Time and tide J 50 years ago Fifty years ago this week the John M. Morehead and IV. P. Anderson, two local menhaden boats, went into active duty for the U. S. Navy, rhe two boats of the fleet maintained by the Brunswick Navigation Company were requested by the Navy for patrol duty along the coast line. The crews, however, were not to remain aboard. This action ended speculation about possible menhaden catches during the winter. The Navy was still recruiting men and boys even though they were not subject to the draft laws. It was then not mandatory that the enlistee be 18 years of age. 45 years ago Forty-five years ago this week O. P. Bellamy killed the largest hog or the year in Brunswick County. Dressed out, it weighed 755 pounds. The giant measured six feet in length and stood 37 inches high. Four stands ol lard were taken from the fat. Bellamy also butchered another hog weighing 400 pounds. Fire destroyed the living quarters of the Waccamaw teachers. All residents’ personal belongings and furnishings were destroyed. The loss was estimated at $50,000. The fire could possibly have been ex tinguished, but the Whiteville fire truck on the way to the scene sides wiped another vehicle, preventing its chances of arriving on time. 35 years ago Thirty-five years ago this week the county courthouse in Southport was damaged by fire with the loss amounting to $60,000. The cause of the pre-dawn blaze was undetermined at the time. Insurance covered the loss of everything except valuable papers. The assistance of the fire department from Sunny Point Army Terminal was a great help in bringing the fire under control. On the line of firefighting, steps had been taken to make the Sunny Point terminal a safe place for handling high explosives. The terminal laeilities already wcie the finest to be found and further improvement was being strived for. 30 years ago Thirty years ago this week there was a front-page picture of tax col lector Douglas Hawes and the tax listers taking their oath of office be lore judge Edward Clark, who was conducting Superior Court here. This was our issue for December 12, 1962, and on the front page there also was a picture of the carol choir at Southport Presbyterian Church. Three members of Southport’s state championship eight-man football team had made all-state — C. E. Murphy, quarterback; Earl CIcwis, guard; and Donald Dixon, end. 20 years ago A front-page picture in the Pilot for December 13,1972, showed offi cials of the Frying Pan Lightship Commission accepting a check for $200 from the Brunswick County Historical Society to help pay costs of converting the vessel into a nautical museum. The State Highway Commission had rejected the low bid for construction of the new bridge to Oak Island due to an error made by the bidder. The project was to be rc-advcrtiscd. Following a public hearing concerning Dosher Memorial Hospital, the editor had come forward with the conclusion that there would be no problem if people would pay their hospital bills. In other words, ac counts receivable at the hospital exceeded the total outstanding in debtedness. A new container-loading facility was to be constructed at Sunny Point Army Terminal and bids were being advertised for this project. 15 years ago Mrs. Mac Bambcr, former mayor of Southport, England, was a visitor in our city and we had a front-page picture of her assisting Mayor E. B. Tomlinson, Jr., in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of Holiday House. That was in the Pilot for December 14, 1977, which also had accounts of other activities in which our English visitor had partici pated during the preceding weekend. There was even an editorial prais ing her grace and charm. The developers of Bald Head Island had received a permit to erect an office building on Moore Street in Southport; we had a picture of Bill McDougle accepting a framed letter from mayor Louise Corbett upon his retirement as a member of the town board of Yaupon Beach; and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department had participated in the sei zure of 171/2 tons of marijuana from a shrimp trawler in the Brunswick River. The operator was a Virginia resident. 