Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Linda Harmon. Eleanor Roosevelt's Visit Recalled "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore I well remember the hot, dusty summer day, June 11, 1937, when Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt spent the day in Wallace on the occasion of the Third Annual Strawberry Festival. I had seen Mrs. Roosevelt in Atlanta back in 1933 when she spoke at Rich's Department Store on her Val Kill Furniture project, and since I was only 18 years old then it was a thrill to be able to shake hands with the first lady. By 1937 Wallace was the capital of the strawberry industry in North Carolina. Mount Olive and Faison, a generation before, had led in the growing of strawberries. J. Aubrey Harrell was at that time Mayor of Wallace, and in 1835, he conceived the idea of a Strawberry Festival to publicize the town, the area, and to promote development. The Mayor had the support of the leading citizens of the tons and country. The Strawberry Festival in 1937 lasted for six days, but the highlight was on the fifth day (Friday) when Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the president would be present for the festivities. She arrived on the early morning train and was escorted to the lovely home of Dr. and Mrs. John D. Robinson, the host and hostess of the honored guest. She then went to the Coastal Plain Experiment Station at Willard where she had breakfast with the director, Dr. Charles Deering and one hundred others. It was announced on this occasion that a new variety of strawberry was to be named for her and to be called the Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt was then driven to Penderlea to inspect the resettlement project. A pageant was given and also an old-fashioned square dance in which she participated. The party then returned to Wallace where Mrs. Roosevelt and other distinguished guests had lunch at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Robinson. I once spoke to the Colonial Dames at this beautiful home which was furnished in handsome antiques and was later destroyed by fire. In the early afternoon, the first lady spoke to a group of well over ten thousand people on the subject of how rural people were being helped to recover from the depression. This address was broadcast over a nationwide hookup. Others appearing on the program were: Governor Clyde R. Hoey; U. S. Senator Robert R. Reynolds; General Manus McClosy, Commandant at Fort Bragg; the Honorable Charles Johnson, N.C. State Treasurer; the Honorable Henry L. Stevens, Jr., former Commander of the American Legion (and later Superior Court Judge); Miss Beatrice Cobb, National democratic Committeewoman; Dr. and Mrs. John D. Robinson; Mrs. W. B. Murphy of Snow Hill; Mrs. E. L. McKee, State Senator; Mrs. W. J. Jones, the President of Pineland College; and others. The first lady was joyously and enthusiastically received by the crowds. She returned to Washington on the evening train. Forty-seven years have passed since this memorable occasion and I know that most of the honored guests are deceased. Dr. John D. Robinson died many years ago, but his widow, the former Llewellyn Williams is still living in Wallace, as is his son, Dr. John D. Robinson, an optometrist. The growing of strawberries declined in the Wallace area, and moved to the Chadborn area, but many believe that the Strawberry Festival gave Wallace the publicity which attracted industry and business which makes it one of the most progressive and prosperous towns of eastern North Carolina. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Linda Harmon ==============================================================