The Great Gray Squirrel Debate of 1969

In 1969 State Representative R. C. Godwin appointed me to serve as a page in the NC House of Representative. Mr. Godwin was a friend of my father's. When he retired he encouraged my dad to run for his seat. My father won and held that seat for many terms. Upon Dad's reitrement Beverly Perdue served in that seat for a couple of terms before moving on to higher office.

I served as a page for a week and stayed with my father's first cousin, Elsie Barker Houle. Elsie's mother was my grandmother's first cousin and her father was my great uncle Ebbie Basil Barker. Apparently Barker men were attracted to Henderson women. Elsie was a family favorite. She was a classic southern lady with a underlying current of mystique. Sort of a Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter) type.

Upon arrival the Sergeant of Arms and the Clerk of the House gave us our orientation. Our duties included distributing copies of legislation, delivering messages, running errands and delivering proposed bills from the legislators to the Speaker's desk. When the House is in session we were stationed around the chamber to be instantly available to the members.

The General Assembly from time to time decides to designate a plant, animal, activity or concept as the State "whatever". (See Chapter 145 of the General Satatute for a complete list.  http//www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Statutes/StatutesTOC.pl?Chapter=0145) We have a State song, flower,dance bird and many other things. My father was instrumental in making the State Reptile the Eastern Box Turtle. He was fond of saying the turtle had to stick his neck out to make progress.

During my tenure as a page the members decided it was time to have a state mammal. I guess the rat was out even though Secretary of State Thad Eure was fond of saying he was the oldest rat in the Democratic Barn. A member stood and introduced legislation to make the gray squirrel the State mammal. That member and several cosigners gave great speeches in favor of the measure. Eloquent speeches of the virtue and beauty of the gray squirrel were given. Their playfullnes and industriousness of storing their food were espoused. It looked as though the legislation would pass unopposed.

The Dean of the House sat in seat six.That seat is on the front row on the center isle. If the House had been a Baptist Church that would have been where the Chairman of the Deacon Board sat. In 1969 I was quite young and that gentleman looked really old. I was sure he had been serving since Reconstruction. While not quite that old, he was born in the nineteenth century. All of the members gave him deference and proper respect. He was a Southern lawyer with great communication skills. He was sort of a Senator Sam Ervin type of character. I am certain they were friends.

He stood, and said "Mr Speaker, I rise to oppose this legislation". A hush fell over the floor and the gentleman commanded everyone's attention. He continued, "If we pass this legislation in time groups may form to protect the gray squirrel and to prohibit the lawful taking of the same by hunters. Should that come to pass the population of the gray squirrel will multiply exponentially. Everyone knows that the gray squirrel eats nuts and that would prove very dangerous to this body". With that he immediately sat and the members of the General Assembly almost fell out of their chairs. That is the only debate from that week that I remember.

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Fall Full of Southern Traditions

It is a special time of year. High school ball on Friday nights. See my my Blog Post about Friday Nights with Burke Taylor. Then tail gating on Saturday and watching college football. Many spend hours getting ready for hunting season. Blinds and stands to be built or repaired. Scouting for game trails and looking for birds. Fall fishing provides many hours of fun and excitement for its disciples. 


Of course some take an annual pilgrimage to the NC mountains to witness God's handiwork as the colors of fall reach their peak. It is a time to be thankful to our maker as we move toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fall Festivals and Bon Fires bring folks together. Who doesn't enjoy a good pig pickin'?


One of my personal favorites are partaken in months with the letter "R" in them. I am talking about an old fashion Oyster Roast. Johnathan Swift is quoted as having said, "He was a bold man that first ate an oyster". The brave among us slip over to the side and open them raw. We let it slide off the half shell right into a waiting orifice. Sounds of appreciation and exclamations of saltiness follow. I always wondered why folks just don't add salt if the oysters are not salty enough. The oyster opening table is a great area for fellowship. The congregation stands patiently waiting for the roaster to dump a basket of steaming hot bivalves. Hands work with skill and speed. It is amazing to see how quickly a half bushel can disappear.  Conversation resumes and the waiting for the next batch begins. Soon the usual sophomoric jokes about the  aphrodisiac qualities begin. There is always an individual who is especially skilled with an oyster knife who will open oysters for those disciples who gather around his station. It is considered bad form not to shuck a few for your spouse. Your dipping sauce recipe is always a topic of conversation. Some opt for melted butter, some cocktail sauce and blends of both with dashes of Texas Pete and Horse Radish. When you hold your roast this year please use the contact info on this page to invite me. I will shuck a few for you.


Those of us who were born Southern by the Grace of God and those who have become Southern by the purchase of Real Estate are truly blessed. Fall is a wonderful time of year and I encourage you to enjoy the culture of a southern fall. 


If you need lessons on southern speech, culture or need to become southern by purchasing real estate I am available.


Please consider leaving a comment of about your favorite Fall tradition.


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Our Three Guys - Signers of the Declaration.

