Carter Leaving By June 1
Raeford Bank
Changing Top Executive
W. E. 'Gene ' Carter
W.E. "Gene" Carter, president
of The Bank of Raeford, will leave
the bank by about June 1 to enter
private business.
He will be succeeded in the top
executive position by Robert L.
"Bobby" Conoly, the bank's senior
vice president. The local bank's
merger with United Carolina Bank
will become official March 1 . When
Carter leaves, Conoly will be man
ager and city executive of United
Carolina Bank, which will be The
Bank of Raeford's new name.
Carter reported his plan to leave
and Conoly s pending new position
Monday morning to The News
Journal to settle speculation which
has been circulating in the com
munity.
Carter said he would stay with
the bank up to 90 days after March
1, to help with the transition.
He said he has been wanting for
some time to go into business for
himself and that this appeared to
be the best time to do it. He
declined to say which business he
will join, or where it is, but that he
would announce this in the next few
weeks.
Carter also said he wanted it
understood tha he is leaving the
local bank on friendly terms with
United Carolina Bank, a wholly
owned subsidiary of United Caro
lina Bancshares.
He said that, speaking from
personal experience with United
Carolina, that UCB would serve
Hoke County well. He pointed out
that he worked for UCB from 1966
to 1973, when he moved to The
Bank of Raeford as executive vice
president and manager.
United Carolina has been helpful
to the local bank even before the
merger was agreed to, Carter said.
He said he would serve, after the
merger becomes effective, on
UCB's general Board of Directors
and on the local bank's advisory
board. The bank's name will be
changed to United Carolina Bank.
Carter was born October 28.
1939, in Raeford. lived in Ports
mouth, Va., from 1942 to 1946,
then returned to Raeford. He
graduated from Hoke County High
School in 1958, then attended
Campbell College till 1960.
Carter attended the North Caro
lina School of Banking and the
American Institute of Banking in
1973.
When he was named to the local
bank position he was vice president
of Waccamaw Bank & Trust Co. at
Chadbourn. He earlier had served
with the same bank at its Tabor
City and Lumberton offices.
Carter has served six years in the
National Guard, is a past president
of the Hoke County United Fund
and is secretary-treasurer of Ad
vancement, Inc. He also is active in
the Raeford Kiwanis Club and
Raeford United Methodist Church
and is a former chairman of the
church's finance committee.
Carter is married to the former
Eloise Upchurch of Raeford. They
have one child, William, 12.
Conoly, a 45-year-old native of
Raeford, has been with The Bank
of Raeford 26 years and is a
member of the bank's board of
directors. He has taken courses at
the American Institute of Banking;
and a course in advanced manage
ment at the North Carolina School
of Banking at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Conoly started to work for the
bank August 8, 1955. He was
(See BANK, page 13)
Robert L. Cohu/v
The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 43 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1982
Around
Town
7 BY SAM C.MORRIS
It would be nice to put up the
winter suits and close down the
heaters, but I am certain this
spring weather will not last. It is
just the middle of February and we
have always had the big snows in
March in Hoke County. I like this
type of weather and wish that it
0bould stay with us.
We had about eight-tenths of an
inch of rain last week, but the
forecast is for rain to be with us for
the remainder of the week. It is
hard to realize that it could become
too wet for farmers to get into the
fields, but it is possible.
Anyway, let's all enjoy the
weather, whichever way it may be.
? A few weeks ago I wrote about
the National Guard going on
maneuvers in 1940 to Philadelphus
before being called in to service.
Last week Clarence Willis showed
me some pictures that he took at
the campsite and said that it was in
November. 1939. I will stand
corrected on the date, but I still
remember that it was a cold
weekend.
% u 1 have the pictures at the office
and if some of you "old soldiers"
would like to see them, just catch
me at my desk and you can help me
identify some of the people in the
pictures. I can name some of them
but they include, I believe, three
different batteries. So come by and
U>ok them over.
Thanks to Clarence for the
pictures, but we should remember
to name the people on the back
^ Jiecause our memories are not so
good after 40 years.
? * *
The letter from Odell Ashburn,
Jr. that was printed in this column
last week has brought forth com
ments from many people. Most
have said they wondered how the
paper got to Turkey?
Last week I received a call from
4 Wanda Clark McPhaul and she
said that she could clear up the
mystery for me. Wanda said that
her sister, nec Vinnie Clark, now
Mrs. Charles R. Baker, was in
Turkey in December and that she
took The News-Journal . Her
husband is a sergeant in the U.S.
