Rotary History 1945-1980I
I
THE MOCKSVILLE ROTARY CLUB
I945 - I980
Serving
others for
75 years!
Now in over
150 countries
A story of community service and
world outreach in celebration of
THE 75th ANNIVERSARY
of ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
AND THE 35th of the MOCKSVILLE.CLUB
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank the following people and corp-
orations for help in putting this little brochure together.
Claude Horn, Jr. for initiating and pressing the project.
Gordon Tomlinson and his staff for making the files of
Davie County Enterprise -Record available - with coffee on top.
Miss Flossie Martin for opening her invaluable historical
treasures in the Davie County Public Library.
Mrs. Martha Sheek, Mrs. Helen Martin, Mrs. Virginia Shutt,
and other Rotary-Annes for private papers and recollections.
Rotarian who have served as secretary of the club, especially
Jeff Caudell, Ramey Kemp and Arlen DeVito.
The Club is indebted to Martin and Van Hoy and the Davie
County Superintendent of Schools for providing expert secretarial
services and advice, and especially to the Ingersoll-Rand
Company for the use of strategic equipment.
None of these kind people are to blame for the imperfections
of the brochure or any errors contained in it. They just made
it possible.
Henry Sprinkle
May 24, 1980
HISTORY OF THE MOCKSVILLE ROTARY CLUB
The First Ten Years
A Record of Community Service
with data on
Presidents of the Club I9SS - I980
Drawn mainly from the files of the Davie
County Enterprise -Record and personal papers,
by Henry Sprinkle
Published in I980
for the
Seventy -Fifth Anniversary of
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
AND THE
Thirty -Fifth Anniversary of
THE MOCKSVILLE ROTARY CLUB
with the aid of Martin and Van Hoy and the
Davie County High School.
"The Mocksville Rotary Club"
"CHICAGO, June 9, 1945. ` -- The newly organized Rotary Club
of Mocksville has been granted a charter by the Board of Directors
of Rotary International, it was announced today at Rotary's head-
quarters in Chicago. The Mocksville Club is now a member of the
vast Rotary organization which has over 5, 350 clubs with nearly a
quarter of a million members in more than 50 countries of the world.
"Despite the war, this world wide service organization continues
to grow in numbers and in strength. In the last eleven months 208 new
Rotary Clubs have been organized in 14 countries of the Americas, and
in Australia, China, England, Finland, Guam, Iceland, India, New
Zealand, North Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Syria, Union of South Africa,
and Wales.
"President of the new Rotary Club of Mocksville is J.K. Sheek,
Southern Sales Manager for Sealright Co., Inc. T. J. Caudell, lumber
retailer, is Secretary of the Club. " - Davie County Enterprise -Record.
With this brief news release the official history of Mocksville
Rotary begins. Back of the brief announcement, however, and largely
unheralded, were many months of preparation and preliminary activity
on the part of an unusually far-sighted and public-spirited group of
citizens. The war was coming to a close in 1945. The Nazis were on
the run, and the Davie County son, Maj. T.W . Ferrebee, who was to
seal the fate of the Japanese war lords by dropping the bomb on Hiroshima,
was preparing for the historic flight. Young men who were to become
the backbone of the club in a few years were overseas. First Lieutenant
Peter Hairston, with the Second Infantry Division in Germany, was being
awarded the Bronze Star for gallantry in the bloody fighting at the Sourbrodt
Commune in Belgium. Sergeant Lester P. Martin, Jr., with the Tenth
Air Force in Burma, after two years and eight months in the India -Burma
theater where he had won the Distinguished Flying Cross, was being
awarded the second Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal. His father, later
to serve with distinction as President of the Club, Dr. Lester P. Martin,
Sr., was still in uniform and on duty in TExas as a medical officer.
Rotary 2
Community leaders were still devoting much time and thought to war
work. William M. Pennington, who headed the rationing board for the
county, was elected Mayor of Mocksville in 1945. Dave C. Rankin, who
had served as County Agricultural Agent for six years had returned to
Mocksville after a period of service in Union County, where he had
belonged to the Rotary Club of Monroe. James H. Thompson headed the
Red Cross drive in Mocksville, completing the campaign in one day with
a victory goal of $3, 300. Dr. Jesse E. Pritchard, the Methodist minister
that year, and a former member of Rotary in Asheboro, was rallying
the faithful for sacrificial service to br ing peace. Veterans of W orld
War I. Kim Sheek, Grady Ward, Hilary Arnold, and others were in
their prime. Armand Daniel was elected President of the Merchants'
Association, succeeding Grady Ward. George R. Hendricks and E.W .
Junker were 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents of that influential body. In
April Bryan Sell was awarded a certificate and badge for 20 years of
Boy Scout work. He had been an Eagle Scout and was taking Mocksville
Troop 75 to Camp Uwharrie after three years as Scoutmaster. Robert
S. McNeill was district chairman of the scout organization, and D. J.
Mando as achievement chairman awarded future Rotarian Benny Naylor
2nd Class rank and a wood carving badge at the Court of Honor in May.
Another future Rotarian, Vic Andrews, won badges in Masonry, Life
Savi g, Athletics, and Carpentry at the same time. Hilary Arnold
was elected that spring as Vice Commander of Thomas Ray Post,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, later serving as Commander.
A group of 29 leaders was formed with the purpose of working
together to lend strength and unified approach to community advancement.
Foremost among them was Kim Sheek. Rankin, Pritchard, and Paul
Blackwelder, former Rotarians, felt that affiliation with Rotary would
be a great advantage. Steps were taken to familiarise the group with
Rotary, and soon a preliminary organization was formed. Charles
Stone of Charlotte, District Governor of Rotary, and W .H. Harden,
President of the Salisbury Rotary Club, were present when on the
evening of April 25, 1945, in the Methodist church, J. Kimbrough
Sheek was elected President of the embryonic Rotary Club of
Mocksville. Other officers were W .M. Pennington, First Vice -
President; D.C. Rankin, Second Vice -President; Jeff Caudell,
Secretary and Treasurer. Members of the Board of Directors were
George Hobson, Dr. J. E. Pritchard, Knox Johnstone, and J. H.
Thompson. Robert S. McNeill and J, R. Siler were recognized as
members at this organization meeting. The complete list of 29
charter members and their classifications included the following
men:
Rotary 3
1. Phil J. Johnson -Merchant, Grocer
2. Paul B. Blackwelder- Farmer, Twin Brook Farms
3. George B. Hobson- Agricultural Extension, Davie
County Agent
4. James H. Thompson- Fogle Furniture, Manufacturer's
Agent
5. H.S. Walker- Funeral Director
6. S. B. Hall- Pharmacist
7. O.C. McQuage- Editor
8. John P. LeGrand- Post Master
9. A.T. -- Daniel Daniel Furniture & Electric
10. Dr. J.E. Pritchard -Minister, Methodist
11. Knox Johnstone- Bank of Davie, President
12. J. K. Sheek- Sealright Co., Inc. , Southern Sales Manager
13. W.M. Pennington- Automobiles, Pennington Chevrolet Co.
14. J. R. Siler- Burial Supplies
15. T. J. Caudell- Lumber, Caudell Lumber Co.
16. Dr. G, V. Greene- Physician, Obstetrician
17. Grady Ward- Pure Oil Company
18. Robert S. McNeill- Criminal Law
19. David C. Rankin- Farm Machinery, Rankin -Sanford Co.
20. R. B. Sanford- C. C. Sanford Sons Co., President
21. George W. Rowland- Western Auto Associate Store
22. E.W . Junker- Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Agency
23. Gaither Sanford- Service Station, Sanford Motor Co.
24. Dr. S.A. Harding- Pediatrician and Surgery
25, E. C. Morris- Real Estate
26. D.J. Mando- Sanford Sons, Secretary
27. G. H. C. Shutt- Firestone Store
28. W.R. Wilkins- Bus Service, Greyhound
29. P.H. Mason- Dentist
This list comprised "The Provisional Rotary Club of Mocksville"
on the 23rd of April, 1945.
Rotary 4
An editorial by 011ie McQuage in the Enterprise -Record May 18, 1945,
reflects the concerns of the fledgling club. Two opportunities for the
Rotary Club were discussed: (1) a meeting house where the club and
other community organizations could gather and where meals could be
served, and (2) a well stocked and well appointed county library. The
provisional Rotary Club was meeting in the fellowship roomsof the local
churches and in the high school cafeteria, where the Woman's Club, the
U. D. C. , and the women's societies of the churches took turns serving
meals largely prepared in the homes of their members. The Davie
County Public Library then occupied two basement rooms in the
Courthouse.
Attendance at meetings held weekly ran about 24. Speakers included
C. C. Erwin, Rev. H. C. Sprinkle, Rev. Charles P. Bowles, and members
of the club. On June 6, 1945, E. C. Morris was program chairman,
and the club endorsed the projected installation of a freezor locker for
the service of the county.
Curtis Price, destined to become president of the Club, assuined his
duties as superintendent of schools on July 1, 1945, and H. S. Walker,
a charter member of the club, was chosen to head Davie County Red
Cross for the ensuing twelve months.
Rotary International announced the granting of a charter to the
Mocksville club on June 9, and on July 4, 1945, a gala Charter Night
celebration was held with 100 members and guests present, and
Charter Number 600 was received with fitting ceremony. This
meeting marked the end of the preliminary organization and the
beginning of the official life of Mocksville Rotary Club.
The plan of this story of the Club is to highlight the activities,
the undertakings, and the accomplishments of each year, beginning
with a biographical sketch of the President of the Club for that year.
Mocksville Rotary Club 5
JAMES KIMBROUGH SHEEK, SR. , 1945-46
One of the leading spirits in Davie County and foremost among the
29 charter members of the Mocksville Rotary Club was James Kimbrough
Sheek, Sr. Born in Mocksville on April 19, 1894, he was the son of
James L. and Julia Rena Kiunbrough Sheek. His parents were from the
Smith Grove community, where his grandfather, Dr. Kimbrough, pra-
cticed medicine.
Young Khn attended two dame schools as a boy: Miss Maude Miller's
at the corner of North Main and what is now Milling Road, and later
Miss Lenoir Taylor's school near where the present Davie County Library
is located. He attended Trinity Park School in Durham 1908-11, studied
at W eaver College, W eaverville, N. C., where he won recognition as a
baseball player 1911-13, and then went to the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill to study medicine. A fellow -student was Sam
Ervin, later the distinguished Senator from North Carolina. Kim assisted
Professor "Froggy" Wilson in the zoology laboratory. He played base-
ball during the summers and was much in demand as pitcher and first
baseman. His studies were interrupted in 1916 by a serious case of
typhoid fever. While he was recovering, the United States was being
drawn into World War I, and Kim felt called upon to serve his country.
Kim joined the Statesville-Lincolnton unit of the National Guard in
1917. He went with that outfit to Camp Sevier in South Carolina to re-
ceive training first as a member of the 105th Military Police, 30th
Division. Chosen for officers' training, he attended Officers' Candidate
School in San Antonio, Texas, for several months, then returned to
Camp Sevier to be shipped out to France, where he was promoted to
2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 59th Infantry, Fourth Division.
Lieutenant Sheek was wounded twice and gassed in action. He was in
the battle of Chateau Thierry and was on the Argonne front when he
won the Croix de Guerre. On November 11, 1919, he was under treat-
ment in an army hospital in France. On March 5, 1919, he was made
the officer -in -charge of Casualty Company 959 and brought 141 enlisted
men back to the United States.
In June, 1919, the young veteran married Martha Lindsay Clement,
daughter of Jesse Lee and Letitia Lindsay Clement. then of Lexington.
They went to Greensboro, where Kion and his uncle launched the
Khubrough Sheek Automotive Agency. A son, James Kinnbrough
I
Sheek, Jr. , was born in 1920. In 1924 Kim accepted a position with the
Brock Candy Company, disposed of his automobile agency, and moved to
Mocksville. Funding himself as a salesman, hew ent to Florida in 1925,
sold Buicks in Fort Myers, and then came back to Mocksville in the sum-
mer of 1926 to sell canned goods to schools, hospitals, and other institu-
tions. He represented the Lilly Tulip Company for a while and then learn-
ed that the Sealright Company, Inc., of Fulton, New York, was seeking a
Southern representative. He applied for the position, writing on the
application blank in the space for his picture, "Picture not included be-
cause I didn't want anything to prevent my getting the job. " That helped
to get hien an interview and led to his appointment to serve the growing
company as sales representative for North and South Carolina, Virginia,
West Virginia, and Georgia. Soon he was responsible for the territory
South of Ohio and Pennsylvania and East of the Mississippi. Later a
part of Texas was added. The Southern office of Sealright was in Atlanta,
and it took six weeks for Kim to travel his territory in a car. From
July, 1929, when he joined Sealright, Kim Sheek was with this company
for thirty years, adding salesmen, jobbers, and customers and managing
its affairs with great ability.
In 1929 a daughter, Letitia Lindsay Sheek, was born (in due time to
become Mrs. J.W. Pennington), and Kim's home base in Mocksville be-
came more important to him. His father was Postmaster in Mocksville;
and when he died, Kim served as acting Postmaster for several months.
When the company decided that the sales manager should move to
Atlanta, he resigned. He withdrew his resignation, however, when the
company agreed that the office should be moved instead to Mocksville.
Suitable space was found for the new office in buildings on Court Square,
and the Southern headquarters of his company brought people from all
over the country to Mocksville. Training sessions for salesmen were
held not only in Atlanta and Florida, but in Mocksville, Kion Sheek was
able to assume his place in the affairs of town and county. He was an
active Mason and served for years as Chairman of the Basket Committee
of the annual picnic which became more and more a sort of county fair
with proceeds going to the Masonic Orphanage at Oxford, N.C. Later
he became General Chairman of the event and had the pleasure of in-
troducing his old college mate, Senator Sam Ervin, when he was the
speaker at the picnic.
7
Sheek was a loyal Methodist and a member of the official board of
the First Methodist Church, where 'Miss Martha," his gifted wife, was
organist for many years. He was chairman for the first Salvation
Army campaign in the county. He served as a member of the
Mocksville School Board. He chaired the U.S. 0. drive in Davie
County. He was a member of the American Legion and coached the
American League Baseball Team.
All through his years in,Ylocksville Kim was a successful farmer
and raised cattle and horses. He was a member of the North
Carolina Dairy Producers Association. An associate in business,
a Mr. Mills from Tennessee, somethnes joked about him as a
"one-horse farmer. " The story is still told about Mr. Mills being
met at the Mocksville depot when he came to visit him on business,
by two of the Sheek family retainers dressed in white coats as
footmen. He was led to a horse-drawn wagon, seated in a chair in
the back of the back of the wagon, and driven through the main
streets of the town to the great amusement of the bystanders, to
be welcomed at the Sheek home by the gathered family and friends.
It is said that Mr. Mills enjoyed the joke and had the servants
stop the wagon and ostentatiously buy him a cigar when they came
to the drug store on the square, and sat back and enjoyed a smoke
for the rest of the journey to the Sheek home on North Main Street,
where he was greeted with much laughter.
Among other activities and organizations Kim was a member
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Southern Association of
Ice Cream Manufacturers. He was President of the Dixie
Flyers, a supplymen's Southern organization with a membership
of about 600. His ready wit and genial personality made him
a popular leader in many activities.
It is not surprising that it was J. hhnbrough Sheek, Sr. ,
with his wide contacts throughout the South, his record of civic
activity, military service, and successful enterprise in many
fields, to whom Rotarian leaders in Salisbury and Charlotte
turned for leadership in establishing Rotary in Mocksville. It
was in the summer of 1945 as World W ar II was coming to a
close and Lim was fifty years of age, at the height of his powers.
Mocksville was late in having a Rotary Club, and he recognized
the need for such an organization in the community. A
provisional group was organized, indoctrinated, and leaders
from other clubs in the district were brought in to help in
perfecting the application to Rotary International for a charter.
The charter was granted on June 9, 1945, with J. K. Sheek as
President and T. J. Caudell as Secretary.
Not least of hien Sheek's achievements in the community was the
organization through Rotary of the Mocksville Recreation Club, Inc. , a
non-profit corporation, to which every member of Rotary was invited to
contribute by purchasing stock. The Rotary Club and other groups met
in the churches, schools, and lodge halls for want of a suitable place for
meetings. The Recreation Club was formed to obtain funds to build a
suitable meeting house. him gave a lot for the building, and within two
years the Rotary Hut, fulfillment of his dream, was a reality. It
provided an adequate kitchen with refrigerators, stoves, and table ware
and tables for serving up to a hundred or more people. It was used for
Boy Scouts, the Woman's Club, the Lions Club, and other service and
social groups.
Before the Rotary Hut was built, Sheek had arranged with the
ladies' societies of the three down -town churches, the Eastern Star, the
Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Woman's Club to serve luncheons in
their several churches, lodge hall, and the high school cafeteria, taking
turns among the six groups, each for one month in six. Now they
continued to take turns in the Rotary Hut. Members of the Rotary Club
gave furniture and equipment.
In December, 1953, James himbrough Sheek, Sr., was named
chairman of a board of trustees charged with the responsibility of
constructing, organizing, and putting into operation a hospital for the
people of Davie County. To this crowning work of his career he gave
unstintingly of himself, his influence, his means, and his abilities as a
master salesman and organizer until a well-equipped, well -staffed
hospital was complete, and lie remained chairman of the board and an
active director of its activities until his death in 1960. The handsome
portrait painted by Mrs. Outlaw Hunt of Oxford, N.C. hanging in the
lobby of the hospital, is a reminder of his devotionta. the institution and
the community it serves.
M
JUNE -DECEMBER, 1945
After Charter Night the first meeting heard the new superintendent of
schools, Curtis Price, in an address which marked him as a new and able
leader in the community. At this meeting, Rev. H. C. Sprinkle, a
retired Methodist minister, was inducted into membership.
Rotarians who were recognized for outstanding community service
during this closing year of the great war included Jim Thompson and
Rotaryanne Margaret Thompson for their work with Red Cross and hnox
Johnstone, who headed a group of effective war bond workers. Editorials
in the local paper during July paid tribute to their leadership. knox
Johnstone was chosen to serve as General Chairman of the annual Masonic
Picnic of the year as well.
