Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter Pool Table on Display
Oct 6, 2014
By: Wanda Stiles, Curator, Museum of the Albemarle
The Museum of the Albemarle is proud to introduce an exhibit featuring local legends who were inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. As the Hall celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Museum of the Albemarle has highlighted twelve inductees with ties to northeastern North Carolina including Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter, Bobby Vaughan, and Maxine Allen. Jerry Tolley, Leon Brogden, Jim Garrison, Jethro Pugh, Francis Rogallo, Mike McGee, and Dennis Byrd are also featured along with 2013 inductee Marion Kirby, former head coach of John A. Holmes High School in Chowan County.
Also on display is a pool table that belonged to Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter. Lassiter was the winner of the World Pocket Billiard Championship in years 1955, 1957, 1963, 1964, 1966, and 1967. He won the Legendary Billiard Stars Tournament in 1983 at age 65. Born 1918 in Elizabeth City, Luther reportedly received his nickname “Wimpy” from his fondness of consuming as many hot dogs as Popeye’s friend Wimpy consumed hamburgers. Luther was also considered as one of the greatest nine-ball players of all time.
Contributions of graphics and research to the exhibit from Roger Williams, Chowan University, Jerry McGee, Rogallo Foundation, North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, North Carolina State University Athletics, Joyner Library, East Carolina University, and the North Carolina Museum of History were very valuable in making this exhibit possible. The exhibit will run through November 2014.
About the Museum of the Albemarle
The Museum of the Albemarle is located at 501 S. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC. (252)335-1453. www.museumofthealbemarle.com. Find us on Facebook! Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed Sundays, Mondays and State Holidays. Serving Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties, the Museum is the northeast regional history museum of the North Carolina Division of State History Museums within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.
About The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission to enrich lives and communities creates opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.
Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art; NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and economic stimulus engines for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state; developing and supporting access to traditional and online collections such as genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.
NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.