If our Sister City can name a street for Fayetteville, then Fayetteville can name a street for our sister city.
That’s the thinking of Kris Johnson and the Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance, and that’s just what the nonprofit organization is doing with help from the city by renaming the downtown Walter Street to Saint-Avold Avenue in honor of our international sister city in France.
“In June 1994, when Saint-Avold officially adopted Fayetteville as its sister city, they renamed the road that runs in front of the Lorraine American Cemetery to ‘Avenue de Fayetteville,’” says Johnson, 58, who has led the way in developing the Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance. “Martha Duell was there for the sign unveiling. For a city of only 20,000 residents, they embrace our relationship in such deep ways. I thought that Fayetteville should be able to do the same with a city the size as ours.”
A moment, if you will, because you cannot talk about Saint-Avold and this city without talking about the late Martha Duell, who championed the Saint-Avold and Fayetteville sistership more than anyone in this city.
“A lady I deeply admired,” Johnson says about Duell, who died at age 90 on July 24, 2015.
You almost could feel Martha Duell’s presence when Johnson presented her request on April 24 to the Fayetteville City Council to have the street renamed Saint-Avold Avenue.
“Given that there are no barriers to this change, I respectfully ask that you approve this new street name,” Johnson said. “There are no commercial or private properties on Walter Street. The request went to the Airborne museum that is at 100 Bragg Blvd., and then the Veterans Park at 300 Bragg Blvd.”
No opposition from either, Johnson told the council, and no issue from Cumberland County.
“A name change,” Johnson assured the council, “will not inconvenience any business or residence.”
Some history
Johnson also would buoy her request with some history.
“September will mark the 30 years of Fayetteville official recognition of Saint-Avold as our international sister city,” Johnson said. “A small delegation of dignitaries from Saint-Avold is planning a weeklong visit here to our community to celebrate this anniversary, when Saint-Avold officially adopted Fayetteville as its sister city. Saint-Avold renamed the road that runs in front of the Lorraine American Cemetery, the final resting place for 10,489 of our fellow Americans who died during World War II. It is the largest World War II cemetery in Europe, bigger than the one located at Normandy by more than 1,000 graves. One of those Americans that rests there is Pvt. William M. Shaw of Fayetteville. So I ask you to please help the Fayetteville-Saint Old Friendship Alliance continue to strengthen our bonds with our international sister city by approving our street renaming request.”
Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins made the motion that got unanimous approval to rename the street.
“Mr. Mayor, it gives me a great honor to make this motion, and just a little bit of history,” Dawkins would say in remembrance of his late father, J.L. Dawkins, the longest-serving mayor in city history. “Dad was very focused on relations between the city of Fayetteville and Saint-Avold. Roger Stancil was very involved at the time as assistant city manager to John Smith.”
All were passionate about the relationship between Fayetteville and Saint-Avold, and all were in support of Martha Duell’s passion for Saint-Avold and Fayetteville as sister cities.
Saint-Avold dignitaries heading our way
There’s something of a backstory, Johnson says, on just how this Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance was organized, and all of the credit is to Johnson, who was a member of the Lafayette Society that once managed the Sister City program.
“In early 2020, Hank Parfitt surveyed the board and asked them to prioritize all of the efforts that the Lafayette Society does,” she says, noting the Lafayette birthday celebration and the annual March commemoration of the Revolutionary War military Gen. Marquis de LaFayette, who once visited Fayetteville in 1825, and where Lafayette Park is named in his honor. “The board did not see the value of the Sister City program and voted it as their second-to-last priority. So, I told Hank that I would set up the Sister City program under a different umbrella.”
Johnson created an alliance board, applied for a nonprofit status with the state and, in 2021, the Fayetteville-Saint Avold Friendship Alliance became a reality with a mission of promoting an appreciation of the sacrifices that have been made by American and French men and women who served to protect liberty and freedom; to promote and enhance the historical, cultural and educational relationships between Fayetteville and Saint-Avold; and to provide educational and cultural exchanges between residents of Fayetteville and Saint-Avold.
Board members include Bud Lafferty, treasurer; former Fayetteville City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell, assistant treasurer; Stacie Ferry, secretary; Bruce Daws, historian; Karen Canady, educational exchange chairwomen; Jennifer Smith and Sarah Brown, co-chairwomen of the membership committee; Daphne Mellot, fundraising chairwoman; Ann McCrae, cultural exchange chairwoman; Jason Canady, communications chairman; and Johnson as president. There are, according to Johnson, 48 alliance members.
Close your eyes, and you can just see Martha Duell smiling from heaven above.
“We will have a small delegation of visitors from Saint-Avold here during the last week of September,” Johnson says. “They will be here for the International Folk Festival, another legacy of Mrs. Duell’s, and the actual anniversary of our relationship. At this time, the city historian, two deputy mayors and possibly the mayor of Saint-Avold will be here. I am hoping to do a sign unveiling with the Saint-Avold delegation’s visit in September. It has been at least 10 years since we have had a delegation here from France on an official visit, and I am very excited to host them.”
While this city will be celebrating its Saint-Avold visitors, Johnson says, Saint-Avold will be celebrating “American Week” the week after Memorial Day in 2024, and anyone who calls Fayetteville home is welcome to travel to Saint-Avold and be a part of the festivities.
“Saint-Avold is actually celebrating the relationship with the U.S. starting this year and going into to next,” Johnson says. “I’ve been asked to provide information about what an American Christmas looks like, what we eat, etc., for their ‘American Christmas Week’ in December. Saint-Avold was liberated by U.S. troops from the Nazis on Nov. 27, 1944, so they will be commemorating the 80th anniversary of that event in their history, too.”
Epilogue
So, there you have it.
We’ll have a new street named for our Saint-Avold visitors in September, just as Saint-Avold has done for this city.
“This is a fitting tribute in honor of our 30-year relationship with the wonderful people of Saint- Avold,” Johnson says, and it couldn’t have been done without the support of folks to include Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins, Councilwoman Kathy Keefe Jensen, City Manager Douglas Hewett, elected county leaders and retired city historian Bruce Daws.
And certainly not without Kris Johnson.
“I hope this will help bring greater awareness of the International Sister City program,” Johnson says. “I believe Mrs. Duell would be very proud.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
