The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5 Per Copy
VOLUME
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1959
NUMBER 42
During the past two weeks, in
Craven Superior court, Bob Rouse
has given a typical demonstration
of why he has made a name for
himself as an energetic and ag
gressive district solicitor.
Yet, the Farmville attorney’s flat
tering reputation is nothing com
pared with the fame that came to
him by chance when he was an en
sign in the Navy during World
War II. He got enough publicity to
fill a scrapbook.
Unlike his prestige before the
bar, Bob didn’t do anything out
standing to merit his earlier recog
nition. It was strictly a whim of
Fate, inspired by New York report
ers who were trying to find some
thing to write about on a dull day.
It was June 1, 1945, and Rouse
didn’t have his mind on breaking
into print. His hometown sweet
heart, Letha Holloman, was in the
metropolis with him. She was an
Army nurse stationed near Pitts
burgh. They had gotten leave to
get married.
Meeting as arranged, the two
headed for New York’s City Hall
in quest of a license. At that mo
ment, newspaper reporters were
headed for City Hall too. Since it
was the first day of June, the type
writer pounders hoped to pick up
some sort of human interest story
on June brides.
There was something a little out
of the ordinary about a Navy en
sign and Army nurse applying for
a manage license. When the pho
tographers spotted Rouse and his
bride-to-be, they started snapping
pictures.
It turned out to be a better story
than any of the newspaper guys
had counted on. Bob was only 20,
and in New York you had to be
21 to get a license if you were a
male, and didn’t have your parents
along to give their consent.
For a girl the age required was
18, so Letha qualified with plenty
to spare, since she was 20, like
Bob. Letha’s parents weren’t liv
ing. Bob’s were living, but they
were down in Farmville. It looked
like Dan-Cupid had drawn for an
ace and come up with a deuce.
Leave time was limited.
New York’s newspapers knew a
good story when they saw it. “Too
Young, to Marry,” the headlines
screamed. “Normandy Veteran
Can’t Get Wed.” And the photo
graphs told their story of dejec
tion.
Making the best of a bad situa
tion, Bob and Letha set out for
Richmond, after telephonihg Mr.
and Mrs. Rouse to meet them
there. A license was procured and
the ceremony performed in the
Virginia city.
Then the bridal couple headed
back to New York. Reporters have
a way of keeping tab on things,
and the press found out that the
Farmville newly-weds were back
in town for an exceedingly short
honeymoon.
There were more headlines and
more photographs. “Ensign Re
turns With Bride In Tow,” pro
claimed one streamer. In a teeming
place where millions live and die
without notice or notoriety, Bob
and Letha were the center of at
traction.
It was a hectic way to embark
upon the sea of matrimony, but it
had a happy ending. Eventually the
war days were over, and Bob and
his bride returned to Farmville to
establish a home.
When Bob dedided to run for so
licitor, after Greenville’s Dick Bun
dy gave up his solicitorship and
became a Superior Court judge,
Letha campaigned with him. She
helped considerably to get Rouse
elected.
Bob’s name has been in print
quite a few times since then. Soon
after taking office, he distinguished
himself by getting a conviction in
(Continued on back page)
TRIM TEEN TRIO—Dresses or skirts used to be a must for
New Bern girls, but not any more. Bermudas, worn With
danskins, are the thing now. If you’re a square, and need
to be enlightened, Bermudas are long shorts. As for dan-
skins ,they’re those sort of stocking-looking things that are ,
very much in vogue. You’ll agree that Sandra Ridoutt,
Priscilla Patterson and Margaret Allen look charming in
such an outfit. We just did get this picture made, in time.
Sandra dislocated her knee, while working out with the
High school drill team shortly afterwards, and will be wear
ing a cast for several weeks.—Photo by Billy Benners.
Sudan's Potentate Will Feel
At Home on His Palace Tour
Most of the Shriners touring
Tryon Palace during Sudan Tem
ple’s winter ceremonial here will
find themselves in strange sur
roundings. No so with Potentate
Otis Banks of Cary, who is execu
tive secretary of the North Carolina
Highway Employees Association.
Otis, rounding out a successful
year as the Temple’s top Noble,
will be just a stone’s throw from
the spot where he spent his early
boyhood. Born in New Bern, he
lived on the single block of Eden
street, and like other kids in that
neighborhood saw the remaining
wing of the Palace every day.
