King of the Library

By Megan Goldshine

Having scoped out the least-frequented bathroom in the Cabell Library, Tavarris was anxious to give it a spin. When it was ‘go time,’ he pranced happily down to the basement. Stress-free, Tavarris thought he would be alone on his late-night endeavor. First stall, clear; second stall, clear; third stall, heavy breathing. Realizing he was in unfamiliar territory, he paused to examine his surroundings. After noticing clothing draped over the top of the third stall, Tavarris made a decision to keep moving forward to that sought-after fourth. As he passed the stall in question, his eyes wandered inward only to feast upon a large, naked male using the facilities.

“…And that’s how I got rid of my public restroom fear. I mean, if that guy could sit there, naked, with the door open, I could sit fully-clothed, door shut and do my thing. Now I never have a problem going. God, I love the library.”

Tavarris Jeffrey Spinks was born in Richmond on Aug. 15, 1984. The only child of Cassandra Spinks and Jeffrey Ohree, Tavarris was raised from a humble household. Though neither of his parents attended college, Tavarris always dreamed of receiving higher education.

“I used to want to be a paleontologist. That’s how you get the ladies. I could ask them if they wanted to see my T-Rex, then point down and say, ‘it’s below your feet’,” Tavarris joked.

Affectionately named “King of the Library” by fellow students, Tavarris spends roughly 40 hours a week among the books. He and his friends convene every weeknight and share a group study table. Possessions sprawled about, Tavarris leads the “Library Crew” in their nightly activities. The library has stopped hushing the group because the laughter Tavarris causes has become a staple on the first floor.

As witness to these events, “Tvar” will drop whatever he is doing at the moment to cheer up a friend or say hello to a complete stranger. A member of the “Library Crew,” Vera Dham, was more than happy to gush about her friend.

“He is the greatest guy I know. He seriously is the most genuine and sincere person I have ever met. He’s the type of person you just don’t come across anymore,” Vera said.

His biting humor is evident within the first minutes of talking with him. Tvar refuses to miss an opportunity to deliver a punchline and his booming voice echoes through the floor.

“Do you have any white-out?” a student at another table asked.
“Um, no, Kevin, we’re adults, just cross it out,” Tavarris said.

As a fifth-year senior at VCU, Tavarris is a history major with plans to teach at the middle-school level. After completing one year as a member of the Student Government Association, Tavarris claims that his only achievement has been to get the water fountains on the first floor of the library fixed.

For the past six years, Tavarris has worked as client care administrator of the Boleman Law Firm, and he is all business when it comes to his passion for politics. Serving as a legislative assistant for the General Assembly in 2005, he got his feet wet and dove right in.

Since then, he has held many officer positions for the Virginia Young Democrats, such as the 3rd District Chair, the Central Region chair, vice president of political action and secretary. He has also held the positions of photographer and president and is currently serving as the vice president for finance for the Young Democrats at VCU.

A friend of Tavarris chose to make a mockumentary about the King of the Library for his French class named, “Le Roi de la Biblotheque.” With close to 500 hits on YouTube, the video continues to be passed on to newcomers in the Student Government and those who sit beside the reigning king in his domain.

“I’m sort of a hero, like Captain Planet. I’m not employed by VCU, but I like helping people with whatever problem they encounter on the first floor. I’ll even enforce certain rules like not blocking the book aisles with chairs, even though I sometimes do it,” Tavarris said.

The King may currently be off his game due to a viral infection in his chest, but even when he is popping cough drops all night, he still finds time to schlep out to his second home to spend time with his friends and the library staff. Everyone knows him, many love him, some even fear him, and one has even been “banished” to the third floor.

“Tavarris, have you lied during this interview?” asked fellow Crew member Danny Barefoot.
“Probably,” Tavarris said.

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