Joseph Hewes represented North Carolina at the Continental Congress of 1774. He was living at Edenton at the time. At the beginning of the year 1776, Hewes was appointed as the first ever Secretary of the Navy John Adams often said that Hewes "laid the foundation, the cornerstone of the American Navy." Alongside General George Washington, Hewes became one of the greatest military achievers in American history. He was also involved with the secret committee of claims, which further promoted the independence of the colonies. Hewes was one of the primary reasons why North Carolina  submitted to independence before any other colony. Hewes was initially faced with an ill equipped navy of which to fight the British Navy. To remedy this, he provided his own extensive fleet of ships, outfitted them, and chose the most capable of men to captain these ships. John Paul Jones was one of these captains for whom Hewes was instrumental in providing a command. (Used by Permission Wikipedia)

John Penn was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as a representative of North Carolina. Penn was distantly related to William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. Penn was elected to the North Carolina Provincial Congress and elected by that body to the Continental Congress in 1775 until 1780. For the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was part of a three-man North Carolina delegation that included Joseph Hewes and William Hooper. He also served on the Board of War until 1780, when he retired to the practice of law.  (Used by Permission Wikipedia)

William Hooper was an American lawyer, politician, and a member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1774 through 1777. Hooper was also a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, along with fellow North Carolinians Joseph Hewes and John Penn. Initially Hooper supported the British colonial government in North Carolina. As Deputy Attorney General in 1768 Hooper worked with Colonial Governor William Tryon to suppress a rebellious group known as the Regulators who participated in the War of the Regulation. The Regulators had been operating in North Carolina for some time, and in 1770 it was reported that the group dragged Hooper through the streets in Hillsborough during a riot. Hooper advised that Governor Tryon use as much force as was necessary to stamp out the rebels, and even accompanied the troops at the Battle of Alamance.Hooper’s support of the colonial governments began to erode, causing problems for him due to his past support of Governor Tryon. Hooper had been labeled a Loyalist, and therefore he was not immediately accepted by Patriots. Hooper eventually was elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 1773, where he became an opponent to colonial attempts to pass laws that would regulate the provincial courts. This in turn helped to sour his reputation among Loyalists. Hooper recognized that independence was likely to occur, and mentioned this in a letter to his friend James Iredell, saying that the colonies were “striding fast to independence, and ere long will build an empire upon the ruins of Great Britain.” During his time in the assembly Hooper slowly became a supporter of the American Revolution and independence. After the governor disbanded the assembly, Hooper helped to organize a new colonial assembly. Hooper was also appointed to the Committee of Correspondence and Inquiry. In 1774 Hooper was appointed a delegate to the First Continental Congress, where he served on numerous committees. Hooper was again elected to the Second Continental Congress, but much of his time was split between the congress and work in North Carolina, where he was assisting in forming a new government. Due to matters in dealing with this new government in North Carolina, Hooper missed the vote approving the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July, 1776; however, he arrived in time to sign it on August 2, 1776. (Used by permission Wikipedia)

All of the signers were men of courage risking all of their goods, lands and lives. During this time of celebration of their act, it is right that we should remember. 

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North Carolina folks are the best.

I went to photograph a clients home yesterday. When I got there I found they had moved another family into their home. A mother and two young children had their home damaged by the tornado. Both families' fathers are deployed defending our nation. My client wants to sell and always has her home immaculate. You would think she would avoid the hassle of having two extra kids and one adult in her home. There was no hesitation. She did what she could to help out her neighbor.

This morning I read the Sun Journal article about Trader Construction. I went to work for Trader 41 years ago this June. It was a great place to work. I spent my school vacations during high school and college digging foundations, pouring concrete, hanging steel and driving dump trucks. It was a great education while I was pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering. The folks working there always seemed like family. They took care of their own. This week the company jumped in with men and equipment to help a nearby neighborhood. They responded to a call from County Commissioner Steve Tyson. Steve was out in the field accessing the damage and had plans to raise money to help the neighborhood. He called Trader for an estimate and the estimate turned into a donation.

Many of our community regularly help those trying to recover from disasters. Teams have gone to Louisiana, Mississippi and Haiti. We have great neighbors. I love North Carolina folks.

Don't fly a dead bear!

I hang out with a bunch of guys who know how to properly display a flag. We have a Master Gunnery Sergeant, Master Chief Petty Officer, a couple of Sergent Majors, and a Chief Master Sergeant. If you display "Old Glory" improperly you will definitely hear about it. Any one of those guys are likely to pull out a "Flag Manual" out of his back pocket. Some of these guys have flown on Marine One or served as crew chief on Fat Albert with the Blue Angels.  You can't find a more patriotic group.

I am not sure that anyone has taken that zeal and applied to our City flags. I am not sure there is a manual for the red, yellow and black. My wife dislikes the display when the Bear is lying on his back. I think it shows the Bear in distress. I told her that I would blog about it if she would take some photos. I hope others will join our crusade to keep our Bear climbing upward and onward. Please forward this blog to folks that have pride in our City.

Proper Display

Dead Bear Display

Proper Bear on a Banner

Fly the Bear. Keep him travelling upward and onward. Please no dead Bears.