Directly across the street was
the back of the aforementioned
wing. It wasn’t much of a Palace—
not then—and there were times
through the years when you could
rent an apartment in it for $12 a
month and later $20.
Neighborhood small fry weren’t
overly concerned with the fact that
it was the first State Capitol, or
what was left of it. What intrigued
them were stories about the tunnel
leading to Trent river that Black-
beard, the pirate, was said to have
used.
Miss Mamie Duffy’s backyard
was just across the street too, and
her pecan trees had the very best
pecans in town. Boys in the area
raided them regularly, much to her
understandable consternation.
If Otis has a good memory, he’ll
recognize Miss Mamie’s house, even
though it has been moyed to a
Pollock street corner, and is cur
rently serving as an office for the
folks who are handling the Palace
restoration.
Having a native New Bernian as
Sudan’s Potentate is most unusual,
although Dr. Joe Rhem of this city
was responsible for its origin.
Since New Rern is the Temple’s
home, it has been a polick for lo
these many years to name a Poten
tate from other towns.
Banks moved away from his
birthplace a long time ago, al
though his mother still resides
here. Hence, he was eligible to be
named to the Temple’s official Di
van and through successive eleva
tions in office became Potentate.
Before assuming the duties of
executive secretary for the N. C.
Highway Employees Association, he
was a long-time employee of the
State Highway Commission, and
first worked under the late Roy
Hart in the district office here.
A graduate of New Bern High
school, he established speed rec-
There's No Escaping from It,
So List Your Property Today
With the month of January half
gone, local citizens are dragging
their feet when it comes to listing
their taxes at the courthouse.
Sooner or later, they’ve got to
show up for the show down, and
the longer they wait the longer
the line will be. Aside from that,
if they fail to make the end of
the month deadline they’ll be sub
ject to a penalty for tardy listing.
This ye,ar’s lag is nothing new,
of course. It happens every Janu
ary, and some of the worst procras
tinators live within easy walking
distance of the tax office.
Before it’s all over, everybody
ends up with a headache. The over
worked tax listers fall heir to one
as a result of the last minute rush,
and the fellow who put it off until
the next day and the next one aft
er that needs an aspirin or two
as well.
• Almost all of us are procrastina
tors at heart, although it avails us
nothing. Not only are we late in
listing taxes, but equally late in
procuring licenses, doing our
Christmas shopping, and writing a
letter today that should have been
written yesterday.
Many of us are even late for
church. However, your preacher
will forgive you for that. His big
gest worry isn’t the late worshiper,
annoying though he is, but the
church member who doesn’t show
up at all.
We would do well to follow the
example of .Winston Churchill, who
attributes his success to being not
only on time for any and all ap
pointments, but ten minutes ahead
of time.
It’s too late already to be ahead
of time on this tax listing business,
but it isn’t too late to miss that
final frantic scramble.
ords as a typist that no one here
abouts was ever able to challenge.
He nfarried a New Bern girl, Mil
dred Tyson, the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. T. F. Tyson.
Members of Sudan say Otis has
made one of the most efficient
Potentates in the Temple’s history.
His thoroughness in office during
the past year was typical of his
work in other lines of endeavor.
Local Shriners intend to see that
the big pot and the little one are
put on as he bows out during next
Wednesday and Thursday’s cere
monial activities. They say the us
ual parade will be something to
watch, and are keeping their fin
gers crossed for good weather.
Clyde G. McAuley of Rocky
Mount, the present Chief Rabban,
is expected to succeed Banks as
Potentate. Otis G. Sawyer of Dur
ham, present assistant Rabban, is
scheduled to move up to the office
of Chief Rabban.
In all probability, three New
Bernians will continue in their
present positions—^Lester H. Gilli-
kin as Recorder, Charles A. Seifert
as Recorder Emeritus, and Ira V.
Stephens as treasurer.
New Bern and Charlotte are the
only two cities in North Carolina
that can boast of a Shrine Temple.
The Shrine, often referred to as
the playground of Masonry, had its
origin in America in 1872. One of
its noteworthy achievements has
been the establishment of hospitals
for crippled children.
The youth of today don’t leave
lootprints on the sands of time—
they just leave tire tracks.