Curmudgeon’s Corner by Jerry Scott

Writer and Artist Jerry Scott
Writer and Artist Jerry Scott

Hello friends and subscribers of New Bern Now,

Wendy Card, the mastermind behind this important news and information source in our town, has asked me to contribute my thoughts and observations on topics that she and I feel might be of interest to our readers. I do so with great anticipation that I might shed some personal light on matters that have been bouncing around in my head for some time.

A little about my curmudgeonly self: I came to New Bern from Washington, DC area 15 years ago. I was born in Portland, Oregon, and moved to DC when I was a kid. Living in DC after small town Portland was an eye opener. I adapted quickly to most things and found out that my school mates (Warren Beatty was my next-door neighbor) were pretty naive about country living as many of them had never seen a cow or horse. I spent two years in the eastern Oregon countryside working in my dad’s store and often in the fields during harvest time alongside Mexican field hands called “Brazeros” back then. The brazeros taught me my first words in Spanish (mostly not printable) and later in life I became bilingual in Spanish and English. Those contacts began a lifelong love of the Hispanic culture. So, later on, I spent 27 years as a foreign service office with the US State Department serving overseas in Latin America and Europe.

In the interim, I was in the US Marine Corps for four years, did a stint at the Naval Academy and later picked up degrees at American University and UCLA. I have worked in the scientific instrument business as well as running my own school teaching English to Latinos. I have been a lifelong artist and continue to show my works at various venues around town. You can see my newest concepts at the flea market on Highway70 E, just a little east of James City across from KIA dealer.

I am taking on the mantel of curmudgeon here because I see and read things and ask why? It’s all well and good to have a source for good news and I applaud that. New Bern Now is full of upbeat reporting. Nevertheless, I think some critical thinking should go hand in hand with events in our community. If my opinions, and that’s all they are based on facts as I see them, that I will be writing about don’t coincide with your feelings or experience, I am open to debate. I am not planning on stirring the pot too much, but some matters should be open to scrutiny in my humble opinion.

I have a number of ideas to showcase some incredible talent in our midst and am getting myself organized to start the interviews to bring you insights on them. I am looking forward to contributing ad hoc to New Bern Now and look forward to “seeing you down the road” — a line from the highly recommended Oscar winning film “Nomadsland.”

Tell us what you think or let us know if you’d like to be a Contributing Writer by sending us an email.