Alderman Mrs Cox, of Bideford, returned from her US tour at the weekend, bronzed, enthusiastic about many aspects of the American way of life and an honorary citizen of one of its towns.

The certificate that proves her honorary citizenship is signed by the Mayor, Mr Luke Medley, and proclaims ‘Greetings… Be it hereby known to all that Mrs Cyril Cox, has, on this 8th day of May, 1964, been made an honorary citizen of Cookeville, Tennessee, Hub of the Cumberland and city with a colourful past, a progressive present and a promising future… And in recognition thereof has been presented with this certificate of citizenship’. Similarly honoured was Mrs Constance White, a fellow writer, who accompanied Mrs Cox on tour.
They travelled thousands of miles by plane, car and bus, staying in New York, Washington and Boston, as well as Biddeford (Maine) and Cookeville, and the outstanding impression, said Mrs Cox, was the extreme hospitality of the Americans “They fall over themselves to make you feel welcome”.
At Biddeford they were guests of Mr Turner Brown, district governor for Rotarians) and his wife, Ann. They were received by the Mayor, Mr W Pomerleau, to whom Mrs Cox handed a letter from Lieut-Col R D D Birdwood, Bideford’s late Mayor.
At Cookeville Mrs Cox was the guest of Mrs Derryberry, formerly Miss Joan Rew, with whom she was at West Bank School here and who married an American 30 years ago.
Dr Derryberry is now president of the Cookeville Polytechnic, which has nearly 4,000 students and which, said Mrs Cox, would make English educationalists “drool with envy”.
Another highlight of the trip was a visit to – and conducted tour of – the US satellite station, the counterpart of Britain’s Goonhilly dish.

Full Gazette article is dated 5 June 1964