State Auditor Discloses Details Of DMV Audit As Long Wait Times, Lines Continue Across State

/by

— information courtesy of the N.C. Office of the State Auditor

 

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor has released two audits of North Carolina’s Division of Motor Vehicles. The reports – including a performance audit and information systems audit – were conducted to examine the current operational challenges affecting the most forward-facing agency in state government.

“I pledged to audit the DMV to get to the root cause of its failure, and the reports dealing with licensing procedures and information systems are now complete,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “Our audit team has worked hard to find opportunities where the DMV can course correct and effectively serve North Carolina citizens.”

OSA’s performance audit shows the DMV experience for both customers and employees has gotten worse over the years, and that the relationship between the DMV and the N.C. Department of Transportation is a contributing factor.

Customer service has been declining, with wait times on the rise:

  • Average DMV wait times stand at 1 hour and 15 minutes, up 15.5 percent since 2019.
  • Data shows nearly 14 percent of visits exceeded 2.5 hours in fiscal year 2025, up about 79 percent since 2019.

Employees are struggling with workload and burnout:

  • Only 47 percent of DMV workers believed the DMV fostered open communication.
  • 43 percent expressed negative views of prior leadership support.
  • Employees cited low salary, burnout, security concerns, lack of support and inadequate training.
  • Average salaries are below $50,000 for examiners in both rural and urban areas.

Staffing levels are unsustainable:

  • North Carolina’s population has grown by 2.5 million (29 percent) in the last 20 years, but driver license examiner positions have only increased by 52 positions (10 percent).
  • Only 505 of the 710 driver license examiner positions are filled, roughly 160 vacancies remain.
  • In Harnett County, there is only one examiner serving over 56,000 residents.

To address the structural challenges identified in the performance audit, and ensure DMV can deliver timely, effective, and citizen-centered services, OSA makes five recommendations:

  • Policymakers should consider establishing DMV as an autonomous agency or authority with direct control over its budget, strategic planning and operations.
  • DMV leadership should adopt a comprehensive strategic plan independent of DOT.
  • DMV should conduct an in-depth staffing analysis to inform a multi-year, phased staffing plan that addresses examiner shortages and ensures service equity statewide.
  • DMV should build and maintain a centralized performance dashboard to track and report key service metrics.
  • DMV should partner with an industry expert to develop and implement evidence-based improvements to customer experience and service delivery.

The findings in the performance audit point toward a dysfunctional relationship between DMV and DOT. There are four systemic challenges stemming from the DMV’s governance structure as a division of DOT, including limited strategic input, restricted budget autonomy, insufficient performance data and exclusion from key process modernization initiatives.

Examples include:

  • DMV generates 30 percent of DOT’s overall revenue, but accounts for only 2.8 percent of DOT’s expenditures.
  • Of the 45 performance milestones in the DOT strategic plan for the 2023-2025 biennium, only two directly pertained to DMV operations.
  • Only 31 percent of DMV’s staffing requests were included in DOT’s budget requests.
  • DOT left out DMV customer satisfaction data in its performance report.
  • DMV was excluded from planning and procurement phases of improvement efforts led by DOT.

“It’s time to solve the DMV problem. North Carolina has the will and the tools to make our DMV better. Our audit lays out some concrete steps to begin the process to fix the DMV,” Boliek said.

Each recommendation includes specific timelines for impacted parties to follow. OSA will be following up on each recommendation to ensure progress is being made.

In addition to the performance audit, OSA conducted an information systems audit of DMV. The information systems audit found that since 2014, the DMV and Department of Information Technology – Transportation initiated 46 projects that resulted in a cost of approximately $42 million. However, even with all the projects, IT modernization efforts have not produced meaningful customer service improvements, and the current DMV mainframe systems are outdated and overdue for replacement.

OSA made four recommendations for the DMV and DIT-T to take to improve operations.

