D. G. Martin
Chapel Hill, United States
Host of @unctv's North Carolina Bookwatch & author of North Carolina's Roadside Eateries. #NCRoadsideEateries #NCBookwatch
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Articles by D. G. Martin
Wisdom from an Appalachian Renaissance man
Whether you are an expert in folk music or if you can't tell a banjo from a mandolin, a new biography, "Doc Watson: A Life in Music," by Eddie Huffman, will draw you in. Along the way you'll discover not just Doc's story, but the rich history of our state and the impact of its traditional music.
Martin: Clearing out
The last box is on the curb. The house is empty and cold and dead. Next week it will be full again with other lives. But we can never go black inside again to wander in the bookshelves, closets, and attic. We will never smell the smells of hot meals on its stove, of warm fresh clothes from its laundry room, of flowers from its garden, or of clean sheets mingled in the old blankets on its beds.
A hidden love life... with a road
As long as we have needed to get from point A to point B, by trading routes or trails or paved interstate, there have been directions given, maps drawn, and roads traveled. When we think about our great American roads, the Oregon Trail comes to mind. A path pounded by feet and hooves heading west. Another, later in history, is Route 66, winding west as well from Chicago to the west coast. These lines on a map are an evocative part of our history, part of our identity.
Losing our grandchildren before finding them again
In some North Carolina houses, this is a time of empty rooms and empty spaces. Children, so long ever-present, are now suddenly gone away to college. Even though they knew the day was coming, there is great emptiness in their homes and in their hearts. This is true especially for parents, but also for grandparents, even though all knew that the day was coming. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Where does our garbage go?
Where does our garbage go? After you take it out of your house into your bin and roll it to the curb, the garbage truck comes to get it and rolls on out of your neighborhood. But then where does it go? My grandchildren, each in their own ways, were obsessed with all things garbage when they were little. They were always on high alert for the sound of the garbage truck's arrival. We bought toy garbage trucks along with little tiny rolling bins that amused them (and us!) for hours.
Can people like us go home again?
Here's a trivia question: Name a novel by a North Carolina writer about a fictional author who traveled abroad and struggled with returning to the complexities of American culture? If you know your North Carolina literary history, your knee-jerk reaction might be "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe. Published in 1940 after Wolfe's death, the plot follows an author who wrote an acclaimed book, traveled to Paris, London, and New York, and struggles with being able to return to his hometown.
Tenacious open-mindedness
This week marks the 80th anniversary of our country dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A few days after the bombings, on August 15,1945, Japan surrendered, effectively ending World War II. Where were you when you got news of these events? Likely, most of you were not born. But I was a five-year-old beginning my life as a news junkie. My family did not have a TV, and we got all our news through the radio. Even at age five, I loved to listen to the radio.
The same news doesn't hit everyone the same
This week marks the 80th anniversary of our country dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A few days after the bombings, on August 15,1945, Japan surrendered, effectively ending World War II. Where were you when you got news of these events? Likely, most of you were not born. But I was a five-year-old beginning my life as a news junkie. My family did not have a TV, and we got all our news through the radio. Even at age five, I loved to listen to the radio.
The Gordian Knots of families and politics
Nobody's going to argue when I say that our country is in a complicated place these days. You can feel it in the news, around the dinner table, even in the grocery store line. And I don't think anyone would argue with this either: families are complicated, too. Now, mix those two things together-a complicated country and a complicated family-and it gets even trickier. Especially when the folks around the table see the country through different lenses. That's when things get really complicated.
Dip's closes doors, but the joy continues
I'm sure you have heard the sad news: Mama Dip's in Chapel Hill is officially closing its doors. Mildred Council was tall as a child and she had the job of using her long arms to dip into the rain barrel for water, earning her nickname, "Dip." She started cooking when she was ten, "cooking the corn when the corn came in" and frying chicken "as a form of love." She never stopped. In 1976, she opened Dip's Country Kitchen with only $64 in hand. She reveled in cooking for her customers.
Sunsets, kayaks, trout streams....and eminent domain?
What would be on your to-do list on a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? During the summer in and around the park, you might take in a dramatic sunset, hike to a waterfall, cool off in a river in a kayak, or catch a trout in a pristine stream.
John Lawson and the Tuscarora
"In the middle of a dark September night in 1711 in Carolina, John Lawson found himself captive, tied up and flung in the center of the council ring of the Tuscarora Indian town of Catechna," writes Scott Huler on the opening page of his book, "A Delicious Country: Rediscovering the Carolinas along the Route of John Lawson's 1700 Expedition," published by UNC Press. Lawson did not survive. Tradition says he was tortured to death, with wooden splinters pushed into his skin and set afire.
