Hpr HF jy^Bk Dr. James O’Leary Dr. O’Leary New Surgeon For Area Dr. James O’Leary, a trauma surgeon with extensive training and experience in thoracic and abdominal surgery, is joining the staff of Albemarle Family Health Services of Edenton. An announcement said this is a signal effort to improve emergency medical care and will bring more sophisticated surgery services to the rural areas of Northeastern North Carolina. Dr. O’Leary will be in charge of developing a central outpatient surgery unit in the new facilities of Albemarle Family Health Ser vices. He will develop minor surgery units in each of the satellite clinics of the Nor theastern Rural Health Development Association. Ad ditionally, Dr. O’Leary will work closely with the staff of Chowan Hospital to develop a sophisticated trauma and chest surgery department with the appropriate diagnostic and support services. One of the major efforts of Dr. O’Leary will be to work closely with the Eastern Carolina Emergency Medical Services as well as to help local rescue squads improve their capability in the transport of acutely ill and in jured victims. Dr. O’Ldhry expects to develop, with the medical schools in North Carolina in order to initiate surgical training rotations at Chowan Hospital. Dr. Clement Lucas and Dr. Richard Hines, Developers of the Albemarle Family Health Ser vices, indicated their extreme satisfaction at being able to recruit a person of such out standing capability and resources to Northeastern North Carolina, and especially to serve on the staff of Chowan Hospital. Dr. O’Leary received his medical degree from the University College Medical School Continued on Page 4 Funds Raised Nearly $6,000 was raised for the Kitty Evans Barringer Fund in last Thursday’s radio-thon over WCDJ. Mrs. Frances Hollowell, chairman of a special committee from Edenton United Methodist Church, reported Sunday that $5,851.57 had been received. She said funds continue to come in. Mrs. Barringer was seriously injured in an automobile accident on October 1. She is said to be making steady progress toward recovery at Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville. Board Os Education Sets Special Session On Consolidation “Options and alternatives for consolidation ” will be discussed Tuesday night during a special working session of Edenton- Chofwan Board of Education. The meeting begins at 7:30 o’clock in the Third Floor conference room in the County Office Building. The regular monthly meeting of the board will be January 8. Next week’s special topic meeting follows the recent denial by county commissioners of a request for $150,000 to accomplish consolidation, including aban doning Ernest A. Swain Elementary School for educational purposes. The board sou** the funds to purchase temporary mobile classrooms, two additional school buses and for renovations. ; V' H r t tiißlilßllnilP “ ' ,, ~ ijgiiiwMßßlhh. . lmniiin J|pM ml pP fplliPi It 1 " 8 l > i?8mi!!m f!fl¥* li ‘ ihhib’ ( l!|" >> !!||||!l|j!!|!P •wiiiipi 8 • jP I HRiflP Public Parade What's Best? Edenton-Chowan Board of Education is fast running out o' “options and alternatives ** °e & consolidation.’’ Money is one\ o' that already has been exhaustv •< If the board members are sin, cere in wanting to do what is best< educationally for the children along the Public Parade they won’t now settle for a bad plan just to accomplish consolidation. “Options and alternatives for consolidation’’ is the topic of a special working session of the board Tuesday night. The members will be back at the drawing board and hopefully what surfaces will be an educational gem. At this point, we aren’t op timistic. Earlier this year, after years of “dialogue”, the board went for broke —a $3.5-million bond referendum for construction of a new high school. At that point the commitment had been made for consolidation. When the referendum received an unfavorable vote, the board reassessed its plan. They proposed the second best, consolidation through temporary classrooms, a couple of new buses, and renovations to existing buildings. Their plan fell on deaf ears before the county commissioners, resulting in a 3-2 vote to deny the money. The proposal had 2Mt votes in that Commissioner George Jones favors consolidation but couldn’t find the money in this yew’s budget to bring it about. After two stunning defeats, the board will probably consider a phased (dan which, in our opinion, is not the best educationally for the children. This is not to say the board should back off of its com mitment for consolidation. This is, however, to say maybe it should be relaxed somewhat. It would be best educationally for the children to delay con solidation for another year, thereby allowing time to fine tune the plan and give the county fathers the opportunity to budget for the necessary finances in fiscal 1979-80. If such an approach is taken, the board should be prepared to go to the legal limit in getting its budget funded —for what is best educationally for the children. That would be a winning play. Single Resolution Somehow we haven’t gotten into making resolutions. In our 14 years of meandering along the Public Parade we have attempted to keep a single resolution to publish a newspaper which most likely reflects the tenor of this community. Everyone in our audience hasn’t always agreed with what we do or how we do it. Our judgement has been challenged, Continued on Page 4 At a joint meeting of the board and commissioners, Dr. John Dunn, superintendent, said the alternative he could recommend would place the top three grades at John A. Holmes High School and the Ninth Grade on another campus. Alda To Speak On ERA <* ■ r . Alan Alda, TV personality, will appear at a fundraiser in Elisabeth City the evening of January ao for the First District Coalition of North Carolinians United for Equal Rights Amend ment. The event is aet for BP.M. at Northeastern wigh School .X.'