John Boyle took the holiday off, so here's a classic column, originally published in July 2016. Don't miss out on his smart-aleck-ness: Be sure to subscribe to the Citizen Times today.

Question: I see people going right through stop signs in shopping centers, and it made me wonder: Is this illegal? Would the APD or Sheriff’s Department actually write you a ticket for this? If not, who really enforces the rules in these shopping areas?

My answer: I'm pretty sure most stop signs around here actually have small print on them that reads, "...or at least slow down. But don't bother signaling!"

Real answer: "Answering this question is actually quite complicated," said Asheville Police Department Spokeswoman Christina Hallingse. "The easier, short answer is that in accordance with (state statute), 'when a stop sign has been erected or installed at a place other than an intersection, it shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to fail to stop in obedience thereto and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other vehicles.' Therefore, 'failure to stop,' only pertains to erected signs, not ones painted on parking lot surfaces."

OK, so that's pretty clear — Stop sign on a pole, you better stop. But as Hallingse said, this gets complicated. The "longer, more complicated answer involves defining 'public vehicular areas,'" and yes that involves another state statute, which in part reads:

“Any area of private property used for vehicular traffic may be designated by the property owner as a public vehicular area by registering the area with the Department of Transportation and by erecting signs identifying the area as a public vehicular area in conformity with rules adopted by the Department of Transportation.”

So, you need a translation, right?

"Therefore, if the parking lot is registered with NC DOT as a public vehicular area, 'failure to stop' (as long as the sign is erected, not painted on) is a chargeable offense," Hallingse said. "However, officers would need to depend on the DOT to tell them if a parking lot is a registered public vehicular area, as they are not required to post signage stating so."

On another note, "If a motor vehicle is involved in a collision is a parking lot located within city limits, the Asheville Police Department can be contacted and an officer will be dispatched to take a report," Hallingse said.

Here's my advice: stop when you see a "stop" sign, no matter where it is.

Question: I have a seriously burning question. Being from Houston, and having been to Houston's Wortham Center, and also to the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theater at the University of Houston (Lyndall was Gus Wortham's wife), and knowing that Gus Wortham had a daughter named Diana, is the Diana Wortham Theatre named after Gus Wortham's daughter? I've tried to look this up and found it to be extremely difficult to determine exactly who the "Diana Wortham" of theater fame is and where she came from!

My answer: Man, I tell you, if I find out this "Asheville Community" guy is still alive, my mind is going to be blown. Assuming he is the patron of the Asheville Community Theatre, of course.

Real answer: "The simple answer is yes, Diana is their daughter," said John Ellis, managing director of the 500-seat Diana Wortham Theatre in Pack Place. "She lives here in town. She’s a private person."

They intentionally have nothing on the website about Diana Wortham to protect her privacy.

"She moved to Asheville in the early '80s, and the theater is named for her because she was one of the largest private benefactors in the creation of Pack Place," Ellis said.

The Wortham family is extremely well-known in Texas, and the Texas State Historical Association has detailed biographies of Gus and Elizabeth Lyndall Finley Wortham on its website.

Gus Sessions Wortham was born in 1891 and died in 1976. He was a co-founder of an insurance company that became American General Corp., "one of the first 'multiline' insurance companies in the nation. Multiline underwriting allowed smaller companies with fewer customers to compete with insurance companies based on the East Coast, which dominated the industry at that time," according to the historical association.

"Wortham served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of American General for almost five decades," his bio continued. "Under his leadership, the company expanded from two agents to more than 12,000, with operations in every state in the nation. American General is now a $61 billion diversified financial services company and one of the largest publicly traded companies with corporate headquarters in Houston."

The historical association describes Lyndall Finley Wortham, who was born in 1892 and died in 1980, as a civic leader and benefactor. She married Gus Wortham, "whom she had known during their days at the University of Texas, on October 4, 1926, about six months after he organized American General Insurance Company. The couple made their home in Houston and had two daughters." 

Happily for Asheville, Diana Wortham continued the family tradition of giving to the community.

"Her philanthropy in town is widespread, but it's usually very quiet," Ellis said. "She’s a quiet philanthropist. We are currently in a quiet phase of a small capital campaign for expansion and improvements at the theater, and she’s made a challenge grant. She’s matching donations dollar for dollar."

Ellis said if you'd like to know the amount, give him a call at the theater and he'll be glad to tell you. "Bring your checkbook with you," he said with a hearty laugh.

By the way, Diana Wortham has no family connection to Irene Wortham, the namesake of the Asheville center that works with the developmentally challenged. Irene Wortham started one of the first classes for special needs children in Asheville in 1923.

Diana Wortham does attend events at the theater named for her "on occasion," Ellis said.

"She doesn't like to be recognized," he said. "But the person sitting next to you at this theater could be Diana Wortham."

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 828-232-5847 or

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