10 years ago Christmas was the theme in advertising, news and photos in the Pilot for December 15,1982, with a variety of programs and special celebra tions listed as coming attractions. Predictably an article on recipes focused heavily upon Christmas dinner and holiday desserts. Ten years ago when we went down to Caroon Crab Co. headquarters everybody was busy filleting flounders; now they have to buy them by the pound; we had a picture of Bruce Raynor, manager at Winn-Dixie, presenting a check for $1,000 to a Long Beach resident, Mrs. R. G. Jones, winner in a store contest; and the weather tower at the southwest comer of the Garrison had been pronounced the most spectacular Christmas decoration in town. 5 years ago "Christmas-By-the-Sea", the first full-scale organized holiday promo tion on Oak Island, had turned out to be an unqualified success and we had photo coverage and story in the Pilot for December 2, 1987. The second Holiday Flotilla in Southport had grown from five entries the previous year to a total of 13 lighted vessels parading along the water front. Jean Rhudy had been elected president of Southport Woman’s Club and we had a photo of the installation ceremonies; Grace Beasley had been reelected chairman of the Brunswick County Board of Com missioners; and Quinton McCracken was in Charlotte practicing as a member of the North Carolina squad for the annual Shrine Bowl foot ball game on Saturday of that week. White Wicker Sale Wicker is a great way to decorate with its clean lines and lovely texture that is sure to add beauty to a sunny room. Three-Drawer Chest (reg. $390.00) ^*195 Matching Mirror (reg. $179.00) ^79 CASH & CARRY! 1 fA(tee & (Pretty Resort Interiors Monday-Satunlay 10:00-5:30 Long Bench Rd., 457-5444 CO Opinion Continued from page 4 excellent promotion of this event. I feel this event can be summed up by a comment made by one of the bidders: "A good deal was had by all." Anne Watson Chairman, Silent Auction Committee Hardy souls To the Editor: On behalf of the Christmas-By the-Sea Festival Parade Committee we would like to thank all those hardy souls who participated in, and the spectators of, the sixth annual festival parade. A special thanks to our parade marshal, superintendent of Brunswick County schools Dr. Ralph Johnston, and his wife Sonia. Thanks go out to parade helpers Hank and Millie Zimmerman, Bill Sphar, Hank Repscha. Marsha Cochran, Mary Tomlinson, Jason Griffith, Mike Brogan, Jimmy Moore, Laurel Payne, Erica Wozniak. Wyatt and Madeleine Gordon, Irene Webb, Tom Gray, Woody Woodward -- and Santa. Thank you to those who donated the use of convertibles: Alpha Auto Sales, Rene Ward, Jones Ford, David Hirst, Edna Crouch, Bill Sizemore, Carolyn Hedricks, Peg Aten, Randy Fullwood, Donna Coleman and Shirley Howe. Thank you to parade judges Joan Altman, Bill Dcarman, Sabrina Hodges and David Clegg. Thank you to Southport Marine Mart for loaning boats for parade floats. Oak Island Golf and Country Club for loaning the committee a golf cart, the Town of Yaupon Beach for hosting the VIP reception and the Yaupon Beach, Long Beach and Caswell Beach police depart ments and Brunswick County Sheriffs Department for crowd control. And a special thanks to the towns of Yaupon Beach and Long Beach and their residents for their support. Lynne Repscha Nancy Sphar Parade co-chairman Cloggers float To the Editor: I would like to thank the follow ing people lor making the Christ mas-By-the-Sea parade a very successful event for the Southport Seacoast Cloggers: Joe Medlin and the City of Southport: Steve Mealy, city maintenance supervisor, and Rufus King, city mechanic, for their time and support: Jim and David Knight for the generator; Ray Spencer for ux)ls and materials: Carl Carter's Shuttle and Landscaping Service for the generous loan of the tractor and trailer. Oscar Smith for his skillful driving; Sue Kaufman for being a super Santa; and the cloggers and their families for their untiring labor of love. David Spencer Pocketbooks To the Editor: The Long Beach town fathers have accomplished a great deal in 1992. They have managed more assaults upon the taxpayers' pockets. No time was lost in presenting the citizens with their quarterly charges for trash pickup. 1 would prefer to deliver my own trash to the dump but I am not given this option. This charge arrived with the water bill. The water bill lists a basic charge of $18.69, plus the charge for gallons used. The newspaper recently advised that there would be a charge for a $5 decal per car for the permanent residents starting in 1993. The report also noted that those citizens delinquent in this duty would be prosecuted (persecuted). When I first moved to Long Beach. I was informed by an employee of City Hall that the decal was for my protection as a homeowner. In case of an evacuation from an approach ing hurricane, only the cars with decals would be allowed back on the island after the storm had passed. One of the commissioners informed me he had never heard of such a thing. He said the reason-for the $5 charge was because it was time-consuming to hand out the stickers. How much time is in volved here? I drive by Town Hall each day and I have