THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 44 NUMBER 28 12 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1973 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Motel Owner
Slain Friday
A 47-year-old Brunswick
County man was shot to death
in his place of business
Friday, and a business af
filiate has been charged with
the shooting.
Eugene Hinson, owner of
Hinson’s Truck Stop on US 17
south of Shallotte was shot
about 1:15 a.m. Authorities
say seven shots were fired,
four of which struck the
victim. Two shots apparently
went wild, and officials say
the seventh was a blank.
The alleged murder
weapon, a .22 caliber target
pistol mounted on a .38
frame, was recovered soon
after the shooting. All she
bullets were recovered, in
cluding one imbedded In a
door panel.
Two shot struck Hinson in
the back, and two more hit
him it the chest and stomach.
Authorities surmised that
Hinson tried to flee after
being shot head-on, and was
cut down by the shots in the
back as he made for the door
of the restaurant.
An autopsy performed at
New Hanover Memorial
Hospital indicated Hinson
(Continued On Page Three)
Capt. Dosher
Dies Sunday
Capt. Arthur J. Dosher died
Sunday morning at New
Hanover Memorial Hospital
in Wilmington where he had
been a patient for several
weeks. He was 74 years of
age.
He retired several years
ago from government service
with the U.S. Army
Engineeers after serving as
master of dredges engaged in
major projects on the east
coast, the west coast and in
the gulf.
Following his retirement he
became active in political
affairs and served for several
years as chairman of the
Brunswick County Board of
Elections. Later, he served
several terms as a member of
the Brunswick County Board
of Education and played an
active role in laying the
groundwork for the three
consolidated high schools
which now serve the county.
He is survived by his wife,
Mrs. Florence Dosher of the
home; by four sons, Ralph
Dosher of New Jersey;
Gerald Dosher of New York;
David Dosher and George
Dosher of Colorado; and one
daughter, Mrs. Ruth Cun
ningham of Pennsylvania;
and by one brother, Capt.
Jesse Dosher of Southport
Graveside services were
held Tuesday afternoon at 3
o’clock by the Rev. Bryan
Dosher, assisted by the Rev.
Macon Wood. Interment was
in Northwood Cemetery.
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BEING HELD WITHOUT PRIVILEGE of bond is Robert H. Dixon, charged
with murder in the Friday afternoon shooting death of Eugene Hinson,
operator of a motel in the Grissettown section of Brunswick County. Here, a
member of the Shallotte Rescue Squad prepares to remove Hinson from the
South 17 Truck Stop, where he was fatally wounded, while Brunswick County
Coroner Lowell Bennett and Sheriff's Deputy Milton McCumbee discuss the
shooting.
Yaupon Board Opposes
Plan For Trailer Park
The Yaupon Beach Board
of Commissioners held its
January monthly meeting
recently with Mayor
Clarence Murphy presiding
and Commissioners Jack
Allen, Frank Aman, Gibson
Barbee, Jr., William Mc
Dougle and William Smalley
present. The meeting had
been postponed for one week
due to the sleet and ice storm.
Mayor Murphy told the
commissioners that he had
Southport Plaza
Plan Announced
Southport Plaza, a $1.2
million community shopping
center containing 15 or 20
stores, has been proposed for
the Sawdust Trail area.
Harold Greene, who played
the major role in the
development of Boiling
Spring Lakes, has purchased
an option on land belonging to
Corporal O.H. Lynch, already
cleared near the NC 211 and
87 intersection. Complete
development, leasing and
management would be
handled by Commercial
Realty Company of
Wilmington.
“We are excited about
doing a shopping center in
Southport,” said Commercial
Realty President Charles A.
Paul, who added that his firm
has received commitments
from several of the larger
stores that wish to be in
cluded in the center. “Our
plans are well underway with
an anticipated construction
starting date of April 1 and a
completion date of October
1.”
According to Paul, the
shopping center would
contain between 60,000 and
100,000 square feet, in
cluding a large grocery store,
variety store, large drug and
discount store, restaurant,
dry cleaners, hardware store,
women’s dress shop, men’s
clothing store, children’s
store and several others.
