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Thomas Wolfe Centennial Celebration Worthy of Famed Author.

The Thomas Wolfe Centennial Celebration, held on October 3, 2000, in Asheville, NC, was quite a grand affair. The celebration was held at the Thomas Wolf Memorial Center at 62 North Market Street to celebrate Thomas Wolfe's 100th birthday.

The U. S. Postal Service unveiled its new stamp commemorating Thomas Wolfe, complete with the Presentation of Colors and the playing of the National Anthem. The U. S. Postal Service had an ample supply of the commemorative stamp available for the large audience to purchase as souvenirs.

Betty Ray McCain, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, gave welcoming remarks for the presentation of a time capsule. The Pfeiffer University Department of Theatre staged partial acts of the musical production, "Angel," outside of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Center during the afternoon.

Arlyn and Mathew J. Brucccoli, editors of Thomas Wolfe's "O Lost, " were present with the new release of "O Lost," signing over three hundred copies of the new release. "O Lost" was the name Thomas Wolfe gave "Look Homeward Angel" before his editor, Maxwell Perkins, persuaded him to change it to "Look Homeward Angel." Perkins also persuaded Wolfe to edit over twenty-five percent of the original manuscript. "O Lost" is the unedited version of "Look Homeward Angel."

Later in the evening, The Asheville Community Theater played host to a wonderful reception before opening with the gala performance of "Look Homeward Angel."

There was a strong sense of camaraderie among those who came to honor Thomas Wolfe and share in the day's festivities. The crowd numbered in the hundreds, and they all shared a mutual appreciation and love for Thomas Wolfe and his famous works of literature.