Mena Webb
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Wilhelmena Katherine Fuller "Mena" Webb (April 26, 1915 – May 23, 2012) was an American writer and editor. She taught writing classes at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
's Evening College, was a columnist and society editor at ''
The Herald-Sun ''The Herald-Sun'' is an American, English language daily newspaper in Durham, North Carolina, published by the McClatchy Company. History ''The Herald-Sun'' began publication on January 1, 1991, as the result of a merger of ''The Durham Morn ...
'', a novelist, and the author of a biography on the industrialist Julian Carr.


Early life, family, and education

Webb was born Wilhelmena Katherine Fuller in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
on April 26, 1915, to Ralph Bell Fuller and Caro Lou Bacon Fuller. She was the granddaughter of Bartholomew Fuller, a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
elder and civic leader who served on the Board of Education for
Durham Public Schools The Durham Public Schools district is a public school district in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina. Formed in 1992 with the merger of Durham, North Carolina, Durham's previous two school districts, it is 8th largest school sys ...
. She was a grandniece of Thomas Charles Fuller, a
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
politician, and a niece of Thomas Blount Fuller, a prominent businessman and civic leader. Her great-grandfather was Scottish architect William Bell. Webb was named after her grandmother, Wilhelmina Haldane Bell Fuller. When Webb was six weeks old, her family moved to
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
and lived in a house on Cleveland Street, across from the Fuller School, which was named after her grandfather. She was educated in Durham city schools and went on to attend
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
, the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
, and the Croft Secretarial and Accounting School.


Career

Webb worked at ''
The Durham Sun ''The Herald-Sun'' is an American, English language daily newspaper in Durham, North Carolina, published by the McClatchy Company. History ''The Herald-Sun'' began publication on January 1, 1991, as the result of a merger of ''The Durham Morn ...
'' as a society editor."The legacy of Mena Webb." The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.). May 29, 2012. She also wrote her own stories and short pieces, the first published story was titled ''Childish Things'' and was included in the University of North Carolina's periodical ''Writers by Moonlight''. Webb taught writing courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Evening College. In 1969, she published her first novel, titled ''The Curious Wine''. In 1987, she published a biography on Julian Shakespeare Carr called ''Jule Carr: General Without an Army''. She also wrote a historical column for the ''Durham Sun'' and the ''Durham Morning Herlad'' called ''The Way We Were: Remembering Durham'' and wrote a memoir titled ''Out of My Mind'' that included short stories previously published in the
Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...
magazine.


Personal life

In 1936, she married Henry Bond Webb, an editor of the ''
Durham Morning Herald ''The Herald-Sun'' is an American, English language daily newspaper in Durham, North Carolina, published by the McClatchy Company. History ''The Herald-Sun'' began publication on January 1, 1991, as the result of a merger of ''The Durham Morn ...
''. They had two daughters, Carol and Marion. The family lived in a house in Durham's Forest Hills Historic District. Webb was a member of the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties, Hope Valley Country Club, the Friends of the Durham Public Library, The Tourist Club, The North Caroliniana Society, The North Carolina Writers Conference, and the Three Arts Club. A devout
Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...
, she attended both St. Philip's Episcopal Church and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Webb died on May 23, 2012, at the Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham.Upchurch, Keith. " Durham author Mena Webb dies." The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.). May 24, 2012.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Mena 1915 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American people of Scottish descent American women biographers American women columnists American women historians American women novelists Duke University alumni Editors of North Carolina newspapers Episcopalians from North Carolina Members of the Junior League Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) Novelists from North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty American women newspaper editors Writers from Atlanta Writers from Durham, North Carolina 20th-century American women journalists