Index
Books, 2-B; Church Calendar, 3-B;
Classified Ads, 11-15-C; Editorials, 1-B;
Entertainment, 6-7-C; Obituaries, 7-A;
Pinehurst News, 1-4-C; Social News,
2-5-A; Sports, 8-9-A.
trtkaa
LOT
Weather
Sunny and Cold is the forecast with no
chance of rain. High, 40 degrees today,
low 26 tonight.
Vol. 57, Number 8
Southern Pines, North Carolina Wednesday, December 22, 1976
44 Pages
Price 15 Cents
Sara Hodgkins
Gets State Post
iL
Christmas Has
Long Weekend
Sara W. Hodgkins of Southern
Pines was appointed this
morning by Governor-elect Jim
Hunt as Secretary of the
Department of Cultural
Resources.
Announcement of the
appointment to the Cabinet level
position in state government was
made at a 10 a.m. press
conference in Raleigh.
Governor-elect Hunt, in
making the announcement, said
that North Carolina should strive
not only for excellence in the
arts but to take the arts to all the
people of North Carolina. He said
that Mrs. Hodgkins was a strong
advocate of this philosophy and
would give leadership to the
development of cultural
resources.
Mrs. Hodgkins was on hand
with her husband, Norris L.
Hodgkins Jr., and their three
children, for the announcement
and made a brief statement in
which she said she would point to
the goals cited by the Governor-
elect.
She will take office on Jan. 8,
the day when Hunt will be
inaugurated as Governor. She
plans to continue her home in
Southern Pines, where her
husband is vice president and
chief executive officer of First
Union National Bank. ,
Mrs. Hodgkins will resign from
the Southern Pines Town Council
to which she was elected last
year, becoming the first woman
to hold such a position. She was
the top vote-getter in the
municipal election.
A musician and teacher of
music in the public schools, Mrs.
Hodgkins has been active in the
Democratic party and served as
the Moore County manager for
Hunt in his successful primary
(Continued on Page 11-A)>
Hunt’s Inaugural
Has Moore Float
Holshouser Joins
Local Law Firm
Moore County citizens
responded enthusiastically to
Governor-elect Jim Hunt’s
personal invitation to attend his
inauguration Saturday, January
^ 4-
Governor-elect Hunt
8, and planned to enter a
Democratic float and two high
school bands in the 1 p.m.
parade.
The governor-elect called it a
“people’s day’’ as well as the
inaugural of the Governor, the
Lieutenant Governor and the
Council of State, and said it
would be held on Saturday so
school children and working
people can attend.
The Pinecrest and Union Pines
High School bands will take part,
as well as a float.
On the Moore County float will
be grass and pines, with both a
golfing and a hunting scene, said
Town Council Member Sara
Hodgkins, who headed the Moore
campaign for the newly elected
governor. She said financing was
obtained through the efforts of
Sam Poole.
(Continued on Page 11-A)
Governor Jim Holshouser is
moving to the Sandhills to
practice law when he con^letes
his term as Governor on Jan. 8.
Ck)nfinnation of the report was
made today, and the Governor
will become a member of the law
finh of Brown, Holshouser and
Pate in Southern Pines.
W. Lament Brown and
Holshouser had discussed the
law partnership some time ago
and reached a final agreement
tl^ past Sunday.
Governor and Mrs. Holshouser
are planning to move into a
condominium which they have
leased in Pinehurst.
They plan to take a short
vacation after he leaves office
and will return to the Sandhills in
late Janurary.
“The past four years have been
exciting, but I am just as excited
now about returning to law
practice and the onwrtunity to
be in the Sandhills,” Governor
Holshouser said.
The Governor and Mrs.
Holshouser have been frequent
(Continued on Page 11-A)
Governor Holshouser
Group Drops Opposition
To Annexation By Town
Swine Flu Vaccinations
Are Now In Limbo Here
Sara Hodgkins
Sales Tax
Sales tax collections, which are
among the best economic in
dicators in the state, continued to
increase in Moore County during
November.
Secretary J. Howard Coble of
the State Department of Revenue
reported this week that the one
percent local option sales tax in
Moore for the past month
amounted to $116,352.51.
