October 10, 1968
THE TWIG
Page Three
Meredith's Amelia Earhart
Takes Off Up, Up and Away
High School Friends Chat
Reporter Calls Governor's Mansion
‘O’
By Marilyn Childress
"Information.”
“Operator, I’d like to make a
long distance call to the governor’s
mansion in Annapolis, Maryland.”
“Do you want to speak to Gov-
crner Agnew, personally?"
“No, I’d like to make a person-
to-person call to his daughter, Sue
Agnew.”
“Just a minute, i’ll check. The
number is 267-8 .. 6 ...
It seemed as if everyone on third
Poteat had crowded into a five-
square foot area surrounding our
private phone in 307 Poteat. It still
seemed like an absolute lark . . .
Sure 1 had known Sue in high
school. I’d even had a gym locker
next to hers, but that was four years
ago. . . . Would she remember? Oh
well, if not, little would be . . .
■‘Hello, the governor’s mansion.”
“I have a long distance call for
Miss Sue Agnew from Miss Mari
lyn Childress.”
“Would you please repeat the last
name again,” the secret service man
asked.
“Is this Sue Agnew?” I think the
operator was more startled than I.
“Sue,” I plunged in naively, “this
is Marilyn Childress. I don’t know
if you recall who I am.”
“Sure, I remember. How are you
doing?”
“Fine,” I said rather mechani
cally. Naturally, of course she knew
me ... we trooped out together to
Mrs. Wunderlick’s hockey class for
at least two years and passed notes
in ninth grade civics class, the year
her father was running for Balti
more County Executive.
I explained to Sue my interest
in doing a feature for our news
paper on her personal reactions to
the upcoming Presidential race in
which her father is now campaign
ing. The conversation sailed on.
“When were you informed of
Nixon’s selection of your father as
a vice-Presidential running mate?
Not until ten minutes before the
actual broadcast!”
I was actually getting chills as she
told of those ten minutes in Miami.
Sue explained that the family had
tried to call all their close relatives
to cushion the shock of the an
nouncement before the television
announcement was made. In this
brief interim, all relatives could not
be contacted and Sue exclaimed,
“my grandmother first heard of
Nixon’s selection of Daddy on tele
vision and almost went hysterical.”
“How did you feel standing in
front of the Democratic (opps ...
had 1 really said Democratic Con
vention) er . . . The Republican
National Convention?”
Sue went on excitedly, “Well you
know we were all so stunned that
I wasn’t even nervous. ... It all
happened so quickly.”
At this point I couldn’t resist
questioning her about Nixon. “Was
Nixon what you had expected?” I
ventured.
“Well, he was a bit shorter man
than I had imagined. I have a lot of
respect for him. He was very warm
toward ail of us, yet I did not have
an opportunity to chat with him
personally,” Sue continued.
Sue, a petite brunette with a lot
of sparkle, although she had never
been an extrovert in high school,
seemed a package of enthusiasm
on the phone. Evidently being in
the public eye had not left Sue
awed, for when confronted by news
men (by the way, some thirty news
men and secret police fly with the
Agnews on their own private Boe
ing 727 jet, “Michelle-Ann”), she
never declines giving her personal
opinion. Public life is anything but
routine, and Sue’s experiences
prove this. She explained, “You
just never know what will come
up next. My mother was to appear
on a women’s program before a
live television audience, and I
merely went along to accompany
her. About five minutes before the
program began, I discovered they
had saved a seat for me. I was
so nervous, but I guess I would
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have been more nervous had I
knowji for quite a while ahead.”
Since campaigning for her father
and traveling is a full-time job. Sue
h^ taken a leave of absence from
her regular activities where she is
currently employed as a secretary
for Westinghouse Corporation. Hav
ing flown from: Miami, Florida
to San Antonio, Texas with Nbcon’s
daughters, Sue found them to be
most amiable and enthusiastic
girisv although Julie had been sick
on the trip.
Western Maryland was the most
western point Sue had been until
the hrst week in August. She had
now visited at least 18 states, in
cluding Alaska, and has met no
lesser personages than Everett
Dirksen and Governors Romney,
Rhodes and Hathaway, to mention
a few. Her voice raised a pilch
higher as she recalled meeting sing
ing-star Jack Jones, and excitedly
explained that Richard Boone (star
of Palidan) had kissed her sister
as he placed a lei around her neck
while in Hawaii.
This was too tempting ... we
were off on personal reminiscences.
No, she is not dating anyone in
particular now, but Sue did meet a
boy this summer who was working
on the Maryland state boat. He
had what . . . invited you to Home
coming at North Carolina State
University . . . why that’s right
across the street from Meredith.
“I’m not sure I can come,” Sue
sighed, “Daddy’s schedule is so de
manding.”
Speaking of Daddy, Oh, yes he
is the candidate, isn’t he?
Spiro Agnew is obviously a hu
mane father, for when I asked
whether he tightened up on the
family budget like he had on the
Maryland State budget. Sue said
nonchalantly, “Daddy seems to
know when we need clothes and he
just gives us the extra money we
need.”
9:30 p.m. ... We had chatted
for at least a half an hour; during
By Brooks McGirt
Many Meredith girls would con
sider it a Heaven-sent boon if they
could just have transportation to
local shopping centers, a downright
miracle if they could have their
very own motorbike, and something
almost beyond comprehension when
they finally rcceive, in their senior
yeai-, the keys to a real live auto
mobile!
But there's one girl on campus
who has everyone beat — for she
just happens to own her very own
airplane!
This girl, senior Marianne John
son of Raeford, is the proud co
owner (along with her brother
Julian and her “fella” Eddie Baker)
of a J-3 — a Piper Cub, she ex
plains. As far as her co-ownership
title, she admits, “Eddie was the
only one who really gave his own
money” toward the nurchase of the
plane from a Clinton resident. “I
had to borrow mine,” she continues,
“and Julian had to borrow his.”
But, she adds, she plans to pay
back the money after she gradu
ates in January.
Of course, Marianne would have
a hard time finding a space for
her unusual transportation in Po-
teat’s crowded parking lot, so the
plane is kept at her home in Rae-
ford. In fact, she can boast of living
in a two-plane family, for her
father has “always had a plane.”
The family even has its own land
ing strip, which she describes as
“a stretched-out driveway.”
But it isn’t as if Marianne just
suddenly decided to learn to fly and
ran right out to pick up the neces-
(Continued on page 4)
which time I know that everyone in
Room 307 Poteat had touched the
receiver at least twice, and all had
strained necks to hear a few words
spoken in “Yankee.”
With this luck, who knows, I
might even call Nixon himself to
morrow!
Marianne, at tbc controls, prepares to
lake Eddie Baker for a spin in tbeir
Piper Cub.
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