f ,
vjf.
h World War II
Whitener Served
His Country Well
Basil L. Whitener had
married oriy a few weeks, hU
law practice was growing, and
he had just been given the op-
portndty to serve for a second
term as a Representative in
the State Legislature.
But it was not a good time
for a capable young man to
consider first himself and his
career. Wtnrld War n was
underway. Whitener, like many
others at his fellow Americans,
obeyed the call to battle.
And he placed himself in the
midst of the conflict raging
for Europe by active combat
du^ in the fierce North Atlan
tic and the Caribbean, and the
Mediterranean. An Ensign, he
was assigned to the Navy's
Armed Guard Service to de
fend aga'hrt the enemy sea
^ and air acti^
During the quiet times which
come to all combat men, En
sign Whitener observed andre-
porM fay letters to home the
conditions of suffering and de
privation he fowL The let
ters helped also to maintain
his cherished links with home,
Gaston Coiaity, and the people
from among whom he came.
It was as Navy Gunnery Ot-
flcer of the SS Louisa B1 Al-
cott, that Whitener, then a lieu
tenant (jg), received an im
portant document. It came from
the Secretary (tf the Navy and
it said:
"The Department has been
informed of your outstanding
. r devotion to duty as Commanding
Officer of the United States
Armed Guard aboard the SS
Louisa M. Alcott during action
against enemy aircraft while
engaged in convoy operations
August 13, 1943. With the guns
completely manned within a
minute alter the general alarm
was sounded, your Armed
Guard opened fin, fore and
aft, port and starboard, as hos
tile aircraft converged and
covered die entire convoy.
^ "Constantly alert to the
enemy's strategy of coordinat
ed attack by high-level bcunbers
attempting to draw your fire
torpedo planes came in frmn
tte low lying sun to strike at
close range, your crewfwced
the hostile planes to chat^
course and veer away while
the guns of the SS Louisa M.
Alcott scored numerous direct
hits in a concerted barrage
which downed several enemy
planes.
"For your courageous
initiative under fire, and the
excellent combat discipline of
the Armed Guard throughout
this action you are hereby
commended.”
That ccunmendation proved
to be one of many sincere tri
butes Whitener was to receive
over the years for a succes
sion of jobs - well done both
at h<»ne and in Washington.
Armed conflict is elsewhere,
now, and Lieutenant Whitener
is no longer involved in it.
But (piieter, tougher fitting
continues, as it will until men
are fully free and secure in
their own rights. Now it is
Congressman Whitener in the
middle of the battle.
But, just in case, he has
add^ another dimension to his
knowledge of military science
and he is now Major Whitener
of the U.S. Air Force Reserve,
also.
Rep. Whitener
Keeps District
Weil Informed
Basil Whitener strongly feels
that a well infcnrmed citizenship
is necessary if the American
people are to have an effective
voice in their government and
if our American way of life
is to survive.
In keeping with his view that
the people should have all
available information on mat
ters of national interest Basil
Whitener makes a radio pro
gram each week while the Con
gress is in session.
It is a public service, educa
tional program, and Basil
makes every effort to have as
a guest on his ppogram aMem-
ber of Congress or some other
important person concerned
with a matter of current na
tional interest.
Radio stations carrying
Whitener*s "Washington Re
port” are:
WCGC - Belmont
WEGO - Concord
WAAK - Dallas
WBBO - Forest City
WAGY - Forest City
From The People
WLTC -
WGNC -
WGAS-
WIRC -
WHKY -
WSPF -
WGTL •
WKMT
WBRM
WNNC
wrap -
WMNC
WADA
WOHS-
WTOE
WDBM
WSTTH
WTLK
WSVM
Gastonia
Gastonia
Gastonia
Hickory
■ Hickory
Hickory
Kannapolis
■ Kings Mountain
• Marion
Newton
Mooresville
- Morganton
- Shelby
- Shelby
- Spruce Pine
- Statesville
- Taylorsville
- Taylorsville '•
- Valdese
Basil L Whitener Has Served The People
CoatiiiMd from Page 1
He was only a child when
his father died and at the age
at seven he was selling news
papers to help support his
family.
It was a grave responsibility
for one so young but then Con
gressman Whitener has always
shown courage and a respon
sible nature in matters con
cerning his fellowman.
At 14, he was a cotton mill
^-^weeper. But he was deter
mined and continued to work
in order to finish high school.
All the while, he was helping
to support his family and saving
money for college.
His summertime paychecks,
between college sessions, were
saved in order to be able to
return to college in the fall.
/ Even at college he was work
ing — doing odd jobs, waiting
on tables — to pay for his
education.
His enthusiasm and great
energy were enough, also, to
allow him to find time, not
only for study, but for par
ticipation in sports and social
organizations while in college.
