by Charly Mann

Addendum 2-4-2010: Frank Rinaldi apparently died in poverty. His estate included the old house he lived in on Byrneside Avenue (mortgaged in 2007) and personal property with an estimated value of $20,000 At one point, he was reputedly worth $5 million. He probably only had a very small Social Security check, because he had not worked most of his life, and the rent from his tenants. The exact cause of Rinaldi's death has not been given.

NOTE: This article was written on November 12th, 2009, and posted at noon the next day. By strange coincidence Frank Rinaldi was discovered dead at his home in Waterbury, Connecticut at about the same time the article was published.

11-24-2009: The following is additional evidence about Frank Rinaldi and the murder that was not included in my original article.

As my article brings up Frank Rinaldi bought a double indemnity policy on his wife that was worth $40,000 and one on himself for $10,000.

The new facts are these. Frank stopped paying on his policy four months before the murder, and then cancelled the policy on himself and was refunded all the money he had already paid on it.

At the same time, Frank, who had little money of his own, borrowed $720 from the Bank of Chapel Hill to pay the premium on Lucille’s policy through the end of December. (She was murdered on December 24th).

Even before Frank cancelled his own policy one might wonder why he would only want Lucille and his child to have $10,000 if he was to have died accidently, and he was going to get $40,000 if his pregnant wife, who was two years younger than him, was to die this way.

Since this article was published I have received much more information on this crime. Almost all of it further incriminates Rinaldi. Because others think it important, I have now included the fact that Rinaldi went shopping in Durham before he did his shopping on Franklin Street.  He was however on Franklin Street  and very near his home within the time his wife was murdered there.
 

On Christmas eve 1963, Chapel Hill was almost like a ghost town. UNC students had left for their holiday break more than a week earlier, and many of the town's residents were away visiting relatives. At about 10 AM that morning the most brutal murder in Chapel Hill history occurred. In a small apartment at 105 North Street, about a block from the police station, a woman who was five months pregnant had a sock forcibly stuffed into her mouth and was hit violently across her skull twice with a large flashlight. The killer then took a small seat pillow and forced it hard against her face until she showed no signs of life. The woman was not sexually assaulted and the apartment was not robbed. The murder probably took less than five minutes.

The woman's name was Lucille Regina Rinaldi. She had been married less than five months to a part-time English instructor named Frank Joseph Rinaldi who was working on a PhD in English at UNC. Later that day he would be charged with first degree murder and put in jail. Over the course of the next two years there would be two murder trials in the case. In the first Frank Rinaldi was convicted of murder and sent to Central Prison in Raleigh. In the second Rinaldi was found innocent.

Lucille Begg in 1959. On July 31,1963 she married Frank Rinaldi.

I am convinced that Frank Rinaldi killed his wife and will explain why I believe he is guilty and why he was acquitted of the murder in the second trial.

The following facts convince me Frank Rinaldi was responsible for the murder of his wife:

1. Lucille Begg and Frank Rinaldi were married on July 31, 1963 in Waterbury Connecticut. Soon after the marriage there was some kind of problem, and Frank returned to Chapel Hill where he was working on his PhD.

2. Throughout August of 1963 there are letters and phone calls between Frank and Lucille. He learns she is pregnant, and she decides to attempt to reconcile with Frank by moving to Chapel Hill. Lucille arrives in Chapel Hill on September 2 and is interviewed and hired as a teacher at the newly opened Guy B. Phillips junior high school on Estes Drive. She shows up for the first day of school on September 8th, and leaves Chapel Hill suddenly the next day without notifying the school. The Chapel Hill School superintendent finally tracks her down to her family's home in Waterbury, Connecticut. She said she has left because of domestic difficulties.

3. It needs to be stated that Frank Rinaldi was gay. This in no way this is meant to cloud his character or imply that a gay man is more capable of murdering his wife than a straight man. The relevance here is twofold. First, most would agree that a marriage between a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man is full of challenges, and in this case Lucille seemed to be unaware or in denial about Frank's sexual orientation. More significantly though marriages generally depend on fidelity between the partners, and Frank was involved with at least one man during the time of their brief marriage.