The audit process for the DMV involved on-site visits to multiple locations, interviews with DMV and DOT personnel, and a thorough review of current strategic plans, general statutes and employee engagement surveys. OSA analyzed key data, including budget expansion requests, wait times, transaction volumes, ZIP code transaction data, service time data, and dwell time data, to assess operational efficiency and service delivery.

Auditors and specialists also engaged external experts from the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNC-Greensboro, and the UNC School of Government.

Click Play!

TownTalk: Commissioners Vote 4-2 To End Funding For Vance County Rescue Squad

/by

The Vance County Rescue Squad, in operation since 1953 as a nonprofit organization, will not get funding from the county commissioners beyond the 3-month contract extension that ends Sept. 30. Listen to TownTalk for a more detailed analysis of what the contract termination could mean for the rescue squad and how it may operate in the future.  Plus, some attempted explanation about the investment Vance County seems to want to make.  And, what we may hear next about these matters.

(The audio file below has been edited to remove an inaccuracy from when it was originally broadcast.  A correction has also been made on air.)

Click Play!

TownTalk: Commissioners Terminate Funding and Contract Relationship with “Rescue Squad”

/by

In a 4-2 vote, the Vance County Board of Commissioners Monday terminated funding for the Vance County Rescue Squad, effective Sept. 30, 2025.

The county did not renew the contract with the rescue squad, which expired on June 30, but commissioners agreed to a 90-day extension. That extension ends Sept. 30.

During a joint meeting last week of the county’s public safety committee and the fire commission, the discussion ramped up to include the possibility of merging the Vance County Fire Department and the Vance County Rescue Squad, a 501(c)3 organization established in 1953.

Several people spoke Monday night to commissioners in support of the rescue squad during the public comment portion of the meeting, among them, Brandon Link, president of the Vance County Firefighters Association.

County Manager C. Renee Perry told commissioners that the county has the authority to reduce or terminate funding for the rescue squad, but not to dissolve the rescue squad, which is a volunteer organization.

Commissioner Tommy Hester’s motion to terminate funding, effective Sept. 30, was seconded by Commissioner Leo Kelly.

Commissioners Dan Brummitt and Valencia Perry cast the “no” votes and Commissioners Hester, Kelly, Chair Carolyn Faines and Charisse Fain cast votes in favor of the termination. Commissioner Feimster was absent.

“I want to save taxpayers money,” Hester said. “I want to move forward. I think we’ve got the fire chief to do it,” he said.

Commissioner Perry said, “We need to slow it down,” with regard to making a decision whether to continue funding the rescue squad, which got applause from the audience.

Commissioner Kelly said it’s a matter of looking at consolidation, not trying to put anyone out of business.

“Their service is valuable,” Kelly said, referring to the Vance County Rescue Squad.

During a joint meeting last week of the Vance County Firefighter’s Association and the Vance County Commissioner Public Safety Committee, Vance County Fire Department Chief Marvin Harrison said, “Let us move forward, grounded in truth and committed to collaboration, for the good of the public we are sworn to protect.”

At that joint meeting, Manager Perry said, “I have so much confidence in the Vance County Fire Department.  If the commissioners choose to end the contract on sept. 30, I have no doubt in my mind that the Vance County citizens will be ok.“

The outcome is contrary to what the fire association said it wanted in a letter written after its mid-July meeting.  The fire association wanted the Rescue Squad funded the same as other volunteer departments in Vance County, with a contract for 2025-2028 in place.

Click Play for TownTalk Audio on 8-5-25 AFTER the Vance County Commissioners Meeting

*********************************

Click Play for TownTalk Audio on 8-4-25 BEFORE the Vance County Commissioners Meeting

UPDATE 8-4-25 BEFORE the Vance County Commissioners Meeting

Members of the Vance County Firefighter’s Association and Vance County Commissioners Public Safety Committee held a joint meeting last week to continue discussions about the future – and fate – of the Vance County Rescue Squad.