“We intend to use a blend of
colonial and contemporary
designs where cedar siding is
used in conjunction with
brick to add warmth and
depth to the center. Its
general design would be
horseshoe-shaped with a ten
foot covered sidewalk,
mansard-type roof, wood
encased metal columns,
coach lamps on the store
fronts, more than ample
parking and some green
areas,” Paul said, “with the
possibility of a small
children’s park and
playground.”
The Commercial Realty
President said his firm was
anxious to talk with mer
chants in the Southport area
who would like to locate
businesses in the shopping
center.
heard from Long Beach that
that community was in
terested in Plan B of the
Corps of Engineers regarding
beach erosion and hurricane
protection and felt the town
would be in a better position
for federal assistance if
Yaupon Beach would rescind
the resolution to drop Pian B.
After considerable
discussion, all com
missioners, except Com
missioner Smalley who op
posed the new resolution,
voted to withdraw the motion
of December 5, 1972 con
cerning the beach berm,
known as Plan B, pending
further study and until more
information is received from
the Corps of Engineers and
the Water and Air Resources
Commission.
The commissioners voted
that all plumbers doing
business in Yaupon Beach
must post their state plum
ber’s license number at the
town hall and must show the
license number on the per
mit. The plumbing permit fee
will be $1 per fixture with a
minimum fee of $5 on any
building. The plumber or
owner must request a rough
in inspection before the walls
are closed in and also a final
inspection.
Mayor Murphy announced
that Clifford G. Strassenburg,
Community Planning
Director of the Department of
Natural and Economic
Resources, had
acknowledged receipt of the
letter that Yaupon Beach
wanted to take advantage of
their services. He has in
cluded the Town of Yaupon
Beach in the application to
H.U.D.
Commissioner Smalley
advised that the town
auditors, Jano, Cline and
Barnard of Statesville, had
sent a letter of resignation.
The auditors for Brunswick
County — Cherry, Bekaert
and Holland of Wilmington —
had been contacted and
(Continued On Page Three)
Starts Thursday
County Clean-Up Effort
Now Gaining Momentum
Tomorrow is the first day of
the Brunswick County clean
up campaign, and if the
cooperation during February
is as wholehearted as during
the preliminary planning,
project director Ed Clem
mons expects a successful
program.
“We have had a grand
response,” said Clemmons,
who also is manager of
Brunswick County’s sanitary
landfill program. “We have
had many people calling us,
wanting to know what they
can do to help.”
Greatest response,
Clemmons noted, has come
from the immediate South
port-Yaupon Beach-Long
Beach area. An organized
clean-up, headed in Southport
by Mrs. Betty Smith, is
scheduled east of Howe Street
on February 13 and west of
Howe Street on February 15.
Clean-up of the Southport
waterfront will be on
February 10.
Rose Sends Mobile Office
To Serve Area Residents
Congressman Charlie Rose
has come up with a unique
solution to a problem that
plaques most represen
tatives, namely the
establishment of district
offices. The Seventh District
Congressman plans to use a
24-foot mobile district office
as his way of solving the
problem.
The mobile office will be
staffed by Rose’s ad
ministrative assistant, Rip
Collins. Rose said, “I believe
this approach will better
serve the people than a fixed
district office in one location.
What we want to do is give
our people the opportunity to
come and talk with my ad
ministrative assistant at a
place close to where they
live.” . ...
Beginning in February,
Rose said, the mobile district
office will make regularly
scheduled stops at every post
office in the district.
The Brunswick County
schedule calls for February 6
stops at Shallotte from 9 a.m.
until noon and Bolivia from 2
p.m. until 6 p.m.; February
13, at Calabash from 9 a.m.
until noon and Leland from 2
to 6; February 20 at Long
Beach, 9 until noon, and
Southport 1 p.m. until 6; and
February 27, Shallotte from 9
until noon and Varnumtown
from 2 until 6.
These stops will be made on
Tuesdays.
