Greensboro Daily Photo

With Mayo Please

This sculpture, known as "Mayo" by Robert Costelloe has been an icon on the corner of Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road since the days of Burlington Industries. In 2005, when Burlington Industries' building was imploded to make way for the expanded shopping center, the sculpture was placed in front of Fleming's Restaurant where it stands today. Mayo was designed by Costelloe at the North Carolina School of the arts.

Wonder if the name is somehow related to the former business, Mayo Yarns? 

 

I Have a Dream

Martin Luther King had a dream and today is the holiday set aside to remember his dream. Regardless of ethnicity or belief system, we owe it to ourselves to reflect on Dr. King's message.For the first time ever, we are publishing the same photo twice. As we looked through our photographs, we simply could not find another one more appropriate than this one to feature on the Martin Luther King Holiday. Besides, we have so many new readers with whom we would like to share this photo.

The bust, made by Wilbur Lee Map in 1994, is located on the southeast corner of South Elm Street and Martin Luther King Drive. The plaque on the statue reads, "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was scheduled to speak at AME Zion Church in Greensboro (a few blocks from here) on April 4, 1968. He canceled his visit to remain in Memphis where he was assassinated on that day." As we watched this 55 second video clip of Dr. King's final speech, we are struck by how exacting this bust captures his facial features in his final hour of life.

Finally, Seattle Daily Photo has a great tribute to MLK today! 

 

International Civil Rights Center & Museum

Greensboro is realizing a dream. The opening of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum is a mere three weeks away. For over a decade, we've been walking past the former Woolworth Five and Dime at 301 North Elm Street lamenting the fact that this historic place looked like all the other abandoned, boarded up, urban buildings. Not for long. When we walked by today, cameramen were inside taping a preview for the public. Hopefully, the planners have set a realistic goal as the space is renovated but empty. February 1, 2010 is the 50th anniversary of the Sit-Ins that "(l)aunched the national drive for integrated lunch counters (History marker J79)."  

Follow the above link and watch the February One Trailer, a 1 minute 43 second trailer of the February 1 documentary. To date, the fanfare seems to have remained rather local. Hopefully, the center & museum will receive the international recognition that it deserves. James Weldon Johnson had it right, "Lift every voice and sing, 'Til earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty.......

 

Goodbye to the Forrests

Interior decorator Martha Forrest and her artist husband Tony (on left) are relocating to New Orleans, "where they are needed," especially by their grandchildren! Here we see Martha, owner and principal designer of the Tin Rooster on Elm Street, and Tony with friends in front of the continents and oceans that Tony painted. 

We featured this globe when Greensboro Daily Photo first began back in January before Erik Beerbower performed his welding magic and made the word Greensboro on the top. Also featured are Ricki and Sydney Grey who own the property and who upcycled the air compressor from a navy ship into this work of art.  Good luck Martha and Tony and thank you for all that you contributed to the art and design community in Greensboro. 

This is our contribution to Sky Watch Friday where hundreds gather to share their photos of hometown skies.

Sandra W. Bradshaw

The June 1st 2009 crash of Air France Rio-Paris Flight 447 caused us to pause and recall a local airplane crash victim from eight years ago. As seen on the monument above, on September 11, 2001, Greensboro area resident Sandra W. Bradshaw died aboard United Airlines Flight 93.  We want to remember the flight attendant from Greensboro who worked until the very end trying to help passengers on that ill-fated day. Several screens of information about United Airlines Flight 93 are available on Wikipedia, so we will defer to them for details.

This monument to Sandra is found just outside the baseball stadium in downtown Greensboro. This is our contribution to the Monochrome Weekly Theme.

Green Hill Cemetery

On this Sky Watch Friday, we offer a view from inside Green Hill Cemetery. The sky looks as if it is being pierced by the obelisk. The tall monument commemorates the prominent 19th century Greensboro family of Julius A. Gray who incorporated Greensboro's Chamber of Commerce in 1888. This 51-acre, downtown cemetery dates from the end of the 19th century with the oldest burial in the database dating from 1840. Just this year (2009),  Friends of Green Hill Cemetery was established to offer history, photos, and tours of this cemetery. One local fan of the cemetery has an extensive website, dubbed The Unofficial Homepage. 

