The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Most of the News
All The Time
VOLUME 412
No. 1>
10-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT, N. C. WEDNESDAY, JiUtY 8, 1970
5* A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Festival Queen Is Crowned
Dianne Bees takes her first step
Thursday night after being crowned
Festival Queen. In the background
ladies who were other contestants
on the runway
Fourth of July
are the young
for the crown.
They are, left to right, Patti Gail Swan, Barbara Har
rington, Ruth Aim Southerland, Brenda McRoy,
Nola Miller and Helen Walker.
Pageant Highlights Festival
Southport’s new Miss Fourth
of July is Carolyn Dianne Rees
who was chosen Thursday night
from a field of ten contestants
* to reign over the holiday
festivities here and to represent
this city at numerous special
events throughout the coming
year.
The new queen is a brunette, is
a 17-year-old high school senior
and is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel Rees of Southport.
The judges had a time reaching
their decision, and their first
vote to determine the winner
resulted in a three-way tie. These
contestants included the
eventual winner as well as Nola
Evon Miller and Patricia Gail
Swan. Further deliberation
resulted in a decision to award
the crown to Carolyn Rees. Miss
Swan was first runner-up and
Miss Miller second runner-up.
In addition to the above three
contestants, Barbara Lynn
Harrington and Ruth Ann
Southerland had made the final
round of five finalists.
The Miss Congeniality Award
was presented by Helen Faulk
Mathis, a former Miss Fourth of
July, to Dean Jones and Patricia
Long, who tied for this honor.
Other entries in this year’s
pageant were Dorothy Ray
Dellinger, Brenda McRoy and
Helen Walker.
The contestants first were
presented in swimsuit
competition and later in evening
dresses. Poise and personality
questioning was a category for
the finalists.
The pageant was presented in
the Community Building and
was directed by Mrs. Connie
Young. The festivities of the
evening began with the
presentation of flags by the Boy
Scouts and the singing of the
National Anthem. Mayor E.B.
Tomlinson, Jr. welcomed the
guests and introduced George
Deaton, the master of
ceremonies. The show opened
with Lester Lowe doing a
narration and singing “America
the Beautiful^” the theme for
the pageant/ The contestants
then sang “This is My Country.”
While the girls were preparing
for the swimsuit competition
Deaton introduced the visiting
queens and the judges. They
were Strawberry Queen, Sandra
Allen of Southport; Carolina
Dogwood Queen, Elisa
Troutman; N.C. Blueberry
Queen, Elizabeth Hall; Miss
Brunswick County, Myra
Hewett; Miss N.C.
Rhododendron Queen, Carol
Ann Bass; Miss Wilmington,
Samantha Townsend.
The judges were Miss Jo Ann
Frank of New Bern; Bobby
Guyton of Elizabethtown; Mrs.
Barbara Kelly and Dr. Lawrence
(OootliMMd on Pag* 4)
Festival Program Mail Notices :
I W 11 n i i Of Poundage
Is Well-Hounded And Acreage
A three day event which once
more offered a variety of
attractions which provided
something for everyone pretty
well describes Southport’s
Fourth of July Festival for
1970.
The first formal act was the
ribbon-cutting ceremony
Thursday morning to open the
Southport Art Festival, and the
Sister Praises
Local Hospital
Recently while visiting in this
area Sister Mary Tomlinson,
executive director of St.
Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville,
fell and broke her arm. She was
taken to Dosher Memorial
Hospital at Southport for
emergency treatment.
This week William F. Cupit,
administrator for the local
hospital, received the following
communication from Sister
Tomlinson:
“On Sunday, June 14th, at
approximately Noon, I fell and
broke my arm and suffered
other minor injuries while on
vacation in Southport.
“I cannot say enough in praise
of all those who came to my
assistance. The ambulance
drivers were considerate and
gentle, the nurse was capable
and sympathetic, the physician
was prompt and considerate, and
the X-ray technician was most
gracious. I told your staff while
in the Emergency Room that my
feeling about the J. Arthur
Dosher Memorial Hospital was
that I would be proud to be the
administrator of a facility’ that
responded in such a wonderful
manner to the needs of those
who are ill and hurt. I did not
talk with your Business Officer
but my companion did and she
mentioned that the same interest
and concern and friendliness
were found in this person also.
