Small Town, Big Oil by David W. Moore

Author:David W. Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2018-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

16. The Oil Man Cometh

(Publick Occurrences - Ray Belles)

The day of Aristotle Onassis’s visit was sunny and bitter cold, a low overnight temperature of just two degrees, rising only into the teens by the time of the helicopter flyover. A couple of days earlier, two inches of snow had given the land an icy cover. Sharon Meeker and Celeste DiMambro called their compatriots on Durham Point, reminding them of the plan. At Woody Rollins’s house, the kids were back home on vacation from college. When Woody’s daughter, Dale, heard about the flyover, she and her brother and Dan Ford took huge, hand-painted “SOS” signs and planted them in seven fields on Durham Point. Other contingents of the “un-welcome” committee had carved “ARI GO HOME” in the snow. On Evelyn Browne’s property, John and Maryanna Hatch supervised the construction of a message written in twenty-inch red crepe paper letters ten feet high saying “NOT HERE.” It would be impossible for the Greek oil magnate in his helicopter to miss the many messages.

Sharon heard on the morning news that Onassis intended not just to fly over the area, but to land at Adams Point and take a personal tour of Durham Point, accompanied by the governor, who was to drive down to Durham in his official limousine. She had signs, “ARI GO HOME” and “NO OIL REFINERY,” already prepared, so she got in her car and headed down Durham Point Road. A short time earlier, she had actually seen and heard the helicopter fly over her house, and drove as fast as she could to get there before Onassis would leave on the tour. She wanted to plant the signs so he would be sure to see them. On her car itself, both in the front and back, she had “NO OIL REFINERY” bumper stickers. She was just turning onto Adams Point Road when a large sedan passed her going the other way. She saw the governor in the back seat, a nasty scowl on his face, glowering at her.

When she arrived at Adams Point a few minutes later, she saw no sign of the helicopter. She hadn’t heard it fly over her again, but it was clear Onassis had not landed. Later, she would learn, he had seen the signs in the snow and was unwilling to get in a car to tour the area. She couldn’t have been more pleased.

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