NORTH WILKESBORO – New signs now decorate a new section of N.C. 268 East in Wilkes County.
Officials from the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Town of North Wilkesboro honored a local legend on Thursday by dedicating the highway from Second Street to town limits in honor of Conley Call.
The NCDOT board unanimously approved a resolution in 2018 dedicating the two-mile stretch as the Conley Call Highway. Substantial construction to improve the highway concluded earlier this year providing the opportunity for the signs to be installed on Thursday.
In addition to listing a long resume of accomplishments, the NCDOT resolution states in part, “The mayor and board of commissioners of the Town of North Wilkesboro requested to honor and acknowledge Conley Call for his many services to the county, state and country by dedicating a portion of N.C. 268 in North Wilkesboro as the ‘Conley Call Highway.’”
Call, who lived in North Wilkesboro for 86 years before passing away in 2017, was elected mayor of North Wilkesboro in 1993 and served two four-year terms.
Conley was a retired colonel in the Army Reserve. He became a fireman in 1956 and served in the North Wilkesboro Fire Department as lieutenant, captain, assistant fire chief and then as chief until his retirement in 1993. He was a past commander of the North Wilkesboro Guard and a member of the National Army Reserve Officer’s Association.
Conley also served the community as a member of the Urban Renewal Commission and North Wilkesboro Housing Authority, vice-chairman of Wilkes Regional Medical Review Board (trustee), Wilkes County Board of Election, Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, president of Wilkes County United Way, Advisory Board and past chairman of Wilkes Community College and Wilkes Fireman’s Association.
“I want to thank everyone,” said Call’s wife Gracie, “for their contributions to make this happen.”