The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Most of the News
All The Time
VOLUME 42 No. 23
10-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT. N. C. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1970
5c A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Christmas On The Waterfront
This is the U.S. Weather Bureau tower at the corner
of Bay and Davis streets which has been decorated
with Christmas lights this year. This is the view from
the end of the new City Dock. In the background at the
right are the lights in Garrison House; in the center of
the Brunswick County Courthouse; and at the left the
lights in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Grover Gore.
Needless to say, the tower with its* blaze of color
dominates the waterfront scene. (Photo by Spencer).
School Board Sets Policy;
Okays Bid For Hardware
The Brunswick County Board
of Education has adopted policies
for individuals or groups to ap
pear before the board.
According to the resolution,
any individuals or group wishing
to appear before the Board of
Education should make a request
in writing to the superintendent
of schools prior to the meeting of
the board. This request must
state the reason for appearing
before the board and the number
of persons wishing to appear.
A written reply will be made to
each request by the superin
tendent of schools stating the
disposition of such request. In
formation will be provided as to
when, where and under what
circumstances appearances
before the board may be made.
Individuals or groups wishing
to appear before the Board of
Education should observe the
following before drequesting to
appear before the county board:
“Local school problems and
matters having local school
significance should be resolved
with the school principal, local
school committee, and if
necessary, the superintendent of
brought before the county
board;”
“Matters having county-wide
implications or involving county
school policies should be
presented and discussed with the
superintendent of schools and, if
necessary, presented to the
county board.”
; The procedures set forth in
these policies may be waived by
the chairman of the board and-or
the secretary of the board or by a
resolution of the board should
circumstances surrounding a *
""'on request to appear before
Pfc Kleppinger
Receives Honor
Pfc. Edward H. Kleppinger of
the Adjutant Division at the
Military Ocean Terminal, Sunny
Point, has been selected as
winner of the eastern area
Military Traffic Management
and Terminal Service “Soldier of
the Quarter” contest for October,
November and December.
In winning this award, Pfc.
Kleppinger competed against
other soldiers in the eastern area
who are stationed primarily
along the eastern and gulf coasts.
In accomplishing this feat Pfc.
Kleppinger demonstrated to a
group of senior non
commissioned officers a superior
knowledge of current events,
basic military subjects,
organizational history, chain of
command information, military
occupational specialty training,
job position subjects, general
subjects, and courtesy and
customs of the service.
Also, he was judged on his
personal appearance, military
bearing and ability of expression.
Soldier Of Quarter
Pfc Edward H. Kleppinger is shown here as he is
honored by Brig. General Owen B. Dunn, right, as
Soldier of the Quarter for Eastern Area, Military Traffic
Management and Terminal Service. He is stationed at
Sunny Point.
the board be of an emergency
nature or otherwise be expedient
for the board to honor, the
request.
“The policy is not intended to
discourage citizens and groups
from appearing and presenting
matters before the board, but
rather to set forth a systematic
procedure and to allow the board
to function in the most efficient
manner,” the board stated.
Bids were received for hard
ware in the three consolidated
high schools in Brunswick
County. The low bid of $46,225,
submitted by S.H. Basnight and
Sons, was approved by the board.
Other bids were from Jacobi
Hardware Company, $48,250, and
from C.H. Edwards Hardware
House, $48,700.
The board also designated
Uniturf synthetic floor covering
for the gymnasiums and Fry
roofing material for the new
buildings.
In accordance with a resolution
by the county commissioners the
Board of Education authorized
the $2.5 million bond funds be
placed in a savings account with
the Bank of North Carolina office
at Shallotte. The money will
remain there for 30 days and will
draw five and one-half percent
interest.
Substitute teachers were ap
proved by the board: Brunswick
(Continued On Page Two)
Board Appoints
New Supervisor
Henry L. Register was ap
pointed Monday by the Board of
Commissioners to serve as
temporary tax supervisor for
Brunswick County and tax listers
were named to begin listing taxes
on January 4.
Lee Sullivan is the list taker for
Northwest township; John H.
Mills, Jr., Town Creek; Mrs.
Mary Dilsaver and Mrs. Lulu
McKeithan, Smithville and
Smothville Beaches; Mrs. A.V.
Phelps, Lockwoods Folly; Wanis
Bennett, Shallotte, and Mrs.
Betty Warren, Waccamaw.
Remuneration for taxlisters
was set at $12.00 per day plus 7
cents per mile for travel.
The board authorized County
Manager Jerry Lewis to pay
current bills up to $200.00, subject
to approval by the board at their
next regular meeting.
The board authorized the
assignment of special deputies
for school functions where this
action is requested by the school
authorities.
The board voted to defer action
on a more stringent electrical
inspection plan scheduled to go
into effect on January 1.
