UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 8, Page 3                        
October 22, 1992                                       
Why a carnation?                                       
                                                       
     James R. Soles is legendary on campus as a Southern gentleman who
has been wearing a carnation, usually a red one, in his lapel almost
every day for the past three or four years.                  
     "One day when I was very discouraged, the wife of a colleague
sent me a flower with a note that said, 'Things will get better.' I
have basically worn one ever since. The carnations serve as a reminder
to me that things will get better and that I should face each day with
a smile.                                                     
     "I may have missed a few days, but basically we buy a bouquet
each week that we keep in the hall, and I snip one off each morning to
wear. It's a little eccentricity, and we can use more of that on
college campuses.                                            
     "The flower reminds me how important the support of friends is
when you are discouraged. I think it was Plato who said, 'Friends are
heroes to troubled souls.' The flower reminds me to be a hero when the
occasion occurs. I try to find a place where I can be a hero each 
day."