The one percent collection in
neighboring counties was; Hoke,
$20,734.39; Lee, $89,005.04;
Montgomery, $35,254.27; Rich
mond, $93,078.80.
Resistance by the “Concerned
atizens” a^«^ annexation by
the Town of Southern Pines has
come to an end, and they plan to
allow the annexation to take
place effective January 1, 1977.
James Van Camp, attorney
representing the group in their
court action against the Town,
which has held up the annexation
since June 30, confirmed
Tuesday night that he is in
process of working out the
change in plans with his clients,
numbering 112 residents and
iwoperty owners of the four
outlying areas involved. Letters
are being sent to them all,
summarizing the situation in full.
Van Camp said he will contact
W. Lament Brown, Southern
Pines town attorney, on
technicalities involved in ter
minating the “Concerned
Citizens” lawsuit, which is now
in the N. C. Court of Appeals.
Briefs were filed in the case
last September, and it was an
ticipated it would be heard next
month.
Van Camp credited efforts of
Mayor E. J. Austin and Town
Manager Lew G. Brown with
effecting the “turnaround” by
which the town will gain about
1,100 new citizens on New Year’s
Day, along with about 1,000 acres
of residential property and two
industrial plants.
Mayor Austin, who met several
times unofficially with leaders of
the group, and who, with
Manager Brown, was a guest at a
meeting they held in the councU
chamber Monday night, ex
pressed gratification that the
controversy was ended, and said
the new citizens would receive a
sincere welcome.
He said, “This is much more
than a matter of extending our
tax base and providing town
services to a wider area. It in
volves ‘people resources,’ which
are a town’s most important
asset. It is my hope that all the
new citizens, who are already a
valuable part of our community,
will enter into full participation
in town affairs.”
He added that “this is the best
Christmas present that Southern
Pines could have had.”
He praised the attitude of the
50 to 60 people attending the
“Concerned Qtizens” meeting
Monday night, who came with an
evident desire to seek better
conununication, asked pertinent
questions with an apparent
desire to learn the real facts
about annexation, and “listened
to the answers.”
These were given by both the
(Continued on Page 10-A)
Two Faculty Members Get
Top Awards At Sandhills
Two members of the Sdndhills
Community (College staff were
presented the most prestigious
awards in recognition of their
ability and their contribution to
the college and community.
Each award carries a stipend
of $1,000 and a citation for their
excellence.
Dr. Raymond A. Stone,
president of Sandhills, Monday
afternoon presented the awards
at a meeting of all college per
sonnel. Mrs. Rose Anderson, the
college lilx'arian received the
John R. Sibley Award, and Jack
Acton, instructor in art, the C.
Foster Brown Jr. Award. The
selection was made by an official
evaluation committee from a
score of persons nominated for
the honor by fellow faculty
members.
(Continued on Page 11-A)
With bad luck plaguing it from
the outset, the government
sponsored swine flu program
was halted Thursday following
reported cases of Guillain-
B{^ syndrome udiich could be
related to the vaccine.
Guillain-Barre, or French polio
as it is sometimes called, is
an accending paralysis udiich
occasionally causes death,
usually when affecting the
respiratory system.
Dr. A.G. Siege, Health
Director for Moore County, said
word was received. Thursday,
Dec. 16, at about 4 p.m. to halt
distrihution of the vaccine. Area
private physicians were then
informed to stop innoculation,
but their siq>ply was not with
drawn.
“We are in limbo,” said Dr.
Siege. Though the halt was
termed temporary, it is doubtful
that the program will be able to
return to any successful status
after this latest setback.
The innoculation program
experienced trouble from the
beginning when several elderly
people reportedly died soon after
being shot wi^ the vaccine.
These apparently coincidental
deaths were overcome and lately
the program was in its most
successful period, following
reports of suspected cases of the
swine flu in the midwest.
nien last week the suspension
was ordered following reports of
at lehst 94 cases of the Guillain-
Barre syndrome, 51 of which had
been innoculated with the swine
flu vaccine within three weeks
before symptoms of the
temporary paralysis were
(Continued on Page 11-A)
CJirisbmas is coming to the
Sandhills, with a long weekend in
store for most people for the
celebration.