4. Frank bought a $40,000 double indemnity life insurance policy on Lucille from his close companion John Sipp shortly before she was murdered. Such a policy pays this amount if Lucille were to die accidently, which includes being murdered. In today's terms this is equivalent to about $300,000.

This is suspicious for several reasons. While he did buy a policy for himself, it was for only $10,000 even though he was two years older and a male. He had virtually no income at this time, as he was only a part time instructor, and had to pay rent, tuition, as well as food and clothing costs from his small salary. It would be more logical that if he had extra money he would have wanted to be saving it for the cost of raising his soon to be born child. Rarely do couples take out life insurance policies on one another within five months of getting married, especially if they are having serious marital problems and are not living together, and have no stated plans to do so in the future.

Frank Joseph Rinaldi, convicted, acquitted, and still the only suspect in the killing of his wife in Chapel Hill on December 24, 1963 

5. According to sworn testimony by local handyman Alfred Foushee, Rinaldi offered him $500 to kill his wife when she came to visit over Christmas. When Foushee refused, he asked if he could find someone else to kill her for $500. Rinaldi also told him it did not matter how his wife was killed. He said raping, strangling, choking, or anything else was all right with him.

On the morning of the murder Foushee testified he ran into Frank Rinaldi at the Eastgate Hardware store and Rinaldi said to him, "It's all over Al, I did it."

6. Police found blood matching Rinaldi's wife's type on the shirt and pants Frank Rinaldi wore on the day of the murder. They also found in the Rinaldi house a large flashlight that had been bent at the handle and a pillow with blood stains on it.

7. Lucille Rinaldi began receiving friendly letters and phone calls from Frank shortly after he had taken out the double indemnity policy on her. In them he encouraged her come for a visit over Christmas to try to fix their problems. Frank was also quite cordial to Lucille during the last three days she was alive, but this is likely because he a planed to kill her on the 24th and did not want her to leave before then.

8. On Christmas Eve morning Frank and his long-time companion John Sipp, who he had bought the double indemnity insurance policy from, went out Christmas Shopping. Frank seemed to want to establish an alibi for himself as he visited 17 stores in Durham and Chapel Hill between about 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM. The best estimate by the coroner for the time of death was between 10:00 and noon.

The problem with this alibi is that during this time Sipp and other eyewitness place them downtown on Franklin Street during the time of the murder. Depending on where they parked, they were within 200 to 400 feet of the Rinaldi residence on North Street between 11:00 and noon.  In less than ten minutes Rinaldi could have slipped into his apartment grabbed his flashlight and a sock. The murder itself took just a few minutes - two blows to Lucille's head with the flashlight while a sock was stuffed in her mouth. Then a pillow was placed tightly to her face for a couple of minutes to make sure she was dead. Frank could have easily gone to the house, killed Lucille, and been back on Franklin Street within ten minutes or less. In those days one often got to North Street by walking through a yard or driveway on Rosemary Street directly into an adjoining North Street property.

In 1963 one would often park on Rosemary Street when shopping downtown. You could also easily walk through any lot on Rosemary to get to a house on North Steet. I recently walked from the location of Rinaldi's apartment to the Chapel Hill Post Office in 74 seconds. In 1963 there was less traffic on Rosemary and fewer other obstacles which would probably make it quicker.

It should be remembered there was no robbery or sign of forced entry into the house. The person who did the crime knew what they wanted to do and that was kill Lucille and leave the scene as quickly as possible.

It is possible that John Sipp, who was Rinaldi's closest friend and the person who sold Frank the life insurance policy, could have known about Frank's intention. Frank certainly had no problem discussing the murder twice with Alfred Foushee who was only a casual friend. Even if Sipp was not aware of Frank's plan, he is Frank's main alibi witness for the time the murder was committed. While they were downtown there is no evidence that John and Frank were always together. For example, John spent time in Roses 5 & 10 Cent Store talking to an employee who did not recall Frank being around the store the entire time. Roses was located almost directly in line with Rinaldi house. It also had a back door entrance (like several other stores in those days), where one could have gone out and committed the crime and come back in. It is also possible they could have split up for ten or fifteen minutes while shopping and running errands along Franklin Street.

9. Lucille Rinaldi's family believed that Frank was the killer. They were more aware than anyone else of the serious problems that prevented Frank and Lucille from living together almost their entire brief marriage.

