Home Care In Clyde, NC

Popular Franklin Street restaurants like The Rat and Zoom Zoom are long gone, and campus landmarks like the Scuttlebutt and Tin Can have been razed to make way for the Kenan Music Building and Fetzer Gym. But as Clyde Christensen makes his daily lunchtime walk around town and campus, it's not hard to reach back 45 years and conjure up Mike Voight running the toss sweep for seven more yards and the Eagles' Hotel California blaring out from a third-floor suite at Ehringhaus Dorm.

"They've put up a lot of new stuff, but the nuts and bolts and brick and mortar of this place are the same," says Christenson, a Tar Heel quarterback from 1976-78 and during the 2023 season a volunteer offensive analyst on Coach Mack Brown's staff. "I take a walk and have great memories. The big things are still the big things. They've put up a few parking lots, but at the end of the day, it's still the same quaint, cool place where I came to school."

Christensen was born in January 1956 at Los Angeles County Hospital and put up for adoption by his 15-year-old mother. He was welcomed into the Fresno home of Dick Christensen, a young Presbyterian minister, and his wife, and he grew up in the church, his faith serving as a cornerstone to his life ever since. Christensen was recruited out of the California JUCO ranks by Lou Holtz at NC State but then got a phone call from Jim Donnan, the offensive coordinator at Carolina under Bill Dooley.

One visit to Chapel Hill was all he needed to seal the deal.

"This campus sold me," Christensen says. "I came here and made up my mind pretty quickly. I was a California guy who really wanted to find a college town. It was my chance to see the East Coast and places I'd never been before. I figured I'd get back to California eventually, but the Lord had other plans."

Christensen was red-shirted in 1976 and then played in a reserve role at quarterback in 1977 (Dooley's final team that went 7-3-1 and won the ACC championship) and in 1978 (Dick Crum's first team that finished 5-6). He earned a degree in industrial management at Carolina and was a popular member of the team, absorbing everything he could about the inner workings of a coaching staff and how to teach the game.

"I just remember it being so tough," he says. "Back in the day, Ehringhaus wasn't air conditioned and you had three-a-days in August, and it was hot as all get out. The off-season was unbelievably tough and training camp was unbelievably tough. Everyone was in that dorm, everyone was suffering, everyone was grinding. I remember how it brought you together and you had to endure something that was extremely tough together.

"I am very grateful for that experience, for how it molded me and everyone else on that team."

Christensen launched into a coaching odyssey that took him to Mississippi, East Tennessee, Temple, East Carolina, Holy Cross, South Carolina, Maryland and Clemson in the college ranks and Tampa Bay (twice), Indianapolis and Miami in the NFL. He's won Super Bowls as receivers coach with the Colts after the 2006 season and quarterbacks coach with the Bucs after the 2020 campaign. He moved to the quarterbacks coach slot at Indianapolis and from 2009-15 coached Peyton Manning, then moved to Tampa Bay and coached Tom Brady during Brady's three-year run with the Buccaneers.

"There is no position in the world of sports like the quarterback," he says. "It's so unique. You're in that huddle and you've got all nationalities, body types and educations. You've got a receiver who wants the ball and a running back who wants the ball. You've got loud guys and passive guys. Meanwhile, you've got the other guys wanting to knock your head off. Your job is to keep everyone moving in the right direction.

"I admire Peyton and Tom so much. They could handle all that and manage their lives and a large income. You have to manage people coming at you from every direction, manage the naysayers and the media. Oh, and by the way, have a wife and children. And do it every week. It crushes a lot of people."

Christensen met his wife Debbie, a cheerleader at Carolina, through a campus FCA chapter, and they had three daughters and now have six grandchildren. In the homestretch of his career, Christensen acknowledged that his wife "had chased my dream with me her whole life" and it was now time to move closer to her aging parents in Winston-Salem. He worked out a volunteer offensive analyst role with Brown and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and has been part of the Tar Heel program since last spring.

"I am so grateful to Coach Brown for giving me a little cubbyhole and a spot to hang out and get my football fix," he says. "I don't know what happens after the season, but at some level I would always love to be involved here. It's my school. I love this place."

No one quite appreciates the idea of "homecoming" the way Christensen does this week. He's heard that teammates like Lawrence Taylor and Amos Lawrence might be in the house Saturday night.

"LT was a suitemate for three years," Christensen says. "He was a great teammate and a loyal guy, one of the more loyal teammates a guy could ever have. We've stayed in touch over the years. There's a bond among the Carolina guys in the league. Jeff Saturday, David Thornton and I wore our Tar Heel shirts when we were in Indy. You'd seek out the Carolina guys pre-game as you traveled through the league. The Carolina logo and colors carry a lot of weight."

Often Christensen will arrive at Kenan Football Center early in the morning, take the elevator to the fifth floor where he can sit, read his morning devotional and watch the sun come up from the east. What goes around, does in fact come around.

