THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 43
NUMBER 15
12PAGES TODAY
WEDNESDA Y, NOVEMBER 3, 1971 SOUTHPORT, N. C.
5c A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Highway Closed For Canal Construction
The discharge canal from the CP&L plant near Southport
will cut across Highway 87 & 133 and also Highway 211. This
week gates were erected across Highway 87 & 133 to close off
traffic while a canal is dug and a bridge erected. When this has
been completed, the same procedure will be followed on High
way 211. Now all traffic to Wilmington must detour by the
Lindner Farm. (Photo by Spencer)
BEMC Annual Meet
Electric Co-Op Elects
Freeland Man To Board
Approximately 800 persons
attended the Brunswick
Electric Membership
Cooperative annual meeting
here Saturday.
Lt. Gov. Pat Taylor, a
candidate for governor, who
w. was supposed to be guest
speaker at the Saturday
afternoon gathering, never
came. He did send a
telegram, however, ex
plaining that the extra
legislative session had kept
him in Raleigh.
The Rev. W.D. Frank of the
Ash-Freeland area became
the first black director in the
32-year history of BEMC,
edging F.D. Inman by a 311 to
305 vote. The victory for the
write-in candidate climaxed
a successful attempt by a
minority coalition to halt
alleged discrimination in the
two-county co-op.
First news of the coalition
— which claims, Jewish,
Catholic and Indian mem
bership but is mostly black —
came from an NAACP leader
in Brunswick Coirnty who
said the group wanted
a minority member on the
nominating committee. The
Saturday victory for Frink
was more than the black
leader expected.
Traditionally, the
nomination committee has
listed one candidate for each
available position.
. The bylaws allow that a
name be put in nomination
either by a petition or from
the floor, but blacks claim
their right to do either has
always been restricted by the
whites.
C.D. Branch, president of
the co-op that serves Brun
swick and Columbus coun
ties, got right to the point:
“The most appropriate thing
I could say to you on this day
would be a few things about
the responsibilities of board
members.” He told the
Homecoming Queen
Miss Marilyn Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Wesly Johnson of Southport, was crowned Football
Homecoming Queen Friday night at the football
game between Brunswick County-Southport High
School and Leland. (Photo by Spencer)
*
BEMC members that “the
main item of business and
primary purpose here today
is the election of three in
coming board members.”
The annual meeting almost
~ didn’t get-’—underway.
Scheduled for one o’clock at
Columbus County Warehouse
in Whiteville, the meeting
was postponed one-half hour
because there were not
enough voting members for a
five-percent quorum.
After a few more selections
from The Executives, “the
finest banjo-picking group in
the country”, the members
heard the president’s
message from Branch, the
treasurer’s report from J.B.
Ward, Jr., and the manager’s
report from R.G. Hubbard,
Jr. Hubbard called special
(Continued On Page Four)
Time And Tide
The Pilot for October 28, 1936, reported a meeting of Brun
swick county citizens at ShaUotte High School for a discussion
of plans for organizing a REA co-op in this area. Another mark
of progress was the report that the beach road had been hard
surfaced as far as the Ihtercoastal Waterway bridge.
A heated political campaign was drawing to a close in
Brunswick and The Pilot that week was filled with ads from the
various candidates; six Brunswick county men had been
convicted in federal court for shooting coot at night; and a
seasonal note reported that trout were biting on the whiting
grounds in the Cape Fear River.
In our edition for October 29, 1941, there was a report that
work had started ori the USO building in the Garrison. There
was a front page picture showing the late Buck Devane at work
in (me of the Southport shrimp packing houses. The highway
death toll for Brunswick had mounted to eight for the year.
Geese were already flying southward; an ancient cannon
ball had been unearthed during excavation for the foundation of
the USO building; and a party fishing with Capt. H.T. Bowmer
had caught more than 400 bluefish.
The year 1946 was another election year, with voters
scheduled to go to the polls on the following Tuesday. Thus a
good part of the advertising section in our October 30 issue was
given over to political advertising. Southport was preparing for
the annual Halloween Carnival and the old gym was the scene
of this fall festival.
Fine fishing was reported at Howells Point; one of the Watts
boats had reported catches of over 400 bluefish on two days that
week; and yachts were moving south through the Inland
(OoRtknueU On Page Four)
County Roads
Help Is Asked
Additional personnel and
equipment to maintain the
secondary roads in Brun
swick County have been
requested by the board of
commissioners.
Acknowledging the efforts
of the individuals associated
with the State Highway
Commission, the board
nonetheless said that an
improvement in service “is
necessary to insure our
citizens the benefits which
they deserve from the State
of North Carolina.’
lina.”
The resolution adopted
by the board of commis
sioners stated that “there
being approximately 208
miles ot unpaved secondary
roads in Brunswick County, it
is the opinion of this board, as
evidenced by the many
complaints by citizens
throughout Brunswick
County, that necessary funds
are not being provided to
maintain these roads in
accordance with state high
way standards in that these
roads should be passable in
all types of weather without
undue hardship on the
citizens of this county.
“Further, it has been
(Oonttauad On Pag* Four)
Lincoln Parents
Are Entertained
The first Parent-Teacher
meeting for the 1971-72 school
year was held Thursday night
at Lincoln Elementary
School.
The fifth grades presented
a Halloween program. All of
the fifth graders participated
in the devotions. The history
of Halloween was read by
Phyllis Owens. Dana Mathis,
Mary Robbins, Lynn Frazier
and Regina Speight, the fifth
grade Rockettes, presented a
Halloween dance. The peom,
“It’s Halloween”, was
dramatized by Steven
Howell, Dale Rabon, Archie
Sellers and Paul Dove.