10. After Frank Rinaldi was acquitted of the murder in the second trial he expended no time or resources looking for the "real" killer. I recently asked 11 couples ranging in age from their 20s to late 40s how they believed they would react if they were falsely accused of murdering their spouse and later acquitted. All 22 people said essentially the same thing: they would make it their life's work to help find the killer.

11. Why was Frank Rinaldi spending Christmas Eve morning and early afternoon with his close companion John Sipp shopping instead of with his wife who he had not seen in months, and with whom he was supposed to be working on improving the problems in their relationship? Frank Rinaldi lived less than a half a block from Franklin Street which contained the widest array of stores in North Carolina if he needed to go Christmas shopping. There were no malls then in the state. Franklin Street then had several great jewelry stores, at least three gift shops, a toy store, the two best record stores in the state, more than half a dozen women's clothing stores and twice that number of men's clothing stores. There was no better place to Christmas shop south of New York City or west of Dallas than downtown Chapel Hill. Frank certainly did not need transportation or a friend to Christmas shop with.

12. If Frank Rinaldi is innocent then for the only time I can discover in Chapel Hill history someone randomly walked into a small student apartment with the intent of killing in broad daylight someone they did not know. They had no other motive, and strangely there was never a similar crime in Chapel Hill history.

Statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence show that nine out of ten women who are murdered knew their killer, and that it is practically unheard of for a woman to be murdered alone in her home in broad daylight by a stranger.

Why then was Frank Rinaldi acquitted in his second trial of murder?

There are a combination of facts that played to Frank Rinaldi's advantage in being acquitted of murder that I will now detail.

1. The Rinaldi murder was probably the first cold blooded killing in Chapel Hill's history. The Rachel Crook killing which took place twelve years earlier actually occurred close to Hillsborough and the Chapel Hill Police Department played only a small role in its investigation. Chapel Hill had a very small police department and was a fairly crime-free community in 1963. Many people left their house unlocked, as well as their cars even when they parked downstairs. I cannot even find a case of a significant robbery or armed robbery before this.

The Chapel Hill Police Department had no expertise in handling a murder investigation, and made several mistakes that contributed to Rinaldi's acquittal. The primary mistake was taking crucial evidence without a proper warrant. This included the blood stained shirt and pants Frank was wearing at the time of the murder, the dented flashlight in the house that was probably the murder weapon, as well as the blood stained pillow. All of this crucial evidence had to be returned to Rinaldi and was ruled inadmissible for evidence in the second trial.

Frank Rinaldi is 80 years old today. His wife, Lucille, has been dead for 46 years. 

2. Neither Chapel Hill nor Orange County had a District Attorney for prosecuting serious crimes. They were assigned District Solicitor Thomas D Cooper from Burlington to handle the case. Cooper was well over his head as the prosecutor of a murder case like this. His primary strategy in the trial came from his ultra conservative religious views that saw homosexuality as evil. Cooper's main theory in the case was that Rinaldi had to be the murderer because he was a homosexual. Time after time in the trial he said the motive for the killing was "the kind of man he was." Cooper seemed more like he was on a religious crusade to expose the shame of homosexuality, and delighted in calling witnesses that could corroborate Rinaldi was gay. He did very little to show Rinaldi's motive, evidence, and opportunity to commit the murder.

I believe the fact that Rinaldi was gay was relevant only to the extent that it might indicate a fundamental problem in the marriage. On the other hand I know that it is possible for a homosexual and an heterosexual to have a reasonably functional relationship. The problem here is not Rinaldi's sexual orientation, but that there was evidence of several relationships with men during the time he was supposed to be faithful to his wife.

In the first trial Rinaldi's chief attorney Barry Winston tried to prevent Cooper from harping on the homosexuality of his client, but the presiding Judge seemed as conservative at Cooper and let it all in. In his closing arguments to the jury, Rinaldi's sexual orientation and lifestyle were almost exclusively what he talked about, and not the array of incriminating facts in the case. In that speech, he kept mentioning how Rinaldi called other men "baby", repeating the phrase more than a dozen times. He asked the jury several times to consider, "What kind of man calls another man, 'baby'?"

