Wechter, Nell Carolyn Wise

6 Aug. 1913–20 June 1989

Nell Carolyn Wise Wechter, teacher and writer, was born at Stumpy Point, Dare County, 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. 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 at Swan Quarter during the period 1948–50. In 1972 she taught creative writing and English at the College of the Albemarle 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 (1957), Betsy Dowdy's Ride (1960), and The Mighty Midgetts of Chicamcomico (1974). Mrs. Wechter won numerous awards for her books, including those offered by the American Association of University Women 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.