Since this is true of Dr. Kelly
and Miss Green and the others
who helped me, I am sure it is
true of all those associated with
your hospital.
“My congratulations to you as
the Adminstrator for such an
atmosphere in a hospital. I hope
the people of Southport realize
how fortunate they are to have
your institution and to benefit
from this type of care.”
departure of the U.S. Coast
Guard Cutter McCulloch on
Sunday afternoon rang down the
curtain on a program which had
included a beauty pageant, a
Fourth of July parade, a
sidewalk Art Show, a horse
show, Heritage House, band
concerts, a thrilling air show and
a great display of fireworks.
There were other less
glamorous events, like a baseball
game on Friday night, a track
and field program for the
youngsters, and numerous static
displays. There were social
events, too, like the dinner
Friday night honoring visiting
beauty queens.
The weather was perfect, with
only a pre-dawn storm on Friday
to threaten any of the outdoor
events. There was a general
feeling of thankfulness that this
storm had not appeared one day
later in the week.
Southport was thronged with
visitors, and there is a general
feeling that Saturday night’s
crowd may have been the largest
in the history of this
community. One check on this
estimate came from H.T.
Bowmer, who reported that
more than 1,100 automobiles
drove past his home on Howe St.
following the fireworks program
Saturday.
Once more the crowds were
orderly, and once more the
police force of Southport had
the full cooperation and
assistance of members of the
Southport Volunteer Firemen.
Most of the residences and
business places in there were
(Continued on Pi|i 4)
Boy Drowns In
Beach Tragedy
The body of a ten-year old
boy who drowned Friday was
recovered Monday by Coast
Guardsmen.
Charles Gregory, 10, of
Graham, was swept underwater
by strong tides while he was
swimming at Yaupon Beach. An
attempt by Gregory’s sister to
save his life failed as she nearly
drowned herself.
The drowning occurred near
the Yaupon Beach pier from
which a youth jumped and
reportedly drowned in June. The
apparent victim of the June
accident has not been found.
Notices of farm acreage and
poundage quotas for flue-cured
tobacco are now being mailed to
farm operators, Edgar L.
Holden, Chairman of the
Brunswick County Agricultural
Stablization and Conservation
(ASC) Committee, announced
this week.
The notices are sent in advance
of the July 16 marketing quota
referendum so that farmers will
know how the vote decision will
affect their individual
operations. Revised notices
adjusted to reflect
u n d e r m ar k e t i n gs or
overmarketings of 1970 quotas
will be sent to farm operators
after 1970 crop marketings are
completed.
The acreage-poundage quota
program for flue-cured tobacco
has been in effect since 1965.
The referendum will decide
whether the program is to
continue for the 1971 through
1973 crops.
All producers 18 years of age
or older are eligible to vote if
they share in the 1970
flue-cured tobacco crop or its
(Oontlaned on Page 4)
Renew Option
To Buy Bald
Head Island
The fight for ownership of
Bald Head Island was renewed
Monday when the president of
Carolina Cape Fear Corporation
announced his firm still holds an
option to buy the controversial
property near Southport.
William H. Henderson said the
corporation has renewed the
option to purchase the
12,000-acre tract from owner
Frank Sherrill. The original
option was to expire Monday
night and if it had, Sherrill
would have been free to deal
with the state.
North Carolina Gov. Bob Scott
and other state officials are sided
with conservationists who want
to maintain the semi-tropical
island in its natural state as a
preserve for marine life. The
marshes behind the island are
breeding grounds for marine life
that are a major part of the
Brunswick County economy.
Henderson did not discuss the
time limit on the new option
because he was “not at liberty to
divulge the details.” He added,
however, that “the time is
sufficient for us to pursue our
(Oontfnued oa Pace 4)
New Priest At
Catholic Church
Rev. Allen A. Jacobs has been
assigned as priest at Sacred Heart
Catholic Church in Southport,
replacing Rev. Charles Chase.
