suffolklivingmag.comjuly/august 2022 • vol. 13, no. 4 Amedeo Obici North Suffolk restaurant honors a Suffolk legend FROMTOGRIDIRONRING
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CONTENTS Advertising rates and information available upon request. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state; $25 annually out-of-state; $30 for international subscriptions. Please make checks payable to Suffolk Publications, LLC P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 WHERE AM I? | Think you know Suffolk well? Then see if you can identify this photo.11 To the ring FEATURE Could a former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy football standout be the next WWE star? 18 The forventurenewestNorth Suffolk restaurateurs Brian and Teresa Mullins appropriatelyis Italian. july-august12 | 2022
Submitted image ON THE COVER reviewsBook A new book explores Virginia’s significant ties to British royalty. 24
Matthew Hatfield breaks it down for us on Page 18. Looking for something to do in our area this summer? We got you covered, check out our “What to Do” list for some great options. From guided ghost walk tours to summer concerts, there is plenty to see and do, both indoors and out. Of course, there are more stories within these pages and we hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, we are deeply appreciative of our many advertisers and readers, whose support makes our magazine possible.Betty Ramsey, note WriterRachelWriterJimmyPhotographerJaquaLaRoueAustin
On the cover of this month’s edition Phyllis Speidell raises a hardy cheers up to Amedeo Obici and the couple, Brian and Teresa Mullins, who are honoring Amedeo by naming their newest North Suffolk venture Amedeo’s Italian Ristorante and Amedeo’s Bakery. To learn more about the legendary Amedeo Obici and the fascinating Mullinses turn to Page 14 for more of the story.
Another name that most likely rings a bell is KeShaun Moore, a former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy student and football standout. The senior linebacker with Hampton University is making a name for himself off the football field. Recently included as one of 15 college athletes in the World Wrestling Entertainment’s ‘Next in Line,’ name image and likeness (NIL) class.
news@suffolklivingmag.com ADVERTISING Lindsay Richardson Director of Advertising Earl MarketingJones Consultant Dana MarketingAustinMarketingSnowConsultantHollandConsultant sales@suffolklivingmag.com PRODUCTION Troy DesignerCooper ADMINISTRATION Betty J. ProductionHopePublisherRamseyRose Suffolk Living is published six times per year by Suffolk Publications, LLC. P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 www.suffolklivingmag.com • (757) 539-3437
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If you have spent any real time in Suffolk the name Obici loudly rings a bell. Gracing area icons such as Sentara Obici Hospital, Obici Healthcare Foundation, the Obici House at Sleepy Hole Golf Course and many more (even a drink “Birra Del Obici”) the name Obici is impossible to miss. What you might not know is the man behind it all — Amedeo Obici.
july-august2022 EDITORIAL Jen
Legends among us
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JULY 30 It’s the return of the popular American Girl Program, featuring Joss Kendrick at
Riddick’s Folly House Museum. There will be two sittings, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Space is limited to 16 girls per sitting. Donations welcome. Ages 6-12 are welcome; all children must wear masks and be accompanied by an adult wearing a mask. Reservations are required.
JULY 30, AUGUST 27 Join the Historic Suffolk Narrated Bus Tour to see Suffolk through the eyes of years gone by! Suffolk’s rich heritage dates back to the early 17th century when 8 suffolk living
JULY 29 TGIF Summer Concert Series will host Buckshot from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road. Contact Suffolk Parks and Recreation at 757-514-7250.
what to do Send us your news To submit your calendar or news item, simply email it to: news@suffolklivingmag.com
JULY 21 The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts will host the opening reception for the Surf & Sounds of Summer Art Exhibition from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Center. This is an exhibit of artwork that exemplifies positive summer experiences. Crashing Waves, sounds of seagulls, children laughing, boats bobbing in the ocean, people fishing and crabbing, picnics of corn on the cob, watermelon, hotdogs, and ice cream— these are just some of the images depicted in the artwork for this exhibit that captures the essence of summer. The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 27.
