News-Record.com

Don't ask how the father of transportation in North Carolina was overlooked last year when the N.C. Transportation Hall of Fame named its first inductees.

But that oversight will be corrected Tuesday in High Point when the hall of fame holds its second induction ceremony at the at the Radisson Hotel.

John Motley Morehead, governor from 1841-44, who helped awake North Carolina and rid it of its reputation as the Rip Van Winkle State, will be among seven inductees.

Morehead was the first to push the idea of a public/private-owned railroad across the state.

When he left office, he continued lobbying for the railroad and was named its first president in 1850, even before any rails were in place.

The N.C. Railroad Co. line was designated to go from Goldsboro to Raleigh to Greensboro to Charlotte. Construction began in the early 1850s and final spike driven in 1856 near the South Elm Street crossing, a few blocks from Morehead's Blandwood Mansion.

The line gave birth to at least two towns, High Point (the highest point on the line) and Burlington (where the repairs shops were located).

Morehead's railroad is now wholly state owned and leased to Norfolk Southern Railroad. Its tracks, especially those between Raleigh and Charlotte, hum 24-7 with freight trains and a few passenger trains.

The line is expected to play a larger role in the state's future as cities along the line establish commuter rail systems and the federal government creates a high-speed rail line from the North to the Southeast. The Raleigh-Charlotte portion of the N.C.

Railroad line will play an important role in the future, as cities along the route establish commuter rail and the federal government creates a high-speel rail line from the North to the Southeast. The Raleigh-Charlotte section of Morehead's railroad has already been selected as part of the high speed route.

Another inductee with Triad connections is the late Tom Davis of Winston-Salem, who in 1948 started Piedmont Airlines. He built it from what he called a "puddle jumper,'' serving small and middle size cities in North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee to a national and international carrier.

Piedmont was eventually bought by US Airways, but an almost cult following keeps memories of Piedmont alive. It was famous for its service, on-time arrivals and safety record.

Yet another Triad inductee is Earl E. Congdon Jr., CEO of Old Dominion Freight in Thomasville. Despite its name, his comapny has beem in North Carolina since 1962, when it relocated from Richmond.

Founded in 1934 by Congdon's father with one truck, the company now has 4,000 tractors and 14,000 trailers serving 45 states and Canada It employees more than 10,000 people.

Others to be inducted are the late highway builder Robert Barnell Sr., Paul D. Crbbins, the late Herman Hoose and Billy Rose.

Barnhill Construction Co. built sections of interstates in North Carolina, Virginia and Delaware and the Raleigh Beltway (I-440). The company also did railroad work, widening the old Atlanta Coast Line route (now CXX), between Rocky Mount and Enfield.

Cribbins, professor emeritus at N.C. State University, spent 32 years at the university teaching transportation courses, ranging from highway geometric design to airport planning and design

The late Herman Hoos in 1948 was hired by Charlotte as the first traffic engineer in North Carolina. He championed highway innovation and safety during his 30 years with the city of Charlotte.

Billy Rose served as state highway administrator for the N.C. Department of Transportation during the 1970s and 1980s, a period of major interstate and urban thoroughfare construction in North Carolina.

Tuesday's luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. but a transportation exhibit will open at the hotel at 9:30 a.m.