Josephus Daniels and Blue Ridge Parkway
Maybe you think I have written enough about Josephus Daniels, the founder and longtime editor of the Raleigh News & Observer. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Five years since the last North Carolina Bookwatch
By D. G. Martin Some people still ask me what programs PBS NC Bookwatch would be airing if the program were still in existence. Below are several North Carolina related books and authors that would certainly be considered. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
The 'Scots-Irish' and the 'Savage South'
By D. G. Martin It was to be a short summary of books that would have been featured on PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch if that program were still being produced. One of those books would have been Greensboro native Jane Borden's recent "Cults Like Us: Why Cults Are As American As ApplePie." D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Trump, Musk, and Noyes
By D. G. Martin It was to be a short summary of books that would have been featured on PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch if that program were still being produced. One of those books would have been Greensboro native Jane Borden's recent "Cults Like Us: Why Cults Are As American As ApplePie." D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
The 'Scots-Irish' and the 'Savage South'
"The Savage South" is an image that retired UNC-Chapel Hill Lineberger Professor of the Humanities at Fred Hobson thinks and writes about. He tried to explain to me why, over the years from colonial times until today, so many observers characterize our region as being more violent, more savage, than other parts of the United States. People have given many reasons to explain our region's image. Of course, the institution of slavery is often at the top of the list.
The Living History of the Brogue
This word is used by local people in Ocracoke the crowds of tourists and other visitors. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Censoring books about race
By D. G. Martin Do you remember what a "segregation scholarship" is - or was? "A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs" by Crystal R. Sanders explains. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Belichick's book
In Chapel Hill, the past few days have been mostly not about graduation, but about Bill Belichick, the new Carolina football coach, his multimillion-dollar contract, his success as coach of the New England Patriots football team, and his new book, "The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football," which came out on May 6. There is even more talk about Belichik's 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
Martin: Curry's joy
By D. G. Martin In their article in the April 28 New York Times and in The Athletic, the writers Elise Devlin, Doug Haller, and Jayson Jenks ask "What makes Stephen Curry a leader? "Ask those who know him best," they suggest. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
The Daniels and their newspaper
In February, I wrote a column on Rob Christensen's book about the Raleigh News and Observer, "Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century." I concentrated on Josephus Daniels, the paper's founder and long-time owner. Rob Christensen had tackled the difficult job of explaining how Daniels could be known as both a progressive and a racist while also a newspaper owner and editor.
Eubanks' fabulous book
"The Fabulous Ordinary" is the perfect title of Georgann Eubanks' new book. Its full title is "The Fabulous Ordinary Discovering the Natural Wonders of the Wild South." One of Eubanks' great skills is writing about things that might seem simple or ordinary but are too important not to explain and celebrate. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Cults and apple pie
Jane Borden's new book "Cults Like Us: Why Cults Are As American As Apple Pie" has us thinking about cults. The Manson Family and Branch Davidians come to mind. Borden, who grew up in Greensboro and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, is a proven writer. Her 2011 book about living and working in New York after college, "I Totally Meant to Do That," showcased her gentle humor and writing skills.
Martin: Cults and apple pie
Jane Borden’s new book “Cults Like Us: Why Cults Are As American As Apple Pie” has us thinking about cults. The Manson Family and Branch Davidians come to mind. Borden, who grew up in Greensboro and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, is a proven writer. Her 2011 book about living and working in New York after college, “I Totally Meant to Do That,” showcased her gentle humor and writing skills. Borden tells us that there are at least ten thousand cults in the U.S. What then is a cult?
Island living on Ocracoke and the Hyde County mainland
"She lived on this island for 77 years and never left, not even for a day," Alton Ballance told us about a woman who spent her entire life on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Except for the small village of Ocracoke, the entire eight-mile-long island is part of protected national seashore-one long, wide, undeveloped seashore on the ocean side. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
Do Musk's epic feats excuse his bad behavior, his callousness, his recklessness?
By D. G. Martin Everyday news outlets feature Elon Musk and his activities with DOGE, (the Department of Government Efficiency). Musk has been leading a charge against wasteful government spending. It has been a wild and disruptive ride and I wanted to know more about this strange man who has Donald Trump eating out of his hand. D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System's vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC's North Carolina Bookwatch.
A North Carolina president?
Some Democrats argue that what they need for the 2028 presidential election is a southern moderate like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton who won election-- or like Al Gore whose win was taken away by the courts. Is there a moderate southern political figure who like these three could win the Democratic nomination and the next presidential election? And, specifically, is there a North Carolinian who could do the job?
Martin: Dad and Alzheimer’s
Why would two news articles about Alzheimer's have such an impact on me right now? One reported the closing of the Alzheimer's office in Winston-Salem. The loss of this service office was apparently due to financial reasons. It's tough to raise enough money to support the good work so many people are doing. kAmp?@E96C 2CE:4=6 56D4C:365 2?5 82G6 6I2>A=6D @7 2 ?6H >6?E2= E6DE E92E 42? >2<6 2 G6CJ C6=:23=6 AC6=:>:?2CJ 5:28?@D:D @7 62C=J @?D6E p=K96:>6CVD]k^Am kAmx EC:65 6G6CJ BF6DE:@?