JULY 31 A Kayak Excursion of Lone Star Lakes will take place at 9:30 a.m. in the Chuckatuck section of Northern Suffolk. Explore one of the many freshwater lakes that make up this beautiful park. Guided kayak excursions are facilitated by a water adventures outfitter with years of experience. All equipment is included with the registration fee. Sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable clothing are recommended; you are encouraged to bring a snack and bottled water. Cost is $45. Visit visitsuffolk.com.
Transportation via Suffolk Tourism’s bus, which boards at 1:55 p.m. Masks must be worn while on the bus.
AUGUST 3, 13, 17 & 27 The Great Dismal Swamp is anything but dismal. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., this threehour tour is led by a biologist specializing in the unique habitat of the Great Dismal.
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Learn about the history, lore, vegetation and wildlife with this adventure that includes a brief walk to Lake Drummond. Sunscreen, insect repellent, comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended. A small snack and beverage are provided. This tour is not recommended for very small children.
Captain John Smith first encountered the Nansemond Indians on the Nansemond River. Guided by a Suffolk historian, you meet the people and places that made Suffolk the city it is today. Highlights of this windshield tour include Cedar Hill Cemetery, Riddick’s Folly House Museum, Constant’s Wharf, College Court and Suffolk’s Historic Lakeside neighborhood.
AUGUST 1 & 27 Cedar Hill Cemetery Stroll, starting at 4 p.m., is an official Virginia Civil War Trail site, Cedar Hill Cemetery has long been an attraction for history buffs and even walking groups. The Suffolk Division of Tourism offers a guided stroll through the pleasant 32-acre cemetery, rich in history and natural beauty. The 75-minute daytime tour will offer unique insights into Suffolk’s heritage as tour goers traverse the cedar-lined terrain dotted with timeworn headstones.
AUGUST 1 - 5 The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts will hold a Visual Art Camp - ‘Arts from Around Your World!‘ from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for grades 1st through 6th for $275 a week. During this Camp, children will travel from North America to other countries and continents of the world. Campers will not only discover correlations between cultures and art forms, but they will also investigate their own cultures and heritage. Parents and families will be invited to a closing event on Aug. 5.
AUGUST 5 TGIF Summer Concert Series will host The Deloreans from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road. Contact Suffolk Parks and Recreation at 757-514-7250.
AUGUST 8 – 12 The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts will hold a S.T.E.A.M. Camp - ‘Thinking Outside of the Box’ from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for grades 1st through 6th for $275 a week. During this Camp experience, children will be inspired to think creatively through all aspects of S.T.E.A.M. Whether the children are designing artwork on the computer or painting by brush, S.T.E.A.M. Camp will provide students with hands-on learning experiences that will encourage them to think on their feet, problem solve, work collaboratively, and have lots of summer fun! Parents and families will be invited to a closing event on Aug. 12.
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AUGUST 12 TGIF Summer Concert Series will host WOAH from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road. Contact Suffolk Parks and Recreation at 757-514-7250.
Victorian Suffolk: Dying To Be There, A Guided Discovery of Cedar Hill Cemetery is a 75-minute walking tour, starting at 6:30 p.m., that explores the hidden meanings buried in Suffolk’s Historic Cedar Hill Cemetery. The tour will feature Victorianera symbolism, burial practices, funerary industries and mourning rituals. This intriguing and educational excursion will highlight how the residents of Suffolk both lived and died in the 19th century. Cedar Hill Cemetery is more than two centuries old, with roots that harken back to the founding of Suffolk. With keen eyes and curious minds, this tour will bring into focus the fascinating world of Victorian America, their obsession with death, dying and living beyond the grave.
AUGUST 20 Hometown Heroes Tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery is a 60-minute walking tour starting at 11 a.m. that highlights and honors the graves and memorials of soldiers from Suffolk and old Nansemond County who died in combat during the two World Wars, the Korean War and Vietnam War.
AUGUST 13
AUGUST 20-21 Join the two-day Annual Nansemond Indian Pow Wow, a Native American cultural celebration including music, dance, food and crafts. The pow wow is located at the end of Pembroke Lane which runs off Godwin Boulevard (across from Oakland Elementary School) in the Chuckatuck area of Suffolk. All are welcome at this family-friendly event!