Father Jacobs was bom in
New Iberia, La., and raised in
Lafayette, La. FoHowing
graduation from high school in
Jan., 1942, he enlisted .n the
U.S. Army and served with the
82 nd Airborne Div., 504th
Parachute Inf. in North Africa
and Europe.
Following discharge from
service in Oct., 1945, he enrolled
at the University of
Southwestern Louisiana where
he was awarded a B.S. Degree
with a major in Industrial Arts in
May, 1949. Following
graduation from the university,
he taught for a private trade
school for two years. He then
went to work for the Western
Electric Co. and worked for
them for six years.
Intent on pursuing a career in
social work, he left Western
Electric in 1956 and enrolled
once again at the University of
Southwestern Louisiana. In
1958 he was awarded an B.A.
Degree with a major in
psychology and a minor in
sociology. During this second
tenure at the university, he
began to think for the first time
about a vocation to the
priesthood.
In 1958, hoping that it would
help him reach a final decision,
he joined a lay missionary
organization which was just
being formed to train lay people
to do mission work. After six
months of training at their
training center in Paterson, N.J.,
he was sent to a Spanish
community in Mora Valley in
Northern New Mexico.
(Carrtiimetl On Pace Four)
e And Tide
Members of the board of county commissioners had restored the
office of Home Demonstration Agent. That was the announcement
in the issue of July 3, 1935, and Miss Marion Smith had been
appointed to fill the job. Heavy rains finally came to the assistance
of foresters to help put an end to a blaze which had burned over
thousands of acres of Brunswick county woodlands.
An important business note was that plans for. refunding the
county indebtedness had been approved by the commissioners.
Another headline heralded the passing of an era in the transportation
history of this section, for final approval had been given the sale of
the ferry John Knox, which had operated across the Cape Fear river
in Wilmington for 5 years prior to the building of the bridge. Mrs.
E.H. Crammer had been named a member of the local school
committee.
The week-long reunion by members of Trench Mortar Battalion B
and C, who had trained at Ft. Caswell prior to World War I, had
reached a climax on Tuesday when the Democratic nominee for
governor, J. Melville Broughton, had delivered a patriotic address at
a picnic given in their honor by citizens of Southport. This was two
days before the Fourth of July, 1940, and it made the prospects)
for any celebration of our Nation’s birthday appear to be tame
by camparison. Movie Star Randolph Scott, who had been invited,
• had wired his regrets over his inability to be here, but some of his
buddies planned to write him about the event.
There was news of another meal on the front page of this edition.
Guests of Churchill Bragaw at Orton had been served frog legs for
breakfast, alligator steak for lunch and roast rattlesnake for dinner.
Population figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed 1,760
for Southport, a gain of 25 over the 1930 census, with 1,735.
Brunswick county population had reached the 16,970 figure in 1940
from 15,818 in 1930, for an increase of 1,152 persons.
Popular Attraction
The Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch was moored at the new municipal pier in
Southport for three days during the Fourth of July Festival. On Friday afternoon
more than 700 persons went aboard the ship, while on Saturday more than 2,000
took advantage of open house. A waiting crowd of visitors stands at the aid of
the dock. (Photo by Spencer)
-■wets'** ■.;.--..■,- - iii»aea
Opening The Arts Festival
Cheryl Johnson cuts the ribbon for the opening of the Southport Arts Festival
Thursday morning. On the left is Edwin A. Shumake of Winston-Salem, judge of
the show; Mayor E. B. Tomlinson, Jr., and Mrs. Judy Wiggs, chairman of this
year’s show. (Photo by Spencer)
Successful Art Show
The Tenth Annual Southport
Art Festival closed Saturday
with Ruth Ogle winning Best in
the Show honors for
“Suspended Toil”, a graphic.
This was one of the three
purchase awards, the others
being Maude Wyche, whose oil
painting “The Village” was
another winner as was Boots
Woodyard’s “Currie Lake In
Spring”, an oil painting.
