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Weekly News November 17, 2008Description
Miss South Carolina, 1965: For several years in the mid 1960’s, the perennial chaperone for Miss South Carolina contestants who were headed for Atlantic City used our Holiday Inn near Ogletown as a staging area for the Miss America competition. The party of about 5 including the attractive young contestant and often her parents would usually stay for two nights, away from the bustle of the pageant about to take place just two hours away.
Nancy Moore of Aiken was Miss South Carolina in 1965. I was at the front desk when she and her party walked into the lobby. With great self-confidence, she walked to the desk, introduced herself and then introduced the others with her, including her parents. To say the least, this 20-year-old was a very attractive young lady. She had actually been born in Delaware where her father worked for the duPont Company. With his transfer to Aiken in the 1950’s, she grew up in South Carolina, and her southern accent told of that.
All of us liked Nancy, and while they were with us, I gave her a ride in my father’s Model 87 Stanley. Then we sent flowers and wished her well on her quest for the Miss America title. She did well, but not well enough- I think she came in fourth.
About a month later, to my complete surprise, I got a letter from Nancy Moore, saying how much she enjoyed being with us in Delaware, and she would like to come back for a longer visit. She was soliciting an invitation. Realizing the great difference in age (I was 41, she was 20), I thought “I’m not going to pursue this”, and I never replied.
There was a man in South Carolina named Strom Thurmond. In 1945, Ol’ Strom had married a 21-year-old when he was 45, and she died about 18 years later. Still having his eye on young women, he married Nancy Moore about 1967 when he was 67 and she was 22. As I recall, they had 3 daughters together and the marriage lasted for many years until they were divorced when Strom was nearly 90. It is obvious that she liked older men (but maybe not that old). Yes, that is the same Strom Thurmond who ran for president on a States’ Rights ticket in 1948, and served forever in the U.S. Senate, first as an Independent and then as a Republican. He was nearly 100 when he finally gave up.
The coming week is Board Meeting week, with the quarterly event taking place Thursday evening at 7:30. Mike May will be here Tuesday, and several other meetings are planned during his stay, including a Collections Committee meeting on Wednesday at 7:00. Greg Landrey inspected the house furnishings with Dan Citron today, giving suggestions on how and how much some of this furniture should be used. Dan and James Wagner plan to move our furnishings out of the third floor, as Howard McKean, caretaker of Auburn Heights for the Division of Parks, is starting to move in.
Ruth and I are making progress toward leaving our old home. With help from Julia Brokhoff, our cottage at Cokesbury Village is looking quite hospitable, and we expect to start living there on or about November 25, the date the State will settle for Auburn Heights. The agreement between the Division of Parks and F.A.H.P. is in its final stages and it’s hoped to have it available for consideration in time for our Board meeting.
Steve Bryce is still perfecting the pilot on the Model 76, Bob Jordan finished the brake shoe job on the Model 725, Jim Personti and helpers re-worked the right rear hand brake band on the Model 87, and Ted Kamen continued the building of a 20-H.P. burner. Jim also took the water tank from the Model 78 for cleaning the interior and installing a liner. New volunteer Jonathan Rickerman carefully fit a new grate to the firebox of Locomotive #401, and reworked the ash pan below it. A plan for restoring the Model 607 will be submitted to the Board for approval of this project, hopefully to be started within the next month. A final logo from Sarah Stanley will also be presented to the Board for comments and possible approval. Greg Landrey hopes to gain approval for a Code of Ethics, on which he and the Collections Committee have been working for some time. Our November 28-29 “Steamin’ Thanksgiving” is fast approaching, and Rob Robison has left sign-up sheets on the bench in the garage. They are being filled in, but volunteers are still needed, so please sign up or let Rob know if you can work on Friday or Saturday, right after Thanksgiving. Rob also reports that the fall “Herald” should be off the press this week.
We are sorry to report the passing of Dr. Philip A. Toman, father of Jean Toman, last week. Phil had been an active volunteer with the Wilmington & Western R.R. for many years, having served as president, as chairman of publicity, and as a conductor. Eight years ago, he was a conductor on the Auburn Valley, when we ran 5 days to help rebuild the W & W after the Hurricane Floyd disaster of 1999. On one of these days, 720 tickets were sold! Jean, a former editor-in-chief of the Hockessin Community News, ran the July 4 parade in Hockessin for many years, and helped FAHP with our publicity. We wish Jean and her mother our sincere sympathy.
We were startled to hear about Chevonne Robison’s accident last Thursday. Her hand was badly crushed by an industrial garage door, which severed a tendon and broke several bones in her hand and wrist. With many stitches, she is resting at home with her wrist and hand in a cast and is not looking forward to the slow and painful recovery. We wish her our very best. Tom