Population Gain
Small For City
Claims that Southport’s
population has experienced a
major increase are not supported
by the preliminary 1970 census
report.
The report indicates that only
57 persons have been added to the
city’s population during the past
ten years. The preliminary
report shows that 2,091 people
live here now.
The recent influx of con
struction workers at the con
struction site of Carolina Power
and Light Company’s nuclear
power plant had estimates of the
:ity’s population go as high as
1.000, but apparently most of the
lew area residents are locating
Dutside the city limits.
The population has increased
two percent since 1960, up from
2,034.
Southport is the only Brun
swick municipality included in
the preliminary report, which
lists only those municipalities
with populations greater than
1.000.
Brunswick County has in
creased in population from 20,278
in 1960 to 22,838 this year. The 12.6
percent jump is among the
highest in the southeastern part
of North Carolina.
Other counties lost population:
Columbus, down seven percent;
Bladen, down 10.6 percent;
Pender, down 6.6 percent. New
Hanover County showed a 12.5
percent increase, while Cum
berland County experienced the
greatest increase in the state
more than 39 percent above the
totai ten years ago.
The Census Bureau compiles
its head-count in three stages: a
preliminary figure, an “advance
final” total, and a final figure.
The preliminaary figure does not
(Continued On Page Two)
SBI Conducts Investigation
Of Fraud, Forgery Charges
By ED HARPER
In the child’s game of musical
chairs, when the music stops
each person looks for an empty
seat and the one left standing is
out.
A similar, more serious
exercise continues in the heated
battle for a seat in the State
Legislature. When the “music”
stops, either Arthur Williamson
or his young Republican op
ponent, Thomas Harrelson, will
come home, and the other will be
seated comfortably in die House
of Representatives.
The contest isn’t over yet.
Citation For
Local Officer
The commander of the eastern
area Military Traffic
Management and Terminal
Service recently made his an
nual, pre-Christmas visit to
Sunny Point and presented a
special citation to the director of
operations and the contracting
officer’s representative at the
terminal near Southport.
Brigadier General Edwin B.
Owen, the eastern area com
mander, visits the terminal each
year to talk with employees and
present various citations. He
presented the special award to
Major Oscar G. Oaks.
Major Oaks, who has served as
the Director of Operations and
the Contracting Officer’s
Representative (stevedore) at
Sunny Point, received the Joint
Service Commendation Medal for
his performance of duty while
assigned to Sunny Point
His citation reads as follows:
“For exceptionally meritorious
service during the period March
1969 to November 1970 while
serving as Director of Operations
and Contracting Officer’s
Representative at Military Ocean
Terminal, Sunny Point. As the
Director of Operations Major
Oaks had the vital duties of
directing the terminal operations
for transshipping more than one
million tons of ammunition for
Department of Defense agencies.
“He supervised the outloading
of numerous ammunition vessels
simultaneously, requiring
massive coordination and
supervision of inspectors,
stevedores, railroad crews, and
subordinate supervisors in such a
manner as to be most economical
(Continued On Page Two)
Shallotte Man
Shot Fatally
Gilbert Simmons, white man of
the Ash section of Brunswick
county, was killed Monday
evening when he was shot at close
range by a .38 calibre pistol.
Henry Pike, Sha.’otte painting
contractor, has been charged
with the fatal shooting.
Details of the fatal shooting
were unavailable this (Tuesday)
morning as The Pilot went to
press one day early
Ti
And Tide
Times were hard back in 1935, so hard that one of the important off
season sources of income was fur trapping. A front page piece in our
ssue for Christinas Day of that year spoke of the fact that some ritzy
tor pieces had their origin in the wilds of Brunswick. The county was
glazed over for a white Christmas, with a blanket of ice covering the
countryside.
Groucho Marx—the same one that’s still on television—was the star
rf “A Night at the Opera”; there was a reduction in cost of automobile
icense plates in prospect for motorists; and Southport shrimpers had
jot together to request a survey of the local shrimping grounds, with
weeks and hidden obstructions to be marked.
In our edition for December 18,1940, there was a report of an escape
in horseback by a young Southport maiden from a pursuing mule.
The race wound up a dead heat to the barnyard.) Don Carpenter,
Washington, D.C., sports writer, had made another successful deep
sea fishing trip here.
The board of commissioners had approved plans for revaluation;
thirty persons had qualified for Red Cross First Aid Instructor cer
tificates; and Friday the 13th had been selected as the day to plant
some early vegetable crops over on Bald Head Island. Manager
Charlie Matthews was superstitious!
