HISTORIC HOPE BALL HONORED OUR MILITARY by Karen Ray

The Hope Ball was held on April 29th to honor our armed forces on the 100^th Anniversary of the US entry into World War I.

The decision to resume planning for the celebration was a tough one in the wake of the recent weather damage.  The buildings of the Hope Foundation were not flooded, but they did suffer weather erosion. Planning for the Hope biennial ball and major fundraiser was well underway when the flood and then Hurricane Matthew hit.

With people still living in shelters, and crop losses in the millions, the entertainment committee agonized over whether to cancel its plans.

“Hope is still the chief tourist attraction and an important economic engine in Bertie County so it needs continued support.  A well-funded and well-maintained Hope is a major community asset,” said the Reverend Joe Cooper, Past-President of the Foundation. “Also, we need some celebration.”

So the celebration went on.  The ball honored the citizens of our region who have served or are active in the armed forces. The three Chairs of the Ball Committee were Major General “Dutch” Remkes of the Air Force, Mrs. Susie Remkes and Dr. John Hill, a military historian and Co-Chair of the Friends of Hope.

“This is a little bit of a departure for Hope,” said Dr. Hill.  “The Hope site was active from the 1760s until 1840, and our interpretation is usually confined to those years.  However, the Ball honored all veterans and active service and we planned to have artifacts from the Revolutionary War until the present.”

“Under the leadership of Dr. Ben Speller, former Hope Foundation President, black veterans from all wars have been honored,” said Karen Ray, former head of the diversity project at Hope. “But this is the first time we have celebrated all our military at Hope.”

The Ball included champagne and music in the Hope Mansion, appetizers in the Atrium of the Roanoke Chowan Community Center with music by “Mr.Tunes”, a buffet dinner catered by Southern Delights, and dance music by The Crowd on the covered patio.  Horse drawn carriages and vans were provided to move people between the venues.

Formal dress was encouraged, especially Military Mess or Service Dress.

Thank you to everyone involved and for your continued support of the Historic Hope Foundation.

We are pleased to announce that we have four new board members that were elected at the Annual Meeting of Historic Hope Foundation on April 24th. Welcome to Shoshana Serxner-Merchant, Harriet Stout, Dawson Tyler, and Norma Wesson.

Dawson Tyler graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in history. He lives in Edenton and owns his own business, Down East Preservation, which specializes in the preservation, construction, and design of historical structures.

Harriet Stout was Chief Curator of the Chesapeake Beach Railroad Museum for 27 years. She and her husband live in and are restoring the Thomas Bond house, which is believed to be built by Jerimiah Bunch, who is thought to have built the Hope mansion.

Shoshana Serxner-Merchant lives in Raleigh and has been a volunteer for our Living History Day program for the past 5 years. She often brings her friends from Raleigh to help with the program. In addition to her time, she is also a frequent donor to Historic Hope Foundation.

Norma Wesson is a school and community leader and Branch Manager of Self Help Credit Union in Windsor.

Two new members of the Historic Hope Foundation Board of Directors were elected in December, Nayland Collier and Glenwood Mitchell.

Glenwood Mitchell is a resident of Windsor and has spent his entire professional career as an educator in Bertie County. He has served in various capacities with Bertie County Schools over the years, including teacher, principal, and Assistant Superintendent. He was asked to come out of retirement several years ago to assume the role of principal of the new Bertie High School STEM School. He was the Bertie County Relay for Life co-chairman for several years, is a member of the Bertie Memorial Hospital Directors Council, and has been a member of the Board of Directors in the past.

Nayland Collier is a retired Public Health Veterinarian and previously served on the Board of Directors. He is currently involved in a number of public service activities including Chair of the Bertie County Planning Board, a volunteer for Esquires for Education, the Good Shepard Pantry, and is involved in a Continuation Education reading program. He is also an accomplished alto saxophonist.

The Board of Directors, along with Bobby Williams (Site Manager) would like to welcome the David Stone Turnbull Family (Ellen, Laura Turnbull and John Parkins) of Glencoe, Maryland, as Members in good standing of the Governor Stone’s Cabinet.

The family also donated two beautiful Rococco center splat, mahogany, and oak side chairs, circa 1840, from the
estate of Elizabeth Hicks (daughter of David Stone).

We welcome them to our family and hope for a long and meaningful relationship.