The Vance County Board of Commissioners did not renew a contract with the rescue squad, which ended on June 30. The commissioners did, however, agree to a 90-day extension. That period ends Sept. 30, 2025.

During the joint meeting, County Manager C. Renee Perry said the item would be on tonight’s agenda for the commissioners’ regular monthly meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

Commissioner Dan Brummitt, a member of the Public Safety Committee, shared contents of a letter signed by seven members of the Vance County Firefighters Association which offered support for the rescue squad.

“The association sees the benefit of the Vance County Rescue Squad and supports that organization and their mission to protect the citizens of Vance County,” the letter states.

“The certifications, equipment, and experience of the rescue squad, serving continuously since 1953, are an asset to all fire departments and citizens in Vance County,” it continued. The letter called for the county to reinstate the three-year contract with the rescue squad for 2025-28 and that the rescue squad be fully funded in 2025-26 just like all the other departments.

Brummitt said, “These are the guys that are out in the field. These are the guys that know what they’re doing and these are the ones that put their lives on the line every day and they’re asking for the support of the rescue squad. So I can’t see how we can do anything any different.”

Back in 2023, a fire study completed by AP Triton recommended that the county consider merging or at least increasing collaboration between the Vance County Fire Department and the Vance County Rescue Squad, County Manager C. Renee Perry reminded.

If the two entities merge, Perry said the rescue squad members would have to apply for positions with the Vance County Fire Dept and be part-time personnel. She said she didn’t know how a merger would affect the rescue squad assets (equipment). The rescue squad has been in operation since 1953 and is a nonprofit organization. Its members are volunteers.

Brummitt said he would get behind creating a combination department to allow to have paid staff and volunteers, just like the county’s other fire departments.

“It would save money and would allow us to spend money in other areas of the county to offer equal protection to all of our citizens in the county,” Brummitt said.

Brummitt continued, “It would not do away with the department, it would do away with the structure of the department.”

To which Perry said, “The study did not recommend that.” It recommended that the Vance County Fire Department (Golden Belt) remain a career fire department.

Brummitt took issue with other findings in the 2023 fire study, including response times. He said some redistricting could improve call times.

Shaping the Future in Henderson & Vance County

/by

It’s called “Shaping the Future: A Community Empowerment Extravaganza” and Higher is Waiting Executive Director Jayden Watkins said it’s part back-to-school, part community gathering combined with a whole lot of fun.

“The purpose of the event is to bring the community together,” Watkins told WIZS’s Scout Hughes Monday.

Watkins, 17 and a rising senior at Henderson Collegiate, invites families from across the community to the event, which is taking place on Saturday, Aug. 9 in downtown Henderson in the area near the police department and Perry Memorial Library.

There will be backpacks loaded with school supplies that will be distributed and free health screenings, along with a street fair atmosphere filled with vendors and food trucks for everyone to enjoy, Watkins said on Monday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Watkins said he and Varonica “VV” Mitchell are going to co-host a talent show that is set to kick off at 12 noon.

“I welcome all ages,” Watkins said of talent show participants, whether they’re young or just young at heart – all are welcome.

Visit https://forms.gle/iWmCXjJZxEw9LXtP7 to sign up for the talent show.

Watkins said there’s still time to sign up to be a sponsor for the event.

Visit Higher is Waiting’s webpage at https://jaydenwatkins.com/higher-is-waiting and click on the sponsorship link.

“I still need more support,” he said. “That’s how we take it to the next level.”

Volunteers also are needed to help pack the backpacks on Friday, Aug. 8 and to help set up early Saturday morning. Contact Watkins at 252.425.0354 if you’d like to help make a donation of money, school supplies or if you’d like to volunteer.

Watkins has been nailing down details for this community event in between other activities he’s been busy with this summer, including preaching five times in the past week, participating in the Governor’s Page Program and another program at N.C. State University. He’s packing his bags for a 10-day residential experience for prospective journalism students at Princeton University. That’s on top of his “I Declare War” tour and cooking meals at the local shelter with his girlfriend.

