Page 6 - July 2021 Issue.indd

County me warm,” Porter recounted one of the assasinations of JFK, RFK and Martin
stories in the book. Luther King, Jr. He also writes about
Commissioner other events going on in the 1970s that
Shares Memories Porter’s stories also cover sports and rocked the country. “I remember nearly
how through the county’s old soccer everybody who lived in every house in
in New Book league, towns grew to hate each other town in those days. That’s the way it was

through rivalries.“In those days, we in those days,” said Porter.
By John P. Evans III didn’t watch sports on television, so we
played them ourselves,” he said. “Tony
Having grown up and lived in Caroline Gianninoto and I grew up with each
County, Larry Porter has many fond other and were roommates in college, Porter’s stories also cover
memories of rural life. Over the years, he sports and how through the
and our friendship began because we
has become known as a great storyteller,
rode around on our bikes with our county’s old soccer league,
spinning tales about his family. Now,
gloves over the handlebar looking for towns grew to hate each other
Porter, who is best known these days for a field to play on.”

his service as a county commissioner, is through rivalries. “In those
sharing those stories with others. With days, we didn’t watch sports on
the recent publication of his fi rst book, television, so we played them
Life On Th e Edge, Porter has recorded
those tales for posterity so as to share ourselves,” he said.
his childhood with a larger audience.

“I have been telling stories about my
The book is also filled with photographs

many aunts and uncles and other family
depicting the era, many from the town’s
members for years and I have had a
lot of people tell me I should write a historical archives, as well as many
book,” said Porter. “I fi nally took them he collected from his family’s own
collection.
up on it.”
“Most of the stories are one or two
Though the book is just 110 pages
long, it contains a plethora of stories pages, a story with a photograph, so
they are easy to read. The stories are
from Porter’s personal recollections.
from things I knew, some are from
“The title for the book is two-fold,”
things passed down,” Porter said.
Porter added. “The original family
name was Edge. There are historic Porter had the help of another local
stories about my family, my great-
author, Judy Reveal, in putting his book
grandmothers and grandmothers. Th ey
together for publication and then self-
were a unique batch of characters. Th en
published the book through Kindle Self
there are memories of growing up in Publishing. “Judy helped me a lot. She
Greensboro,” said Porter.
did the editing and she did a great job.
I would type it, then she would format
In the Greensboro parts of the book,
it for publishing. We just kept working
Porter writes about some of the town’s
early businessmen of the late-1900s, Porter also credits Gianninoto’s dad, on it,” credited Porter.
including Fred Monroe, who founded Big Tony, with mentoring a lot of the The book published June 20 and an
a scrapple business, and Irving Ober, young boys in town and introducing
autograph session is scheduled for July
who ran an auto repair business which them to baseball and other sports at a
16 at the Greensboro Museum, which

still operates. There is a chapter on Dr. higher level. “Big Tony took us to our
will receive a portion of the proceeds

Charles Stonefifer, a medical doctor first game, he took us to our fi rst college from the sale of the book. It can be
who practiced in town for 50 years and game, he was a wonderful guy to us,”
purchased online on Amazon and from
who helped deliver Porter as a baby Porter remembered reverently.
Kindle Books, from Porter, and at many
in the living room of his family’s old businesses in Greensboro, Goldsboro,
farmhouse on Cedar Lane. Not all the memories in Porter’s book are Ridgely and Denton. The price of the

happy. He has stories on how deaths of
book is $10. Porter said several more
“I was premature, he delivered me and prominent persons or just dear friends
book signing events are scheduled.

put me in a shoebox lined with cotton. affected him and his friends. He also
He then turned on the stove, opened it writes about how he and his buddies,
up and laid me on its handle to keep and the town overall, reacted to the
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