



Wilbur Jones receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award
In a ceremony at Wilmington’s City Hall, Mayor Bill Saffo, on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper, presented the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine award to retired Navy Captain Wilbur D. Jones, Jr.
The Long Leaf Pine award is the North Carolina governor’s highest honor recognizing public service. The award is given to persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.
UNCW Recognizes Jones as Distinguished Citizen of the Year
Four individuals will receive the highest honor the University of North Carolina Wilmington bestows upon its graduates and supporters during Homecoming 2021. The UNCW Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize extraordinary achievement, outstanding character and exemplary service to the university and community.
UNCW named author and military historian Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., as the Distinguished Citizen of the Year for 2021. Jones, a retired Navy captain, Wilmington native and University of North Carolina graduate, was selected for his support of UNCW and community service.
They will be recognized during the university’s virtual Homecoming celebration Feb. 8-14. New this year is the Distinguished Diversity Award, which honors an individual who has made exceptional contributions in the areas of diversity, equity, access, inclusion and social justice.

The Alumni Organization of Wilmington’s New Hanover High School named Wilbur Jones as one of the school’s 30 Outstanding Alumni
Jones graduated from New Hanover in 1951. The school, which opened in 1922, celebrated its Centennial year with activities in 2022.

Wilmington Designated as World War II Heritage City September 2, 2020
- What’s next after Wilmington’s World War II Heritage City recognition?
- Wilmington’s Role in the Second World War Receives National Recognition
- President Trump honors Veterans in Speech
- Manuscript of Trump Speech in Wilmington
- Wilmington set to become America’s first World War II Heritage City
- Why is Wilmington being named a WWII Heritage City?
- Exciting WWII History Thrives in Wilmington, NC, The Nation’s First WWII Heritage City
New Hanover County Salutes World War II Heritage City designation with Captain Jones Presentation
On September 2, 2020, the City of Wilmington in New Hanover County was named the first American WWII Heritage City in the country. Hear from Wilbur Jones about the process to receive this designation, the importance of preservation, and what it means for our region. WATCH VIDEO
News
Wilmington, N.C. – February 7, 2023 – In a ceremony at Wilmington’s City Hall, Mayor Bill Saffo, on behalf of…
In honor of Veterans, every month, Cape Fear Weekend will post a story that highlights a different veteran in our…
Contact: Jack Fryar dramtreebooks@gmail.com P.O. Box 7183, Wilmington, NC 28406 910-538-4076 History publisher Dram Tree Books announces the release of…
Watch as Wilbur D. Jones, Jr. takes you on a tour of the Hannah Block Historic USO in Wilmington, NC.
Available for Programs and Meetings The Afrika Korps at Home in Wilmington, 1944-46 The U.S. Navy at the Normandy D-Day…
Books
A Sentimental Journey is a social history of the life and culture on the Wilmington and Southeastern North Carolina home front. The personal story of a burgeoning community, it is the first book covering a specific geographic area this extensively.
The Journey Continues: The World War II Home Front is the natural sequel to the authorâ€s first volume on this subject, the highly acclaimed, nationally distributed book, A Sentimental Journey: Memoirs of a Wartime Boomtown, winner of the North Carolina Society of Historians 2003 Willie Parker Peace Book Award.
Hermann O. Pfrengle’s remarkable, breathtaking memoir describes the unorthodox life and travails of an adolescent German boy on the war-scarred home front. As a member of the Jungvolk organization loosely associated with the Hitler Youth, he helped construct the Siegfried Line, worked in the war effort and civilian defense, and attended high school until it was bombed.
Not coincidentally, football employs military terms associated with war, such as “aerial attack,†“blitz,†“field general,†and “trench warfare.†Beyond providing essential jargon, by necessity and choice the military linked with colleges during World War II to preserve the game and keep schools from closing, and utilized footballâ€s rugged physical, mental, and competitive conditioning to prepare men for combat, boost morale, and help win the war.
SOCIALITE. NAVY WIFE. MOTHER OF TWO. Trailblazing freelance photographer. Patricia O’Meara Robbins In 1933 at the age of 22, Pat…