Wechter, Nell Carolyn Wise [1]
Wechter, Nell Carolyn Wise
6 Aug. 1913–20 June 1989
[2]Nell Carolyn Wise Wechter, teacher and writer, was born at Stumpy Point, Dare County [3], the daughter of Enoch Raymond, a fisherman, and Edith Casey Best Wise. She was graduated from East Carolina College in 1951 and received a master's degree from both her alma mater and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro [4]. From 1933 until her retirement in 1964 she taught in the public schools of the state.
A free-lance feature writer for North Carolina newspapers between 1943 and 1968, she also was associate editor of the Hyde County Herald [5] at Swan Quarter during the period 1948–50. In 1972 she taught creative writing and English at the College of the Albemarle [6] in Elizabeth City. Her first novel, The Romance of Juniper River, appeared in 1937. She wrote for young people as well as adults, notably Taffy of Torpedo Junction [7] (1957), Betsy Dowdy's Ride [8] (1960), and The Mighty Midgetts of Chicamcomico [9] (1974). Mrs. Wechter won numerous awards for her books, including those offered by the American Association of University Women [10] and the Catholic Children's Book Club of America.
In 1943 she married Robert William Wechter, of Madison, Wis., a naval officer stationed on North Carolina's Outer Banks. They were the parents of a daughter, Marcia. Mrs. Wechter was a member of the Methodist church.
References:
Contemporary Authors, vol. 57–60 (1976).
Greensboro News and Record, 22 June 1989.
William S. Powell, ed., North Carolina Lives (1962).
Raleigh News and Observer, 21, 27 June 1989.
Additional Resources:
Nell Wise Wechter Papers (Manuscript Collection #177). East Carolina University: http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/0177/ [11]
Nell Carolyn Wise Wechter in the NC Literary Map: http://library.uncg.edu/dp/nclitmap/details.aspx?typ=auth&id=1501 [12]
Nell Carolyn Wise Wechter in WorldCat: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AWechter%2C+Nell+Wise.&qt=hot_author [13]
Image Credits:
Nell Wechter. Image courtesy of UNC Press. Available from http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/Taffy/ [2] (accessed August 8, 2013).
1 January 1996 | Powell, William S.