Congressman Rose pointed
out that Collins would relay
the problems of constituents
to his Washington office.
“This should enable any
person with a problem in
volving the federal govern
ment to be assured of prompt
action by my Washington
office,” Rose added.
The roving district office is
something that has not been
used before in North
Carolina, although may have
expressed interest in the
idea. Mobile offices are used
by other congressmen across
the country and have been
hailed as an excellent
solution to keeping in contact
with constituents at home.
“This is the reason my top
aide is manning the mobile
office,” said Rose. I consider
it to be extremely important
that my constituents have a
person to whom they can
talk, not only about their
problems, but their opinions
on pending legislation and
government operations
generally.”
Rose added, “I want our
constituents to realize that
(Continued On Page Three)
Co-Op Expects
. Better Years
The Tri-County Farmers
Association, Inc. annual
meeting failed to produce a
quorum Thursday night, with
the result that new directors
could not be elected as
planned.
Other business on the
agenda, including the annual
financial report and the
executive committee report,
went on as planned.
Roy Schaal, N.C. Rural
Fund for Development
auditor, told the group that
the local association showed
a larger deficit in the year
just ended than in the
previous year, but cautioned
the listeners against losing
faith.
The most recent deficit —
$20,836 — was experienced
largely because of the Tri
County group’s opening of its
new building, said Schaal,
and an expanded staff. Net
loss for the previous year was
$11,940.
Schaal noted that the gross
margin percentage for each
of the six crop categories
(cabbage, pickled cucum
bers, LG cucumbers, sweet
potatoes, peppers, and
others) averaged 16.7 per
cent, with sales totalling
$33,129 and gross margin
(“profit”) amounting to
$22,903. __
plants, packaging) totalled
$28,994, with gross margin for
these sales set at $2,658.
Schaal predicted that the
local co-op would show a net
gain in its operation if it
continued to triple its sales in
(Continued On Page Three)
Mrs. Jan Eaton of the
Woodbine Garden Club is
currently soliciting help from
school-age children for a
clean-up of the Fort Caswell
roadside on February 8, a
Saturday.
The county will provide
transportation of trash to the
sanitary landfill site on these
days, as well as February 20
when a clean-up is planned
for Yaupon Beach and Long
Beach.
But according to Clem
mons, this is only the start.
“It will go beyond
February, we can see that
already,” he said.
Brunswick County, ex
pected to provide heavy
equipment to clean-up the
worst of the trash dumps, has
written about 150 letters to
schools, clubs and other
groups asking cooperation in
the February campaign. The
letters were mailed just last
Thursday, Clemmons said, so
much more response is ex
pected — “especially out in
the county.” The Supply
Lions Club, for example,
already has announced plans
for a clean-up effort in that
area.
Sheriff Harold Willetts has
promised to put some teeth
into the anti-Utter ordinance,
advising his deputies “to
tighten down” on violators
who dump trash on roadsides
and other’s private property.
He said overall complaints
have decreased, probably
because of the sanitary
landfill program that has
provided an impetus for the
clean-up drive.
Willetts has asked that
anyone witnessing a violation
of the anti-litter law contact
his office.
The greatest effect of the
clean-up, Clemmons said,
would be on the individual
homeowners. About the
conspicuous trash dumps—
the “eyesores” — Clemmons
said it will be the respon- -
sibility of the county to ap
propriate necessary funds
and organize the clean-up.
“This is where the big con
tractors will come in,” he
explained.
Without a larger-scale
clean-up, Clemmons con
(Continued On Page Three)
A $10,000 CHECK from the City of Southport to” Dosher
Memorial Hospital was presented this week by Mayor Dorothy
Gilbert to W.F. Cupit, administrator of the medical facility.
The hospital is in the midst of a financial crisis and the city
Board of Aldermen voted to contribute the money to help.
" * , i \
Brunswick County commissioners have stated they would give
$20,000 to the hospital if certain conditions were met, among
them that the chairman of the hospital Board of Trustees
resign. No course of action has been determined on this matter.