Fvmi Hm
Superintendent's Desk
ft, _ ^ - *
Vf Kb Miry
No individual has tried harder
than I have in the last six months
to avoid controversy.
I have tried to avoid it not
because I have mellowed a great
deal; it was simply that I wanted to
W leave the school system with a
good taste in my mouth.
I also wanted the great majority
of the people in Hoke County to
look over my 16 years' record with
an open and clear mind; then,
judge whether I've done a
creditable job.
After having said all of the
above about controversy, even
m with a short time left as
? Superintendent, I can't possibly let
Sam Morris' column "Around
Town" on December 22, go un
challenged.
Mr. Morris stated and I quote as
follows: ,
"A bulletin published December
14, 1982, that I believe
came from the Board of Education
Office had the following item in it:
Any newspaper articles or
releases to the press in any manner
should be approved by this Office
and Glenn Langdon's office before
publication. This will only be a
formality to follow. This has been
requested by The News- Journal. "
If any member of the press
makes a statement without check
ing his facts, it is totally irresponsi
ble journalism.
I will invite any true journalist to
challenge that statement.
Mr. Morris did not call me or
my secretary to verify if that memo
came from my office.
Even the least knowledgeable
citizen in Hoke County will tell
you that when you say the Board
of Education Office, you are talk
ing about the Superintendent. He
is responsible for what comes out
of the Board of Education Office
when it deals with administration.
I dealt with this distortion just
as I have always dealt with any
distortion that has been attributed
to me. I went to the source.
The memo quoted in Mr. Mor
ris' column "Around Town" came
from Allen Edwards' office, the
Principal of Upchurch Junior
High School, not the Board of
Education Office.
When I inquired at The News
Journal where the idea came from
that the memo was sent from the
Board of Education Office, I was
informed that Mr. Edwards, the
Principal of Upchurch Junior
High School, told them it came
from the Board of Education Of
fice. 1 in turn asked Mr. Edwards
why he told The News Journal that
the memo came from the Board of
Education Office.
Mr. Edwards assured me that he
did not make that statement.
Warren Johnston, the news
editor of The News Journal, told
me by telephone on Thursday,
December 23, 1982, that Mr. Ed
wards told him point blank that
the memo came from the Board of
Education Office.
Those who are interested in this
controversy can draw their own
conclusions.
The memo I did send to the prin
cipals, which is a private matter
and not intended to be distributed
to everyone is as follows:
November 23, 1982
To: Principals
From: Raz Autry
Please make the announcement
to your staff that Glenn Langdon
has been appointed Public Infor
mation Officer for the Hoke
County school system. All of you
know Glenn. I think he will make
an excellent PIO.
I ask that all of you cooperate
with Glenn. You will agree that
this is one area that we need to
constantly work on.
The memo is with the principals,
I am sure our principals will be
more than happy for any citizen
to see it.
Things That Matter'
l i ? ? . ?
by LmIm Mmm
Thank goodness for an abun
dance of cheap paper. The small
wastebasket beside my desk usual
ly overflows with crumpled wads
of the stuff. I don't think I could
get anything written if I' didn't
' have the luxury of starting over
again, on a clean new sheet of
paper, when my prose gets tangled.
(It often does.)
New Year's is a bit like that. It's
a time for starting over. Never
mind how last year's resolutions
fell victim to the foibles of the
flesh and weaknesses of the spirit.
Last year doesn't count anymore.
I On the first day of the year, we get
a clean sheet of paper.
Deeply implanted in human
nature is the need for new beginn
ings. That's why so many people
move from one part of the country
to the other, change jobs, go back
to school, take up new hobbies,
start dieting, give up smoking, go
on the wagon, or grow beards.
The ancient Hebrews went in for
this sort of thing in a big way. For
example, every 50 years they
celebrated a "year of jubilee."
At this time, all property would
be returned to the original owners,
every family would return to live
on the old home place, and any
Hebrew who had the misfortune to
be a slave was set free. Talk about
new beginnings!
Have too many pounds ac
cumulated as a result of all the
lavish holiday eating? Treat
yourself to a new body and better
health with the turn of the year.
Been a bit backward about im
proving the mind? Start a good
book on the first day of the year.
During the next few days most
of us will be dismantling Christmas
decorations and packing them
away, discarding trees whose
boughs are now dry and brittle,
throwing away boxes and wrapp
ings that held mysterious gifts not
long ago.
BURGLAR ALARM -
Luxury or Necessity?
YQU DECIDE
The Next Time You Leove Home
CALL
Prevention, Inc.
Mike Steadman
at 864-5330
SALE or LEASE
" STOP CRIME BEFORE IT HAPPENS -
? Licensed ? Bonded
Opinions
Off Wm...
People & Issues
DEBATE. . . N.C. Labor Com
missioner John Brooks is calling
the N.C. Dept. of Administration
"a cancer on the governorship" in
a dispute with department
Secretary Jane Patterson over her
efforts to consolidate most of the
state's computers under a central
authority.
Other members of the Council
of State, notably Brooks, Auditor
Ed Renfro and Treasurer Harlan
Boyles, say they don't want to use
computers controlled by the Dept.
of Administration.
BORROWS AGAIN. . . The ail
ing Social Security old age fund
was forced to borrow $3.4 billion
recently to cover its December
checks. The Treasury Department
says the old-age fund will have to
borrow again on December 31!
