Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Aug. 22, 1985, edition 1 / Page 14
Part of The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Viewpoints Memorial backers looking for a hand Hoke County seems well on the way to having the first permanent memorial to those who have lost their lives in the service of this country. The monument, which will be designed and constructed by former resident and sculpturer Art Gore, is the idea of Eagle Scouts Josh and Jay Pate. The Pates have raised almost $2,000, but will need another S3 ,000 to complete the project. Because Gore is donating much of his time, and providing materials and installation at costs, Hoke County could have one of the finest memorials in the state for a cost far below its value. Gore and the Pates need help financially and with weapons of World War II vintage which will be melted into the monument. Hoke County needs a permanent monument, and we commend the effort of the Pates to get one started. It is now up to local residents to make sure the job is completed. Financial contributions can be made at the Southern National Bank in Raeford. Contact the Pates or The News-Journal about a donation of weapons. County needs stand on hazardous dumps Until a better method of disposal is discovered, North Carolina will need facilities like the ones planned for Scotland and Bladen counties. However, because of the nature of the business, privately operated disposal units are vulnerable to more abuses than are tight ly government regulated facilities. Hoke County should join Scotland and Bladen in support of a plan to regulate the proposed facilities or to move them to a loca tion like the Ft. Bragg Reservation where the operation can be watched closely. Hazardous waste dumps are coming to North Carolina. How and where they are operated should be a top concern of all who live in the state, including residents and officials of Hoke County. Hoke County residents can no longer afford to sit quietly and hope superior facilities will be installed at a toxic waste dump plan ned for Scotland County and a nuclear disposal area targeted for Bladen County. The environmental future of this county could be in jeopardy if poorly maintained or irresponsibly managed treatment plants are installed in the nearby counties. Thus far local officials appear to have taken a passive attitude towards the proposed disposal areas and seem relieved the units are not planned for Hoke County. Not only should Hoke officials be concerned about increased traffic from trucks carrying the hazardous material through this county, but local leaders also have a responsibility to make sure the facilities will be operated properly because of a danger of con tamination to the water table. Friendship is favorite topic Any writer, whether profes sional, part time or jackleg has a favorite topic. Mine is frienship. I value it very highly. I also realize the fickleness of some who call one friend. Friendship must stand the test of good and bad times and be tested in the storm of action. No frienships do I value more than that of Jack and Ola Ray Tucker. Arriving in Hoke County in 1967 as the high school principal I immediately became acquainted with the Tucker family. I soon learned if there was a worthwhile cause under way, the Tuckers were in there pitching. Jack worked with the recreation department when it depended almost exclusive ly on volunteers. Ola Ray cooked for and fed anyone needing a help ing hand. When the drive was started to raise funds for the pre sent Hoke High Stadium, Ola Ray and Jack spend their spare time asking for financial help from anyone who would listen. Controversy has always follow ed me like the cloud followed shoeless Joe in the Little Abner comic series. Not one time even when I got hoof and mouth disease have I ever had reason to doubt their friendship and loyalty in my time of stress. Solid as a rock is an age old phrase that we lean on when we are looking for support. The Tuckers have been my rock. Since I retired Jack and I have done a lot of roaming. Playing golf together for 18 or 19 years has always been taken for granted. Movie going has occupied some of our spare time in the last year or so. My partner likes to see those Looking On Raz A utry block busters. The outstanding movies of the century. Friday the 13th, Halloween 1, 2, 3, and 4 is high on his list. All above will sure ly get the nomination for the Academy Award. Cutting fire wood was one of our ventures. When Jack cut his finger beyond repair he gave up cutting wood faster than a frog would give up a yellow jacket. Ola Ray is a devoted wife and first class mother as her four children will attest. Both she and Jack worked for Burlington In dustry for many years. Not only to provide a better life for their children, but give them an oppor tunity to have any education they desired. Three of the four age col lege graduates, and the fourth is well on the way to becoming one. Jack in his weak moments will admit Ola Ray is a remarkable woman. However he moans and says even with her many talents she has lost her urge to cook. In fact Jack was talking about selling the stove because cobwebs were occup ing more of it than biscuits. I can't verify Jack's statement. It has been several years since I have eaten a meal at the Tuckers. Breaking a chair I sat in at the table years ago, eliminated any eating invitations extended to me. Many young people have prof ited from Jack and Olay Ray's guidance over the years. Jack has given many young men an oppor tunity to make not only his spen ding money, but the money necessary to enjoy things otherwise he couldn't afford. He taught them things about the business world they could not learn in a classroom. Ola Ray has opened her house for anyone needing a friend, advice or help. Ola Ray does not have a Chris tian handicap she has a physical one. After many years working around machinery, her hearing is not what it use to be. Jack was tell ing me recently, as he was recalling a violent thunderstorm, that when he walked in the house Ola Ray wanted to know if it looked like rain. Her lack of hearing is not a handicap to her. She told me nothing new was talked about that she hadn't heard. When Ola Ray decided to stop smoking she went about it in the same determined fashion she has in conquering the other obstacles in her life. Her children stopped also, after witnessing the strong will of their mother. Jack is the only ad dict remaining. Some folks are born with an in ner goodness. We aren't smart enough to separate those who do from those who don't. Only are we wise enough some times to ap preciate those who give to themself so others will live easier. Those who know the Tuckers have no trouble in fitting them in the right slot. Black leaders more effective Are we