“This is a vision God gave me,” he said. “Everything I do is to be obedient to God…at the end of the day, I simply want God to be pleased and proud.”

CLICK PLAY!

(This information and embedded audio was orginally posted July 21, 2025.)

TownTalk: Recovery Alive Receives Opioid Settlement Money

/by

Tisha Temple, the founder and CEO of Recovery Alive Homes, has a passion for helping people struggling with opioid use disorder. She once struggled with it herself, and has been free from its grip for 11 years now.

Temple’s nonprofit was one of two groups to get grants from the city of Henderson in its initial disbursement of opioid settlement money.

The Henderson City Council granted RA Homes $50,000 to set up two residential sober-living homes here – and Temple can’t wait until the project is up and running.

“The money is there because people are losing their lives to opioid use disorder,” she explained on Thursday’s TownTalk.

“When we have funding to be able to create solutions in communities to give people a different pathway and to help them find recovery, the best thing to do is not leave the money sitting in the bank – the best thing to do is distribute it,” she said.

There are eight RA Homes in operation now, Temple said. She’s working with a local realtor to identify properties and then will work with an investor to purchase the homes, one for men and one for women who are already in recovery.

“That is how our model works,” she said. “We lease the properties from management teams. We are truly part of beautiful community solutions. We are good neighbors.”

She’s got her eyes on one property already, and hopes it’ll work out. If not, she said she “will patiently wait for God to open the right doors.”

Locating sober-living homes here in Henderson has special meaning for Temple. It wasn’t that long ago that she herself was regaining control of her life in a similar residential program in Raleigh.

At the time, fresh out of prison, Temple got the chance to enter a recovery treatment program and ultimately into a sober-living home.

The residential program that she created with RA Homes, however, has one important component that the one in Raleigh didn’t.

“That recovery home saved my life…(but) it wasn’t Christ-centered. It worked, but I believe that my recovery grew deeper because I was able to have a relationship with Jesus. That was my recovery,” Temple said.

And now, some years later, Temple is gearing up to plant two new RA Homes in her hometown. “It is now time to open recover alive homes in the same community where I did not have the resources that I needed to get better and stay better,” she said.

RA Homes and the 12-step, Christ-centered program will be here to help somebody else’s son or daughter as they embark on a journey of sober living.

Visit www.wizs.com to listen back to the complete interview.

CLICK PLAY!

TownTalk: Community Day with Turning Point CDC

/by

Saturday’s Community Day at Turning Point CDC checks all the boxes for families and others who are looking to learn more about resources available in the area, but Executive Director Chalis Henderson predicts the vibe will be closer to a family reunion than anything else.

“It’s a day of networking, a day of fun and fellowship and certainly excitement as we see the different vendors out there,” Henderson said. “It’s just good times.”

More than 40 vendors are expected to be on hand to share information and network with folks who live in their sphere of influence, from the local cooperative extension to the new charter school, The Sledge Institute.

All the vendors are asked to bring some school supplies to donate, which will be distributed during the event.

“We expect everyone to leave with plenty,” she said, whether it’s food, school supplies or increased knowledge and awareness of how to access resources in the area.

“Community Day is beneficial not only for the community members,” Henderson said, “but for the vendors and partners to connect…we can all come together and get what we need on this day.”

The event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Turning Point CDC campus, located at 2495 U.S. 1/158 in Henderson.

CLICK PLAY!

“We’re big on networking, building partnerships and bridges,” Henderson said, adding that there are greater outcomes for the larger community when partnerships are formed.

With so many vendors and other activities going on throughout the day, Henderson said another community partner, NC Idea, is working it out so that each vendor will have a couple of minutes with a microphone to explain what they do and services they provide.

