Norris Hodgkins, Jr., the legendary Mr. Southern Pines, has written a book, “A Southern Pines Life,” chronicling his 89 years and explaining many Moore County organizations in which he was involved. The list is endless: Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, Moore Regional Hospital, Country Club of North Carolina, Sandhills Community College, Kiwanis, newspapering, and service in local politics and in the industrial development of the area.
The beauty of this memoir is that Hodgkins remembers it all, names and faces, facts, and humor. I have always called him “my source,” because if I needed to know something for my writing, I could count on him to supply the answer. Once I was searching for something for the Moore County Historical Association, so I called Norris, and he said, “It’s down at the bank.” Sure enough, the answer I needed was there. Another time, I was searching for addresses of donors to the Sunrise Theater. When I would call out a name, I could hear his Rolodex spinning, and he not only gave me addresses but also a story to go along with each person.
When I asked how he remembered it all, he said, “I was a banker and had to know my customers.”
Read his book. No one knows more than he about all the happenings during his active life. You’ll learn a lot, as I did.