After Rinaldi was convicted in the first trial his attorney appealed on the grounds that Cooper had made the theme of his case the belief that homosexuality made a person prone to murder. The State Supreme Court agreed and overturned the conviction. They also ruled that much of the incriminating evidence seized by police was taken improperly and could not be introduced in the second trial.

By the time of the second trial, Cooper had lost his ability to attack Rinaldi's homosexuality and seemed dispirited. He also could not use the best evidence the police had obtained, and did not have the talent to demonstrate the mountain of circumstantial evidence against Rinaldi.

3. Frank Rinaldi had the best local attorneys money could buy representing him. Barry Winston and Gordon Battle were two of the most outstanding and brightest criminal defense attorneys in the state. While Thomas Cooper was prosecuting the Rinaldi cases he was at the same time in charge of prosecuting hundreds of people being arrested on an almost daily basis in sit-ins that were designed to end segregation in many hotels and restaurants in Chapel Hill. These civil rights arrests totally overloaded the Chapel Hill and Orange County judicial system. The jails in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough were overflowing, and special sessions of the Superior Court were held on a regular basis for more than a year to take care of the backlog of cases. Chapel Hill's civil rights demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience were then a focal point in the state and national print and television media. Chapel Hill's already small police force was stretched to the limit and was confronting two extreme and unusual types of criminal activity - murder in the first degree and civil rights arrests. Under these circumstances it is no wonder that the investigation and prosecution of Rinaldi was handled sloppily. Never before or since have the Chapel Hill police and local judicial system been so overwhelmed.

Writer's Note: I had just turned 14 at the time of the Rinaldi murder. I was an avid Hardy Boys fan and had just started doing a small weekly Chapel Hill newspaper with a circulation of between two and five copies. I was also a Chapel Hill Weekly newspaper boy. The Rinaldi case was of particular interest to me from the start and I kept every article that was related to it. This may have been partly due to the fact that the murder occurred in the apartment my parents lived in when I was born and I spent the first nine months of my life in.

Initially I hoped I would uncover a great scoop for my little paper that would exonerate Frank Rinaldi who had been charged with the murder from the start. I tried methodically to piece together the evidence as it was reported. I also had other sources for information. I would go down to the Chapel Hill Newspaper's offices once or twice a month to pick up my papers for delivery, and ask whoever was there what the latest was on the case. I also was fortunate to have several adult friends who were part of the then heavily closeted homosexual community in Chapel Hill. These men were all friends of my mother, and one became my Godfather. I spent a lot of time with him the year after the murder, and was always surprised how much he knew about all the men who were friends with Rinaldi. While what he told me is all hearsay, it did begin raising my suspicions about Rinaldi. I was also actively involved as a civil rights demonstrator in Chapel Hill in 1963 and 1964, and got on well with a couple of police officers who were always around to protect us from angry segregationists or arrest us if we were involved in an act of civil disobedience. On at least two occasions one of these officers was forthcoming with me on his information on the Rinaldi case. Over the years I have continued to talk to people about the case, including several former Chapel Hill police officers , local attorneys,  judges, who have all offered me more information. I have tried in this piece to use only facts that were reported by the official media, or that I deduced from that evidence. Some of this information is from notes I took from WCHL broadcasts in 1963 and 1964.

These are the Guy B. Phillips Junior High School of Chapel Hill Cheerleaders of 1965 to 1966.
From left to right are: Ann Holland, Debbie Moss, Missy Julian, Becky Fuller, Betsy Huntington, Settle Roberts, and Becky Riggsbee. Standing is Sue Donovan.

Mrs John's 9th Grade Home Room - Room #109, Guy B. Phillips Junior High School of Chapel Hill 1965 - 1966
Top Row l to r: Fred Croft, Wendy Daniel, Alice Dawson. Middle row: Becky Fuller, Kirt Gestsinger, Christine Gierasimowicz, Richard Harned. Bottom Row: Fran Head, Missy Julian, Kathy Kemp, Abby MacKinney

Mrs Abernathy's Eighth Grade Homeroom - Room #118, Guy B. Phillips Junior High School of Chapel Hill 1965 - 1966
Top Row l to r: Beth Neville, Craig Newman, Debbie Padgett, Johnny Parrish. Bottom Row: Settle Roberts, Lynn Silver, Al Smith, Zorie Smith

by Stanley Peele

Back in the 1940's, I was a paperboy; and delivered the Durham-Sun in the Westwood area. In those days, the school in Chapel Hill was where University Square is now. After school was over, I would ride my bike over to the Town Hall, which is now the community shelter.

