WHAT AN IMMENSELY ENJOYABLE SHOW WITH VANCE COUNTY CLERK OF COURT THE HON. HENRY L. GUPTON. FROM HIS BEGINNINGS AS A VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF IN 1986, TO HIS CIVIC DUTIES AS A MAGISTRATE, TO HELPING MANY A VANCE COUNTY RESIDENT AT HIS/HER MOST VUNERABLE MOMENTS, TO HANDLING MILLIONS IN FINANCES EACH YEAR, HENRY GUPTON IS WHO’S HERE FOR YOU IN VANCE COUNTY. AND NOT JUST GUPTON, BUT HIS STAFF AND ALL THE DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS INSIDE THE VANCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE EACH DAY. THANK YOU MR. GUPTON! YES SIR, YOU ARE ESSENTIAL AND MORE AS IS EACH OF YOU IN THE NC COURTS. — John C. Rose
Please enjoy our interview from TownTalk by clicking play…as well as our write up below…
The Hon. Henry L. Gupton takes his job seriously, without a doubt. But the Vance County Clerk of Court also values the importance of making personal connections, whether it’s with the courthouse employees, his staff or the people who come to his office for help.
Town Talk host John C. Rose checked in with Gupton, on Tuesday, and the interview aired Wednesday. Gupton talked about his love for working in and with the Vance County community, which began in 1986. Gupton was a deputy sheriff and then became a magistrate in 1993. He became clerk of court in 2017, filling the seat vacated b
y Deborah W. Finch’s retirement. He was elected for the first time in 2018.
“It’s just a passion for me,” Gupton said. “I enjoy serving people and helping people. Everything I’ve done in my career, I’ve felt like at some point, I have made a difference in someone’s life,” he added. “To me, that’s what Henry Gupton and the clerk of court’s office is all about.”
The clerk of court’s office is the record keeper for the entire court system in Vance County, Gupton explained. From wills and estates to small-claims and superior and district court cases, Gupton and his staff are charged with maintaining all documents filed at the courthouse.
And he is afforded the title “the Honorable” because he is an ex oficio judge as his job pertains to probating wills.
The way he sees it, he and his office must “do everything we can to help our citizens – that’s what my office is here for and that’s what we try to do on a daily basis,” he added. When people come to him during an emotional time, after the death of a relative or loved one, it’s important to Gupton to just listen.
“I give them a moment to sit down and cry and just let their feelings out because they’re at a very vulnerable moment… and then do what we have to do to have them move forward in life,” he said.
Restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the courthouse operations a bit, but Gupton said the courthouse operations were only disrupted for half a day. He expects to hold the first jury trial on Mar. 1 – practicing social distancing, of course. He and the courthouse staff must make sure that they are “taking care of our citizens who will be on jury, and our other citizens and the public. At this moment, courthouse staffs are in the Phase 3 category to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Although some form of court is held every day in Vance County, the local courthouse faces serious backlogs, just like other courts across the state. “We’re doing what our North Carolina General Statutes say – we’re keeping the courts open and keeping them running for business, serving our citizens,” Gupton said.
With lots of sanitizing between court sessions, he added. “The courthouse (staff) is doing a fantastic job,” Gupton said.
The clerk’s office has come through with flying colors two state audits – not a single deficiency, Gupton said. “It’s a great feeling,” he said, responding to a question about the audit. “My hat’s off to all of my staff. I have a wonderful staff in this office. And that lets me and the public know what a great job we do – as a team – in our office.“