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Joseph (Joe) Edwin Pickelsimer is likely one of the least known, most influential citizens of Transylvania County.  Joe was born on April 3, 1934 at Transylvania Community Hospital to the proud parents of Charles Wilson Pickelsimer, Sr. and Mary Williams Pickelsimer.  At the time, Charles and his brother, Joseph, were founders and owners of the Cascade Power Company.  Later, in 1936, Charles and Joseph acquired Citizens Telephone Company.  This set the stage for Joe's eventual career as the President of Citizens Telephone Company; he held the post from 1960, after his father Charles passed away, through 2008, when the company was sold to Comporium.  During his tenure, Joe led Citizens Telephone Company through such pioneering endeavors as becoming the first telephone company in the state of North Carolina to offer emergency 911 service and establishing subsidiary Sylvan Valley CATV, initially bringing cable television service to the residents of Transylvania County.

Up through the eighth grade, Joe attended Transylvania County schools.  Thereafter, Joe attended and graduated high school in Bradenton, Florida, as his father Charles had elected to winter in Florida for health reasons.  After graduating high school, Joe returned to Transylvania County, where he began working at Citizens Telephone Company, digging post holes and anchoring telephone poles.  A few years later, Joe attended Brevard College to study “bookkeeping” and later enrolled at Northern Electric Electronics School in Galion, Ohio, where he graduated second in his class after making a “100” score on the final telephone switchboard exam.

As a concerned citizen with an interest in community involvement, Joe signed on as a volunteer fireman with the Brevard Fire Department in 1957, where he tirelessly served for 28 consecutive years, of which 12 years he held the post of Fire Chief.  Many times, Joe jumped out of a deep slumber from his warm bed in the middle of a cold North Carolina mountain night to save the lives and property of Brevard's citizens and then subsequently rose early the next morning to attend his day job as the President of Citizens Telephone Company.  In addition to directing the efforts of the volunteer firemen during a fire emergency, Joe led the training activities of the Department, performed on-site inspections of local Brevard businesses and ensured their compliance with state fire codes, and worked with the Brevard City Council to secure equipment and maintain Fire Department facilities.  With Joe at the helm, the Brevard Fire Department was the first all volunteer fire department in the state of North Carolina to receive a “class 5”rating (improvement from a “class 6” rating), which served to decrease the cost of fire insurance for all Brevard citizens.

Joe is now retired and still living in Transylvania County, where he intends to stay.  Although health concerns prevent him from being as active as he once was, Joe remains a strong supporter of the community through anonymous (as he has never been one to seek fame!) financial donations to various local causes.