I would find my bale of newspapers and loosen the wire binding. This was long before we had plastic bags, so I would fold the papers so they could be thrown, stuff them in my canvas bag, put the bag over my shoulder, and pedal off to Vance St. to start the route.

How the papers were delivered depended on the customers. If the customers were handicapped, I would put the paper behind the screen door, or inside the house. However, most of the papers were tossed from my bike as I pedaled. Usually my aim was good, but sometimes it was not. If I missed, and was in a hurry, I would not always go back and put the paper on the porch.

Most of the customers were kindly and charitable people; but one, who I will call "Mr. Smith," who lived on Old Pittsboro Rd., was not. If a newspaper got wet, or missed his porch, even slightly, he would not pay.

I kept a weekly account of money spent and received, and at the end of each week I would calculate the profit for that week. I remember one week, going from house to house, collecting the money for that week.

When I came to Mr. Smith’s house, he informed me that I had missed his porch one day that week. Further, he said he would not pay me anything for that week; in order to "teach me a lesson."

I got very angry. I remember it just as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. My face felt like it was burning.

When I finished collecting payments, I went back home to calculate the profit for that week. To may amazement, I found the profit to be one cent. One cent!! One cent for a week’s work! My anger mounted up threefold. Mr. Smith had stolen my week’s profit.

Profit for a week for Chapel Hill paperboy Stanley Peele

The passing of time can sometimes change our point of view. Now, after many years of reflection, I would like to thank Mr. Smith. He taught me many things. He taught me more than he knew.

He helped teach me the value of money, the value of having integrity in the job place, the lesson of doing a job right.  He helped teach me patience. Was my time so valuable that I could not go back and put the newspaper where it should be? It has taken me many years to learn these lessons, but he helped.

He also taught me another lesson that has burned brightly for all these years. He taught me that I should never, never treat another human being as he treated me.

by Charly Mann

Many of us have life changing moments that we look back on with fondness because they set us on the path for the good things we subsequently achieved. In my case, the entire trajectory of my life was altered by one moment of clarity on a walk across the UNC campus in the summer of 1965 when I was 15. Up to that time I had little interest in school and was getting by with a C- average. As I made my way through the arboretum for some inexplicable reason I realized I passionately wanted to attend this University in three years.

UNC Arboretum trail where I started my walk across the campus

Since I was 14, I had essentially been living alone. My mother and two sisters had moved to California, and I had a room in attic of my father's house on Whitehead Circle. He was rarely around in those days, because he often away attending a conference or spending time with his girlfriends. He would leave me for a week or two with a well stocked refrigerator and $20. I always promptly spent the money on records at Kemp's Record Store and one large takeout pizza from the Zoom-Zoom, leaving me penniless until my Dad returned.

Inspring coed in the Coker Aboretum

I enjoyed my freedom and loved to hitch-hike each day to Durham where I attended the 8th , 9th, and 10th grade. I believed I was not academically gifted because I had always been at the bottom of my classes. As I passed by the Old Well and South Building that day I knew I would have to radically change if I wanted to be a student here. I then noticed a couple of coeds sprawled out on the grass on Polk Place and realized that by attending this great institution they had the world at their fingertips and I became determined to do the same.

By the time I passed Wilson Library I knew my life had totally changed and that I was unafraid of the difficult challenges that faced me in my quest. I had the courage and determination to do whatever it took to achieve my goal.

UNC coeds with the world at their fingertips

From that time on I maintained straight As throughout high school and was all honors classes my junior and senior years. When I graduated from high school my SAT scores, grades, and extra-curricular achievements afforded me the opportunity to attend almost any college, but there was only one choice for me.

