Don Willis of Cove City raises pigeons as a hobby and sport. Homing Pigeons were once used to carry top secret messages during wartime. Today fanciers place them in races where the birds must fly extended distances.
Considered a fixture at Raleigh’s Capitol Square is a local whose identity became synonymous with the birds who followed him, ones considered more of a novelty than irritant. Jesse Broyles’ peanut vending, as much as his companionship with these pigeons, merited his obituary in News and Observer and enduring reputation in this part of the state capital.