Russ Pearson's blog

Pearl Harbor Remembered:
December 7, 1941
By
Russ Pearson
In preparing today’s column, I intended to write an upbeat piece about the commencement and joys of the Christmas Holidays. Then it hit me, today is December 7th, the day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said would “live in infamy,” as it has. So I will save the piece about Christmas until next week.

As a veteran and retired Naval Officer/Naval Aviator, this day in history is permanently ingrained in my steel-trap, military mind. For those who may not know, today is the 70th anniversary of the day Japan carried out a deadly, carrier-based surprise attack against this country at Pearl Harbor, HI, in 1941. In so doing, the Japanese brought the United States into what we now know as World War II; the war that literally changed the entire world.
Pearl Harbor was the first major attack against the United States by a foreign power and in this age when the terrorist attack in New York City on 11 September 2001 is still fresh on the minds of most Americans, December 7th is an equally important anniversary never to forget.
As part of an “Axis” with Germany and Italy in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Japan had its sights set on conquering most of the territories and islands in the Pacific basin but saw the U.S. Navy as the chief and perhaps only obstacle in obtaining that lofty goal. To that end, in early 1941 the Commander of the Japanese Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, began planning a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet, based largely in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. The assumption was that before the United States could recover from a surprise blow, the Japanese would be able to seize all their objectives in the Far East and could then hold out indefinitely.
On December 7th 1941, some 360 aircraft launched a surprise attack from the decks of Japanese aircraft carriers miles away at sea. The attack began early that Sunday morning at 0755 just as many unsuspecting residents, military and civilian, were preparing for Sunday morning worship services. The devastating onslaught lasted for approximately two hours. At the onset, there were 96 vessels, the bulk of the United States Pacific Fleet, anchored in that placid port, including eight battleships; fortunately, all the aircraft carriers were at sea.
The destruction was so thorough that only a few American planes were able to counterattack. The Japanese were successful in crippling the Pacific Fleet. All together, the Japanese sank or severely damaged 18 ships, including eight battleships, three light cruisers, and three destroyers. On the airfields, the Japanese destroyed 161 American planes and seriously damaged 102.
The Navy and Marine Corps suffered a total of 2,896 casualties of which 2,117 were deaths and 779 wounded. The U.S. Army lost 228 killed, 113 seriously wounded and 346 slightly wounded. In addition, at least 57 civilians were killed and many more were seriously injured.
By way of comparison, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 terrorist hijackers. The big difference between the two attacks was that most casualties at Pearl Harbor were members of the U.S. military, while those killed and injured in the 911 terrorist attacks in New York City were primarily civilians.
During the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese lost 29 planes, one large submarine and 5 midget submarines. Their personnel losses were 55 aviators, nine crewmembers on the midget submarines, and an unknown number on the large submarines. When the one-sided battle was over, the Japanese carrier task force sailed away undetected and unscathed, at least for a while.
The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a short but historic six-minute speech to the Congress, which, with only one member dissenting, declared a state of war between the United States and Japan. Four days after Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. In response, Congress, without a dissenting vote, immediately recognized the existence of a state of war with Germany and Italy, and rescinded an article of the Selective Service Act prohibiting the use of American armed forces beyond the Western Hemisphere.
While many nations of Europe and Asia had been embroiled in this growing world-wide conflict for years, the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the conflict, an action that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto, “may have awakened a sleeping giant,” which in fact it did. That wakeup call became the straw that would later break the back of the Japanese imperialist strategy and eventually cause the downfall of the “Axis.”
My Dad was an Army Air Corps veteran and proud survivor of that war, the war that took the lives of two of our Pearson family’s cousins, Joe and Alvin Pearson, sons of George and Rosa Pearson from Millers Creek. Two brothers, killed within weeks of each other, one a Marine and one a Solider, buried side-by-side in the cemetery at the old Miller’s Creek United Methodist Church. Joe and Alvin are long gone now, but not forgotten.
P.S. A shout out to my friend and Pearl Harbor survivor, Wilkes County’s own Everett Mayes...Thanks for your service Everett. Ciao for now.

“Happy Holidays”
By
Russ Pearson
Earlier in this current year’s festive holiday season, one of my long-time Methodist friends, a strong Christian woman, took issue with the notion that more and more people seem to be using the so-called, “politically correct” term “Happy Holidays” rather than the more traditional Christian greeting of “Merry Christmas.”
Since she brought it to my attention, the topic has come up in several other conversations. In fact, the “Christmas” cards I ordered again this year from the Military Officer’s of America Association (MOAA)... all had “Happy Holidays” engraved inside. Therefore, I decided to explore why this change has happened, even here in the “Bible Belt.”
After talking with a number of folks, I have concluded that the reason this more secular greetings has found increasing favor is that more and more people have broadened their religious perspectives. They now realize that, while Christmas is by far the most prominent December celebration at least in this country, it is not the country’s only holiday in December. The fact is, not all Americans are Christians.
I was reminded that the Jewish holiday of Hanukah falls within the same calendar window as Christmas, as does the African-American celebration of Kwanza and the Muslim celebration of Ramadan, not to mention that New Years falls exactly one week after Christmas Day. The term “Happy Holidays” could easily include each or all of those annual rituals; a “one-card-fits-all,” economy of scale for those of us who still send holiday greeting cards.
Because these special observances all occur within a short few days, my ludicrous side prompted me to ask myself rhetorically, is it “kosher” to send Christmas cards to Jewish and Muslim folks or vice versa...send Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza cards to Christian friends and neighbors? Unfortunately, since my question was asked rhetorically, I was unable to formalize an answer. How would you answer it?
I have subsequently concluded that the term “Happy Holidays” is not some sort of secular or commercial attack on the birth of Christ, as some seem to believe. Rather, it is a way to express a warm, friendly salutation to peoples of all races and faiths that even includes non-believers. “Happy Holidays” is an inclusive greeting. It covers everyone, regardless of race, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, level of secular education or religious indoctrination.
So what did I do about those “Christmas” cards I ordered from MOAA? I mailed them anyway. However, I religiously made sure to add a handwritten note in each that said “MERRY CHRISTMAS.”
Finally, unaccustomed as I am to having extra print space for this column, I chose to fill it with a very warm “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” wish. This wish goes especially to the Staff and many readers of The Record of Wilkes. It goes also to my many Protestant and Catholic friends. To my Jewish friends, I say “Happy Hanukah,” and to my African-American friends, I wish you a “Happy Kwanza.”
Finally, but no less important, I say “Happy Holidays” to all my non-believer friends, and anyone else living here in the “Great State of Wilkes” that I may have left out...even those who really aren’t my friend.
Ciao for now...hope to see you here in next week’s edition of The Record of Wilkes.