Army and was on duty at the
United States Embassy. Since the
first of the year they have been
transferred to Jordan.
f Another thing is that Vinnie and
3dell are cousins. Now add that to
the believe-it-or-not.
Thanks Wanda and also to Mrs.
Reid Childress, an aunt of Mrs.
Baker, for this information.
Jimmie Neal Conoly was by the
office last week and left me a copy
_ of a 1929 Hoke County News dated
^ Hay I 7.
The thing that made it so
interesting to me was that in some
of the discussion about "old times"
at Robert Gatlin's pond recently we
talked about the 1929 Raeford
High School baseball team. In this
paper are two articles; one written
under the heading "Raeford School
News" by Jake Austin. It tells of
two baseball games played by the
team in the championship play
^ (See AROUND TOWN, page 13)
By County Commissioners
Vehicle Tax Certification Policy Set
An Annual Dinner
Burlington Plants Host To Hoke Leaders
Burlington Industries' Raeford
Plant and Dyeing Plant manage
ments were hosts February 9 to
Hoke County civic, local-govern
ment and business leaders for*
Burlington's local annual dinner.
The guests were brought up to
date on Burlington's operations at
the company's two plants.
F.G. "Gib" Bernhardt, manager
of the Dyeing Plant, reported fiscal
1981 the most successful year for
the Dyeing Plant, made a latge
increase in capacity and substantial
capttal improvements.
He added running schedules for
1982 appeared good and that the
plan was to make this year as good
as 1981 . Bernhardt also said dental
assistance had been added to the
plant's medical package for em
ployees.
Cecil Bond, manager of the
Raeford Plant, reported on quality,
costs, .employee safety, and cus
tomer service. He said the pl'ant
reached 8 million work hours
without a lost-time accident to a
worker on February .8.
The visitors also were informed
that the local plants' employees at
American Red Cross Bloodmobile
visits have donated enough blood to
meet 75 percent of the needs of
Hoke Cogntv patients in hospitals.
During the meeting also. Bur
lington officials answered questions
put by visitors about the plants.
To Hoke County By DOT Board
$19,883 Road Fund Allocated
The North Carolina Board of
Transportation allocated the last
SIO million from funds authorized
by the State Highway Bond Act of
1977 for improvements to the
state's large secondary road system
here at its February 12th meeting.
Hoke County's share of the SIO
million alllocation is $19,883.
based on a formula established by
the state legislature. According to
the formula, each county receives a
percentage of the total funds
available, determined by the un
paved miles of secondary roads in
the county in relationship to the
total mileage of unpaved secondary
roads in the state.
Hoke County has 37.83 miles of
unpaved roads, while the total
mileage of unpaved state-main
tained secondary roads in North
Carolina is 19.000.
The $300 million highwav bond
act. approved in November 1977,
directed that million would be
used to improve the state's secon
dary road system, while SI 75
million was for improvements to
the primary system and S50 million
was for the state's urban road
system.
Secretary of Transportation
W.R. "Bill" Roberson. Jr., com
mented. "Again, we are glad to be
able to put the highway bond funds
to work for the citizens of North
Carolina. It was the citizens'
overwhelming support of the 1977
bond issue that made these funds a
reality.
"In addition to the bond funds,
the state legislature appropriates
an annual amount for secondary
road improvements from the state
highway fund collections. We are
expecting an allocation of S40
million from the legislature by Julv
I. I%2.
"This allocation would not be
possible had it not been for
Governor Jim Hunt's 'Good Roads'
program passed by the 1981 Gen
eral Assembly." added Roberson.
"The $10 million in bond funds
for the secondary road system -- our
'home-to-work' transportation net
work - will allow us to make
virtually needed improvements to
the more than 59,000 miles which
comprise the nation's largest state
maintained secondary highway
system." explained Roberson.
The highway bond funds allocat
ed for secondary roads will be used
for improvements to the system
such as new paving, widening
existing paved roads, improving
unpaved roadways to an "all
weather standard." repairing and
replacing substandard bridges and
strengthening paved roads to re
lieve present weight restrictions."
"In order to utilize the S10
million allocation most effectively."
Secretary Roberson explained.
"Our board members and division
engineers are in the process of
reviewing secondary road needs in
each county. As county-by-county
improvement programs are com
piled. they will be presented to each
respective county board of commis
sioners.
"Public meetings will be held in
each county to give citizens an
opportunity to express their views
on secondary road needs. The
commissioners then will review and
forward recommendations to the
Board of Transportation for im
plementation bv state forces." he
said.
