Local Heroine Prepares For World Oyster Championship
BY DOUG RUTTER
Cathy Carlisle said it’s “scary" to think she will be
representing the United States of America in the up
coming World Oyster Opening Championship in
Galway, Ireland.
But that doesn’t mean the 24-year-old Boone’s Neck
woman doesn’t have her mind set on winning. And her
confidence wasn’t hurt at all when the Irish national
champion told her her chances were good after seeing
her win the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Champion
ship last October.
“He said I have a real good chance of winning in
Ireland," she said. “We figured about six seconds an
oyster .should be a good time."
The trip to Ireland comes as a result of Ms.
Carlisle’s winning performance in last fall’s National
Oyster Shucking Championship in I.conardstown, Md.
She was victorious over Louisiana state champ
Duke I^ndr>’ by the narrowest of margins, .56 second.
Ms. Carlisle shucked and arranged her 24 oysters in
2:40:77, while I.andry finished witli a time of 2:41:33.
Expenses for the Ireland trip will be covered by the
liConardstown RoUiry ('lub, which sponsors the annual
national championship.
Ms. Carlisle became eligible for the national cham
pionship after claiming the .state title during the 1986
North Carolina Oy.ster P'estival held annually in
Brunswick County.
Her time of 3:28 in the N.C. Oyster Shucking Cham
pionship at Seaside was noticeably slower than her na
tional cliampionship form, but good enough to give her
the .state title.
Gov. James G. Martin and State Rep. E. David
Hedwinc honored Ms. Carlisle in Raicigh May 26 for her
accomplishments.
Martin presented her with a plaque in recognition
of her national championship and she was also
recognized for her achievement by state represen
tatives at the Capitol.
Ms. Carlisle will depart Wilmington next Monday
for her first look at Ireland along with her mother, Nor
ma, and I>eonardstown Rotary representative Mike
Marlay and his wife, Margaret.
While in Ireland, she will participate in a parade
thiough Galway, an oyster-tasting luncheon, a formal
evening banquet and, of course, the competition against
12 other national champions.
The South Brunswick Islands Chamber of Com
merce, which sponsors the annual N.C. Oyster Festival
and state Oyster Shucking Championship, has provided
Ms. Carlisle with a ball gown and pink running suit to
w’ear for the contest. Individual chamber members
have also donated items for her trip wardrobe.
Ms. Carlisle said she is ver>’ excited about the trip
to Ireland and a three-day vacation she has planned inr
New York City following the competition. Ms. Carlisle
will rctum to SrunSwick County Oct. 1.
She will have her work cut out for her when she
heads to Ireland, however, as the United States has not
won a world title in eight years.
There may be some added pre.ssure considering
American competitors have never finished lower than
fourth.
She said the pre.ssurc so far hasn't been too bad.
“Most people are nice about it. Even if I don’t win, they
say I’ve gone far enough."
Ms. Carlisle said she hasn’t been able to practice
much becau.se the oysters are too large where she
works and she needs to practice with smaller ones.
She sUirted in the shucking business seven years
ago at Lloyd .Milliken's Oyster House at Shallotte Point
and is still working there today. She said .she has work
ed other rcstsiurant jobs since then, but always came
back to "pick oysters" at .\1illikcn’.s.
“It started out as a summer job," she added "and it
just .sort of stuck with me.”
Two weeks after returning from Ireland, .Ms. Carli
sle will have the opportunity to defend her state title at
the N r Oyster Festival. Oct. 15-11.
She’s looking forward to defending tliat title, she
said, and has heard “rumor.s" of some other oyster
houses entering competitors this year.
“It could be a lot harder to win this year,” she ad
mits.
She said there are three or four workers at
Milliken’s who are better shuckers than she is but who
refuse to enter the competition.
“I don t know why they don’t enter,” she explained,
“but they can beat me easily."
ni Ilk
HOAG SONS BOOK
gprimgport m ‘IBSSa
Twenty-fifth Year, Number 45
I9«7 THE BHUNSW
—-, ..uiiM i^arolina, Thursday, September 17, 1987
25c Per Copy
36 Pages, Plus Insert
Arson Blamed
In Doctors'
Office Fires
BY SUSAN USHER
State and local law enforcement
agencies say arson was the cause of
similar early morning fires that
destroyed two Shallotte doctor's of
fices Monday.