Pearl Harbor Remembered:
December 7, 1941
By
Russ Pearson
In preparing today’s column, I intended to write an upbeat piece about the commencement and joys of the Christmas Holidays. Then it hit me, today is December 7th, the day that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said would “live in infamy,” as it has. So I will save the piece about Christmas until next week.

As a veteran and retired Naval Officer/Naval Aviator, this day in history is permanently ingrained in my steel-trap, military mind. For those who may not know, today is the 70th anniversary of the day Japan carried out a deadly, carrier-based surprise attack against this country at Pearl Harbor, HI, in 1941. In so doing, the Japanese brought the United States into what we now know as World War II; the war that literally changed the entire world.
Pearl Harbor was the first major attack against the United States by a foreign power and in this age when the terrorist attack in New York City on 11 September 2001 is still fresh on the minds of most Americans, December 7th is an equally important anniversary never to forget.
As part of an “Axis” with Germany and Italy in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Japan had its sights set on conquering most of the territories and islands in the Pacific basin but saw the U.S. Navy as the chief and perhaps only obstacle in obtaining that lofty goal. To that end, in early 1941 the Commander of the Japanese Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, began planning a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet, based largely in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. The assumption was that before the United States could recover from a surprise blow, the Japanese would be able to seize all their objectives in the Far East and could then hold out indefinitely.
On December 7th 1941, some 360 aircraft launched a surprise attack from the decks of Japanese aircraft carriers miles away at sea. The attack began early that Sunday morning at 0755 just as many unsuspecting residents, military and civilian, were preparing for Sunday morning worship services. The devastating onslaught lasted for approximately two hours. At the onset, there were 96 vessels, the bulk of the United States Pacific Fleet, anchored in that placid port, including eight battleships; fortunately, all the aircraft carriers were at sea.
The destruction was so thorough that only a few American planes were able to counterattack. The Japanese were successful in crippling the Pacific Fleet. All together, the Japanese sank or severely damaged 18 ships, including eight battleships, three light cruisers, and three destroyers. On the airfields, the Japanese destroyed 161 American planes and seriously damaged 102.
The Navy and Marine Corps suffered a total of 2,896 casualties of which 2,117 were deaths and 779 wounded. The U.S. Army lost 228 killed, 113 seriously wounded and 346 slightly wounded. In addition, at least 57 civilians were killed and many more were seriously injured.
By way of comparison, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 terrorist hijackers. The big difference between the two attacks was that most casualties at Pearl Harbor were members of the U.S. military, while those killed and injured in the 911 terrorist attacks in New York City were primarily civilians.
During the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese lost 29 planes, one large submarine and 5 midget submarines. Their personnel losses were 55 aviators, nine crewmembers on the midget submarines, and an unknown number on the large submarines. When the one-sided battle was over, the Japanese carrier task force sailed away undetected and unscathed, at least for a while.
The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a short but historic six-minute speech to the Congress, which, with only one member dissenting, declared a state of war between the United States and Japan. Four days after Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. In response, Congress, without a dissenting vote, immediately recognized the existence of a state of war with Germany and Italy, and rescinded an article of the Selective Service Act prohibiting the use of American armed forces beyond the Western Hemisphere.
While many nations of Europe and Asia had been embroiled in this growing world-wide conflict for years, the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the conflict, an action that in the words of Admiral Yamamoto, “may have awakened a sleeping giant,” which in fact it did. That wakeup call became the straw that would later break the back of the Japanese imperialist strategy and eventually cause the downfall of the “Axis.”
My Dad was an Army Air Corps veteran and proud survivor of that war, the war that took the lives of two of our Pearson family’s cousins, Joe and Alvin Pearson, sons of George and Rosa Pearson from Millers Creek. Two brothers, killed within weeks of each other, one a Marine and one a Solider, buried side-by-side in the cemetery at the old Miller’s Creek United Methodist Church. Joe and Alvin are long gone now, but not forgotten.
P.S. A shout out to my friend and Pearl Harbor survivor, Wilkes County’s own Everett Mayes...Thanks for your service Everett. Ciao for now.

