Hes Jack Smathers
Brevard Reserve Officer Finds French
Expect Visit From
French Stewardess
By - Cal Carpenter
The old saying that it’s a small world is
true. You can ask Lt. Col. Jack Smathers, Bre
vard resident and reserve officer in the U. S. Air
Force.
How else could an Army B-25 instructor
pilot run into a French airline captain who
was once a student of his while a passenger
h» »n Air France Caravel le somewhere over
the Caribbean between Miami, Florida and
Guadeloupe, French West Indies?
“FLIES FAMILIARLY”
The story of this unusual reunion between
flying instructor and student began this Spring
when Jack Smathers, Olin employee and self
employed electronics equipment distributor,
and his wife, Wanda, decided on a Caribbean
tour to celebrate their 25th wedding Anniver
sary.
They had joined “Club Mediterranean”,
* * « vacation tour club and boarded an Air
France Caravelle airliner for the flight from
Miami to Gaudeloupe. After the takeoff and
* an intermediate landing, said Jack Smathers
* to his wife:
“This guy sure flies awfully familiarly.
Wonder where he learned to fly?”
INVITATION TO COCKPIT
j His interest caused Col. Smathers to call
i the stewardess, Mile. France Hallberg, and ask
' her:
“Has our Captain ever lived in the United
States? He flies like an American-trained
pilot.”
Miss Hallberg said she didn’t know.
She was sure the Captain had been in the U. S.
a good bit, but didn’t know where he’d had his
training. She said she’d ask him.
# She returned from the cockpit shortly
with the unusual invitation for Col. Smathers
to go up. The Captain was asking up front
„ for a visit! _
w The Captain turned out to be Command
. ant Jaques Beaugrand, one of the then, Lieu
tenant Smathers’ French Air Force students at
Turner Field, Georgia, where the French were
trained on B-25 bombers in 1945!
THE RED CARPET
Col. Smathers, who’s now near retirement
from the Air Force Reserve, then received the
« *’*“ carpet treatment. Captain Beaugrand
* h,s co-pilot out and let Smathers fly
the French airliner. Smathers handled the
■ *,,ck. .*P«*£y twin-jet ship while he and the
Captain talked over old times.
Upon landing at the Smathers’ destination,
Captain Beaugrand learned their return sche
dule and arranged to fly them back himself.
Mile. Hallberg was highly impressed by
... \ J1*1 unusual meeting- of old; flying comrades.
She, too, was on the Smathers return flight
/ and spent so much time talking to them they
> got rather well acquainted.. Miss Hallberg ex
pressed a desire to see something of Western
North Carolina sometime and the Smathersi
answered with an invitation for a visit the
first time her travels brought her near.
But the Air France airline went that one
better. They decided that a visit by one of
their pretty stewardesses with an American
family would be good public relations, so they
have arranged to fly her to Asheville for a visit
with the Smathers in Brevard September 28th
through October 5th.
MAKE VIDEO TAPE
So plans are now underway for a return
of the “red carpet” treatment given the
Smathers by the French Airline stewardess.
||! Brevard High School Band
Begins Rehearsals Aug. 16th
TRY
TIMES
WANT
Brevard High School Band
rehearsals are announced to
day by James F. Harwell,
band director.
Band camp will be held
the week of August 16th
2*th. AH senior high band
students desiring to partici
will be expected to attend.
All bandsmen will report
with instruments to the BHS
Miss Hallberg will be welcomed and shown
about Western North Carolina this Fall. At
the request of the airline, Jack Smathers will
use some of the video tape recording equip
ment he distributes as a second occupation,
to record Mile. Hallberg’s visit. Air France
will then use the tape for passenger relations
promotion.
Miss Hallberg’s visit is planned for 6 days,
during which time the Smathers expect to show
her Brevard, have her meet local dignitaries,
and . include other points of scenic and artistic
interest in W. N. C. Among them, of course,
will he the Biltmore House, probably the out
standing example of French-style architecture
in America.
The well-traveled young lady, who speaks
four languages and looks like you’d expect a
French airline stewardess to look will also,
no doubt, be something of a French attraction
herself.
Captain Beaugrand won’t be able to get
away for a similar visit, but it’s a safe bet he’ll
see the video tapes of his pretty stewardess and
his old flying instructor and wife “doing” West
ern North Carolina.
He’ll probably say the same thing to his
fellow airline captains that Jack Smathers
said to this writer. It’s not original, but
it is a fact!
“It surely is a small world.”
TRY THE TIMES CLASSIFIEDS
I ..
Flower Gardening r
(Continued from Page Six)
0 -10 - 20 is good.
Prune pink or blue hydran
Seas as soon as flowers fade
They bloom next year on wood
formed this summer. WHIT!
hydrangeas bloom on NEW
wood. They should be pruned
in early spring only.
Cut back shasta daisies and
other perennials after they fin
ish blooming . . . keep all dead
flowers cut.
Oriental poppies can be mov
ed now and now ones ordered
for planting.
Order madonna lilies for
planting now. Also Fall Cro
:us, Colchicums and Sternber
gias. The latter three flowers
will brighten your fall garden.
Planted in August they bloom
in a few weeks. The planting is
a permanent one and they will
flower in profusion each fall
thereafter. Order at once.
(Planting and cultural instruc
tions will come with your or
der.)
“ Flowers seen and enjoyed:
Gorgeous pansies at Mrs. James
Barton’s, Cathey’s Creek . . . .
A porch box full of the loveliest
- petunias, all colors, at Mr. and
— Mrs. Gerald Sittjon’s, 128 Maple
St.An enjoyable, street
side, wild garden at Mrs. Ashe
I Macfie’s, 124 Maple St. Also
glorious geraniums and snap
dragons nearby .... an ex
quisite Fairy rose, and other
pretty flowers at Mrs. Ralph
Duckworth’s, 126 N. Johnson
St. . . . (I never see a Fairy
rote without thinking about
all the ones Mrs. Paul Tindall
grew so beautifully in her gar
den at 327 Probart St. before
moving from Brevard.)
Spotlight twins brightly on
the Leonard Simpson’s colorful
and interesting garden at Ce
dar Mountain. Such a glamor
ous array of flowers — snap
dragons, veronicas, salvia, age
ratum, a riot of different kinds
of daisies, geraniums, sultana,
daylilies, mint, bleeding - heart,
phlox and magnificent delphin
ium. Of course, there are many
many more. The Simpson’s are
such great flower lovers, and
extend an invitation to other
flower lovers to visit their gar
den.
Happy Flower Gardening,
Everyone!
For Rubber Stamps
Call The
Transylvania Times
883-4250
OPEN FOR THE SUMMER! S
POOR RICHARD’S
KITCHEN
AT
THE HAUNTED MILL
“A REAL COUNTRY MEAL
SERVED FAMILY STYLE”
-★___
Luncheon Served 12 Noon to 3 p.m.
Dinner Served 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
AFTERNOON TEA
Served 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
CLOSED MONDAYS
-★_
SUNDAY DINNER
Served from 12 Noon to 8 p.m.
-★__
FOR RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION
DIAL 1-693-6931
Directions to Poor Richard’s Kitchen
And The Haunted Mill
FROM HIGHLANDS & BREVARD
Take 64 East toward Hendersonville—just past
Etowah across 2nd bridge turn right on Cum
mings Road. Go 2% miles deadend, TURN
LEFT one/half mile.
igljr
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