Last Tuesday, May 26th, we featured the Gatekeeper's Cottage.

Addendum: On Tuesday, June 9th, 2009, the News & Record featured a front page article on Green Hill Cemetery and its need for repairs and TLC. GDP published an article four days earlier! Are we starting to influence other journalists or was the publication of the article just by chance?

Trinity of Hands

Many rural churches maintain cemeteries with tombstones displaying names of deceased community members. This Sunday's photo for spiritual reflection is a trinity of hands found on a husband/wife double headstone in a church cemetery on Jessup Grove Road. Hidden by the flowers is the saying, "Precious Lord take my hand."  E. Juanita Allred died in 1992 at the young age of 55. Charlie C. Allred died less than a year later, nine days short of his 66th birthday.  Charlie's hand is on the left, Juanita's on the right, and the top hand, emerging from the clouds, represents the hand of God. As seen in this recent photo, sixteen years later, family members still adorn the grave with flowers. 

O.Henry: Extraordinary Short Story Writer from Greensboro

Here we see one small part of the O. Henry Monument at 301 N. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. O. Henry, pen name of William Sydney Porter, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on September 11, 1862-- at the time of the Civil War in the United States. O. Henry will always be remembered for his great short stories with clever endings (aka, the O. Henry ending).  This human-sized book, dubbed "O. Henry's Book" by the artist Maria J. Kirby-Smith, was placed at the U.S. Trust Tower Plaza in 1985. In futures posts, we will see more delightful sides of the book as well as a statue of the author himself and his little dog, just a few paces away. In the meantime, if you are curious to learn more about the author or to see a picture of him, please follow the Wikipedia site linked to his name (above).

This must-see,  ensemble/tribute is posted in black and white today as part of the Monochrome Monday theme day. Since the overgrown azalea was removed a few years ago, this view of the monument is actually well suited for black and white.

               

The Cone Brothers of Greensboro

The surname Cone is well known in Greensboro, North Carolina, and throughout the South. As seen in the above historic marker, the Cone Family name in Greensboro was originally associated with the textile business. Their first mill, Proximity, was so named because it was located in close proximity to cotton, gins, warehouses, and the railroad. With the American textile industry moving overseas, the Cone name in Greensboro is more likely associated with Moses Cone Hospital, Cone Boulevard, and local journalist Ed Cone. Likely, the positive influence of the Cone Brothers will be remembered for a long time!

If you notice the Wendover Medical Center building in the background, in reality, it is not leaning. In photographing the listing historical marker, we decided to photograph the sign straight at the expense of the building! The keepers of the historical markers need to right the listing J-96!

               

Good Friday Crosses: 1,842 Clusters of Three

Today is Good Friday and our contribution to the Holy day is this photo of crosses. These crosses are scattered throughout the southeast and most sets have been erected within a day's drive from Greensboro. We thought you might be interested in knowing about them as, likely, you have seen them somewhere in driving to and from our wonderful city!

The Reverend Bernard Coffindaffer of West Virginia began erecting the crosses in 1984. By the time of his death in 1993, 1,842 trios of crosses had been installed in 29 US states and in the Philippines. One hundred and six of them are in North Carolina. Coffindaffer spent over 3 million dollars on this project. Likely, if you live in Greensboro and travel this holiday season, you will see a set of these crosses along the side of the road.

Notice that the center cross is yellow and the other two, blue. Often, they are installed on heavily wooded mountaintops and we always wondered how on earth the Rev. Coffindaffer reached the upper ridges with them. One day, we saw this set near a gas station on US 19 in West Virginia and stopped to get a first hand look and to snap this photo. As you can see, the crosses are beginning to look worn and in need of a coat of paint. We wanted to share them on Skywatch Friday.

              

Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow, 1908-1965, according to the plaque at the base of the sculpture was a "pioneer in broadcast journalism and Guilford County native."  Murrow, the son of local Quakers, was known for his on-the-scene reporting from Europe, especially during the blitz of London in World War II. He produced a series of television news reports that contributed to the eventual political downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was the director of the United States Information Agency under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

The above sculpture was made by Ogden Deal and commissioned by Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and Cumberland Development Corporation in 1970. We love this "larger than life" sculpture off of Church Street on the property of the Greensboro Historical Museum and very near the underused Murrow Boulevard.

