THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 22 20 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA DECEMBER 19,1973 10 CENTS A COPYPUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
! CLUBWOMEN OF THE YEAR for the South
port Junior Woman's Club are Mrs. Jack
Lockhart (left) and Mrs. Frank Hamel. Mrs.
Lockhart was named overall club "Woman of the
Year" while Mrs. Hamel, who joined the local
club in April, was awarded the first annual "New
Clubwoman of the Year" recognition. The women
were cited Friday night at the annual Installation
Banquet.
Defense Asks For Delay
- - . '* ■ ‘ '
Commissioner Depositions
Taken, Others Postponed
Testimony of five Brun
swick County commissioners
and two newspapermen was
taken Thursday and Friday
as depositions were resumed
in the lawsuit that alleges
violation of the N.C. Open
Meetings Law by the board of
commissioners.
I
Commissioner John Bray
of Southport testified for
more than three hours
Thursday morning, and was
followed by commissioner J.
T. Clemmons, whose
testimony continued
throughout the afternoon.
First Friday morning
witness was Kelvin Mackey,
publisher of the Brunswick
Beacon at the time the
lawsuit was commenced July
25 and new manager of the
Hamlet News in Rockingham
County. Board Chairman
William A. Kopp, Jr.,
followed, then Beacon Editor
Gene Smith and Com
missioners Vardell Hughes
and Robert Simmons.
Depositions of State Port
Pilot Publisher James M.
Harper, Jr., and Pilot em
ployees Ed Harper and
Robert E. Hill were
scheduled . to be taken
Tuesday but were postponed
at the reauest of attorney for
Emerick House Stays,
No Violation Is Shown
Ending over half a year of
controversy, Judge Coy E.
Brewer ruled last Tuesday
the Emerick Cottage can stay
at Long Beach.
Judge Brewer’s decision
came after a Superior Court
session on the matter
December 11. Mr. and Mrs.
Robert G. Hendrix, Jr. and
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin T.
Perkins had appealed the
second decision of the Board
of Adjustments April 19,
which allowed the Emerick
Cottage to stay.
Judge Brewer’s court order
affirmed the September 19
decision and ordered that the
building inspector issue John
Clifford Emerick a formal
certificate of occupancy.
The Emericks have con
tended their residence is a
modular home. The op
position (first the town and
later the Hendrix and
Perkins) claimed the unit
was a mobile home and in
violation of zoning or
dinances.
Judge Brewer’s order
states the Emerick “house
conforms to all applicable
building codes and effective
zoing ordinances.”
The judge also found no
denial of constitutional due
process in the September 19
adjustment board decision.
Plaintiff attorney Carter
Lambeth argued that the
September 19 vote (3-0
against the Emericks with
one abstention) was a “non -
decision” and a denial of the
right to due process. Under
Long Beach ordinances, the
adjustment group must have
four votes to overrule a
f Holiday Closings
f County offices will observe a three-day
Christmas vacation next week on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday. The clerk of court’s
office also will be closed those three days, while
post offices will be closed on Tuesday.
County school children were dismissed from
school yesterday, scheduled to return Jan. 2.
Financial institutions will be closed Tuesday and
Wednesday.
| The State Port Pilot will be published on
schedule next week (Wednesday). Because of the
Christmas holiday, however, persons wanting
news items or advertising included in the Dec. 26
issue are requested to have that material in the
Pilot office by Saturday noon.
decision of the building in
spector.
Judge Brewer’s denial of
the “due process’’ argument
upheld a previous building
permit issued to the
(Continued on page 4)
Two Companies Looking
Radio Prospect
Is Checked Out
Southport, which never has
had a radio station, now has
two broadcasting companies
showing active interest in
locating facilities here.
Recently in The Pilot there
has appeared a legal notice
announcing that Thomas
Broadcasting Companies has
made application to the
Federal Communications
Commission to establish an
FM station in Southport
James Poston, a represen
tative of that company, was
here last week to discuss
plans, including
arrangements for a broad
cast studio.
On Saturday a news con
ference was held in Southport
by Willard S. Taylor and
Clarence S. Mowery to an
nounce that they will apply
for a license to establish an
AM station here. They an
nounced that they already
have plans for a location for
their local headquarters.
Taylor, who presently
resides in Greensboro, is the
father of Rev. Tom Taylor,
former pastor of Southport
St. Phillips Church.He has
extensive experience in
electronics having worked
with the Signal Corps at Fort
Bragg through the war years.
Following the war he
operated his own electronics
business in Rockingham for
14 years. In 1957 he became
manager of radio station WK
DX in Hamlet, and since that
time he has been connected
with the engineering
departments of stations
WFNC in Fayetteville and
WSRC in Durham.
He has served as vice -
president and in the
engineering department of
Murray Hill Broadcasting
(Continued on page 4)
the defense Thomas Horne.