Raeford Heritage Federal S&L Board Named
Officers and other members of
the Advisory Board for the Raeford
office of Heritage Federal Savings
and Loan Association were ap
pointed at the organization's Jan
uary meeting by Fred Parker,
president, and the Board of Direc
tors ot the Heritage system, based
at Monroe.
Wyatt G. Upchurch was named
chairman and Richard E. Neeley.
vice chairman, and Franklin Teal,
Sam C. Morris. Jack Bray, Palmer
Willcox. Younger Snead. Jr.. Fred
M. Culbreth. Davis K. Parker, and
Graham Monroe, the other mem
bers of the board.
The local Advisory Board will
:
I , +"-*9 1
SCHOOL FOR MEN - A cooking school for men is being sponsored by the Hoke County Agricultural Exten
sion Service and taught by Mrs. Ellen Willis, a Hoke home economics agent. Six sessions are being held. Shown
here on Monday night during the third session on a trip to the supermarket with Clyde Register (left), manager
of the AAP, are Tony Austin, Steve Connell, Tommy Connell, and Banks Wannamaker. (Staff photo by Ann
Webb).
help guide the Raeford office.
The Raeford office is the new
organization created by the merger
of Raeford Savings & Loan Asso
ciation with Heritage. The merger
became official on January 4.
The appointments became offi
cial at the meeting. The members
of the Advisory Board were the
members of the Raeford Savings &
Loan board when the merger
became effective.
Morris, as chairman of the
former Raeford S&L board, be
came a member of the Heritage
association-wide board.
Teal, president of Raeford Sav
ings & Loan, became vice president
of Heritage in charge of the
Raeford office when the merger
became effective.
Raeford Savings & Loan's assets
totaled about S18.4 million going
into the merger; Heritage's, with
the addition of the Raeford institu
tion. about $185 million.
Raeford Savings & Loan was
established 68 years ago. Heritage
was formed in 1908.
The merger with Freedom Fed
eral of High Point, expected to be
completed this month, will give
Heritage 16 branches,
The Hoke County commissioners
Monday night adopted a vehicle
registration tax certification policy.
The proposal, offered by County
Tax Collector Elizabeth Livingston,
is tor use in handling cases in which
the owner of a vehicle has made an
apparently erroneous or false tax
certification when buying a vehicle
license.
The policy provides that the tax
collector shall notify the vehicle
owner in writing that the county tax
records indicate the vehicle has not
been listed properly for tax pur
poses and/or that delinquent taxes
are owned on the vehicle. The
notice will give the owner 20 days to
contact the tax collector's office to
provide, for verification, the name
of the person whom has properly
listed the vehicle for lax. purposes,
or to list and/or pay the delinquent
vehicle taxes.
The original proposal would have
the notice give the owner 15 days to
contact the tax collector's office,
but the extra time was added
because some of the commissioners
expressed the feeling that 15 days
wasn't enough time.
The policy provides also thai the
notice shall advise the owner of the
registered vehicle that a misde
meanor warrant will be filed to
pursue the proper listing of the
vehicle and or the collection of any
delinquent taxes if contact is not
made with the tax collector's office
within the 20 days specified.
The adoption of the policy is
associated with a st ate* law effective
last January I. The new law
requires every owner of a motor
vehicle, w hen he applies lor vehicle
registration or renewal of registia
tion. to certify:
??The name oi the countv where
and the date when the vehicle was
listed for tax purposes.
??That no delinquent property
taxes are ow >;i it \ chicle f*he
state law dc1 "iV'inqueii' '.iv"
as one that u nc longer payable
without interest charges.
The state law provides a tine < >t
up to SI 000. imprisonment up to
six months, or both, for false
certification, which is classified as a
misdemeanor criminal violation.
W ATER PROBLEM
The commissioners in other husi
ness adopted a motion that the
county stall work with the State
Department of Transportation to
correct the problem of ground
water draining into the septic tank
on the South Hoke Day (arc
Center property.
Jackie Ellis of the county main
tenance department described to
the commissioners a method for
correcting the problem, which has
been created by a high water table
Essentially, the solution lies in
lowering the water table in that
area, the commissioners were in
formed. A letter written to County
Manager James Martin b> Samuel
Warren, district conservationist of
the Hoke County Soil and Water
Conservation District recom
mended one solution and offered
an alternative solution.
Commissioners expressed the
feeling that the situation consti
tuted a health hazard and conse
(See VEHICLE, page 13)