Index
Books, 2-B; Carthage News, 1-3-D;
Church News, 3-B; Classified Ads, 4-
11-D; Editorials, 1-B; Entertainment,
4-8-C; Obituaries, 12-A; Pinehurst
News, 1-3-C; SandhUls Scene, 2-9-A;
Sports, 9-12-C.
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Hall Of Fame
Lee Trevino and Ralph Guldahl are
elected to World Golf Hall of Fame at
Pinehurst. See Page 12-C.
VOL. 61, NO. 29
66 PAGES
SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA 28387
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13,1981
66 PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
$50 Million Tax Base
Is Added During Year
With an estimated $50 million
in property added to the Moore
County tax books this year, the
tax base is expected to climb to
$1,134,000,000.
This is the figure from which
the county board of commis
sioners will work to gain the hef
tiest portion of county revenues
for the 1981-82 budget.
Tax Supervisor Dewitt Purvis
calls the ^ million nothing more
than normal growth for Moore
County. He says this is approx
imately the gain made every
year and represents “a little bit
of everything,” meaning that the
increase includes new buildings
and a variety of other conven
tional changes and im
provements.
The tax base for 1980 was
$1,084,000,000.
On the basis of tax collections,
however, the 1981 picture does
not appear quite so hopeful. The
collection figure for 1980 is about
94.16 percent.
A sluggish economy is blamed
for the lower collection rate,
which in some years has been as
high as 96 percent. The collection
rate is traditionally higher in
Moore County than in many
North Carolina counties, where
the figure often hovers at 92 per
cent.
For the first time the county’s
tax records are being placed in a
computer, a practice which will
speed up the work in future
years. It is taking more time to
complete the tax work this year
because of the initial computer
programming, but it is expected
to represent a time-saver in the
future^
With a 50-cent tax rate, the
Moore County commissioners
Moore Population 50,505
With Housing Gain Noted
The final population count in
Moore County is 50,505, according
to the Region H News, publica
tion of the Pee Dee Council of
Governments. This is a gain of
11,457 people since the 1970 figure
of 39,048, giving 29.3 percent
more.
There was also an increase in
housing.
The largest town in Moore
County, Southern Pines, also had
significant gains. Southern Pines
is up by 2683, a gain of 45 percent.
Whispering Pines gained “a
whopping 217 percent,” the
Mayor Hope Brogden
To Seek Reelection
BY ROBIN SMITH
Mayor Hope Brogden plans to
seek reelecton to the Town Coun
cil in the fall.
She does, however, believe that
“every new council needs new
blood...to prevent stagnancy.”
In an interview on Friday she
said that, nevertheless, “I pro
bably will seek reelection next
fall, depending on events between
now and then.”
Among the problems she sees
now are those of the development
of a new water plant, the cost of
collecting garbage, the revision
of “out of date” zoning laws, andl
the holding down of general costs
of government. She adds that
these problems as a whole, “face
the town, not just the major.”
Mayor Brogden, first woman
mayor of Southern Pines, finds
that being a woman has had little
effect on her job with the Town
Council. As she puts it, “being
woman doesn’t have much to do
with being mayor.”
Concerning her first election in
to this position she modestly com
ments, “I just happened to get
the most votes.”
As teacher of Political Science
at Sandhills Community College,
Dr. Brogden finds herself apply
ing her personal experiences in
office to her teachings of
American and State government,
as well as local politics. “I’ve
learned an incredible amount on
the Council,” she said, positively,
“and I find that local government
must cooperate with the higher
levels of government,” thus mak
ing it easy for her to relate her
own work with all aspects of
politics.
Through observation of her
students. Dr. Brogden comes to
the conclusion that there is much
apathy about politics among the
(Continaed on Page 16-A)
report said. Other gains express
ed in percentages are Aberdeen,
22 percent; Pinebluff, 64 percent.
Vass lost about 10 percent.
Pinehurst, incorporated since
1970, has gained 2,3i^ people over
the 1970 estimate W a gain of 222
percent.
Population by towns is given by
the POG as 1980,1970 and percen
tage of change:
Aberdeen, 1,945,1,592,22.2 per
cent.
Cameron, 225,204,10.3 percent.
Carthage, 925,1,034, minus 10.5
percent.
Foxfire Village 153.
Pinebluff, 935,570,64.0 percent.
Pinehurst, (3,404), (1,056),
(222.3 percent).
Robbins, 1,256, 1,059, 18.6 per
cent.
Southern Pines, 8,620, 5,937,
45.2 percent.
Vass, 828, 885, minus 6.4 per
cent.
Whispering Pines, 1,160, 362,
Parents Say Punishment
Unequal At North Moore
The Moore County Board of
Education met in closed session
for over an hour Monday to hear
complaints from parents of three
students of North Moore High
School over disciplinary
treatment their children
received for alcohol-and drug-
use charges.
