Chamber of Commerce inducts second class of business leaders into Hall of Fame

Six businesses and their owners were enshrined forever in the town of Chapel Hill’s memory when the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce held its second annual Hall of Fame inductions on Thursday.

From a farmer whose milk is legendary to a stylish couple that clothed the town in plaid and argyle, the list of inductees represented the variety that local businesses in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have to offer.

“People love Chapel Hill, and it’s often these iconic businesses they remember,” said chamber president Aaron Nelson. “This is just our way to thank them.”

It was a night centered on love — both the love of the inductees — who made sacrifices to give back to Chapel Hill — and of the town.

Missy Julian Fox spoke of love as she, along with her brother, Alexander Julian, and son, Bart Fox, accepted the honor on behalf of her parents, Maurice and Mary Julian, the owners of Franklin Street clothing store Julian’s.

“For them, it was a love affair not only between them, but also with their business,” Fox said. “It was a love affair with Franklin Street and our whole community.”

In a comic moment, real estate agent and honoree Eunice Brock explained how she received the nickname “Barracuda Brock” for her refusal to adhere to the status quo.

“I always spoke up since I was a little girl because I thought I was a big girl, and I didn’t care what boys thought,” Brock said. “I did what I wanted to do, and I did what I thought was right.”

Marc Pons, son of inductee Al Pons, shared a memory of his father, who owned Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, going to Julian’s.

“Mr. Julian kept bringing clothes out, and my dad ended up buying everything that he brought out that day,” Pons said. “I said to my dad, ‘That man sold you a bunch of clothes,’ and my dad looked at me and said, ‘That’s all right. I do the same thing to him when he’s in my shop.’”

The story highlighted the theme of the night: that the owners of each of these businesses, while they played their own individual roles, ultimately worked together to create the local economy.

The other business leaders recognized were Sandy McClamroch, of WCHL; Bob Nutter, of Maple View Farm; and Susie and Bynum Weaver, of Chapel Hill Funeral Home and Ambulance Service.

As he concluded the evening, Nelson toasted the honorees for the legacies they had left. He then introduced the Clef Hangers, who serenaded the audience with James Taylor’s “Carolina in my Mind.”

The lyrics, “Got to carry on without me, I’m gone,” seemed appropriate for a night spent remembering leaders who have left lasting legacies on the Chapel Hill business community.

city@dailytarheel.com