Wonder what Murrow would say about all the changes in journalism today? Anyone with a computer (and a camera???) calls themself a journalist. Newspaper reading has gone from a sacred, much-anticipated daily ritual in all households to something associated with the older generation. 

Regarding today's photo--from a photographer's perspective:  We love the scale the sculpture balanced with the diminutive appearance of the car lot in the background. At first the wires in the background bothered us. Then, we decided that having communication continually flowing through Mr. Morrow's head was part of the sculptor's intent!

So, in the words of Ed Murrow, repeated nightly by Keith Olbermann as a tribute to his idol, "Good night and good luck!"

Addendum:  After the "Easter Island" comments we went back to view this sculpture of Murrow again. It is not nearly as large as it seems in this picture. The camera lens had a fisheye effect! If you are local, we hope you will go and see it for yourself!

               

First Presbyterian Cemetery behind the Greensboro Historical Museum

The cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro is located on the grounds of the Greensboro Historical Museum. Known as the Old Presbyterian Graveyard, this cemetery is a historian's delight. Arborists will find the cemetery of interest given the wide variety of trees planted here in recent years. Burials in the cemetery range from 1831- 1926. Among the Greensborians buried in this cemetery are Governor John Motley Morehead, (short story writer) O.Henry's parents, and veterans of the Revolutionary, 1812, and Civil Wars.

Many books are available through Amazon that reference First Presbyterian and its original graveyard. Most do not have images of their book covers available. If you would like to see a list of these books and check their availability, click here.

               

Statue of Nathanael Greene in Downtown Greensboro

In the photo above, we see the sun lingering over the monument to General Nathanael Greene (1742- 1786). Greensboro is named in honor of General Greene, a self-taught Quaker ironmaster, who led the Patriot forces at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in the Revolutionary War. The American hero now stands in the center of a roundabout at the intersection of Greene and West McGee Streets.

The quote at the base of the statue reads, "...in the very name Greene are remembered all the virtues and talents which can illustrate the patriot, the statesman, and the military leader." Marquis de Lafayette

               

Bennett College Historical Marker

Historical Marker J55, erected at the corner of Bennett and Market Streets in 1962, alerts motorists to the location of Bennett College just a few blocks away.

According to their website, 

"Bennett College for Women, located in Greensboro, NC, was founded in 1873 as a coeducational institution and in 1926 was reorganized as a college for women. A small, private, historically Black liberal arts, United Methodist Church-related institution, Bennett offers women an education conducive to excellence in scholarly pursuits; preparation for leadership roles in the workplace, society, and the world; and lifelong learning in a technologically advanced, complex global society."

            

Remembering February One on 2/1

February One, a Greensboro event that sparked a national movement, is an important day in the history of civil rights. The monument above, erected on the campus of North Carolina A & T State University, recognizes the efforts of David Richmond; Franklin McCain; Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil.  If you do not know what happened that day, the words on the monument above are a good introduction to the event. " These four A & T freshmen envisioned and carried out the lunch counter sit-in of February 1, 1960, in downtown Greensboro. Their courageous act against social injustice inspired similar protests across the nation and is remembered as a defining moment in the struggle for civil rights."  Many websites and books are available to explain the movement. A good place to start is the Documentary Film Study Guide by Rebecca Cerese and Diane Wright. 

            

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park on a Gray Winter Day

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park may be  small in acreage (125 acres), but it is monumental and dynamic as an historical venue. The visitor's museum is a great place to start to get an orientation and to learn more about the battle, which took place on Thursday, March 15, 1781.  Additionally, reading the tombstones and the plaques on the monuments, scattered throughout the park, is informative. This year, on the weekend of March 14th-15th, the park will hold the 228th anniversary commemoration.

The men in the photo above are taking a self-guided tour. The window on the right reveals the gray landscape and leafless trees found at this time of year. If you do not live in Greensboro, you may want to learn about the venue by reading the website for the park. 

            

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Facing west,the bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (by Wilbur Lee Map, 1994) is located at the crossroads of South Elm Street and Martin Luther King Jr Drive. The plaque reads, "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , planned to speak at Trinity AME Zion Church in Greensboro (a few blocks from here) on April 4, 1968. He canceled his visit to Greensboro to remain in Memphis where he was assassinated on that day."