3lV-
Every newspaperman, if only for
vanity’s sake, likes to recall some
particular story that provided him
with the scoop of a lifetime.
Ours came in 1948, when we
scooped the entire press of the na
tion and world with the exclusive
revelation that President Harry S.
Truman, newly elected, would at
tend Sunday morning services at
New Bern’s First Baptist'church.
To this day we’ve never , told
anyone how we got the story al
most two days before it was re
leased officially by the White
House in Washington. And, feel
ing as we do now, it will still be an
undisclosed secret when we go to
our grave.
How did we get carefully guard
ed information? That’s what con
scientious and highly efficient John
Campion of the Secret Service
wanted to know when he question
ed us the day before Truman ar
rived.
Squirming a little, the writer
replied that he was going to stand
pat on a reporter’s time-honored
right not to divulge the source of
his information. Campion smiled
and said, “I don’t suppose you
would be much of a newspaperman
if you’d tell me.” And that was
that.
Little did either of us know at
the time that John, during Tru
man’s weekend visit, would fall in
love with a New Bern girl, Georgia
Brewer, and marry her soon aftei’-
wards. Incidentally, the Campions
—12 years later—are still happily
married and he is still safeguard
ing Presidents.
This much we can say about the
Truman scoop, the facts were mea
ger. At first, according to our un
official information, he was plan
ning to attend church in Wilming
ton. Then he chose New Bern in
stead.
As soon as, the writer learned
that the Chief Executive would be
attending the First Baptist church
here, he called the pastor, Rev.
Tom Fryer. Then he telephoned
Congressman Graham A. Barden,
who happened to be home from
Washington. Next morning, at Wil
liams Restaurant, as the two of
us chanced to meet at the coun
ter, Hap remarked that there still
wasn’t anything official in the pa
pers concerning a Truman visit to
New Bern.
“Are you sure your story is
right?” the Congressman asked as
he sipped his coffee. We assured
him it was, but while we told him
we were saying to ourself, “It had
better be true, after the broadcast
we did last night about it.” The fat
was definitely in the fire. If the
President failed to come* to New
Bern, the writer was going to be
saddled with a reporting blunder
that could never be lived down.
Relying on the luck of the Irish,
and taking a gamble that still
makes us shudder, we had said on
the broadcast that, official silence
notwithstanding, the President
would definitely put in an appear
ance here on the Sabbath. He
would land his plane at Cherry
Point and come to New Bern by
automobile.
Truthfully, we ‘had no advance
information at all on the Cherry
Point angle. However, we did know
that the Presidential party would
be flying in Truman’s plane, and
we knew that the Marine base
could provide a great deal more
landing room than New Bern’s
Simmons-Nott airport. By putting
two and two together, as the saying
goes, it was reasonable to assume,
that the plane would light at Cher
ry Point. Our hunch paid off, and
the entire story blossomed into
reality on schedule.
Fortunately, we were forgiven on
the day before President Truman
arrived for breaking the story pre-
maturely.Campion, who with the
(Continutd on Pago 3)
The NEW BERN
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2000 Arooial
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5 Per Copy
VOLUME 3
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1960
NUMBER 23
ATTRACTIVE FOR INTERIORS — Dried Hower^ can be
made into beautiful arrangements. Here Miss Rebecca Col
well, home economics agent for Craven county, is shown
admiring the arrangement of one of her club women, Mrs.
M. A. Hornet-: Path were attending the handicraft warlp-
shdp held at the Manteo 4-H Camp. Handicraft is a popular
hpbby among Craven’s rural women.
Pat Allen, While in the Air,
Is Still Strictly Down to Earth
New Bern’s Pat Allen has flown
more than a thousand hours dur
ing her first exciting year as a
stewardess for National Air Lines.
Her major run is from Miami to
New York, but sandwiched in be
tween have been trips to Houston,
New Orleans, Boston, Havana and
elsewhere.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of
it,” the charming 23-year-old told
us this week. “In fact, when I was
flying to Miami for the interview
that I hoped would get me a job,
I knew I would love it. That was
my first time on a plane. I can’t
think of a more satisfying pro
fession.”
To qualify for a stewardess phys
ically, a girl must be between the
ages of 20 and 26, between 5-2 and
5-8 in height, and weigh between
105 and 130. “I was 5-6 and weigh
ed 115,” says the ex-New Bern
High school majorette. Then, smil
ing that lovely smile of hers, she
admitted, “I weigh 120 now.”
Pat had a year at Peace college
in Raleigh before she set her heart
on being a stewardess. Having
made up her mind, she wrote all
of the major air lines. They sent
material to her, and offered her in
terviews. “I decided on National,”
she reasons, “because it has a stop
over in New Bern and I can get
home'in a hurry if the occasion for
it arises. Besides, I wanted to fly
along the east coast.” It was a
choice she has never regretted.
We are happy to report that she
hasn’t changed one iota. She still
has the same friendly manner, the
same love for people, and the same
deep sincerity that makes her one
of the nicest persons we’ve ever
known. No wonder the regular
travelers on National Air Lines
call her by name and look forward
to chatting with her high above the
clouds.
She gets kidded about her de
lightful southern drawl, but she
accepts it good naturedly. Maybe
her slow and easy way of talking
is relaxing to passengers. At any
rate, it’s a fact that only four of
them have been air sick under her
care. They were the notable ex
ceptions, and might have gotten
sick anyhow if they had been rid
ing in an automobile, on a train
or maybe even in a wheelbarrow.
“The men, women and children
I’ve served have all been wonder
ful,” says Pat, “but I liked Red
Skelton best of all. He was on my
plane from Houston to Miami about
six months ago. There weren’t
many passengers, and I wasn’t
busy. We sat together and talked
for two hours.”
During those two hours, the
famed comedian didn’t tell so much
as a single wisecrack, but Pat
found out that in serious conversa
tion he had as striking a personali
ty as he does when clowning on
television. For the most part, they
talked about his travels through
out the world.
“I told him how much I enjoyed
his program, and mentioned spe
cifically his Thanksgiving show
about the turkey. I said Freddie
the Free Loader was my favorite
among the characters he portrays,
and he told me he loved doing it.
I guess one reason I admire him
so much is because of the many
kind and generous things he has
done for others.”
Another thrill for Pat came
when Robert Stack, who stars in
“The Untouchables” on TV, was a
passenger, ahd she was pleasantly
surprised one day when New
Bern’s Laurence Stith, Jr., and his
bride, Jane Morgan, came aboard.
“Laurence and I recognized each
other immediately,” Pat said, “and
I found Jane to be a very sweet
and very gracious person.”
Pat, when asked, revealed that
men make better air passengen
than women. “Usually the men
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