Chapel Hill writer Lee Pace (Carolina '79) is in his 34th season writing about Tar Heel football under the "Extra Points" banner. Look for his columns throughout the season. Write him at [email protected] and follow him @LeePaceTweet.

DAVIDSON, N.C. (June 13, 2023) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Davidson College’s joint venture, Common Thread Theatre Collective, will produce the Tony Award-nominated comedy “Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage in its North Carolina premiere directed by Luther Wells. The show will run the next two weekends beginning June 16 at Barber Theatre on Davidson College’s campus.

The theatre collective was established in 2022 to tell stories that center marginalized communities–bringing together faculty and students who may have different backgrounds, but share the same love for theatre.

“Clyde’s” serves up an unforgettable story about community, healing, creativity, mindfulness, forgiveness and big dreams. The play takes place at a truck stop sandwich shop that hires formerly incarcerated individuals as kitchen staff. They long for redemption even as the sandwich shop’s callous owner, Clyde, played by Angela Williams Tripp, tries to keep them down. Clyde is like a prison warden who has the upper hand and knows it. We sense that she does not want her employees to succeed; though they are physically free, she longs to keep them psychologically imprisoned.

Tyler Madden, who plays Montrellous, is a master sandwich chef and a modern-day shaman whose sandwich creations are sublime. He inspires his co-workers – former addict Rafael (portrayed by Eduardo Sanchez), struggling single mother Letitia (played by H’arrya Canty) and Jason, a gang member (Scott Tynes Miller) – to reclaim their lives. These unlikely sandwich makers find purpose and inspiration through a shared quest to create the perfect sandwich.

Please be advised that this production contains strong language, adult situations and references to drug usage. Suggested for ages 16 and older.

Production Dates and Times

Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m.

Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.

Location

Barber Theatre (Davidson College campus)

310 N. Main St.

Davidson, N.C.

Ticket information

Adults – $28

Seniors – $23

Students – $15

Faculty and staff – $23

Tickets can be purchased here.

Expanding on the success of Common Thread Theatre Collective’s nationally-recognized inaugural season, this season is made possible by generous funding from the Bacca Visiting Scholar and Artist Program, the Clark Ross Academic Innovation Fund, North Carolina A&T State University’s College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Division of Student Affairs, Arts and Science Council of Charlotte, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department and Natural & Cultural Resources.

Learn more by visiting the website or by emailing Karli Henderson at [email protected].

The tune of “Happy Birthday” came from behind the register of Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque as Debbie Wray, the restaurant’s owner, sang to a group of smiling customers. This year marks 85 years of Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque creating a welcoming space and building a family through community.

On New Year’s Day 1938, founder Clyde Cooper opened a barbecue restaurant with money lent from his brother and a passion for good barbecue. Now, 85 years later, the restaurant has become a monument with a loyal fan base that extends past state lines.

Cooper ran the restaurant for 50 years. Today, Wray runs the restaurant with her daughter, Ashley Jessup.

The barbecue joint also has a long history of inclusivity. When Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque first opened, restaurants in the American South were segregated. There were typically two separate entrances — one for Black customers and one for white customers.

Wray said Cooper’s restaurant was different.

“Clyde was probably the first pioneer [in Raleigh] in letting everybody come through the same door,” Wray said. “His theory was that everybody’s money is green. They should be able to come in just like everybody else.”

Server Sara Rusin said to this day, Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque continues to treat every customer and employee like family.

For the first 76 years of business, Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque sat on East Davie Street in downtown Raleigh before it was torn down for the construction of apartment buildings. In 2014, the restaurant was forced to relocate around the corner to South Wilmington Street.

This move, however, could not — and would not — erase the restaurant’s history. Features of the old building were incorporated into the decor of the new building; the original outdoor awning was hung above a nostalgic lunch counter, and the old front door was hung on the wall, proudly displaying a sign stating “Cash Only.”

A major part of Wray and Jessup’s mission is to continue Cooper’s legacy by making decisions for the restaurant he would have made himself.

“The previous owner changed some things to cut costs and stuff,” Jessup said. “And since my mom knew Clyde and she had gotten his recipes, she knew what he expected out of his food. So we brought it back to that.”

Being from eastern North Carolina, Cooper based his menu around the eastern vinegar-based barbecue. He believed it was important for customers to try the barbecue the way it came before changing anything.

“He was all about having clean, lean barbecue,” Wray said. “If you want more sauce, there’s sauce on the table; you can add some. If something’s not salty enough, there’s salt on the table.”

As time passed, however, there were a few things at Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque that changed. Just this past weekend they started selling beer, and only four years ago, the restaurant started accepting payment with credit cards.

“It took us 81 years to start taking [credit cards], so we kept things Clyde’s way until we really just had to get with the day and age,” Jessup said.