“Happy Holidays”
By
Russ Pearson
Earlier in this current year’s festive holiday season, one of my long-time Methodist friends, a strong Christian woman, took issue with the notion that more and more people seem to be using the so-called, “politically correct” term “Happy Holidays” rather than the more traditional Christian greeting of “Merry Christmas.”
Since she brought it to my attention, the topic has come up in several other conversations. In fact, the “Christmas” cards I ordered again this year from the Military Officer’s of America Association (MOAA)... all had “Happy Holidays” engraved inside. Therefore, I decided to explore why this change has happened, even here in the “Bible Belt.”
After talking with a number of folks, I have concluded that the reason this more secular greetings has found increasing favor is that more and more people have broadened their religious perspectives. They now realize that, while Christmas is by far the most prominent December celebration at least in this country, it is not the country’s only holiday in December. The fact is, not all Americans are Christians.
I was reminded that the Jewish holiday of Hanukah falls within the same calendar window as Christmas, as does the African-American celebration of Kwanza and the Muslim celebration of Ramadan, not to mention that New Years falls exactly one week after Christmas Day. The term “Happy Holidays” could easily include each or all of those annual rituals; a “one-card-fits-all,” economy of scale for those of us who still send holiday greeting cards.
Because these special observances all occur within a short few days, my ludicrous side prompted me to ask myself rhetorically, is it “kosher” to send Christmas cards to Jewish and Muslim folks or vice versa...send Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza cards to Christian friends and neighbors? Unfortunately, since my question was asked rhetorically, I was unable to formalize an answer. How would you answer it?
I have subsequently concluded that the term “Happy Holidays” is not some sort of secular or commercial attack on the birth of Christ, as some seem to believe. Rather, it is a way to express a warm, friendly salutation to peoples of all races and faiths that even includes non-believers. “Happy Holidays” is an inclusive greeting. It covers everyone, regardless of race, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, level of secular education or religious indoctrination.
So what did I do about those “Christmas” cards I ordered from MOAA? I mailed them anyway. However, I religiously made sure to add a handwritten note in each that said “MERRY CHRISTMAS.”
Finally, unaccustomed as I am to having extra print space for this column, I chose to fill it with a very warm “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” wish. This wish goes especially to the Staff and many readers of The Record of Wilkes. It goes also to my many Protestant and Catholic friends. To my Jewish friends, I say “Happy Hanukah,” and to my African-American friends, I wish you a “Happy Kwanza.”
Finally, but no less important, I say “Happy Holidays” to all my non-believer friends, and anyone else living here in the “Great State of Wilkes” that I may have left out...even those who really aren’t my friend.
Ciao for now...hope to see you here in next week’s edition of The Record of Wilkes.

More for which to be thankful
By RUSS PEARSON

With Thanksgiving 2011 now in the history books and “Black Friday” just a mere blip on the Chamber of Commerce’s calendar, it occurred to me that last week’s column about things for which we should be thankful only scratched the surface. I realized that there are many more things and events for which to be thankful today...some of them major events in the long history of the world, many often dropped from our collective memories. Some of them tongue in cheek.
Take old Isaac Newton for example. We should all be thankful for Sir Isaac Newton...without Isaac, there would be no gravity...we all would live in constant danger of falling off the face of the Earth. Nor would there be Fig Newton’s, those delightful cookies named in Sir Isaac’s honor. Even worse, there would no town in neighboring Catawba County named “Newton.” Without a Newton, “Conover,” would be like North Wilkesboro without a Wilkesboro.
We’ve got to be thankful for Copernicus? Had he not lived, the earth would still be the center of the solar system; the Sun would still be revolving around the Earth, creating even more “global warming” than it is now.
Then there was Galileo that much maligned astronomer. He singlehandedly discovered the Universe one night while moonlighting as an inventor. At the time, he was looking through a long, thin tube trying to invent a “Kaleidoscope,” the invention for which he was universally condemned and locked away by the good ole boys in the silly clown hats in Vatican City, Italy.
Of course, we must also be thankful for Ben Franklin. While out flying a kite one night, Ben discovered the “key” to lightening. This discovery later gave Thomas Edison the bright idea to invent the light bulb. Unfortunately, Edison’s many electrifying inventions were later exposed as “Con” jobs, earning his company the ill-fated title of “Con-Edison.
How about Henry Ford? Ford taught the world how to produce “mass.” Ford’s methods of “mass production” revolutionized the industrial age. They have even been adopted right here in Wilkes County at the Tyson’s Poultry Plant.
Then there was that great philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle correctly hypothesized that the Earth was round, not flat per the conventional wisdom of his time. Aristotle reasoned that if the Earth indeed was flat, there could be no North or South Poles; so where would the Polar Bears or Penguins live? Although Christopher Columbus and NASA’s space program later proved Aristotle’s brilliant reasoning true, many of today’s politicians are still convinced that the world is flat...“it’s all Greek to them.”
Lest we forget the Wright Brothers? They invented "lift," the key ingredient that enables airplanes to fly and sailboats to sail. Or how about Italian doctor George Speri Sperti, the gent who invented "Preparation H", a Godsend for all past, present and future Navy and Air Force strike-fighter pilots.
Then there are immigrants like Albert Einstein. Hypothesizing that E=MC2 , Einstein discovered “Energy,” a major contribution to the atomic age that eventually led to the development of those cute little $5.00 bottles of caffeine laced “energy” drinks available at the checkout counters at most leading Quick Stop and Run-In stores. Our how about Alexander Graham Bellinski, the Polish immigrant who invented the “telephone pole?”
I am especially thankful for Joseph Lister, the man who discovered “Listerine.” What would we do if not for Listerine? We would all be running around with atrocious breaths. The consequences would be hard to swallow: couples would not kiss and fall in love; marriages would not take place; babies would not be born...entire generations would be lost to halitosis. The very Scope of our lives would go down the drain.
Then there was Louie Pasteur, inventor of Penicillin, the miracle drug that has saved many a happy marriage especially for American “sailors”. Pasteur also discovered “Germs,” a revolutionary discovery. Just think, without germs, the entire medical profession would virtually be wiped out...hospitals would close for lack of patients; doctors and nurses would be drawing unemployment, pharmacies would shut down; medical lobbyist in Washington would be out of work; insurance companies would go broke; Wall Street would become America’s “Wailing Wall”; the “Occupy Wall Street” movement would have few issues against which to demonstrate; Medicare and Obamacare would not be necessary and funeral homes would all but die out. In short, had Lister (with a little help from Pasteur) not discovered germs, our economy would be in a heap of trouble.
Unfortunately, I am about out of space. However, living on the Brushy Mountains I would be remiss not to thank that great American Apple grower, the late Steve Jobs, for his brilliant contributions to orchardist everywhere. Unfortunately, Steve recently left us and his premature departure leaves America with the most perplexing business and political tasks of our time, i.e. creating more “Jobs.”

