V
Last week’s column about Presi
dent Truman’s 1948 visit to New
Bern seemed to create considera
ble interest. So, to follow it up,
here are further sidelights on the
doings of that eventful November
Sabbath.
There wasn’t an automobile to be
seen, between New Bern and Cher
ry Point, as Bruce Lee (then with
WHIT) and the writer headed to
ward the marine base for our
scheduled broadcast of the Chief
Elxecutive’s arrival. We weren’t per
mitted on the usually ljusy but now
deserted highwa:^ ourselves until
,we displayed special passes.
What the thoroughfare lacked in
the way of motor vehicles was more
than made up for by the cars of
the State Highway Patrol. As we
passed each sideroad—and you
need not be told that there are
plenty of them—a manned patrol
car was poking it nose out. It was
an unbelievable sight, and empha
sized the great care that is always
taken tp safeguard a President.
This indeed was the strangest
ride the writer had ever experienc
ed on a span he had grimly nick
named “Bloody Boulevard’’ because
of the frequent traffic fatalities
along its route. One couldn’t help
but get an uncanny feeling, travel
ing mile after mile without meet
ing or passing another car.
When we arrived at Cherry
Point’s main gate, there was anoth
er unusual sight awaiting us. Sev-
erai Marines, attired respendently
in their dress blues, were armed
with push brooms and were making,
certain that not so much as a single
grain of dust remained at the en
trance to the base. Never again
we expect to see any other
vielm
broom wielders gatbed so elegant
ly, even if we get to London and
Buckingham Palace.
. When we flashed 9ur special pass
at the gate, nothing was taken for
granted. The guard in charge had
a list of the passes that had been
issued, and apparently also had our
physical descriptions written down.
He looked at his list, then looked
at us, asked a few questions and
finally let us through.
There was virtually no visible ac
tivity on the base, and only a smat
tering of people had been allowed
to congregate at the air strip.
There were a few Marines, a few
civilians, and that did it. We had
an excellent vantage point for the
broadcast—at the control tower,
and we were treated quite courte
ously by the military.
It may surprise you to learn that
the control tower was never,in con
tact with the President’s plane.
Even after it landed, there was no
way to communicate. Instead, the
tower was in contact with Washing
ton, and Washington was in con
tact with Truman’s aircraft—prob
ably by code and on a secret wave
length. This too was done for se
curity purposes. Otherwise it is
conceivable that the President
could be placed in jeopardy by
false information from a radio
source that sought to do him harm,
or official messages for his plane
might be jammed or blotted out.
Anyhow, it’s a fact that there was
no direct communication from the
Cherry Point control tower. This
resulted in an amusing incident.
There wasn’t a plane in the sky,
and then we saw one come into
view, headed for the base. Bruce
Lee, talking excitedly into the mic
rophone, told New Bernians and
others listening—“Here it is, the
President’s plane. I can recognize
it quite clearly.” And then Bruce,
never at a loss for words, gave a
glowing description of how grace
fully the plane was landing.
Imagine his embarrassment when
the door of the plane opened, and
instead of the President the folks
who shuffled out were a motley
looking collection of newspapermen
(Continued on Pago 2)
The NEW BERN
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WEEKLY
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VOLUME 3
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1960
NUMBER 24
THEY’ER THE CHAMPS—Pictured are the Pirates,
who won 14 of their 18 games this season to cop the New
Bern Recreation Department’s Pony League crown. Kneel
ing, left to right, are Billy Prescott, Larry Toler, Jimmy
Ferebee, Larry Lupton and Billy Wheeler. Standing, left
to right, are Co-Coach Bill Wheeler, Jerry Horner, Ricky
Champion, Charles Jennett, Ronnie Stricklin, Jerry Harrel-
son. Pee Wee Dixon and Co-Coach Cecil Ferebee. Absent
were Mickey Chance, Jimmy Suffler, Eddie Gaboon and
Jay Jarman.—Photo by Wray Studio.
New Bern Well Represented
In College Freshman Ranks
Classrooms and textbooks can
hardly be termed things of the
past for the New Bern High school
class of 1960. Convinced that they
’ll need all the education they can
get, and Ihen some, a remarkably
large percentage of the graduates
will be slaving away in college in
a matter of days.
, Our thanks go to Marshall Ball,
who brought honor to New Bern
by winning a coveted Angier B.
Duke scholarship, for doing re
search that helped The Mirror find
out what graduates would be going
where. Marshall is headed for
Duke University, of course, and
with him will be another outstand
ing member of the 1960 class. Jack
Langley.
East Carolina College in Green
ville is destined to have a decided
New Bern atmosphere this year. In
eluded in its freshman class will
be Jimmy Brinson, Lester Arthur,
Bobby Ferebee, Anna Gillikin, Oli
via Hammond, Brenda Kay Hardy,
Peggy Ann Johnson, Bunny Mc-
Ilwean, Walter Mizelle, Marsha
Paul, Margie Pugh, Chunn Purser,
Robert Tyson and Bobby Williams.
