wealthy and make major donations to Winford. Lily is a wealthy woman in Carrington. She makes wry, always blunt, comments about Winford throughout the book and is particularly active during campus furors in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sue and Randy learn more about Winford when their daughter, Rose, enrolls in 1981. Then in 1990, Randy is asked to give a speech at the centennial celebration of the founding of Winford College. Using numerous biblical quotations, he points out so many faults in the college administration that donors sue the school for misuse of funds and ultimately get Sue installed as President. The action over this long span of time is tied together by Interludes that describe major events in the lives of the characters between the times covered by the chapters.« less