The Meaning of Veteran’s Day
11 November 2011
By
Russ Pearson
This Friday, November 11th, our great nation will again celebrate Veteran’s Day, a day that has its roots in the signing of the Armistice at Versailles, France in 1918...Versailles, the Treaty that officially ended World War I, also the war believed at the time to “end all wars.” Unfortunately, such was not the case, as World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait and our current extended wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have never let us forget.
As a retired Navy veteran of 26-years, including the Vietnam conflict, I am extremely proud of our current crop of servicemen and women; volunteers who willing put themselves in harm’s way, and in so doing, have earned the respect, support and admiration or the American people; a welcome turnaround from the hostile treatment received by returning Vietnam veterans. I was one of those Vets.
I returned to Conus from the aircraft carrier, USS Kitty Hawk, CVA-63, in the Gulf of Tonkin in September 1972 via Danang, Vietnam, and Travis Air Force Base in San Francisco. I had received regular rotational orders to a “shore duty-tour” with the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Bupers) in Washington, D.C.
At the time of my return stateside, San Francisco was a bustling breeding ground of anti-war/anti-military sentiment...a time when just a regulation military haircut was enough to identify you as one of the “baby killers” among the throngs of longhaired, “hippie” types occupying the streets of that otherwise beautiful California city.
A short time later, after selling our house and driving the family cross-country to my new duty station in Washington at the Navy Annex, just up Columbia Pike from the Pentagon, I was surprised to learn that, except on Wednesdays, we could not wear military uniforms to work.
That extraordinary uniform regulation was enacted in order to conceal our military identity from the many war protesters stationed along the inbound highways that were pelting cars carrying persons in military uniforms with eggs, tomatoes and other foul objects. The Wednesday uniform exception was to enable civilian and military personnel to recognize, as well as pay and receive customary military courtesies within the chain of command.
The bright side of that rule was that I was required to buy a complete and badly needed new civilian wardrobe. The bad side was that I nearly went broke buying all new outfits while also struggling financially to adjust to the dramatically increased cost of living in our nation’s Capitol.
I believe it’s important for all Americans to understand why our nation celebrates this day on November 11th to honor all who have served in our military...be they Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines or Coast Guardsmen. It may also help to dispel some of the general confusion many Americans have about the difference between Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day.
The November 11th date, originally known as” Armistice Day,” was chosen because that was the date the Armistice Treaty ending World War I was signed...in the 11th hour of the 11th month in 1918 (the same year our local Wilkes County Chapter of the American Red Cross was established).
The intent was to set aside a day to commemorate the sacrifices of the service members who died in that “Great War.” However, for various reasons, the day was not officially designated an official legal holiday by the Congress until 1938, some 20 years later.
Then, sixteen years later in 1954, following the end of two additional wars, i.e. World War II and the Korean War, Congress amended the original act. The amended version changed the name from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day.” The amended version also expanded the scope of the holiday to honor American veterans of all American wars…past, present and future.
Fast forward to 2001 when the U.S. Senate passed a non-binding resolution that designated the week of November 11 through November 17 as “National Veteran’s Awareness Week.” The Resolution called for elementary and high school educational institutions to focus attention on the contributions and sacrifices of all veterans, although it is not clear to what extent the spirit of that resolution is observed locally and around the country today, but the concept was sound.
So what is the difference between Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day? Memorial Day, held annually on the last day in May, specifically pays tribute to service members who died in service to our country or who died because of injuries incurred in battle.
Coincidentally, Memorial Day is also widely viewed as the start of the summer/vacation season for families and students. It falls just as the school’s calendar years end and signals the time when room rates at Myrtle, and other popular beaches in Virginia and the Carolinas, zoom upwards into the ionosphere, and remain there until Labor Day, the first Monday in September.
Veteran’s Day, on the other hand, honors both living and deceased veterans...men and women who have served honorably in any of the military services, whether in wartime or peacetime, with the word “honorably” being the operative word. The distinction is not unlike the distinction between two of our most honorable and distinguished veteran’s organizations...the VFW and the American Legion, both of which have active post here in Wilkes County.
Any Veteran who has served honorably in one of our military services is eligible to belong to the American Legion. Only Veterans who served in a designated war zone during a time of war are eligible for membership in the VFW. Both organizations are worthy of our full-fledged support, appreciation and gratitude.
The next time you see a Veteran, shake his or her hand; give them a pat on the back and say thanks. After all, the veterans have made possible the many freedoms we so highly cherish in this great country.
Ciao for now. Hope to see you right here again next week in The Record of Wilkes.

Autumn's in the Air..A Poem

Autumn’ in the Air

By

RUSS PEARSON

(Author’s Note): A couple of weeks ago, this column welcomed the coming of cooler, refreshing air to the Brushy Mountains and to the mighty Yadkin River Valley… a welcome relief from the unusually hot days of summer just past.

In that piece, I rejoiced that this change in the weather was an anxiously awaited signal that the seasons were about to change from summer to fall, just as it has for millions of years…a change that according to legend, the Farmer’s Almanac and the 2011 calendar from Tar Heel Oil on my home office wall tells me officially occurred on Sept. 23.