This was instnunental in
helping him to learn early the
values of team work, coopera
tion, fellowship, and fair play —
characteristics that had been
ingrained into him early in
life by a loving family.
Hardships were many but
they were not obstacles.
Rather, the challenge resulted
in Basil Whitener being the
youngest member of his col-
■ lege class to receive a law
degree.
He immediately returned to
Gastonia and took up the prac
tice of law.
As a young attorney on the
way up, whitener lost little
time in finding a pUce of pub
lic service. He was a member
of the North Carolina General
Assembly by the time he was
25 — the youngest member of
the 1941 session.
As proof of a job well done,
he had no opposition for re-
nomination to the General As
sembly. But his love for coun
try came ahead Of self en
deavors and he resigned from
the House of Representatives
in 1942 to join the Navy.
As a fighting man during
World War H, he distinguished
himself with outstanding serv
ice that resulted in a com
mendation frobu the Secretary
<rf the Navy. ^ -
Lieutentant Whitener was
cited for " courageous initiative
while under air attack.” He
spent 27 months of sea dutv
in the North Atlantic, Carib
bean, and the Mediterranean.
Returning home after the
war, he took up his role in
civilian life as a dedicated at
torney, loving family man, de
voted church leader and tire
less civic servant.
In 1946, he became solicitor
of the 14th District which was
composed of Gaston and Meck
lenburg counties. He stood
tall in the solicitor's post for
10 years, stepping down in 1956
to make his first try for Con
gress.
He had gained a wide rep
utation as solicitor for pro
tecting the rights of individ
uals — regardless of their
sUtion in life — and for fair
play.
He didn’t find an easy road
to Congress. He came in second
in a three-man race and against
great odds won the nomina
tion in a second primary. He
was given overwhelming ap
proval in the general election
and took his seat in Congress
in January of 1957.
Basil Whitener had come a
long way since the early days
when he sold papers to help
keep his family together.
But getting to Washingtonhas
been only half Uie story. Since
arriving in Washington 10 years
ago, he has served his country
and his district well. His
high attendance at roll calls
has shown his firm dedication
of service and his voting record
has been the envy of many na
tional leaders. He has con
sistently been given important
assignments on committees and
in matters of national concern.
His five terms in Congress
are proof that he has served
his district well.
Never, though, has he for
gotten that he had his begin
ning in a textile community
in Gaston County. No prob
lem has even been too small
for his understanding and for
his concern.
Never one to let success go
• to his head, Basil Whitener
knows literally thousands of
people by their first names.
■ He doesn’t hesitate to cross
the street to say hello to a
friend. i
He stands tallj not only in
stature, but in ^performance.
Love for his fellowman has
'been his creed. He is loved
and admired.
The life of Basil Whitener,
as in the cases of many other
great Americans, is tlte dra
matic story of a young man
from humble origin attaining a
position of leadership and in
fluence on the highest national
level through dedication, de
votion, perserverance, hard
work, and belief in God and
the American way of life.
Basil Whitener sees a little
of himself in everyone he
meets.
His is the American dream
c(Mne true but not by accidenL
The loth District needs Basil
Whitener back in Washington
for the next session of Con
gress.
The welfare of the people
he represents has been the
primary concern of Basil
Whitener. His personal in
terest in the problems of his
constituents is well known in
the rarious government agen
cies and d^MUtments.
Basil’s office in Washingtcm^
and his district office in Gas
tonia are alvrays open to his
constituents. Hundreds ofthei^ ,
visit each year, and thousands 1
of others contact him by letter, 1
telephone, and telegraph. Every
request for information and
every personal problem re
ceive Basil’s sympathetic con
sideration and attention.
Here are smne excerpts from
letters oi appreciation Basil
has received this year from
people who found him anxious
to assist them with their prob- -
lems:
"We have been fortunate to
have you as our representative.
I personally have long admired
your consistent and seemingly
untiring efforts for right legis
lation and sincerely hope you
will continue to represent
us.” —C.R.C.
“I would like to express my
sincere appreciation for your
prompt assistance in having my
medical statonent processed
by the Army. It gives me a
good feeling to know that we
have in the 10th Congressional
District a representative that
will consider the interest of -
an individual citizen in such an
emergency.” ~ W.W.C,
•«*4[*«*****
"1 want to express to you
my sincere appreciation for
the valuable service you are
rendering not only to me per
sonally but to all the people of
this districL” — J.R.R., Jr.
****4[«*****
“I want to express to you
my deep awreciation for your
support of the recently passed
cotton research and promotion
bill. No other piece of legis
lation I know of has aroused
such interest and hope on the
part of our cotton farmers.
This may very well prove to
be one at the most significant
pieces of agriculture le^sla-
* tion ever passed.” — H.E., Jr.