AUGUST 21 Join Suffolk Tourism, in partnership with the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, as they proudly present Summer of Adventure at the Center. The series concludes when “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” comes to the big screen. Admission is $2 per person, and the movie will begin at 2 p.m. This 2017 film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 119 minutes.
10 suffolk living 2022-2023 what to do
AUGUST 13
AUGUST 19 TGIF Summer Concert Series will host Rocky 7 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bennett’s Creek Park, 3000 Bennetts Creek Park Road. Contact Suffolk Parks and Recreation at 757-514-725.
Legends of Main Street: A Suffolk Ghost Walk is a hair-raising encounter with the spirited side of Suffolk. Starting at 8 p.m., is a costumed guide through the shadows of historic Main Street discovering stories, legends and “unexplained occurrences” by lantern light. Tales of unsolved mysteries and unresolved affairs abound throughout Suffolk’s historically hip Ghost Walk.
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In each edition the Suffolk Living staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Suffolk you really know. We photograph some location in Suffolk that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is. If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@suffolklivingmag.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card. So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Go out and enjoy Suffolk! where am I?
The students, wearing gloves so as to
CSI Camp gets students ‘to think like a criminal’
Suffolk Police Department Forensic Technician Julie Vevers, right, discusses a piece of evidence found at a mock crime scene with Owen Burke, 14, left, and Jarveontae Copeland, 12, at Vevers’ vehicle outside the city’s Health and Human Services Building. Burke and Copeland were two of about 40 students who took part in the four-day CSI Camp.
in the news 12 suffolk living Story and photos by Jimmy LaRoue
“As weird as it sounds, I want them to think like a criminal,” Vevers said as the stu dents searched the car for evidence, “because that’s what I do whenever I go to process a scene, I’d be like, ‘Alright, if I were going to steal a car, I would grab this trying to get in, so maybe we should swab that,’ stuff like that.”
The 12-to-15-year-old students gath ered around the vehicle of Suffolk Police Department Forensic Technician Julie Vevers, intently making sketches, dusting for fingerprints and searching inside and out for evidence to determine what might have hap pened with it. The protocol was to process the mock crime scene in which her vehicle had disappeared, and when she arrived in the morning, found it with some evidence that wasn’t hers — fake blood, a potential fake firearm, cartridge casings and some receipts. It was designed to get them to think of what someone who would steal a car might leave behind.
It also provides students with some STEM-based learning, showing how science, technology, engineering and math play a part in forensics work.
The camp is there to clear up those miscon ceptions, according to Turner.
“We, basically, are trying to teach them how we process a vehicle and how we process crime,” Vevers said. “We deal with a lot of stolen cars here in Suffolk, unfortunately, so this is a good thing for them to see.”
“How many cartridge casings did you find,” Vevers asked them. “One,” one student replied. “You’re missing one, and you’re looking right at it,” she said. “Did anyone think to check that bag, that rainbow bag that’s right there on the ground? You see it? There it is. That’s how easy it is to miss evidence. You guys were running around this car like crazy. You found almost everything. You guys did a really good job. Think of it this way, if you see two holes somewhere, assume that you’re going to find two cartridge cases.” Vevers made sure to drive that point home while still praising their efforts and enthusi asm for processing the scene, and what they learned over the first two days of the Suffolk Commonwealth Attorney’s CSI Camp.
Students said they learned things they weren’t previously aware of, and some indi cated an interest in pursuing a legal or law enforcement career. “I’ve learned about fingerprints and DNA and lots of evidence and stuff, how to take pictures of the crime scene, and how to assess it,” said 14-year-old Owen Burke.
suffolk living 13 not contaminate anything they might find, documented the scene through photographs, note-taking and sketching as they gathered evidence and then “sent” it to the police lab for processing.Theyfound numerous items, including a firearm, and two “holes” on the side of the car, but they missed finding one of the two shell casings as they processed the mock crime scene in the parking lot of the city’s Health and Human Services Building.
