A4 I MARCH 1,2017
BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE
Opinion
One-on-one
HB2 over a
good meal
The fabric of Bertie County since 1832
m m m
Where are Ruby and Jack Hunt when we
need them?
Somebody needs to sit our political lead
ers down and guide them into talking to
each other about how to get our state out
of the HB2 mess we have made for our
selves.
That
is what
former
Cleve
land
County
state
Rep
resen
tative
^^There were
always desserts
. of homemade
cakes and
pies."
D.G. MARTIN
Jack Hunt and his wife, Ruby, used to do in
Raleigh. 1 admired their ability to get peo
ple of different views together at the same
table for meals and fellowship.
Here is the way 1 described their magic
meals in my new book, “North Carolina’s
Roadside Eateries.” “Jack and Ruby regu
larly invited their government friends for
informal suppers of country ham, baked
chicken, cornbread, biscuits with sour-
wood honey and molasses, and vegetables
from her garden, including colrn frozen min
utes after it was picked the previous sum-
tner. There were always desserts of home
made cakes and pies. Of course, there was
also the opportunity to make friends with
governors. Supreme Court justices, and
legislative leaders.
“Once, when UNC President Dick Span
gler and Governor Jim Hunt were at log
gerheads about the governor’s budget pro
posals for the university, they could hardly
speak to each other until Jack invited them
to breakfast with Ruby. Neither the gover
nor nor the university president could say
no to Ruby. It only was after they sat down
to Ruby’s cooking and warm spirit that
they worked out a compromise."
North Carolina has a history of people
with hard-line different views coming to
gether informally to hear each other out,
and working something out of situations
that had seemed intractable.
It happened in Charlotte during the
school desegregation turmoil when peo
ple at war with each other sat down and
hte wonderful food togethter at the black-
bwned McDonald’s Cafeteria or at potluck
’meals organized by teacher Maggie Ray.
I People in Durham still celebrate the un
likely friendship that developed between
ku Klux Klan leader C.P. Ellis and black
community leader Ann Atwater when
they addressed community and school
challenges in an informal setting. Ellis ex
plained what happened this way, “1 used
to think that Ann Atwater was the meanest
black woman I’d ever seen in my life. But,
you know, her and 1 got together one day
lor an hour or two and talked. And she is
trying to help her people like I’m trying to
help my people.”
I At last the governor and some legislators
]are proposing bills that attempt to craft
Workable solutions. But each proposal
has met only with critical resistance from
Ihose on both sides who are unwilling to
consider compromises,
i Summarizing his longer commentary on
possible solutions to the HB2 situation.
Chapel Hill attorney Patrick Oglesby writes,
f‘No middle ground will satisfy everyone,
polks on both sides-call them hardliners-
^incerely yearn for victory based on princi
ple and morality, and despise symbolic de
feat. But a principled return to ‘pre-existing
law and practice’ sows pardon where there
is injury, and it relegates the non-problem
of the wrong bathroom to old, tried and
Jtrue trespassing law-and to the jury. We
pan ask our leaders to sit down together
hnd assemble a package to make the fight
ing stop. As a Christian pastor put it: ‘We
ican live together as brothers or perish to
gether as fools.’”
; Oglesby’s quote about living together
comes from Martin Luther King Jr.
; It calls out for good will and a willingness
to put aside absolutism in order to find a
good pragmatic, if imperfect, accommoda
tion.
pissicaffTlaJWPs
m
.mii
*
Small town girl
A final farewel
■ ■ ■
Almost everyone it seems has
been to a Barnum & Bailey Cir
cus.
1 can still remember my trip to
the circus as a little girl.
1 had the opportunity to go as a
first grade student on a field trip.
1 remember how excited 1 was
when we pulled up.
1 don’t remember much about
of the circus other than the gen
tlemen walking around shouting,
“snowcones, get your snowcones
here” or carrying the tall poles
covered in bags of cotton candy.
Years later, my husband, She-
non and 1 had the opportunity to
take our children to the circus in
Virginia as a field trip.
As the circus started, 1 realized
my fascination had changed from
the excitement on the floor to
the expression on my children’s
faces.
Each act was busy enough to
hold the attention of Cheyenne
Grace, who was a toddler at the
time.
Around here
"I can still
remember my
trip to the
circus as a
little girl."
-LESLIE BEACHBOARD
The lions, clowns, acrobats and
elephants were amazing. The chil
dren sat on the edge of their seats
quietly, patiently waiting for what
was to come next.
It always will be a day 1 remem
ber because of the excitement
that was in the air.
1 am saddened that Ringling
Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus
will perform its last show on May
21 in New York.
This show started in 1919 and
was called “the greatest show on
earth” and for years has enter
tained those young and old alike.
Just to mention the name usually
would bring back fond memories
to most about seeing the show at
some point over the years.
