High Point lost several notable figures in 2022

Jimmy Tomlin, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·4 min read

Dec. 24—HIGH POINT — A history-making judge, a leading philanthropist, a former U.S. ambassador and a beloved police officer were among High Point's notable deaths during 2022.

The list also includes a special dog that made state and national headlines during her life.

Here's a rundown of the year's notable local deaths:

—Sammie Chess Jr., North Carolina's first Black Superior Court judge, died July 23 at his home in Jamestown. He was 88. A one-time William Penn High School dropout, Chess returned to school and went on to become an accomplished civil rights attorney in High Point during the 1960s. In 1971, he was appointed as the state's first Black Superior Court judge, a four-year appointment, after which he returned to private practice and later was appointed an administrative law judge.

—David Hayworth, a retired businessman and former High Point Citizen of the Year who was known for his charitable contributions to all sorts of worthwhile causes, died July 1.

"God did High Point a big favor when he sent David Hayworth here," said longtime close friend Ed Price, whose youth-oriented projects often benefited from Hayworth's generosity.

Hayworth supported community causes large and small, from big-ticket projects for High Point University and High Point Regional Health System to less-visible organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater High Point.

—Dave Phillips, a business and civic leader who served as a U.S. ambassador and North Carolina secretary of commerce, died Nov. 20. He was 80. Phillips built successful businesses in textiles and finance, and helped redevelop a furniture factory into what is now the Market Square showroom complex and Textile Tower. In 1992, he was named N.C. Secretary of Commerce by Gov. Jim Hunt, and in 2007 he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as U.S. ambassador to Estonia. He was also the subject of a 2019 book, "Come On, America: The Inspirational Journey of Ambassador Dave Phillips," by local author Mary Bogest.

—Stewart Hartley, a highly respected city police officer who twice served as acting chief of police, died May 17. At 94, he was the department's longest surviving retired officer. Hartley served on the police force from 1957 to 1984, including stints as acting chief in 1974-75 and 1976. He also helped establish the city's first Crime Stoppers chapter.

—Stan Bingham, a retired Republican state senator who spent 16 years in the N.C. General Assembly and had a long career in Davidson County politics, died Oct. 27. He was 76. A former Davidson County commissioner, Bingham served in the Senate from 2000 until his retirement in 2016. Colleagues described him as a legislator who was highly respected on both sides of the aisle.

—Carolyn Coleman, a Guilford County commissioner who was a civil rights activist and community advocate, died Jan. 26. She was 79. Coleman, a Democrat, was first elected to the Guilford board in 2002 and served nearly 20 years. In 2005, she became the board's first African-American chairwoman.

—The Rev. Anthony Spearman, former president of the N.C. NAACP and a longtime member of the Guilford County Board of Elections, died July 19. He was 71.

—Sara Davis Welborn, the last surviving member of High Point's much-celebrated "Davis triplets," died March 7, at age 83. Born in 1938, Davis was the firstborn of the triplets, the first triplets ever delivered at High Point's old Burris Memorial Hospital. Although triplets were not unheard of in 1938, the Davis triplets became pseudo-celebrities in the community, often having their photos published in The High Point Enterprise on birthdays and other occasions.

—Susie, the High Point dog whose journey from abuse and near-death to celebrity inspired animal lovers across the nation, died Sept. 9, after battling bone cancer. She was 13. Susie, who was beaten, set on fire and left to die as a puppy, was rescued and adopted by High Point's Donna Lawrence. The dog became the public face of Susie's Hope, a nonprofit that aims to eliminate animal cruelty, and Susie's Law, the 2010 legislation that toughened sentences for animal-abuse convictions in North Carolina. Her story inspired a feature-length film and several books, and in 2014 Susie was named the American Humane Association's American Hero Dog.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579