Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 23, 1987, edition 1 / Page 2
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2The Daily Tar HeelFriday, January 23, 1987 Mrs. Helms irecollectts iroadl to DoC By NICKI WEISENSEE Staff Writer When the society editor of The Raleigh News and Observer began dating a sportswriter for the paper 47 years ago, she had no idea that one day she'd be the wife of one of Washington's most outspoken senators. "He likes to say that it was the hot summer and the fact that the water cooler was in my office that got us together," said Dorothy Helms, w ife of Sen. Jesse Helms, R N.C. "He had to go through my office to get there and he'd leave notes on my typewriter all the time." Back then. their dream was to own and operate a "country weekly" or a small-town newspaper, Mrs. Helms said. World War 11 changed some of their plans when Sen. Helms was drafted into the Navy in March 1942. He stayed until fall 1945. "By that time we were married and had a daughter," she said. "1 decided 1 wanted to be a housewife and a mother. I w anted to raise my child." The Helmses now have three children: Jane (Helms) Knox, Nancy (Helms) Stuart and Charles Helms. When Sen. Helms returned, he went to work for The Raleigh Times, eventually becoming editor. He was then offered a job at WCBT radio in Roanoke Rapids. The family stayed there for two years, then went back to Raleigh where he began working for WRAL-TV. This is where Sen. Helms tran sition from journalism to politics began. His position as executive vice president and general manager of WRAL required that he do the five minute editorial spots five days a week. "He got so much mail from people agreeing with him, saying they wished he'd run (for the Senate)," Mrs. Helms said. . . that we decided if the people were that interested, then we would give it a try." "We had no idea he'd win," she said. Sen. Helms is serving his third term in the Senate. He was first 5 ' - J" Dorothy Helms Congressional VJivos elected in 1972, then again in 1978, and most recently in 1984. Dorothy Coble Helms was born and raised in Raleigh, in Boylan Heights. As a child, she liked to read and write. "1 also liked to play in the neigh borhood with my friends," she said. "We didn't have all the sophisticated things that young people have today." In 1936. she graduated from Hugh Morrison High School. She went to Meredith College for two years, then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, she worked on The Daily Tar Heel, and was the first president of w hat is now Mclver residence hall. She belonged to the YWCA and the staff of The Buccaneer, a literary magazine. "They stopped (the literary mag azine) that year because of some dirty words printed in it, words which aren't even considered dirty any more," she said. At Chapel Hill, she also met Margaret Rose Knight now Sen. Terry Sanford's wife. She and the Sanfords have been friends ever since, despite the difference in their political beliefs, she said. Both of the Helmses were raised as Democrats. They changed their political affiliation to Republican when Sen. Helms first ran for the Senate in 1972. She said they Ve always been conservatives, though. As a senator's wife, Mrs. Helms has many responsibilities most wives don't. She has actively campaigned for her husband during all three elections and belongs to many organizations in Washington, some of which utilize her writing skills, she said. . "1 guess 1 enjoy the most the (Ladies of the Senate) Red Cross chapter because it gives us a chance to just get to know each other," she said. The Robert E. Lee Boyhood Home in Alexandria, Va., the Washington House in Washington, D.C., and Camp Willow Run in Gaston, N.C. are some of the other organizations to which Dorothy Helms devotes her time. Time, however, is one thing her husband does not have much of, she said. "He does the best he can, but he doesn't have a lot of time for family things," she said. Calling her husband a "work aholic," she said his nightiy schedule includes coming home from work, eating his dinner, watching a little bit of television, and then working in his office at home until bedtime. When there is something espe cially important she wants her husband to do, she calls his scheduler to have him mark it on his calendar, just like any other citizen, she said Being a senator's wife does have its benefits, she said. Mrs. Helms said they get to meet interesting people and visit interesting places, but rarely get special treatment. "1 guess we would if we threw our weight around," she said, "but INTRODUCING CHECKERS PIZZA NOW OFFERING THE PICK UP SPECIAL! Super Bowl Special Any Large Pizza for Price of Medium & 2 Free 16 oz. Cokes (Regular $10.00) 967-3636 ACROSS FROM FOWLER's-NEXT TO SOAP'S Expires 12687 For People Who Are benous About They Live TT I I now Woodbridge was designed with the professional in mind. 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Although the senator doesn't confer with his wife very much before making big decisions, they do share the same political views on most issues, she said. She said she also tries to get him to work on tilings which she thinks are important. "I do nag him about things that are going on in our schools, like drugs and advocating the use of contraceptives in high schools, both of which I am strongly against," she said. She said she also shares her husband's rather strong views about defense. "It (defense) is what keeps us safe the knowledge that we can protect ourselves if attacked," she said. The proposed cut in education and . student loans is necessary, she said. "1 think (Secretary of Education) William Bennett was right; the more student loans from the government, the higher the tuition." "I think everything's going to have to be cut, too, not just student loans," she said. "You young people need a