The end of “the greatest show
on earth” will mean children from
now and forward will not have an
opportunity to see this spectacu
lar show.
Even after the elephants were
retired, the show still had many
great attributes. The performers
always create an amazing show.
1 just hope another circus event
or show can take the place of the
Barnum & Bailey Circus for chil
dren who look forward to the big
field trip each year.
Some families take this oppor
tunity to make a family trip like
we did.
Farewell to “the greatest show
on earth.”
Leslie Beachboard is a Staff Writ
er for the Bertie Ledger-Advance,
mother of four, avid house restorer
and a East Carolina University Pi
rate at heart. She can be reached
via email at lbeachboard@ncweek-
lies.com.
First time for everything
D.G. Martin hosts
watch. ”
“North Carolina Book-
It was bound to happen sooner
or later.
1 finally had a collision with a
basketball player during a state
playoff game Saturday night.
For much of my 30 years as a
community newspaper journal
ist, 1 have been pretty fortunate
not to have been in the way of
student-athletes despite my close
proximity to the field or court.
Until Saturday, 1 have never
been hit full-on by a basketball
player while covering d game.
But luck just wasn’t on my side
this time.
1 was covering one of our local
teams in Rocky Mount in a gym
which politely could be referred
to as a band box.
There is about seven feet of buf
fer from the baseline under the
basket to the wall on each end of
the court.
Normally, when 1 photograph
basketball, 1 sit as far back as 1 can
so as not to interfere with play. In
close quarters, 1 make a point to
inform the officials that 1 am there
so they don’t accidentally hit me.
It hasn’t stopped them, however,
because they usually are trying to
do their jobs and perhaps forget 1
am there.
In the case of Saturday’s game,
because the home team’s gym
only holds a certain number of
spectators, they had to cap ticket
sales at slightly over 300.
"I was
fortunate
and so
was he."
pK.s
- JIM GREEN
1 was not going to take a seat al
ready sold, so 1 took my spot to
the right of the basket for the first
half, then switched ends for the
second half.
Everything was fine until the
team 1 was covering tried a layup.
The player went up with his left
hand as 1 tried to photograph his
shot.
The next thing 1 knew, he was
coming right for me, hoping to
brace himself against the padded
wall.
I am sure he didn’t see me, but it
wouldn’t have mattered anyway. 1
shielded my camera and tried to
turn away, hoping he would just
graze me.
But there was nowhere for me
to go, and impact was imminent.
1 took the back of his elbow on
my lower lip as he stumbled and
landed on my right leg.
The player was able to get up
and resume play with no stop
page, but 1 was in a lot of pain.
I first checked to see whether 1
had a bloody lip, which 1 didn’t.
All of a sudden, 1 became light
headed - not severely, but enough
to cause me to sweat (it didn’t
help that there was no air circu
lating in that packed gym, which
made matters worse).
1 retrieved some water 1 had
nearby and drank about half a
bottle in just a few seconds as a
fellow photographer, who was
seated to the left of me, asked if
1 was okay.
After the game, 1 had no prob
lems walking to my car; when 1
arrived home, 1 checked my leg,
which didn’t even have a bruise
on it (which I’d feared). 1 did have
a slightly bruised lower lip on the
inside, however.
1 hope the athlete who collided
with me is okay. He seemed to be
fine the rest of the game and came
up with a big rebound late, so 1
don’t think the collision affected
his mobility.
This is one of those instances
where it could have been worse
- broken glasses, bloody lip or
nose, even a broken leg (if he had
landed directly on it). And Lord
only knows what could have hap
pened to my camera.
1 was fortunate, and so was he.
Jim Green is Sports Editor for
the Bertie Ledger-Advance. He can
be reached via email at jgreen®
ncweeklies.com.
Bertie
Ledger-Advance
The fabric of Bertie County since 1832
Tme Bertie Ledgeh-Advange was established in 1928 through the
HERITAGE OF ThE WINDSOR LEDGER AND ThE AuLANOER ADVANCE.
, The newspaper traces its history to 1832 when it was First published
AS the Windsor Herald and Bertie County Register
Kyie StepHens
Group Publisher
kstcphens@ncweeklies.i:otn
Angela Hame
Group Editor
sihime0ncweeklies.com
Thadd White
Editor
twhite@iTcweeklks.com
Deborah Griffin
Staff Writer
dgriffin@ncweeklies.com
Leslie Beachboard
Staff Writer
lbeachboard^licweeJdies.com
Jim Green
Sports Editor
jgreen@ncweekiies.com
Michelle Leicester
Creative Services
mleicester@ncweeklies.com
Jessica Mobley
Advertising Manager
jmobley@ncweeklies.com
Lanny Hiday
Copy Editor
bettienews@ncweeklies.com
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