Hall of Fame
Jack Finch
The Finch blueberry farm is well known in North Carolina supplying 90% of the States blueberry bushes, however in North America, it is Jack Finch’s “Homes for Bluebirds” that’s most well known. Jack’s, “Homes for Bluebirds” has assembled and distributed more than 100,000 nest boxes. At one time Jack was monitoring over 2,000 Bluebird nest boxes across North and South Carolina. Jack discovered the lethal nature of metal vent pipes in tobacco curing barns trapping thousands of Bluebirds every year. He alerted the public and worked to get simple wire guards installed around the vent pipe openings. Jack’s efforts to save the Bluebird was featured sometime ago on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. Following the feature his phone lines were flooded with inquires about how to get a Bluebird nest box. The NCBS working with the State Highway Department was able to sponsor and erect a NC State commemorative sign in 2009 that sits at the entrance to the Finch Nursery in Bailey, NC. It is a testimony honoring the work of Jack and his family in propagating Bluebirds throughout North America. Their “Homes for Bluebird” shop is still active today sending nest boxes throughout the United States. Jack passed away in 2006 at age 89, but his contribution to the propagation of the Bluebird in not only North Carolina, but throughout North America will never pass. Jack Finch’s contributions will never be forgotten.
Chuck Bliss
Chuck was born in Billings, Mt. He worked for General Electric for 41 years as the Manager of the House Wares Division and Head of Quality Control. GE moved him from Asheboro, NC to Rockport, NY to Louisville, Ky and finally back to Asheboro. His wife, Mariah, passed some years ago, and he has three adult children. Chuck was President of NCBS for several years. He encouraged and recruited many to take on officer positions on the NCBS Board. He’s best known for having recruited Helen Munro, Kay Hindsley even Ray Welch. All of whom have contributed significantly to the success of our Society. He coordinated several Annual Meetings, hardly missed any, even when he had to have a care driver. Chuck was instrumental in getting the NCBS off the ground in the early difficult days. Chuck recognized the significant work Jack Finch had done to establish a nest box factory shop on his farm in Bailey, NC and worked with the Highway Department for permission to put a sign at the entrance to his farm acknowledging the site where the Bailey Box is made. The success of the Country Coordinator program today is do to Chuck’s ground work. He even went out of State reaching out to the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania for ideas in organizing the North Carolina Counties. Chuck was the best recruiter the Society ever had. His famous words recruiting words were: TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT…..! Congratulations Chuck!
Joye Stephenson
Joye was born in Raleigh and has lived in the area most of her life. She retired from NC State in 2006 after 30 years of service in several Departments. Her love for Bluebirds began in 1998 after given a Bailey nest box as a “going away present.” After watching the Bluebirds at her box she was hooked. She had heard of the famous Bluebird Man of Wake County, Bill Satterwhite, and began “stalking” him at events until she had courage enough to meet him. One of the best days of her life, she says. Bill encouraged her to get involved with the NCBS, Join the Wake County Extension Garden Program, and tag along with him as his “right hand lady” as he monitored numerous trails. Bill had founded the Bluebirds of Wake Club some years prior. Joye would secure the meeting room, recruit speakers, send out reminders, help set up and do whatever was needed. Joye helped start the Bluebird Trail at Garner’s Lake Benson Park and another across the street at White Deer Park. Joye has served in different positions during the past two decades: NCBS Board of Directors, State Coordinator of the County Coordinator Program as well as Wake County Coordinator. Keeping the informational notebooks up to date was her job. She helped organize the 2010 Annual Meeting in Garner where she met and recruited a future NCBS Board President. Joye is a faithful contributor to articles for our Newsletter along with spectacular pictures we all enjoy. Congratulations Joye!
Kay & David Hindsley
Kay was born in Welch, and David in Beckley, WV. Kay met David when she was 12 years old. They started dating when Kay was at Queens University and David at West Point Military Academy. They were married shortly afterward. After officer commissioning, David served in Germany, two tours in Vietnam and one in Korea. He retired at Ft. Bragg as a Lt. Colonel. Kay and David have worked as a team for 58 years. For the past 30 they have been dedicated to bringing back the cherished Bluebird after putting up their first nest box. They initially joined NABS and later NCBS making numerous trips to Bailey, NC to converse with Mr. Bluebird, Jack Finch. They gained as much knowledge as possible then hit the road putting on programs to Garden Clubs, Civic groups, Church groups, Girl & Boy Scouts and School classes; anywhere when asked, including South Carolina and West Virginia. Chuck Bliss recruited Kay as Recording Secretary and later as Corresponding Secretary. David joined as Membership Chairman bringing his computer expertise in dbase and Excel spending hours updating address changes and helping to grow our membership. They would sit together at a table with a roll of stamps, counting and stamping overdue memberships. Kay is a major contributor to planning many Annual Meetings. A professional singer and performer of Bluebird Melody, a staple at most NCBS Annual Meetings. Whether it was maintaining the Door Prize Table, Auction Table, operating the Audio Visual, or coordinating the food, Kay and David did it all. They are prolific writers contributing to numerous articles for magazines in Fayetteville and the Tarboro area. They have been instrumental in establishing Bluebird trails at the Botanical Garden in Fayetteville and at Pope Air Force Base. Congratulations Kay and David!