Most offices and business
establishments in the area are
planning holiday closings for
both (Christmas and New Year’s.
Also, many churches here are
planning special services for
Christmas Eve or Christmas
Day.
Holiday office closings in the
area include:
The Southern Pines Town
Offices will close Friday, Dec. 24,
and Monday, Dec. 27 in ob
servance of the Christmas
holiday, and Monday, Jan. 3 for
New Year’s.
Mrs. Estelle Wicker, clerk of
the County Commissioners,
reports the County offices will be
closed Dec. 23, 24,27 and Jan. 3.
The ASCS office in Carthage
will be closed Dec. 23 throu^
Dec. 27.
The Pilot offices will close on
Friday, Dec. 24, and Friday,
Dec. 31.
The area banks are scheduled
to observe Monday, Dec. 27, and
Monday, Jan. 3 for the holidays.
The Alston House (House in the
Horseshoe) near Carthage will
be closed Dec. 23, 24, 25, 26, 31
and Jan. 1. It will open Jan. 2
with regular hours of Monday
through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.in.
The Driver’s license office in
Aberdeen will be closed Dec. 23,
24 and 31.
The public schools in Moore
County closed Friday, Dec. 17
following regular class hours,
with classes to resume Monday,
Jan. 3.
Some business establishments
in Southern Pines will be closed
Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Grocery stores are expected to
close Saturday and Sunday, but
open on Monday. The major
department stores will be open
on Monday.
Church Services
Special church services
planned for the holiday weekend
in Southern Pines include:
Emmanuel Episcopal Church-
(Continued on Page 11-A)
Tobacco Growers Vote
99% For Quota Program
Giving Most Important, Say Kids
BY CRAIG LAMB
Ciiristmas is for kids.
With this in mind, the children
at Southern Pines Elementary
school - before school let out for
the holidays last Friday - wrote
down what (Christmas means to
them, or what they especially
want this Christmas.
The responses were unique and
varied, many listing special toys
desired this year, with a few new-
to-the-market items such as
S.W.A.T. back packs or the six
million dollar man, but also
many of the old standards in
cluding guns. Barbie dolls,
bicycles and trains.
Others concentrated on the
meaning of Christmas - the birth
of Jesus, carol singing, giving as
well as receiving, snowmen and
of course, Santa Claus.
A few were poetic, demon
strating what the joy of the
season can do by forming their
Christmas thou^ts into clever
verse.
Following are some of the
responses of the kids, for the
most part unedited.
Gail Talber, second grade, “I
want toys and a Barbie DoU and
a stick of guin. Mac wants a
train. Mac is my brother.”
Debbie Chamberlain, second
grade, “Christmas means the
family gets together. Quistmas
means baby Jesus was bom.
Christmas means you get
presents.”
Thomas Phifer, second grade,
“I want a crazy face and a Green
Machine and two walkie talkie.”
Len Kni^t, second grade,
“The baby Jesus is in the
Manger. Tonight Mary and Jesus
((Continued on Page 11-A)
Christmas Lore Through The Ages
THE
PILOT LIGHT
BOMBSHELL-A letter from
Governor-elect Jim Hunt hit
Raleigh like a bombshell on
Monday afternoon.
It was a letter calling for the
resignation of all persons in
“policy-making positions” and a
great many below that, and
many career and professional
state employes were still in a
state of shock today.
Persons associated with the
Hunt Office said, however, it was
only a matter of procedure and
thatmany of the persons whose
resignations had teen requested
would be asked to stay on in their
same jobs or would te placed in
other positions.
Still, as one veteran
professional state employe said,
“It is ironic that we survived the
Holshouser administration and
then get hit with this-and
practically all of us are
Democrats who supported Hunt
in both the primary and elec
tion.”
EXEMCT-The Governor-elect
acted under the new State
Personnel Act which protects
career state employes but does
allow the governor to exempt
certain positions from the ar
bitrary firings or demotions
protection.
The Hunt letter listed such
positions as all employes of the
offices of governor and
lieutenant governor, all
Secretaries and their deputy or
assistant secretaries and &eir
assistants, division directors and
assistant directors and their
(Continued on Page 11-A)
BYTHADSTEMJR.
