A stalwart servant of Sampson County, Ted Lockerman was a thoughtful leader who sought to move the county forward in a diplomatic way as an elections official, commissioner and attorney, while also cracking a fair share of good-natured jokes on those he cared for most, his friends and colleagues said.
Lockerman, whose family’s service to this county runs deep, passed away Thursday, just 10 days shy of his 83rd birthday.
For his own part, Lockerman served as the attorney for the Clinton Board of Education from July 1973 through November 1986, before being elected as a Sampson County commissioner from 1986 to 1990. After one term, he decided not to seek reelection, instead taking over as attorney for the county, a capacity in which he served the next 14 years.
Serving as a bookend to those many years of serving as attorney and commissioner, Lockerman served multiple stints on the Sampson County Board of Elections, from 1969-73 and then from 2007-14, concluding with a one-year term as chairman.
“He was a great leader in the county in many different capacities,” said Dwight Williams, who succeeded Lockerman as elections chairman in 2014, having also known him through their leadership with the Republican Party. “I’m not sure I can recall any attorney that served on the Board of Elections (other than Lockerman). That was a great asset to the board.”
“It was a great honor of mine to be able to follow him,” Williams remarked. “He gave tremendous advice, always.”
Not just Lockerman’s legal acumen, but his demeanor and diplomacy were admired by his peers and those who knew him, and he served to represent Sampson County and its electoral process — as well as local school and government boards — in the most dignified and professional manner possible, many said.
“He gave great leadership,” said Williams. “He was just even-tempered, always listening and always thoughtful with his responses. I always admired him for that.”
Lockerman was appointed to a four-year term on the North Carolina Commissioner Board of Directors. Then-Gov. Jim Martin also appointed Lockerman to serve a six-year term on the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. An avid outdoorsman, Lockerman was a founding member of the group that organized Ducks Unlimited in Sampson County.
Lockerman practiced law for 41 years until his retirement in November 2003. He was a member of the Sampson County Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association. He also served as chairman of the Sampson County Young Republicans in 1961 and 1962.
Allie Ray McCullen and Lockerman were among those who organized the Young Republicans group in this county all those years ago. McCullen knew Perry Lockerman, a former Sampson County Sheriff from 1946-54 and a chairman of the Board of Commissioners, before Perry’s son Ted came on the board years later. McCullen was county auditor and clerk to the board back in those days.
“He was a great people person,” McCullen said of the younger Lockerman. “He loved life, he loved Sampson County and he was a prince of a guy.”
McCullen paused. “And he could tease you,” he said with a laugh.
Lockerman was well-known for his penchant to play a practical joke. There would be plenty of times when the well-known and well-respected attorney would go into the courthouse with a rubber snake ready to pounce at the first unsuspecting victim. But it was all in good fun.
Lockerman officially resigned from the Board of Elections in September 2014, citing health issues that precluded him from continuing on. Danny Jackson was added to the board the next day and Williams was subsequently named chairman in early October 2014.
A few months later, at the behest of Williams and others, Lockerman returned to the Board of Elections to be honored. He received a hero’s welcome.
Family members, including Lockerman’s wife Alice, their daughter Robin Lockerman Allcock and husband Jeff and their son Luke, as well as Lockerman’s son Allan and his wife Sue, were all in attendance. They were joined by Elections and Veterans Service office staff, as well as Williams, Jackson and Horace Bass, then-Republican Party chairman Curtis Barwick and others.
Lockerman was presented with a framed aerial photograph of Lockerman Farm, located north of Salemburg. The project was the brainchild of the board, which wanted to do something for the steadfast county servant. They knew how much the former board chairman loved the family farm and decided an aerial photo of the parcel of land would be a fitting gift.
Under the photo, it noted Lockerman’s time on the Board of Elections, which he called “a highlight of my life.”
Williams at the time credited Lockerman with overseeing “very open, well-run and clean elections … always with utmost honor and care.”
As he looked at the framed picture during that meeting just days before 2014 turned to 2015, Lockerman regaled the audience with stories about the property where he was born and his father was raised before him. And in pure Lockerman fashion, he used the opportunity to share a series of practical jokes concerning the property.
His brother had once talked about tearing down the house, but Lockerman said that they couldn’t do it, because it was a historic landmark. His brother looked at him perplexed. “I said ‘I was born in that house. That’s in the state and the national historic registry,” Lockerman said. “So we didn’t tear it down.”
About two weeks later though, Lockerman was coming to the farm off N.C. 242 and he saw a white sign stuck in the ground. This time it was Lockerman who was perplexed. “I thought ‘what in the world is that white sign?,” he recalled.
When he got closer, he saw that the white sign said “Historical monument — 1/4 mile.” Further down the road, another sign. “Historical monument — 1/8 mile.” Lockerman chuckled to himself. By the time he got to the house, there was a large wooden sign. On it, sure enough, “Historical Monument: Birthplace of Ted B. Lockerman, 9-1-36.”
“I thought, ‘that turkey,’” Lockerman stated.
In a bit of sibling one-upmanship, Lockerman had his own small sign made to go under the wooden one. “Tours by appointment only,” it read, with his brother’s phone number and a note to call after 9 p.m. Lockerman then recruited a bunch of friends to call and pose as church groups wishing to take a tour.
The calls poured in and Lockerman’s brother quickly figured out what was going on.
Lockerman said he laughed when one of his own recruits came back and said that the tour was available, but only with the mandatory purchase of $10 sodas and $6 crackers.
Lockerman had a million stories like that. He was always willing to share a tale that might be enjoyed by another, and ready to lend an ear to hear what somebody else had to say.
“Ted was a first-class person,” said McCullen. “He was a sound thinker, he loved his fellow man and I doubt he ever met a stranger.”
And, on the off-chance he did, they didn’t stay a stranger long.
Quincy Edgerton came onto the Sampson Board of Commissioners right after Lockerman left his post to take on the county attorney job, and they worked the next eight years in close proximity conducting the county’s business.
“He was one of those people who you could always expect a thoughtful answer from,” said Edgerton, “and if you weren’t careful, he might pull a trick on you. He was just a happy and thoughtful person. He was always a great public servant, a great friend and a man who was friendly to everyone.”
Lockerman was a member of Grove Park Baptist Church and a former deacon. He also attended Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church. Both churches will host services paying tribute to Lockerman this weekend.
A celebration of life will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, in the MacQueen Building at Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church, 201 Fayetteville St., Clinton. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at Grove Park Baptist Church.