At a meeting on July 25, 1945, the Club heard a talk by Ross
Garrison of Salisbury, on a theme of continuing importance to the
Mocksville club, the Boy Scouts of America program. At this meeting
Bob McNeill advocated that the club sponsor a clean-up of the city
park, which he reported to be not only badly littered but misused by some
of the more disorderly young people of the town.
The first August meeting of the year inaugurated the annual Ladies'
Night event, later to be held during the Christmas season. The August
meetings were held in the high school building.
Rotarians took part in the annual Masonic Picnic during this month
and were impressed by the daring feat of Major Ferrebee in dropping
the bomb on Hiroshima. Word from the Pacific told of the promotion
of Roy Cartner to Sergeant, a young man who was to become a
Rotarian and Post Master, then serving aboard a Fifth Air Force
Troop Carrier.
George Hobson presented an unusual program at one of the August
meetings. Each member was asked to give a one -minute autobiography.
Meanwhile the club was focussing upon the "Community Meeting House, "
as 011ie McQuage termed it in a supporting editorial.
A Rotary committee headed by R. B. Sanford and 'including Dr S.A.
Harding, E. C. Morris, and Robert McNeill was at work encouraging
new industry for the town. In August they were able to secure the
assurance that the Drexel Furniture Company was planning to establian
a plant in Mocksville.
10
During September Grady N. Ward succeeded Robert S. McNeill as head
of the Davie District of Boy Scouts of America, and among the Chb Scouts
receiving awards that month were two future Rotarians: Claude Horn, Jr.,
and John Johnstone.
In September Robert S. McNeill was named to head the Davie War Fund
drive, succeeding E. C. Morris, who had raised $7, 670 during the preceding
twelve months.
FBI agent Vance Schurlock lectured the Rotary Club on law enforcement
at the invitation of Dr. Paul Mason.
Nick Mando, chairman of Rotary's committee on industry, reported
lively prospect for securing a knitting mill for the community.
Gaither Sanford brought the club a program featuring Ross Stevens of
the North Carolina W ild Life Federation at the first meeting in Ocotober.
District Governor Charles Stone of Charlotte was the speaker on
October 17, 1945. At this meeting President Kim Sheek appointed a
committee of Knox Johnstone, 011ie M cQuage, Bill Pennington, George
Shutt, and George Hobson to arrange for a minstrel show; and, for
a Christmas party, E. C. Morris, Knox Johnstone, Phil Johnson, and
Nick Mando.
On October 26 the club heard Armand Daniel's memorable address
on "Great Reformers. " And for the last program of the month Bill
Hardin discussed the causes and dangers of industrial strif e.
In November a Citizens' Committee for an Athletic Field for
Mocksville was formed with Rotarians McNeill, Siler, Harry
Murray, Grady Ward, George Shutt, and Nick Mando prominent in
the movement. With the understanding that this effort was not to interfere
with the drive then underway in Rotary for a "community meeting
house, " President Kim appointed a Rotary Committee for the Athletic
Field: George Shutt, Nick Mando, Jim Thompson, Bill Pennington,
Armand Daniel, Gaither Sanford, Rufus Sanford, Jr., and Bryan Sell.
Programs at club meetings in November and December included
talks by Rev. J. P. Davis, Fred Hobson on schools, Tom M. Cash on
good citizenship, and Dr. J. E. Pritchard on accidents and how to
avoid them.
11
An Inter -City meeting in Salisbury and the first annual Christmas
party rounded out the concerns of the club for 1945.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1946
A letter from President Kim Sheek to Rotarian Paul B.
Blackwelder dated January 5, 1946 requesting help in securing
s upport for the building of a Rotary Hut, is among the papers kept
by Mrs. Sheek. It is evidence of the priority with which this project
was being undertaken during the early months of 1946. It was the
dream of Kim Sheek and the early founders of the club. An article
in the local paper, "Rotarians Will Seek Building," brought the
matter to public attention. (A non-profit corporation was being formed
by members of the Rotary Club and was chartered by the State as the
'Mocksville Recreation Club, Inc. ") At the first meeting of 1946 plans
for the new year emphasized (a) better schools, and (b) erection of a
community clubhouse. Robert McNeill was named chairman of a
committee to further the youth and school program, and the clubhouse
began to take shape in the minds of the leaders.
Dr. W.M. Long and Dr. Lester P. Martin returned from service in
the army during the winter, both covered with glory and ranking as
Major. Their return was much to the relief of Dr. S.A. Harding and
their many patients, and both were to become Rotarians.
The meeting on June 9 was devoted to the discussion of needs in
the community -street improvements, new industry, American Legion
baseball, better telephone service, and above all the need for a
clubhouse. All these matters were to receive attention and action during
the year. 011ie McQuage was moved to write a laudatory editorial,
encouraging the Rotarians to live up to their ideal of service. "A
solid foundation has been laid for community service under the skillful,
tactful, energetic hand of the president, Kim Sheek, " he wrote.
"Happily, the club could not have chosen a more apt leader. "
The committee appointed to make recommendations for a Rotary
building was composed of Bill Pennington, chairman, R. B. Sanford,
Bob McNeill, Cecil Morris, Harley Walker, Jeff Caudell, Knox
Johnstone, Dr. Asbury Harding, and Jim Thompson.
12
R. B. Sanford, Sr., reported at the January 9 meeting that inquiries
had been received by the committee on industry concerning the location
of a shirt factory to employ 200 women.
At the next meeting, after a talk by Dr. Robert king on "Service,
not Wealth, " Chairman Bill Pennington announced that the Hut committee
had decided to erect a hut, probably in the heart of town.
After meetings featuring Thomas W. Sprinkle, High Point attorney, on
making and revising wills, by Dr. W.M. Long on the value of universal
military service for peace, by Miss Mary Lewis on the Davie -Yadkin -
Stokes Health Department, and by Dr. Lester Martin on the importance of
individual initiative and free enterprise as bulwarks of international
order, the February activities of the club concluded with a long-awaited
announcement. "Rotary Club Gets Charter to Build Hut on Local Site, "
headlined the Enterprise report of March 1, 1946.
A charter for the Mocksville Recreation Club, Inc. was granted in
Raleigh. It was to be a non-profit organization, with authorized capital of
$25, 000. Officerswae Knox Johnstone, President; R. B. Sanford, Vice -
President; E.C. Morris, Secretary -Treasurer; J.K. SheekandW.M.
Pennington. Shares of stock at $50 each were to be sold, only to
Rotarians, to erect a building.
It was proposed to erect a concrete or cinder block building 30'x 70'
on a lot at the corner of Salisbury and Sanford Streets, expected to cost
about $4, 000 without plumbing, heating, or cooking facilities. The lot
was donated to the corporation by Kim Sheek. The Oxford Orphanage
was named in the charter as the beneficiary of any profits or residue
upon dissolution of the club.
The Mocksville Recreation Club, Inc. , still sells shares for the
maintenance of the Hut, andthe following list of shareholders going
back to the Charter Members of the Rotary Club was furnished in 1977
by the Secretary of the corporation, Rotarian Ron Vogler, who was
County Manager of Davie County:
13
Stockholders in the Mocksville Recreation
Club
to Nov. 8, 1977
(courtesy of Ron Vogler,
Sec.)
1.
J. K. Sheek
43.
Roy W. Collette
2.
W. R. Wilkins
44.
L. S. Bowden
3.
D.J. Mando
45.
J.E. Kelly
4.
H. C. Sprinkle
46.
Cole Tomlinson
5.
S. B. Hall
47.
John Durham
6.
W.M. Pennington
48.
Wayne Eaton
7.
E.C. Morris
49.
Cecil Little
8.
S.A. Harding
50.
Dave Rankin
9.
H.S. Walker
51.
Bryan Sells
10.
T. J. Caudell
52.
Harry Murray
11.
O: C. McQuage
53.
Hugh Larew
12.
G.H.C. Shutt
54.
Jim Andrews
13.
Curtis Price
55.
Vic Andrews
14.
E.W. Junker
56.
Bill Byrd
15.
R. B. Sanford, Jr.
57.
Lester Martin, Jr.
16.
R. B. Sanford
58.
John Johnston
17.
J.H. Thompson
59.
Arthur Upshaw
18.
George B. Hobson
60.
Robert Hall
19.
L. G. Sanford
61.
Francis Slate
20.
P. H. Mason
62.
Ed Goodwin
21.
R.S. McNeill
63.
Clay McCluskey
22.
G.N. Ward
64.
D. F. Stillwell
23.
G.W. Rowland
65.
Ramey Kemp
24.
Knox Johnson
66.
Fred Barnes
25.
A. T. Daniels
67.
Claude Horn, Jr.
26.
Robert King
68.
Bob Foster
27.
P. S. Young
69.
Gene Seats
28.
P. B. Blackwelder
70.
Roy Cartner
29.
Dr. L. P. Martin
71.
Edwin Cox
30.
Dr. W.M. Long
72.
H.M. Arnold
31,
Clyde W. Young
73.
William C. Daniel
32.
W.R. Wilkins
74.
John W. Pennington
33.
George W . Rowland
75.
Dr. Henry Sprinkle
34.
T. L. Junker
76.
Floyd B. Naylor
35.
C.A. Blackwelder
77.
Ken Sales
36.
Gordon Tomlinson
78.
Bill Dwiggins
37.
Don Headon
79.
Johnny Roberts
38.
G.A. Tucker
80.
Harry W. Case
39.
D. F. Stillwell
81.
Brady L. Angell
40.
Leslie Daniel
82.
John T. Barber
41.
Leo F. Williams
83.
Rocky Johnson
42.
C. L. Farthing
14
March meetings in 1946 heard discussions of anti-aircraft training
by W.H. Kimprey, assistant County Agent; on the use and abuse of DDT
by George Hobson; on the weather and its prediction by Jesse Pritchard;
and on the Uwharrie Council, B. S.A. and its program by Bunn Hackney,
Scout Executive.
During this period the Erwin Mills were reopened after a long and
costly strike. Men were still returning from service. George W. Martin
was released from duty with the Navy and returned to go to college and
eventually to become a Rotary scholar abroad. A blueprint of the new
Hut was displayed, and the Hut committee reported regularly that the
uilding would begin the next week.
On March 20, 1946, Guy Ward and R. C. Bunch from the Statesville
Rotary Club presented the Mocksville club with a handsome brass gong
which was to call meetings to order and dismiss them for years to come.
April brought programs by J. F. Lawrence, high school principal, on
'Misfits,"by Rev. J. S. Hiatt, humor; John Paul Lucas, Jr., public
relations executive, on Duke Power Company; and a group of 4-H clubbers
on their club. Inducted as new members during the month were R. B.
Sanford, Jr. , and Philip S. Young. Jack Pennington was introduced as
a Junior Rotarian, and the custom of inviting high school students as
guests was started.
Gifts for the new Rotary Hut, not yet started, but imminentwere
received as follows: refrigerator, by R. B. Gaither, and R. B. Sanford,
Jr. ; paint for interior, by George Shutt; hot water heater, by Gene
Junker; electric stove, by Armand Daniel.
May began with the election of officers for the ensuing year: W.M.
Pennington, President; D.C. Rankin, First Vice -President; Jim
Thompson, Second Vice -President; T. Jeff Caudell, Secretary; and
R.B. Sanford and H.C. Sprinkle, members of the Board.
District Governor Burt Weaver of Spray, met with the Club to discuss
future plans.
Solicitor Avalon E. Hall spoke on May 8 about youth and the courts,
praising the record of Davie County. At this meeting Jeff Caudell won
the vociferous thanks of the club after reporting on the year's activities.
15
At the next meeting Caudell and President Kim reported on
the district Rotary meeting which they attended at Pinehurst, and
they brought back with them the following citation:
To the Mocksville Rotary Club
J.K. Sheek, President
By authority of the Board of Directors of
Rotary International, this special citation is awarded
for distinctive and outstanding accomplishments in the
field of community service.
This citation, won in competition with 90 other clubs in the
District, was a fitting climax to the first year of the life of Mocksville
Rotary Club. After June programs featuring Graham Morrison,
L ncolnton farm agent, in a humorous talk; evangelist Wade Smith
on public speaking; Dean P. E. Lindley of High Point College on
"Successful North Carolinians;" a roundtable discussion led by
President Kim; and Frank Spencer, sports writer, on "Community
Athletics; Kim Sheek turned over the gavel to Bill Pennington. A
year of achievement to set the pace of the Club for years to come
had ended.
16
William Miller Pennington, 1946 -47
The second President of the Mocksville Rotary Club, William Miller
Pennington, was born in Bridgeport, Alabama, May 25, 1895. His genial
personality reflected the best elements of a Methodist parsonage heritage.
He received his early training as a member of a large family -he was one of
the twelve children of Rev. and Mrs. J.J. Pennington. He was a high school
graduate in an era when schoolboys were not promoted from grammar school
until they had mastered the tools of learning, the three R's, reading, ' riting,
and 'rithmetic. A man of remarkable abilities, he made good use of the tools
lie could lay hands on. He served in France with the U. S. Army in W orld W ar
I and came back as a young man with a bright future.
Young Pennington's first important move, and his happiest, was winning
the heart and hand of Frances Poindexter of Asheville, North Carolina. To
this union was born one son, Jack, as he is known in these annals, who was to
serve, like his father, as President of Rotary.
Bill Pennington's second most important move, according to his fellow -
citizens, was to locate in Mocksville in 1938 as the authorized Chevrolet
dealer in Davie County. Here he organized and established the Pennington
Chevrolet Company. In 1942 he closed his automobile business and served
in the office of Defense Transportation with headquarters in W inston-Salem.
Following the close of the war he resumed his business in Mocksville until
his death July 8, 1951.
As a born leader and a community -minded man, Bill Pennington was
involved in every forward movement in Mocksville. He served as Mayor
of Mocksville in 1945, and proved to be an administrator of vision and
wisdom. He was one of the key persons in the preliminary planning and
organization of the Mocksville Rotary Club. As a Charter Member and
chairman of important committees, including the Building Committee
which worked out plans for the Rotary Hut, he was the logical roan to succeed
Kim Sheek in July, 1946, as President. His administration of the club
was memorable for a number of achievements, most notable of which
was the completion, the opening, the furnishing, and the dedication with
fitting ceremonies of the Rotary Hut, the first and most widely used
community building in town for decades.
17
Pennington's gifts of personality and leadership were notable,
That he was a ready and attractive speaker is evidenced by a sally
of one of his friends and admirers which brought down the house at
a club meeting. "Bill Pennington ought to have been named
Moses, " said Henry Sprinkle the elder; "Every time he opens
his mouth the bull rushes out."
Pennington was a loyal member of the Masonic Order, a
devout Methodist, Chairman of the Board of Stewards, president
of the Men's Bible Class, and Assistant Sunday School Superintendent,
and an ardent golfer. He belonged to the American Legion and
supported that organization's baseball and other activities in the
community. He was one of the builders of Mocksville whose works
live after him.
JULY -DECEMBER, 1946
A gabfest on July 5, 1946, launched the new administration, with
contributions from President Bill, Dave Rankin, Bob McNeill, and
George Hobson, who was concerned about the approaching tobacco
referendum in the State. Jeff Caudell was praised once more for his
outstanding work as Secretary.
After a musical program on July 12 H. S. Walker presented the
case of Adlie Fowler and family, who had been burned out, and
emergency food and clothing were provided.
Programs during July presented evangelist C. C. Holland on
religion in the Bible belt, and Farm Day with talks by Robert Seaford
on poultry and George Evans on dairy problems. It was announced
that Jack Pennington, son of President Bill (and one day to be a President
of the club himself) had been selected by the American Legion to be
their delegate to Boys' State in Chapel Hill.
At the last meeting of July the problem of improved telephone
service was referred to a committee of McNeill, Wilkins, and Mando.
By August 7, when V.A. Hawley, a safety engineer, spoke
about his work to the club, it was announced that the Rotary Hut was
now two-thirds complete.
During August the club heard an unusual address by Rev. J.W.
Foster on the Rev. Sam Davies, mentor of Patrick Henry and Henry
Clay. Bob McNeill spoke on the Federal court system. He also
presented a report of his committee on the telephone problem,
stating that both Central Telephone and the Bell system had promised
improvement in services to the town. The club endorsed the publication
of a booklet of facts about Davie County, and heard from the building
committee that the Hut was being plastered, that steel windows had arrived,
and the floor was being laid.
Favorable results of the club's action requesting free mail
delivery for the town were reported. A committee of John LeGrand,
Dr. S.A. Harding, and Bob McNeill was appointed was appointed to
meet with the town commissioners to get streets properly named in
preparation for the new service.
19
Programs for September included addresses by Dr. Eugene Paff,
professor of history at Woman's College, Greensboro, warning of
the dangers of atomic war, and by C. C. Erwin, superintendent of
Rowan County schools, on "Foundations for Peace."
President Bill Pennington's resignation as Mayor because of
business demands was reported September 20, and Rotarian
Prentice Campbell's appointment as Mayor Pro -Tenn on October 4.
Led by Dr. Robert King, program chairman for October 9,
1946, the club paid tribute to Dr. J. E. Pritchard, "godfather" of the
club, who had announced he was retiring and moving to Asheboro.
Spurred by Grady Ward, district Scouting chairman, the club
backed the campaign for the Boy Scout budget.
After new members Drs. L.P. Martin, W.M. Long, and C.W.
Young, and Rev. R.M. Hardee had been received on October 23,
George Hobson gave a talk on the hybrid breeding of cattle.
In November of 1946 Rotarian George Rowland was appointed
Mayor of the town, Knox Johnstone was elected to the House of
Representatives, and young Robert Hall, later to be a leading
Rotarian and President of the Club, was discharged at Camp
Kihner after 15 months with the Army Air Corps, having been on
duty in Trinidad.
Programs were given by Past District Governor Charles Stone,
who congratulated the club on its achievements, especially in
community service, and by Jack Pennington and Ralph Bowden,
reporting on their Boys' State experiences.
On December 6, 1946, the new Rotary Hut was opened, and .
District Governor Joe Ross of Asheboro and George Manze of Winston-
Salem made talks. Three new members were admitted to club
affiliation: Bryan Sell, Leslie Daniel, and John Durham. The
following donations to the club in celebration of its opening were
announced: from John LeGrand, a piano; from Grady Ward, a
continuing supply of oil; from Jeff Caudell, outside paint for the
Hut; from Bill Pennington, an electric percolator; from W. R. Wilkins,
with contributions from.Sheek, Ward, Pennington, Mando, Morris,
Dr. Martin, Dr. Long, P. Blackwelder, Price, and Walker, electric
fixtures; and from R. B. Sanford, Dr. Pritchard, and Dr. R. P.