The parents argued that other
students had been caught for the
same offenses in the past, but
had not been refused walking
across the stage at graduation.
They said the punishment
“was punishing the parents, not
Southern Literature Thriving
TOposium Audience Is Told
BY LIZ HUSKEY
They said the uniqueness of
southern literature will continue.
And the 75 people attending the
symposium at Weymouth were
glad to hear it.
The audience of poets, fiction
writers and Southern literature
buffs met at Weymouth Saturday
to hear experts Guy Owen, Louis
Rubin and Lee Smith speak
about the recent “explosion” of
Southern literature as evidence
of its ongoing tradition.
The symposium, entitled
“Southern Literature and the
South Today,” was dedicated to
playwright and fiction writer
Paul Green, who died in Chapel
Hill on May 4.
Sam Ragan, president of the
Friends of Weymouth, described
Green as “the first Friend of
Weymouth...a great North
Carolinian and a great American
who lived a life of affirmation.”
Ik*. Shelby Stei^enson, poet
and teacher, of Southern Pines,
who has been doing biographical
work on Green, described 1^ as
a “playwright of tragic power
and poetic impulse.” Green
believed early in “the poetic
image and regional pride tiiat
has come to characterize
IContinuedon Pagel5-A)
the students,” and asked that the
Board amend its policy as
outlined in the Student Conduct
Code issued to all high school
students at the beginning of each
school year.
After coming out of executive
session. Chairman Lou Frye
asked for a motion to amend the
policy, but the item died for lack
of a motion.
Also present at the meeting
were high school principals from
the three county high schools,
who reported on their discipline
for such drug and alcohol-related
offenses.
“Rule 10” in the handbook
adopted in 1979 to crackdown on
reported widespread drug use in
the high schools, applies to
“Narcotics, Alcoholic Beverages
and Stimulant Drugs,” and says
that “no student shall knowingly
possess, use, transmit, or be
under the influence of any
narcotic drug, hallucinogenic
drug, amphetemine, barbiturate,
marijuana, alcoholic beverage
or intoxicant of any kind...” on
school grounds “brfore, during
or after school hours,” on any
bus used for a school activitiy, or
off-premises at a school-related
function.
Students found guilty of
breaking this rule are disciplined
through either expulsion for the
remainder of the year, expulsion
and attendance at extended-day
classes or suspension with the
condition that assignments be
(Continued on Page 14-A)
projected a collection in excess of
$5 million for 1980, the money to
go toward the 1980-81 budget. The
budget year begins July 1 and
ends June 30.
In their budget considerations
the county commissioners must
(Continued on Page 16-A)
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■I.
■If -
220.4 percent.
(Pinehurst was not incor
porated as of Jan. 1,1980, but has
been since, "^e figures used are
the preliminary count.)
In Region H, which includes
Moore among other counties,
“the 40 percent gain in new
houses is phenomenal-especially
considering the rural nature of
Region H,” the report said.
Moore had a gain of 4,267 in
towns and 3,516 outside. Carthage
was the only town losing housing.
It lost 57, or 12.6 percent of its
1970 count.
Increasing their housing were
Aberdeen by 53 percent;
Pinebluff, 74 percent; Pinehurst,
340 percent; Robbins, 32 percent;
Southern Fines, 76 percent and
Whispering Pines, 207 percent.
Housing increase by towns in
1980, 1970 and percent of change
was:
Aberdeen, 849, 555, 53.0
(Continued on Page 16-A)
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MOORE WELCOMES RAINS — A long dry
spell was broken this week and crops in Moore
County are expected to now flourish with the
help of the rains which came. Photographer
Glenn M. Sides made this picture of a farming
scene near Union Pines after the rains.
Rain Proving Boon To Moore Crops
Rainfall, measuring from one
to two and a half ind^, turned
the farming mood from somber
to (^timistic across Moore Coun
ty last week.
“It was the right kind of rain. It
all soaked in and will help to raise
the water level. That’s what we
need,” said T(»n Colson, the cn^
iq)ecialist with the Mowe Coi^ty
Agricultural Extension Service.
Colson said the rain has
brought on a spurt of farming ac
tivity in many parts of the coun
ty, ntdiere farmers were holding
because of dry weather.
Soybean planting is one of the
delayed activities, and the farm
agent predicted that large
acreages will be planted t^
week, just because of the rain.
He noted that many gardens
have been planted over, and now
they may have a chance to make
it. Some gardeners found Uiat
seed never even emerged from
the ground the first time.
Tobacco farmers have
hesitated to use irrigation this
early in the seasm, although a
few did go ahead with limited ir
rigation.
“They’re scared to use too
much irrigation this early.
They’re afr^ they may run out
of water later in tlw season when
the need is worse,” Colson ex-
[dained.
Most of the county’s approx
imately 3600 acres of tobacco has
already been set out.
In spite of Uw weather, Moore
County has had “a pretty good
stand of com, but some of it was
beginning to curl up and dry out,”
Colson s^d.