The 40 students, who were split into differ ent groups and each processed different crime scene scenarios, presented their findings be fore the end of the camp graduation ceremony and received certificates for their achievement over the four days.
It’s also the reason each crime scene gets a second pair of eyes, according to Joan Turner, community outreach coordinator for the city’s commonwealth attorney’s office.
Ramayah Reese, 15, right, removes a fingerprint from the vehicle of Suffolk Police Department Forensic Technician Julie Vevers during a mock crime scene exercise as part of CSI Camp.
Derrick Bryant, 15, said he was surprised to learn that the red found at crime scenes isn’t always“Somethingblood. I did learn is with blood and red liquid, because they said it could be KoolAid or whatever,” Bryant said. “And I thought it was just blood every time.”
“After we think we’re finished with the crime scene,” Turner said, “then we get another technician to come in, and that technician will come in and look over it. For this particular camp, since they missed it, we wanted them to see that it takes more than one set of eyes to look inside and outside of a crimeThescene.”four-day free camp, led by Com monwealth’s Attorney Narendra Pleas with help from members of her staff and the city’s police department, is designed to teach Suffolk students about the skills needed when gather ing forensic evidence, such as observation, photography, evidence collection, preservation and courtroom testimony. Deputy Common wealth Attorney Susan Walton, Chief Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Vaughn Breedlove and Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attor ney Carmen Cabrero also gave presentations to students on the use of forensic evidence in different types of cases.
“It’s gone very, very well,” Turner said. “These kids have been awesome this year. They are so attentive. They’re just very inter ested in law enforcement, whether it’s CSI, be ing a defense attorney. One of them even told me they wanted to be military police. So it’s really exciting to see their eyes when they see some of the presentations that we presented.”
“There was a student, who on the first day said, ‘Oh, so you guys don’t put your finger on the reddish color stain and then lick it,’” Turner said. “And I said, ‘Oh God, no,’ because we can’t say it’s blood. We say it’s a reddishcolored stain because the lab has to make the analysis. And they said, ‘Oh, they did that on TV.’ I said, ‘Well, TV is totally different from real-life experience.”
Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II I f the name Obici seems familiar you may have noticed it on Sentara Obici Hospital, the historic Obici House at Sleepy Hole Golf Course, the Obici Healthcare Foundation, the Meridian Obici apartment complex in downtown Suffolk, Obici Industrial Blvd, the Obici-Oderzo Fountain, or even a glass of cold Birra Del Obici at the Nansemond Brew ingButStation.toooften, Amedeo Obici, the man whose name they all share. fades into history. A year ago, res tauranteurs and Suffolk residents, Brian and Teresa Mullins, aimed to correct that loss when they named their newest North Suffolk ventures Amedeo’s Italian Ristorante and Amedeo’s Bakery. In April, the entrepreneurial couple celebrated the restaurant and bakery’s first anniversary with a toast to Amedeo Obici – a dinner party for three dozen locals who share fond memories of the man. The dinner guests remember the story of the pre-teen boy who left Oderzo, Italy, in 1889 to travel alone to the United States. The young Amedeo Obici arrived in New York with a Scranton, PA, address tag pinned to his jacket and speaking no English. His uncle had encouraged Obici’s widowed mother to send the boy to him in Scranton and ease her struggles to support Amedeo and his three younger siblings in Oderzo. They also remember that same plucky boy grew into the celebrated peanut king who shared his hardearned fortune with Suffolk, Oderzo and countless individuals. Amedeo Obici’s legacy lives in the recog nition he brought to Suffolk, his continuing benevo lence and a life story that reads like a novel. It was that legacy that the Mullinses hoped to bring to light. Vintage photos of Obici’s life, a gift from his few remaining relatives, line the walls of the restaurant’s banquet room. A colorful painting,
Cheers OBICIAMEDEOto
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See OBICI page 16
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Doug Naismith, retired head of school at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, remembers that the residents of Oderzo were as enthused as the Suffolk Sister Cities group to formalize their connection. When the Italians arrived in Suffolk for the first exchange visit, they were eager to visit Obici’s home, business and anything else connected with him.