Now as I sit back and reflect on that walk, I shake my head in wonderment about how great my life has been since that time.

by Stanley Peele

The year was 1959. I was a senior in law school, about to graduate; and looking for a job. I walked into the Office of Judge L. J. Phipps on Henderson Street in Chapel Hill, (right by the post office). The office was Spartan – very small by today's standards. It had two small offices in the back and two secretaries in front; no library, no break room, no conference room.

Alice Oldham, the senior secretary, told me I could go into his office.

I walked into his office. Most of the space of the small office was taken up by a large desk. On top of the desk was a mountain of papers. Behind the papers sat Judge Luther James Phipps.

With great fear and trepidation, I said, "My name is Stanley Peele, I am about to graduate from law school, and I am looking for work."

Judge Phipps smiled and said, "When can you start?"
"Right now," I replied.

"OK, Mrs. Oldham will tell you what to do." He said. And from that moment, I was hired. No resume. No questions. No conversation about salary. That's the way it was in the 'good old days' between people who trusted one another. Instinctively, I trusted him. Absolutely.

Judge Phipps was a kindly man with a soft voice. Yet he commanded great respect – which, for me, amounted to awe. I never called him "Jim." It was always "Judge Phipps." His abilities were legion.

In 1921, as a student in UNC, he received the Major Wm. B. Cain award for the math student who "demonstrated a high degree of mathematical ability and originality." He had a phenomenal memory and was the leading title lawyer in this area. He could examine old deeds and diagram property lines with lightening speed and uncanny accuracy. In fact, the map of the properties given to the University prior to 1920 were drawn up by Judge Phipps; and the map is in use to this day.

He was a stickler for the law, and did not drink. He was extraordinarily careful about driving, and would not go even 1 mile over the speed limit. This made it very hard on me when I drove him. If I drove 57 in a 55, he would say, "I believe the speed limit here is 55." So I would meekly slow down.

On the other hand, Charlie Hodson, the lawyer, was always late to court and would consistently speed. One time, Judge Phipps was driving to Hillsborough, and made a complete stop at an intersection. Charlie Hodson was driving behind him; and did not expect the Judge to make a complete stop; and plowed right into the Judge’s car.

How the courthouse gang made fun of Charlie about that!!

Judge Luther James Phipps (1898-1969)

Judge Phipps and I were both so busy, that our time together was rare. Yet I remember a few times that I witnessed him doing complex title work. Once I had been wrestling with trying to map out adjoining properties, and I had not been able to do so. Judge Phipps looked at the deeds, and then, with lightening speed, put them all together in a perfect fit.

"How did you do that!?" I exclaimed. He just smiled. Sometimes checking title was like trying to assemble a jig-saw puzzle.

He was a staunch supporter of UNC and seldom missed a home football game. He and Vivian would walk from his home to Kenan Stadium. He had massive knowledge about UNC football.

He was a supporter of the Boy Scouts, and would often be called upon to present the Eagle Scout award at presentation ceremonies.

He had property and title files for Orange County and Chatham County. The Orange County files were the best ever seen at that time. Other attorneys would come over to use them. His files were so good that I could sometimes check 7 titles for bank loans in one day.

People thought Judge Phipps was rich because of his high-volume business. But he was not. His charges were very low. "Temper the wind to the shorn lamb." he told me.
Bill Olsen, the realtor, remembers his mother, Sarah Olsen, telling him if you wanted advice, you went to Jim Phipps. He was the authority. When Mrs. Olsen sold property, she would take the buyer and seller to Judge Phipps. He would draw the contract, check the title, draw the deed and mortgage and close the deal in his office. He would handle the whole transaction, start to finish. And how much would he charge? $1 for the deed and $20 to check title.

He was town attorney for the Town of Carrboro, and never charged a penny for that work.

He knew so many people that on some weeks he went to 3 or 4 funerals.

He was the leading expert on Orange County Churches. He had title cards for every Orange County Church, which showed every deed into or out of the church, together with every mortgage they gave. Hugh Lefler wrote a book titled Orange County. Judge Phipps wrote a chapter in that book, called "The Churches of Orange County." Many years ago, I read that chapter, and was absolutely stunned by the amount of information cited there. I thought I knew something about local churches; but compared to him I was hopelessly ignorant.

In his quiet way, he was a political force. If you wanted a job at the post office in Chapel Hill, you would first have to see him. Those seeking political office would check with him. Not to do so would have been a major blunder. In his quiet way, he was a master politician.