never seen a line formed waiting to be served. This doesn't sound like much money but each year we keep adding and adding. Retirees don't get raises in their income. Gerald A. Marsh Long Beach Stuart resigns Caswell seat; Terry is selected By Amitabh Pal Municipal Editor Bob Terry was appointed Thurs day to the Caswell Beach Board of Commissioners to replace Duncan Stuart, who resigned last week for health reasons. "Bob Terry has been on the plan ning board and has worked with de velopment areas," mayor Jack Cook said in making die appointment. "These arc things that arc challeng ing us now and will continue to challenge us in the future." Terry will complete Stuart’s term, which expires in November, 1993. An immediate appoinUnent was necessary because with Stuart’s resignation and the continued illness of commissioner Estcn Gillis the board would have been without a quorum. Gillis, who has been unable to at tend meetings for the past few months, has also submitted her ver bal resignation but is expected to be reappointed when she recovers. After the quorum was established, the board approved die OccanGrccns Phase IV final site plan alter a brief public hearing. Dave LaFavc, general manager of the project, gave an overview of the project consisting of 28 four-plex "oceanfront" units and 18 duplex golf course villa units. "1 feel die development will Ire an asset to the town," he said. "It has generated positive interest from folks elsewhere." Walter Schneider, a resident of The Arboretum, expressed concern that all of the planned units are not on an even grade. LaFavc said this was done deliberately to give the development a single-family, rather than a mulli lamily, residential feel and said Post office to extend hours The Southport post office will be open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays during the Christ mas mailing season, postmas ter James Hardy has an nounced. Saturday hours will be from 9 a.m. until two o’clock "in an effort to make it easier for our customers to do business with us." Hardy said. "Our aim is to make our services available with as little inconvenience to our customers as possible. ” there would be a provision in the contract warning occupants of homes at lower elevations of their vulnerability in a storm or hurricane. Billy Coleman, on behalf of the planning board, recommended that the plan be approved with changes to reduce structure density and to provide more parking. The board also appointed building inspector Roger Parks as a part-time town employee. Parks had been un der contract to the town since 1975. "We’ve been encouraged by our (insurance advisers) to make him an employee of the town," Cook said. "Since we cannot make him a full time employee because of the hours that he works, we’re making him a part-time employee." The board also: •Tabled the operating budget report for November in the absence of necessary receipts. •Announced that garbage will not be picked up on December 22 and December 24, as scheduled. •Received a report from com missioner Bill Royd that he is still investigating a proposed town maintenance schedule for conven tional septic systems. He said he has received one "encouraging" response from Dr. Michael Hoover of North Carolina Stale University. •Received Boyd’s report that the town had received a CAMA permit for enlarging the public parking lot near the CP&L pumping station and expects CAMA permission to locate a beach access between 329 and 401 Caswell Beach Road. •Received Boyd’s report on the three properties that the town is scrutinizing for various reasons. Boyd said town attorney Elva Jess has contacted the owners of the Heinz property, which allegedly is iri violation of local building codes. A demolition permit for the dilapidated Rogers property has been issued, Boyd said, and "before long we’ll see the wrecking ball on 110 Caswell Beach Road." Boyd said the Bell properly, which is said to be in a deteriorated condition, is not on "top of the (town’s priority) list." tjofcf Chains 70% OJJ ‘Jw'm 510 perjjram Jezvefry is forever. Layaway now jar Christmas'. ^ ^'Oat^Island Jewelers "We’re not just a jewelry store, were jewelers." ;*wvT Rivet Run Shop. Center, I Iwy. 211 & Beacn Rd„ 457-4407 CARPET CLEANED Any Size Living Room and Hall mmiEZK-Mu ANY ADDITIONAL ROOM $1735 call now 278-9599 1 -800-649-3013 LIVING ROOM & hall$3995 Owp Soli Extraction THIS METHOD INCLUDES BOTH CHEMICAL AND STEAM CLEANINO UVING ROOM, HALL & DINING ROOM $4995 n> EXPERT UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Warranty...We guarantee superior workm:, iship and complete customer satisfaction...If you are not deligUed you DO NOT pay! GuaRany IAV--V