Category: Memorabilia Moment

Silent-movie cowboy had no bigger fan

lushlarue

“As a young boy, Ed Wyatt had been one of the hundreds of thousands who faithfully followed [silent-movie star] Fred Thomson and his horse Silver King, and Ed waited for Fred to be given what he considered his proper place in film history. At the age of 65, Ed finally tired of waiting and personally financed 10 years of research for, and the ensuing publication of, his own tribute to Fred, ‘More Than a Cowboy.’

“When we met in Raleigh, North Carolina, I was amazed that Ed simply handed me boxes of photos and notes [about Thomson, who had been married to Oscar-winning screenwriter Frances Marion].  His attitude… was that he had done what he could and now it was my turn.”

— From “Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood” (1996) by Cari Beauchamp

Ed Wyatt died in 1999 at age 82. According to his obituary in the News & Observer, “Wyatt was co-founder of Wyatt-Quarles Seed Co., which in 1955 took over the downtown Raleigh space left empty when his family’s longtime business, Job P. Wyatt & Sons, moved to larger quarters.”

fredthomson

Pictured: Pinback buttons from the Raleigh chapter (later the Ed Wyatt chapter) of the Western Film Preservation Society.

Tim Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998)

Tim Flock is considered to be one of the pioneers of NASCAR. He placed fifth in the first official NASCAR race, and he won his first Grand National Championship in 1952, narrowly beating Herb Thomas by 106 points. His second title was in 1955, and in that same year he set two records: 19 poles and 18 victories in 45 races. His record for poles in a season has never been broken, but Richard Petty broke his victory record with 27 in 1967. One of Flock’s most interesting claims to fame was his victory at the Grand National at Hickory Motor Speedway on May 16th, 1953, with a co-driver by the name of Jocko Flocko, a Rhesus monkey. To this day, Jocko is the only monkey to have won a NASCAR race. During a race in Raleigh two weeks later, Jocko became frightened by the vibrations in the wheel well, and Flock was forced to pit. Shortly thereafter, Jocko Flocko retired from racing. A month before his death of cancer in 1998, Flock was honored as one of the fifty greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

For Tiger, something to Bragg about

Back when a visit from Tiger Woods didn’t evoke such conflicted feelings, he spent four days training with the Green Berets to better understand what his father, Earl, had experienced at Fort Bragg 40 years earlier.

This plastic tag was issued for a golf exhibition  Woods gave afterward.

But where were the koozies in 1910?

newbernbutton

Not to disparage the wide range of merch offered at http://www.newbern300store.com/index.html, but New Bern’s 300th anniversary commemorative medallions, tote bags, T-shirts, shot glasses and can koozies surely pale in comparison with this colorful celluloid badge (click to enlarge) from the city’s 200th anniversary celebration.

Is Paris burning? No, but Charlotte may be

charlottefrench

This is a nice example of why pinback buttons fall under the heading of ephemera.  Who (well, besides me) would have held onto this teasing question from officials at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after they added an American Airlines flight to Paris in 1988 — a direct connection then lacking at Charlotte/Douglas International.

American dropped the Paris flight in 1994 and shut its RDU hub a year later.

ERA sunk by switcheroos in N.C. Senate

firstinfreedom-copy2

On this day in 1977: Despite last-minute long-distance lobbying by President Jimmy Carter, the North Carolina Senate defeats the Equal Rights Amendment by a 26-24 vote.

It is the second time the ERA has failed in the Senate by that vote, each time falling victim to a switch by a Charlotte senator ostensibly committed to voting yes.

The ERA will die in 1979, the deadline set by the U.S. Senate for winning ratification by the required three-quarters of the states.

Pictured: From the collection a pinback button worn by ERA advocates.

‘I am unwilling, as a Southern man….’

EY Webb copy

“Nature destined woman to be the home maker, the child rearer, while man is the money maker.

“I am unwilling, as a Southern man, to force upon her any burden which will distract this loving potentate from her sacred, God-imposed duties. I am unwilling to force her into the vortex of politics, where her sensitiveness and her modesty will often be offended.”

— Congressman E. Y. Webb of Shelby, speaking against the proposed women’s suffrage amendment (1915)

Clarence Whitefield Memorabilia Collection

land_us_london_CK1378

Any clue as to what this button means? I’ve got a guess, but I’m not positive.

The button is found in the Clarence Whitefield Memorabilia Collection, which was recently received by the North Carolina Collection Gallery. The majority of the items are related to UNC—football game buttons, UNC ties, General Alumni Association pins, ticket stubs, etc.–which is appropriate since Mr. Whitefield (UNC Class of 1944) led the University’s General Alumni Association from 1970 to 1982. We’ll share more of the collection from time to time, but in the mean time…any guesses on the pin above?

There’s running, and then there’s running

jimbeatty

On this day in 1962: In a meet at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Charlotte-reared Jim Beatty, a UNC Chapel Hill alumnus, runs the mile in 3 minutes, 58.9 seconds — the first time the 4-minute barrier has been broken on an indoor track.

Pictured: A pinback button promoting Beatty’s candidacy for the N.C. House, where he represented Mecklenburg County for six years.