Tar Heels On The
Walk Of Fame
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campus range* from
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By ASHTON C HAPMAN
h has taken nearly half a century,
but North Carolina’s most widely
acclaimed writer. Thomas Wolfe, has
finally had a stone in his honor placed
on the Walk of Fame, the most ambi¬
tious project of its kind ever under¬
taken to memorialize famous persons.
The stone for Wolfe was only re¬
cently added to the hundreds lining this
increasingly popular tourist attraction.
The Walk of Fame, shaded by pal¬
metto palms and moss-draped live-
oaks. extends across the campus of
Rollins College in Winter Park.
Florida, just north of Orlando.
The stone, inscribed "Thomas
Wolfe. 1900-1938. Author of ’Look
Homeward. Angel.’ ” was taken from
the premises of Wolfe’s home in Ashe¬
ville. which his mother operated as a
boarding house. '’ The Old Kentucky
Home." and which Wolfe called
"Dixieland" in his first novel, pub¬
lished in 1929.
North Carolina has a close connec¬
tion with Rollins. In 1933 four mem¬
bers of the Rollins faculty came to the
mountains of this state and established
the Black Mountain College, an un¬
usual institution which operated for
about 20 years in that town. (See "The
Dream College at Black Mountain" by
Ted Carter. August. 1978.)
At Rollins the Walk of Fame is I or¬
dered on each side with stones from
the birthplace or some other spot as¬
sociated with a famous person, in¬
cluding a number of men and women of
special interest to North Carolinians.
Over 8(H) Stones
Started nearly 50 years ago as a con¬
tinuing project to honor famous per¬
sons from early days down to the pres¬
ent time, and embracing the entire
world, the Walk is already bordered
with more than 8(H) stones honoring
statesmen, military figures, scientists,
inventors, explorers, educators, reli¬
gious leaders and persons who've won
fame in sports, the arts or any other
field.
Lying llat. only a few inches apart,
the stones average 12x18 inches. In
color they range from the piece of
white marble for Socrates. Plato and
Aristotle from the Agora, the
Academy and the Lyceum at Athens;
the pink stone for St. Paul from Mars
Hill; the yellow stone from Robert F.
Lee’s birthplace at Stratford. Virginia:
the red stone from John Muir’s ranch
in California: the blue stone from
Benjamin Franklin’s printing shop at
Philadelphia; to the black stone from
the Luzon Island home of the Filipino
hero Jose Ri/cl. The stones are equally
varied in texture. Geologically speak¬
ing. no two are alike.
Some of the stones cannot be re¬
placed because they’re from buildings
which have since been demolished.
One stone which can hardly be dupli¬
cated is a fragment of Plymouth Rock,
given specifically for placement on the
Walk. It broke «IT when the famous
rock was raised from its original posi¬
tion on the shore and transported to a
site in front of Pilgrim Hall, where it
remained for a number of years.
From the South Pole
ГЬе
stone honoring Admiral Richard
E. Byrd was brought from the Queen
Maud Mountains near the South Pole,
making the first lap of its journey,
nearly 1.5(H) miles, by dogsled.
The stone from Westminster Abbey
was obtained when workmen were re¬
pairing a wall in the Poet’s Corner. So
many names could he carved upon it
that only the place is inscribed on this
stone.
Some of the stones on the Walk were
no doubt handled or at least stepped
upon by the famous persons they rep¬
resent. All United States Presidents
are represented. George Washington is
honored with two stones, both from
Mount Vernon, one from near the
gate-house to the estate, the other a
piece of the ancient (lagging from the
east portico when it had become so
worn it had to be replaced.
When President Truman was at Rol¬
lins to receive an honorary degree from
the college he participated in placing
the stone in his honor. It had come
The Wolk o* Fomc, ol Wmler Pork, Flo. is bordered with stones from rhe birihplo<c or onoihc plocc
identified with eoeh of the famous persons. A number of specrol interest to North Corolimans ore included.
THE STATE. AUGUST 1979
21
