By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.comLANDIS ó D.C. Linn, a man who devoted his life to his community, died Saturday in a two-car wreck near Hickory.
The 82-year-old Linn and his wife, Frances, were visiting friends in Hickory.
Frances Linn was transported to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. A hospital spokesman said she was in serious condition Saturday night.
According to a preliminary report by the N.C. Highway Patrol, D.C. Linn was a passenger in a vehicle going west on Springs Road a half mile east of Hickory.
The vehicle he was in turned left in front of a vehicle travelling east. That vehicle struck the right front passenger area, where Linn was seated.
Three people were transported to hospitals. Additional information was not available.
Duard Columbus Linn, known as D.C., was a Landis native who served in the U.S. Army in World War II and graduated from N.C. State College with a degree in engineering.
He founded D.C. Linn Construction Company and operated it for decades until his retirement. And then he got busy using his expertise to help with restoration projects, including the Salisbury Depot and the Meroney Theatre.
In 2000, Catawba College honored him for his help with many projects at the college while he served on the building and grounds committee.
Linn was instrumental in the expansion of Rowan Regional Medical Center and received the Clement Cup from the Historic Salisbury Foundation in 1993.
A member of the board of the Salisbury-Rowan YMCA, he served on the steering committee that led the drive to raise $3.3 million to build the South Rowan YMCA.
Tony Hilton, a Landis alderman who knew Linn for 50 years, said late Saturday he was devastated to hear of Linn’s death.
“His death is a loss for the local community, the county and the whole state. He was a great guy who really mattered,” Hilton said. “He wasn’t pretentious. He just got things done.”
As a teenager, Hilton worked for Linn’s construction company. “He ran an absolutely pristine business, he was honest to a fault. He always did what he said he would and more.”
Hilton worked on his construction crew during the day and often played tennis with Linn at night.
“He had a very deep pride in his community, anything that was needed in Landis or in the county, he would do it,” Hilton said.
While he helped raise millions of dollars and worked to preserve buildings and build new facilities, Hilton said Linn’s special quality was the way he treated people.
“He was one of the finest gentlemen. … The word to describe him was gentleman for his wonderful demeanor. He treated everybody with respect.”
Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home in Landis is handling arrangements.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.