As mentioned in that piece, autumn is my favorite season, so much so that I was inspired by Mother Nature herself to pen a poem. Surprised? Don’t be…after all, writing poems is a Pearson family tradition here in Wilkes County….so with advanced apologies to the late James Larkin Pearson, North Carolina’s long-time Poet Laureate and my high school English teacher, Chloe Parks, I offer the following verse: RGP

AUTUMN’S IN THE AIR

Shortened shadows of summer have shifted to shades of fall,
As the searing heat of August has passed beyond recall.
Autumn has finally settled in, its enchantment fills the air,
And signals the beginning of the end, of yet another year.

Fall is such a marvelous time; it invigorates old and young,
It rejuvenates weary spirits left wilted by summer’s sun.
To awaken on an autumn morn with its crispness in the air,
Ignites the bodies senses, other seasons can not compare.

The ambiance of autumn attracts attentive minds
And fills them with the notion, that fall’s the grandest time.
The brilliance of the colors in the turning of the trees,
A color cornucopia with the sparkling of the leaves.

The pageantry of football, with bands at half-time shows;
The sweet aroma of burning leaves and the weight of woolen clothes.
Pumpkin pies and Halloween and Jack O’lantern’s stare;
Marshmallows over flickering flames, and hayrides in open air.

The taste of turkey dressing and tangy cranberry sauce;
The toasty warmth of a cozy fire to ward the night chill off.
The excitement of “World Series” games and college basketball,
The abundance of autumn holidays brings joy and fun to all.

Yes, these all are signs of autumn…they come ‘round every year,
To make the fall an ideal time for friendship and good cheer.
For like the seasons of our lives, fall’s the noblest of them all;
It comes before the winds of winter rush in to end it all.

Russell G. Pearson

Youthful Recollections:
Saturday Night in Old North Wilkesboro
By Russ Pearson
Hearing lots of scuttlebutt about making the Main Street of North Wilkesboro a two way again, and all that talk brought back a flood of memories of Saturday night “cruising” from back in the 1950s and 1960s.

While daytime Saturday was by far the liveliest day of the week for merchants in North Wilkesboro, Saturday nights proved a cultural transition in the life of the city and surrounding areas. Most stores closed at 5:00 PM and as if by official proclamation, sunset on Saturday nights signaled the town’s weekly Jekyll and Hyde transition...the time that Main and 10th Streets became the exclusive domain of teens and young adults.

While a few were high school bad boys in their black-leather motorcycle jackets itching for a rumble with their hotshot counterparts from rival high schools, most were well meaning Romeo and Juliet types, just looking for a chance to get lucky with a little romance in the back seat of a car.

By sunset, 10th and Main Streets were transformed into a never-ending, two-way bumper-to-bumper line of the sharpest looking, fastest sounding but slowest-moving cars found anywhere in this “Thunder Road” county. Even on the coolest nights, all the “cruisers” had their windows down. These were slick-looking, supped up cars filled with rambunctious young males and willing young females, all eager for the kind of adventure so fitting for the lifestyle of hormone raging young folks in the no-holds-barred, anything goes hometown of one of NASCAR’s inaugural racetracks.

Black was by far the car color of choice. Jacked-up 1939 and 1940 Fords were the hands-down favorites of the crowd and the source of greatest imitation for those “dragging” Main and 10th Streets. Eventually, the Chevys, Pontiacs and Fords of the mid and late 50s replaced these iconic classics from the bootlegging era.

The sweet, gurgling sounds of the Ford V-8 engines with ¾ racing cams, or the soft, mellow tones of straight six-cylinder Chevys with dual Glass Pak mufflers still ring in the ears of those of us who nostalgically recall the long-gone magical days of “cruising Main Street” on Saturday nights.

From Jack’s Drive-in on west D Street all the way across town to Super Service Drive-In on east Main, these magnificent, spotlessly polished, waxed and superbly-detailed automobiles passed in revue as like “spit shined” shoes in a military parade. The occupants of each vehicle making their best pickup lines as they passed the car opposite, pausing occasionally to allow for a passenger swap when the pickup line worked.

The popular 1973 Ron Howard movie “American Graffiti” could easily have been filmed on any given Saturday night in downtown North Wilkesboro. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Saturday night cruising finally ended when the town fathers made Main Street a one-way drive and changed forever Saturday nights in downtown North Wilkesboro.

Of course, no Saturday evening in North Wilkesboro would be complete without at least one stop at the local YMCA whether or not you were a “Y” member...come one come all, and they did. The “Y” was located across the mighty Yadkin River in Wilkesboro. Something was always happening at the original Wilkes “Y.”

One of the more popular features at the “Y” was the open dance room with folding chairs lining the walls. The room was complete with a multi-colored, state-of–the–art Wurlitzer jukebox full of the latest hit songs. The 50s marked the beginning of the Rock-N-Roll and Be-Bop eras and the “nickelodeon” at the “Y” had all the popular hits all on 45-RPM records. The selections included everything from Elvis to Pat Boone, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, The Platters, Fats Domino, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry, Connie Francis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Roy Orbison and many others. We could listen and shag for just a nickel a song or six songs for a quarter. It was indeed a rare moment without a song reverberating loudly off the walls; a rare time indeed in the “Y”’s dance room.

Occasionally, the action got a little out-of-hand and evolved into a good ole-fashioned “West Side Story” style street brawl in the “Y”’s back parking lot. More often than not, these “rumbles” were between the jocks from Wilkes Central High School located next door to the “Y” and the black-leather jacketed boys from North Wilkes High, looking for all the world like refugees from the movie “Hell’s Angels.”

The North High Viking crowd resented the fact that the Wilkes Central Eagles crowd considered the YMCA as their private domain, especially on Saturday nights. The arrival of the Vikings en masse was an attempt to stake a claim on the “Y” as part of their school’s territory, too.