So even if you can’t visit each table, tent or booth, Henderson said if you’re within earshot, you’ll have a better idea of exactly what services are available and how to access them.

Turning Point CDC is an offshoot of Oasis of Hope Ministries, which Henderson’s parents established almost 25 years ago.

By empowering people, communities can be transformed, she said. Whoever visits the campus can see in action a thriving preschool, after-school program, food pantry and summer learning activities.

“There’s always some form of ministry or outreach taking place,” she said. “It’s a blessing to have a space that provides those opportunities…every single thing on our campus has a purpose to it and it’s designed with great intention.”

Visit https://www.turningpointcdc.org/ to learn more.

City Of Henderson Awarded $10.7M For Water Projects

/by

Click Play!

The City of Henderson is getting $10.7 million from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund for its Sandy Creek Pump Station and Force Main projects.

The announcement came last week, when Gov. Josh Stein and the Department of Environmental Quality said that 48 projects in 27 counties would receive more than $204 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The awards will improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, address PFAS and other forever chemicals, identify and replace lead pipes and improve resiliency after future storms, according to information on the DEQ website.

“When you turn on the faucet in your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether that water is safe for your family,” said Governor Josh Stein. “These investments will help ensure North Carolinians have access to clean drinking water and will help keep people safe when disaster strikes.”

“At DEQ, we’re committed to ensuring everyone in North Carolina has access to clean water,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “This funding will address aging infrastructure and improve public health for communities large and small.”

The town of Warrenton also is set to receive $10 million for its Phase IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements project.

TownTalk: KARTS FLEX Ride Is Right On Schedule

/by

In its first two months of operation, the KARTS FLEX Ride van is living up to expectations. KARTS officials say the goal is to increase ridership with each month of operation – so far, so good.

KARTS Executive Director Randy Cantor said the program is “going really well.”

Finance Manager Tonya Moore has the data to back up that sentiment – in June, the first month of operation for the Uber-style transit that operates within the city limits of Henderson – there were 242 riders. July isn’t even over yet, and ridership is at 253 and counting, Moore said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. She and Cantor discussed the new transportation opportunity available from KARTS.

Click Play!

State and federal dollars are paying for the first three years of the micro transit. KARTS is one of a growing number of transportation agencies getting funds to establish micro transit programs.

“The goal is to increase every month,” Moore said. New passengers, not necessarily the same individuals who use the KARTS van service, are taking advantage of the new, streamlined system.

The door-to-door service helps people get to and from work, to doctor’s appointments or anywhere else within the city limits. Riders can book online, with an app on their phone or simply call the KARTS office to schedule transportation.

And the on-demand service can pick you up within 30 minutes.

“We’re keeping statistics,” Cantor said. “All of our trips have been 100 percent on-time performance. And there have been relatively few no-shows. There’s one vehicle in service now, but a second is available as demands for the service rise. And there’s a third vehicle that can be easily changed from a KARTS van to a FLEX Ride van, he said.

Each trip is $6, and the driver accepts cash, but KARTS said the process is much more streamlined if you pay by card or set up an account that automatically deducts the cost of the trip.

“The majority are scheduling on the app,” Moore said. “That’s exactly what we wanted to see – it streamlines the process for everyone involved.”

Both Cantor and Moore said they believe that ridership will increase further once the weather cools off.

“When it’s extremely hot, when it’s rainy, extremely cold, cancellations increase,” Moore said.

“People don’t want to get out in non-desirable weather.”

Visit https://www.kartsnc.com/ to learn more.

Honoring Chief Melvin G. Smith

/by

Click Play.

Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow was learning how to be a police officer when he met Melvin G. Smith, who by that time had retired from the Henderson Police Department with more than 30 years of service.

Smith made an impression on Barrow, then a student in the Basic Law Enforcement Training class, during a class about arrest techniques.