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George Birdsong of Birdsong Peanuts, the century old peanut processor that takes peanuts from the fields to the end manufacturers of peanut products, was among the guests. He credits Obici, when the Birdsong shelling plant in Courtland burned in 1939, with enabling the Birdsongs to move their business from Courtland to Suffolk to work in concert with Obici’s own Planters Peanuts.
Naismith explained that while many early 1900s immigrants from Italy struggled over long years to make a decent living, Amedeo Obici “hit a home run,” he said. “Because of that he was a hero and a man to be celebrated in Obici’sOderzo.”popularity there grew even greater when he donated a new wing on the Oderzo hospital. On the return exchange visit, the Naismiths were in Oderzo when a Mr. Peanut statue, a gift from the Suffolk Sister Cities, settled into place in front of the Oderzo voca tional school named for Amedeo Obici.
OBICI continued from page 14 See OBICI page 17
distinctive among the black and white photos, is a reproduction of one of Obici’s favorites that hung in his mansion on the Nansemond River in Suffolk.
The dinner menu read like it might in an Oderzo café – or the dining room of the Obici home in Sleepy Hole. Starting with a garden salad and the traditional Italian appetizer Filetto Carpaccio - finely shaved tenderloin dressed with Dijon aioli, grano Padano cheese, sundried tomato and arugula - the dinner guests enjoyed veal chop, basil pesto pap pardelle and chicken saltimbocca topped off with Amedeo’s tiramisu and a nod to local cuisine – Lilly Farms strawberry shortcake. It was a meal fit for the occasion, a gather ing of peanut royalty as Tom Powell, president of The Addison Group and the evening’s emcee, addressed the guests.
Two other guests, Doug and Mary Jane Nai smith, have been actively involved in Suffolk’s Sister Cities International since it launched 40 years ago. The non-profit program seeks to promote understanding and unite people around the world. Suffolk has enjoyed a sister cities relationship with Oderzo, Italy, Obici’s birthplace, as well as Suffolk County, England, since 1995, according to Mary Jane Naismith.
Two more of the dinner guests, Elizabeth Dalzell and Ken Kramer, traveled from Had Dinner guests helping celebrate the first anniversary of Amedeo’s Ristorante are, in left photo, Sue and Jim Maloney of James River Greyhounds rescue organization and, in right, George Birdsong with Elizabeth Dalzell, great-greatniece of Amedeo Obici.
Amedeo’s Ristorante pays homage to the man known affectionately as “Mr. Peanut,” now the globally recognized mascot for Planters Peanuts.
suffolk living 17 donfield, New Jersey. Dalzell is Obici’s great-great-niece, a relationship that inspired the couple to spend years researching the Obici family history. The photos in the restaurant came from their collection and include several not seen before in the Suffolk area. Meeting so many people who ap preciated her Uncle Amedeo was a pleasure, Dalzell said, adding “it means a lot to see my family in all the photos lining the walls here.” Because Obici was such an animal lover, from goats and rabbits to bears, the Mullinses, also animal lovers, decid ed to initiate a fundraiser in his name. Sales of a specially created cocktail, The Greyhound, generated funds desig nated for the James River Greyhounds, a rescue group that each year places 75 retired racing Greyhounds in new homes as family pets. Sue and Jim Maloney, from Dawn, Virginia, and representing the James River Greyhounds, were on hand to receive the contribution. Their adopted Greyhound, Tabi (short for her racing name of Tabloid Tabi) convinced the couple that the retired racers can be great pets as well. The Mullinses were happy to see so many people there to celebrate Amedeo Obici and enjoy dining in their newest restaurant. The couple, as M & M Hospitality Group, also own the Vintage Tavern, River Stone Chop House and Decoy's Seafood and plan to open a new restaurant, Cork & Bull, in Chesapeake’s new Summit Pointe development in the fall. The Mullinses are also real estate de velopers and know the Suffolk area well. “Brian and I have been here for a while,” Teresa Mullins said. “We know the history of how Amedeo Obici and Planters brought recognition to Suf folk.”Ifyou would like to know more about Amedeo Obici, watch for a new book about his incredible life and busi ness acumen. The Birdsong Charitable Foundation and the Obici Healthcare Foundation are co-sponsoring the book scheduled for release in 2023.
