William Dudley Pelley Rides Again

on the 1 year anniversary of this project

I have been remiss. The better half of the essays I had outlined for delineation here this past year have not seen light. I know that I want to continue to hold back some choice content for an eventual book, but I haven’t written many of these momentarily hidden gems either.

There is something, though. I was thinking of several of the chapters I am quite proud of. Silhouettes Cast Across Time is a nice one. It really illustrates the passage of time and bridging the generations as does World Renowned Zither Soloist re: Carl Behr and my old friend Guy Harwood.

There is much more. I find the essays I enjoy most, as suspected, have a memoir flavor. One public critic, an academian and “historian” of course, responded when I shared the link to AA, “But the person writing this isn’t a historian,” as if to discount the validity, quality and overall value of any facts, even with proper citation, that I may share here… however unknown elsewhere. That guy can go pound sand.

I think I can tease an upcoming project I was involved with.

A professional TV news team from Charlotte passed thru Asheville and collected footage and interviews for a segment on William Dudley Pelley to air on Jan 31st upcoming, which is, unknown to them on their arrival, the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Silver Legion of America aka Silvershirts.

The gentleman journalist wanted to draw parallels between Pelley’s movement and some of the right-wing extremism we are seeing today, and we surely are seeing more of it.

I expect the usual hatchet job that is required of any mainstream media. However, I should thank Jon Elliston, not because he is a Pelley admirer by any stretch, for giving me up as a source. He said when they interviewed him he kept thinking, “Vance would know better.” Jon and I go way back and share an interest in the quirky goodness… and often not so goodness… of our region. He writes for respectable publications. I do not.

I told the newsies that I was surprised to get the referral because I was “perhaps a bit too close” to the subject and didn’t waste breath reminding people what a bad guy Pelley was. After nearly an hour spent interviewing in the old bank building in Biltmore, which was Pelley’s HQ from 1937-1940, he asked how I would describe my relationship to Pelley. We settled on “enthusiast.”

This project now has a humble 88 subscribers. I can tell most of you are at least opening your emails. Thank you!

I feel a renewed spurt of activity shortly ahead. Stay tuned!