Lumberton mayor dedicates plaza to late Dick Taylor

Tomeka Sinclair, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—LUMBERTON — For nearly 50 years the late Dick Taylor had a front-row view of the plaza in downtown Lumberton from his business, Taylor Insurance Agency Inc.

Moving forward the entertainment hub will now bear his name, after a dedication ceremony held Thursday in front of about 50 of Taylor's close friends and family and Lumberton city officials.

During the ceremony, Mayor Bruce Davis presented Taylor's widow Lenore with a proclamation, naming the plaza the "Dick Taylor Plaza." To the east of the UNC Health Southeastern stage is a plaque with the new name and it reads: "Dedicated in honor of Dick Taylor for his contributions to downtown Lumberton."

The plaza was first erected in 1975 when J. Earl Musslewhite resided as mayor.

"To dedicate this plaza to Dick Taylor is a very high honor for me," Davis said.

Having his name on the plaza has been a dream of Taylor's for a long time, according to Lenore. This was confirmed by Davis who said Taylor expressed this to him before he passed.

"I said 'yeah, you've watched it long enough. I guess you've earned that,'" Davis said. "What I didn't know is that he put a bunch of money in this plaza and downtown."

Taylor, who passed away on May 11 at the age of 94, had been a longtime fixture in the Downtown Lumberton community, having owned and operated Taylor Insurance Agency Inc. for more than seven decades.

"Dick was such a prominent figure in our community and specifically the downtown area," said Dencie Lambdin, chair of the main street community.

The downtown Lumberton, Taylor knew 70 years ago, was one that was "vibrant and alive," thriving from the tobacco and textile industries and in the midst of it all was Taylor Insurance, according to Lambdin.

"He knew the history of these buildings," Lambdin said. "He knew the tenants that were here. He knew the owners and the proprietors. He knew the businessmen and women who made this a very very special place to be. He remembered the buildings."

Taylor over the years made it his goal to bring downtown Lumberton back to its original glory.

In his last years, he worked closely with the Lumberton Main Street Committee and Rediscover Downtown Lumberton, which shares the goal of revitalizing the downtown Lumberton area. With his help, Taylor assisted in renovating several dilapidated buildings and most recently donated land to the City of Lumberton to install a pocket park.

Lumberton was his one and only home, Lenore said.

"There was not a day that Lumberton was not on Dick's mind," Lenore said.

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at tsinclair@robesonian.com or 910-416-5865.