KIMBERLY BELLAMY
CONETOE — Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George Bush and George W. Bush are all in John Wesley Whitfield's home in Conetoe. They're not physically in his home, but evidence that Whitfield had contact with them at some point during his 81 years is displayed around the walls of his home office.
Whitfield, a former mayor of Conetoe for 12 years, has more than 40 photos, plaques, documents and a large American flag displayed in his home as a remembrance of his tenure in office from 1985-97, and various political organizations he belonged to.
Among the mementos are personally signed items, and certificates he earned from the Republican Presidential Task Force, Republican National Committee and Republican Senatorial Inner Circle.
"It's nice to hear from people in Washington (D.C.) that they heard your name, and they think you did a good job," Whitfield said.
The things that he is most proud of is helping the people in town outside of politics.
Whitfield owned a gas company and Whitfield Grocery in Conetoe and said he enjoyed helping Conetoe residents by employing them or giving them lower rates if they were having financial difficulty.
"I tried to give all the young boys around here jobs, learn them the trades, keep them off drugs," he said.
Zeno Jones, 57, of Conetoe remembers all of the lessons that Whitfield taught him while he was growing up from cutting wood to working on cars to laying bricks and working in the store.
"Growing up you have a sense of being that you're doing something," Jones said.
"Every trick of the trade, he (Whitfield) taught me how to do it."
Whitfield helped Jones get into Job Corps, where he said the lessons that were taught there were a continuation of what he already learned from Whitfield. Jones went on to serve 16 years in the Army, but he said that didn't keep him from the man that was like his second father, Whitfield.
"When I came home on leave, I was with him," Jones said.
Whitfield got the opportunity to come face to face with many of these presidents, and other legislators through invitations to meeting and dinners, and brought Jones along with him.
"I met a lot of influential people by him. I said 'If you're a part of it, I'm a part of it," Jones said.
"I was there with people that made critical decisions in those days."
Whitfield has gained some traffic through his home with visitors stopping by to take a look at his political items.
Edgecombe County Commissioner T.C. Cherry recently stopped by the home, and caught a glimpse of the items. Cherry expressed admiration for Whitfield's office decor as well as his devotion to the Conetoe community.
"I'm amazed that he has that kind of collection ... You appreciate what you have now based on your past," Cherry said.
"People like him (Whitfield) and him (Jones) are what this country is based off of with small business."
Whitfield said that the contributions that he made to the community by teaching the young residents of Conetoe vocational skills were things that were second nature to him due to his upbringing on a farm and living through the Great Depression.
"I came up the poor way ... living on a farm. When you're on the farm, you learn how to do everything naturally," he said.
One of his biggest admirers is his daughter Liz Whitfield, 52, who framed and hung all of his political memorabilia in his office as an surprise.
"He learned very early on that no one is going to hand you anything .. he is the epitome of that," she said.
One of the endeavors that Whitfield tackled that proved he believes in working hard to get what you want is the restoration of his home.
The home originally belonged to Adah Herndon Dawson, who was murdered in the home at age 100. The trust to the home went to the bank and renters moved in.
Liz Whitfield described the home as transforming from a treasure to an eye sour.
Whitfield said that the town wanted to tear the home down, but he decided to buy it about 15 years ago, and worked on revitalizing it himself.
"He did about 80 percent of the work inside himself. It seemed to be an important dream for him to restore it, get it fixed up and make it a place of beauty again," Liz Whitfield said.
She said she's glad her father has gotten recognition for all his hard work.
"He has been so humbled, honored and proud by all of these documents sent to him from presidents and senators," she said.
"These are prestigious things that most people don't have."
When asked what has motivated him throughout his life, he said his wife of 60 years, Matt Mayo Whitfield.
