Republican Party names Hall of Fame at Trump-Reagan Dinner

By MICAH HENRY

The Alexander County Republican Party hosted its spring dinner, now known as the Trump-Reagan Dinner, on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at White Splendor event venue on Barrett Mountain, south of Taylorsville. The party inducted three recipients as Hall of Fame honor recipients.

Alexander County Republican Party Chair Jack Simms welcomed the crowd to the well-attended dining room, which offered beautiful, sun-drenched views of the surrounding foothills.

Carol Mitchell was recognized as Chairman’s Award winner by Chairman Simms. He noted that Mitchell has helped organize and paint many of the squares in the county’s barn quilt art project, located on the east side of the Alexander County Services Center at 151 West Main Avenue in Taylorsville. The art installation is now the largest of its kind in North Carolina.

Among those honored as Hall of Fame inductees were Wes Bolick, Harold Dagenhart, and Benny Sharpe, Jr.

Wes Bolick, 87, was introduced by Kay Pace. Bolick is a former Alexander County Commissioner, having served from 1996 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2010. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, Habitat for Humanity volunteer, and volunteered for church missions to Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua. He served as a lone Republican on a Democratic controlled board and later on a Republican majority board.

Harold Dagenhart was introduced by Vice Chair Darrell Seaford. Dagenhart served as a Taylorsville Town Commissioner from 1991 to 1993, ran for Clerk of Court in 1994, and served on the Planning and Zoning Board for four years. He currently is church president of Salem Lutheran Church, where he has also served as church elder and treasurer in the past. Dagenhart is a member of the Rocky Face Rangers Camp 1948 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, where he served as second lieutenant commander for 12 years. He helped direct over 350 Veterans Administration headstones being placed for late veterans in Alexander and surrounding counties. Dagenhart currently serves on the Board of Directors for Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center. He was the first recipient of the GOP Fifth District’s Above and Beyond award.

Benny Sharpe, Jr., was introduced by Bill Lebo. Sharpe is local treasurer of the party. He served in law enforcement for the State of North Carolina and returned home after retiring. He has served as representative to the party’s state committee for several years, never missing a meeting. Sharpe has also worked diligently to update and computerize the party’s records.

Also recognized was the Alexander County GOP Award recipient, Nancy Sharpe, presented by County Commissioner Kent Herman. Mrs. Sharpe is a member of the Alexander County Board of Elections, who is stepping down this year after serving on the board since 2005.

Among speakers at the event were State Senator Eddie Settle (District 36), State House Representative Blair Eddins (District 94), N.C. GOP Chair Jason Simmons, RNC Committeewoman Kyshia Brassington, and RNC Committeeman Ed Broyhill.

Sen. Settle noted that the DAVE Act has been introduced in the state senate, similar to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Settle said legislation is underway with SB 227 and SB 558 to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instruction from public schools and colleges, respectively. Both houses are working on the state budget.

Eddins said he felt the NC House and Senate were working well together this year. There is a House Bill to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion instruction from state agencies and replace with merit-based initiatives. A constituitional concealed handgun carry bill has been filed, as well.

Brassington noted that the first time she met President Trump was a private event in 2016 at Mar-a-Lago in Florida with other ladies from North Carolina. Though he was at a separate, private dinner, he made time to come over to meet her group, take photos, and answer questions. She noted Trump is fighting for the forgotten American.

Broyhill related his accounts of meeting both Presidents Trump and Reagan. Broyhill feels that the people of Alexander County are close to him, with many relatives in the Brushy Mountains. At 17, Broyhill was active in the Young Republicans in Atlanta when Ronald and Nancy Reagan visited the city and Broyhill was able to meet the Reagans. Broyhill’s father, the late U.S. Senator Jim Broyhill, was instrumental in developing economic deregulation, free enterprise rules for television, trucking, and other industries. Broyhill noted that he is proud to serve as Chairman of the Patriot Foundation. The organization’s scholarships support the educational goals of qualifying disabled Veterans and the family members of fallen or disabled Veterans.

Simmons noted that President Trump has given the country so much in the past three months, compared to the open borders, human trafficking, and fentanyl which was widespread under the Biden administration. There was a 97 percent drop in border apprehensions after Trump was elected, said Simmons. He recalled it being a “surreal” moment when he met Trump as state campaign director in 2016. He noted that the only thing Trump cares about is winning — making America a winning nation again.

Also, Rev. John Anglin, Yancey County Republican Party Chairman since 2015, related his community’s strong spirit in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. He saw a small creek near his home become a 200-foot wide raging river during the deluge. His area lost power for 16 days and was devastated by the storm. One end of his road was blocked by a landslide. On the other end, the swollen river had picked up a house off its foundations and set it in the middle of the road.

Anglin noted that the GOP took control of the Yancey County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education for the first time in 2018. The following year, Republicans outnumbered Democrats among registered voters in Yancey County. He noted the party has focused on education, the economy, workforce development, and a government that works for all citizens.

He shared when politics really matters to him is when it saves lives, is rooted in faith, and rooted in community, as his area banded together to clean up after Helene and continues to rebuild.
“We don’t leave. We don’t quit. We roll up our sleeves and we go to work,” Anglin said.

He was asked by the Yancey County Sheriff and County Manager to join the county’s Incident Management Team the day after Helene hit. Rescues were still happening, communications were down, there was no electricity, no water, no sewer service.

“What got us through? There’s a definition of politics that says it is the total complex of relations between people living in society. It’s not just who you know, but who you work with, who you’ve been in the foxhole with. That’s what we have in the Yancey County Republican Party. I hear that’s what you have here in Alexander County as well. So many times, we were able to quickly identify who was needed to do what task because we actually know one another. This is when politics really matters,” Anglin said.

“When the storm hits, it’s not about political bullet points or sound bites, it’s about who shows up and gets the work done, who stays up late, who leans on the Lord, who will pray with you, who digs in, and leads by example,” Anglin continued.

“I remember one evening, within the first few weeks after the storm, telling Marie, ‘I finally know why God had me become involved in politics. It was for this moment, for this time.’ Within the Republican Party, we want to know what it takes to get more people consistently engaged in the political process. All too often, the politics we put forward highlight petty infighting, labeling people RINOs, establishment, grassroots, or just plain crazy. We have a long standing debate over the plan of organization, and semantics regarding a resolution that will most likely never see the light of day on a convention state forum. The politics that matter don’t just show up every two or four years. They show up in work boots, mud covered pickup trucks, four wheelers, and side-by-sides with shovels, fuel tanks, and chainsaws. They show up at those early meetings when the mess has hit the fan and they ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ They’re drive by prayer, not polls, by conviction, not convenience, by community, not self interest. This is our kind of politics: not petty, not performative, not transactional, but faithful, purposeful, enduring. We, in the Republican Party, believe in personal responsibility, in limited government, in faith, family, and freedom, but those principles only matter when they are put into practice. When the winds blow, when the rain falls, and that creek rises, that’s when politics really matters, not in DC, but in your county, your town, your precinct. We, the Republican Party, are built for moments like this,” Anglin stated.