DATE: Sunday, May 11, 1997                  TAG: 9705090282

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: IDA KAY'S PORTSMOUTH 

SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan 

                                            LENGTH:   63 lines

TRIP ACROSS OCEAN WILL TEACH US MANY THINGS

The Sister Cities relationship with Portsmouth, England, is expanding some more this week with an official delegation of Portsmouthians from Virginia headed across the Atlantic on Thursday.

The delegation will be led by Mayor James Holley, reciprocating a recent visit here by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, England.

The city is sending three others: Marketing and Communications Director Ken Wheeler, City Councilman Cameron Pitts, and Monte Martin of the mayor's office, the city liaison with the Sister Cities Commission.

The mayor, Wheeler and Martin are taking their spouses.

``We are all paying for our husbands and wives,'' said Monte Martin, who husband, Robert, is a Norfolk fireman.

Others in the delegation are School Superintendent and Mrs. Richard Trumble; Sharon Moran, a teacher and member of the Sister Cities Commission; and J. Brewer Moore and Elijah ``Buddy'' Sharp, who are civic league leaders.

Retired Coast Guard Capt. and Mrs. Neal Westfall, members of the commission, are already in England and will be meeting the group in Portsmouth.

The folks from here will be staying in homes of Portsmouth, England, residents. The trip sounds good - a mix of history and parties, and even a day in London.

They'll start their stay in Portsmouth with a formal call on the Lord Mayor. Then they'll see the sites, including the D-Day Museum and the Heritage Area with the Royal Navy Museum. The week will include visits to the Charles Dickens Museum, literary sites at the Highland Cemetery, and Arundel Castle.

Sounds like fun.

Others who have been to our English sister city tell me that the folks in England really have done a good job of making history important and of attracting visitors. And they recently got a national grant to expand their waterfront facilities.

Maybe our delegation can pick up some ideas.

Trumble already has requested the hosts to arrange visits to schools. Moore wants to see the sanitation/wastewater facilities.

At a meeting to pick up tickets and get last-minute instructions last Wednesday night, the others were not as specific.

The mayor was looking forward to a change of venue.

``Would you believe I've turned down 30 invitations for him just for the week we'll be away?'' Martin said.

But he'll still be busy, she added.

Some people question the use of city funds for such trips, and perhaps sending four city delegates is a bit much. Basically, however, the Sister City relation with the English Portsmouth is a good thing. Many people from there have visited us and have enlarged our vision of the world.

But, most important, this city was named for that city. We share many things. Portsmouth, England, is a center of British naval activity just as we are a center of naval activity. History was made there just as history was made here.

Of course, their history goes back a lot farther than ours. But ours is as old as this country.

Apparently, they have a lot of appreciation for their history and know how to make it good for their economy.

Portsmouth, Virginia, needs to work on appreciation of its history, which is as important as any history in this nation. For too long we have not made the most of it.

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