Martin: Josephus Daniels in Christensen’s new book
Rob Christensen’s new book, “Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century,” comes out on March 4. It could be two separate books.
Martin: Josephus Daniels in Christensen’s new book
Rob Christensen’s new book, “Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century,” comes out March 4. It could be two separate books.
Martin: Sparks and New Bern
When The New York Times or any other national media outlet publishes an article about a North Carolina topic, I jump, knowing that many of my readers share an interest in what other people think about our state and its people “So, when the Feb. 14 issue of the Times teased an article by Eduardo Medina titled “For Fans of Nicholas Sparks, This North Carolina City Is the Capital of Love,” I paid attention. kAm|65:?2 2D<65 H9J $A2C<D D6E “%96 }@E63@@<” 2?5 @E96C 962CE\EF88:?8 ?@G6=D :?
Martin: Leuchtenburg made us friends with presidents
The president of the United States today sends troops to fight in distant lands for long periods, enters into binding agreements with foreign powers, and takes other extraordinary actions, all without prior approval from Congress. Presidential candidates promise to reverse their predecessors’ agreements on the first day they take office. And they confidently promise to take other dramatic and costly actions unilaterally on that same first day. kAm(6 92G6 4@>6 E@ 6IA64E[ 6G6?
Martin: Mecklenburg Resolves in context
Regular readers of this column may remember my interest in the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence dated May 20, 1775, a date enshrined on North Carolina’s state flag. In the Jan.
Martin: Marching in a presidential inauguration
Here is a 1965 report from my hometown newspaper which summed up my only notable military operation: “Army 1st Lt. David G Martin Jr, 25, whose parents live at 408 N. Main St. Davidson N.C. marched in the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington DC. Jan. 20, as a member of the 6th Special Forces group from Fort Bragg. Wearing the distinctive Green Beret of the Special Forces, Lieutenant Martin was one of more than 200 soldiers who represented the John F.
Martin: Mark Twain again
Why am I reading Mark Twain again? It has been more than 70 years Since my class at the Davidson Junior High school produced a play based on Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” kAm~7 4@FCD6[ x 9@A65 x 4@F=5 62C? E96 E:E=6 C@=6 @7 %@>]k^Am kAmqFE q:== (@C<>2? 62D:=J H@? E96 ECJ@FED] %92E H2D ?@E 2 DFCAC:D6] w6 H2D 2=C625J 2 8C62E >FD:4:2? 2?5 24E@C]k^Am kAm|F49 =2E6C 96 563FE65 2E E96 |6EC@A@=:E2? ~A6C2 :? }6H *@C< 2?5 DA6?E 2 =@?8 2?5 DF446DD7F= 42C66C 2E E96 w2>3FC8 $E2E6 ~A6C2 :?
Martin: Carter Wrenn’s new book
At last Carter Wrenn, the well-known conservative consultant, has written his book about his life in politics: “The Trail of the Serpent: From the Smoke-Filled Rooms of Politics.” Wrenn first worked for Tom Ellis, a conservative North Carolina lawyer and early supporter of Jesse Helms. kAm(C6?? HC:E6D[ “%96 J62C x EFC?65 EH6?EJ\EH@[ :? `hfc[ ?@E >62?:?8 E@[ x =2?565 :? A@=:E:4Dj 2 J62C =2E6C #@?2=5 #6282? C2? 7@C AC6D:56?E 2?5 2 >2?
Martin: Carter Wrenn’s new book
At last Carter Wrenn, the well-known conservative consultant, has written his book about his life in politics: “The Trail of the Serpent: From the Smoke-Filled Rooms of Politics.” Wrenn first worked for Tom Ellis, a conservative North Carolina lawyer and early supporter of Jesse Helms.
Martin: The famous man from Tally Ho
Who is the most famous North Carolinian today? If you check the latest edition of the World Almanac as I do this time every year, you will find a list of “Famous North Carolinians.” kAm%92E =:DE :?4=F56D E96 7@==@H:?8 A6@A=6[ 3FE ?@E E@52J’D >@DE 72>@FD A6CD@? 7C@> @FC DE2E6]k^Am kAm#625 @G6C E96 ?2>6D @? E96 (@C=5 p=>2?24 =:DE 2?5 E96? x H:== E6== J@F E@52J’D >@DE 72>@FD A6CD@?i s2G:5 qC:?<=6J[ $9:C=6J r26D2C[ y@9? r@=EC2?6[ $E6A96? rFCCJ[ #:4< s66D[ t=:K236E9 w2?7@C5 s@=6[ s2=6 t2C?92C5E $C][ y@9?