*♦**♦♦♦♦♦*•*♦*
“Thank you for taking time
out from your busy schedule
to show me a little of Wash
ington. I want to thank you
for the fine job you are doing
for us in Washington. I have
all confidence in you.”
— F.C.S.
"I am deeply gratehil for|
your kind and unseUish effort in
getting my wife admitted to
the National Institutes of
Health.” — A.R.
0m*********
"Please allow me to take
this opportunity to express my
sincere appreciation to you for
your assistance in obtaining
an emergency leave for my
son several weeks ago.
~E.S.C., Sr.
************
- "I appreciate your thought
ful letter dated February 28,
1966, and I feel that you are
doing a very fine job for our
country.” ~ C.F.L.
*«*«*««*4i* i
"I would like to express my
appreciation for your services
in the Congress. You are doing
a good job, Mr. Whitener, in
a difficult position and are a
credit to our district. I hope
that you will continue voting
on bills in the same manner
as you have in the pasL’’
—A.F.L. >
"It is good to know we have
a Congressman who thinks so
much ot you to help out in our
situation. It is so good to have
our son with us while his daddy
is so sick.” ~ B.F.
*4i4i*4i**4i4i*«**
" We certainly awjreciate
your efforts on our behalf in
helping us bring our position
to the attention of the GSA.”
—I,S.M,
*************
"I want to thank you very
much for your prompt reply
to my letter and your im
mediate action. It is cer
tainly a comfort to know we
have a friend to call on when
we need one.” — L.T.Y.
************
"It sure is nice to have
someone to help who knows
what to do.” “ A.I.
***********
"I am most grateful for
your assistance in connection
with the chronic boxcar short
age in the Nation. Your ready
and effective help is proving
to be great value to shippers
in North Carolina.”
—J.C.B.E.,Jr.
"We have received the good
news that H.R, 11029 relating
to tariff treatment of various
woven fabrics has cleared the
House and is now ready to be
signed by the President. We
want to thank you for your good
work in getting this bill to
this stage.” — P.M,
Whitener Works Hard
Cmitiniied from Page 1
The 10th District Congress
man has been active on the
Floor of the House ot Rep
resentatives whenever legis
lation concerning veterans and
their dependents has been under
debate.
His philosophy concerning
veterans’ affairs is best
illustrated by the statement he
made in the House of Repre
sentatives voicing his support
of the bill to provide a cost-of-
living increase for thoi^ands
of our veterans and their de
pendents.
"MR. WHITENER; Mr.
Speaker, the House of Rep
resentatives has always shown
great concern for the welfkre
of the American veteran and
his dependents. This concern
is very evident from the con
sideration that the House now
gives to H.R. 17488, a bill to
relieve some <rf the burdeiB
borne by our veterans and their
dependents due to the high cost
of living.
"I have always supported
legislation to provide adequate
pension benefits, hospitaliza
tion, and other necessary care
for our veterans and their de
pendents. The Nation owes
much to those who have served
our country in time of war and
great national emergency, and
the least that we can do for
these patriotic Americans is
to provide for them and their
loved ones whenever the neces
sity arises.
„ “I support H.R. 17488. The
time has arrived for the Con
gress to take positive action
to relieve hundreds of thous
ands of our more needy vet
erans and their dependents
from some of the financial bur
dens they are bearing due to
our high cost of living.
“The Chairman and the
members of the House Vet
erans’ Affairs Committee are
to be commended on bringing
H.R. 17488 to the Floor for
artion. The bill will not upset
' the Nation’s budget On the
contrary, it will stimulate the
economy. The modest in
crease in benefits provided
under the legislation will be
devoted by the recipients to
the basic necessities of life.
"Mr. Speaker, I hope the
legislation will clear the Sen
ate and secure the approval
of the Fresident without undue
delay.”
(Paid Political Advertisement)
Congressman Basil Whitener
Represents Our District Well
★■A A
Whitener Stands Tall
Among His Colleagues
There are 435 members of the United States House of Rep-
Amnna the Congressmen representing every
> are 435 memoers oi uw ^— -—-7 •-
Among the congressmen representmg every
resentatives^.^ l^tic^b North Solina’s Basil whitener stands
S©CtiOtt va 9
tall amo^ his t^e House of Representatives Basil
har^lSbS? Z S3er S seniority and ^ hard work and dis-
luv rf oStanding qualities of leadership has become one of
OI ouia^ w H Congress. He is recogmzed
agencies.
'encies. ... u-
The position of leadership
which Basil Whitener has
attained in Congress has paid
dividends to the people he re^
resents. Basil Whitener xs
known in Washington as a Con
gressman who gets things done.