“They are arson, no doubt about
it,” said S'nailottc Police Chief Don
Stovall. “It’s very plain.’’
Shallotte firefighters responded to
a 2:15 a.m. call to a fire on Forest
Drive at the former office of Dr.
Karen Paine, a general practioner.
While at that fire on the north side of
town, a second call came in, with the
dispatcher directing Ocean Isle
Beach firefighters to Brunswick
Chiropractic Center, operated by Dr.
Pat Hewett on U.S. 17 just south of
the town limits.
“At first we thought they were giv
ing Ocean Isle Beach directions to
that (Paine) fire but had the wrong
directions,” said Shallotte Fire Chief
Michael Arnold. But when he check
ed the second scene a few minutes
later, Hewett’s office was ablaze and
some firefighters already at work.
“It’s been a busy night,” he said.
Myriad flashing red and blue lights
dotted the scene of the fire as
Shallotte Point and Civietown
firefighters, the Shallotte Volunteer
Rescue Squad and the Brunswick
County Sheriff’s Departiiieiii alsu
responded. Firefighters remained on
the scenes until well after daylight,
returning during the day to douse hot
spots as they flared up.
Chief Stovall said investigators
from the Bnmswick County Sheriff’s
Department, Shallotte Police and the
SBI expected to start interviewing
Wednesday.
“Both fires are very similar; I
don’t think it’s coincidental," he con
tinued. “We want answers to a lot of
questions, to establish a relationship
or connection, whatever we can come
up with.”
“Highly combustible ” inaleriul
was found on the scenes of both fires,
he said. SBI arson investigator Jerrj-
Webster took this and other physical
evidence from the fires to the state
lab Tuesday for analysis, with initial
results expected Wednesday.
Paine, who no longer practices
medicine, said she had been to the of
fice almost every day to work on ac
counts payable, accounts that for the
most part were lost in in the fire.
Gone also are medical equipment,
supplies and patient treatment files.
Portions of some files are left, she
said. “Some have the center—not
front to back but literally the
geographic center.” On many, the
names can no longer be read.
They can’t be reconstructed, she
said, and in the future could hurt
some former patients in seeking cer
tain benefits.
On Monday morning Hewett, ac
companied by her husband, Tom,
was inspecting the ruins of her office
aim uiiKiiig with patients. She said
she would reopen her office at a tem
porary location in Shallotte and then
rebuild on the same site as soon as
possible once the insurance in
vestigation is completed.
While equipment and files were
(See FIRES, Page 2-A)
FIREFIGHTERS FROM TTIREE DEPARTTHENTS battled the blaze that
engulfed Brunswick Chiropractic Center on U.S. 17 south of Shallotte, one of
STAf F PHOTOS BY SUSAN USHEK
two medical offices destroyed .Monday morning in fires that appear to have
been set deliberately.
Fiv© AAor© Pl©ad Guilty To Drug Charges
Five more defendants indicted on
cocaine trafficking charges earlier
this year entered guilty pleas to traf
ficking and lesser charges last week
in Brunswick County Superior Court
in Bolivia.
None of the five was sentenced last
week; all received prayers for judg
ment and will be sentericed duriiig
later terms of Superior Court.
According to court records. Judge
Henry W. Higlil Jr. heard guilty
pleas from Elliott Wade Coleman, 38,
of Holden Beach; Shallotte; Kenneth
Dean Newsome, 36, Rt. 3, Whiteville;
l^eslie Ronald Newsome, 44, Rt. 6,
Ocean Isle Beach; and Grady Ford
Long, 29, Rt. 3, Shallotte; all of whom
were indicted by a special in
vestigative grand jury in June, and
Joseph Lee Sullivan, 26, Shallotte,
who was indicted in July.
