THE BOOK’S BIRTH STORY
When Toby and Warren Holleman were growing up, Apex was just a speck on the map. We were one square mile in size and had a population of barely a thousand people. When Warren graduated from Apex High School in 1973, there were only 99 students in his class. And, Apex and Fuquay were the only schools in all of southwestern Wake County!
Warren and Toby learned local history from their father Carl and Uncle Shake, who had grown up in far southwestern Wake County, in a community variously known as Buckhorn, Holleman’s Crossroads, or Enno.
Carl spent most of his adult life as Apex’s official town attorney and unofficial town historian. For decades, he wrote articles for local newspapers about the history of southwestern Wake County.
When Apex celebrated its 100th birthday in 1973, Carl was chair of the Centennial Committee. He thought it was a shame that the history of the town had never been written, so he recruited Toby, a junior in college, to write Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint. The title was based on an old town motto that described the virtues townspeople employed to rebuild after “The Great Fire” of 1911.
Years later, Warren and Toby decided to revise and expand the book. Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint: Apex, North Carolina: Beginnings to 1941 is a coffee-table-sized book of 340 pages, including 200 photographs, maps, illustrations, and sidebars. Photographer Marty Allen restored the historic photographs, surveyor Staley Smith and his father Earl “Buddy” Smith created original maps, and artist Jerry Miller contributed original illustrations.
Apex has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few decades. Sadly, little is left of Old Apex except memories and stories. Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint preserves those memories and tells those amazing stories. And, it reminds us of where we came from and the sacrifices made to get us to where we are today.
If you love a story about community and the “can do” spirit of small-town America, then PLUCK, PERSEVERANCE, AND PAINT is a must read. This wonderful book tells the story of a small southern town that shaped the lives and values of men and women who now live around the world. The roots of my family tree run deep in Apex (my mother and grandmother were born there). You will smile and laugh and often wonder about the small town in your own life. Hopefully there is a little bit of Apex in all of us. This is a triumphant American story.
Byron Pitts, Co-Anchor, ABC Nightline
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All photographs and writings on this website are owned and copyrighted by Warren Holleman & C.P. “Toby” Holleman, Jr. and may not be used without the the expressed and written consent of Warren Holleman & C.P. “Toby” Holleman, Jr.
Photo restoration courtesy of Marty Allen Photography.
Angie Ottosen Staheli of Local Legacy Productions for logo design.