He feels that his first du^
is to be of service to his
people. While giving persoi^
^ntion to the many pro^
lems his constituents call to
his attention each week, Basil
Whitener has found tune to
fight for constitutional govern
ment, a sound and prosperous
economy, and other legisla
tion to strengthen and improve
the economic and social welfare
of the country.
He was one <rf the first C<m-
gressmen to raise a voice
against the danger of textile
imports which were threat
ening the jobs of the textile
employees at North Carolina.
He strongly supported legisla
tion which has brought relief
from excessive Imports in
order to protect the jobs of
textile employees.
He has been a leader for
constitutional government in
the House Judiciary Com
mittee. On the Floor of the
House of Representatives he
has opposed all legislation en
croaching iqxm the ri^its of
the states under the Constl^
tion and interfering with the
rights of the individual citiz^
He has sponsored legislation
to combat crime and other
forms of lawlessness in the
country.
Basil Whitener believes ttot
a strong national defense is the
greatest deterrent to ag
gression. He has suwwr^
all appropriations for the mili
tary services, including
providing increased pay aM
other benefits for the natiotfs
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
marines.
Basil Whitener recently re
ceived the "Watchdog of the
Treasury” award from the Na
tional AssociatedBusinessmen,
(Continued on Page 3)
Whitener Works Hard
For Our Military Yets
Basil L. Whitener served 38
months in the United States
Navy during World War H. As
a gunnery officer of the mer
chant ship he was brought into
intimate contact with the
fighting men of our armed
forces and our merchant sea
men. He knows and understands
the sacrifices that war demands
of our people.
Since Wjorld War H ^sil
Whitener has been actively
identified with the militory
services. He has maintained
a keen interest in all branches
of the armed forces. He is a
major in the Air Force Re
serve.
Basil Whitener has always
had a strong interest in, and
has mA hesitated to voice his
concern over, the welfare of
the man in uniform. He has
supported the pay increases
voted by the Congress for the
active members of our mili
tary services and those serving
in the National Guard and Re
serve units.
The Nation’s veterans have
not been forgotten by Basil
whitener. He has been a
staunch friend of our veterans
and their dependents.
He has served as a mem
ber of the Veterans' Affairs
committee of the House of Rep
resentatives. In orderto insure
that our veterans have adequate
medical treatment he has in
spected hospitals and other VA
facilities.
He has represented count
less veterans before the Board
of Veterans Appeals, and his
files bulge with copies of hun
dreds of letters he has written
to the VA in behalf of veterans
and their dependents.
(Continaed on Page 4)
Basil L Whitener Has Served
The People Throughout His Life
. .. in inral and na- never forgotten, those earl
The story of the life of Basil
L, whitener is the epitome of
the American way. J
His is the stojy of the
bov who worked ms way,
litwally into J^^ftes Rep^
gress as a Umted .States Rep-
years now, J?®
fighting the battle of the little
man,rf the
which he once served, the furm-
ture worker, the farmer, the
teacher, factory hand. etc.
His record is one that has
brou^t praise from the
educated and the uneducated,
from the industrialist and from
the worker, from young and
old, and from the rich and the
poor.
That’s because Basil
Whitener, from his early days
as a lad in the Smyre Com
munity of Gastonia, loves
people — especially the peoplje
of the 10th Cwigressional Disr
trict.
Like Andrew Jackson, his
office doors have always been
open to the people — all of
them.
That, as much as anything,
is why he has been elected
to Congress for five coiH
secutive terms« and is now
asking his fellow voters of the
10th District to return him to
Washington. • u , »J,.
Basil Whitener’s job is fM
from done.
His rise to a place of re
sponsibility in local and na
tional affairs is an example
for others to follow. Perhaps
there are others, starting out
just as he did, who one day
will sit in Congress.
Young Whitener, as a mill
boy, never dreamed of how
it would one day be. He has
never forgotten, those early
years, either. ''lie remembers
the toil, sweait, and above all,
the dedication and perserver
ance he put forth.
These are still his trade
marks.
(Continued on Page 4)
The Purpose 0/ The Sentinel
Once again the Whitener S^tinel is being
sent to you in the interest of the re-election o
Basil L. Whitener to Congress.
Our sole purposq is to present some ot tM
facts concerning Congressman Whitener and his
activities, record, and background. ^ „
The Sentinel is edited again thU yw by John
Brock of Cleveland County. , „
Of this issue of thq Whitener Sentinel. Bro^
says. have endeavored to present some of the
highlights concerning the outstanding record o
service and the individual moral charactdir of cm
10th District Congressman — Basil L. Whitener. j
) After reading thU issue of the Sentinel, please
pass your copy on to a friand so that as many
people as possible may see it.
And. says Brock. "Let's all work togeAer to
re-riect Rei^ BasU L. Whltoiior to CongreM."