Outer Banks Centenarian

Our Oldest Living Veteran Turns 100!

Written by Jojo M. Tilley / Photos by Beth Cunningham & Three Little Birds

Though many people on the Outer Banks can boast that they have lived both a long and fulfilled life, Manteo resident Chuck Hester has entirely earned that bragging right. Turning 100 years old on October 27th, Mr. Hester has been an important figure in the Manteo community, having resided on the Outer Banks for a majority of his adult life. He was born in Morehead City in 1925 with three siblings, all of whom slept in the same two rooms alongside their father and mother. Hester proclaims that his life with his family was very happy, and that he wouldn’t have grown up any other way—even if his home was sometimes falling apart. Having lived in North Carolina his entire life, Hester reflects that he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

For his 100th birthday, he plans on celebrating the best way he knows how—“eating a good meal with my family, and sleeping”, he laughs. He and his son, Radcliffe Hester, fondly recall his 90th birthday, to which they had gone to the Fraternal Order of Eagles to celebrate with steaks and baked potatoes. The restaurant was someplace that Hester and his family felt they could happily spend and celebrate his birthday. The best part, however, was the fact that they’d surprised Hester with a swanky limousine ride to and from the restaurant—allowing him to party entirely in style. “We listened to so much music,” Hester recalls, the smile evident in his voice. “I think I liked the people … more than the food.”

This is a common thread throughout much of Hester’s life. He’s always been a man of the people, doing everything he can to take care of and better the lives of the individuals around him. Hester is known as the oldest living veteran on the Outer Banks, having been drafted into the army during the second World War at the age of seventeen. After he was discharged due to hearing loss from a bomb explosion, Hester went on to build bridges with the TA Loving company for decades. He is responsible for helping build bridges in Currituck, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Manns Harbor, the last of which he helped build when he made the move to live full-time in Manteo.

At seventeen, Hester was drafted into the army during the second World War. Photo provided by Radcliff Hester.

“It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Hester recalls, about the move. Living in Manteo is where he met Naomi Augusta Collins Hester, the woman who would be his wife for over forty years together. He decided to switch careers over to the National Park Service, working in maintenance, and continued to do so until he retired to take care of his wife, struggling with Alzheimer’s. She passed away in 2009.

Hester has always taken a great amount of joy in helping people, having spent over 16 years as a volunteer firefighter for the Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department. He is also a proud advocate for other individuals to take care of their physical health, claiming that it has been one of the reasons he’s lived for so long. He was a boxer when he was with the army, and still boasts about going for daily gym trips, even in his older age.

Hester’s perspective is one that isn’t heard very often. There are few people who have been and have stayed as local as he has for as long as he has, and his knowledge of the Outer Banks knows no bounds.

“There used to be no houses at all,” Hester recalls. “Just a sandbar and a hotel or two, and one little road that you could drive on.”

Hester had been coming to the Outer Banks since the 1950s, and had seen the rapid development of it with his own eyes. “Back when we were coming here, there was nobody out past 9 o’clock at night,” Hester says, a smile in his voice. “You could lay right down on the road and take a nap, and nobody’d hit you.” He’s talking about the Beach Road, the well-loved Virginia Dare Trail that stretches the length of the Outer Banks. This was the only road that cut through the Outer Banks until 1960, when construction on Highway 158—also known as Croatan Highway—was finally completed.

“You had to take the Beach Road, and you could speed, ‘cause there was only ever one cop, and he was at one end,” Hester laughs, surely recalling a memory of doing so.

He loves the Outer Banks more than he’s loved any other place he’s lived, and stands by that with conviction. “I remember when Jockey’s Ridge was right up against the bypass, when they were building it,” Hester says. Now the national park has been pushed back to one side of the island, due to the shifting winds and erosion. “I visit everything that I can.” Hester often goes with his family for trips to the Wright Brothers Memorial and Fort Raleigh, where he walks around with his son, eager to take in the sights of new families learning the history of the area for the first time.

One of the most important questions to ask Hester, of course, is his advice for the future. There are few men of his knowledge and wisdom on the Outer Banks, and passing up an opportunity to get a glimpse of what he’s learned would be foolish.

Chuck Hester is responsible for helping build bridges in Currituck, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Manns Harbor with
TA Loving company.

“Prepare for war in times of peace,” he muses, after a long moment of thought. “Cherish the good times, and remember them when things get bad.” It’s advice that rings true, especially when considering how long he’s been alive and how much he’s seen. Gratitude is not in short supply with Hester, and seeing a living example of that is even more inspiring.

“And always follow the Golden Rule,” he says, tipping his hat, blue eyes sparkling. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” His son laughs and agrees, saying that the phrase was something his father always repeated during his childhood. It certainly seems like Hester lives by the rule—always extending kindness to those he cares for alongside complete strangers.

Surrounded by family, friends, love, and wisdom, Hester is one of the most influential veterans living on the Outer Banks today. He has shown continual resilience and a commitment to excellence that goes unrivaled, both by his peers and the generations he has passed his knowledge onto. His contributions to both the U.S. Army and the community of the Outer Banks will not go forgotten. Hester will certainly have a memorable 100th birthday as one of the oldest residents living on the beach, and we wish him a very wonderful celebration.

Author: Jojo M. Tilley