He was judge of the Recorders Court in Chapel Hill for many years. He was Orange County’s representative to the NC Legislature. He was very active with the American Legion, particularly with the Chapel Hill Post; and was commander of the NC American Legion, 1963-64. He drew up the bill to establish the Hillsboro Historic  Commission, which became law in 1963. He was active with the democratic party, and was considered a leader in that area for many years, having various offices on the executive board, including president. He was a staunch conservative, and in those days he and others kept control of the Orange County Democratic Party.

One year he went on a vacation and therefore could not attend the annual meeting of Orange County democrats. When he came back, he found that local liberals (under the movement for Eugene McCarthy) had taken over. This was a dark day for him.

He, together with his wife, Vivian, and his two children, "Snookie" and Dana, lived in an imposing house on Pittsboro Street. It was then 4 houses south of McCauley St., approximately across from the present State Employees’ Credit Union. The home was razed by UNC and is now occupied by UNC buildings. The pillars in front of his home were imposing, giving it an elegant appearance. When I went to his house I always felt out of place – kinda awkward. Yet the rooms inside were modest.

In 1968, he became Orange County’s first District Judge. He was very happy to have this job, for the job of Chapel Hill Recorder’s Court judge, was only a municipal office, unconnected with other judges. The new judgship was a part of a Statewide system; a vastly improved court system. He set up a plan for the district, which was Orange, Chatham and Alamance Counties. The present system in Orange County is based on his original plan.

He died in 1969. Even after all these years, I still miss him. The sky was never quite as blue after he was gone.

Editor's Note: Phipps taught mathematics at UNC from 1943 to 1945. He got an S.B. degree at UNC before his law degree (That is the same as a B.S. degree today then known as Scientiæ Baccalaureus) 

by Charly Mann

I have previously discussed the history of Dr Kluttz and his general merchandise store that was dominant business on Franklin Street from 1883 to 1923, but there was much more to this man than this. The most important thing in his life was his wife, Ora Jane, who he married in 1890. She was a beautiful red head from Goldsboro who was born on March 27, 1868. Dr Kluttz grew up outside of Salisbury and was born on July 7, 1857. Together they were the most respected, well liked, prosperous, and generous couple in Chapel Hill for half a century.

When they first married, Dr Kluttz was working hard to get his store established, but he always seemed to have time for other interests. One reason for this was Ernest Thompson, a black man, who was the de-facto manager of Kluttz's store. He was so competent that most townspeople and students joked that Dr Kluttz was the only person in town who did not work. A popular poem in town in those days went:

Ernest runs the business,
Doc Chews cigar butts
Everybody works in this town,
But A.A. Kluttz

Actually, Dr Kluttz did more before most people got up than the average Chapel Hill citizen did in a day. He was always up by three or four in the morning to work in his vast vegetable and flower garden. He and his wife had purchased the Sam Phillips house and law office across from the University President's house at 407 East Franklin Street in 1894 for $2,800. Dr Kluttz and his wife thoroughly enjoyed this property and got the maximum use out of it.

407 East Franklin Street soon after Dr and Mrs Kluttz bought the house in 1894 

What Dr Kluttz's called his garden was actually a small farm extending back to Rosemary Street. In it he grew a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, radishes, squash, cucumbers, cabbage, green beans, and a wide variety of flowers. He owned a dairy cow that often grazed where Spencer dorm is today which provided the sweetest cream in Chapel Hill. He also grew several types of corn including a variety called County Gentlemen which he was renowned for. It was a sweet white corn that had just been introduced in 1890 and had irregular rows of very deep and narrow kernels. Almost all his guests and boarders recalled its wonderful flavor and texture. His garden was large enough to provide fresh vegetables almost all year for the meals of the Kluttz's, their boarders and the many people they entertained. It also supplied an almost year round supply of fresh cut flowers for their house, and for the Presbyterian Church each Sunday, which he and Ora attended for more than thirty years.