North Carolina State is going to
have its student body enlarged by
Charles Benfield, Jim Gooch, Ver
non Goodwin, Joe Heath, Eddie
Holloway, Michael Johnson, Tom
McKnight, Richard O’Connor, Bill
Sherratt, and Vance Wrenn.
Wake Forest, up in Winston-Sal
em, will have a crop of New Bern
freshmen on hand, too. Represent
ing us there for the next nine
months will be Johnny Gaskill, Jim
my Lewis, Mickey Register and
David Zacks.
Pattie Bryan and Sherry Anne
Wooten are going to attend Wom
an’s College of the University of
North Carolina in Greensboro,
while Lillian Johnson and Annette
Lancaster are going to be close by
at Greensboro College. As for Mary
Green', Gary Roser, Lindley White
and Richar4 Williams, they are en
rolling at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
lege.
Louisburg College is claiming
Ben Scott, Don Matthews, Gorman
Lewis, and Willis Mason, while
Meredith will be the destination of
Rose Humphrey, Barbara Radford,
Brenda Smith and Joyce Stainback.
Jo Ellen Jennette goes to Mary
Baldwin this year, and Eloise Reel
keeps up a family tradition by
choosing Atlantic Christian College
in Wilson.
Among the freshmen at Camp
bell College you’ll find Emmitt
Brinson, Ginny Martin and Emo-
gene Williams. Susan Orringer is
bound for Peace, and Joyce Bu
chanan selected Mount Olive Jun
ior College in her pursuit of great
er knowledge. Richard McEnally
is carting his scholastic brilliance
to Washington and Lee University,
while John Anderson will be a
freshman at The Citadel.
Judy Lockey and Nell Smith are
looking forward to their first yedr
at Averett, and Billy Cannon is all
set for the long grind at Wilming
ton College. Helen Rowe and Lot
tie Strickland chose Gardner-Webb,
and Ed Mitchell’s destination is
High Point College. Margaret
Rhodes is journeying quite a far
piece to attend Westminster Col-
Jimmie Chagaris goes to Cataw
ba College, Billy Dowdy to Guilford
College, Mark Dunn to Davidson,
Carole Forstadt to Emerson, Jim
my Leathers to Moody Bible Insti
tute, Libby Hodges to Salem, and
Betty Hines and Joy Rice to Ten
nessee Bible College.
New Bern High school’s class of
1960 is also going to be well rep
resented in the field of nursing.
Pat Humphrey, Martha Lewis, Pat
sy O’Neal and Jackie Smith are go
ing to be in training at Watts hos
pital, Carolyn Dixon at Charlotte
Memorial hospital, and Pat Ragan
at Mercy hospital, while Ruth
Strickland will be at James Walk
er Memorial.
When 77 members of any local
graduating class continue their
formal education, it’s front page
news. In many ways the 1960 class
was exceptional. Many of those who
received their diplomas last Spring
landed scholarships that enabled
them to attend college. The vast
majority, with or without scholar
ships, have what it takes to weather
their tough first year in an insti
tution of higher learning.
In numerous instances boys and
girls are getting the opportunity
that their parents never had. Al
most without exception, sending
them to college will cause consider
able financial strain. Cognizant of
that fact, these youngsters are a
serious and determined lot.
Gone, and they know it, is the
day when a boy or girl from a fam
ily of means could enroll in a col
lege and go on a lark. In this era
of over-crowded universities, the
spoiled teen-ager who considers col
lege a potential playground will
seldom last longer than the first
semester.
Very quickly a high school stu
dent learns that no one is going
to beg him to study or even attend
classes at college. He is treated like
the young adult that he is, and not
only does he find it necessary to be
attentive in the classroom, but is
destined for long hours of late-
hour study in the confinement of
his own dormitory.
Adjustment is difficult for most
college freshmen, even those stu
dents who had excellent high
school records back home. To say
the least, it's a radical change front
what they’ve been used to, and
emotions get a thorough going ov
er.
Particularly disconcerting to the
boy or girl who was a center of at
traction in high school is the sober
ing and disillusioning realization
that he or she is simply one among
many at a college with a much
larger enrollment. Feeling impor
tant is a source of pleasure to most
mortals, and the pleasure turns to
varying degrees of misery when
you’re knocked from your own lit
tle pedestal, to become just anoth
er face in the crowd.
Fortunately, New Bern’s college
freshmen will, in the majority of
cases, encounter home town friends
among the upper classmen at the
institutions they are attending.
Have been through the mill, so to
speak, these sophomores, juniors
and seniors are in a position to
give sound advice.
(Cotitinued cn Back Page)
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