Fresh from his experience as a state delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Aberdeen resident Maurice Holland Sr. called the experience a “positive, inspiring and memorable mountain-top moment.”

Holland says he has plenty of memories and plenty of work to do before the November election.

“I got to meet a lot of dignitaries,” he said. “I spent a lot of time handing out my (business) card, because there are people that you can call on their expertise in the future.

“It was like a concert or a championship game that has piqued your interest. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The longtime resident of the Midway community in Aberdeen said he will do his best to register voters and get them out to vote by providing them with information about the president’s agenda.

North Carolina is viewed by political observers as a key swing state in November.

Reflecting on the three-day convention, Holland called his trip to Charlotte for the DNC memorable.

“Politically, I have never met a more positive, foward-looking group of people,” Holland said.

He praised all of the speakers for staying on the message that President Obama inherited an economic “hole,” that he has made some significant accomplishments while in office, and where the country must go from here.

He said First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech Tuesday night was “off the hook,” and that former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday delivered “one of the best speeches he’s ever given.”

But both speeches were topped, Holland said, by President Obama when he spoke Thursday night after he formally accepted the party’s nomination.

“It was fantastic,” he said. “The program was out of sight, and the speakers were dynamite.”

Holland said the atmosphere in the arena was electric when President Obama took the stage.

“You couldn’t hear his speech for the cheering,” Holland said. “He had delegates and other attendees swinging from the rafters. There were no empty seats. I have never seen that type of enthusiasm in my lifetime.”

Seated at the front left of the stage during the convention, Holland not only had a great view of the proceedings, he said he received a few calls from family and friends who told him that they had seen him during the televised coverage of the event.

Another highlight of the convention for Holland was his interview with a reporter from an Israeli newspaper.

Holland said one of the big takeaways for him from the convention was the down-to-earth nature of so many of the higher level elected officials, and how they were approachable and easy to communicate with.

Holland also thanked those who elected him a delegate and vowed to continue to work hard on their behalf.

He is the latest of a handful of Moore County residents who have attended national political conventions in recent years. At the end of August, state Sen. Harris Blake attended the Republican National Convention in Tampa, where Mitt Romney accepted the party’s nomination for president.

In 2008, Moore County’s Tessie Taylor attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, while Dolores “Do” Shaver of Seven Lakes and Dr. Jim Taylor of Southern Pines attended the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey @thepilot.com.