OBICI continued from page 16
FROM TOGRIDIRONTHETHERING
Story by Matthew Hatfield Photos courtesy of Hampton University
See MOORE page 20
Former NSA standout has sights set on WWE after football
Thus far, there have been 31 athletes in the program with six that have graduated. When athletes complete the program, they have a chance to be offered a WWE contract that can be as lucrative up to $250,000 a year. “I never thought I would be a part of the WWE. This can lead to other opportunities that support my future dreams of gaining exposure for the NFL and pursuing my goals for life after collegiate athletics,” remarked Moore, who earned Second Team All-Big South honors a season ago with the Pirates with 48 total tackles, 13.5 for loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks.
Former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy standout KeShaun Moore has made local and statewide headlines in the past for his play on the gridiron. Now, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound redshirt senior linebacker with Hampton University is receiving national acclaim for a differentMoorereason.,theson of Karrie Cox of Suffolk and Darin Moore of Portsmouth, was recently named among 15 college athletes in World Wrestling Entertainment’s second “Next in Line,” name, image and likeness (NIL) class. It was launched in December as a developmen tal program for the pro wrestling league with athletes getting access to the WWE’s perfor mance center in Florida, branding and public relations help, among other perks. He was initially contacted through a direct message on Instagram from their recruiting page and ultimately chosen as the WWE’s first NIL signee from a Historically Black Colleges and Universities program. “At first, I was skeptical of it because I never would’ve thought in a million years I would have a DM like that,” Moore revealed. “I was on the phone with them for a few weeks, started to gain their trust and it went from there. I haven’t been used to this type of atten tion, so it’s definitely exciting for me.”
“I think this shows other HBCU athletes that they can have an opportunity to be a part of big organizations in terms of getting 18 suffolk living
KeShaun Moore, shown above during a football camp when he starred at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy and at right, as a standout linebacker for Hampton University, was among 15 athletes nationwide chosen for World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Next in Line” program.
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“In terms of what he meant for our pro gram, he’s one of the most impactful players I’ve ever been around. That’s because of the way he practiced, how influential he was with the other players on our team, and then obvi ously he’s a physical presence on the football team. I think what sets him apart and allow him to be successful in that industry just like he has been on the football field is he’s so un afraid to work as hard as he possibly can, and he loves the process. He literally loves going in and putting the work in, which will serve him really well forever.”
KeShaun Moore (in No. 15 jersey for Hampton University) will soon be tracking down opponents in the ring like he does opposing running backs.
“Growing up, I got to meet all different types of people, environments and living in three different cities across the ‘757’ helped me become personable. Every city has its own unique culture. Playing football helps out a lot because it’s one of the main things talked about in the area. That helped get my name out there and gave me a chance to meet a lot of different people that I maybe never would’veFollowingmet.”his days at NSA, Moore went on to James Madison University and Lackawanna College before getting to Hampton. In May,
MOORE continued from page 18 See MOORE page 21
Moore remembers his time with the Saints fondly and playing a vital part in his growth.
20 suffolk living an NIL deal. I think it’ll bring a lot of atten tion not only to the football program, but the school and everything it has to offer here at Hampton.”Thosewho have gotten to be around Moore see him as a natural to make the transition from the football field to the wrestling ring. “It’s a perfect opportunity for a kid that’s going to flourish in that industry,” said NSA head football coach Mike Biehl. “His personal ity, work ethic and overall makeup will make that a perfect fit for him. I know he said that’s not the route he envisioned going down, but when you take a step back and think about it, he’s the perfect person to make a run in that industry,”
“My football experience at NSA was defi nitely eye-opening and amazing. I won state’s my junior year and still talk to the guys who were on that team with me,” Moore recalled.