At times, Christmas, so
fearfully traduced by blatant
gimmicks and by sordid, com
mercial machinations, has all of
the dignity of a pool room towel.
Pandering store and street-
corner Santa Clauses have
become so astronomically
prevalent many beleaguered
folks equate “yo, ho, ho” with a
wrong number in the middle of
the night. '
Even so, the jolly old elf
retains much of his ancient
magic for yOung innocents for
whom the rapt expectancy of
Christmas Eve’s sugar-shivers is
all bound round with the cen
turies’ old wine of anticipation.
For, Santa Claus is as much a
vital part of the unsullied wist
fulness of small hearts as he is a
creation of fact, literature, and
mythology.
Fact, fiction, and legend are
almost comparable to a platter of
scrambled eggs in the long Saint
Nicholas-Santa Claus-Decemter
6-Decemter 25 excitement. But
“A
V
■4.
■A-
Santa Claus by Thomas Nast (1876).
Saint Nicholas, often called the
“Boy Bishop,” 4th century A.D.,
of Myra, Asia Minor, patron of
boys, young men, siulors, and
others, attained, and retained,
tremendous, popularity in the
Eastern churches. Several
historians associate the pawn
broker’s three tells to him, and
the famous painting of the saint
by Bicci de Lorenzo is in the
Metropolitan Museum.
His remains, interred at Myra,
remained there until the 11th
century, when over-zealous
merchants of Bari, on the
Adriatic, exuding pious in
dignation at what they thou^t
was neglect in Myra, carried
Nicholas’s remains to Italy, to
Bari’s Church of Saint Stephen,
and the tomb is yet the object of
regular pilgrimages.
Many seaport churches
commemorate the mariners’
patron, and among the legends is
the one in which Saint Nicholas,
making a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land, calmed a tempestuous
(Continued on Page 7-A)
Moore County tobacco growers
voted overwhelmingly for
continuation of the price support
program and marketing quotas
in the referendum held last
Thursday.
The vote in Moore was 846 for
and only 13 against.
Walter Fields of the
Agricultural and Stabilization
Committee in (Darthage said
there were about 300 more voters
in this year’s referendum than in
the last three years ago.
The Moore vote was in line
with that cast in the state as a
whole, in which it was reported
97,333 for the program and 943
against-a 99 percent favorable
vote.
The quota system passed by an
even larger margin than three
years ago.
Approval means that the
tobacco support program will te
continued for another three
years.
Nation-wide the vote for the
program was 98.6 percent in
favor, with 137,971 for and 2,011
against.
Fields said there were two
votes challenged in Moore.
Also in Moore the voters ap
proved the tobacco assessment
program, under which growers
are assessed a certain amount
per acre, for promotion of
tobacco. The vote for
assessments was 830 for and 27
against.
The referendum had to pass by
a two-thirds majority for the
(Continued on Page 11-A)
Woman Is 12th Fatality
In Crash Near Carthage
A 64-year-old Lee County
woman became Moore County’s
12th traffic fatality of 1976 when
her car was in collision with
another about 7 a.m. Friday on
US 15-501, northeast of Carthage.
Mrs. Thelma Irene Bruner
Wicker of Sanford, Rt. 9, was
about two miles from her home
in the White Hill section, close to
the Mdore County line, and six
and a half miles east of Carthage
when the accident occurred.
State Trooper John W. Smith
said a car driven by Asa Michael
Whitaker, 18, of Carthage Star
Route, trav^g east, crossed
the center line and struck Mrs.
Wicker’s car almost head-on in
the west-bound lane.
Whitaker and a companion,
Larry Shepley, 23, also of
Carthage Star Route, were
carried by the Carthage Rescue
Squad to Moore Memorial
Hospital, where they were
treated for minor injuries and
released.
Following a two-day
investigation. Smith charged
Whitaker with driving left of the
center line and death by vehicle,
both misdemeanors, set for trial
in Moore District Court
Wednesday, January 5.
Smith said he found no law
violation on the part of Mrs.
Wicker, who died instantly of
massive head injuries in the
wreck, according to Chroner
A.B. Parker.
A retired counselor with the
Lee-Johnson Community Action
Program, Mrs. Wicker was said
to have teen on her way to
(Continued on Page 11-A)