Quick hits: One museum sees dwindling numbers, while another is running out of space

10 years after fire to Wolfe house, visitors dwindle
"Any other old home so badly damaged by fire would have been razed.

"Early on the morning of July 24, 1998," writes the Asheville Citizen-Times, "an arsonist broke a window in the dining room of the Thomas Wolfe House, a wood frame home memorialized in the author’s autobiographical 1929 novel 'Look Homeward, Angel.' The person started a fire that smoldered for an hour or so, then erupted into a conflagration.At 3:07 a.m., a call to 911 sent more than 25 firefighters to the house on Spruce Street, and they found flames shooting through the crumbling slate roof of the rambling, 29-room home.

"Built in 1883 and significantly expanded in 1916, the house was the boyhood home of the famous American author from 1906-16 and a tourist draw that brought in 30,000 visitors annually.

"And it was burning down.

" 'I would say in another five-eight minutes we would’ve lost that house,' said Tommy Brooks, a division chief with Asheville Fire and Rescue and a captain at the time of the fire 10 years ago this week.

"Firefighters saved most of the structure and 85 percent of the artifacts, though, and after an extensive renovation, the site reopened in 2004. But visitation has never returned to pre-fire levels, and state officials and site workers struggle to explain why. ..."

A museum loaded with N.C. history
"Walk into the North Carolina Baseball Museum, and you wonder where to begin," writes the News & Observer's A.J. Carr.

"The 3,200 square-foot space inside Fleming Stadium is stocked with about 4,000 items, from a 1893 Eastern League scorebook to an autographed bat by Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton.
"Since the facility opened in 2004, an estimated 30,000 visitors from 45 states have perused the montage of pictures, pennants, gloves, bats, hats and other memorabilia.

"Organizers say it's running out of space, while still seeking more memorabilia. A campaign is getting under way to raise $200,000 to add more room. ..."

Sedaris: The 'preeminent humorist of his generation'

Humoris David Sedaris, who grew up in Raleigh, has released a new collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Entertainment Weekly's Whitney Pastorek calls Sedaris the "preeminent humorist of his generation," though Pastorek is not overly complimentary of this latest collection.

Sedaris "seems awfully close to exhausting his material. ... By now, we're plenty familiar with Sedaris' family and long-suffering partner, Hugh, as well as his continuing inability to understand French despite having lived in Paris for a decade. Flames doesn't bring a lot more to the table, though we do learn Sedaris has no better linguistic luck with Japanese. ..."

Quick hits: Two Winston-Salem legends in the news

Maya Angelou celebrates her 80 years of joy and pain
"In the dining room of her elegantly restored Harlem town house, beneath painted clouds on a light blue ceiling, Maya Angelou is asked how it feels to be turning 80.

" 'Exciting! she says with a broad smile, then adds: 'The body knows. The bones don't let you forget.'

"The woman who defies a simple label — Angelou has been a memoirist, poet, civil rights activist, actress, director, professor, singer and dancer — is getting an early birthday gift," says USA Today.

"Two longtime friends and her niece, who is Angelou's archivist, have collaborated on an illustrated book, Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration (Doubleday, $30), a tribute and scrapbook, that will be published Tuesday. ...

"What she does like is to be called Dr. Angelou. Although she never went to college, she has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees. Since 1981, she has been a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. ..."

Grier to be honored in her hometown
"Actress Pam Grier will be honored next month during an N.C. film festival.

"The Winston-Salem Journal reports Grier will receive a master of cinema award during the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. The festival runs April 23-28," says the Associated Press.

"Grier appears in the Showtime series 'The L Word.' She's best known for starring in movies in the 1970s.

"Grier was born in Winston-Salem in 1949. Her family later settled in Colorado, where she graduated high school. ..."

Three-squared honored with highest civilian award in the state

I must admit: I've always thought the Order of the Long Leaf Pine was the highest civilian honor a North Carolinian could recieve, but according to this article, the North Carolina Award is such.

Nonetheless, nine folks were honored with the North Carolina Award on Tuesday. More than 200 North Carolinians have been selected as recipients since the award was first issued in 1964.

Gov. Mike Easley presented the awards for service in fine arts, literature, public service and science.

Here is a summary of the winners, from the N&O. (For more, click on the link above.)

SCIENCE: VINEY P. ANEJA
He has developed a research program in agricultural air quality that is recognized worldwide. In 2001, he was also appointed professor of environmental technology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

PUBLIC SERVICE: JERRY C. CASHION
From 1974 to 2000, Cashion was research branch supervisor of what is now the Office of Archives and History in the state Department of Cultural Resources.

FINE ARTS: JAN DAVIDSON
Davidson has served as director of the John C. Campbell Folk School since 1992. Founded in 1925 at Brasstown in Clay County in the southwestern corner of the state, the school offers about 850 classes to more than 3,000 students in art forms such as blacksmithing, basketry, weaving, music, storytelling and writing.

FINE ARTS: ROSEMARY HARRIS EHLE
Ehle has supported the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem since 1967, and she serves on its board of visitors. Born in Ashby, Suffolk, England, Ehle grew up in India and was educated in England.
Ehle made her London debut in 1952 in "The Seven Year Itch." Her stage career included roles opposite Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole and Laurence Olivier. She received a Tony Award for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter," a Golden Globe for her role in the television miniseries "Holocaust" and an Emmy for her role in "Notorious Woman." Most recently, Ehle has enjoyed popular acclaim as Aunt May in three Spider-Man movies. (Emphasis mine; who knew?)

PUBLIC SERVICE: HENRY E. FRYE
After graduating from law school at UNC-CH, Frye became the first African-American elected to the N.C. General Assembly in the 20th century. He served in the House of Representatives until 1980, when he was elected to the state Senate. In 1983, Frye was appointed to the state Supreme Court. His appointment as chief justice in 1999 made him the first African-American to lead the state's court system.

LITERATURE: WILLIAM E. LEUCHTENBURG
The author of more than a dozen books on 20th-century American history, Leuchtenburg is known for his scholarship on Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Leuchtenburg lives with his wife, Jean Anne, in Chapel Hill.

PUBLIC SERVICE: BURLEY B. MITCHELL JR.
In 1982, Mitchell was elected associate justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, where he later was named chief justice and served in that capacity for four years.
Mitchell remains in his hometown of Raleigh with his wife, the former Mary Lou Willet.

PUBLIC SERVICE: CHARLIE ROSE
In 1974, Rose began a long affiliation with Bill Moyers, collaborating on a number of PBS programs. A short stint in Dallas-Fort Worth led to a talk show in Washington, as well as acclaim for his interviewing skills. In 1983, CBS hired Rose to serve as host of "Nightwatch." "The Charlie Rose Show" premiered in 1991 with national distribution two years later. He kept his own show while also serving as a correspondent on "60 Minutes II."

SCIENCE: DARREL W. STAFFORD
Notable in his long career is Stafford's work that has enabled doctors to better regulate how patients respond to blood-clotting medications.