LETTER FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR
Promise of Spring
M
y younger daughter celebrates her birthday on Valentine’s Day. Though it’s not a public holiday, it’s a sweet reminder to stop and show your affection to those whom you love. On page 32, you’ll find a story about two couples who’ve each been together for more than a half-century. Larry Autry still looks at his wife, Avis Autry, with an adoring glow. They’ve been married for 64 years. Paul Messick Jr. and Sally Messick make a good team, each crediting the other for their happy partnership of 51 years. Love is more than romance. David Eskelund and Kristi Eskelund’s family seems to have an endless supply of warmth for their large family and extensive network of friends. See inside their welcoming Siler City homestead on page 78. For Harold P. Freeman, a sixth-generation descendant of one of Pittsboro’s earliest successful Black settlers, love of humanity calls him to explore his family’s ancestry and to apply what he learns to his own long career in oncology. Trace his family’s history on page 40. Love is boundless for Terrence Foushee, an English teacher at Northwood High School, who was encouraged by one of his own high school teachers to tap into his passion for poetry. Read more about him on page 44. Troy Ennis discovered his love of football as a Northwood High School freshman. Now the former linebacker’s goal to return to the team and one day play at the college level drives him to beat cancer. He is one of about 200 kids a year in the U.S. to be diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Follow his inspirational journey on page 72. We are past the winter solstice, and our days are getting longer. The promise of spring is not far, and love, in one form or another, springs eternal. CM
Anna-Rhesa Versola rhesa@chathammagazinenc.com
THE COVER Photo by John Michael Simpson 4
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022