From petanque to Morse code, Jeff Stark stays busy and looks out for others

Jeff Stark is nothing if not a good neighbor.

The long-time Valdese Avenue, Morganton, resident offers to check on your house when you are away. He checks on his neighbors when the power goes out. Without being nosey, he knows who’s who and what’s what in the neighborhood and does everything he can to keep everything hunky dorey.

He knows everyone’s name and they all know him.

Once Stark, 74, retired from Burke County as its director of Management Information Services, after 32 years, there was no stopping him.

He is out and about. Stark has shucked more oysters at the Burke Arts Council’s annual event than you can shake a fork at.

You’ve seen him at watercolor classes. At nighttime astronomy club outings. On the petanque courts. If there were photography classes, you’d have seen him there, too. Or the airport where he took flight lessons. Or the shooting range, where he’s been a competitive shooter with his Glock. Or on the beach where he’s a stunt kite flyer.

“When I’m not busy,” Stark said, “I love reading and I’m a YouTube junkie. My entire life has been around technical subjects like electronics, communications, and computer languages.”

“Other than that, I always have some sort of project that I’m working on,” Stark said. “There aren’t enough hours in my day.”

Stark may have been born in the old Grace Hospital (where CoMMA is today) in 1952 but the man doesn’t look a day over 50. Staying busy helps. Exercise, too.

“My typical day begins around 6:30 a.m. with a 30- to 60-minute workout either on a bike trainer or treadmill,” he said. “Afterwards, breakfast, then whatever is on the agenda for the day.”

Those days, as Stark’s pals can attest, are full. “There are several interests that I’m passionate about with petanque and astronomy being two of them,” he said.

“With petanque, it’s about improving my game by playing with my good friends who are local and reside across the Southeast. “I’ve also had the opportunity to receive instruction from one of the French and German national champions.”

Then the sun sets and the stars come out. “Every time I look through a telescope or extremely high-powered binoculars, it’s like starting a new adventure,” he said. “What will I see tonight? There is a particular star cluster that I always enjoy observing and it’s known as the Double Cluster. It’s two star clusters that appear close to one another that exhibit hundreds if not thousands of stars of various colors. The longer you look at the clusters, the more you see.”

Here’s one you don’t hear too often about you neighbor: Fondness for Morse code.

“During the 1960s I became interested in short wave radio and was an avid shortwave listener and continue to be to this day,” he said. “In 1976 I passed the written exam for the first level of amateur (ham) radio licenses and continued to work my way up to the highest license level. This year, 2026 will mark my fiftieth year as a licensed operator. … I primarily operate and communicate in Morse code.”

(“- .... . .-. . / .- .-. . / ... — .. .-.. .-.. / .- / ..-. . . — / — .... — — ..- ... .- -. -.. / — — ..-. / ..- ... / — — -. / — .... . / .--. .-.. .- -. . — / — .... .- — / — — .--. . .-. .- — . / . — .. — .... / -.-. — — -.. . .-.-.- / .. — .----. ... / — ..- -.-. .... / — — — .-. . / . ..-. ..-. .. -.-. .. . -. — .-.-.- .. -.-. . / . — .... . -. / .. — / -.-. — — — . ... / — — — / -.. .. ... — .- -. -.-. . .-.-.-,” he said.)

“What I love about Burke County is the natural resources such as Linville Gorge, Lake James, and the South Mountains,” he said. “Our network of trails that will eventually connect Asheville to Hickory by way of Lake James will be one of the most significant trail systems in the United States. … I’m proud to have contributed input to these projects.”

The one organization closest to his heart is the Burke Arts Council. “My wife, Alison, and I have been supporters for over 30 years,” he said. “Over the years it has struggled to remain in existence but through the effort of several determined and hard-working executive directors and board members it thrives today.”

It takes a good neighbor to be a good neighbor, and Stark’s sense of values, which he attributes to his parents, is reflected everywhere.

“The one piece of advice I’d give my neighbors, be helpful, kind, and respectful,” he said. “And, to have fun and enjoy life every day. It seems that no sooner than we arrive on this planet, we receive our tickets to depart.”