In the Junior Division first
place went to Liza A. George for
“Fido’s Friend”, a graphic.
Second was “No. 1”, an oil
painting by Jeffrey Toney. Third
place was won by Sandi Gottlieb
for “Recording”, a graphic.
In the crafts division first place
winner was June Gottlieb for
“Bluefish”, second was Alvin R.
Harris for “Louisanna Heron”; a
third was William O. Beasley for
“Hurricane”. In the graphics
division the first place winner
was G.G. Kosch for “Abstract
Board Votes For
Boiling Springs
Members of the Brunswick
County Board of Education
voted Monday night to proceed
with plans for the construction
of three consolidated high
schools and gave approval to
Boiling Spring Lakes as the site
for the Southern Area School.
This action followed an
afternoon session with members
of the Board of County
Commissioners, who had
expressed a willingness to make
future provision for funds with
whk n to complete deleted items
from original school plans.
The board concluded that it
needed to designate or
redesignate the site for the
Southport-Bolivia School. After
some discussion the following
motion was made by Homer
Holden: “To designate Boiling
Springs as the school site and to
proceed full-speed with survey,
topographical map, testing, and
drilling of soil, etc., so as to be
able to let bids on all schools in
August or early September.” At
the request of the board,
Attorney Mason Anderson was
instructed to procure agreement
with Bolivia patrons to drop
pending legal action against the
board. Anderson stated that it is
his legal opinion that no suit
against the board concerning
school site would hold in court,
only a delaying effect, as long as
the board acted in good faith
and had not manifested abuse of
discretion in selection of site.
The above motion was second
by Dr. John Madison, Joe j
Gainey voted for motion and
Mrs. Mae Barbee voted against
the motion.
The Board agreed to let bids
immediately for removing
destroyed portions of the old
Southport High School building
and to seek structural
engineering advice on stabilizing
walls on existing classrooms ana
cafeteria.
Mrs. Barbee requested the
board to give Superintendent
King the authority to determine
the number of classrooms
needed to transfer students from
Fort Caswell to Southport, and
determine availabilty of class
space in Southport; and the
authority to purchase the
required mobile units to house
remaining pupils.
(OoatbnMt on P>|» 4)
VI”; second was Hester
Donnelly for “Manus Fact I”;
and third was Terri Gottlieb for
“Study in Charcoal II".
First prize in water colors
went to Bennie L. Stedman for
“Seascape"; second to Mrs. Lee
Ripa for “Wrightsville Wave”;
and third to Dot McClure for
“Yaupon”.
For oils the first place winner
was Maude Wyche for “The
Village”; second was Wilma
Allen for “Red Sails”; and third
was Boots Woodyard for “Currie
Lakie in Spring.”
Judge for the show was Edwin
A. Shumake of Winston Salem.
The chairman for this year’s Art
Festival, which is sponsored by
Southport Junior Woman’s Club
was Mrs. Judy Wiggs.
j
Tide Table
Following to the tide table !
for' Southport during the
week. Tbeoe hours are ap
proximately correct and
were furnished Use State
Port Pilot through the
courtesy of the Chpe Fear
POotf. Asenchrflnu
Thursday, July 9,
12:33 A.M. 6:28 A.M.
12:27 P.M. 6:46 P.M.
Friday, July 10,
1:15 A.M. 7:10 A.M.
1:00 P.M. 7:34 P.M.
Saturday, July 11,
1:09 A.M. 7:52 A.M.
2:03 P.M. 8:34 P.M.
Sunday, June 12,
2:03 A.M. 8:40 A.M.
3:03 A.M. 9:34 P.M.
Monday, July 13,
2:57 A.M. 9:34 A.M.
3:57 P.M. 10:40 P.M.
Tuesday, June 14,
3:57 A.M. 10:34 A.M.
4:57 P.M, 11:40 P.M.
Wednesday, July 15,~
5:03 A.M. 11:40 A.M.
5:57 P.M. 12:40 P.M.