By Susan Shinn Turner

For the Salisbury Post

In 2001, a sister cities program began between Salisbury, England, and Salisbury, North Carolina. The resulting friendships endure to this day.

That’s why people on both sides of the Atlantic have been saddened to hear of the death of Councillor Iris Evans, who died Friday in
England.

Rick Anderson, owner of Sidewalk Deli, may have summed it up best Friday morning.

“There are tears flowing in both Salisbury, North Carolina, and Salisbury, UK,” he said. “I feel as though I lost my English mother.

Iris Evans was a jewel in the British crown. When we became sister cities with Salisbury, UK, back in 2001, Scott and I became fast friends with Iris and her cousin, Graham Jackson, during their first visit to our Salisbury. After Scott passed, I was able to visit Salisbury, UK, on several occasions with my friend, Jason Williams, and continue our friendship with our sister city.”

Mayor Susan Kluttz, who served from 1997 to 2011, was invited to Salisbury, England, to be part of a millennial celebration with all of the Salisbury mayors in the world. Three ended up attending a weeklong celebration in 2000.

“It was so similar to our Salisbury,” Kluttz recalled. “They were proud of their history, and they loved to have a good time.”

After she and husband Bill returned home, she decided to invite their entire City Council to North Carolina.

“I thought David Treme was going to have a heart attack,” Kluttz said of the then-city manager. “But I applied for and got grant money, and I asked my neighbors in the historic district to host the councillors.”

To receive the grants, all events had to be open to the public.

“We did three things: we signed a formal Sister City Agreement on May 14, 2001, we hosted a community service at Omwake-Dearborn Chapel with Black, white, and Hispanic choirs, and we hosted a program at the Meroney at which two of the councillors — who were historians — talked about the history of Salisbury Cathedral and the Magna Carta,” Kluttz noted.

The visit to North Carolina was a huge success — so much so that the next year, 20 members of the Salisbury City Council and the 2001 hosts visited Salisbury, England. Since 2002, was the year of Queen Elizabeth’s 50th jubilee, the Salisbury delegation were included in a celebration at Salisbury Cathedral with Prince Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

During that trip, Evans invited the group to a garden party at her home, where she served fish and chips. Evans went on to serve as the 748th mayor of Salisbury, England, from 2008 to 2009.

“Iris was the sweetest, kindest person,” Kluttz said Friday. “She represented an area of her city that had public housing and she wanted to see our public housing when we took a trolley tour.

“She was an advocate for lower-income people in public house, and wanted to make sure they were taken care of,” Kluttz said.

That first visit, Anderson and McCombs were part of a group who entertained the England delegation, serving Salisbury steak at a dinner in their backyard, Kluttz said.

Anderson said that with living on Fulton Street and being part of downtown, he and McCombs were eager to participate. They were invited to do so by the late Foster Owen, then assistant city manager.

“Foster was a friend and asked us, and of course we always said yes to Foster and Jean Owen,” Anderson said.

Anderson and Evans’ son, Dean, exchanged greetings Friday morning on social media.

“My mom loved you and we often spoke about you, Scott, Jason, and Gail — the visits, the laughs, the friendship, the kindness and kinship that came from Salisbury in the Carolinas. Its people have open doors and open hearts and offer a glass or three, probably more.”

Kluttz said that more formal sister city programs have a variety of purposes: economic development, exchange of ideas, education.

“But I knew the greatest asset we had was our people,” she said. “I knew no one could be more welcoming or hospitable that our own Salisbury. So it was no surprise to me that friendships developed and continue today.”

The visits continued until the recession hit, when grant monies were needed in more urgent areas,  Kluttz said. Still, she said, “It’s had positive results that continue.”