Anderson, cash.
A songfest on December 10 and a Christmas party on December 20,
with Phil Johnson and Kin Sheek in charge, rounded out the holiday
season. Bob Hardee gave a talk on service as a chaplain in the army
for the year-end program.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1947
At the first meeting in January, 1947, Curtis Price made a talk
about the teaching profession in which he gave some alarming statistics
about the need for better teacher's salaries. Inn keeping with the
tradition of Mocksville Rotary, a committee was appointed to do
something about it: E.W. Junker, E.C. Morris, Bob McNeill, and
Bob Hardee. At the next meeting the Chairman, E.W . Junker,
himself a former school principal, brought in the report of the
committee endorsing a 40 percent increase in teachers' salaries,
saying, "school teachers in the State have been underpaid since 1870. "
The committee followed through until salaries were raised substantially
a few months later.
The next problem taken up by the club was the need for better
health facilities. Dr. Bill Long invited Dr. Fred B. Marsh of
Salisbury to talk to the club on the subject, first of a number of
discussions leading to plans for improved health programs and
facilities for Davie County. A committee composed of R. B. Sanford,
Curtis Price, and Dr. Bill Long brought to the club a resolution
endorsing a good health program on February 4, 1947.
The establishment of a National Guard unit in Davie County
was another project the Rotary Club took up in the month of February,
1947. Colonel D. L. Hardee, brother of Rotarian Bob Hardee, made
a talk at the last meeting of the month, and a committee was
appointed to promote the idea: George W. Rowland, E. C. Morris,
and Dr. W.M. Long. A few months later both the health and
National Guard interests of the club were furthered by the announcement
that Dr. W. M. Long had been named to head aMedical Unit of the
National Guard. It was many years later that the National Guard
unit located in Mocksville achieved the goal of a large and well-
equipped building. But the beginning was made when the Rotary
committee was able to report that the County would give $600 a
year and the town $300 a year to support the unit.
21
A roundtable discussion turned up several other areas of
concern at this time: cemetery upkeep, garbage disposal, trash
behind business houses, need for stop signs on certain streets,
the paving of certain streets, and the placement of Rotary signs at
approaches to town. Committees were named for each of these
concerns, and during following weeks results began to appear.
The big event of the winter of 1947 was the dedication of the
Rotary Hut on February 18. Dr. I.G. Greer, superintendent of
the Thomasville Orphanage, was the guest speaker, and his
theme was "Fortifying Our Democratic Virtues. " Eighty Rotarians,
Rotary Annes, and guests were present. District Governor Joe
Ross and other visitors from Salisbury, Lexington, Statesville, and
Winston-Salem were present. The Enterprise -Record for
February 21, 1947, headlined the occasion and showed a group
picture of 32 members, including the Charter Members of the
Mocksville club. The Rotary Hut, still in use as this is written
more than thirty years later, was a front page picture also. The
Rotary Annes were pictured in the following issue.
Rotary by-laws and constitution were the subject of Past
President Kim Sheek at the next meeting of the club. Bill Haden
of Salisbury was then a visitor, and he was reported as saying
that the Mocksville club was being used far and wide as a "guinea
pig" for the establishment and growth of other clubs throughout
the country.
The Freezer Locker plant, an early objective of club interest
and planning, was opened for inspection and use March 24. Semi-
pro basketball was the talk of the town during the winter and early
spring, when "The Millers" won two championships in tournaments
that attracted large attendance. The club was to draw strength in
months to come from the Millers. Harry Murray was the manager,
and Nick Mando a player. Graham Madison was the coach, and
among the players on the team were future Rotarians Bill Daniel,
Gordon Tomlinson, and Jim Kelly.
By the first of April, when Bill Harden of Salisbury was
speaker at the Rotary luncheon, Dr. W.M. Long had been installed
as head of the Medical Unit of the National Guard, and young M. H.
Groce was the Junior Rotarian from high school.
Kxa
On April 8, when Dr. Houston G. Allen spoke to the club on "What
Are You Worth?" Kim Sheek, R.M. Hardee, and Bill Pennington were
named as a committee on the Medical Unit of the National Guard. Officers
for the year beginning July 1, 1947, were elected as follows; Dave Rankin,
President; J.H. Thompson, First Vice -President; Dr. Lester Martin,
Second Vice -President; and Jeff Caudell, Secretary.
Rotarians in the spring of 1947 were among the candidates for local
political office. Candidates for the town board were Thompson, Caudell,
Walker, Wilkins, Sell, all Rotarians. Grady Ward and George Shutt were
elected members of the County Board of Education. Mayor George
Rowland opened the new water system for the town in May.
New members inducted into the club on May 27, 1947, were M.H.
Murray, Col. W. G. Murchison, and W. J. Wilfong, the locker freezer
developer.
Visiting speakers during May and June included Joe Johnson of
Barium Springs, Joe Howard of Duke Power Co., Davidson College
Treasurer F. L. Jackson, and Lt. Col. Peter Moody of West Point.
Graham Madison gave a talk on "Rear -View Mirrors" which older
members still recall.
The second year of the Mocksville Rotary Club under the
leadership fo President Bill Pennington was a year of continued progress
and activity. The Rotary Hut was completed, furnished, and dedicated.
Of this simple, unpretentious, but well-planned and sturdily constructed
building James Wall wrote in his History of Davie County: "The
Rotary Club of Mocksville has made a major contribution by
permitting the use of its building for groups and activities. No other
building in the entire county has been as much used for meetings, programs,
and recreation as has the Rotary Hut. "
23
David C. Rankin, President, 1947-48
The third year of the Mocksville Rotary Club brought to its
presidency a charter member who had been a Rotarian for years
and was influential in obtaining the local charter. A leader of
vision and ability, he was destined to be the first to serve as
District Governor from the local organization.
Born in Guilford County, North Carolina, on October 6, 1906,
David C. Rankin was graduated with a B. S. degree in Vocational
Agriculture from North Carolina State College (later North
Carolina State University) in 1928. He was married to Susie
Walker of Gibsonville, North Carolina, June 2, 1929. Their
two daughters, Mrs. Charles H. Frick of South Boston, Virginia,
and Mrs. Lillian E. Lane of Apex, North Carolina, were their
pride and joy.
As a young graduate Dave taught agriculture at Marshville
High School in Union County, North Carolina, from July 1, 1928 to
September, 1934. He then became Assistant County Agricultural
Agent for Union County, Monroe, North Carolina from September,
1934, to July, 1937.
Rankin first came to Davie County as County Agricultural
Agent, a position which he filled for more than six years, and
became a part of the life of the county. He responded to a call to
become County Agricultural Agent for Lee County, Sanford, North
Carolina in November, 1943; but soon he was needed back in
Mocksville, and he closed out his work in Lee County December 31,
1944. He became Secretary -Treasurer and Manager of the
Rankin -Sanford Implement Company in January, 1945, and served
in this capacity as International Harvester dealer in Mocksville
tG December, 1966.
From January, 1967, until a few months before his death in
1977 President Dave was Agent for the North Carolina Farm
Bureau Mutual Insurance Company for Davie County and also
Contracting Officer for the Dutchman Creek Watershed.
24
Among his many activities and services to the community, Dave
Rankin was President of the Mocksville Merchants Association, a
member and Past Master of the Mocksville Masonic Lodge No. 134,
and member of the Mocksville Presbyterian Church, of which he was
an Elder, Clerk of the Session, and teacher of the Men's Bible Class.
Dave Rankin was one of three Mocksville men who had been active
Rotarians at the time when the movement to organize a Mocksville Club
began soon after his return from Lee County in 1945. He had been an
active and well -indoctrinated member of the Monroe club and used his
connections and experience to get the Mocksville group started on the
right track.
Well versed in the history and objectives of Rotary International,
Dave was at his best when called upon to induct new members into the
club. This was his assignment so frequently, except for the term of
his presidency, that most members of the club looked upon him as
their mentor and local authority on Rotary principles and traditions.
He was faithful in attendance not only upon local meetings but district
and national conventions, and he and Mrs. Rankin attended international
conventions of Rotary in Europe and in Hawaii.
Dave was active in promoting Kim Sheek for District Governor
while the Mocksville club was in its infancy, and, because of the early
achievements of the club, came within a few votes of carrying out that
objective. It was in 1971, however, that this honor was to come to
the Mocksville club, and it was Dave Rankin who was elected District
Governor in that year. His administration as District Governor was
in keeping with the best traditions of the organization and a year of
progress and achievement.
The following account of President Dave's year as President of
Mocksville Rotary Club can only point out some of the major achievements,
which included the beginnings of the movement to build a county hospital,
the realization of earlier planning and continuing efforts to expand the
industrial development of the community, and the cultivation of support
for better schools. In the story of Mocksville Rotary the third year
of its life as a crucial time, and the name of David C. Rankin will
always be remembered for his part in the advancement of the causes
which have made Mocksville and Davie County what they have become.
25
JULY -DECEMBER, 1947
Thirty-nine members of the Mocksville Rotary Club were
appointed to committees on Program, Rural -Urban Affairs, Member-
ship, Classification, Attendance, Youth, Meals and Arrangements,
Public Relations, Reception and Hospitality, The Sick, Publicity,
and Athletics, as President Dave outlined plans for the new year
at the first meeting in July, 1947,
Dr. Bill Long made an appeal for help in signing up men for the
National Guard unit on July 9.
John M. Brown, Winston-Salem insurance executive, spoke on
the "Common Touch" on July 23, at which meeting the Rev. E.H.
Gartrell, recently installed pastor of the Presbyterian church, was
inducted into the club.
The program of welfare in Davie County was discussed by Mrs. Paul
Donnelly, welfare superintendent at the last July session. Rotarian
Knox Johnstone was recognized as general chairman of the annual
Masonic picnic.
The club's sponsorship of the National Guard unit in the county
was stressed again in August, and Col. D.L. Hardee spoke on the
subject.
Conservation was the theme when Dr. B. B. Daugherty, President
of Appalachian State College, spoke to the club on land use and erosion.
Miss Blanche Clement presented the interests of the Davie County
Library, and Rotarians were elated to learn that Heritage Furniture
had come to town in September.
On the Davie Citizens Committee to discuss the erection of an
80 -bed hospital with the North Carolina Medical Care Committee were
the following Rotarians: Col. Murchison, Rufus Sanford, Grady
Ward, Bryan Sell, Mayor J. H. Thompson, Rev. J. P. Davis, S. B.
Hall, and Dr. Bill Long, chairman. A mass meeting of citizens
strongly endorsed the idea shortly thereafter.
26
Another program on health care was presented by Dr. Lester
Martin when Dr. C. C. Carpenter, Dean of the Bowman Gray School
of M edicine, made a plea for modern medical facilities in every
community.
Other October concerns of the Rotary Club were better schools,
with a talk by Charles L. Farthing, high school principal;
utilization of the freezer locker which the club had sponsored,
with a talk by Mrs. Mildred Seaber and a demonstration on
handling frozen foods; and Scouting, both for boys and girls.
Committees were named to investigate getting help for the Girl
Scout organization, Bob Hardee, Dave Rankin, and Curtis Price;
and to captain the Boy Scout campaign, Harry Murray, Roy Siler,
Dr. Bill Long, and Bryan Sell.
In November Rotary programs included an address by Judge
Hubert E. Olive on the United Nations, by Rev. E. H. Gartrell on
his experiences as a Navy chaplain, and by Probation Officer John
L. Osteen on juvenile crime.
Farmers' Night was held in December with Prof. Frank H.
Jeter of N.C. State College as speaker.
Superintendent S.G. Hawfield of Jackson Training School spoke
to the club about correctional training for youthful offenders.
On December 30 Rotary Ladies' Night was celebrated with Gus
Travis of the Charlotte Observer and his tall tales as entertainment.
There were 92 Rotarians, Rotary Annes, and guests present for the
occasion.
27
JANUARY -JUNE, 1948
When Ike Greer resigned as District Governor, members of the
Mocksville Rotary Club put forward the name of Kin Sheek to succeed
him, winning wide support throughout the district on the record of
community service made by the club under Sheek's leadership.
Although the office went elsewhere, the club's participation in
district activities won recognition. The club gave attention in
January also to the new Veterans Farm Program in the local high
school. Leo Williams led in the discussion of the program with
Curtis Price in charge, and the teachers of shop work, night classes,
and fieldwork participated.
Overseas relief was another matter of concern at this time, and
the club sponsored the shipment of bundlesfor relief by way of New
Windsor, Md.
Rufus Sanford, Sr. , reported on February 3, that the public
relations committee of the Rotary club had won the decision of the
Hanes Corporation officials to purchase sixty acres on the Advance
Road in front of Mrs. Mazie Van Eaton's home for the location of a
knitting mill. An editorial in the Enterprise, "Hats off to Mr. Rufe, "
expressed the appreciation of the community for this achievement.
The Home Demonstration program was taken up at a February
meeting of the club, and Miss Florence Mackie outlined the objectives
of thew ork.
A meeting was devoted to the promotion of the campaign to elect
Kim Sheek for District Governor, and another meeting was held
jointly with the Cooleemee Lions club.
At the first meeting in March of 1948 Mayor Jim Thompson was
elected to succeed Dave Rankin as President of the Mocksville Rotary
Club in July. Dr. Lester Martin was elected first vice-president, Curtis
Price second vice-president, and Jeff Caudell was reelected Secretary.
Henry Sprinkle, Sr., and Armand Daniel were named to the board
of directors.
At following meetings the club heard an appeal to get a new
railway station, a presentation of the work of the Future Farmers
of America, an oration by contest winner Miss Nancy Durham,
daughter of Rotarian bhn Durham, and another address on crime and
juvenile delinquency by J. E. Thornton, head of the F. B.I. in North
and South Carolina.
A welcome report by Armand Daniel at the last meeting in March
revealed that the club was free and clear of debt and had about $8, 000
invested in the building which they had erected.
In mid-April the club had another joint meeting with the
Cooleemee Lions, and later entertained that group in Mocksville.
About this tune Bob Hall's engagement to Sara Hope Fitchett
was announced.
After a program in which C.W. Wagner of Albemarle told the
story of Pfeiffer College, Rotarians set about working up enthusiasm
for a second mass meeting on the building of a county hospital.
A talk by Hawley Cobb of W adesboro told of the early history
of Rotary International on May 18, and the following Tuesday Curtis
Price and Graham Madison put before the club the appeal for
Support for the $800, 000 school bond issue, which was then to be
decided.
The school bond issue received the endorsement of the club on May 23,
and the following committee was appointed to carry out the program of
support: Graham Madison, kin Sheek, Rufus Sanford, and Col. W. R.
Murchison.
It was reported at this time that Rotarian 011ie McQuage was
recovering from a stroke suffered February 3.
June meetings were mostly on the lighter side with a homily by
Rev. C. B. Howard, a talk by the farm editor of the Winston-Salem
Journal -Sentinel, a humorous speech by Rev. Joe S. Hiatt, and an
Inter -City Rotary meet hosted by Ike Bailey. The month was
highlighted in Davie County by the visit of Governor Thomas Dewey,
Rotarian Cecil Morris was prominent on the welcoming committee.
The year ended with a gala Ladies' Night with Rev. E.M. Avett as
speaker, and President Dave Rankin turning over the gavel to Jim
Thompson.
29
James H. Thompson, 1948-49
James Houston Thompson was born on a farm near Davidson,
North Carolina, on May 2, 1880. Reared in the shadow of old Mount
Mourne Methodist Church, he was educated in the public schools of
the area. As a young man he was for a while in the postal service
and worked in North Wilkesboro, where he met a school teacher from
Mocksville, Miss Margaret Call, whom he married in 1913. Thompson
went into business as proprietor of Miller Grocery Company hi North
Wilkesboro until 1931, when he accepted a position as sales
representative for the Fogle Furniture Company of Winston-Salem
and moved to Mocksville.
An incurable optimist, a gifted raconteur, and a winsome,
friendly, people -oriented person, Jun Thompson was one of the most
successful of salesmen. He kept his connection with Fogle
Furniture until his death on November 13, 1960, at eighty years
of age, covering a wide territory in the Southeast and visiting
customers when he could no longer drive on long journeys and had
to employ a chauffeur.
Thompson's roots quickly took hold in the friendly soil of Davie
County. He was at home in Mocksville, where his wife was born
and reared, and where he had formed friendships from youthful
days. He was at home in the Methodist church, of which he became
a trustee and a leading steward. An active Democrat, he took a
lively interest in political affairs. He served as Mayor of
Mocksville from 1947 to 1949, and was chosen to be Chairman of
the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party in Davie County
several terms. Only a month before his death he attended the
State Fair in Raleigh and took part in a fund-raising dinner for
the Democratic Party, where he met his "look alike, " President
Harry S. Truman.
Like his friend, Kim Sheek, Jim Thompson brought to his home
town the ideas and influences of one whose employment took him into
all sorts of towns and cities across a wide territory. They saw the
importance of Rotary International and the value of the local Rotary
club. Jim was one of the little group who worked together to obtain
a charter for the Mocksville organization. He was a member of the
Board of Directors when the charter was granted. In 1947 he was
elected first vice-president of the club, and in 1948 fie succeeded
Dave Rankin as president. The club prospered and grew stronger
under his leadership, and so did the town of Mocksville. Thompson
had introduced new ideas and services in the town as mayor.
30
He continued to work for good roads, good schools, and good health --
issues which were much to the fore during his administration of the
club.
As the editor of the Enterprise -Record wrote in tribute to 'Mr.
Jun" when he died in 1960. "He was a man of great devotion --to his
family --to his church --to his town and community --and to his chosen
political philosophy. ...Mr. Jim was a number one citizen. He
never shrird-ed from the call of duty to serve his community, regardless
of the cost."
The summer of 1948 was under the shadow of the great polio
epidemic. Normal vacation activities were curtailed. Even the
annual picnic for which Mocksville is famous had to be halted.
But Davie County passed the school bond proposal by a vote of
1458 to 788. Rotarians Grady Ward and George Shutt were among the
members of the commission, and Rotarian Curtis Price, the school
superintendent, thanked the voters for their support. Rotarian
Gordon Tomlinson became the news editor and advertising manager
of the Enterprise in July.
