An Era Closes With the Death of Kay Currie | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Kay Currie, a former member of our Beaufort Observer Team and long time resident and icon of Washington North Carolina passed away leaving behind an interesting history. She was here during the Bill Roberson start up days of television in Eastern North Carolina.

    Not many will remember the days of Snow on your TV Screen and the Early Morning Show in black and white beamed in from Norfolk Va. This was the early days of television in Eastern North Carolina. Then came Bill Roberson, the visionary with a true pioneer spirit who risked it all on a tower near Grifton and a budding TV station in Chocowinity North Carolina. He had already started a radio station (WRRF) in Washington and was ahead of the flock with TV.

    Color was unheard of and many programs were local during the day. There were network programs for early morning and then programs at night. Few will remember Dave Garroway, founding host of the "Today Show" in 1952 or the Ed Sullivan Show of 1948-1971. These were the days of newfound talents and wide-open avenues of things to try and do. Kay Currie was one of those people. The try and do people.

    Katherine Sholler Currie (89), well beloved citizen of Beaufort County, North Carolina, passed away Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at her final residence, Autumn field Assisted Living Home.

    Kay was born and grew up in Philadelphia but grew to love the south where most of her career as a TV personality took place. She enjoyed describing herself as a Southern Bell but identified with the Liberty Bell as well because, as she would say, "I'm a ding-a ling and a little bit cracked."

    Some of her many accomplishments are mentioned in the following article that appeared in a February,1982 edition of "The Centenarian", her Centenary College newspaper, the year she was honored as outstanding alumna of the year.

    Title: "Kay Sholler Currie '50 Brightens Up Television Screen".

    "In a successful television career that has now touched four decades, Kay Sholler Currie"50 has met numerous celebrities and traveled all over the world.

    Currently(1981) the hostess and producer of a popular live talk show on an NBC station in Washington, North Carolina, Kay has interviewed the likes of Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, and Joan Crawford, and has travelled to countries like Switzerland, France and Germany.

    A native of Philadelphia, Kay credits her education at Centenary as the jumping off point for her career.

    "I majored in radio and dramatics at Centenary," recalled Currie. "After I graduated, I got a job at an NBC affiliate in Philadelphia." But her big break came when she secured a position at WCAU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia.

    "I was the program assistant on a daily news and interview show called "Names in The News," said Kay. "It was a fast-paced show and working at the station at the time were Ed McMahon and sportscaster Jack Whittaker. There I met such people as Grace Kelly and Senator Estes Kefauver."

    After the stint in Philadelphia, Kay moved on to KBMT-TV in Beaumont, Texas where she was hostess for "Kay Currie's World", a daily talk and variety program. Among her other chores were hostess of primetime specials, and as a commercial spokeswoman.

    "Kay Currie's World" then became "Kay's Corner" when the broadcasting trail took her to WNBE-TV (now WCTI) in New Bern, North Carolina. Besides being the hostess of her own daily talk show, she was also a news reporter.

    Two years later, Kay moved to Washington, N.C. and station WITN-TV, Channel 7. She became hostess of "Hospitality House", another talk-variety show she enjoyed doing.

    Her other functions at the television station included being a news reporter and hostess for a mystery show, Sherlock Holmes Theater.

    She has just launched a new live morning talk show she does daily, "On Top of it All Today", which features guests, special themes, and studio audience.

    "I returned recently from Switzerland," said Kay, "and I taped interviews with the King and Queen of Romania, and with the grandson of Indian leader, Mahatma Ghandi."

    Kay was involved in community activities where she would be found serving as Mistress of Ceremonies for talent and fashion shows. Also, for many years she volunteered as commentator and announcer at the Washington Yacht and Country Club Golf Tournaments. Kay loved participating. She was a people person and enthusiastically involved in whatever was going on. She, with her 1954 white Cadillac convertible, was cheered at parades all over Eastern North Carolina.

    She was a talented artist and her paintings were exhibited. Brown Library in Washington, NC hosted one exhibit. She loved riding the waves at the ocean on her boogie board, and had a passionate love for animals, even stuffed ones.

    And here closes the pages of another part of Washington's history and heritage, but not forgotten.