MERGER. . . R.J. Reynolds In
dustries Inc. said it has merged the
food and beverage activities of its
Del Monte Corp. unit and its new
Heublein Inc. unit into a new food
and beverage group comprising
three companies: Heublein Spirits
& Wine Co., Del Monte Corp and
Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp.
Seems like the RJR form is
straying pretty far from its begin
nings.
PAY RAISE. . . Members of a
congressional conference commit
tee agreed Sunday to a dual system
for members of Congress - with
the House members making
$69,800 and senators holding to
their salary of $60,800. In return,
senators will be permitted to earn
an unlimited amount of outside in
come.
This agreement would also pro
vide increases for thousands of
senior federal employees whose
salaries have been frozen at
$57,500.
The congressional debate on pay
was triggered by an automatic 21*f*
increase that technically went into
effect last Friday, December 17.
COLLEGE HEADS. . . Dr.
Larry Blake, president of the N.C.
Department of Community Col
leges announced Monday that he
had accepted a position as Presi
dent of a similar institution in
Oregon.
The previous week Dr. Samuel
Spencer, president of Davidson
College, announced that he would
be leaving July 1 after 14 years to
become President of Virginia
Foundation for Independent Col
leges.
WOMFN. . . Women see physi
cians and dentists more frequently
than men, according to govern
ment statistics reviewed by the
Health Association of America. In
fact, women made an average of
5.6 trips to a physician in 1981,
while men saw their doctors an
average of 3.8 times. Women also
see their dentists more often each
year than men - an average of 1 .9
visits for women, and 1 .5 for men.
DIET COKE. . . According to
the Wall Street Journal Diet Coke
appears well on its way to becom
ing the second most popular soft
drink in the history of the Coca
Cola family. "Any target we have
set for diet Coke has been surpass
ed in every instance," says Rober
to Goizueta, chairman and chief
executive officer of the world's
largest soft-drink company.
SENATOR EAST. . . U.S.
Senator East of North Carolina
became the prime attraction and
well known in Washington, D.C.,
last week when he took to the floor
for a near six-hour filibuster in an
attempt to kill the 5-cents tax bill
on gasoline.
Until last week Senator East was
one of the hundred U.S. Senators
in Washington. East was a member
of the East Carolina University
faculty before his surprise election
to the U.S. Senate on November 2,
1982.
His election was due in large
part to the support of his friend,
U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Since
his election he had been pretty
quiet, like a typical freshman in his
first year. Now almost everyone in
North Carolina knows who the
"other" Senator is.
East, a 31 -year old former East
Carolina University political
science professor, crippled by
polio as a young man, is said to be
the first person who uses a wheel
chair to be elected a United States
Senator.
Chairing the hearing himself,
East didn't like it when six abor
tion rights demonstrators jumped
on their chairs in the marble Senate
ante-room and disrupted the
testimony. The six women were
fined $100 each.
DOWN?. ..For the first time in
nearly two decades, first-year
enrollments are down this fall at
the nation's medical schools, a col
lege association reported recently.
? NO TIC E
ALL HOKE COUNTY RESIDENTS
PROPERTY TAX LISTING
N.C. Stats Law Require That you
Ll?t Property For Tax PurpoM Aa
Shown Below:
WHEN TO LIST
Beginning al 8:00 A.M. January 2. 1M1 through 12:00 Noon Jan. 31, 1961 at tha locations
notid Mow.
- Extonslont of tlma to list may be granted upon written request and (or vatld reason.
WHO MUST LIST All Residents: Military and Civilian.
- All persons owning Real or Personal Property In Hoke County must appear before the tax
listers for their township during the period of Jan. 2, through Jan. 31, 1961 to list their
property for tax purposes.
- FAILURE TO LIST will subject taxpayer to a fine of $500.00 or Imprisonment not to exceed
six months.
- All mobile home owners must list and obtain a registration decal.
- All mobile home park and aircraft storage facility operators, must furnish to the tax
Supervisor the name of the owner of each aircraft or mobile home and a description of each bv
Jan. 15, 1981. 7
- NOTE: Military personnel may be exempt from personal property tax If they submit proof
that their "Home of Record" Is other than North Carolina.
WHAT TO LIST
All Reel and Personal Property.
- All property owned as of Jan. 1, 1981 must be listed.
- All real property Including buildings and improvements, and machinery permanently affixed.
- Household furniture, appliances, T V 's, air conditioners, fans, diamonds, and jewelry,
typewriters, boats and motors, trailers, etc.
- Farm equipment, livestock, poultry, supplies and products in storage, etc.
- Motor vehicles; all automobiles, trucks, airplanes, motorcycles, campers, etc.
- Business Personal Properly: merchandise, finished goods, equipment, furniture and fixtures,
goods in process, raw materials, samples, etc.
? Inventories are reported as of the latest completed fiscal year If the business years ends on a
date other than Dec. 31 .
ALL OTHER TANGIBLE PROPERTY NOT SPECIFIED
WHERE TO LIST
By Township
Allendale - At the home of Miss Wllla McLauchlln Monday through Frldey, Jen. 2-30, 1861,
8:00 A M. to 5:00 P.M.
Reeford - Courthouse Annex - Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M to 5:00 P.M. Jen. 2-31,
1981, and Saturdays - 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon.
Antloch, Blue Springs, McLauchlln, Stonewall end Quewhlffte ? In the Hoke County Library,
Main St., Reeford, N.C. Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Saturdeys 8:00
A.M. to 12:00 Noct Jen. 2-31, 1981.
F or further Information cell: 175-4031
L.O.
Tex Supervteor