All except Long were initially
charged with one count each of traf
ficking in cocaine and conspiracy to
traffic in cocaine, involving amounts
of between 28 grams and 200 grams of
the controlled substance.
Ixmg was indicted on two counts
each of trafficking m cocaine and
conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, in
volving more than 400 grams.
Each defendant was released from
the Brunswick County Jail on a
$10,000 secured bond following his ar
rest.
Court records indicate Coleman
pleaded guilty last Wednesday to
conspiracy to traffic; the possession
charge against him was dismissed.
Sullivan pleaded guilty last Thurs
day to possession of cocaine and con
spiracy to traffic.
Kenneth Newsome and Leslie
Newsome each entered guilty pleas
last Thursday to possession of co
caine and conspiracy to possess co
caine.
Also on Thursday, Long pleaded
guilty to one count each of trafficking
in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic,
involving more than 400 grams.
Of .33 people indicted on trafficking
and possession charges in June, plea
arrangements have resulted in 18
entering guilty pleas; four of the six
indicted in July have also entered
guilty pleas.
Smith Takes County Manager Post
NEW COUNTY MANAGFJl John Thompson Smith Sr.,
center, talks with Planning Director John Harvey, left,
and Wnter Superintendent Kenneth Hewett during an
SIAEE PHOTO BY RAHN ADAMS
Introductory meeting with department heads Monday
In Bolivia.
BY RAHN ADAMS
County officials are confident that
new County Manager John Thomp
son Smith Sr. will have a .smooth
transition into Brunswick County’s
top administrative post.
Smith, 53, of Clinton, went to work
Monday in Bolivia.
He was hired by commissioners
Aug. 20, following a five-month
search for a county manager to
replace William Carter, who retired
April 1 on medical disability. Smith’s
.salary is $42,000 a year.
South said his first objective will
be to familiarize himself with the
people who will be working for liim.
“The transition will be slow as
usual,” Smith .said Monday, "but 1
don’t Uiink Uiere will be any real pro
blems that nobody's aware of.
“I’ll liave to ask a lot of qiiestioas
right now that I won’t have to ask
next year," he added. "We’ll have a
few months of ‘head scraicmng.
Interim County Manager and
County Attorney David Clegg agreed
that the transition would be smooth,
even though Clegg will lie out of town
during Smith’s first week on the job.
Clegg left Monday to serve for a week
as a N.C. delegate to the MLss
America Pageant in Atlantic City,
N.J.
“I think we’ve covered all the
bases," Clegg said. “I don’t think he
should have any surprises. If he does.
I’ll only be a phone call away.
Add^ Clegg, “He’s ready to go on
his own right now."
Smith comes to Brunswick County
from a position as manager of ap
praisal services for L. Robert Kim
ball and Associates, where he super
vised approximately 120 employees
of two companies. Automated Valua
tion Seivices and Hunnicutt Ap
praisal Co.
Previously, he served as county-
manager of Iredell County from 1974
to 1979, and worked in tax ad-
minislraiioii for ii years in Iredell,
Burke and Sampson counties.
In addition, he was formerly a
public school teacher and coach, in
surance agent and industrial
engineer in lexiiies.
Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in
physical education and math from
Erskine College in Due West, S.C.,
and a master’s degree in political
.science and administration from Ap
palachian State University in Boone.
He also is certified in county ad
ministration from the Institute of
Government in Chapel Hill.
Commissioners introduced Smith
to county department heads at Mon
day morning’s meeting.
Grace Beasley, chairman, told the
department heads, “Mr. John Smith
comes ^to us very highly-
recommended, and we’re gratified to
have him."
.And she told Smith that “we have
the best department heads—bar
none."
In addressing the county staff.
Smith .said he knows where his
loyalties lie.
"i 'nave an allegiance to the county
commissioners," Smith said. “When
they hired me as county manager, I
owe them my allegiance . . . and I
expect your (the department heads’)
allegiance.
■’I’m here to work with the com-
irussieners anfl yon to provide all the
services that Brunswick County
deserves and is paying for.”
.Smith aLso .said he would observe
an “open-door policy" during office
hours, to allow liiin to work closely
with department heads.