I’m not sure when Carol Bessent Hayman (1927-2017) ever had time to sleep. In addition to her role as a doctor’s wife and mother to two children, she was a prolific writer. She wrote poetry, essays, columns, meditations, articles, short stories, and correspondence, oh so much correspondence.
I was never privileged to meet Carol in person, but I feel I have gotten to know her intimately through my volunteer work at The History Museum of Carteret County. There I work in the archives department, cataloging items that have been donated. Several years ago, in 2018 to be exact, Carol’s daughter Susie Hayman brought us the entire collection of her mother’s papers and other memorabilia related to her mother’s life. The objects include her famous newsboy-style writer’s hat, the rocking chair she sat in for Sunday School lessons as a young child, and numerous awards.
The collection consists of approximately 18 linear feet of written material. Our first job was to sort through the mountain contained in scrapbooks, photo albums, hanging file boxes, and folders. Because newspaper does not age well, each item needed to be photocopied and then the copies were organized chronologically. Not only were there voluminous articles written by Carol, there were also approximately 175 articles written about her. These articles about her life and work came from sources such as the Tideland News, the Fayetteville Observer and the Kinston Daily Free Press.
The collection contains a large number of magazines such as Listen, Mature Living, Contact, Vista, Marriage & Family Living, and Carolina Country that all contain selected pieces of her work. There are issues that span the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.
Carol wrote a weekly newspaper column for the Onslow Herald and a bimonthly column for Eastern Weekly. Her entries in the Carteret News-Times ran not just for years, but for decades. In her columns, she created a folksy, nostalgic, sentimental feeling with her words and turns of phrase. It was as if she and her readers would figuratively pour a cup of coffee, sit down and have a chat together to start off their day well. She offered astute observations about small town life and wrote picturesquely about changing seasons and holidays. She expressed the beauty in simple things around her – a glorious sunset, a porch swing, the fragrance of pine at Christmas.
If I were to define one common thread that ran through all of her writings, I would say “gratitude.” She was grateful for her family, friends and community; her strong faith in God; and her love of God’s creation in nature. She developed quite a following. People looked forward to reading her columns, so much so, that after Carol was no longer able to produce any more original work due to declining health, the newspaper continued reprinting previous “best loved” columns. U.S. Senator Jesse Helms was a particularly devoted fan, and we have several letters he wrote to Carol in which he expresses his admiration for her writing talent.
Carol was published in numerous editions of The Upper Room and Pathways to God, both daily devotional guides. She was especially proud of her work appearing in Ideals and Hallmark publications.
Carol produced several books. These Lovely Days and What is Christmas? are two from which selected pieces were then reprinted in many different publications. She collaborated with local artist Alan Cheek to produce two greeting cards.
Carol shared her love of writing with others. She took seriously her position of having been named poet laureate of both the town of Beaufort and also Carteret County, creating opportunities to promote poetry to a variety of different audiences. She was instrumental in organizing a poetry contest for middle grade students while at the same time teaching Creative Writing classes to senior citizens. Carol worked with dedication to promote the work of two organizations dear to her heart The National League of American Pen Women and her alma mater Louisburg College. Every year, she wrote a Christmas poem as a gift to the citizens of Carteret County. She helped to organize and was the founding president of Carteret Writers, this organization that has been helping writers to connect with one another since its beginning in 1983.
At this particular time, I am currently entering her correspondence from 1979 into Past Perfect, the database we use. I assign a coded number to each letter to and from Carol, summarize the contents, scan it into the computer, and then protect each page using acid-free tissue. The computerized records will be made available to the public.
Who knows how these primary source documents may be used in the future? At some point, a graduate student may choose to write a thesis on Poetry of Eastern North Carolina and these papers will prove to be an invaluable source of information. Perhaps Hayman’s descendants will want to look through their great-great-grandmother’s things to better understand from where they inherited their love of language. Perhaps someone would like to find a particularly inspirational quote to include while composing a 4th of July celebration speech. The Museum of Carteret County will be there to help provide what is needed and to ensure that Carol Bessent Hayman’s legacy continues.
