Good to learn that Pam Carter will join with two members of the homeless community, according to Cumberland Board of Commissioners Vice Chairwoman Toni Stewart, as part of a six-person committee offering input for a Cumberland County Homeless Support Center. The two-story building and 24-7 homeless refuge is being constructed at 344 Hawley Lane in downtown Fayetteville.
Carter, 52, is a longtime resident of the nearby B Street neighborhood and will bring a compassionate and sound perspective about how the center can focus on the community’s homeless population to include men, women and children. And if anyone knows what it is like to be homeless, the two unhoused individuals and committee members can be of significant difference as the center becomes a reality. Stewart will chair the committee that will include Fayetteville City Councilman Malik Davis, who represents the district, and Ken Hartley, director of Teague’s Home for Women founded by the late Alberta Green, who died at age 89 on March 28, 2012.
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Bill Murphy is out as host of Good Morning Fayetteville at WFNC 640 A.M. radio after replacing longtime host Jeff Goldberg, aka “Goldy,” who retired Dec. 1 from Cumulus Media. Apparently, according to his Facebook posts, Murphy is none too pleased with his departure or with station management. Meanwhile, Goldberg is back temporarily hosting the radiocast from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday while Cumulus searches for Murphy’s full-time replacement. Stay tuned to find out who permanently will take the Good Morning Fayetteville microphone.
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Look for additional American Airlines daily flights from Fayetteville Regional Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to a new release from the city. Passengers will have access to up to five daily flights to Fayetteville from Charlotte. Passengers traveling through Charlotte Douglas International Airport can reach 182 destinations, international and domestic, making it a key hub for worldwide travelers. American Airlines, effective March 5, also will discontinue service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Fayetteville Regional Airport. For more information, send email inquiries to airport@fayettevillenc.gov or call (910) 433-1160.
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If you are a history buff, you may find the “Seventeen Men: Portraits of the Men of the 25th US Colored Troops” exhibit of interest at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, located at 801 Arsenal Ave. It’s the work of genealogist and artist Shanyne Davidson and features soldiers with the 25th U.S. Colored Troops Co. G from 1863-1865 and who fought in the Cape Fear region during the Wilmington Campaign, the museum’s website states. The exhibit, according to a news release, will be on display through June 2. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. No charge for admission.
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Just four performances of “Cinderella” left at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, where Mary Mattison, who is a 2013 Terry Sanford High School graduate, stars in the title role; Sheridan Marina as the prince; Faye Beane as Charlotte the stepsister; and Kai B. White, who can sing like nothing you’ve seen, as the fairy godmother. “It is gratifying to see her shine on stage, knowing what it takes to be successful in this career, and of course we are proud,” said Cassandra Vallery, who is Mattison’s mother. “But I think what makes us most proud,” including father Colton Vallery, “is the reputation she has while off stage. People might remember a good performance, but they never forget the kindness, a great ‘drama free’ work ethic and how we make them feel. It has been a real joy for her to come ‘back’ home.”
A Fayetteville native, Cassandra Vallery knows the CFRT stage, too, having performed in productions of “Honk!,” “Oliver,” “White Christmas,” “Miss Saigon,” “Closer Than Ever,” “Footloose,” “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Children of Eden,” “The Full Monty,” “I Love You You're Perfect (Now Change),” “Good Ol’ Girls” and “Lunch at the Piccadilly.” Mattison is also the great niece of Elizabeth MacRae, the Fayetteville resident of sitcom “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” television fame in the role of Lou Ann Poovie.
CFRT is putting on its last Friday show at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Two performances of Cinderella are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and the curtain call is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. You’ll never go wrong at the theater on Haymount Hill.
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“As my dear mother taught me, ‘Service to humanity is the best work in life,’” said George Breece, a Fort Liberty Ambassador who was recognized on Feb. 15 at the Iron Mike Conference Center on the military installation. “My mother was a ‘Pink Lady’ for the Red Cross and dealt with the soldiers and families through that, and I am just following in her footsteps. There is not enough that any of us can do for the women and men in the military and their families. I will be forever proud and honored to wear my Ambassador’s coat and ‘Good Neighbor’ pin. God bless my mother and father’s memory for showing me the way.”
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Sad to learn about the passing of “Lefty” Driesell, the longtime men’s basketball coach first at Davidson College and later at the University of Maryland, College Park. I covered a lot of his games along the Atlantic Coast Conference’s “Tobacco Road” as a sports reporter. He was quite the coach, and quite the character. Charles “Lefty” Driesell died at age 92 on Feb. 17 at his Virginia Beach, Virginia home.
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Adele Young is remembered by Dr. Hank Parfitt as “a great volunteer and good friend,” who was always willing to give his time for nearly 20 years in support of the annual “A Dickens Holiday” and the Downtown Alliance.
“Once we discovered the delicious peanut brittle that he and his wife, Rachelle, had been making to sell at the Fayetteville State University Bronco football games, we persuaded him to package some in miniature Ziplock bags that we sold for a dollar,” Parfitt wrote in an email. “The Boy Scouts were our salesmen until they became costumed coachman’s assistants for the carriage rides, then Adele and his son, A.J., stepped in to handle sales. Adele was willing to help however we needed him, like when he played the role of our town crier, outfitted with sandwich board and brass bell. He was a modest man, but typified the volunteer spirit of so many whom I had the privilege to work with at downtown events.”
Adele Young was 72 when he died Feb. 9. A service for Mr. Young was held Feb. 18 at John Wesley United Methodist Church.
Next: “Where we go, the legacy will follow”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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