At meetings of the club in August, 1948, standing committees
were named, Armand Daniel presented a Charlotte Alcoholics
Anonymous group for a program, the Boys' State representatives
sponsored by Rotary and the American Legion reported, and the
National Guard unit headed by Rotarian Maj. W. M, Long and
numbering now 72 men and 3 officers was reviewed.
The club heard representatives who attended the Girls'State
at Woman's College (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) in
September, and Frank Spence, Winston-Salem Journal sports editor
previewed the 1948 football season for the club.
At the last meeting in September Harold Makepiece of Sanford,
Governor of the 191st District, Rotary International, visited the
Mocksville club. He praised the local group for its progress.
A special concern of the Mocksville club for the Boy Scouts of
America program was given attention in October. Sponsorship for a
$1, 000 financial campaign for the Scouts was undertaken. George
Shutt, one of Davie County's first Scouters, gave a demonstration
of Scout objectives in support of the movement.
31
Rotarian Bob McNeill, former United States District
Attorney, was Rotary speaker October 27, on law as a
profession.
On November 2 Woodrow McKay, manager of the Lexington
Chamber of Commerce, related his experiences as a former
personal companion of Henry Ford. Another program that
month was given by Col. W. G. Murchison, who stressed the
values of military training.
Dr. F.H. McNutt spoke at the Farmers' Night event. The
Dean of the Graduate School of Woman's College in Greensboro
talked on the characteristics of an American.
The annual Christmas party on December 22 featured a musical
program.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1949
The new year began with an international program. Mrs. E. H.
Gartrell, wife of the Presbyterian minister, drew upon her
experiences in China in presenting a view of communism in that
country.
During January club programs included a talk defending
vivisection in veterinary medicine by Dr. Clyde Young, a discussion
of problems of mental health by Dr. Lloyd Thompson, professor of
psychiatry at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, and an address on
'The Necessities of Life" by Dr. Houston G. Allen, Winston-Salem
District Superintendent of the Methodist Church.
In February, when "The Millers, "Mocksville's semi -pro
basketball team, w -on the championship of its league, and when
Oren Heffner opened the store that was to grow into Heffner's Land
of Food chain, and when Graham Madison headed the Red Cross
program in Davie County, Rotarians concerned themselves chiefly
with the business outlook. Among the speakers at club meetings was
Elliott Wood, president of the Heritage Furniture Company, on
"American Business on Trial."
The death of 011ie McQuage, Editor of the Enterprise, and
charter member of the Mocksville Rotary Club, occurred hi March.
32
Junior League baseball was part of the recreational program for
Mocksville youth to which Rotarians contributed leadership and support.
Raymond Siler and George Shutt were chosen to coach the youngsters in
that sport.
In March Democratic National Committee woman Beatrice Cobb,
Morganton, North Carolina publisher, told the club of her trip around
the world. At another meeting members viewed a fihn on garbage
disposal, a service to the town introduced by Mayor Jim Thompson, who
retired from the city hall that month.
Officers elected for the coming year were Dr. Lester P. Martin,
President; Curtis Price, First Vice -President; Rufus B. Sanford, Sr..,
Second Vice -President; Jeff Caudell, Secretary; and Board members,
George Shutt, Paul Blackwelder, and Dr. W .M. Long, Sergeant at Arms.
Rotarians in political affairs included at this time John Durham, who
filed to succeed Jun Thompson as Mayor, T.J. Caudell and H. S. Walker,
seeking reelection, and M.H. Murray and R.B. Sanford, Jr., seeking
election to the board of town commissioners. Ted Junker was elected head
of the Merchants Association.
Interest in good government, recreational facilities,' improved telephone
service, community health, "clean-up week" in the town, and the county
library was manifest in the Rotary activities for April. Judge J. Will
Pless of Marion spoke on the responsibilities of citizens for government.
D.J. Mando presented the Davie Memorial Association's program for
lighting and developing Rich Park and the ball field there. A debate on
the proposed 200 -million dollar road bond issue was staged with Rufus
Sanford, Jr. , Curtis Price, and Charles Farthing for the issue, and Dr.
Lester Martin, Dave Rankin, and Armand Daniel opposed. Rufus Sanford,
Sr. , reported that Central Telephone Company service to the Center
Community was promised. Dr. Wingate Johnson of the Bowman Gray
Medical School spoke on socialized medicine, and May -or Jun Thompson
proclaimed Clean-up Week for Mocksville. Mrs. Blanche Hanes Clement
spoke of the needs of the county library, and George Shutt, a member
of the Davie County Library Commission, paid high tribute to her for
her services as Librarian.
Curtis Price was reelected superintendent of schools for two more
years at this time.
33
The proposed move of Wake Forest College to Winston-Salem was
discussed by John Irwin at the first meeting in May. At the next two
meetings the road bond issue was discussed: J. Paul Leonard spoke
against the proposal and State Senator B.C. Brock explained how
Davie County would benefit from the program. A talk on the dangers
of socialized medicine by Dr. Thomas W. Seay of Spencer, North
Carolina, completed the program for May.
The month of June, 1949, rounded out the year of President Jim
Thompson's administration. One meeting was given to "Rotary
Testimonials" by Rotarians Sheek, Farthing, Hall, Long, Blackwelder,
Shutt, Pennington, Mando, Sanford, Sr., Madison, and Murchison.
A program devoted to the 4-H Club work in the county was provided
by :members of that organization with Francis Peebles as chairman
for the occasion.
34
Dr. Lester P. Martin, Sr., 1949-50
Lester Poindexter Martin (January 1, 1898 --October 28, 1963) was
born in Mocksville, and grew up in the community where he was to be
the beloved physician to thousands of neighbors and friends for forty
years. The son of a prominent physician, Dr. W.C. Martin, and Frances
Eaton Martin, young Lester finished Mocksville High School in 1914
and earned a B.S. Degree at Wake Forest in 1918. Soon after graduation
from college, with World W ar I raging, he joined the U. S. Navy and
served as a Hospital Apprentice First Class for the duration.
After the war, young Martin studied medicine and received his
M.D. degree at Jefferson Medical College in Pennsylvania in 1920.
Soonthereafter he entered the general practice of medicine with his
father in Mocksville.
Doctor Lester served as Quarantine Officer in Davie County for
fourteen years and was County Coroner from 1938 to 1942. He was a
member of theboard of directors of the North Carolina Tuberculosis
Sanitorium from 1936 to 1942, He served as a member of the Davie
County Welfare Board from 1923 to 1936.
With the coming of World War II, it was inevitable that Dr. Martha
would again respond to his country's call, and he served as a Major
in the United States Air Force with duty in Texas and the Phillipine
Islands. He was promoted to Lietuenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
Dr. Martin was married to Helen Bahnson of Farmington on August
147 1923. Their two sons, Judge Lester P. Martin, Jr., and George
W. Martin became prominent attorneys and Rotarians, and were to
play prominent roles in the later history of the Mocksville Rotary Club.
The club was organized while Dr. Martin was on duty with the Air
Force. When he was released from active duty in January, 1946, and
resumed his practice in Mocksville, he became an active member of
the Club, was elected Vice -President in 1948, and became fifth
President of the Mocksville Rotary Club.
Dr. Martin specialized in diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and
throat after W orld War II, taking advanced training at the Eye and Ear
Infirmary in N ew Jersey. He was a member of the American Medical
Association of Surgeons, the North Carolina Medical Society, and the
North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Society.
35
Dr. Martin was a Mason and served as Master of the Mocksville
lodge in 1930 and again in 1941. A loyal Baptist from his youth, he
was a Trustee of the Mocksville Baptist Church, a teacher of the
Men's Bible Class, and active in the work of the denomination.
The high regard in which he as held, his natural gifts of leadership
his abiding concern for the welfare of the community, his experience
in the military service, fitted Dr. Martin for an unusually active and
fruitful presidency of the club. He saw to it that the organization was
perfected and that the entire system functioned. He led the club in its
exploration and promotion of the emerging school, library, and
hospital concerns, which he helped bring to fruition.
36
JULY -DECEMBER, 1949
After the transition from President Jim Thompson to President
Lester Martin, Henry Sprinkle, Sr. gave a talk on "The Objectives of
Rotary." Among the complete list of committees and assignments were
the following chairman for the Rotary year: Club Service, Dave Rankin;
Vocational Service, Rufus Sanford, Sr.; Community Service, khn Sheek;
International Service, Curtis Price.
In July, when Bob Hall joined his father's firm as registered pharmacist,
Rotary programs included a report from Boys' State by Johnny Durham;
a talk by Mark Goforth, State Highway Commissioner for the Seventh
District, in which fie paid tribute to Miss Ruth Booe, and her contribution
to the life of Davie County; and an address by Bishop Howard Rondthaler
of the Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, on the rules and spirit of Rotary.
In August another speaker, Rev. Kenneth Goodson (later Bishop of the
Methodist Church) stressed the importance of the principles of the Rotary
organization, the four lanes of service. A meeting was devoted to a
discussion by members of the club of plans and projects. Curtis Price
talked about the county school prospects. Plans for the annual Masonic
Picnic included special responsibilities for the Rotary Annes, it was
announced.
The month of September saw interesting developments for a number
of Rotarians. The wedding of Dr. Victor Andrews andMiss Bobbie Jean
Smith, the departure of Rev. Bob Hardee, the coming to town of Rev. Abram
J. Cox were to be remembered. During the month Charles B. Wade,
personnel director of the R. J. Reynolds Company, spoke on the short-
comings of education in America. Dr. Mark Depp, Winston-Salem minister,
brought the club a lecture on "Civilization of Trial."
Further evidence of President Lester's concern about having the
club properly indoctinated with Rotary principles was another program on
the constitution and by-laws of Rotary. The speaker was Armand Daniel,
and the effect was more respect for the fundamental ideas worked out
in the organization. Veterans' affairs were brought to the attention of
the club with the presentation of a picture, "Comeback, " by Fletcher
Cauble, Salisbury director of the Veterans' Administration office.
Another program brought C. C. Erwin, Rowan school superintendent, to
speak on extra -curricular education. The final program in October was
devoted to problems of health, with Miss Lula Belle Highsmith speaking
on tuberculosis control. The Jaycees met with the Rotary Club for this
occasion and agreed to cooperate in an X -Ray survey in the community.
37
The X -Ray survey was in full swing by the middle of November,
a cooperative effort of the kind that was to bring more enduring health
advantages to Davie County in the future.
Rotary programs in November included an appearance of Ralph
Brumley, superintendent of Forsyth County schools, to speak on the
importance of local control inn education. Good government was the
subject of a talk given by J. Ernest Yarborough, secretary of the
Retail Merchants' Association of Winston-Salem. District Governor
Bill Harden visited the club in November and spoke on the essence
of Rotary. Inducted into membership at that time were Abe J. Cox,
J. P. Davis, and C. Gordon Tomlinson. Gordon was elected Vice -
President of the North Carolina Press Association in December.
Cox and Davis were ministers of the Methodist and Baptist churches
respectively. Abe Cox spoke on "Worship" at a December meeting,
and the annual Christmas party featuring a humorous program
concluded the activities of the club for 1949.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1950
The emphasis at Rotary meetings during the month of January was
upon welfare and the handicapped. Bob Burton, Superintendent of the
Junior Order Home, Lexington, N.C., gave a talk on the North
Carolina Charter for Children. Mrs. Margaret Wilson of the State
Board of Education spoke to the club on welfare work. "The
Visually Handicapped" was the theme of another address by Mrs.
Catherine Dickens. A blanket for a needy blind person was provided
by the club. Bill Daniels headed the 'March of Dimes" campaign at
the time and P. H. Mason was chairman of the Board of Education in
the county. Abe Cox was chairman of the American Red Cross Drive
iu the county.
In February Nick Mando, named 'Man of the Year" by Mocksville
Jaycees, spoke to the Rotary club on "Let's Begin Living. " On
February 18, President Lester welcomed the meeting of the North
Carolina Press Association in the Rotary Hut, and W allace Carroll,
editor of the Winston-Salem Journal was the speaker. Local
happenings were featured at another meeting during the month. Boy
Scout Troop 575 was represented at the annual jamboree by Claude
Horn, Jr. George Shutt, president of the Davie Memorial Association,
reported the grassing of the ball field and the preparation of two
tennis courts in the memorial park.
41.1
Grady Ward reported on the Junior American Legion Baseball program.
Past -President Jun Thompson told of the friendliness shown him when
he visited the Number One Rotary Club in Chicago. Another February
program featured a talk by R. L. Patton, superintendent of the Burke
County Schools on "The Mission of Laughter."
On Febraury 28 the alumni of Mocksville's famous Sunnyside
Academy were guests of the club, and Miss Mary Heitman gave historical
sketches of the town. The Enterprise of March 10 reproduced a picture of the
"Mocksville Student Body, 1908." reflecting the interest awakened by
Miss Heitman's address. The paper also contained an editorial on "The
Rotary Hut, a Creditable Job."
On March 21 officers of the Mocksville Rotary Club for the new
club year beginning in July were elected as follows: Curtis Price,
President; Rufus B. Sanford, Sr. , First Vice -President; Dr. Clyde
W. Young, Second Vice -President; Dave Rankin, Secretary; Paul
Blackwelder, Sergeant -at -Arms. Directors of the Mocksville Recreation
Club were elected: Bryan Sell, Harry Murray, Dr. Clyde Young, Cecil
Morris, and Rufus Sanford, Jr.
March 18, 1950, was a day to be remembered by the club. The
mortgage for the Rotary Hut was burned with fitting ceremony. Armand
Daniel had led the campaign to free the club from indebtedness. At
that meeting President Lester appointed a committee on the telephone
rate increase, which was a matter of concern: Cecil Morris, Bryan
Sell, and Dave Rankin.
The members of the Rotary Club visited the town's new water plant
and heard S.M. Call explain how it was operated in April. They
heard an overseas student, Laiz Lessa, of Rio de Janeiro, on
"Communist Tactics in Brazil" at the next meeting. A cantata by
local artists featured another session.
At this time Cecil Morris moved his insurance agency to Salisbury
Street, and Dr. Bill Long moved his office to South Main.
In May the club heard a talk on "Atomic Developments" by Dr.
Milton L. Braun, Professor of Physics at Catawba College. They
heard J. Paul Leonard speak against Governor herr Scott's "Better
Schools, Better Roads" program. They were later to hear the other
side. The superintendent of the Methodist Home in Charlotte talked
on "Preparation for Old Age. "
39
The population of Mocksville was reported in June to be
1920, that of Davie County 17, 523. The Heritage plant was expanded
and it being the hundredth anniversary of Mocksville Masonic Lodge,
many of the men in the club started growing beards.
The president of the Patriotic Sons of America visited the club,
C. E. Varney, and spoke on the aims of that organization. On June
7 the Speaker of the House of Representatives of North Carolina,
Kerr Craig Ramsay, was guest of the Rotary Club and spoke on
'The Biggest Business in North Carolina." That business, he pointed
out, is government.
The next week the club heard a report from the committee
chaired by Cecil Morris on telephone rates. A hearing before the
State Utilities Commission had decided upon an increase from $2. 65
to $3.45 in the basic rate.
The year ended on a lofty note as Rev. H.S. Williams of
Kannapolis talked to the club on "Theology. "
ME
Curtis Price, 1950-51
The sixth President of the Mocksville Rotary Club, Curtis Price, was
born iii Union County on February 1, 1903, son of the late Henry Lawson
and Nora Winchester Price. He received his high school diploma from the
Wesley Chapel High School. He studied two years at Elon College and was
graduated from Duke University with an A. B. degree after two years there.
He had completed his work at Duke for a Master's degree except for
finishing his thesis. He was married on July 16, 1927, to Katherine Moore,
who now lives in Monroe in their native county. From 1925 to 1945 he
served as principal and assistant superintendent of schools in Rutherford
County. He carne to Mocksville in 1945 as superintendent of schools in
Davie County.
Curtis led the fight in Davie County in 1948 when the citizenry voted
an $800, 000 bond issue to improve and modernize the schools. A few
years later he was able to lead the County in a masterful program of
consolidation. All four high schools in the County were brought together
in one modern high school in a model plant. This accomplishment
brought hien praise and recognition far and wide.
Price was chairman of the board of stewards of the Methodist church'
in Mocksville and teacher of the Men's Bible Class, one of the largest
at that period in the area. He served as chairman of the Davie chapter
of the American Red Cross; chairman of the local chapter of the TB
Association; chairman of the Crippled Children's League; president
of the Northwestern District of the North Carolina Educational Association.
He served as chairman of the Davie District of the Boy Scouts of America
for three years and was the recipient of the Silver Beaver award. He
was a member of the National Education Association, member of the
North Carolina Superintendents' Association, and member of the
Superintendents' Division of that Association. He was a member of the
Masonic Order and active in the Mocksville lodge.
Curtis Price was naturally inducted into the Mocksville Rotary
Club soon after his arrival in the county, and he was soon recognized as
one of the most able and dependable leaders in the group of tall men who
were making the young club a powerful vehicle for community service
and development.
41
Curtis Price was a man of many talents and interests. He was
a coin collector, a deer hunter, a gardner, and a camper and
scouter. His death came in the midst of his best years at the height
of his powers. He died November 10, 1958, and was buried in
Monroe. But as the editor of the Enterprise -Record wrote in an
editorial which cited his record of achievements for the county:
"Curtis Price was buried in his home -town of Monroe. However,
there are many monuments to him in Davie County. There is the
modern high school plant which he fathered. There are improved
school facilities in every section of the county. And there are more
tangible touches in everyday life which would not have been possible
if it had not been for the leadership he rendered in the Red Cross,
TB Association, and Crippled Children's service. "
Here was one Rotarian who passed the Fourfold Test.
42
JUNE -DECEMBER, 1950
Among the appointments announced by the new president at the
first meeting of the club in July were the following chairmen: Grady
Ward, Club Service; T. J. Caudell, Membership; Rufus B. Sanford, Jr. ,
Vocational Service; George Shutt, Community Service; Graham
Madison, International Service. Paul Blackwelder succeeded Dr.
Bill Long as Sergeant -at -Arms.
Curtis Smithdeal, of High Point, District Governor of District
281, visited the Mocksville Club and spoke on his program for the year.
