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Dates Reunion Location Attendance
1998 1st Wilmington, NC 130
1999 2nd Wilmington, NC 204
2000 3rd Wilmington, NC 250
2001 4th Wilmington, NC 300
2002 5th Wilmington, NC 400
2003 6th Wilmington, NC 300-
2004 7th Wilmington, NC 200+
2005 8th Wilmington, NC 200+
2006 9th Wilmington, NC 200+
2007 10th Wilmington, NC 200+
1998 1st Wilmington, NC 130
1999 2nd Wilmington, NC 204
2000 3rd Wilmington, NC 250
2001 4th Wilmington, NC 300
2002 5th Wilmington, NC 400
2003 6th Wilmington, NC 300-
2004 7th Wilmington, NC 200+
2005 8th Wilmington, NC 200+
2006 9th Wilmington, NC 200+
2007 10th Wilmington, NC 200+
Jack Potter & Jennings Blanton
Author & Co-founder Delgado/Spofford Mills Association
Letters of Welcome from Mayors of Wilmington and the Governor of
North Carolina to our 9th & 10 Annual Reunions
North Carolina to our 9th & 10 Annual Reunions
Delgado/Spofford Mills Association, Wilmington, North Carolina
THE STORY OF OUR BEGINNING
The Delgado/Spofford Mills Annual Reunions have been held
at the Elk's Lodge on Oleander Drive, Wilmington, North
Carolina since 1998. The Association was started when
William J. (Jennings) Blanton and Jack Potter, two boyhood
friends in Wilmington in the 1930s and 40s, met in a
MacDonald's restaurant in Cary, NC. Over coffee and a
biscuit, they discussed the possibility of getting with a half
dozen boyhood friends and laugh and talk about growing up
on the "Mill Hill", at the old and destroyed Spofford Mills.
They agreed to make a few phone calls to friends in
Wilmington, and in less than 2 months the word spread like
grass fire, and between April and June 1998 there were 130
former residents and/or employees of the old mill who wanted
to meet for a reunion. A lady in Wilmington named Louise
Constantineau was unusually helpful in spreading the word
among the ladies.
Two brothers, Charles and Douglas Bridges, also boyhood
friends, along with Harry Fryer, a long time friend and
brother-in-law of Jennings, agreed to handle the logistical
requirements for the reunion. Since the number of persons
who wanted to attend were never exactly known, it was
decided to have a covered dish luncheon affair; it has worked
beautifully ever since. Each family brought several dishes,
and food has always been plentiful.
As we approach our 10th Annual Reunion, we are hopeful
that some of the younger generation will step forward, and
keep the Association going many more years to come.
The Delgado/Spofford Mills Annual Reunions have been held
at the Elk's Lodge on Oleander Drive, Wilmington, North
Carolina since 1998. The Association was started when
William J. (Jennings) Blanton and Jack Potter, two boyhood
friends in Wilmington in the 1930s and 40s, met in a
MacDonald's restaurant in Cary, NC. Over coffee and a
biscuit, they discussed the possibility of getting with a half
dozen boyhood friends and laugh and talk about growing up
on the "Mill Hill", at the old and destroyed Spofford Mills.
They agreed to make a few phone calls to friends in
Wilmington, and in less than 2 months the word spread like
grass fire, and between April and June 1998 there were 130
former residents and/or employees of the old mill who wanted
to meet for a reunion. A lady in Wilmington named Louise
Constantineau was unusually helpful in spreading the word
among the ladies.
Two brothers, Charles and Douglas Bridges, also boyhood
friends, along with Harry Fryer, a long time friend and
brother-in-law of Jennings, agreed to handle the logistical
requirements for the reunion. Since the number of persons
who wanted to attend were never exactly known, it was
decided to have a covered dish luncheon affair; it has worked
beautifully ever since. Each family brought several dishes,
and food has always been plentiful.
As we approach our 10th Annual Reunion, we are hopeful
that some of the younger generation will step forward, and
keep the Association going many more years to come.
Reunions & Beginnings
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