Although rainfall
measurements varied widely
across Moore County, the
measurement was more t^ one
inch everywhere for the Wedne^
day night through Monday morn
ing period.
Best 111 County
Pinehurst and Southern Pines
gained the most rainfall, accor
ding to rec(«Y]s kept by
weather spotters syst^
In Southern Pines the total was
(Continued on Page 16-A)
Rezoning Approved
Despite Protests
New Owners Take Over-
Lake Surf Now Woodlake
The owners-developers of
Foxfire Inn & Country Club, have
completed the purchase of Lake
Surf, a planned recreational
community six miles east of
Vass, which will be renamed
Woodlake Country Club.
There will be an orientation
toward golf and water sports.
The development was started
in 1971 but went bankrupt in 1979.
“The decision to change the
name was made basically for two
reasons: first, it is not feasible to
include the wave machine’ as a
major feature of the
development; and secondly, a
negative connotation to Lake
Surf unfortunately developed
during the bankruptcy
proceedings,” Foxfire president
Lovick Suddath said.
Suddath said that Woodlake
Country Club is situated on a
2,650-acre tract that includes a
1,130-acre lake. In addition to the
land, the sale also included a
championship 18-hole golf course
designed by Ellis Maples, a
clubhouse, sales office and
parking lot, golf maintenance
(Continuedon Page 15-A)
Approval was granted
Tuesday night of the site plans of
several new developments by the
Southern Pines Town Council,
despite protests of neighbors and
nearby landowners.
In the first item, the council
granted a change of zoning for
the area on the south side of
Fairway Drive, from RA-
Residential Agricultural to RM-
Residential Multiple, and
granted site plan approval of
Heritage Developers plans for a
49-unit clustered housing
development.
Four property owners spoke
out against the development,
saying that traffic generated by
the development, which
run down Pine Cone WayJ
more than quadruple.
Marvin Collins, Tow
explained that an:j
development in the^
increase the traffic
that the proposed^
type homes won
traffic than singS
“You have tf
some time, tlj
developed andj
down this ra
“because the^
end.”
Richard Scl
and homer/
(Cont
Stiff Phone Rate Hike
Proposed For West End
If rate increases requested by
Central Telephone Company are
approved in full, residents of the
West End area can expect to pay
from 31 to 43 percent more in
future months.
The Hickory-based telephone
company filed its rate request
with the North Carolina UtiUties
Commission on Jan. 21.
THE
PILOT LIGHT
SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS — Speakers at a literature symposium at
Weymouth Saturday, titled “Southern Literature and the South Today,”
were, left to right, novelist Lee Smith, Dr. Louis Rubin and Dr. Guy
Owen.—(Photo by Liz Huskey).
ROADS-More than a dozen
Moore County people are
planning to attend a meeting in
Raleigh on Thursday, May 14, of
the North Carolinians for Good
Roads Committee.
The statewide meeting will be
held in the Raleigh Civic Center
from 10 a.m. to noon.
Bob Hunt of Finehurst is
coordinating the group going
from Moore, and he stressed that
anyone can attend.
The Good Roads Committee
has invited such people as the
sheriff, the chairman of the
county commissioners, the
mayors of towns and the
president of the chamber of
commerce from each county in
the state. In addition. Hunt is
inviting civic club and other
community leaders to attend.
Hunt hopes that the Moore
group also will have the
opportunity to meet with
legislative representatives from
the area.
HOLSHOUSER-There was
speculation here this week that
former Governor James
Holshouser plans to be a
Republican candidate for
Congress from the Eighth
District next year.
The speculation came after
Holshouser had joined with
James Godfrey and George
(Continued on Page 16-A)
Before the commission makes
a decision, information will be
received from the commission’s
Public Staff and a series of public
hearings will be held.
Ben Turner, an engineer with
the conununications division of
the Public Staff, told The Pilot
that the staff will file its
testimony on May 21. At that time
the staff will express its position
on the request and will make
(Continued on Page 16-A)
Squirrel Fire
A squirrel set a fire at
Whispering Pines last week.
Chief Elmer Wise reports that
they got the fire call for a woods
fire and after putting it out,
began asking around to find out
what started it. ,
No one seemed to know, until a
man brought their attention to
the burned remains of a squirrel.
Piecing together the
mystery, they came to the
conclusion that the squirrel had
been walking along the
high-tension wires above, and
must have touched one of the
lines with another line, promptly
electrocuting himself, falling to
the ground on fire, and setting
fire to the woods.
ALMOST IN LAKE — Driver Phyllis Christie
Carter of Aberdeen, Rt. 1 was injured Thursday
when her car overturned on U.S. 15 and went
down the embankment toward the lake at
Country Club of North Carolina. Troopers H.L.
Higgins and R.W. Shepherd are in the
background.—(Photo by Glenn M. Sides).