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482-441 8 Wednesday, October 4, 201 7
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Masons celebrate courthouse anniversary - 3B
Racial Reconciliation group wants statue removed
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton’s mayor and
town manager paid a spe
cial visit to Thursday night’s
meeting of the local Racial
Reconciliation group to hear
thoughts and ideas concern
ing the future of the Confed
erate soldier in the down-
town business district.
The group of about 35-40
people warmly welcomed
Roland Vaughan and Anne-
Knighton who spent the
next few hours listening to a
wide range of comments.
“We really appreciate that
you wanted to know how
we felt about the statue,” fa
cilitator Jo Baker told them.
Comments from those
who see the statue as a sym
bol of a time they’d rather
forget stood in stark con
trast to those who said they
considered the monument
as a part of the South’s his
tory. For example, Emma
Bonner, who took part in
local Civil Rights protests
organized by Golden Frinks,
said it reminded her of a
time when she identified
with being treated as a sec
ond class citizen.
On the other hand, anoth
er group member, Suzanne
Burnside, said that while
she considered the monu
ment a part of history she
was more bothered by other
symbols of the Confederacy
such as the Rebel battle flag
more familiar to many than
the Confederate flag, and
the song “Dixie”.
Still others like Susan
Inglis took a strong stand,
calling the monument “an
embarrassing symbol” that
belongs in a cemetery.
Inglis added that she
hoped the town would stand
in opposition to the state law
signed by former Governor
Pat McCrory that forbids
the removal of such monu
ments without the permis
sion of the North Carolina
Historical Commission.
“That is something for
us to work to change,” she
said.
Another group member,
Robert Lassiter, encouraged
the continuing exchange of
ideas about how to handle
the situation and urged
group members and citizens
to respond with open minds
and open hearts as well as
caution.
“I just want us to keep
talking, just be open and re
spect other people’s experi
ences,” he said.
See STATUE, 2A
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Racial Reconciliation group members, from left, Roger
Coleman, Bill and Gail Miller, listen as Jean Simpson
shares her thoughts about the Confederate soldier
monument that stands at the foot of South Broad
Street in the downtown Edenton business district.
PHOTO BY MILES LAYTON
Edenton Fire Chief Craig Forlines is making plans to retire
in December. Part of Forlines’s legacy will be his work
restoring the town’s 1923 R.E.O. Speedwagon fire truck.
Thanks for your service Chief Forlines.
Fire chief retiring
THOMAS J. TURNEY/THE DAILY ADVANCE
The Ferris wheel glowed brightly at the Chowan Fair last week.
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Edenton Fire Chief Craig
Forlines is retiring.
“This job — though it’s in
my blood — I figured it is
time to let some new folks
step up,” he said. “We’ve got
plenty of good and qualified
folks. Time to let some of the
young folks step in.”
Forlines has 30 years of
service on the front lines of
emergency management not
only as a firefighter, but as a
paramedic. He has achieved
top emergency management
posts in Pitt, Duplin and
Cumberland counties. He
served as assistant fire chief
in Morehead City and as Oak
Island’s fire chief.
Truly, the man’s resume is
extensive, but then Edenton
tends to attract the cream
of the crop. For the past five
years, Forlines has served as
the town’s fire chief.
“I am very sad to see him
leave—he has been a terrific
chief and valued member of
the Town’s leadership team,”
said Town Manager Anne-
Marie Knighton. “I enjoyed
working with him and had
tremendous confidence in
his abilities as a fire chief and
leaned on him a lot for advice
and guidance on non-fire re
lated issues.”
Forlines’ last day on the
job will be Dec. 1, so the town
is in the process of searching
for a new fire chief, Knighton
said.
“My goal is to hire a new
chief prior to chiefs retire
ment,” Knighton said.
Faith has played a big role
in Forlines’ long career.
“Being a paramedic, being
a firefighter, being a fire chief
— you can only do what
God allows you to do,” For
lines said in an emotionally
charged voice. “Some you
lose, some you don’t. But if
you’re not there to help, you
won’t win any. Sometimes
you can save people because
there’s a plan and He has
something else for them to
do. Sometimes you can’t. You
just have to do your best.”