A native of Davie County, Governor Curtis was warmly received.
Another meeting during the summer was devoted to "Bouquets
and Brickbats, " the latter being directed mainly at members who had
been slack in attendance during the hot days and vacation period.
In September a session was devoted to the discussion of long
range plans for agriculture with Francis Peebles, County Farm
Agent, as speaker. The club took the practical step of sponsoring
a campaign for the extermination of rats.
"Education is Big Business" was the topic of David F. Stillwell,
of the Forsyth County Schools the following week. And the week
after that was given to a report on the Davie Memorial Association
and Rich Park, with Nick Mando leading the discussion.
In October 1950 Rotarians heard Rev. J. P. Davis on "The World
Revival of Christianity, " received the charter for spnosorship of the
local Boy Scout troop from Bunn Hackney, Scout Executive for
Uwharrie Council, and observed United Nations Day, receiving a
flag presented by the Mocksville Home Demonstration Club. On
October 30 Rev. G. L. Royster of Cooleemee spoke to the group on
"Civic -Mindedness. "
November programs included a talk on "The Value of Recreation"
by Clarence Tarleton, high school coach, an outline of plans for the
Mocksville Youth Center by Raymond Siler, a discussion of farming
in Germany by Leonard Stadelmann of Munich, and a talk on search
and arrest procedures and juvenile delinquency by Federal Bureau of
Investigation Agent Charles W. Brown of Charlotte. During the
month the Davie Electric Membership Corporation opened its new
building. Rotarian Joe Patner was assistant manager of the
corporation at the time.
43
Two outstanduig programs were enjoyed in December: the
Farmers' Night celebration, with Dr. Clyde Young presiding, and
an entertaining talk by Graham Morrison of Lincolnton. Professor
William Green of Catawba College gave a fine talk on "Freedom,
Law, and Order. " The annual Christmas party brought together a
large number of members, wives, and guests.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1951
At the first meeting of the new year Grady Ward reported on
Club Service, and the Christmas party was reviewed. At the
second meeting, Nick Mando and Clarence Hartman presented the
March of Dimes polio campaign. "Saving Democracy" was the
theme of Dr. E. J. Coltrane of High Point College at another session.
A fourth meeting in Salisbury at an Inter -City Rotary meet recognized
the Mocksville club as an honor roll unit. During the month Woodrow
Wilson opened the new Lynn Haven Nursing Home.
In February Grady Ward was elected head of the Memorial
Association. Community development was the subject of Brantley
Snavely, president of the High Point Chamber of Commerce, and
District Governor Curtis Smithdeal presented the speaker. President
Curtis Price presented a speaker's stand made by students at the
high school.
The paving of streets was discussed as a mark of the progress
of the town in 1950, with Rotarians John Durham as mayor, and
board members Harry Murray, Rufus Sanford, Jr., Jeff Caudell,
and Cecil Little.
A session of the club was given to a study of the conflict between
communism and democracy with Professor William F. Poteat,
philosophy department, University of North Carolina, as speaker.
Another event was an address by Charles W. Phillips on the purpose
and objectives of Rotary. "Theory of Crisis" was the topic of Joe
Boyd of High Point with Jason Branch presiding, at the final meeting
of February. An article. in The Rotarian on "Can You Work with
People?" inspired an editorial in the local paper.
M
Curtis Price, chairman, and Prentice Campbell led the community
campaign for $2500 for the American Red Cross in the spring of 1951.
In March Wayne Eaton purchased an interest in the W alker Funeral
Home, and Major W .M. Long retired from the National Guard.
The club heard John Payne of Davidson College on "The Value of
Courtesy and Friendship, " March 12.
The following officers of the club were elected to take office in
July: Rufus B. Sanford, Sr., President; Dr. Clyde W . Young, First
Vice -President; Paul Blackwelder, Second Vice -President; and
Cecil Morris and Graham Madison, members of the Board of Directors.
The following were features of the programs of the club for April:
Coach Virgil Yew of the national championship woman's basketball
team on the dangers of professionalism; Captian Lentz, State Highway
Patrol, on "Highway Safety"; Walter F. Anderson, Chief of the State
Bureau of Investigations a native of Davie County, on "Keeping
Democracy on an Even Keel;" and Earl Brendall of Salisbury on
false philosophies, "Chasing Shadows. "
About this time Paul Blackwelder purchased the J. C. Sanford
interest in the Twin Brook Farm, President Curits Price was
reelected Superintendent of Schools, Bob was chosen to head the
cancer crusade, and the Cooleemee mills were closed with charges
of violence against some of the strikers.
Officers of the corporation in charge of the Rotary Hut were
elected as follows: George Rowland, president; Harry Murray,
Kion Sheek, Don Headen, Clarence Hartman.
In May the Reverend Paul H. Richards came to Mocksville as
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and the town reelected
Mayor John Durham and his board of commissioners for another
term. At Rotary the state chairman of the Rural Electrification
Administration, Gwyn B. Price, told of the work of REA. A report
on a regional youth conference was heard, and Wayne Eaton was
named Scoutmaster of the local troop. Horace Haworth, High Point
attorney and brother-in-law of Cecil Morris, made a memorable
talk on the theme of true greatness, asserting, "He who helps to
make a happy home, a good church, and a just state, is a great and
happy man. "
45
The first week in June the Rotary club devoted its attention to
plans for the Youth Center. The next week Dr. Robert L. McMillan,
heart specialist, talked on health, and on Friday night the Youth
Center opened at the Rotary But. A film on "The Story of Mahogany"
was viewed at the third meeting in June.
The year of the administration of Curtis Price carne to a close
with an elaborate Ladies' Night. The chief speaker was Dr. Charles
Everhart of Davidson College.
aml
Rufus Brown Sanford, Sr. , 1951
Rufus Brown Sanford, Sr. , son of C. C. and Mrs. Mary Brown Sanford,
was born in Mocksville February 26, 1877. He grew up in the years of
reconstruction; attended the two -teacher school the town afforded, was
brought up in the Presbyterian Church. He entered Davidson College in
1895 and was graduated in 1898.
He went to work for the business his father started soon after the War
Between the States, the merchandise establishment that became C. C.
Sanford Sons & Company, the foremost general store hi the county. He
married Miss Adelaide Gaither in 1891. Their two sons, Rufus B. , Jr. ,
and L. Gaither, were to become, like their father, active Rotarians.
"Mister Rufe" soon became an elder in the Presbyterian Church and
was for many years Clerk of the Session and a Trustee of the Winston-
Salem Presbytery. He was a member of the Masonic order and served
as treasurer of the Mocksville lodge from 1916 until the 1950's.
Mr. Sanford was Secretary of the Mocksville School Board from
1911 to 1946 --thirty-five years.
He was a director of the Bank of Davie for seventeen years. He
was President of the C. C. Sanford Sons Company, of the Rankin -Sanford
Implement Company, and of the Sanford Motor Company. His hobbies
were hunting, fishing, and helping people.
Ever alert to the development of the cultural and industrial resources
of his town and county, Rufus Sanford was an able and devoted leader in
every good cause. It was inevitable that he should be among the
organizers of the Rotary club and that he should serve with distinction
in the various offices he filled. One of the most respected Charter
M embers, he was one of the ablest of the Presidents to fill that office.
He was unable to fill out the term for which he was elected because of
advancing ill health, but he remained a devoted Rotarian, as active as
he could be until his death July 7, 1965.
47
JULY -OCTOBER, 1951
Atthe first session under the Sanford presidency on July 2,
1951, one member, Phil Johnson, was recognized for six years of
perfect attendance, and three for four years: Paul Mason, George
Shutt, and Bryan Sell. President Rufus praised retiring president
Curtis Price and presented gifts to ladies who had been of special
help to the club.
Mocksville mourned the death in July of William M. Pennington,
charter mamber and past president of Rotary. Tribute to his service
was paid by Rotarians and was echoed in an Enterprise editorial,
"Taps have sounded, but the music will not fade."
The club heard C. Norris Redbold of Cooleemee tell of a recent
tour of Europe, and at the last meeting in July enjoyed a musical
program by E. B. Moore, Jr. and Mrs. Frank Fowler.
Club programs for August included a talk on "National Enterprise"
by E. Gettys Guille of Salisbury, a talk on Latin America, by Henry
Sprinkle of New York; and an address by Judge A. H. Gwynn on
"The Value of Economic Security. "
Jack Pennington and Woodrow Wilson were inducted into the club
August 13, 1951.
In September Rotarians were told how to help Davie schools by
D. F. Stilwell, Knox Johnstone was welcomed back, Cecil Morris
proposed special recognition of the baseball team representing the
town, Veterans Administration affairs were discussed by Harold
Yountz and Alex Trigon of the Winston-Salem Veterans' Administration
office, and scouting awards were presented at Rotary. The Rev.
Paul Richards and Rev. J. P. Davis were welcomed as new members
of the club. Mr. Richards had been ordained and installed as pastor
of the Presbyterian Church on September 16.
District Governor E. A. Rock of Siler City visited the club on
October 9.
Fin
President Rufus was advised by his physician to give up strenuous
activities including presidency of the Rotary club in the interests of his
health. Upon his resignation as president, Dr. Clyde Young was
installed as president. He led the club in a standing ovation for retiring
President Rufus, to whom the club and the community owed so much.
M
Dr. Clyde W. Young, 1951-52
To succeed President Rufus B. Sanford, Sr. as head of the
Rotary Club in the fall of 1951, the Mocksville organization chose a
brilliant young man who had brought a touch of the Golden West to the
rather staid and relatively conservative community. Clyde W . Young
had been born in La Porte, Colorado on July 26, 1918. A lover of
animals and a scientist by inclination, he earned his doctorate in
veterinary medicine at the Colorado State University in 1941. Looking
for the most likely place for the practice of his profession, young Dr.
Young discovered Davie County. Soon after opening his office in
Mocksville, he fell in love with one of the lovely young ladies of the
town, Miss Irene Horn, who became his wife on April 16, 1944.
Dr. Young's proficiency in his field, his personality, and his
reputation for good judgment and wise decision soon won for hien
recognition far beyond his immediate balliwick. He was elected to
office in his professional organization, serving as secretary and
treasurer of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association and
in 1950 was named President of that body. In 1955 he was elected
President of the Southern Veterinary Medical Association. He
served as a member of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical
Examining Board 1967-77. He was the North Carolina Veterinary
Medical Association's Honor Veterinarian in 1964. He was chosen
President of the North Carolina Academy of Science in Animal Medicine
in 1973.
Dr. Young is a member of the Mocksville Presbyterian Church
and has taken an active part in community affairs. He served on the
Board of Aldermen of the town for ten years. A golfer who never
loses hope of breaking 60, he has been a leading spirit in the Men's
Golf Association of the Hickory Hill Golf and Country Club.
The Rotary Club continued its record of progress and service
under the leadership fo Dr. Young and is the beneficiary of his
administration in many ways.
50
OCTOBER -DECEMBER, 1951
Dr. Clyde Young assumed the duties of President of the Mocksville
Rotary Club as of October 9, 1951. A discussion of highway transportation
by S. Gilmer Sparger and a talk on the British Isles by Woodrow Mchay
of Lexington featured the programs that month.
In November Bryan Sell was elected chairman of Boy Scout activities
for the county. The retirement of Curtis Price as school superintendent
was announced at this time, and Henry C. Sprinkle Sr. was granted an
Honorary Life Membership by the club. Claude Horn, Jr., future
Rotarian and president -to -be, earned his Eagle Scout award. During
the month speakers at club meeting were Wally Dunham, civic leader
of W inston-Salem, and Paul Richards, Presbyterian Minister and club
mennber. T. A. Gilyard, a W estern Electric Company official, told why
his company chose to locate in North Carolina.
The Farmers' Night program on Friday, November 30, featured
Dr. J.H. Helton, Dean of the School of Agriculture at North Carolina
State College, speaking on "Opportunities for farmers."
JANUARY -JUNE, 1952
January, 1952, was a full month for Mocksville Rotary. A talk
by Abe Cox on "Americanism" featured the first meeting of the month,
at which time J. Cecil Little was received as a member and him Sheek
told of the honorary membership and pin which had been awarded to
Henry C. Sprinkle, Sr., as he left the club to live at the Methodist Home
in Charlotte.
Reports of committees were given at the second meeting of the
year as Rotarian Bob McNeill was congratulated on receiving the Silver
Beaver Award and Curtis Price the Scout Trophy. H. C. Young thanked
the club for help with the March of Dimes campaign, and Nick Mando
was recognized as chairman for Davie County Chapter of the Infantile
Paralysis Foundation.
Captain C. M. Stutts spoke to the club on traffic safety on
January 21, when Chester Bowles was initiated into the membership
of the club. On January 28 Linton B. Green of Spruce Pune talked on
"North Carolina Minerals. "
51
On February 4 the club elected officers for the year
beginning in July. Paul Blackwelder was named to be President;
Graham Madison, First Vice President; George Shutt, Second Vice
President; Prentice Campbell, Sergeant at Arms; and Dave
Rankin was reelected Secretary and Treasurer for a third term.
The next meeting was a joint.session with the Jaycees, and Congress-
man C. B. Deane was given a hearing.
On February 18 I. Beverly Lake spoke to the club on world
government, and the following Tuesday W. H. Ruffin, president of
Erwin Mills, talked on good government and the dangers of corruption.
Dave F. Stilwell was inducted as a new member.
Social Security was explained by Bob Flynn of Winston-Salem on
March 3, with Jason Branch, superintendent of the Mocksville
branch of Heritage Furniture Company, as program chairman.
Gaither Sanford pro ided films on Detroit for another March meeting.
Rotarians involved in significant events at this period included
Gordon Tomlinson, who became editor of the Davie County Enterprise -
Record; E. Cecil Morris, who was reelected chairman of Davie
Republicans; J. R. Siler, elected president of Davie Memorial
Association, succeeding Grady Ward; Chester Blackwelder, who
was expanding Monleigh Garment Company; 0. K. Pope, elected
president of Pennington Chevrolet Company; and John Durham,
mayor, who called a special recreation commission election which put
Curtis Price, Cecil Morris, C. C. Hartman, Nick Mando, and W. C.
Daniel in office. Rites for W. R. Wilkins were held on April 3.
An April occasion was Rotary's Henredon -Heritage Day with Jun
Thompson as program chairman. Also in April Bill Daniel was
elected president of the local Jaycees.
A joint meeting of Cooleemee Lions and Mocksville Rotarians,
with George Hobson and Ted Junker in charge of the program, featured
the last April meeting.
Named to the Board of Directors for the Rotary Hut un May were
C. C. Hartman, D. J. Mando, Ted Junker, Chester Blackwelder, and
George Shutt.
52
Rotarians honored outside the club at this period were President
Clyde, reelected secretary -treasurer of the North Carolina Veterinarians
Association, and Nick Mando, elected N.C. Jaycees Vice -President of
District 2.
Curtis Price brought the problems of the Recreation Commission
before the club and discussed the needs and opportunities faced by the
community in this field.
At the last meeting of the year ending in June the newly elected
president, Paul Blackwelder, was inducted, and President Clyde
Young turned over the gavel to him.
53
Paul Bruce Blackwelder, 1952-53
Paul Blackwelder was a Charter Member of the Mocksville
Rotary Club. Born in Davie County on May 12, 1911, he grew up
in Mocksville, attended Mocksville High School and North Carolina
State College. He was married on July 12, 1939 to Fannie
Gregory Bradley of Mocksville.
A dairyman who bred registered Guernseys, his Twin Brook
Farm was a well-known showplace in Davie County. In 1952 he won
the Maegeo Trophy and the klondike trophy, prized awards for
excellence hi the field. He served for years as the Sealtest
distributor in the county.
Blackwelder was a member of the First_ Presbyterian Church in
Mocksville and was an elder in that church from 1949 until his
death, December 5, 1961. From 1957 to 1959 he was a member of
the Synod of the North Carolina Presbyterian churches and was
a member of the Layman's Committee on Ministerial Salaries.
Amorg his many services to his community and the nation, Paul
Blackwelder was Chairman of the Davie County War and Price
Rationing Board in 1942 and 1943 of World War II. In 1943 he was
Chairman of the Davie County Farm Labor Advisory Board. From
1947 through 1953 he was a member of the Mocksville School Committee
and in 1950-52 was Treasurer of Mocksville school funds.
Blackwelder served as a Director of the Mocksville Savings and
Loan Association, as Director of the North Carolina Agricultural
Foundation of State College, of the North Carolina Dairy Foundation
of State College, of the North Carolina Guernsey Breeders Association,
and of the Northwest North Carolina Development Association.
Paul Blackwelder was one of the organizing group of community
leaders who gave the Mocksville Rotary Club its foundation. He
held office in the club as Sergeant at Arms, as Vice President, and
served with distinction as President of the club for the 1952-53 year.
54
JULY -DECEMBER, 1952
Among the objectives for the Mocksville Rotary Club envisioned by
President Paul was the reactivation of the Girl Scout program in the
county. He felt that the splendid work of the club in sponsoring the Boy
Scout program should be matched by similar work on behalf of the girls.
This objective was accepted by the club and was accomplished.
W eekly meetinngs were well attended, and the programs were of
high caliber. In July Bill W oestendiek of the Winston-Salem Journal
staff gave an excellent account of the korean war. A talk by Rev. C. B.
Howard on "Consecrated Manhood" was appreciated. In August
Graham Madison brought an informative program on the American Red
Cross.
Speakers at the Rotary luncheons in September included Rev.
Joseph S. Hiatt, noted for his gift of humor. The District Governor,
E.W. Freeze, Jr. , of Randleman was presented during the month.
W. D. Halfacre, banker of North Wilkesboro, was introduced by
Prentice Campbell, and later Zeb Strawn, Charlotte banker, introduced
by Knox Johnstone, talked on banking and agriculture.
"Symbols of Unity" was the topic discussed by Sanford Martin,
editor of the Winston-Salem Journal October 6, and Armand Daniel
told of his travels in Europe October 20. New members received October
27 were O. k. Pope, Wayne Eaton, Dr. H.S. Anderson, G.A. Tucker,
Paul Richards, and W. Q. Grigg, who talked on the use of language.