Martin: Samson’s death and Luigi’s killing
What does the Biblical character Samson have to do with Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec. 4? Here is more about Samson who had been captured and blinded by his Philistine enemies. From Chapter 16 of the book of Judges in the Old Testament from verse 23 through verse 30: kAmk6>mab }@H E96 =@C5D @7 E96 !9:=:DE:?6D 82E96C65 E@ @776C 2 8C62E D24C:7:46 E@ E96:C 8@5 s28@?[ 2?5 E@ C6;@:46j 7@C E96J D2:5[ ‘~FC 8@5 92D 8:G6? $2>D@?
Martin: More pardons?
As if losing the presidential and congressional elections last month was not enough to break the spirit of Democrats, President Biden pardoned his son Hunter. And not just for a few matters during a specific and limited time, the president reached back more than 10 years and extended the pardon to anything and everything Hunter may have done. kAm%96 G6CJ C6DA64E65[ 4@?D6CG2E:G6 (2== $EC66E y@FC?2= 4@=F>?:DE !688J }@@?2?[ H9@ 92D 366?
Martin: Bland Simpson’s memoir
Bland Simpson is Kenan Distinguished Professor of English and creative writing at UNC-Chapel Hill. His amazing talents have awed fellow North Carolinians for years. His music compositions and performances have charmed audiences in New York and throughout the world. He has written about North Carolina people and history and has entertained and enlightened its readers. His writings set in our coastal areas have taught us about our home state.
Martin: A forgotten migration
Do you remember what a “segregation scholarship” is — or was? As explained in a new book “Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs,” these so-called “segregation scholarships” were an important part of efforts to maintain segregation in higher education during a time of changing rules and regulations about race. kAm&?56C E96 $FAC6>6 r@FCE’D !=6DDJ G] u6C8FD@?” 564:D:@? W`gheX D@FE96C? DE2E6D 4@F=5 AC@G:56 8C25F2E6 @AA@CEF?:E:6D 7@C p7C:42?
Martin: Building Trump’s support group
Promptly after the election President-elect Trump announced some of some of his close support group: Secretary of state: Marco Rubio kAmpEE@C?6J 86?6C2=i |2EE v26EKk^Am kAms6AFEJ 2EE@C?6J 86?6C2=i %@55 q=2?496k^Am kAmww$ D64C6E2CJi #@36CE u] z6??65J yC]k^Am kAm&]}] 2>32DD25@Ci t=:D6 $E672?:<k^Am kAmq@C56C 4K2Ci %@> w@>2?k^Am kAms676?D6 D64C6E2CJi !6E6 w68D6E9k^Am kAm$64C6E2CJ @7 G6E6C2?D 2772:CDi s@F8 r@==:?Dk^Am kAm}2E:@?2= D64FC:EJ 25G:D6Ci |:4926= (2=EKk^Am kAmx?E6C:@C D64C6E2CJi s@F8...
Martin: Month of many holidays
November is full of special days and holidays. This year one of the most important was Election Day, November 5. That day gets most of our attention this year because its results will bring about important changes in our lives throughout the coming years. kAmx? >J 72>:=J[ H6 2=D@ C6>6>36C }@G6>36C `` 3642FD6 :E H2D >J 72E96C’D 3:CE952J] p=E9@F89 96 92D 366? 5625 7@C >@C6 E92?
D.G. MARTIN: The military and UNC
My wife Harriet and I were grateful last month to be invited to the annual Tar Heel Tribute on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The invitation explained, “Carolina is proud to have many members of the staff, faculty and student body who have served or who are currently serving in the military.
Martin: The military and UNC
My wife Harriet and I were grateful last month to be invited to the Annual Tar Heel Tribute on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The invitation explained, “Carolina is proud to have many members of the staff, faculty and student body who have served or who are currently serving in the military.
Martin: Living in interesting times
“May you live in interesting times.” Is that a blessing or a curse? kAmt:E96C H2J H6’C6 :? E96 >:55=6 @7 D@>6 DEC2?86[ :?E6C6DE:?8[ 2?5 >6>@C23=6 E:>6D]k^Am kAm%96 >@F?E2:? 7=@@5D 2?5 9FCC:42?6 D9@F=5 3J E96>D6=G6D 36 6?@F89 E@ >2<6 2 =:DE @7 DF49 E:>6D[ ;FDE 2D E96 `h`e 7=@@5D E92E =67E 2? :>AC:?E @? E96 >:?5D @7 @FC 8C2?5A2C6?ED]k^Am kAm%96 @?8@:?8 4@==2AD6 @7 q@6:?8[ H9:49 96=A65 86E FD E@ E96 >@@?[ =62G6D 2 G242?4J E92E :D 36:?8 7:==65 3J t=@?
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