After nearly a year of recollecting, recording, researching and rewriting, the team effort by Sandra Lail, Jack D. Lail, Sue Spencer and of course Jack C. Lail has culminated in an outstanding memoir with historical context, interesting stories and insights into one of our communities most respected leaders.

Born into a large farming family in the rural community of Bethlehem, North Carolina, during the depths of the Great Depression, Jack Columbus Lail’s life is a testament to the power of integrity and the "servant leader" mindset. From his earliest memories of hand-milking cows and navigating the challenges of a foreclosed family farm, to his decades as a cornerstone of the Seagrove community, Lail shares a candid and deeply personal account of a journey that spanned ninety-three years.

In Bethlehem ... to Seagrove, Lail recounts his transition from rural farm boy to successful entrepreneur and community pillar. Readers will walk alongside him through:

The Early Years: Growing up in Alexander County, where childhood imagination turned scrap wood from a Duke Power granary into toys, and survival meant masterfully crafting hominy and molasses.

A Life of Service: Following in the footsteps of brothers who served in the Navy, Lail's own military service as an aviation electrician’s mate took him from boot camp in Maryland to the deck of the USS Coral Sea in the Mediterranean.

Building a Business and a Community: The founding of Mid-State Plastics in Seagrove, where Lail applied his "best business mind" to create a thriving company that he considered a family, while simultaneously leading influential boards for Randolph Community College and Wingate University.

Filled with vivid historical details—from the "Miracle of Hickory" polio hospital to the innovative "Rhino tanks" of Normandy—this memoir is more than a family history. It is a guide on how to lead with uncompromising integrity, honoring the mentors who shaped him and the employees who made his success possible.

For more information on the author or the book, see:
​ BethlehemtoSeagrove.com