« /‘A* .. s. : 'v Slv*4S OF PROGRESS—The Town of Edenton issued more than 150 building permits totaling nearly $3.5-million during 1978. The pictures here show progress being made on work begun during the year. At top right is the new Fellowship-Education nrf - 1 i - - - ■ nMrrUWMilWfi THE CHOWAN HERALD Volume XUV—No. 51 Counties Consider Action To Combat River Algae Officials in seven counties in the Albemarle Sound Basin have ex pressed interest in a task force of local governments to get action to clean up algae in the water of the sound and Chowan River. There are 11 counties in the basin. Spearheaded by Chowan County, representatives of six other counties met informally here earlier this month to discuss a course of action. As a result of the meeting, Chowan commissioners have sent a telegram to state officials expressing their concern over the condition of the river and sound. The 10-county Albemarle Area Development Association last week adopted a strongly worded resolution and identical resolutions are being sought from the counties. The latest move is to get an appointment with Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., for formal presentation of the resolutions. Chairman C.A. Phillips and Commissioner J.D. Peele are Chowan’s representatives on the task force being developed by County Manager Eddie Dick. The resolution urges the Hunt Administration to identify the nitrogen source in the C.F. Industries area of Hertford County where some 1,200 pounds per day is leaching into the river, according to state estimates. This year’s algae bloom began in July and is considered to be the most damaging ever. The resolution points out that the growth “threatens the very life of the river, and, in turn, the sound.” ' CFI has made application for renewal of a permit to put nitrogen-filled waste water into the river and the state’s decision is due this week. A petition bearing “some 300” signatures in opposition to con solidation is being considered by the board. The school board has been unanimous in support of con solidation and first adopted the plan presented to the commission earlier this year. This was con by contacting Mrs. Julia Hassell at 482-3443 after 5 P.M., or Mrs. Lueta Sellers at 482-3983. The tickets are $5 each. Alda, star of the M.A.S.H. show, will arrive in Norfolk, Va., for a 10:45 A.M. press conference at the airport. At 1:30 P.M. a luncheon with legislators is scheduled Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday. December 28, 1978 sidered the alternative to con struction of a new high school When the special school board referendum was not favorable, the board readopted the alternate plan after it was considered and recommended by a special committee. Commissioners last week said the finds could not be found in the current budget to provide any assistance toward the school board’s plan. The school board had hoped to implement the plan of con solidation next fall. Next week’s of “options and alternatives for consolidation’’ could change the timetable. Tbeannouncementof the meeting stated that no decision would be made at tin special meeting. ♦ Building of Edenton United Methodist now going up on Virginia Road. The new Pizza Hut addition to Edenton Village Shopping center is at top right. Below is the new Chowan County Court house-Detention Facility project in downtown Edenton. Single Copies 15 Cents Tax Department To Open Books Starting Tuesday List takers are prepared for Chowan County residents to declare their property for the purpose of taxation, beginning Tuesday. Dallas Jethro, Jr., tax supervisor, said after February 2 a 10 per cent penalty will be added for failure to list. First Township, including Arrowhead Beach, as well as Fourth Township and Cape Colony, will list at the County Office Building on East King Street. The office will be open from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., Monday through Friday, and 8 A.M. until 12-noon on Saturdays during the entire month. Listers are Pattie S. Byrum, Continued on Page 4 To Aid Clinic Since April 1, Chowan Medical Colter, P.A., of Edenton has provided a physician and sup porting staff for the Hertford Clinic. Dr. Ernesto Lazaro, the present physician in the Hertford clinic has resigned as of the end of December. To continue needed medical services, physicians from the Chowan Medical Center will provide physician coverage Monday through Friday beginning January 2. Office hours will be between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. Until a permanent physician or physicians can be obtained to staff the Hertford Clinic, physicians from the Chowan Medical Center will provide physicians on a rotating basis. In addition, full laboratory support services will be continued including blood chemistries, electrocardiography, x-ray services, etc. Representatives Tour Career Education Center To begin the process of complete public understanding of the Career Education Concept, a group of community and business representatives from the tri county area toured the P.D. Pruden Vocational-Technical Center in Suffolk, Va., December 12. Although educators from the Gates, Perquimans and Edenton- Chowan areas have visited and otherwise made loose contacts with several other career centers, this was the first instance in which citizens of the three counties had been invited to participate in the process. The 27 member tour group traveled to the center by char tered bus as guests of the Tri- County Career Education Center Feasibility Study, directed by Kenneth L. Stalls of Edenton. En route Stalls explained the Career Education Concept which is being explored in the area. Stalls first became involved in a three county effort four years ago when he began serving as local director of Vocational Education for the three counties. His current position is an outgrowth of the former one. He explained to the group how the Superintendents, Boards of Education and Boards of Commissioners had studied and discussed many times the possible Continued on Page 4 Mrs. Shepard Dies Mrs. Bessie Hoskins Shepard, 104 West King Street, was taken in death Saturday morning in Chowan Hospital following a brief illness. She was the wife of William Blount Shepard. Funeral services for Mrs. Shepard were held at 2 P.M. Sunday in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Rev. Raymond Storie and Rev. Fred Drane officiated. Burial followed in Beaver Hill * Cemetery. A native of Chowan County, Mrs. Shepard was the daughter of the late Dr. Thomas Jones and Elizabeth Coke Hoskins. She was a retired school teacher. In addition to her husband, surviving are two sons: William Blount Shepard, Jr., of Albuquerque, N. Mex.; and Thomas Hoskins Shepard of Edenton; a daughter, Mrs. Jasper W. Hassell of Edenton; a brother, George C. Hoskins of Edenton; eight grandchildren; and four . great grandchildren. Mrs. Shepard was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of DAR; the Cupola House Association; and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. Pallbearers were: Fred, Richard and Ward Hoskins; Robert B. Shepard, Jr., T.B.H. Wood, and M.B. Smith, 111. Williford-Barham Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.