The rivalry between the two high schools was in part due to a money-saving, win-win mutual agreement between the Wilkes County School Board and the “Y”’s Directors that allowed Wilkes Central to use the YMCA’s facilities in exchange for funding from the School Board...Central did not yet have a gymnasium. Wilkes Central used the “Y” for its boys’ and girls’ Phys Ed programs, basketball games, as well as wrestling matches, graduation ceremonies, pep rallies, and any other activities for which auditoriums and gymnasiums are traditionally used.

Wilkesboro’s only police officer, Chief Gene Joines, sometimes interrupted these occasional bare-knuckled confrontations. The Chief’s appearance usually signaled the fight would resume later under the nearby remains of the old Yadkin River Bridge.

Of course, if a good fight and some equally good pick-up opportunities were your game, you only had to swing by the local VFW Hall where the Saturday Night Square Dance was guaranteed to provide all the excitement most could stand.

In addition to lots of good clean wholesome fun shagging and square dancing, patrons could always count on a good fight in the parking lot, usually between some inebriated, jealous husband or boy friend and an equally inebriated potential suitor hoping to make whoopee with someone else’s wife or girl friend.

But, notwithstanding the potential thrills that could be had at the local Starlite or North Wilkesboro Drive-in Movies, of all the exciting things young couples could do on Saturday nights, the most popular place to go was up on the Brushy Mountains, where couples could pull into a convenient, albeit often crowded, pullover spot overlooking the twin towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro. It was the kind of romantic spot often featured in romance and lover’s lane horror movies.

What a spectacular view of the lights below. The main downside was that after only a few minutes, the car’s windows fogged over making it hard to see the view, but then, just like at the drive-ins, who really watched the movie anyway?

Then in time, yet another good thing eventually ended. This time it was the “Lover’s Lane” on the Brushies. It went the way of cruising in downtown North Wilkesboro. Oh for the good ole days.

Out of space for this week...Ciao for now. Hope to see you back here again next week.
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‘Shag Dancing’ to ‘Beach Music’

By RUSS PEARSON

Just back from yet another out-of-town jaunt, this time to an old, familiar location that draws us back time and time again…North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Over the past few years, we have acquired a condo in the very heart of what once was known as “Ocean Drive Beach,” but now, the town is officially known as North Myrtle Beach…you probably know it well, it’s the beach just south of Cherry Grove, and the home of “ Shag Dancing,”

If you have any doubt about Ocean Drive claiming that honor, just look up at the town’s lofty water tower stately standing in the middle of town. There you will see an artist rendition of a couple “Shag” dancing above the inscription: “Ocean Drive: Shag Capital of the U.S.”

“Shagging” has become a widespread beach phenomena around the country. Little did we know pulling into our place just one block south of the town’s main square that this week just happened to be the much celebrated “Fall Shag Week” Shag Week is one of two annual weeks when “shaggers” by the hundreds and even thousands descend on this dancing Mecca for an enjoyable week of dancing, dining and just generally having fun and a relaxing time in a laid-back, beach atmosphere.

I presume this particular week has been chosen for this semi-annual pilgrimage as it is after Labor Day when all the school kids are back in the classrooms so the beach is much more civilized than during summer vacations; the highways are far less crowed; the ocean water is still warm and the September weather is perfect for catching a few “rays” to tide you over for the coming winter months.

It was pretty obvious driving into Main Street that something big was going on. Every parking lot and curbside parking space was filled and the sidewalks were full of people strolling up and down the main business district. Local cafes and bars like Fat Harold’s, Flynn’s and Duck’s were filled to overflowing. The cluster of sidewalk cafes approaching the main square had an almost European aura with multi-colored umbrellas raised over sidewalk tables and magical neon signs illuminating the scene with splashes of vibrant light reflecting off the windows of shops and nearby cars.

The atmosphere was carnival like, reminiscent of years past in the old Myrtle Beach of my youth; an atmosphere long since missing in downtown Myrtle Beach with the demise of the highly popular Pavilion and the adjoining carnival rides just across the street, and the Bowery and Boardwalk next door.

We felt comfortable mingling with the “shaggers” all during the week…most belonged to our same age group. For the most part, they were in their 50s and 60’s, and reasonably prosperous members of the early World War II and baby boom generations. Most of these revelers had frequented the Myrtle Beach area in the summers of their youth just as many of my friends and I had, and now were returning to once again soak in the flavor and nostalgia of that happy, youthful existence.

Later, as I watched various couples dancing, I was reminded of the kind of “fast dancing” our group used to enjoy on Friday and Saturday nights at the old YMCA in Wilkesboro. However, the more I looked into “Shag dancing”, the more I realized that “Shagging” is a different form of dance all together…it is more highly choreographed.

To find out more about “Shagging,” I Goggled “Shag Dancing” and found out that “Carolina Shag” is the official State dance of both North and South Carolina. “Shag” dancing is a six-count partner dance done mostly to moderate tempo music usually called “Beach Music.” While “Shagging” the upper body and hips hardly move while the legs and feet do most of the moving and footwork.

Some call “Shagging” a man’s dance as the lead is the center of attention. His partner either mirrors the lead's steps or marks time while the lead does various spins and other smooth dance moves.

The term “Shag” denotes a number of swing dances that later became a term covering a broad range of jitterbugging. In the 1930s, many variations of “Shag” could be found, depending upon the geographic area in which they were done. “Carolina Shag” is closely associated with a version of rhythm and Blues known as "beach music" rather than “swing” music…music like I used to surreptitiously enjoy late at night under the covers in my bedroom listening to WLAC in Nashville,TN on my Sears Silvertone radio. In those segregated days, it was not “Kosher” for us white boys to listen to black R&B music.