The other instructors were demonstrating particular ways to subdue and arrest, Barrow recalled on Monday’s TownTalk, but at half-speed, so the students could take it all in. But Smith’s half-speed was a bit quicker, Barrow said. “I found myself face down on a mat, my arm contorted in a way it probably shouldn’t have been contorted…I found out quick who he was,” he said of Smith.

“He was nice, polite about it, but he commanded a presence,” Barrow said. Nice, but all business.

That was Capt. Melvin Smith.

“He wore the badge proud. He wore the uniform proud,” Barrow said.

The current police chief had a chance to reminisce with Smith’s daughter recently and they swapped stories about Smith, who died on July 22 at the age of 87.

“Some things I knew, some things I didn’t,” Barrow said. And just like his daughter, Barrow said he’s proud of what Smith accomplished within the department and the larger community.

“He wasn’t just the first African American police officer or the first African American chief, he was the first at every level in the police department,” Barrow said.

Smith was also the first sergeant, and after working in the department’s vice and narcotics units, he was the first lieutenant, captain, then major, then chief.

“He broke a lot of barriers throughout his career in Henderson,” Barrow said.

Smith joined the police department in 1964. Barrow, born in 1976, said the department was probably much different then than it was when he joined in 1998.

“I can’t imagine what he went through, what he dealt with… I wouldn’t even begin to try to comprehend that, but it must have been something. It was very brave of him, and I think he took on that role and took it seriously. Obvious that he did, because he was able to progress through the department and open a lot of doors for people thereafter. I just think he was something special for us.”

Barrow recalled that whenever he’d spot Smith’s blue-and-white Ford pickup driving about, it’d cause him to sit up straighter behind the wheel. Only then would he pass by and wave at the truck’s driver, he said.

Smith was appointed chief in February 1995 and championed the concept of community policing – the idea that police officers should be a positive part of their city and be approachable by community members to partner together to reduce crime.

The first Community Watch organization was established in the neighborhood where Smith raised his family. The Pinkston Street Community Watch program still meets today, Barrow said.

“Community policing was his ‘thing,’” Barrow said.  “He knew everybody, everybody knew him.”

Somewhat mirror each other.

As Barrow closes in on a 30-year career with the Henderson Police Department, he said he like to think he and the former chief have a couple of things in common.

“We both started with Henderson and we’re going to end with Henderson,” Barrow said.

“I’ve never wanted to work anywhere else. I love this place. I probably share that with him a little bit, too. I know he loved this place, too.”

**********

9/13/1937 to 7/22/2025 (End Of Watch)

— submitted by HPD Chief Marcus Barrow on July 24, 2025**

Before answering the call to serve his community, Chief Smith answered the call to serve his country. He joined the United States Air Force in December of 1957, receiving an honorable discharged in 1961, and continuing in reserve duty until 1963.

A graduate of Henderson Institute, Class of 1957, Chief Melvin G. Smith began his historic and groundbreaking career with the Henderson Police Department on February 10, 1964, at the age of twenty-six. Chief Smith holds the distinguished and courageous honor of being the first African American police officer in the history of the Henderson Police Department.

Chief Smith swiftly rose through the ranks at the Henderson Police Department. On February 25, 1970, just six years into his service, he was promoted to Sergeant, where he led efforts in a variety of roles, including vice and narcotics investigations. His leadership and dedication were further recognized with a promotion to Lieutenant on April 14, 1976. Later that same year, on October 25, he was appointed to lead the Vice Detective Division. Continuing his upward trajectory, he was promoted to Captain on April 7, 1983, and on May 26, 1992, became the first person in the agency’s history to hold the rank of Major.

By 1995, after serving the City of Henderson for over three decades under seven different police chiefs, Melvin G. Smith was appointed Chief of Police on February 23, 1995. With this appointment, he made history once again as the first African American Chief of Police for the City of Henderson.

