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The NEW BERN
Ift. HEART OF
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VOLUME 4
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 7, 1961
NUMBER 14
'When T/S@t. Ndhl bemorest was
assigned to Cherry Point, back in
1944, he and his wife Maxine went
hunting for a place to live. They
ended up at a farm near Newport.
The couple had heard tales of
Southern hospitality, but came face
to face with a brand of it that they
never dreamed existed outside of
story books. “We still marvel over
it every time we think about it,”
says Nihl, and Maxine’s dark
brown eyes sparkle when she
smiles and nods agreement.
The farmer and his wife — Nel
son and Lona Bell — were fixing
to leave home for several days
when the Demorests showed up,
but this didn’t complicate things.
“Although we were total stran
gers,” Nihl and Maxine recall,
“they insisted that we move right
in and make ourselves at home
while they were gone.”
For two young Yankees in Rebel
country, this was too good to be
true. 'They were shaking- their
heads in utter disbelief, as the
Bells drove off with never a fear of
what might happen to their house
hold possessions in their absence.
It was a gesture of faith and kind
ness that they would never be
forgotten.
While Nihl was stationed at
Cherry Point, their firstborn,
Linda, arrived in the Morehead
City hospital. He and Maxine ac
quired a trailer, and eventually
moved into Tom Haywood’s trailer
park at Croatan.
.Alter leaving service, they re-
Lirnojj to MicKigah arid theiP'she*
ond daughter was bom there. Sold
on the South, they promply named
her Dixie. Nihl had been an air
craft mechanic at Cherry Point,
and he went to work for the
Chevrolet people at flrand Rapids.
CHANCE’-
find on the up|)er
Recreation Department- is holding swimming classes each
morning, Monday throdgh Friday. Frances Ferebee is the
supervisor. Jim Shine, John Baxter, Ann Chagaris and Bill
The sWsion
pffbSt%;ell^ "durdtlom starts .July 17. Trahspottatloh is"
provided^ and $4 covers! the total fee for the full month’s*
training.—Photo by John Baxter.
He is still employed there.
Linda, at 16, is every inch a
rebel. She takes pride in her North
Carolina birthright, and doesn’t
hesitate to argue for the Stars and
Bars with her Michigan school
mates. She and 13 year old Dixie
get along splendidly together, but
when Dixie gets provoked and
wants to get a real fuss going, she
brings up the Civil War and the
battle is on.
This past week, when Nihl’s
vacation came up, the Demorests
decided to head below the Mason-
Dixon line for a visit with the
folks who befriended themr during-
World War H. Linda was especial
ly excited at the prospect of seeing
a homeland she left in infancy.
Newport had grown remarkably
in their absence, and they couldn’t
find their way around very easily.
They learned that Mr. Bell was no
longer living, and that Mrs. Bell,
in ill health, was in New Bern with
relatives.
Coming To New Bern Is Fun
They drove to New Bern, and
app:
happy reunion ensued. True to
Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jack-
son, Linda had her Confederate
flag with her when she barged in
to this here town on the shores of
the Neuse and Trent.
It was no act cooked up on the
spur of the moment. This flag is a
must with her. She unfurled it
every place that the family stop
ped, coming to North Carolina.
She is undoubtedly waving it just
as proudly as they head back to
Yankee Land.
Incidentally, she happened to
mention that she is an ardent Jane
Morgan fan, and we were delighted
to present her with a photograph
of Jane and Laurence that was
taken at the Stith home during the
Christmas holidayB. It’s the same
photo, you’ll recall, that was used
in The Mirror when we did a
story about the two last January.
Thousands of rebels are scatter
ed all over the United States —•
babies born to Marine couples dur
ing World War II. We can’t help
(Continuad on Pag* 8)
For This Outstanding Person
Arriving in New Bern today, for
her annual summer visit with rela
tives, will be one of North Caro
lina’s most exceptional teen agers,
Clara Annette Rikard of Canton.
This event, staged amid the lovely i Its objectives are to advance and
scenery that has made Haywood promote by every suitable means
counW; a mecca for tourists, has the propagation and preservation
been mdely publicized for years. | of the dogwood tree as the North
Her mother, Mrs. W. Lawrence
Rikard, is a former New Bernian
— Louise Reel — and the young
ster has been spending two months
or more here and at Minnesott
Beach each year as far back as she
can remember.
Although born in the Land of the
Sky, where mountains prevail, she
is always eager to come to the
Land of Enchanting Waters for an
extended outing in the coast
country.
When we say that Claita Annette
is exceptional, it’s no idle flattery.
Honors have been heaped upon the
18 year old beauty with the abun
dance of a small boy serving him
self a helping of home-made ice
cream.
At the annual Youth Fitness
Conference of North Carolina re
cently held in Raleigh she was
selected from 180 teen agers re
presenting 91 Tar Heel counties to
receive a fitness award from
Governor Terry Sanford.
“The youth fitness program,”
said the Governor, “is three-fold-
intelleotual, moral and physical.”
He commended Clara Annette as a
leader in her school, community,
church, and in her personal life.
A straight A student at Canton
High school, she graduated last
month.
On Miay 6, she was crowned
queen of the annual North Caro
lina Dogwood Blossom Festival.
Carolina State Flower; to encour
age tlie wider use of dogwood trees
in home, highway, community,
street, city and town planning for
beautification purposes.
As the 1961 queen of the Dog
wood Blossom Festival, Clara An
nette has been quite impressed
with the legend of the dogwood.
It is said that at the time of the
Crucifixion the dogwood had been
the size of the oak and other forest
trees. So firm and strong was the
tree that it was chosen as the
timber for the cross.
To be used thus, according to the
legend, greatly distressed the tree,
and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed
this. In His gentle pity for all sor
row and suffering He said: “Be
cause of your regret and pity for
My suffering, never again shall the
dogwood tree grow large enough to
be used as a cross. Henceforth it
shall be slender and bent and
twisted and its blossoms shall be
in the form of a cross.
“In the center of the outer edge
of each petal there will be nail
prints, brown with nlSt and stain
ed with red, and in the center of
the flower will be a crown of
thorns, and all who see it will
remember.”
A HEALTHY SMILE
The versatile teen ager repre
sented the Mary Custis Lee Chap
ter of the Unit^ Daughters of the'
Confederacy during the North Caro
lina Confederate Centennial in Ra
leigh. Presented at the Colorful
ball as one of 40 Confederate bel
les, she wore a pink lace dre.sa
over satin, copied from one worn
(Continued on back page)
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