Ora Kluttz was just as amazing as her husband. In 1897 the Kluttzs took over the running of the Central Hotel, which is where the Battle-Vance-Pettigrew building stands today across from the downtown post office. Since Dr Kluttz had his store and "farm" to attend to, it was Mrs Kluttz who really managed the place. The hotel was then dilapidated and catered mainly to students who could not find accommodations in a dormitory. A few years later Mrs Kluttz took her knowledge of hotel management to the next level by turning the Kluttz's home into the finest boarding house in Chapel Hill.

The Central Hotel on Franklin Steet across from what is now the Post Office. It was torn down in 1912 and replaced with the Battle-Vance-Pettigrew building.

Ora Kluttz was a highly refined and dignified woman, and she ran her boarding house like an elite country club. Only a select few were allowed to stay at the Kluttz's, and those who did enjoyed the best rooms, finest meals, and the most stimulating companionship in Chapel Hill. The rooms were rented exclusively to bachelor professors or single professional women who Mrs. Kluttz deemed worthy of her establishment. It was considered a great honor to be allowed to room at the Kluttz's.

Mrs. Kluttz was an imposing presence, and had an aristocratic style that made many who met her feel they were in the presence of royalty. Indeed she was often referred to as the Queen of Chapel Hill. She wore her hair in a pompadour and her manners and taste were impeccable. She loved to entertain and had the finest cook and staff in Chapel Hill to help her provide sumptuous feasts for her guests. She was particularly well known for her stag dinner parties, where eligible bachelor professors would be introduced to ladies she deemed worthy of their attention. Many love affairs began at these soirees.

The Adam and Ora Kluttz boarding house

The greatest love of Ora Kluttz's life was for her husband. They were perfectly matched and totally complimented one another. At their house Mrs. Kluttz did most of the talking, though Dr Kluttz often had the last word. While she always behaved and conversed in an elegant style, Dr Kluttz loved to find humor in almost everything. For example when they had a new guest to dinner he would pass them a plate of biscuits or deserts and startle them by saying "take a lot, take two, take damn near all of them." When a man he didn't care for came calling for one of the female boarders he would say, "Come in! Tell me all you know, it won't take you long." One boarder recalls that a rather large lodger was piling his plate rather high at dinner when Dr Kluttz turned to him and said, "here just take another plate." Mrs. Kluttz always seemed to enjoy her husband's wit. Throughout their life together they always called each other "Bay" which was short for "Baby".

Sam Phillips law office (far left) at northeast corner of Hillsborough and East Franklin Street 1920. Next door is the Kluttz house.

After dinner Dr Kluttz enjoyed sitting on the swinging chair on his front porch and exchanging greetings with every person who walked by his house. When it was cold he enjoyed sitting next to the fire in his living room. There was a steady stream of visitors to the Kluttz's every evening. Almost everyone in town, including all the other merchants and professors at UNC enjoyed sitting in the Kluttz's parlor and discussing a wide range of topics. Among the regular visitors was the esteemed UNC botanist William C. Coker, who landscaped most of the UNC campus and downtown Chapel Hill, and M.C.S. Noble, Dean of the UNC School of Education.

Sam Phillips law office in 2009.  (401 East Franklin Street)

The Kluttz house was built in 1856 by Samuel Field Phillips. The small stucco building next to it on the corner of Franklin and Hillsborough, which the Kluttz's also owned, was originally Phillips law office. and was constructed in 1843. After Mrs. Kluttz died their home was left to her niece Sudie Coenen. Since 1978 the house has been the Tri Delta (Delta Delta Delta) Sorority.

The Kluttz house today at 407 East Franklin Street which is now the Tri Delta sorority

By 1916, the Klutzes were the wealthiest family in Chapel Hill, primarily due to good real estate investments. They owned several downtown buildings including those that in later years housed the Varsity Theater, Jeff's Confectionery, Lacock's Shoe Store, Max Snipes Barber Shop, and the N.C. Cafeteria. They also owned four other downtown houses. After Dr Kluttz died Mrs. Kluttz became the town's leading advocate for improving the local public schools and urged for an increase of the school tax on property. Since she was the town's single largest taxpayer this affected her more than anyone else in town. She was also a generous contributor to the Playmaker's Theater.

 Dr Kluttz died in 1926, while Mrs. Kluttz lived on another 21 years until May 31, 1947. They are buried next to one another at the Chapel Hill cemetery.