Many dance historians believe the term "Carolina Shag" originated along the Carolinas coast between Wilmington, NC, and Myrtle Beach, SC, in the 1940s. Although experts differ, at least one historian believes the term was first coined at Carolina Beach, NC. In any case, the “Shag” is now a widely recognized dance in national and international dance competitions. Who knows, someday it may be a regular item on the hit television program, “Dancing With The Stars.”

If you want to see what good “Shagging” looks like, check out the numerous “Shag” videos at the following“You Tube” website:

As I recently learned from my good friend and WCHS classmate, Wanda Adams, “Shag Dancing” is also alive and well here in Wilkes County, as is “Clogging” and “Line Dancing,”… each has its own devoted following with dance clubs and dance lessons available right here in our area.

For more information on how you can participate in “Shag Dancing” give Gary and Becky Doran a call at (336) 262-2125 and for info on “Clogging” or “Line Dancing,” call the Senior Center @ 667-5281, or Wanda at 336-957-7211 and tell em Russ sent ya….Maybe next year, I’ll run into you “Shagging” at North Myrtle Beach.

Anniversary Trip II
By
Russ Pearson

Before earthquakes, hurricanes and the coming of cooler, autumn weather rudely interrupted my train of thought and the subject of my columns a couple of weeks ago, my better half and I were in the midst of a 46th Anniversary swing thru the southeast U.S. You may recall, we had ventured southwestward to Atlanta, GA, and then on to Meridian, MS, via Birmingham and tornado damaged Tuscaloosa, AL. We were enroute to Philadelphia, MS, for our fifth visit to the annual Neshoba County Fair. You remember the Neshoba County Fair don’t you? It’s the unique, world-famous fair highlighted in detail in this column several weeks ago.

With the week-long fair finally inked in our travelogue, we made yet another of those well-thought-out, spur-of-the-moment, on-the-fly changes in travel plans. We decided to head due south to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and visit the state’s much publicized, post-hurricane Katrina beaches. Hurricane Katrina was a strong category III storm, packing winds of over 125 MPH when it came ashore. Experts at the National Weather Center say it was one of the strongest storms to impact the coastline of the United States during the last 100 years.

As the Executive of our local American Red Cross Chapter in 2005 when Katrina struck, I was eager to see for myself how well the region had recovered from the storm’s catastrophic destruction. I was also anxious to see how funds donated by the generous people of Wilkes and Alleghany Counties had helped in the rebuilding and reclamation of that hard-hit area of the South.

The trip from Philadelphia took us back thru Meridian and another overnight stay at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian where we restocked essential supplies at the Exchange, Commissary and Package Store prior to venturing further down the state on I-59. Along the way south, we took time out for a brief side trip to tour the quaint, historic and industrial railroad hub city of Hattiesburg, MS.

Located in what once was an extensive pine forest in the domain of the Choctaw Indians, Hattiesburg was a prominent player in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Hattiesburg is also home to the University of Southern Mississippi, with a student population of over 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

Our visit to the campus of Southern Miss campus fulfilled a long-time goal to visit all three of the state’s major universities...the Ole Miss “Rebels” in Oxford; the Mississippi State “Bulldogs” in Starkville and finally, the Southern Miss “Golden Eagles” in Hattiesburg...a goal dating back to the late 1960s when we lived in Meridian during my early Navy pilot training days. After exploring and taking pictures of the relatively compact Southern Miss campus, including the Golden Eagles’ football stadium, we resumed our journey down I-59.

About an hour later, we arrived in the seaside resort and industrial city of Gulfport. The immediate impression was of a clean, modern city with no physical hurricane damage in sight. It was not readily apparent, even to this casual observer, that the area had been devastated by a major hurricane just a few years back. What was plainly evident was a number of clean, vacant lots in and around the city...lots presumed to have been where businesses or homes once had stood.

As we drove around the city, we saw a number of what appeared to be recently constructed homes, many in the “high-roller” category. All were built up on elevated foundations as if in anticipation of future disasters. Beautiful homes with unobstructed views of the beach and Gulf waters...homes most likely built to replace homes destroyed by Katrina.

One favorable feature of Gulfport’s beachfront was that, unlike many popular beaches, e.g. Myrtle Beach, where the beach and the ocean is obscured to the public by high-rise condominiums and hotels, very few Gulfport structures, either business or homes, were located on the beach side of the highway. This arrangement gives passing motorist and tourist clear, panoramic views of the beautiful, white, sandy beaches extending for miles east and west along the coastline...snow-like sands so bright that sunglasses are not just optional on bright, sunny days; they are a must if you value your eyesight...reminiscent of the snow-white beaches near Pensacola and Destin along the panhandle of northwest Florida.

Gulfport is also home of the Navy’s famous Construction Battalion, otherwise known as the “Seabees.” For over 60 years, the Seabees have been to the military’s construction business what the Navy Seals are to specialized warfare. They can build, anything, any place and any time as their history in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq has proven repeatedly. Any young person wanting to gain valuable training and experience in the construction industry would do well to consider a stint with the Navy’s Seabees. For more information on the Seabees, check out their website at http://www.seabee.navy.mil/

As with other Navy towns, we found accommodations aboard the local Navy Construction Battalion’s base, which is centrally located in the middle of Gulfport’s business district. Not far from the base are several very high quality restaurants that serve terrific seafood as well as prime rib and superb steak cuisines...restaurants like the “Half-Shell Oyster House” on highway 49, one block north of the Gulf in downtown Gulfport, or the White Cap Restaurant, located a mile out on East Beach Blvd. Both restaurants are highly recommended by this humble, self-proclaimed, connoisseur of fine foods and wines.