Tommy Kirkland, Norma
Williamson, Charles
(Oontteued On Page FVrarS
Centralized Hospital Idea
Is Discussed For County
A centrally-located hospital
to serve Brunswick County
was discussed by the board of
commissioners in its regular
first-Monday session.
Mason Anderson, chairman
of the Brunswick County
Hospital Committee, told the
board of progress in deter
mining the feasibility of
establishing such a facility in
Brunswick. He said a
financial feasibility study
must be conducted that would
include an analysis of the
funds required for the con
struction of the proposed
hospital together with a
breakdown of the hospital’s
pay-back ability.
These factors would
determine the government
loans as well as an estimation
of the various government
and private grants which
might be available and also
the amount of local funds that
would be required.
OTHER BUSINESS
Mrs. Minnie Holliday and
Mrs. Marjorie Jones of
Leland came before the
board to request assistance in
getting State Road 1427
repaired. They advised that it
was, at times, impossible to
use this road due to no
drainage: the road has to be
built up and the drainage
ditches properly maintained.
They also requested that the
road be extended to the
cemetery in this area. The
board advised Mrs. Holliday
and Mrs. Jones that this
request would be forwarded
to the N.C. State Highway
Commission for their con
sideration.
Residents of Ash came
before to the board to inform
them of the deplorable
condition of State Road 1332.
Mrs. Maude White, Mrs.
Alberta Ludlum, Mrs.
Dorothy Krimminger, Mrs.
Ressie Milligan, Mr. W.O.
Ludlum, Mr. James D.
Parker, Mr. Willard Smith
and Mrs. Ann Smith at
tended. This road is a school
bus and mail route and is in
(Continued On Page Pour)
Sawdust Trail Bank
Robbed Of $4,000
The peace and quiet of this
community was disturbed
Friday morning when three
bandits, one of them armed
with a sawed-off shotgun,
entered the Sawdust Trail
branch of Waccamaw Bank
and Trust Co. and escaped
with $3,775 in cash.
The robbery occurred
about 9:25, shortly after the
branch bank had opened for
business. Three women
employees were on duty at
the time and there were no
customers in the building.
While the stickup was in
progress, another employee
walked into the room, and all
four were herded into the
vault where they were locked
in while the three bandits
made good their escape.
The quartet was able to
escape the vault within a
short time, and the alarm
was sounded. Members of the
Southport Police Department
soon were on the scene and
were followed by law en
forcement officers from the
Brunswick County Sheriff’s
Department, the State High
way Patrol, The SBI and the
FBI.
There were few clues for
officers to go on.
The robbers were young
blacks, estimated to be
between 25-35 years of age
and to be from six feet to six
feet, two inches tall. One of
them wore a leather coat and
a red, white and blue knitted
hat. Another had on slacks
and a white tee-shirt. None of
the three wore a mask.
According to reports the
three men came in and stood
around for a few minutes
before one left the building.
At this Doint one of the other
men walked to the teller’s
windown and pointed his gun
as he directed bank em
ployees to fill a pillow case
they had brought with money.
When this operation was
completed, the bank em
ployees were motioned to get
into the vault where they
were locked up and the
robbers left.
The robbery victims told
officers that there had been
no threats and that the
robbers appeared to be
perfectly calm as they set
about the business of
collecting the cash and
making good their escape.
Prior to Wednesday af
ternoon no arrests had been
made nor was it known if
there are definite suspects for
this robbery.
Vault Prison For Employees ^
This is the vault at the Sawdust Trail Branch of
Waccamaw Bank & Trust co. near Southport
where four bank employees were locked up Friday
morning during a robbery which resulted in the
loss of $3,775. (Photo by Spencer)
Odell Williamsons Set-Up I
$4,000 Scholarship Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Odell
Williamson at Ocean Isle
Beach have announced their
sponsorship of a Declamation
Scholarship fund in the
amount of $4,000 to be
awarded annually in the
Brunswick County School
System. Of this amount, two
$1,500 scholarships will be
awarded to the senior boy and
girl enrolled in the public
schools of Brunswick County
who are finalists in the county
declamation competition.
One thousand dollars will
be utilized to provide a $100
cash award to the senior boy
and girl who are chosen as
winners of the local com
petition in the five county
high schools.
The scholarships will be
called, “The Virginia William
Declamation Scholarship
Award” and “The Odell
Williamson Declamation
Scholarship Award” for the
girl and boy recipients,
respectively.
Mr. and Mrs. William
recently initiated this
scholarship program by
presenting checks totalling
$4,000 to Ralph C. King,
Superintendent of the
Brunswick County Schools,
for the scholarships to be
awarded to winners for the
1971-72 school term.
In making the presentation,
Mr. Williamson said, “It has
been my observation that it is
a real asset for a person to be
able to express himself and in
making this award I hope the
competition created in the
speaking contest will help
many.”
Mrs. Williamson stated, “I |
am glad to be able to do this
and hope that it will mean a
great deal to further the
success in life of many
people.”
Superintendent King ex
pressed his appreciation to
Mr. and Mrs. Williamson for
their interest and for their
(Continued On Page Pour)
Establish Scholarships
Ralph King, Superintendent of Brunswick County Schools, is shown, left, as
he accepts a check for $4,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Odell Williamson to establish
a scholarship fund for winners in an annual declamation and recitation
contest to be conducted through Brunswick County Schools.
V