The words above offer only a glimpse into the life and legacy of Chief Smith. They do not begin to capture the full measure of the man, the leader, the educator, and the mentor he was, nor does it depict his greatest roles, husband and father. His personnel file is filled with commendations and praise from fellow officers, supervisors, and community members alike, but I’m positive there are plethora of accolades that never made it to his file. His resume reflects a deep commitment to continued education, training, and teaching, hallmarks of a man determined to share his knowledge with future generations.

To meet him was an honor, to have him as an instructor was a privilege, to work beside him must have been amazing. We all have our own stories and memories of Chief Smith, and I encourage everyone to share them. For me, I’ll always remember the two-tone blue and white Ford truck cruising through town, knowing that behind the wheel sat one of the greatest ever to wear the badge.

(Originally posted July 26, 2025.**)

**********

Davis-Royster Funeral Service obituary link

**********

TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Harriet-Henderson Cotton Mill Strike of 1958

/by

 

 

Many folks who were born and raised in Henderson or Vance County either remember the 1958 cotton mill strike or have grown up hearing stories about it. But even the youngest mill workers during that time are in their 80’s now, so there are fewer and fewer folks still alive to tell the story of how the strike affected the community then and now, more than 60 years later.

In Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk, WIZS’s Bill Harris and local historian Mark Pace add some context to the events that led up to the strike, which lasted until 1961.

In 1895, brothers David Y. and John D. Cooper founded the Henderson Cotton Mill in North Henderson.

They’d made their money in the tobacco business after the Civil War ended and later set their sights on establishing a mill.

Textiles, tobacco and furniture, Pace said, were all North Carolina industries that began with a “relatively cheap raw material that you could manipulate into something much more profitable.”

The profit margins were much higher in textiles than for, say, tobacco, but it came with more risk, Pace explained.

The price and quality of the raw material, workers’ wages and overseas competition were just some of the factors that the Cooper family had to consider with the mills, which numbered three by 1913. Harriet Mills opened in South Henderson in 1909 and then Harriet Plant No. 2 opened in 1913.

“It took off like gangbusters,” Pace said. Indeed, the textile industry was not only big in Henderson, but also in the southern United States, possibly “the most important industrial endeavor in the South, even up until the 1980’s and 1990’s,” Pace said.

It was 1943 when the union first came to the Harriet and Henderson plants, he said. By this time the mills were under the leadership of John D. Cooper, Jr., who ran it until 1962, Pace said. By the time World War II ended, the U.S. found itself in the unique position of being pretty much the only textile producers left – between the devastation across Europe and civil wars in India and Pakistan, the domestic textile industry was looking good.

Harris said a post-war economic boom led to a 1949 downturn, and as other countries rebuilt and retooled, it was more difficult for the local mills to keep their equipment current.

“They were very forward thinking,” Pace said, and wanted badly to modernize the mills after World War II, but faced years long backorders as a result of post-War reconstruction.

Throw in the rise of synthetic textiles like rayon and nylon – no cotton needed – and the textile industry began to falter.

Harriet and Henderson produced thread and yarn from the raw cotton, and employed as many as 1,000 people during its peak, when it was the largest yarn manufacturer.

“Within the confines of the industry,” Pace said, the Coopers were “very innovative and forward-thinking.”

To keep the mills running despite high absenteeism, management had dozens of employees at the ready each day to fill jobs when employees didn’t show up for work, Pace said. Even if they weren’t needed inside the mill, the stand-by workers would get two hours’ pay for showing up.

“A lot of plant managers would not have put up with that,” Pace said of the often high absentee rate. “But the Coopers wanted the work force to be happy.”

Women made up half the work force, and sometimes had to take off with little or no prior notice but management tolerated it because they felt an obligation to the workers, he added.

Pace said he considers the mill strike of 1958 as one of the top two or three most important events in the history of Vance County, “right up there with Civil Rights or the coming of the railroad and the creation of the tobacco industry.”

Listen back to the entire show at www.wizs.com.

 

CLICK PLAY!