Wray ran the restaurant on the weekends from 1989 to 1995, learning the business from Cooper himself. She became the owner in 2008.

“It was interesting because Clyde would come and sit with me at the cash register,” Wray said. “That’s why there’s a chair right over there — you could be at the cash register, and he always sat in a chair close to you.”

These interactions left Wray with the stories of Cooper that she tells today as well as the secrets behind his famous barbecue and, one of her favorites, the Brunswick stew.

Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque has a wide variety of menu items, including a vegetable plate with options like fried okra, coleslaw and macaroni and cheese, as well as fried chicken, beef brisket and desserts like banana pudding.

While Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque is heavily treasured in North Carolina, its fan base doesn’t stop at the state’s border.

“We have people that [as] soon as they land at the airport, they’re in here,” Wray said. “We have pilots, flight attendants. We have people from all over this world that come and eat with us.”

Support the restaurant’s 85th birthday by checking them out at 327 S. Wilmington St. in Raleigh.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The BBQ staple that started in downtown Raleigh nearly a century ago doesn’t have a secret to success besides serving consistently good BBQ all these years, which has kept customers coming back again and again.

What You Need To Know

At 85 years old, Clyde Cooper’s BBQ is one of the oldest and most well-known restaurants on Raleigh’s barbecue scene. Since opening its doors in 1938, it’s become famous for its eastern style BBQ and southern fried chicken. Consistency is the key to its success, cooking as close as possible to the same recipes Clyde Cooper, the original owner, started with decades ago.

“Everybody I talk to says the food’s great, so I just try to keep that standard and hopefully not let anything change,” Daniel Jessup, the head cook at Cooper’s, said.

Jessup has been the head cook for the past four years, but it’s been a staple in his family for generations before him. He said it’s hard to believe that there are people living in Raleigh who have never heard of Clyde Cooper’s BBQ.

“Got all the pictures throughout the years and all the celebrities and everything that people have come in,” Jessup said. “So people like seeing that on the walls. There’s always people walking around looking at all the pictures.”

They offer six different types of meat and all kinds of southern sides, but if it gets past two in the afternoon, Jessup recommends calling ahead to make sure there’s still meat left after the lunch rush. When they’re out for the day, he says there’s simply no more to be had.

“A lot of times, we’ll have people standing outside the door five, ten minutes till 11, waiting to come in,” Jessup said. “So sometimes we’ll close at 2:30, 3, sometimes we’ll be open till 6.”

Although 85 years is no small amount, Jessup says they’re definitely looking forward to being around to celebrate 100. He says their mission is to serve high quality, consistent food with the best customer service possible.

“We have a lot of people that enjoy the beef brisket, but a lot of people come for that chicken and barbecue,” Jessup said.

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — As Clyde Elementary School prepares for Thanksgiving, there's much appreciation for special education teacher Jessalyn Rathbone.

As Clyde Elementary School prepares for Thanksgiving, there's much appreciation for special education teacher Jessalyn Rathbone. (Credit: WLOS)

Amanda Putnam, along with her children, 8-year-old Maeanna and 7-year-old Micah, nominated Ms. Rathbone for Thanks to Teachers.

"Miss Rathbone is actually my sister, my younger sister," Putnam said. "But, I probably look up to her more than she looks up to me. She's just such an example of what a teacher should be."

The big-hearted Rathbone recently spent the day teaching her students about the human heart, complete with pictures and bottles of red juice for "blood." The lesson ended with each student placing their cutout paper heart in the right place on paper cutouts of each student. Those cutouts already have lungs, stomachs, and intestines from previous lessons.

THANKS TO TEACHERS: CHELSEA INGRAM

"My ultimate goal every day is to be able to come to school and to see kids, that they have a purpose and life has great possibilities for them," Rathbone said.

Rathbone, who says she was inspired by her special needs cousin, says she always wanted to teach exceptional children, adding she owes much of her success to her loving family, teachers assistants, and the Clyde community.

"When you have a family that loves you, it makes your evenings a lot better, so you can rejuvenate for the next day and come and give your best at school," the teacher of eight years said.

In addition to being named Haywood County's Exceptional Children's Teacher of the Year, Jessalyn Rathbone also led the effort to add a special needs playground to the school.

"It's hard to watch kids with mobility issues or special needs of any kind sit and watch others play whenever they are not able to," she said.

Rathbone said it took years of work and multiple donors before the playground was completed in May.

"Learning is a social experience. Not only am I teaching my academics, I'm teaching my students how to be people and interact with others," Rathbone explained.

THANKS TO TEACHERS: CHRISTINA HUGHES

Putnam said her little sister has profoundly impacted Maeanna and Micah, inspiring them to learn sign language to communicate better with some of Rathbone's students.

"To get to see her live that dream out is just so rewarding," Putnam said.