Events of November which involved Rotarians and future
Rotarians included the opening of the law offices of George W . Martin,
the launching of the Rotary -sponsored tree -planting program by Cecil
Morris, the election of Past President Clyde Young as Vice President
of the Southern Veterinarians Medical Association, and the election of
Past -President Curtis Price as President of the North Carolina
Education Association, Northwest District.
One hundred members and guests were present for the annual
Farmers Night program of the Mocksville Rotary Club in December,
andW.R. Smith, Jr., ofWinston-Salem, past District Governor,
brought the club a program on "Polishing a Rotarian." Bryan Sell
and D. F. Stilwell received Boy Scouts of America trophies, and
George Martin was endorsed for a Rotary Foundation Fellowship. He
spoke at the mid-December meeting on "Frontiers of Service."
55
JANUARY -JUNE, 1953
Rotarians in Mocksville had every reason to look back on
their achievements during the year 1952 with satisfaction.
Mocksville was snaking progress. The new recreation program was
a step forward. The town administration was in good hands, streets
were being paved, and new business was knocking at the door. The
coming year was to be filled with even greater endeavor.
Dr. David E. Faust, head of the history and religion departments
at Catawba College talked on January 6 about the Korean war. He
could see no easy or immediate solution to the conflict, and he
reminded his audience that "this nation stands alone in the type of
freedom it possesses. "
The next week with Rufus B. Sanford, Sr. as moderator the club
debated the need and the timeliness of a campaign for a county hospital.
A $60, 000 bond issue had been proposed by the Board of County
Commissioners on January 5. Speakers included Robert S. McNeill,
B.C. Brock, E. Cecil Morris, and Dr. W illaim M. Long. Special
guests included S.H. Chaffin, Clerk of the Superior Court, and
representatives of the Pino Grange, all of whom entered into the
discussion.
On January 22 the local paper told of William C. "Bill" Daniel's
selection for the Distinguished Service Award of the Junior Chamber
of Commerce as Mocksville's Young Man of the Year. It also
reported that District Governor E.W . Freeze would preside at the
281st District meeting of Rotarians at Sedgefield Inn March 1 and 2.
"The Freedom of the Press" was the topic discussed by Reed
Sarratt, editorial director of the Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel.
On February 5 it was announced that George W. Martin had been
named one of 95 students from 30 countries to receive a Rotary
Foundation Fellowship for study abroad in 1953-54. He was to snake
a choice between Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh universities.
56
Officers elected by the club for installation in July were as follows;
Graham R. Madison, President; George H. C. Shutt, 1st Vice -President;
Don Headon, 2nd Vice -President; Rufus B. Sanford, Jr., Secretary -
Treasurer; Directors, Stacey B. Hall and W. J. Bryan Sell.
On Febraury 17 kiln Sheek, Jr. spoke on "Language and Communication"
at the club meeting.
At this time Knox Johnstone had been named county Defense Bond
Chairman, Henry Sprinkle was named editor of World Outlook in New
York, and Quality Garment Co. began operations in Mocksville, Wayne
Eaton headed the Red Cross Drive.
At the meeting of the 281st District, George Martin was featured
along with Eddie Rickenbacker, Lieutenant Governor Luther Hodges,
and Past District Governor E. A. Resch. Attending the meeting at
Sedgefield March 1 and 2 were President Paul Blackwelder, Graham
Madison, Mr. and Mrs. Phil Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. E. Cecil Morris,
and Mr. and Mrs. John E. Durham. (The new Studebaker was
acclaimed as car of the year.)
At the March 17th meeting of the club Rev. Archie Ellis gave five
reasons for the fall of Rome: increasing divorce, high taxes, pleasure
craze, heavy armaments against outside foes and low defenses against
inner enemies, and the decay of religion.
On March 24 the club was entertained by theMocksville High
School Chorus with St. Patrick's Day numbers. Members of the
chorus and other 19 -year olds were subject to draft into military
service in that year.
Gene Trivette, an attorney from North Wilkesboro, was introduced
to the club by O. k. Pope on March 31, and spoke on the value of
community clubs to civic life.
At this time Mayor John E. Durham and his entire board, R. B.
Sanford, Jr., M. H. Murray, J. C. Little, L. S. Bowden, and T. J.
Caudell filed for reelection, announcing plans for further street paving.
The next week it was clear that they would be unopposed. A few weeks
later they were reelected.
57
On April 14 Rotarians were shown the Mocksville made movie
which had created much interest when it made the government
circuit hi Washington, "The Campbells Visit the Co-op, " a study
of a rural electric cooperative.
The April 23 Enterprise reported the visit of President
Eisenhower to Mocksville, the opening of the Ark Motel, and the
Rotary viewing of the film, "The American Cowboy."
The high school choir of the Davie County Training School
was introduced by M.H. Murray and presented a program of songs
at the meeting of the club on April 28. The next week, in keeping
with the intent of the club to give the girls an equal break with the
boys in their support of youth activities, Miss Carmen Greene was
heard giving her essay on "Building World Peace, Prospects and
Achievements of the United Nations."
On May 13 Bland Worley, executive vice-president of the
W achovia Bank in High Point spoke to the club on "The U.S. Savings
Bond. "
State Senator B. C. Brock was the guest speaker May 26, giving
an outline of the activities of the State legislature.
After seeing a film June 2 on vacation spots in North Carolina,
the club was ready to hear Highway Commissioner James A. Gray of
Winston-Salem and a group of highway engineers talk and answer
questions about North Carolina's program of highway development.
On June 16 Dr. E.R. Beaty, Professor of Latin at Davidson
College, gave a memorable address on "The Need for Dis-Delusionment."
Dave Rankin introduced Mrs. Edwin Boger to tell the club 'What
the 4-H Club Has Done for Me, " on June 23.
At the last meeting of the club year on June 30 Marine Corps
Captain Raleigh N. Newsome outlined the requirements of current
selective service laws and stressed the need for volunteers in the
Marine Corps.
iff
Graham R. Madison, President, 1953-54
Graham R. Madison, member of a family widely and favorably
known in Iredell and neighboring counties, for their contributions to
education, religious leadership, and community development, was born
August 4, 1904, in the famous Union Grove community, Educated in the
schools of his native place, and earning his A. B. at High Point College
and his M.A. at Duke University, young Graham came to Mocksville as
a member of the high school faculty. He married a Mocksville girl,
Miss Gertrude Hendricks, on August 14, 1934. He served as principal
of the Mocksville High School for a good many years, then was elected
Vice -President of the Mocksville Savings and Loan Association, which
he managed with fidelity and foresight in its period of growth and
increasing service during the sixties.
A well read and much travelled man, deeply interested in youth,
civic affairs, and the cultural and religious life of the community,
Graham Madison's capacity for leadership was recognized early in
his career. He joined the Rotary Club in 1947. He served as a
member of the Davie County Board of Education and its chairman.
He became chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Davie County
Hospital. A member of the Board of Deacons of the First Baptist
Church of Mocksville, he found expression of his talent for music in
the choir, and excelled in the enjoyment of church suppers and
athletic events. A life-long lover of sports, Graham could always
be counted upon as a promoter of recreation for youth. When he
graduated from his Savings and Loan career and began selling real
estate, he promptly reduced his golf handicap by several points.
Graham's administration as Rotary President must be rated
among the best in the history of the club to date. He was alert,
original, energetic, well grounded in Rotary principles, and a
worthy exemplar of the Rotary spirit.
M'7
JULY -DECEMBER, 1953
On July 7, 1953 President Paul turned over the gavel to
Graham Madison. President Blackwelder summed up the year's
progress, calling attention to (1) sponsorship of the B. S. A. troop;
(2) the Youth Center; (3) Junior Rotarians attending each meeting;
(4) the annual Farmers' Night banquet; (5) the Christmas party for
families; and (6) fellowship at regular meetings. President Madison
outlined several goals for the new year: (1) improved attendance,
(2) continued stress on fellowship, (3) improvement of Rotary manners,
(4) continued emphasis on youth programs.
Rufus Sanford, Jr. succeeded Dave Rankin, who had served for
three years as Secretary -Treasurer of the club.
An address on "Service above Self" by Rev. Wendell Davis,
pastor of Western Avenue Baptist Church, featured the meeting of
the club on July 14. The next week George Shutt moderated a panel
playing "What's My Line?" They were challenged to identify members
of the club by questions about classifications.
The announcement of the Korean truce came in July, and on
July 28 the Mocksville club celebrated. A talk by State Highway
Patrolman T. J. Badgett stressed safety and the new, emphasis to that
end by the patrol.
Along with the announcement that plans were presented for the
new County Office Building, Rotarians heard on August 11 a program
of vocal selections by Mrs. Sue Short, Bob Allred, and Frank Tucker.
The annual picnic drew approximately 9000 people on August 13,
and the Town bought a new garbage truck in the same month. On
September 1 the club was host to the District Governor, Carlyle
Rutledge, and on September 4 George Martin, the Rotary scholar of
the year, sailed for England.
The September 10, 1953 Mocksville Enterprise editorial on "How
Long Do You Want to Live?" drew upon an article in the Rotary
Magazine for some wise advice about life and living, with questions
like these: Do you paw ground waiting? Do you have a moonlighting
job? Do you put on brakes when not driving? Are you an indispensable
man? Do you run for the bus after eating? Do you blow your top?
M
Do you play tennis like when you had hair? Do you manage with just
a few hours of sleep? Do you crowd a month of riotous celebration in
a two -weeks vacation? Is your home like a convention, telephones
ringing, radios loud? Do you eat what and where you like? 'If your
answer is note all these questions, " the editorial opined, "you do not
belong to this generation."
Some Rotarians may remember that it was in September of 1953
that Claude Horn, later to be president of the club and the one who
ordered the writing of this history, won the tennis tournament which
made him young men's champion of the year.
In keeping with a continuing interest in agriculture, the teacher
of that subject in Farmington, J. E. Sherrill, spoke to the club
September 15 on "Vocational Agriculture. "
On September 22 an interesting program was given by eighth
grade teachers in Mocksville and Cooleemee, Bill Price and Jim
Wall. They described courses of instruction stressing the history
and resources of Davie County.
John Tabor Brock, having returned from 15 months of service
with the armed forces in Germany, gave the club members the
benefit of his observations and impressions. The following week,
on October 20, Armand Daniel reported on his recent tour of
Europe and gave his estimate of the Communist threat.
The issue of the local paper for October 22 told of the J. C.
Sanford rites and the story of the Sanford family which gave the
Rotary club several members, including two charter members of
the Mocksville unit. In the following week's issue a story about
Lester Martin, Jr., told of his election as President of the Student
Bar Association at Wake Forest and his selection for a listing in
Who's Who among Students in America. It included also a letter from
George Martin at Cambridge University. The election of Curtis
Price to head the Davie County District of Boy Scouts of America
at this time was another recognition of Rotary concern for youth.
On October 27 officials from Yadkinville's Lula Conrad Hoots
Hospital discussed at the Rotary meeting the problems of a hospital
in a rural town. They estimated costs at that time of $15 a day per
bed. They thought Davie County would need a hospital of 60 beds.
61
At the first meeting in November a plan was proposed by
E. C. Morris for planting trees along the main thoroughfares of
the town. They would be selected for their ornamental value ---
dogwoods, crepe myrtles, and the like. Cecil Morris, Nick
Mando, and Dave Rankin were appointed as a committee to work
out details of the plan and make recommendations for action. On
November 10 the club approved the committee's report, and 200
crepe myrtle trees were ordered.
Highway safety, "the most serious problem in America today, "
was the theme of a talk by Edward Schiedt, Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles, on November 17. Law enforcement, education, and public
opinion were suggested as key factors in keeping fatalities down.
(Lowering the speed limit was not considered.) About this time Dr.
Clyde W. Young was being congratulated upon his election as President
of the Southern Veterinary Medical Association.
"The Grange and Its Work" was discussed by James E. Essic,
Master of Puno Grange, which had won first place in a state-wide
competition. Rotary cooperation in obtaining toll-free telephone
service between Mocksville and the Yadkin Valley Telephone
Membership Cooperative was sought.
Members of the club who had worked for a hospital in Davie
County were pleased when the county voted 1532 to 74 in favor of
the bond issue.
The annual Farmers' Night banquet was an evening of fun with a
turkey dinner and entertainment by Panhandle Pete, a one man band
and show.
Rotarians noted the progress toward the new county office
building, for which bids were being received.
Gordon Tomlinson was busy putting out the largest issue of the
Mocksville Enterprise up to that time, some 28 pages. Rotarians
had played a significant role in the achievements of the community
in 1953, especially the movement for the county hospital, and in
preparing the climate for the desegregation of the public schools,
an issue which promised to take a lot of attention in succeeding
months.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1954
The county hospital and a proposed health center to be built near
the hospital site were formost in the minds of Rotarians and other
forward looking citizens as the new year began. The recently appointed
board of trustees of the Davie County Hospital elected Kim Sheek as
chairman and Dr. Lester Martin as vice-chairman.
On the first Tuesday of theyear Rotarians heard Walter Friedenburg,
staff newsman from the Winston-Salem Journal -Sentinel tell of the
problems facing Japan. He had served as a press officer in Tokyo for
two years.
Davie County's new hospital and health center program, due in
no small measure to the leadership and support of Rotarians, did not
prevent Dr. W .M. Long's becoming Chief of Staff of the Rowan County
Memorial Hospital. The board of the Davie hospital, with Kim Sheek
and Dr. L. P. Martin as chairman and vice-chairman and President
Graham Madison and Cecil Morris as members were busy visiting
hospitals and meeting with architects. They had to secure rights
of way for streets into hospital site and make all arrangements for
the building.
On February 2 the Rotary Club elected the following officers for
the 1954-55 year beginning in July: President, George H. C. Shutt;
1st Vice -President Don Headen; 2nd Vice -President, D. J. Mando;
Secretary -Treasurer, Rufus Sanford, Jr.; Board of Directors, Charles
Farthing and Grady Ward.
Archie Davis of Winston-Salem outlined the objectives of the
Northwestern N.C. Development Association at the next meeting of
the club. Mr. Davis, president of the association, was introduced by
Knox Johnstone, one of the promoters of the organization.
As the County Commissioners were approving the Health Center
project, which the Rotary Club supported, Gordon Tomlinson was
fighting the telephone toll charges between Mocksville and Yadkinville,
which the club opposed. A letter from J. S. Selby, District Chairman
and representative of Rotary International in England, was received
assuring the club that George Martin, the Rotary scholar at Cambridge
was behaving himself and making no enemies in Britain. The club
appreciated the tribute from England and heard with interest a program
63
of musical selections by the Mocksville High School Glee Club.
It was reported that 500 crepe myrtle trees were distributed
to property owners who had agreed to plant them for the future
beautification of the town.
The funeral services for Robert S. McNeill, one of the charter
members and moving spirits of the club, brought expressions of
great loss and appreciation from club members.
On March 2 Miss Nancy Cheshire, winner of the county -wide
American Legion oratorical contest, presented her prize oration,
"Constitution in a Changing World, " at the meeting of the club.
The moving picture, "The Co -Op Way, " was shown by Joe
Patner and J. C. Jones of the Davie Electric Membership Corpo-
ration on March 9.
Another oratorical winner, Miss Geraldine York, spoke to the
club on "World Peace" at the next meeting.
On April 13 the members of the club toured the Monleigh Garment
Company's plant, guided by Mr, and iVirs. Chester A. Blackwelder.
The step-by-step process of producing pajamas, ladies' blouses,
etc., was explained and observed.
The next week the "get acquainted" program of visiting local
enterprises was continued by a field trip to the Mocksville Flour
Mills and its modern feed laboratory started in 1951 by Rotarian
M.H. Murray.
An organization for attracting industry to the county was
endorsed April 27 after Cecil Morris, chairman of the local
industrial commission outlined its purposes. At this meeting
Knox Johnstone presented the program of the Northwestern North
Carolina Development Association.
The first May meeting of the Rotary Club was the occasion for
learning how a newspaper is produced. The process was described
by Pat Kelly, public relations director for the Winston-Sahn Journal
and Sentinel.
When the Supreme Court handed down its decision about the
desegregation of the public schools, Davie County, where 600 of its
3300 students were black, had already begun the process of school
consolidation, thanks to the leadership of far-seeing officials and
the local moulders of public opinion.
A program featuring James McKenzie, Salisbury post -master,
informed Rotarians about the postal service and the breakdown of
the postal dollar. A visit to the B & F Manufacturing Company plant
gave insight into the workings of a modern shirt factory.
George Martin's return from England and the recommendation
of the local bar association that Robert McNeill's portrait be
placed with fitting ceremonies in the court house were matters of
interest to Rotarians.
The services of Grady Ward, chairman, and Dr. Clyde Young,
secretary -treasurer of the Recreation Club, were praised at the
June 15 meeting. O.K. Pope, Wayne Eaton, and Leslie Daniel
were named to that board. Dr. Young retired from it.
On June 22 Rev. Ed Avett, a club favorite, gave a talk on
"The Spirit of Rotary." The following week a report on the Boys'
State was given by two young representatives who had attended
the event, and Graham Madison brought his administration to a
close by turning over the gavel to George Shutt, the president-
elect.
65
George Henry C. Shutt, 1954-55
The seventh Charter Member to assume the presidency of the
Mocksville Rotary Club was George Henry C. Shutt, a native of
Advance, the delightful community which has furnished so many wise
and able leaders for Davie County. George was born October 31,
1901, and grew up playing baseball and basketball in the community
and neighboring towns. He attended Rutherford, Catawba, and
Guilford Colleges and spent ten years of youth in "trying to make it
in professional baseball, " as he put it, "so my next choice was
politics." All his adult life was devoted to public service.
Shutt began his political career as Secretary of the Davie County
Democratic Executive Committee, a position he held for twenty
years. He served on the local school board in Advance for 14 years,
in the days the local committee had full responsibility for the schools.
He was elected to the Davie County Board of Education and was a
leading spirit in that Board for 24 years (the longest term of service
that had been recorded in that Board). He was part of the great
advancement in education and the era of consolidation and integration
in the schools.
In 1940 Shutt was elected Register of Deeds for Davie County, the
only Democrat to serve in that office for forty years. He was chosen
Town Clerk of Mocksville in 1960 and filled that exacting position
until his retirement in 1974. As the one full time executive in the
Town Office for so many years the Town Clerk exerted perhaps more
influence than enybody else upon the development of the community
and the course of civic affairs. He was accountant, auditor, Tax
supervisor, and general factotum. It was George Shutt's careful
management of the town's financial matters which in no small measure
paved the way for the building of a handsome new Town Hall by the
next administration.
