How long has one of New
Bern's best known citizens,
Burke Taylor, been a resident
of our city? The answer Is 40
years.
“When I came here," says
Burke, “I told the folks that If
they would _glve me a chance
to make a Uvlng I would try to
repay the community byhelping
to make It a better place.”
He prospered and kept his
word. Rlgjit from the start he
took part In civic causes, and Is
still going strong. Every Clvi-
tan member In North Carolina
is familiar with Taylor's fruit
cake sales during the holiday
season.
Largely through the sale of
these cakes, once a year. Tar
Heel Clvltans were able to build
and furnish the first cottage for
youngsters at Boys Home on
Lake Waccamaw. Burke has
personally sold several tons of
the cakes, and aided in the pro
motion of many more sales.
At one time during the years
that New Bern had a Coastal
Plain League ball club he own
ed and operated it. Like every
other community leader who
spent time and money on a team
In the circuit during Its semi-
pro days he had a touA go of
It.
His enOiuslasm for all sports
dates back to his txiyhood, iuidt
It has never lessened. Each year
he presents three sports tro
phies at New Bern High school.
Burke would be the first to
admit that his presentation
speeches can't be classified as
great oratory, but his gener
osity ^aks for Itself.
Although he has never publi
cized the fact, hundr^s of
bereaved families over the
years have had their burden
eased by a thou^tful gesture
from Taylor. Quietly and con
siderately. he provided an auto
mobile of the latest make for
the use of the Immediate family
In the funeral procession.
More often than not, the re
cipients of this kindness were
In the lower income bracket, and
would In all probability never
be a prospect for me of the au
tomobiles sold byBurke's agen
cy. Even when a funeral In
volved an out of town trip, he
gladly provided a car and a dri
ver.
One of our Mirror subscrib
ers In California, who halls
from the Old North State, says
North Carolina Is mentioned
more frequently on West Coast
news programs than any other
state.
“Maybe I'm Just listening for
Tar Heel Items,''she adds, “but
they certainly give our section
excellent coverage.'' And, she
Is happy to report, most of die
publicity Is favorable.
Much as we hate weeds, we
can't help but admire their de
termination. What constitutes a
weed anyhow? Webster's defin
ition Is “a wild plant growing
In culUvlated land and Injurious
to the planted crop; any plant
without beauty or usefulness.''
You're no longer a ^rlng
chicken if you can remember
when the Masco Stock Company,
a tent show, played annually on
the spot where New Bern's Cen
tral Fire Station stands.
There was a different play
each night, for a full week, and
the owner's daughter, Dorothy
Mason, was always the heroine.
She had golden curls, and on
(Continued on page 2)
The NEW BERN
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OUTSTANDING}—Pictured with City School Superin
tendent Harry MacDonald you see four New Bern
High school students who have done exceptional!:
Igh sc
eU at
spt
well at the Governor’s School in Winston-Salem
summer. Donna Potter, Bill Russo, Edward Warren
and Kevin Mauney faced stiff competition from the
State’s top teen scholars, but they more than held
their own. As a matter of fact, collectively they rate
higher scholastically than students attending from
larger North Carolina schools. Like all institutions of
learning. New Bern High can stand improvement, but
year in and year out it produces college bound hope
fuls who go forth to make exceptional records. As
we’ve often said, and no doubt will repeat in the fu
ture, New Bermans young and old compare rather
favorably with people elsewhere. Don’t low rate your
own town and section, until you’ve given other places
close scrutiny.
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