Former mayor led through service

I had not seen him for a good while. One Sunday, he entered King’s Restaurant and took a seat in a booth. I had to go speak to him. He smiled at me, and we chatted for a few minutes. Buddy made a deep impression on me from the time I first met him. He seemed filled with positive vibes and energy. To me, he represented what is best in Kinston and Lenoir County.

Orice “Buddy” Alexander Ritch, Jr. was 95 when he passed away on Veterans Day – Monday, November 11. His passing on Veterans Day was fitting. Upon graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Buddy was selected for Officers Candidate School (OCS) and served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division during the Korean War.

He and his beloved MaryMac married while he was in the service. Upon completing training in Greensboro, he and MaryMac settled in Kinston, where they raised their family. After his Army service, Buddy bought and operated a Western Auto store.

Buddy, born in 1929, grew up as “a child of the depression.” My mom was raised in this same period. Those of the “Silent Generation” learned to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, and frugal. Buddy’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to pursue other business interests as well. But the real driving force in his life was his love of community.

Buddy was never one to sit still for long. He and MaryMac became active in the Queen Street Methodist Church, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and as a Sunday School teacher.

He organized and started the Boys and Girls Club of Lenoir County and the Friends of the Homeless shelter in Kinston. He established the “The Pride of Kinston” Downtown Revitalization commission and served as its first chairman. He organized the Keep America Beautiful Committee, the Fire Station Committee, and the Association of Congregations.

In 2009, I had the privilege of working with Buddy as we put together a second application for the prestigious All America City Award. Kinston received this recognition twice – once in 1988 and again in 2009. Not surprising, Buddy was serving as mayor both times Kinston received the award.

Buddy was a driving force for economic development. In 1992 he and other community leaders helped secure the Kinston Jetport as the location for the North Carolina Global TransPark. As Mayor, he was instrumental in helping bring more than 20 new industries to Kinston and Lenoir County, including Lenox China, Basset-Walker, Dopaco, Frigidaire, Mountain Cargo, West Pharmaceuticals, and Electrolux.

Little wonder that because of their “team approach” to community service, in 2001 he and MaryMac were co-recipients of the Lenoir County “Citizen of the Year” Award. In 2010 he received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, presented by then-Governor and friend Beverly Purdue. Sadly, MaryMac passed away that year.

He held state, regional, and local leadership positions with Caswell District Boy Scouts of America, the National League of Cities, the NC League of Municipalities, Electricities of NC, and the NC General Assembly Fiscal Trends and Reform Legislative Research Committees. He served as President of the local Civitan Club and became Lt. Governor for the North Carolina district.

Few of Buddy’s action demonstrate his heart more clearly that his participation in the “Eight Eighties of Kinston” – also known as the “Wounded Warrior Team.” This team consisted of eight Kinston veterans in their 80’s who visited area military bases in 2013 to thank soldiers for their service.

As title sponsors, this group also invited them to a military baseball series at historic Grainger Stadium called the “Freedom Classic” between the Naval and the Air Force Academies. That series has continued and is scheduled for late February 2025.

Few people in Kinston’s history have had more impact on our city and county than Buddy Ritch. I count knowing him as one of the highest privileges of my life.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.