balanced budget or your taxes will be too high." When her husband does, not get what he's after, she said he is very "philosophical" about it. "He does the best he can and if he loses okay!" she said. Aquino sets investigation for massacre of protesters From Associated Press reports MANILA, Philippines ' Marines fired M-16 assault rifles into a crowd of peasants and leftists demanding land reform Thursday, killing 12 and wound ing 94 in the bloodiest street clash of Corazon Aquino's presidency. "There will be those who seek to exploit this tragic incident to derail our efforts to bring demo- v cracy," Aquino said in an address broadcast nationwide after the clash. She expressed shock over the killings and announced creation' of a special commission to invest igate the clash, promising to punish those responsible. Also on Thursday, her peace initiative toward Communist rebels all but collapsed as Com munist and government negoti ates suspended talks indefinitely because of death threats. State treasurer shoots self HARRISBURG, Pa. Penn sylvania's state treasurer, facing jail for defrauding the state, proclaimed his innocence at a news conference Thursday, then said, "It's too late for me," pulled a pistol from a manila envelope, put it in his mouth and "killed Iews in Dricf himself. R. Budd Dwyer died instantly from a single shot from the .357 Magnum pistol, said Dauphin County Coroner William Rush. A jury in December convicted Dwyer of awarding a $4.6 million contract to a computer firm in return for a promised $300,000 payoff. No money ever changed hands. Ideological purge continues PEKING, China The two top officials of the Academy of Sciences were fired Thursday, apparently becoming the latest victims of a campaign against Western liberal ideas that began , after student protests last month. ' Another government announcement said a new office has been created to control the news media and publishing. A brief dispatch by the official news agency Xinhua did not say why President Lu Jiaxi of the academy, who is in his mid-60s, and Vice President Yan Dong sheng, 68, had been relieved of their posts.. . Stadeiife to vote on activity fees By MARIA HAREN Staff Writer Three referendtims will be at tached to students' ballots when they go to the polls Feb. 3 in the general campus elections. One referendum proposes that the intramural recreational category of student fees be increased one dollar per semester, from five to six dollars, which would benefit the 27 active sports clubs on campus. Jody Beasley, Student Congress finance chairperson, said the fee increase would, raise the intramural budget from its current $25,000 to $65,000. "But the $40,000 wouldn't go directly to intramurals," he said, adding that it would probably fall under the jurisdiction of the Sports Club Council. Much of the $40,000 would pay a full-time professional to act as organizer of all the clubs, presently a part-time office held by a student. The organizer would receive from $18,000 to $21,000, while an ad ministrative assistant would be paid $4,000, Beasley said. Programming fees for the sports clubs would receive the remaining $15,000 or $18,000. Beasley said the reasons cited for needing the additional" funding included a lack of continuity of the Sports Club officers; the mainte nence, storage, and replacement of equipment; liability due to the dangerous nature of some club sports; and the lack of general funding. The two other referendums to appear on the ballot are amendments to the student constitution, which can only be amended by a student body vote. Students will vote on whether to change the constitution to agree with currerit election laws which are in violation of the constitution, Beasley said. If amended, the constitution will require the president of the student body to set a time limit for elections to fill vacant Student Congress seats. The election laws call for the special elections to occur 15 to 30 days from the date the seats become vacant. If passed by students, the last referendum will change the terminol ogy of the constitution to use gender neutral language, Beasley said. Currently, the by-laws use only masculine pronouns when referring to individuals, regardless of their sex. "It would change words like 'chairman' to 'chairperson' or 'his to 'hisher'," Beasley said. DM IN G SOOWS S tn commons 'of. L If you're a math, engineering or physical sciences major, you could be earning $1,000 a month during your junior and senior years. That's $25,000 by graduation. This excellent opportunity is part of the : Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program. It's one of the most prestigious ways of entering the nuclear field - and rewarding, too. You get a $3,000 bonus upon entrance into the program, and $3,000 more when you complete your Naval studies. You also receive a year of paid graduate level training that's the most comprehensive in the world. And you')' a quire Expertise with state-of-the-art hi h -r re;' tor and propulsion plant technrlo. yv O As a Navy officer, you'll get responsibility and recognition early on. Your high-level experience and credentials will help make you a leader in one of the world's fastest growing industries. y In addition to the professional advan tages, nuclear-trained officers get an unbeatable benefits package, travel opportunities, planned promotions, and a solid salarv that can reach as much as $44,000 after five years. Find out more about the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program, and make your education start paying off today. Call Navy Management Programs: Call toll free in N.C 1-800-662-71317419 or outside N.C. 1-800-52 8-87 13, Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. .r-i n i .4! j" V
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Jan. 23, 1987, edition 1
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