Horne is responsible fen* the
rescheduling of these
depositions.
The deposition of Mrs.
Judith Cowan, former clerk
to the board of com
missioners, was taken Oc
tober 19, but Horne objected
to the presence of the State
Port Pilot publisher on
grounds that the plaintiff
intended to use content of the
depositions as subject for
(Continued on page 20)
Says County Commissioner
' ■ v'- ;. • :
K'Jt ' ■» - - • i\. ... - . / w- f . ■
‘Dosher Losing Money,
Should Be Shut Down’
By BOBBY HILL
Efforts to keep Dosher
Memorial Hospital open were
rapped sharply on Monday by
the Brunswick County board
of commissioners.
The discussion was sparked
by County Manager Neil
Mallory’s financial report on
Dosher for the past three
months, showing that the
hospital lost $62,000 from
October, 1972 to September,
1973.
Mallory noted the hospital
had lost $3,414.36 in
November, and he said the
medical facility has operated
the. past three months at a
loss of almost $9,000.
Mallory cited payment of
$23,739.96 for two months of
consulting services to
Lakes Board
Member Quits
Saying he has “no conflict”
with other commissioners,
Boiling Spring Lake Com
missioner John E. Handley
last week resigned his
position because of “conflicts
with my retirement plans.”
Handley was voted into
office in the November 6
election.
His letter of resignation
states: “I feel that the public
should be informed as to the
reason for my resignation as
city commissioner for the
city of Boiling Spring Lakes
after having recently been
elected to that position.
“I would like it clearly
understood that no conflict
existed with other members
of the council. I have ad
(Continued on page 20)
Charter Medical Corporation,
which three months ago
signed a three - year con
sulting contract with Dosher.
“That place (Dosher)
needs to be closed up,”
Commissioner J.T. Clem
mons of Shallotte said.
"That’s the only way they can
get out of that contract, (with
Charter) as I understand it."
“I am depressed with the
report of Dosher Memorial
Hospital’s financial con
ditions,” Clemmons added.
The commissioners also
declined to approve a bill
from Dosher for $1,847.10 for
patients under custody of the
county.
Clemmons also said there
are "a few people doing some
things causing some concern
(Continued on page 20)
Town Intends To Keep
Hospital Open--Mayor
By BOBBY HILL
Appointing the nucleus of a
“Dosher Renovation Com
mittee,” Southport Mayor
Eugene Tomlinson Thursday
called for a meeting early in
January of representatives of
towns in Smithville Township
to insure Dosher Memorial
Hospital’s future.
Tomlinson appointed A.A.
Martin, Harold Davis and
W.P. Home to work with him
selecting representatives for
the committee. He said a
joint meeting would be
scheduled for the committee
when members are appointed
from Long Beach, Yaupon
Beach, Boiling Spring Lakes
and Southport.
Tomlinson said he had been
informed that construction of
the proposed Brunswick
County Memorial Hospital
will not be approved at the
state level until Dosher
documents that it will close.
“I don't need anybody out
in the county telling us what
we need in Southport or what
we should orient our medical
facilities toward," Tomlinson
said.
“We are prepared to go all
the way down the line,” he
added, saying the board
would seek injunctive relief
to prevent the sale of bonds
for the new hospital in order
to protect Dosher’s future.
Tomlinson said a letter had
been sent from W.B. Mc
Dougle, chairman of
Dosher’s trustees, to Brun
swick Memorial chairman
Mason H. Anderson, saying,
(Continued on page 4)
Mrs. Lockhart
Receives Honor
The Junior Woman’s Club
of Southport has named Mrs.
Jack Lockhart 1973 “Club
woman - of - the - Year.”
As publicity director for the
club during the past year
Mrs. Lockhart has been in
volved in almost every
project the Junior Woman’s
Club has undertaken. One of
her duties as publicity
director included the com
piling of the club’s pressbook,
which placed first in District
11 and is now in state com
petition.
She has also served on the
executive board and as a
member of the Home Life and
Arts committees. During
1973, which was her first full
year of club membership,
Mrs. Lockhart acted as
chairman of the party for the
Ocean Trail Rest Home and
as co - chairman of Junior
Day in Wilmington.
Representing the Junior
Woman’s Club, she was a
member of the Planning
Committee for the recent
“Holiday House.”
Mrs. Lockhart has been
(Continued on page 4)
CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT the groins at the
west end of Long Beach are doing the job for
which they were intended is shown in this recent
aerial photograph. The sand - filled bags that
make up the groins stretch from the beach, and
adjacent to each line of bags is a clearly-defined
build up of underwater sand. The purpose of the
groins is to slow sand particles suspended in
water, causing them to drop to the bottom. Last
year, severe wave action caused erosion of the
road in the left center of the photo.