I remember the name and reputation of Zeno Ponder but I never met him. We had a nice young Madison County coordinator in Mars Hill. She was very attractive and very diplomatic at dealing with those who still had sore feelings about the Reagan/Helms side of the party.
I graduated from Mars Hill College in 1968. I never knew about the Ponders. I was just a city slicker kid from Charlotte and I didn’t have a clue about local politics. I was raised in a Democrat family and it took a few years to see the light.