Ralph Meeks, owner of Meeks Dry Cleaners since November 1934, was the subject of a front page feature in The Sanford Herald on February 13, 1939. Formerly a telegraph operator, he also built motor boats for sale. From late 1938 to early 1939, The Sanford Herald commissioned portraits of local leaders from Dunbar & Daniel Studios in Raleigh. These portraits were used to accompany features, and were re-used whenever a story on the individual was included in the paper.