Topics Related to Sec. Susan Kluttz

While anybody who lived through the 1970s, or has taken a course on American history, knows about Watergate and the president it brought down, not nearly as many realize North Carolina’s prominent role in the congressional hearings that gripped the nation as a result of the scandal. Among other links, the committee that investigated Nixon was led by North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin, Jr., and included Rufus Edmisten, who would go on to be North Carolina’s Secretary of State and Attorney General, on its staff.

Photo: State Rep. David Lewis, Sec. Kluttz, Link Wray III, Beth Wray Webb, Link Elvis Wray, Rep. Renee Ellmers and state Sen. Ronald Rabin pose in front of the newly dedicated marker to Link Wray.

The “power chord” is now par for the course in just about any punk or heavy metal rock song you hear on the radio, but before Link Wray’s 1958 smash hit “Rumble,” it didn’t even exist.

From the early explorations of the Carolina coast in the late 1500s to the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island in 1863 to the impact of modern hurricanes like Frank and Floyd, the central Outer Banks region has a long and storied past.Earlier this month, Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz, local elected officials, members of the Roanoke Island Commission and others celebrated the reopening of the Adventure Museum at Roanoke Island Festival Park, which tells the story of the area’s history in an interactive way.

Sec. Kluttz and state Rep. Stephen Ross look on as Gov. Pat McCrory makes the announcement about his new historic preservation initiative
 

State Reps. Alma Adams and John Faircloth, Gov. Pat McCrory and Sec. Susan Kluttz pose with the newly-dedicated highway marker to the High Point Market.
 

Thanks in part to five grants from the State Library more than 175,000 images from Greensboro history are now available online through an innovative project called Textiles, Teachers and Troops. Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz, Deputy Secretary Kevin Cherry and State Librarian Cal Shepard were on hand for the unveiling of the project earlier this month, and both the Secretary and Dr. Cherry spoke about the importance of making materials from libraries and archives available online for the public to explore.

Did you know that the War of 1812 didn’t actually end until 1814? Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz was one of about 100 folks intrigued with this and other myths of the War of 1812 from Dr. Donald Hickey, the nation’s foremost expert on the conflict.

This past weekend the Easter Bunny arrived at the N.C. Transportation Museum in style. Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz joined a crowd of excited kids and their families as the bunny and his helpers pulled up in a 1935 North Carolina State Highway Patrol Coupe, one of the signature pieces in the museum’s impressive collection of autos.What followed was a day of great family fun. Aside from the special Easter Bunny Express train rides, visitors to the museum enjoyed a Thomas the Tank Engine miniature golf course, model train setups, crafts, storytelling and more.

When Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz took office last May, one of the three things Gov. Pat McCrory tasked her with was beautifying the state’s transportation infrastructure. To that end, the secretary and DCR staff have been partnering with DOT staff during the past year to build a vision for a public-private “Art That Moves You” program that will highlight the best of state’s arts and culture and integrate it with the transportation infrastructure we all use every day.

Front row: (left to right): visual artist Sarah West, N.C. Arts Council Board Chair Robin Branstrom, DCR Chief Deputy Secretary Karin Cochran and multimedia artist David McConnell. Back row (left to right) visual artist Dana Raymond, N.C. Arts Council Exeuctive Director Wayne Martin and visual artists Marek Ranis and Scott Hazard