P. R. Latta: Profile from Examiner.com

http://www.examiner.com/elections-2010-in-raleigh/ninth-annual-pr-latta-...

Each year the Wake County Young Democrats hold a major fundraiser, and one person is honored at a dinner and awarded that year's P. R. Latta Award. According to Zeke Creech who presided over the first award dinner in 2001, the award is intended to honor a Democrat for his/her lifetime of service to the Democratic Party and to their community.

The award is named in honor of P. R. Latta of Raleigh. Latta is an institution in the Democratic Party and in the communications industry.

He is also an outstanding member of the Raleigh community. Perhaps what are most important are his generosity and his willingness to mentor and share his knowledge in all things freely to those who will put the knowledge to good use.

According to Doris Weaver, a lobbyist with the Communication Workers of America, and a former Chair of the Wake Democratic Party,

Most people will just tell you how generous he is with his PA [public address] system. But he has put out political yard signs and made stakes to put them up. In recent years he was the only one still making wooden stakes, but over the years he probably cut over 2 million stakes.

Besides that, even at the age of 91, he still manages to grow vegetables in an acre garden, and he shares the veggies with neighbors and friends who drop in to visit.

The list of Latta's accomplishments is long. He is best known as an expert on the State Plan of Organization for the Democratic Party and his firm insistence that party officials abide by its rules. Weaver said that despite their friendship of many years, Latta would not hesitate to point out her deviation from the rules.

But she added quickly that he would do it in a way to teach, not just to scold.

When asked if she remembered how she first met Latta, Weaver said, "Oh yes! We met some 30 odd years ago. I was from out in Western North Carolina, so I had not met him until I came to Raleigh for a conference."

As a new delegate to the union which was meeting in Raleigh, Weaver had been instructed on how to vote on an endorsement at the conference. But Latta introduced himself and asked her how she planned to vote.

Weaver told him she planned to vote "No." Latta then asked her why, and she told him she had been told to by the experienced delegates.

Latta asked her if she couldn't "think for herself." Weaver said she told him of course she could. Then Latta told her that if she wanted, she was invited to attend a meeting with former Governor Terry Sanford. Her group was opposing the endorsement of Sanford, who was then seeking another office.

Weaver took Latta up on his invitation, met with Sanford and others, and the next day voted for him, and not against him. She said the ride back to Asheville was quite uncomfortable, as her associates weren't speaking to her. They were sure Weaver had made a mistake, and that Sanford would lose the election.

Sanford won the election.

Weaver says that after that she always did her own homework and made her decisions based on that--and she and Latta remained friends. "I've been thinking for myself and a friend of P. R.'s ever since."

Aside from his influence on countless Democrats like Weaver, Latta had a distinguished career as both a worker for Southern Bell (now AT&T) and as a lobbyist for the Communication Workers (CWA). When asked what other community activities he was involved in, Latta paused and over the phone was heard to be counting.

When asked what he was counting, he said, "Plaques. I count 'bout 20 or so on the wall here. These are plaques from different groups that honored me."

He was also a distinguished World War II Veteran. He was drafted at the age of 21, shortly after he moved to North Carolina and began his work in the telephone industry. He was assigned to the Signal Corps served for almost four years. He was part of the assault group that took Omaha Beach on D Day.

He was in Europe for months after, until the war ended. He was preparing to go to the Pacific, when WWII ended. Latta provided a detailed history of his time in the Army, and it makes for riveting reading.

Latta's beloved wife, Gaynell, has died, but he has two sons, P. R. Latta, Jr., and Kenneth Latta, and several grand children.

Asked how he met his wife, Latta said she worked for the same phone company inside, and he worked outside as an installer and repairman. He met her at the company office, and "She looked pretty good."

"I called her up and asked her out, but she wouldn't go out with me, 'cause I had my work shoes on."

Latta said his wife became his "secretary, because so many people called him to talk or leave messages." Weaver said his wife kept all the newspaper articles about Latta, all the certificates he received, and saved them up for many years.

When honored over 20 years ago by the Pioneers of Southern Bell, the presenter wrote this: "He [Latta] would tell anyone, 'I don't mind coming when your ask me to help you get out of the ditch with your problem, but you had better be looking at the print, when I get there."

This was to say, i. e., he didn't mind helping you, but he wanted you to be trying to help yourself.

He has helped many, many people, and his name was used yet again to help the Democratic Party on Thursday, August 19.

Comment by Chris Telesca 1 day ago

I can think of no better person for the Wake YDs to both name an award for or aspire to be like than P.R. Latta. As someone who has learned much from P.R. over the years and - yes - who has had P.R. "fuss" at me, I always value the lessons he teaches to do your research and "think" for yourself and stick up for what you believe in.

We need more people to think for themselves and not follow the herd. And when you think for yourself, and you become part of the Democratic Party - which is the state's largest organization - you make the Party stronger and give it more leverage to do the work of getting good Democrats elected to turn our party platform into public policy.

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