Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1955-07-27
CAREERS
NIZ/2W
BY-W. Horace Carter

With today's issue OF The
Tribune. we begin our tenth
year of operation.
II was In July Of 1916 that
we set up one tiny desk In this
building and with q $500
typewriter and n ream OF paper
began publication of q weekly
newspaper. Those were days
that we will never forget.
The move to Tabor City and
the venture into the newspaper
business began just a few
short months after our four
years in the Navy and a last
semester at Chapel Hill. While
completing that work at the
University, we answered
classified advertisement placed
by the Tabor City Merchants
Association. $. T.. Smith was
president of the organization
at that time.
The Merchants Association
was looking for some one to
start them 4 weekly newspaper
and also looking for an execu-
tive-secretary. We answered
both ads. jumped in our old
1889 Pontiac and drove down
to talk about the positions.
Well never forget walking
into the Carolina Dept. Store
for the first time and asking
for :. p. Smith. With his usu-
al couple of hand claps and q
shrill whistle he identified
himself. That day . called
meeting Of the board at the
town hall resulted in my being
hired as executive secretary.
But not until +. w. Fonvielle
had asked bluntly II we drank
whiskey. After assuring him
that We didn't. he voted along
with the rest to give us
chance.
4 few short weeks later, we
found a printer who was will
ing to print a paper for US on
a contract basis and the first
Tabor City Tribune. a I6 page
edition appeared nine years
ago this week. Thus, today we
begin our tenth year of opera
ton.
We will never forget some Of
the advice that people gave us
before that first paper came
out. Several weeklies had been
tried in Tabor City and operat-
ed for short time. The long
est one to operate was the old
Tabor City Times. w. G. Per-
kins. OF Chadbourn, had been
the publisher Of that paper.
We visited him at his home
and told him of our plans. He
let us know in no uncertain
terms just what he thought.
NO newspaper can make a go
of it in Tabor City" he said.
They Just won't support you
and you ought 10 look for a
better town somewhere. |
As the past nine years have
rolled along. il has become evil
dent that the late Mr.. Perkins
was in error. It's our guess that
no town of similar size anv-
where has 4 more aggressive
group Of merchants and bust
nc>Smcn than does Tabor City.
That spirit of progress has
been one of the Tribuuc's
greatest assets, and by like
token. we like to think that the
newspaper has been one Of tho
merchants best assets.
IL would not be in good taste
to say we have been any startl-
ing success. II is a fact. though,
that the paper now is the big
gest and best In its history. II
carries more news. more pic
lures. more features, more adj
vertising and has more sub
scribers than at any time in
the history Of Tabor City.
II has the distinction of be-
ing the only Pulitzer Prize
winning weekly newspaper in
the United States and has won
more National honors than any
other newspaper anywhere.
Thus on our anniversary. we
offer our thanks to the people
who have made this growth
possible. And we renew our
pledge to keep The Tribune
constantly progressive, ever
conscious of the community
service that Is reckoning.
And again, we reiterate an
oft-spoken phrase commun-