It was the week before Christmas, December 19, 1945, to be exact,
and hundreds of Brunswick County servicemen were to be at home for
the holidays for the first time in several years. Large shipments of
holiday greenery were being shipped from various points in this
<Oo*rt*m«a On l*mf» Torn)
Monday, the State Board of
Elections asked the State Bureau
of Investigation to look into
alleged fraud and forgery that
could determine the outcome of
the House race that ended in a tie.
Regardless of any decision by
the State Board of Elections, the
case appears headed for court.
The latest development in the
much-publicized House race is
the State Board’s request that the
SBI investigate the alleged voting
irregularities in Columbus
Keceives Citation
Major Oscar G. Oaks, left, is shown as he receives the
Joint Service Commendation Medal from Brig. General
Edwin B. Owen when the latter was here on an official
visit last week.
Court Revisions__
Due January 1
The court system in this
district, improved considerably
by the new District Courts that
began two years ago, will be
further modified January 4 when
the new Superior Court solicitor
is sworn into office.
Lee Greer, who has served as
District Court prosecutor since
the system was started in
Columbus, Bladen and Brun
swick counties, will be the
Superior Court solicitor. Wilton
Hunt, a Whiteville attorney, will
have the new job of assistant
solicitor.
Until now, the solicitorial
district and the judicial district
did not coincide. When Greer
takes office both districts will
include the three counties—
Columbus, Bladen and Brun
swick.
Also, the Superior and District
courts will be more closely
connected than before: Greer
will be responsible for all
criminal cases in both courts;
Hunt will assist the solicitor in
Superior courts as well as
prosecute District Court cases.
Greer said he also would assist
Hunt in the District courts.
The new solicitor, a well-known
Whiteville resident with a
background of public service,
said the most significant change
when he switches jobs will be that
most Superior Court cases are
felonies. This entails a more
thorough preparation for trial.
Sometimes as many as 400
cases are tried during a week of
District Court; in Superior Court,
it is uncommon for more than 20
to be tried during a court session.
The 60-year-old Greer, whose
wife Marguerite teaches at
Whiteville Senior High School,
has served on two governor’s
commissions: juvenile courts
and correctional institutions, and
guardianships.
He was Recorder’s Court
solicitor in 1938 and judge of the
same court in 1940-41. After the
war Greer was elected Clerk of
Court, a job he held until two
years ago when he became
District Court prosecutor.
The Greers have two children:
Laura Greer Vick, a graduate
student at the University of North
Carolina; and Bubba (Lee, Jr.), a
junior at the Chapel Hill school.
Greer said it has been a
pleasure working with Judges
“ (Continued On Page Two)
County, and especially in South
Lees Precinct. Harrelson has
charged that fraud and forgery in
the precinct has affected the
voters’ right to choose who
represents the Brunswick
Columbus district in the
legislature.
The fight started in the
November 3 general election
when unofficial returns showed
Williamson with a four-vote
margin over Harrelson, a South
port businessman in his first
political contest.
Democrats outnumber
Republicans in the two-county
district, and Williamson has
claimed he would win easily if
another election were held.
Anyway, no one expected the
contest for the second House seat
to be so close.
The Brunswick County canvass
was held first and resulted in a
net gain of nine votes for
Harrelson, giving him a five-vote
lead over the Chadbourn farmer
businessman. Then the Columbus
County cavass was held and
Williamson picked up seven
votes—all in the controversial
South Lees Precinct.
All voting materials, including
the ballots, poll books and un
sealed ballot boxes, were im
pounded under order of Judge
Hamilton H. Hobgood.
Harrelson presented several
petitions that alleged voting
irregularities, and the State
Board of Elections allowed a
recount of votes in South Lees
Precinct where the unofficial
election returns showed 13 votes
for Williamson but the “official”
returns indicated he had received
20 votes.
The recount showed that 19
votes were cast for the incumbent
legislator.
Examination of a “spoiled”
ballot by the State Board caused
the five-member panel to allow
(Continued On Page Two)
Live Nativity
Scene Presented
The Ocean View United
Methodist Church, seeking to
recapture the true meaning of the
birth of Jesus Christ, concluded a
presentation of the Nativity
Monday evening. The Senior
UMYF, each member seeking to
re-live for himself that event
which took place so long ago,
performed the Navivity in
pantomime to a tape recording
they had made of the biblical
account of the Birth of Christ.
Hie biblical account was in
terspersed with appropirate
Christmas Carols.
Adult members of the
congregation pitched in to build
the manger, install an outdoor
sound system, provide lighting
and assist with costumes. The
pageant was a group effort
designed to involve the Oak
Island community a celebration
of the Christmas Story. Through
sharing in the celebration of the
(Continued On Page Two)
Live Nativity Scene
The young people at Ocean View Methodist Church have been participating in
a live nativity scene on the grounds of the church each night this week. Many
persons have driven over to see this unusual observance of Christmas.