Much of George Shutt's success in business --he was a merchant
for several years after moving to Mocksville in 1947 --and in
politics was due to his wife, a talented and gracious lady, the
daughter of a minister, whom he married on June 14, 1929, the
former Virginia C. Poe. Their children, Henry and Terry (Mrs.
Charles Dunn), were an added source of inspiration.
ME
One of the many services to the community rendered by George
Shutt was his management of the construction of the handsome and
well-appointed Davie County Library in Mocksville. A member of
the County Library Board for more than twelve years, Shutt was on
the committee when the hospital was erected.
A born politician, George Shutt was the trusted helper and
adviser of friends like Senator Everett Jordan and other Democratic
leaders in the State, while at the same time he kept the respect and
goodwill of the Republican majority in his native County.
Among his numerous interests, concern for recreational
facilities and opportunities for young people ranked high. When
he played basketball, the game was mostly out-of-doors in Davie
County. George could recall the skinned knees he got at Cooleemee
and elsewhere on the gravel and cinder courts of his boyhood. As
am ember of the Board of Education, he tried to see that facilities
were provided for sports and other special needs of youth. He took
pride in seeing that all the schools in the Davie County system had
either a gymnasium or a multipurpose center. Shutt was active
in the support and implementation of the Rotary Club's sponsorship
of the Boy Scout program and Little League baseball.
After retiring from office, Shutt continued to serve as treasurer
of the Davie County Hospital Auxiliary and in many ways as senior
counselor and adviser to his party and the educational establishment.
Rotary afforded numerous outlets for George Shutt's interest
in youth, recreational programs, and community service of various
kinds, and a field for the exercise of his organizing ability. Even
in retirement, classified as "senior active, " he kept up his attendance
and participation. As a president of the club, he is remembered
for his skill in organization, persistence in seeing things through
fairness, diplomatic manner, and genuineness of purpose. He got
things done.
67
JUNE -DECEMBER, 1954
It may be interesting to note that as George Shutt began
his term as President of the Mocksville Rotary Club in July,
1954, Mocksville became a first class post office and a site
was chosen for the new consolidated Davie County High School.
These developments might have taken place without the efforts
of a Rotary Club; but the concern and the activities or
Rotarians who played a part in these forward steps were
stimulated by their fellowship and study in a live civic club.
President George set about his new job by naming the
following committees: Attendance, Phil Johnson and Paul
Mason, Classification, Prentice Campbell, Kim Sheek, John
Durham; Club Bulletin, Dave Stilwell, Clyde Young, Paul
Blackwelder; Fellowship Paul Blackwelder, Clarence Hartman,
Cecil Little; Magazine, Lester Martin; Membership, George
Rowland, Gene Junker, Leslie Daniel; Program, Curtis
Price; Public Information, Gordon Tomlinson; Rotary
Information, Dave Rankin; Sergeant at Arms, Wayne Eaton;
Sick Committee, Quay Grigg, Ed Avett; Boys and Girls Work,
Jack Pennington, George Martin; Community Safety, Alex
Tucker, Cecil Little, John Durham; Crippled Children,
Henry Anderson, Gordon Tomlinson, Stacy Hall; Rural -Urban,
J. C. Jones, Leo Williams, Jeff Caudell; Scholarship Awards
and Student Loans, Dave Stilwell, Jeff Caudell; Student
Guests, Paul Blackwelder, Graham Madison; Youth, Paul
Richards, Clarence Hartman,. Jason Branch; Boy Scouts,
Charles Farthing, Chester Blackwelder, Ted Junker, Cecil
Little, Bryan Sell; Golden Anniversary, Dave Rankin;
Buyer -Seller Relations, 0. K. Pope, Ted Junker, Stacy Hall;
Competitor Relations, Gaither Sanford, Jeff Caudell;
Employer -Employee Relations, Harry Murray, Jason Branch;
Four Way Test, John Davis, Kim Sheek, Jim Thompson;
Trade Associations, Chester Blackwelder, Rufus Sanford, Sr.,
Bryan Sell; International Contacts, George Martin, Graham
Madison; International Information, Lester Martin, R.B.
Sanford; International Student Projects, Cecil Morris, Jim
Thompson, H. C. Sprinkle.
The July 13 meeting of the club provided a study of the Veterans
Administration and its volunteer services. M.R. Brownlee of Veterans
Hospital, Salisbury, spoke and invited the club to pay a visit to the
Hospital.
George Martin reported on his year in England and gave his im-
pressions of the political situation there on July 20.
The next week the club visited the Veterans Hospital in Salisbury,
taking a picnic lunch and having fellowship with a group of patients.
On August 3 two participants in the Girls State, Doris Jones and
Ann Kurfees, described what happened there for the benefit of Rotarians.
President George took occasion to commend the preceding week's
program as one of the best. About this time Prentice Campbell re-
ceived appointment as building and loan auditor and had to be away
from town so much that he gave up his club membership.
Plans were being approved for the hospital and health care center
as Quay Grigg discussed "Attitude toward Change, " Rotarians saw a
petroleum film, "The Magic Barrel, " and Bunn S. Hackney told them
about his experiences training football officials in Europe for the army
where 94 teams played in 8 leagues, during August.
September 1954 was a busy month at Rotary and for Mocksville
Rotarians. Kim Sheek brought the Southern Regional Office of his
firm to Mocksville, George Martin got engaged, hospital bids were
received, and the Lynn Haven nursing home was enlarged. Rotary
programs included a talk by the superintendent of Jackson Training
School, J. Frank Scotty, on the rehabilitation of youthful offenders,
and a report by Max Weeks, radioman from High Point, of his
experiences with the World Peace Board of the Methodist Church in
conferences with the State Department and the United Nations. On
September 21 the Tanglewood Park program was described for the
club by T.G. Gidley, recreation director.
The serious water shortage in Mocksville was a concern in
October as Bear Creek dried up, and Clyde Young was installed as
president of the Southern Veterinary Medical Association. During the
month the Rotary club heard George E. Wood, vice-president of the
Wachovia Bank in Winston-Salem, on the function of banks and trust
LM
companies. Rotary District Governor John M. Hough came to plan
the Golden Anniversary program. Dr. Douglas Rights, authority on
Indian lore and author of "The American Indian" showed the club
his collection of Indian relics and spoke on the history of the tribes
in the Davie area.
November brought the election of Peter Hairston to the State
House of Representatives, the hospital ground breaking, and the
change of the agriculture building on Court Square to law offices.
At Rotary Jack Pennington told the inside story of the Pentagon
building in Washington, where he had been assigned to duty for a
term. Peter Hairston shared with the club results of his study of
Davie County history. Roy Collette was inducted into membership.
Dr. W. K. McGee of the Baptist Hospital, Winston Salem, told of
the pastoral care services of that institution.
Events of December included the opening of the new County
Office Building next to the Court House, the moving of the Town
Office to the Martin building on Court Square, the awarding of the
Silver Beaver to Grady Ward, and the naming of Knox Johnston
as head of the Northwestern N. C. Development Association. Gordon
Tomlinson and E. C. Tatum were named to the board of that body.
The Rotary club heard a Turkish newsman, former attache' to the
Turkish embassy in London, tell of developments in his country.
Mental health was the topic discussed by Roger Decker at another
session. Decker was at that time a graduate student in psychology.
The annual Farmers' Night .banquet brought Dr. J.W. Pou, head
of the Animal Husbandry Department at North Carolina State College,
with a practical and informative address.
A year of progress for Davie County and achievement for the club
and its members came to a close with a Christmas party for Rotar-
ians and Rotary-annes.
JANUARY -JUNE, 1955
On January 4, 1955 the Rotary Club of Mocksville had as a
speaker the only weekly newspaper editor to win a Pulitzer Prize
up to that time. He was Willard G. Cole of W hiteville, whose
critical articles on the Ku Klux Klan had won national attention.
iL
Officers for the 1955-56 year beginning in July were elected January
11 as follows: Don Headon, President; Nick Mando, 1st Vice -President;
Phil Johnson, 2nd Vice -President; George Martin, Secretary -Treasurer.
At that time the Jaycees named Ramey Kemp winner of the Distinguished
Service Award, and there was a story about Leo Williams' dog, which he
traded to a friend for five dollars, if the animal proved to be any good.
The friend was about to sell the animal for $15 when Leo had an inquiry
from somebody else who wanted to buy a dog. Leo tried to get his dog
back, but all he could get was the promise of his $5 if the trade went through.
February programs at the Rotary Hut on Tuesdays included a film;
"Highway by the Sea. " Nick Mando and Jason Branch were named
delegates to the District Conference. Sheek Bowden was inducted into
the club on that occasion. Another program brough Marshall Pickens,
head of the hospital division of Duke Endowment, who spoke about aid
for hospitals.
On February 22 the Mocksville Club celebrated the Golden Anniversary
of Rotary International in a program featuring the Rev. W.R. "Shorty"
Smith, past District Governor and an evening banquet.
The progress of the town and its environs is reflected in the news of the
Day. For example, the M ocksville Building and Loan Association, start-
ing from scratch in 1922 had accumulated assets of $972, 868.92 by Feb-
ruary 3, 1955. Cecil Morris and other Rotarians who had labored to bring
this about regarded this as achievement for a community building operation.
Oren Heffner's new store building on North Main Street was nearing com-
pletion after some six years on Court Square. It was opened February 22.
In a March meeting Curtis Price, superintendent of schools, told an
amazing story of progress on the educational front. Sheriff Ben Y. Boyles
was inducted into Rotary at this meeting.
The Ground Observers Corps and its place in national defense was dis-
cussed March 22 by Lt. Harrington of the Air Force.
In March Peter Hairston was appointed on the Joint Appropriations
Committee of the State Legislature. Grady Ward was reappointed for four
years to the County Board of Education, a board on which President George
was serving as well. Mayor John Durham and Commissioners M.H.
Murray, R.B. Sanford, Jr., T.J. Caudell, J.C. Little, and L.S. Bowden,
were filing for reelection to town offices. And Curtis Price was reelected
Superintendent of Schools for the 11th year. Other Rotarians were be-
having themselves, avoiding reprehensible misconduct, and carrying on the
affairs of the community.
71
Programs at meetings during the March -April period in-
cluded a talk by Edwin P. Holmes, author of "Disadvantages of
Being a Preacher's Son, " and other poems and articles, who
gave selections from his collection of 15, 000 epitaphs. Again,
Mrs. Homer Latham told the club of her impressions after a
tour of the United Nations. At another meeting W. L. Thorpe
enlightened the group about investments in stocks and bonds.
On May 3, 1955 one of the few Honorary Members of the club,
Rev. H. C. Sprinkle, died at the age of 87.
Major John Durham and his slate of commissioners were re-
elected, Durham for his fourth term and T. J. Caudell for his fifth.
Two of the best programs of the spring were Dr. W. Kenneth
Goodson's talk on the influence of Rotary and a talk on causes and
prevention of poisoning children with various household chemicals
and medicines by James M ichener, pharmacist at Cabarrus County
Hospital.
An appointment which was to have considerable influence on the
life of the club and the community was the naming of Cecil Morris
as chairman of the Davie chapter of the National Federation of
Independent Business.
An interesting and helpful program was given June 28, when
Chief James Waller of the Winston-Salem police department dis-
cussed law enforcement. It was announced that $38, 300 had been
subscribed for the Mocksville Industrial Company.
When Don Headen received the gavel from President George on
July 5, Kim Sheek reviewed the ten years of history of the local
club --the period covered by this story thus far. Of the 29 charter
members with whom the club started 12 had been lost through death
or moves. He spoke of the trials of the early years: "We had no
place to meet, no one to feed us except volunteers who would pre-
pare the meals in their homes. " He attributed the survival and
success of the club to good programs, good meals, and good pub-
licity. He was too modest to mention the indispensable ingredient --
good men.
72
PRESIDENTS OF THE MOCKSVILLE
ROTARY CLUB 1955 - 80
DON HEADON, 1955-56
The President and General Manager of Hanes Furniture
Company, Don Headon, had been elected Second -Vice -President
of the Mocksville Rotary Club on February 5, 1953, First -Vice -
President on February 4, 1954, and succeeded George Shutt as
President in June, 1955.
DOMINIC J. MANDO, 1956-57
"Nick"Mando, now one of the very rare Honorary Life Members
of the Mocksville Rotary Club, came to Mocksville as a young ed-
ucator and coach. A graduate of Lenoir -Rhyne College, an outstanding
athlete, and a brilliant teacher and idol of young people he soon be-
came a community leader. Nick was partner and General Manager of
the Sanford-Mando Company, a profitable plumbing and heating business,
1948-67, served for two years on the Mocksville Town Board, and for
fourteen years as Mayor of Mocksville. Later he was called back into
service as an administrator in the school system of the county. He was
the Jaycee's Man of the Year and the first to receive their distinguished
service award in 1949. He is a past president of that organization. Nick
was born January 13, 1917 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was married July
2, 1941 to Ethel Ledford of Rural Hall, N.C. He is an elder in the
Presbyterian Church, a Mason, and has served on a great number of
community committees. His hobbies are golf, athletics, and yard work
within limits. He is a firm believer in "Service above Self, " and the
Mocksville Roatry Club owes much to his leadership through the years.
PHILIP JEFFERSON JOHNSON, 1957-58
Phil Johnson was born in Lenoir, N. C. December 31, 1889, and
died in Mocksville May 30, 1965. He served as an organizer and Charter
Member of the Mocksville Rotary Club and was its President 1957-58.
A graduate of Trinity College (Duke University) of the Class of 1910, he
was awarded the M.A. degree by the same institution in 1911, and he did
another year of graduate study at the University of Pittsburgh. He was
married October 11, 1916 to Marie Allison of Mocksville and was the
leading grocery merchant in town for 37 years. A strong Methodist, he
73
was Superintendent of the Sunday School for 15 years. In 1930 he
helped organize the first Lions Club and served as its secretary.
Interested in all civic matters, scouting, education, school bands,
he was well read and was a lifelong student of history. President
Phil attended the Rotary International Convention in Texas and
was awarded a Certificate of Merit and a diamond studded pin in
recognition of his services to Rotary. He held the record for the
Club of fifteen years of perfect attendance.
GRADY NASH WARD 1958-59
Grady Nash Ward was born February 27, 1898, in Farmington,
N. C., where he received his early education. He attended Brevard
Institute, now Brevard College, Brevard, N. C. As a youth he
played baseball with the Kannapolis team.
At the outbreak of the war in 1916, Grady was recruited by
Captain (Dr. ) Reid R. Morrison of Mooresville and joined the army.
He received training at Camp Sevier and was assigned to Battery F
119th Field Artillery with Col. A. 0. Cox in command and Maj. L. P.
McLendon as executive officer. This unit sailed for England May
201 1918. They were sent to the front in France by way of Liverpool,
Winchester, London, Paris and Camp de Coetquidan. They received
battle training at the last named location from June 16 to August 22,
1918.
By August 26 the 119th was engaged in the defense of the Tout
sector and remained in continuous action through September 14.
From September 15 to 22, 1918 they fought their way through rough
country to the Argonne by way of the St. Mihiel bastion. On September
23 they were engaged in the battle of the Bois de Beaulieu. They were
at the front in the Argonne when the Armistice was signed November
11. Young Grady, who had been promoted to corporal and had special
duty in communications, had survived action in the Bois des Esnes,
Monfaucon, Woever, and St. Hilaire, and was intact except for a wounded
foot. At a field hospital near the front as the war was nearing its end,
Grady was surprised one day to run into Kim Sheek, who had also been
wounded. From December 6 to 22, 1918, he was part of the command
occupying Germany, returning to France by way of Luxembourg where
he was stationed for a while. On March 7, 1919, he boarded ship for
home and was demobilized at Columbia, South Carolina, March 25-31,
1919.
74
Back at home in Davie County, and engaged in the oil business,
Grady was married in 1921 to Miss Edna Kurfees. Of their three
children Grady Nash, Jr., died in infancy, Mary Neil (later Mrs. White)
of Charlotte, and Jack K. of Durham, grew up in Mocksville. The
Wards in 1977 have three grandchildren.
From 1919 to 1971 Grady N. Ward dealt in oil and was for many
years manager of the Pure Oil Company's area office in Mocksville,
distributing oil products. After selling this businessin 1971, Grady
devoted his time in retirement to community service club activities,
and family responsibilities. He has found time to be an enthusiastic
golfer, a trophy winner, and a life -time honorary member of the Twin
Cedars Golf Club.
Grady Ward was a Charter Member of the Rotary Club inMocksville
and has served in almost every offical capacity in the club. Hewas
elected president of the Club in 1958 and served well in that capacity. He
was for many years actively interested in the Club's sponsorship of
scouting in the area. He served for some time as Chairman for the
Mocksville troop, Uwharrie Council, Boy Scouts of America, was
awarded the Silver Beaver in 1954, the O. & E. Award in 1960, and the
Certificate of appreciation for 35 years of membership in the Uwharrie
Council.
A long time member of the North Main Street Church of Christ in
Mocksville, Grady Ward is known as a wise and generous community
builder. At an anniversary celebration of the Mocksville B & L
Association he was honored for his 40 years as a member of the Board
of Directors. He served for years on the Davie County Board of
Education. An active member of the American Legion, he helped make
that organization effective in the social and recreational life of the
community. A baseball player in youth and a Braves fan for years,
Grady will long be remembered for the "chitlin"' dinners he supervised
and put on at the American Legion but for support of the Legion's
baseball team.
In 1977 Grady Ward is a regular attendant and active participant
in Rotary affairs, one of the best loved citizens of Mocksville.
