Published On Sundays and Wednesdays In The Interest Of The Walter Raleigh Coastland-Outer Banks Areas

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 VOLUME LXXXI, NUMBER 70

MANTEO, NC 27954 Tel. 252-473-2105 • KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC 27948 Tel. 252-441-2223

·Celebrated 1 OOth

MANSON MEEKINS, WHO LIVES IN KINNAKEET, had a 37-year career with the U.S. Coast Guard. Above, he is shown surrounded by current day members from the U.S. Coast Guard station at Hatteras Inlet. Meekins served during World War II. He atttended the Coast Guard Academy for Officer Candidate School. He served in the Pacific theater. After the war, he served in New York City, Honolulu, Norfolk, Detroit ·and Portsmouth. When he retired, Manson Meekins was the marine safety of-

1

ficer and senior inspector for personnel in Portsmouth. The current day Coast Guard members attended the community celebration held for Meekins on Feb. 20. (MHG-M photo)

.Community, USCG celebrate Manson Meekins' tOOth birthday By MARY HELEN' ·GOODLOJ,<:-MURPHY

Manson Ellis Meekins is 1 00 years old.

The community and family celebrated his century of living at a gathering Satur­day, February 20.

He greeted folks in front of a poster about a century ago. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was president. The first self­service grocery store, a Pig~ gly Wiggly, opened. "0 Sole

Mio;; by Enrico Carttso was the top recording. The film 20,000 Leagues under the Sea was. released. And the hamburger bun was invented by the co-founder of White Castle.

Meekins is a retired Coast Guardsman, waterman, hunt­er, storyteller and artist.

His Coa t Guard career spanned 37 years. He en­

llisted in Strathmere, N.J., on April 22, 1935 and carriea on his family's traditional career. Meekins' father, grandfather and great­grandfather all served in the U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Life-saving Service. Meekins is the oldest living surfman to have served in the U.S.

1 Coast Guard. To honor his Coast Guard

career, eight members of to­day's U .. Coast Guard serving at station Hatteras Inlet visited during the Feb. 20 celebration.

In his Coast Guard career, Manson Meekins was not tethered to one base or life­saving station. During World War 11, he served as gunnery officer on the U.S.S. Coast Guard Samuel Chase. He was involved in operations in the Philippines, Eniwetok Islands, Ulithi, Okinawa,

Tokyo and China. Meekins served as the

small arms instructor for se­cret service officers and White House staff in Wash­ington, D.C. In the U.S. Coast Guard, Meekins was a Distinguished Rifle and Pis­to!Shol.

Meekins attended the U.S. Coast Guard academy for Officer Candidate School and was com·missioned as al). ensign. In Honolulu, he . . . . . served as senior investigation officer for merchant marine affairs and then legal officer.

In a tour in New York City,

Meekins was merchant ma­rine inspection officer. He held positions as senior in­vestigating officer of marine safety in Norfolk, Va. and Detroit, Mich. In Ports­mouth. Meekins was the ma­rine safety officer and s~nior inspector for personnel, the assig1in1ent from which he retired.

In 1943, on a short leave, Meekins returnee:! to A von and escorted Vera Williams

on a train ride to Tampa, Fla. The couple stood before a judge to take their wedding

See MEEKINS, Page 9A

100 years old

MANSON ELLIS MEEKINS of A von was born reb. 18, 1916. He is a veteran, a waterman a storyteller. a hunter and an artist. His community and family mem­bers celebrated his century of living at the Avon Vol­unteer Fire Department with a sumptuous feast and sto­ries. On January 21 o!' this year, he and his bride Vera celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary. Three years ago, Manson Meekins received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine signed by Gov. Pat McCrory. (MIIG-M photo)

MEEKINS (continued from Page lA)

vows on January 21. In 1979. Mason and Vera MeekiJlS moved back to A von from Virgini a Beach, Va. They lived for a year in the old homestead w.hil e a new tiome was under construc­tion.

Manson. Meekins is a wa­terman and· hunter. He has mai ntain~d three duck blinds on the Kinnakeet reef. He has passed two 'o f those bli nds along to long-time hunting partner Harvey Scar­borough.

Meekins served for 2 1 years on Dare Cou nty's Game and Wildlife Comm is­sion.

For 75 years. Meekins has been a member of the Cape Hatteras Masoni c Lodge #698.

Manson Meekins is a sto­ryteller. He~s been . featured at the Land of Beginnings Festi val and Kinnakeet Civic Assoc iation's Hi story Pot­luck dinners. He sat at the A von Fish House tell ing those stories and fi sh tales, said an attendee at the cele­bration.

Meek ins is · an accom­plished arti st, too . His drawings are published in the "Ethnohistorical Description of the Eighr Villages Ad­joining the Cape Hatteras National Seashore," pub­lished by the Nationa l Park Service.

Meekins has been a greeter and hand-shaker at St. John United Methodist Church fqr about 30 years.

At that church on a Memo­rial Day Weekend Sunday, Manson Meekins was pre­sented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine signed by Gov. Pat McCrory. The award, one of the most prestigious given to a North Carolina citizen, was presented by Wayne Gray, who was among the many attending the celebration.