JANUARY 15, 2000 - LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER NEW
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WHEATIES AT KROGERS
Charity had picked up a box of Wheaties at Kroger, back in 1999 and at the counter she met Beverly Fortune, staff writer. Beverly made comment about Charity buying a box of Wheaties. Charity said, "My husband collects Wheaties". Beverly said, I am a staff writer for the Lexington Herald, and I am doing a series on Collectors, could I come by and interview your husband about his collection?" Charity said, "Charles would be happy about that."
Sure enough, several weeks later, I received a phone call, from Beverly and we set up an appointment. She came to the house and was really in shock when she saw my collection. We spent several hours talking about the collection. Then a few weeks later, the article appeared in the Herald-Leader.
Beverely writes "Last night at 12:30 a.m. I went to Kroger's and found a new box of Wheaties," said Whisnant, a Baptist minister who lives on North Ashland Avenue. With each new Wheaties purchase, Whisnant carefully opens the bottom of the box and pulls out the bag of cereal, so he doesn't dent the top." That was it, placed in the center page of the Home & Garden insert of the newspaper. There was a front page picture as shown in the above photo. and two photos on the inside page.
This article in the Herald Leader, went out through the Knight-Ridder News Agency all over the United States. Really. Over the next year, I received a number of calls from Chicago, Ill. Asheboro, NC. , Mass., Texas, Mich., and a number of letters. One person, sent me a set of pictures of his collection of Wheaties.
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One person, called and asked if my father's name was Everette Whisnant. She said she and her husband were saved in a Tent meeting in Ashville, NC, and my dad had established a church in Asheboro, NC. She said the church is doing good today. She said our family had been to their home many times when I was very young. Amazing. Her husband had passed away a few weeks before she called, and they did not know where we were living the last thirty years. She had seen the article in their local newspaper, and for some reason she read the article. Now that was amazing that she would read it. How she knew that was a Whisnant in the picture I will never know.
Charles
