Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1955-06-22
By-W. Horace Carter

itiperant as tobacco men, chang
il locations rapidly when the
mills "cut out" That was the
era when you carried the mill to
forest, not the forest to the mill
as is the practice today. That
portable situation created q my
Rad of temporary homes and a
hectic early existence for Char
les E. Palmer and makes his
career success story infre-
quently equalled.
That intincrant life of Charles
lcAberman father has closely
associated him with Columbus
and Horny counties. At an early
age, young Charles lived at
Howard, on highway FOL be-
tween Loris and Tabor City, and
today Mr.. Palmer still rememb-
erS walking the railroad tracks
to Tabor City where he attended
school in the first grade in 1925.
But lot Of mills have "cut
out" and a lot of life has been
Hived by Mr.. Palmer since that
time. and today his colorful
career Is climaxed. Today he
Is president Of the Palmer
College organization with div
isions In Columbia and Char
lesion. S. c.
Born in the small lumber
Of Virgins, S. c. a week before
Christmas 1919, young Charles
and his seven brothers and sist-
- jumped around over the
Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia
for the next 20 years. 1t was on
enc OF these jumps early in the
'20's that the Palmer family set
tied at Howard in a house own
ed by A. A. Wright, one Of Tabor
City's oldest citizens today.
Mr.. Wright was a prominent
lumberman and was working in
this area at that time.
II remember distinctly walk
Sg the railroad track from
Howard to Tabor City that whit
er Of 1925 to grade school," Mr..
Palmer says today 81 am posi-
tive that a number of my broth
ers and sisters also went to
school in Tabor City"
~ remember we'll the large
pecan orchard which was on the
property at Howard" Palmer
reminiSces.
Charles was the son OF Will
~iiam David Palmer and Theo-
dosia Marlborough Palmer. The
Palmer family lived around
Georgetown for many years.
The Marlborough family made
It's home in the Kingstree
area. Mrs. l. +. Spivey, form
erly Miss Dora Marlborough.
Is a sister of Charles mother
and Mrs. Spivey today is a
Tabor City route 2 resident.
From those early school years
~ Tabor City when the family
lived at Howard. the Palmcr's
moved to Virginia and another
lumber mill job. There at Stew
cnSvillc high school, Charles
graduated in 1886. But the for
est ran out again and back to
Columbus county came the Pal
mCrS.
This time they moved to
Bolton where the elder Palm
cr became Planning Mill super
ntendcnt for the Waccamaw
Lumber mpany. Again
came the association with a.
A. Wright who was general
superintendent Of the COM
pany at that time.
Charles had his high school
diploma from Virginia but he
was seeking more learning. That
fall he enrolled at Hallsboro
high TO take some extra courses
9pd remembers playing on the
football team that tangled with
the Tabor City Red Devils. In
the summer he worked at the
lumber mill
In December of 1886, Charles
found that it was time to seek
his fortune and left home. He
went to Charleston, S. c. TO at
tend Rice Business College.
There he was an outstanding
student and graduated with case.
Charleston has been his legal
residence since that time.
His first job after his business
college life was with the KOp-
pers Co. which position he held
until 1911. He then resigned to
establish the post exchange at
the Port Of Embarkation in
Charleston.
Tho Army was calling in 1912
and the % year old Palmer en-
listed in the Air Force. He was
assigned 30 the finance dcrart-
TkA IExtanIf,, o.. -