75
EDWIN CECIL MORRIS 1959-60
The sixteenth president of the Mocksville Rotary Club was born
November 12, 1898. He was educated at Mocksville High School, Oak
Ridge Institute, and N. C. State College. He was married October 14,
1925 to Dorothy Gaither. He worked for the firm of C. C. Sanford
Sons and Co. for 25 years. He was a charter member of the Lions
Club in 1930, and fifteen years later was one of the Charter Members
who organized the Rotary Club. In the early fifties Morris organized
his own real estate and insurance business, from which he retired in
1969. He has served as Chairman of the Davie County Board of
Commissioners, Chairman of the County Welfare Committee, and
member of the Building Committee of the Davie County Hospital. An
Elder in the Presbyterian Church, he is a member of the Masonic Lodge
and has been a 32nd degree Mason for more than 50 years. He has
been a member of the Board of Directors of the Mocksville Savings and
Loan Association since 1932. He was one of those most helpful in
bringing the Central Carolina Bank to Mocksville and has served as a
member of its Board of Directors. Always interested in community
development and good government, many would describe Cecil Morris
as the first citizen of the county, and he is frequently referred to as
Mr. Republican. Integrity, loyalty, business acumen, and common
sense have marked his service to the club and to his fellowmen.
GEORGE W. ROWLAND 1960-61
The genial merchant who operated the Western Auto Store in
Mocksville for many years was a Charter Member of the Rotary Club.
He was an outstanding Club Service Chairman, served on many other
committees and was on the Board of Directors of the Club. He pioneered
in the sponsorship of foreign exchange students, and with his wife opened
their lovely home to one of the early exchange students from Denmark
to study in Mocksville High School. He was elected President of the
club in January, 1960 and was especially successful in advancing the
international concerns of the club and such local interests as those
served by the Better Business Bureau and the Merchants Association.
C. GORDAN TOMLINSON 1961-62
The distinguished editor and publisher of the Davie -County
Enterprise -Record, Mocksville`s award winning newspaper, was born
in Mocksville April 22, 1920. He studied in the local high school and
was awarded the A. B. degree by Catawba College in 1942. He was on
76
active duty during World War II with the U. S. Air Force in the China -
Burma -India theater. He became editor of the Enterprise in 1948 and
later editor and publisher of the Enterprise -Record. He was married
to Myrtle Mars June 16, 1940, and was associated with her in pub-
lishing the Yadkin Herald 1952-1961, and since 1960 the Courier of
Clemmons. He was President of the North Carolina Non -Daily Assoc-
iation 1959-60, Vice -President of the North Carolina Press Association
1960-61, and former President of the Midwestern Press Association.
He was recipient of the National Editorial ?,ward of the Freedom
Foundation in 1951.: Gordon served as President of the Mocksville
Jaycees 1951-52. He is a Mason. He was a member of the Board of
Trustees of Winston-Salem University 1959-1972. He was Chairman of
the High School Committee of Davie County 1957-1970, and is a former
member of the Board of Directors of the Northwestern North Carolina
Development Association. A varsity basketball and tennis player in
college, Gordon still wields a mean racquet and plays a good game of
golf. He has been a Rotary stalwart serving in many capacities and
was the eighteenth President of the club 1961-62.
THOMAS JEFFERSON CAUDELL 1962-63
Prominent but unobtrusive among the town fathers and one of the
builders of modern Mocksville is Thomas Jefferson Caudell, the
nineteenth president of the Rotary Club, one of the best loved and most
faithful members. One of the little group of able men who banded
together to obtain the charter of the Club, he served for the first five
years of its life in the strategic post of Secretary.
Jeff Caudell was born in the Fork community of Davie County on
March 27, 1900, where he spent his childhood. After graduation from
Cdoleemee High School, he became a bookkeeper for the Standard Oil
Company. Later he was employed in the same capacity by Hendricks
Lumber Company and Moore Lumber Company, becoming familiar
with the business which became a lifelong interest for him.
While serving the county as deputy Register of Deeds (1922-24),
Young Caudell fell in love with Miss Margaret Fisher of St. Pauls,
N.C., and they were married on January 20, 1923. To this union
were born two daughters, Eleanor (Mrs. William C. Daniel) and
Louise (Mrs. Sheek Bowden, Jr.), both of Mocksville. They have four
grandchildren.
77
The Caudell Lumber Company, of which Mr. Caudell has been
president from the beginning, was organized in 1933, and has grown
to be one of the most successful and progressive business enter-
prises in the area. Located near a convenient railroad siding, as
was most desirable in the days when carloads of lumber were shipped
by rail, Caudell Lumber Company stocks building materials of all
kinds, the chief resource for builders in the county.
Mr Caudell served on the Board of Commissioners for the
Town of Mocksville for ten years, having been elected and re-
elected as long as he could serve. He was for eighteen years a
member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Davie and, after
the merger, the Branch Banking and Trust Company until he
reached the year of retirement.
A long time member of the Masonic Lodge in Mocksville and
a Deacon in the First Baptist Church, Jeff Caudell has entered
wholeheartedly into every movement for the betterment of the
community.
Before he sold his farm a few miles south of town, Jeff had
quite a reputation among the tellers of tall tales as a horse trader.
Leo Williams likes to tell about Jeff selling one of his less depend-
able nags to an unwary purchaser only to discover that he had bought
it back some months later in what was supposed to be a big deal.
Jeff himself tells about buying a horse from a conscientious trader
who apologized that the animal "don't look too good, " but was a
strong, hard-working horse. In only a short while he took the beast
back saying, "This horse is blind. " The former owner replied, "I
told you when you bought him that he didn't look too good. "
As Secretary of the Mocksville Rotary Club for its first five
years, Jeff Caudell participated in every decision and strengthened
every administration during the formative years of the organization.
A chief source of information about the early history and the older
members of the Club, he has helped immeasurably to make the club's
reputation for service and fellowship one of the best. The story of his
year as president of the club is only a part of a fine record of a
remarkable Rotarian.
LASH GAITHER SANFORD 1963-64
Gaither Sanford, born in Mocksville May 9, 1911, was the leading
automobile dealer in town when the Rotary Club was organized. He was
married to Caroline Long of Statesville December 17, 1935. He attended
Davidson and Eastman colleges, joined the Masonic lodge, served as Deacon
in the Presbyterian church, and is a past President of the Lions Club.
Gaither was a Charter M ember of the Mocksville Rotary Club and served
as .its President 1963-64.
JOHN E. DURHAM 1964-65
John Durham must be counted among the town fathers who helped
notably to develop the resources, natural, financial, cultural, and
organizational, of the community. He served well for several terms as
Mayor of the town, and was chosen as the twenty-first President of the
Rotary Club.
W. J. BRYAN SELL 1965*66
A connoisseur and collector of antiques, a perennial furniture dealer,
an accomplished horticulturist, an inveterate participant in rallies and
travel ventures, a loyal churchman and beloved citizen, Bryan Sell has
made a major contribution to Rotary's Boy Scout program. As the twenty-
second President of the club and an active past President he has made an
enviable record of community service.
EUGENE WELLINGTON JUNKER 1966-67
Born in Mecklenburg County in 1904, A. B. Lenoir -Rhyne, M.A. ,
University of North Carolina, married to May Blackwelder of Harmony,
Gene Junker maintained a life-long interest in education. Superintendent of
Schools in Davie County, he was, when helping to organize the Mocksville
Rotary Club as a charter member, the leading insurance man in the
county. He owned and operated the Davie County Furniture and Hardware
store for several years. He was a devout Presbyterian and served as
Master of the Mocksville Masonic Lodge. He was President of the Club
1966-67 and interested in its activities until his death in 1976.
79
ROY W. COLLETTE 1967-68
Few Rotarians have been as active in the international
organization of the club, attended its conventions, and served
on its responsible committees as Roy Collette. He became
the twenty-fourth President of the local club in 1967. He is
one of the handful of local Rotarians to be honored as a Harris
Fellow.
O. K. POPE 1968-69
Born and reared in W oodleaf, N. C. , O. K. Pope was en-
gaged in the automobile business from 1930 until his retire-
ment from active duty in the late seventies. In North Wilkes-
boro he was sales manager of Gaddy Motor Company for ten
years. He came to Mocksville and was named President of
Pennington Chevrolet Co., Inc. in 1952. Active in the
Methodist Church, member of the Board of Stewards, Member
of the North Wilkesboro School Board, a Lion in earlier years,
a Pythian, member of the Junior Order, he was also a mem-
ber of the Fire Department. Soon after coming to Mocksville
he joined the Rotary Club and became the twenty-fifth
President of the club.
CHESTER A. BLACKWELDER 1969-70
Chester Blackwelder, premier textile executive in Davie
County, was born in Alexander County and received his early
schooling there. At 17 years of age he went to Statesville and
took his first job there with Dillon Vit Underwear Company.
At 19 he was foreman of the cutting department. By age 22 he
was General Superintendent of a plant with 500 employees. He
was married to Ruby Lee Adams of Statesville in 1930. Dillon
Vit moved to High Point after a fire in 1935. Soon after the move
Blackwelder resigned to become General Superintendent of a
large plant for Carolina Underwear Company of Thomasville.
In 1946 he purchased Monleigh Products Company and started a
plant in Thomasville with seven or eight employees. By 1947
there were 25 employees, and production had increased five-
fold. In 1949 Blackwelder began operating in Mocksville with
30 employees: in 1950 he had 50 employees: and in 1951 he
doubled the size of the building, employing 80 workers with a payroll
of $100, 000. In 1965 the plant was again enlarged, and by 1976 the
Blackwelder group of textile plants included Monleigh Garment Company,
Blackwelder Manufacturing Company, Carolina Sportswear Company, all
in Davie County, and Piedmont Garment Company in Iredell. Bill
Dwiggins, son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Blackwelder, is President of
Harmony Sportswear Company in Iredell County, with national sales of
more than two million dollars. The Blackwelder group of enterprises
is the achievement of unusual talents and abilities. A Baptist, a mem-
ber of Hickory Hill Golf and Country Club, Chester Blackwelder is a
dedicated Rotarian. His presidency of the club in 1969-70 and his
active service as Past -President have contributed to the advancement
of Rotary's goals and ideals.
JOHN WELDON PENNINGTON 1970-71
Jack Pennington was born in High Point, N. C. February 17, 1929,
son of the second President of the Mocksville Rotary Club, William
Miller Pennington and Mrs. Frances Poindexter Pennington. Educated
in the Mocksville schools and at the University of North Carolina,
where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration, Jack
was married December 26, 1950 to Lettie Sheek, daughter of the first
President of Mocksville Rotary. Jack served in the U. S. Army 1952-54
and spent 18 months in the Pentagon in the office of the Assistant Chief
of Staff G-2. Identified from youth with Pennington Chevrolet Company,
Inc., in which he has a business interest, Jack's Rotary classification
is automobile dealer. In fact his interests and activities from tennis
and Carolina athletics, the collecting of rare papers and antiques, to
painting and music. He sings in the Methodist choir, is a Mason, a
member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and served as President of the
Mocksville Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1960. He joined the Rotary
Club in 1951 and has served in many capacities including the presidency
of the club in 1970-71.
LEO F. WILLIAMS 1971-72
A native of Woodleaf in near -by Rowan County, Leo Williams was
born May 12, 1920. He was educated in local schools and at Clemson
University, where he took his B. S. degree in Agriculture. He was
married August 12, 1948 to Anna Lele Bauman of Asheville. He came
to Mocksville as farm agent and served as County Extension Chairman
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until his retirement in 1980. A favorite story -teller and an
indefatigable promoter of the interests of agriculture and the
farmer, Leo has served the Mocksville Rotary Club in many
capacities. He was President of the club for the 1971-72 term.
NORMAN WAYNE EATON 1972-73
The founder and co-owner of the Eaton Funeral Home in
Mocksville was born in Cana, N. C. December 12, 1927. A
graduate of Cooleemee High School and Gupton-Jones Mortuary
College, Wayne was married March 27 to Mary Marklin of
Mocksville. Active in civic affairs, he is a Mason, a Shriner,
and past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Davie County
Hospital. He was President of the Mocksville Rotary Club
1972-73. Wayne is a bird hunter and a golfer.
GEORGE WILSON MARTIN 1973-74
The Thirtieth President of the Mocksville Rotary Club was
born in Mocksville April 24, 1927. Educated at Duke University
A. B. and J. D. , at Cambridge University, Diploma in International
Law, and at Wake Forest University, where he did advanced work
in the Law School, George edited the Prolocutor year book of the Duke
Law School. He was married December 17, 1954 to Brook White of
Bay Head, N.J. A member of the American Bar Association, the North
Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina State Bar, and the North
Carolina State Bar Council, he has served as President of the 22nd
Judicial District Bar. He is attorney for the Board of Elections, was
Town Attorney for many years, Chairman of the North Mocksville
Precinct, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and the Phil
Delta Phi legal fraternity. As a young law student George was one of 93
outstanding graduate scholars from thirty countries selected as a Roatry
Fellow for study abroad. A Baptist, a Mason, and a Democrat, he heads
the legal firm, formerly Martin and Martin, now Martin and Van Hoy.
EDWARD E. GOODMAN 1974-75
The resident Manager of Duke Power Company in Mocksville,
Ed Goodman, is the embodiment of quiet efficiency and the Rotarian
philosophy of service. He was born in Durham, N.C. , on January 31,
1923, went to school at Durham High, and married a Durham girl,
Roberta. Donaho, on November 26, 1945. Since coming to Mocksville Ed
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has served as President of the Mocksville-Davie Chamber of Commerce
and is presently a member of its Board of Directors. He is Vice -
President of the Davie Council of Economic Development, a Deacon
of the First Presbyterian Church, a Past Master of the Mocksville
Masonic Lodge, and a member of the Scottish Rite --32nd degree
Shriner. He likes camping and all sports. When the record of his
term as President of the Rotary Club is written, it will tell of pro-
gress, growth, and community service in an important year of trans-
ition in America's energy crisis.
BRADY A. ANGELL 1975-76
The thirty-second President of the Mocksville Rotary Club is a
master farmer and developer of the land. Born June 24, 1905 in Davie
County, he has majored in agricultural science from early years and
has served as District Supervisor of the Grange and as a member of
the Advisory Board, School of Agriculture, North Carolina State
University. He was married to Grace McCulbugh of Mocksville
December 24, 1926. He is a Baptist, aMason, and President of the
historic Joppa Cemetery organization. Active in the Mocksville
Rotary Club since 1970, he has served on the Board of Directors,
various committees, Vice -President, and President.
B. EUGENE SEATS 1976-77
A man of many and varied interests and enterprises, Gene Seats
first saw the light of day in Farmington, N.C. , on November 28,
1925. He was married to Marietta Smith of Mocksville on November
9, 1946. His outstanding services as Administrator of the Lynn
Haven Nursing Home made him many friends and an indispansable
element in the health and welfare concerns of the community. He has
served as a member of the Mocksville Town Board for ten years and
is a Past President of the Northwest North Carolina Development
Association. A member of Masonic Lodge No. 134, of First United
Methodist Church, a sports enthusiast, he has contributed wise and
winsome leadership to the program of Rotary since he joined the club
in 1962. His administration of the club 1976-77 was a period of solid
achievement.
M
CLAUDE R. HORN, JR. 1977-78
The thirty-fourth President of Mocksville Rotary Club was born
in Mocksville November 10, 1933 and was educated in the local
schools. He earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering at
the N.C. State University. Married December 15, 1961 to Dorothy
Morris, he is a member of the First Baptist Church. A champion
tennis player in his younger days, he is a member of Phi Kappa Tau
and the honorary electrical engineering fraternity, H. K. N. He is
a member of the North Carolina Oil Jobbers Association and a North
Carolina Licensed Heating Contractor. His main business is the
Horn Oil Company. Claude spent eight years in the U.S. Naval
Reserve and was a member and Treasurer of the Mocksville Jaycees.
Claude joined the Rotary club in 1963, having been proposed for
membership by him Sheek, father of the Mocksville club. He served
for a decade as treasurer of the Mocksville Recreation Club, Inc. ,
the non-profit corporation set up by the Rotary Club mainly to own
and maintain the Rotary Hut. He has been the moving spirit in im-
proving the facilities of the club, replacing the wooden floors with
concrete, installing a noiseless heating unit in the attic in 1968,
air conditioning in 1972, enlarging parking space. Winning support
from the club members for extensive renovations was a major
achievement during the year of his presidency.
CHARLES EARL BULLOCK 1978-79
The popular pastor of First Baptist Church was the thirty-fifth
President of the Mocksville Rotary Club. Born August 8, 1932 in
Wilmington, he was married July 29, 1956 to Carrie Williams of
Whiteville, N.C. He was educated in the W illiams Township High
School, Whiteville, the North Carolina State University, B. S. 1954,
and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, M. Div. 1969. He
taught vocational agriculture in Bladenboro, N. C., High School 1954-55,
was an officer in the U.S. Army 1955-57; taught vocational agriculture
in the high school from which he had graduated for four years, was
pastor of the Pleasant Plain Baptist Church, Whiteville, 1961-64, and
of Trinity Baptist Church in the same town, 1964-68, moving from
there to Mocksville in 1968. Charles is Past President of the South
Yadkin Baptist Pastors' Conference, of the Davie County Ministerial
Association, of the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, and
of the Local Parent -teachers Association. He is Vice -Moderator of
the South Yadkin Baptist Association, member of the Mocksville
Recreation Commission, of the local Prison Advisory Council, of the
Board of Ministries of Campbell University, District Supervisor of the
Davie Soil and Water Conservation District, and Director of Northwest
North Carolina Development Association. Past President Charles
joined the Mocksville Rotary Club in 1969, and wielded the gavel 1978-79.
ROBERT BUCKNER HALL 1979-80
The thirty-sixth President of the Mocksville Rotary Club was born
in Mount Olive, N. C., October 18, 1926. He was educated in the
Mocksville schools and the University of North Carolina, where he was
awarded the B. S. degree in pharmacy. He was married to Hope
Fitchett of Dunn, N. C. on June 8, 1948. He was partner and manager
of Hall Drug Company 1949-68 and owner 1969-1976. He has served as
a member of the Davie County Board of Health and the Mocksville Town
Board. Bob is a trustee and Deacon in the Baptist Church, a member
of Phi Delta Chi, J. C. C., and Hickory Hill Golf and Country Club. He
was President of the N. C. Pharmaceutical Association 1961-62,
President of the N. C. Pharmaceutical Research Foundation 1962-68,
Member of the Consolidated Board of Trustees of the University of North
Carolina 1963-72; Board of Trustees of U.N. C. -Asheville 1972-75;
member and Vice -Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Campbell
University Board of Trustees 1976; N. C. Pharmacist of the Year 1971,
University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni
Award 1974; President of the Mocksville Rotary Club 1979-80.
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