EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: The Portrait of Perfection

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  Serving in the military is extraordinary in itself.  Our men and women make so many sacrifices to protect us.  There’s a veteran in the Cape Fear who continues to protect and he’s doing it at 89 years young!  He is our Extraordinary Person of the Week and a Portrait of Perfection.

The Cameron Art Museum is a home for creative minds on display. It’s also a home to Paul Phillips. “I’ve been here 15 years, that’s a pretty long time,” Paul told Daniel Seamans.

“Paul as been here for a long time. He’s our best security guard and he trains new guards,” a co-worker added.

He is the veteran watchful eye of the museum, but his veteran status runs deep.

“I had 21 years in the Navy,” the veteran said of his time in the military.

Paul spent time on a number of ships. Some on the Battleship USS North Carolina. Some on the Carrier USS Independence. He was a rescue swimmer. He was bomb deactivator. It isn’t hard to imagine how dangerous that job could be swimming into the unknown.

“There was a lot of diving in that job,” Paul said. “Underwater diving. Still I enjoyed it.”

In 1966, Paul would retire from the Navy and take a job as a police officer in Charleston, SC.

“I didn’t like that job that much so went to Sunny Point” Paul said of the short stint with the police department. “Bought a house in Leland and still live in it.”

He worked as a hazardous material handling specialist at Sunny Point until 1988.

Not only is he now protecting art, he is a piece of art.

“Did they tell you to pick a spot and stare at it?” Daniel asked of the 5 day event ‘Painting Paul’. “That’s right,” Paul joked. “And that’s not easy. ”

For several days in January, he sat still, three and a half hours at a time, for a public event put on by the museum to honor this man who has been a guardian for most of his life.

Courtesy: Cameron Art Museum

His favorite exhibit over the years?
“There was a lady here with some umbrellas that made music all the time opening and closing by themselves. That was one of the favorites I’ve seen,” he said.

Truth is…Paul is a favorite. “We love him. Everybody loves him,” a co-worker said with a smile.

Paul Phillips….your lifetime dedication of protection is a portrait of perfection and that makes you, Extraordinary!

If you know someone who is extraordinary, lemme know! Email me at dseamans@wwaytv3.com.