Edenton’s fire department
has seven full-time firefight
ers plus the chief and 25 vol
unteers.
“It’s a great department.
The guys are tremendous and
will pitch in and do whatever
is asked,” he said. “The com
munity is great. I couldn’t
have asked for a better group
of guys to work with.”
Three decades on the front
lines can leave behind a lot
of memories — good and
bad. Probably the most har
rowing thing that Forlines
said he was ever involved
in was when a storage con
tainer holding highly explo
sive chemicals was breached
by a forklift at the military’s
port in Morehead City. If that
drum exploded, then 780,000
pounds of explosives would
have ignited too. Forlines
See CHIEF, 2A
Fair fades into memory
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
The lights have dimmed at the fair-
grounds and the maybe the kids are
a little more focused on school now
that the Chowan County Regional
Fair is passing into memory.
More than 15,000 people attended
the 71st annual fair that ended Satur
day. Gravity defying rides, pig races,
crafts, small horses, a new queen
and more thrilled visitors for nearly
a week at the American Legion Fair-
grounds.
“I believe the fair was huge suc
cess and it has really made the Fan-
Board feel extremely pleased with
the positive comments per Facebook
See FAIR, 7A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Look at that Little Miss - Skylar Pearl Biggs, 6, (center) daughter of
Shannon Bond and Joshua Biggs of Chowan County; 1st Runner-up
- Bella Cotton Parrish, 6, (left) daughter of Carey and Rosanna Parrish
of Chowan County; 2nd Runner-up Sarah Elizabeth Gooch, 5, (right)
daughter of Timothy and Christina Gooch of Tyrrell County.
Chowan fair queen
crowned Saturday
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Maybe it’s a take on
words, but accurate —
long live the queen!
Sarah Spencer was
crowned Saturday as the
Chowan County Regional
Fair Queen.
“I was shocked when
they placed the crown on
me, but I was also very
excited,” said Spencer,
16, of Edenton.
Spencer is the daugh
ter of Mia Peterson Spen
cer and Eric Spencer. She
See QUEEN, 7A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Sarah Spencer (center) was crowned Saturday
as the Chowan County Regional Fair Queen while
1st Runner-up was Savannah Yount (left) and 2nd
Runner-up was Jaycee Lynn Pierce (right).
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©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Business leader, civic leader passes away
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A local businessman, town
leader and Vietnam veteran
has passed away.
Joe Wisley Lee, 70, of
Edenton passed away on
Thursday, Sept. 28.
An Army veteran of the
Vietnam War, he served from
1965-1967. Community ser
vice was in Lee’s nature as
he wore many hats over the
years. He was an auxiliary
policeman for the Town of
Edenton, chairman of the
Town Planning Board, trea
surer for the Town of Eden
ton, and a term on the Eden
ton Town Council. He was
a member and served as an
usher at Faith Pentecostal
Holiness Church.
Funeral services were
held this past Sunday by
Miller Funeral Home. See
Lee’s obit on page A3.
All that aside, per County
Commissioner/Vietnam vet ¬
eran John
Mitchener’s
suggestion,
the Chow
an Herald
got to know
Lee briefly
earlier this
year when
my wife Ni
cole and I interviewed him
for a stoiy about his wartime
experiences for Memorial
Day. Lee’s life was filled with
accomplishments. He was
an open,
honest and
frank about
his thoughts
on life. He’d
earned that
right. Men
like that are
rare.
In tribute
to that man and those like
him, here is Lee’s account of
Vietnam from our Memorial
Day edition. RIP.
Joe Lee grew up in Eden ¬
ton before he joined the
army at age 17-years-old. His
job was to recover aircraft
that had been shot down by
the enemy. He said it was
dangerous work.
“We had two or three guys
who got killed in our com
pany,” Lee said. “Of course,
anywhere in Vietnam was
dangerous. I don’t care if
you were in Saigon or places
— everywhere—or at least I
See LEE, 3A