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MOORE continued from page 20 he graduated with a degree in liberal studies, making the Dean’s List and Honor Society. He plans to pursue a business marketing degree.
“I take academics a lot more seriously now than when I did in High School. My mom talked about how I worked super hard on the field and didn’t apply myself in the classroom. I take pride in it because I don’t want to have bad grades, linger ing the line and want to go above and beyond. Now my academics in the classroom match my work ethic on the field.”Soon, it’ll be between the ropes, too.
KeShaun Moore, shown above during high school, credits his time at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy for his college success on the gridiron, including at Hampton University.
22 suffolk living through the lens: Evangeline Purser
Evangeline
Purser uses her camera to capture the natural and manmade beauty of Suffolk. If you’d like to have your work considered, send an email and a selection of at least five of your original photos to news@suffolklivingmag.com. Storm clouds descend on the road leading to Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal Swamp. A Mexican petunia has a drink in the summer heat. Taken from photographer’sthe back yard, a shot of the majestic bird the kids call “Maui” from Moana.
suffolk living 23 Beautiful clouds over Suffolk’s Peanut District The last snowfall of winter
New book traces Virginia’s brushes with royalty
When the Queen came to town
The elaborately illustrated volume has special sections on the Queen’s three Virginia visits.Her initial visit was on Oct. 16 & 17, 1957 centered around the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown settlement of 1607. An estimated 25,000 persons greeted her at Jamestown Festival Park (now James town Settlement), a state tourist attraction where she viewed the reproduction ships and reconstructed fort and also visited Jamestown Island.Another large crowd gathered when she appeared at William and Mary.
Review by Wilford Kale During her 70 year reign Queen Elizabeth II has made three visits to Virginia as part of her eight visits to the United States. Each Virginia stop has been cheered by its citizenry, who often proclaim the Old Dominion—the most “English” of all American states.
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of William & Mary alumni “Chip” Mann and LeCompte along with Moore, a Richmond businessman and Anglophile, saw a need a decade ago at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to produce a book about her relation ship with this country. Joining the trio was Lord Alan Watson of Richmond, who was made a life peer in 1999. This year for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee the quartet updated and revised their book, creating an amazing historical document—an important memory of a remarkable person and her role in the significant relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It is a relationship which Sir Winston Churchill characterized during his Iron Curtain speech at Westminster College in 1946 as “special,” the authors stress.
As part of her bicentennial visit to the U.S., the queen accepted an invitation to visit Charlottesville, Virginia on July 10, 1976. She walked on the lawn and spoke at the Uni versity of Virginia, visited Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and planed a tree at Virginia’s Western Bicentennial Center. Her lengthy reign allowed her to make another visit to Jamestown on May 4, 2007 to help commemorate the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Jamestown. Earlier she was in Richmond where addressed a joint session of the State Senate and House of Delegates. She ended her remarks by paying tribute to the special relationship between the twoThecountries.Queenalso visited William & Mary again.
Virginians H. Edward Mann, Jacques J. Moore Jr., Ellen LeCompte and Baron Watson of Richmond have combined to produce, “The Queen and The U.S.A. — Platinum Jubilee Edition” (Dementi Milestone Publishing, 128 pgs.,College$35).
In light of the recent Platinum Jubilee, readers might be interested in her examination of the year-long, carefully planned endeavor of Meghan Markle (now Duchess of Sussex) to woo Prince Harry. Inter views with unnamed Palace sources and friends of the couple, provide the background she needs to tell the story.
Brown’s background provides the necessary launching pad for an examination of the royal family’s years-long battle with the British press, especially the tabloid press. Prince Harry’s hatred of the press, stimming from his belief that they contributed to the death of his mother, has become an obsession, she relates.
Other visits to the U.S. included three specifically “private” trips to Kentucky’s horse country.
Numerous books, especially biographies about Queen Elizabeth II have been released in the past year as a leadup to her recent Platinum Jubilee. Probably the most intriguing and entertaining tome is Tina Browns’ “The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor—the Truth and the Turmoil” (Crown, 592 pgs, $35).
