LAURINBURG — Althea Simpson, the longtime general manager of The Laurinburg Exchange, passed away at home in Laurinburg last week after a long illness. She was 72.
Simpson was born and raised in Williamstown, Kentucky, on Nov. 21, 1949. After a number of years as a stay-at-home mother, she went to work for BB&T in Wilson before returning to college to pursue her bachelor’s degree from Barton University, where she double-majored in English and art.
Following her graduation, Simpson was employed as a reporter for The Wilson Daily Time where one of her favorite stories focused on Vollis Simpson, no relation, who created the world-famous whirligigs that are displayed in downtown Wilson in the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park.
Simpson, who took pride in her career as a professional, ethical and fair journalist, eventually spent time at The Sampson Independent in Clinton before coming to The Exchange as its GM and advertising manager in September 2011.
“Althea loved The Laurinburg Exchange,” said Scott Champion, owner of Champion Media, The Exchange’s parent company, “she knew everyone in town and everyone knew her.
“Althea was one of the most positive people I’ve ever worked with,” he added. “She had the ability to get everybody in the office to work for her all the time, which is a never an easy task. Althea was dedicated to everything she did in life.”
During her time in Lauringburg, Simpson was a member of and past president for the Scottish Pilot Club.
“She was a hard worker and dedicated to the cause, whether that was The Laurinburg Exchange or Scottish Pilot,” said Dorothy Tyson, current president of the club. “I remember her being a very active participant in the writing of a grant for Scottish Pilot and also putting them in the spotlight with their activities and events. She was very kind, giving and had a warm and welcoming smile.”
Simpson made a positive impression with those she interacted with in the community as part of her job with the newspaper.
“I always enjoyed working with her,” said Chris English, executive director of the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce. “She was a delightful person and full of spirit.”
“She was such a high-quality, terrific person,” said Chris Futrell of Scotland Motors. “I remember her pottery pieces and that she taught classes on pottery — she could talk for hours about that.”
Those who worked with Simpson also had good memories.
“Althea was a true friend that became more like family over the years,” said Amy Johnson, advertising rep for The Exchange. “She taught me so much about not only my job, but life. I will forever be grateful for our friendship.”
“When I first started at The Exchange, Althea was so incredibly welcoming and kind as I navigated through my first ‘real’ reporting job,” said Katelin Gandee. “She always had the most amazing stories from her family history in Australia to her times in Wilson. She was always looking on the positive side even during the bad times. She was such an asset to The Exchange.”
“She always made me feel like I was more important than the job, if that makes sense,” said Amy Futrell, who worked for Simpson as an advertising rep. “She was just so amazing as a friend and as a co-worker. The one word that comes to mind to describe her is nurturing.”
Simpson retired from the newspaper in October 2019 — read more about Althea Simpson at https://ift.tt/3lmrcth.
A memorial gathering is being planned for a later date in Wilson.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected]
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Remembering Althea Simpson, who spent eight years as GM of The Exchange - Laurinburg Exchange
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