Last, but certainly not least, Gulfport and neighboring Natchez are Mississippi’s answer to “Las Vegas,” “Reno,” “Atlantic City” and “Cherokee” on the Gulf Coast. Legal gambling is alive and well in both towns as major casinos have fully recovered from Katrina’s damage and are again open for business, virtually around the clock.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our brief but educational visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We recommend it to anyone looking for a different beach vacation venue, and it’s a nice stopover enroute to New Orleans. Tell em Russ sent ya, but be careful not to mention where you’re from...residents of southern Mississippi still think North Carolina is a “northern” state.

Ciao for now...gotta go.

Where Were You — when the earthquake hit?
By RUSS PEARSON
There are times in our lives when we remember where we were when some historic event occurred. For those of us old enough to remember, we recall where we were when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, and when Neal Armstrong landed on the moon, or later when the Challenger blew up, killing all the Astronauts on board.

Most of us probably remember where we were when the news broke that Saddam Hussein finally had been captured in that ignominious hole in the ground or when SEAL Team 6 helped Osama bin Laden depart the planet in the middle of the night for a rendezvous with 72 “vestal virgins.”

However, do you remember where you were at approximately 1:50 p.m., on Aug. 23, 2011? I sure remember where I was when the once-in-a-century earthquake struck in Northern Virginia and rattled nerves in 22 states up and down the east coast.

There I was, sitting alone in the living room in my modest mountain cottage high atop the Brushy Mountains. My laptop on my lap, I had one eye looking at Facebook, the other eye watching television and the battle raging in Libya against that country’s evil dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.

All of a sudden, out of a clear blue sky, the house began to do a version of Bill Haley and the Comets’1950s hit “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” My first thought was that a strong, rogue wind was blowing through on this otherwise beautiful, calm day outside. It seemed strange and out of place.

I walked over to a window and looked out to see what was happening. The leaves on the many trees were perfectly still; obviously, the wind was not causing this mysterious rumbling. The only sounds were the rattling of the house’s large, old-fashioned windows and the creaking of the aging timbers in this 1920s vintage bungalow; the place its original owners called “Brushmont,” the name we still call it today.

Was I worried? Not at all! After all, this cottage is sound. It withstood hurricane Hugo back in 1989 with no damage at all. So what in the “Sam Hill” was going on...y’all do know Sam Hill don’t you?

Then knowledge learned about disasters during my Navy days while serving this country in California, and later during my tenure as executive director of the Wilkes-Alleghany Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross kicked in. In a nanosecond, I knew this had to be an earthquake … Holy Cow! An earthquake here in Wilkes County? Then came the voice in my head saying, “You’re not in California anymore Russ,” to paraphrase Dorothy in “Wizard of Oz.”

I quickly grabbed the telephone and dialed 911. When the woman answered, I said “I think we are having an earthquake here on the Brushy Mountains?” “She said we don’t know yet, but something has happened for sure.”

I hung up the phone, looked down at my computer and saw a Facebook message from WXII Channel 12 TV in Winston. The message simply said, “Did you feel that?”

Suspicions confirmed...I knew something rare was happening and immediately typed out a couple of messages on my Facebook page to tell the world that apparently, we were experiencing an earthquake somewhere in our area. I then called Rebecca Bounds Matherly, our local Red Cross Chapter Executive, to let her know what was happening here on the mountain.

Soon thereafter, the breaking news I had been watching about the war in Libya was interrupted by breaking news out of Northern Virginia ... a 5.9 earthquake on the Richter scale had just struck the small town of Mineral, Va., about 80 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.

Suddenly the words from my earlier column last March about disasters in Wilkes County came back to me. In that column, I recalled often bragging to my Red Cross colleagues how fortunate we here in Wilkes County are to be surrounded by mountains and free of some major disasters like those in other parts of the state and country.

At one time, I, along with many local residents, thought that earthquakes were something only people in California had to worry about...they just don’t happen here. During my Red Cross years, I learned that was WRONG! The fact is, earthquakes do happen in a number of east coast locations and some of them not far from here.

The record shows that our area has been shaken or rocked by a number of quakes over the past century, including one measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale in the Traphill area back in 2006. A significant earthquake fault line lies in our beautiful mountains near the North Carolina and Tennessee line west of Boone.

A quick check on Google shows that since 1974, there have been twenty-six measurable earthquakes in our region, most measuring around 4.0 on the Richter Scale. The most recent earthquake prior to this one occurred on March 16 along the border of North and South Carolina in Chesterfield County, S.C., near Wadesboro.

A second zone, known as the Swannanoa fault line, runs WSW-ENE. This line can be traced possibly from as far east as Hickory and westward to Fontana Dam near the Tennessee state line. The largest historic earthquake in North Carolina occurred on or near this line. That earthquake registered a 5.2 magnitude in 1916.

More recently, smaller-magnitude quakes have occurred along this lineament. To the east of Wilkes is the Mid-Carolina line located between Greensboro and Burlington. Although Wilkes County has never had a severe earthquake, an ancient fault line runs through the Brushy Mountains and mild earth tremors from it are not uncommon.

On Aug. 31, 1861, an earthquake estimated at 5.0 on the Richter Scale hit the southern part of Wilkes County, causing minor damages to roofs and chimneys on homes and businesses in Wilkesboro. So perhaps bragging to my Red Cross colleagues about Wilkes County not being a candidate for a major disaster like earthquakes was premature.

Was this earthquake a precursor of more to come? What if a stronger quake comes along and ruptures the Kerr Scott Dam and millions of gallons of lake water pour like a tsunami into Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro, making the 1940 flood look like a minor-league event?

I feel confident that the Corps of Engineers factored earthquakes into building the earthen Kerr Scott Dam? But who knows... after all, the Corps sure “missed the boat” when they designed and built the seawalls that were supposed to protect New Orleans, La., from hurricanes like Katrina? Think about it!