Also in the book are biographies British monarchs from Elizabeth I through her father, George VI and a short examination by Dr. James C. Kelly of World War II and the Queen’s formative years.
suffolk living 25 LOCALS CHO CE 2017 WINNER LOCALS CHO CE 2018 WINNER LOCALS CHO CE 2019 WINNER LOCALS CHO CE 2020 WINNER 2019 WINNER 2020 WINNER 2017 WINNER 2018 WINNER LOCALS CHO CE 2019 WINNER LOCALS CHO CE 2020 WINNER WINNER WWINNER INNER WINNER
Brown, an award-winning writer and editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, seems to delight in putting the various royal Windsor turmoils in neat and appropriate Packages.
Have a comment or suggestion for Kale? Contact him at Kaleon books95@gmail.com Network with Suffolk Living on Facebook
Of all the national reviews of this book, Alexandra Jacobs in the New York Times probably put it best: “The Palace Papers isn’t juicy, exactly, nor pulpy…It’s frothy and forthright, a kind of ‘Keeping Up with the Windsors’ with sprinkles of Keats.”
THE PALACE PAPERS REVEALS ROYALS
Brown’s cumulative picture of the royal family over the past 20 years is important and highly readable. She writes, “The fascination of monarchy is that its themes repeat themselves because its protagonists are earthly… There will always be the rebels, the problem children, and the miscreants, because the Crown rests on a family as fallible as any other.”
26 suffolk living 5 SwapBEACH How do you see Suffolk? Submit your photos to Through the Lens news@suffolklivingmag.com
Harbour View Downtown Suffolk 5837 Harbour View Blvd Suffolk, VA 23435 757.686.3636 102 Western Ave Suffolk, VA 23434 757.539.7695 Ralph L Howell, Jr , DDS I R Leroy Howell, Sr , DDS C Danielle Howell, DDS I Melissa L Campbell, DMD www.howell.dental suffolk living 27
The March-April issue of Suffolk Living traversed at least two oceans. At left, Annette Burridge and her mother, Jeannie, took the magazine on a cruise vacation in Freeport Bahamas. Below, Dennis and Karla Kelly display SL on Hawaii’s Big Island at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park as green sea turtles bask on the beach. On facing page, Rachel Billups of Ivor took granddaughters Bailey and Sydney Faison on their first cruise, and we’re proud that Suffolk Living was part of the voyage on Royal Caribbean's “Allure of the Seas” to three ports: Roaton, Honduras, Costa Maya, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico. Here, Cozumel provides a beautiful backdrop for what Billups described as “an exciting, amazing and wonderful trip!”
28 suffolk living on vacation
suffolk living 29 on vacation
30 suffolk living Last edition’s AmWhereI? The painted sign included in our last Where Am I? challenge is part of the sign on the back of the Mall on month’scard.receiveit.properlypersonwasMarianWashington.WestWilliamstheonlytoidentifyShewilla$25giftFindthischallenge on page 11. In each edition the Suffolk Living staff provides challenge of sorts, testing how much of Suffolk you really know. We photograph some location in Suffolk that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see you can tell us where it is. If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@suffolklivingmag.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win $25 gift card. So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Go out and enjoy Suffolk! where am I? suffolk living 11 Established 1958
FUEL COMPANY: Suffolk Feed and Fuel Company was established around 1905 and provided wholesale and commission business in the handling of flour, hay, grain, lime, plaster, cement and coal. The plant, run by G. Lloyd Bell, was on South Saratoga Street beside the Norfolk and Western Railroad. In 1915 the delivery service included 12 wagons and "an automobile truck." — COURTESY OF “SUFFOLK IN VINTAGE POSTCARDS,” SUFFOLK-NANSEMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY scrapbook
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Sweet Sweet Sweet Home Home Home Summer is Sa ummer is Sa ummer is a time totime totime to sell yo sur ell yo sur ell your (757) 539-7451 Call the Locals Choice. WE GET RESULTS. SuffolkSpecialist.com 330 W Constance Rd Suffolk, Va 23434
