The Times-News HENDERSONVILLE, N.C., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1977 Weather — Partly cloudy through Sunday. High today, mid to upper 60s; low tonight, mid 40s; high Sunday, mid 60s. SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS

Featured article (center column):

Frank L. FitzSimons Sr. Named Winner of Annual Wolfe Award

Frank L. FitzSimons Sr., Henderson County historian, ex-teacher, banker, former register of deeds, and noted speaker, has been named winner of the Wolfe Award of the Western North Carolina Historical Association.

The award is to be presented today at the association’s quarterly meeting at Montmorenci United Methodist Church near Candler.

Wick Andrews of Hendersonville will make the presentation speech. He or another member of the association will then present the award.

FitzSimons was chosen for his recent book, “Along the Banks of the Oklawaha,” a compendium of historical anecdotes about the people of Henderson County.

The Wolfe Award, a 20-inch engraved cup, is presented annually to the Western North Carolina writer who has had the best book, in the opinion of the judges, published within the past year, according to Col. Mack White, immediate past president of the association. The writer must be a native or long-time resident of one or more of 23 mountain counties. The work may be fiction, non-fiction or poetry, and cover any subject, but cannot be technical, White said.

Among winners have been Glenn Tucker, Civil War historian and onetime resident of the Upward section; Wilma Dykeman, author of “The French Broad”; and John Parris, for his “My Mountains, My People.”

The Wolfe Award is made at the fall quarterly meeting of the association. It was named for Thomas Wolfe, prolific Asheville novelist.

The spring meeting of the association was held at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute. White said he hopes that a meeting will be held in Hendersonville within the next six months.

Other adjacent stories (partial, for context):

Senate Heading toward OK On Tax Credit Legislation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate, after chopping $9 billion in tax breaks for industry from its energy tax bill, is moving toward final approval of the remaining $40 billion in tax credits. Passage would allow a conference committee to begin marrying out a compromise version of energy taxes proposed by President Carter and passed in a modified form earlier by the House.

[continues with discussion of energy tax credits and the Kennedy amendment]

Duncan’s Attorneys Want Subpoenas Withdrawn

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for Edward Duncan Jr. have filed a motion asking that subpoenas for two members of their firm to testify at Duncan’s upcoming trial on charges of bugging the FBI be withdrawn.

Two members of the law firm representing the former Northwestern Bank Board chairman, Bynum M. Hunter and Ben F. Tennille, have already testified before a grand jury in the case.

They were subpoenaed for the Nov. 7 trial along with a third attorney, Michael R. Abel.

Duncan has been convicted of misapplying bank funds and electronically monitoring Internal Revenue Service agents. The two attorneys testified earlier about two tape recordings which the government says the attorneys received from Catherine Woodruff, Duncan’s daughter.

The FBI learned of the tapes and subpoenaed them. Voices of FBI agents who had been conducting an investigation of Northwestern Bank were recognized.

The government claims that the attorneys could not use the client-attorney privilege as a defense against testifying because the tapes were obtained from a third party.

Two other members of the law firm, Jack Floyd and Richard Bernhardt, have represented Duncan in court. They say they cannot represent him at his upcoming trial unless the three members of their firm are excused from testifying in the case.

They argued that forcing the firm out of the case would deprive Duncan of his right to choose his own attorneys.

In the motion filed Thursday asking that the subpoenas be withdrawn, Duncan’s lawyers offered to stipulate that the tapes originally came from a bank employee. But the government has refused to agree to that stipulation.

Homecoming Scheduled

The Hendersonville High School homecoming dance will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in the new gymnasium.

Tickets may be obtained from the school office or at the door.

Viet Plane Hijacked

SINGAPORE (AP) — A Vietnamese DC3, apparently hijacked, landed at a military airport here today, aviation authorities reported.

Four of the 36 persons aboard were believed to be hijackers, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department said.

He said they had not made any demands or communicated with authorities since landing.

The spokesman said Seletar airport officials could not sure the plane had been hijacked. He said they had been alerted only 20 minutes beforehand that it was about to land. It touched down here at 5:35 p.m. local time (6:05 a.m. EDT).

Photograph caption (lower left):

FRANK L. FITZSIMONS SR.