expecting something more ? something different ? from black office holders these days? It was not too long ago that we wanted black office holders to be seen, but not heard ? to be quiet token participants in the govern mental process. They were not sup posed to stir things up. Later, we came to expect black leaders to be strong and vocal, but to serv.e only as representatives of black people, and to articulate and be advocates of the needs of black people only. Today, some blacks are seeking and finding new leadership roles - that of being lightning rods for the worst problems facing govern ments. More and more often, when a tough job in the public sec tor comes along - one that in volves hard choices and limited dollars ? we turn to people who just happen to be black to take on the most important leadership responsibilities. Look around at some of the im portant black leaders throughout the country. Wilson Goode, the Mayor of Philadelphia, may be the most controversial public official in the country today. He made the decision to attack a radical group's headquarters and arsenal in the center of one of his city's neighborhoods. We may disagree with his handling of that crisis in his city last spring because it tp One on One ) " D.G. Martin Li resulted in the loss of life and the destruction of the entire area. But the controversy itself shows that he is at the front line at a time for dif ficult choices and actions - and he will face many others during his term. Why was Goode chosen to take charge of Philadelphia during these tough times? Not so much because he is black, but because he brought other special leadership qualities ~ includig an ability and willingness to operate on the firing line. In Charolotte, Mayor Harvey Gantt seems to seek out the tough problems and tough choices to deal with. Get at them before they get to be impossible, he says. In the same city, the County Commission chose Bob Albright, the President of Johnson C. Smith University, to handle its toughest task ? the reorganization and con solidation of social services. He got the job, not because he was black - but because he had a special blend of leadership skills that could not be found anywhere else. At the national level, the House of Representatives needed a Chair man for its Budget Committee which has to make the hard choices about where to cut back govern ment spending in order to avoid bankrupting this country. This may be the toughest job in the country today. Where did they turn? To Congressman Bill Gray, not because he was black, but because he brought special qualities to the task - including an ability to work under strong con flicting pressures. All these leaders were chosen, not because they were black, but because they have special qualities for service to the entire community or entire nation in very difficult jobs. What are these special qualities? Where did they come from? Perhaps these leaders and others who serve demonstrate that there is something special about the black experience that sometimes unique ly qualifies a person for difficult and significant leadership respon sibilities in our time. The challenge of tough economic times faced by most black families, may help develop leaders who are trained to be careful with other people's money and appreciative of its values. The pain and agony of resistance and accommodation to racism may make for leaders who are more committed to openness and fairness to everyone in public life. Letters To The Editor No place for 'hateism' To the Editor: Citizens of mature, moral character, whom adhere to the creed that 'All People are Created Equal' and know that every person is born to be free, endowed of the eternal right to life, liberty, and human dignity, should never be afraid to speak out against the cancerous evils of racism, bigorty and hate. Klan leaders are only big puffs of wind waiting for someone to tell them which direction to blow. Really, there is no place in our land for folks that preach "hate ism," like Glenn Miller and the white "patriot" party, the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and any other hate-groups that seeks social divi sion and violent behavior. They are abnormal, and for one to be a member, should be ashamed, in deed. Racism and bigotry stem from a demoralized deflated egotism, along with selfish pride, fear, envy and jealousy. Dear citizen of true patriotism: if you're interested in peacefully combatting racism in a mature and logical manner, you may write: North Carolinians Against Racist and Religious Violence, P.O. Box 240, Durham, N.C. 27702. Mab SeGrest is coordinator. Yours for social survival Daniel Edwards Pine Ridge, Box 301 Bladenboro, N.C. 28320 The News-Journal Pabttsbed Every Tkanday by . Wi ^ Racfonl, N.C. 2S374 Sabacrtptioa Rafts la Advmace la Coaaty Per Year? $10.00 i M oaths? S5.00 Oat of Coaaty Per Vnr ? $12.00 i Moatba ? $6.00 LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN, JR. WARREN N.JOHNSTON . HENRY L. BLUE SAMC. MORRIS ANN N.WEBB Publisher Editor Production Supervisor Contributing Editor Advertising Representative Seeoad daat Poatat* ?< Baeford, N.C. (USPS 3M-240) Vacation causes dog a difficult adjustment period Calhoun seems to be getting back to normal and has almost com pletely recovered from our recent week's vacation on the shore. Because there was no extra room for a dog in the 15-person beach house, Calhoun did not go on the trip, and although he received ex cellent attention while we were away, he let us know he was not hap py with being left behind. It started the day before we got home when Calhoun played a prank-on our friend who was looking after him. The dog locked himself inside the house and left his keyless attendant in the yard. It took about three hours to remedy the situation. After we arrived home the next day, sunburned and chattering about the fun we had, Calhoun began to suspiciously limp around the yard. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little hip problem I developed while you were swimftring in the surf, eating, drinking and having a good time. Don't mind me/' he whimpered. The Hop went on for a day, so we took him to the doctor, where JwgSf ift Jtoth and a dean bill of health . Warren Johnston 'he Puppy Papers "There's nothing wrong with this dog," the vet said, handing us a bill for $30. After we provided him with a good meal, a glass of wine and a cigar, Calhoun seemed to feel compensated and he no longer limped. We had a friend who had a similar problem with his dog Waldo. When his favorite pair of slippers were eaten, (rid Harry scolded and lightly spanked Waldo after discovering the tattered remains of the shoes in the dog's mouth. Waldo, took exception to the punishment, moaned and rolled on the floor in contrived pain. Harry's wife heard the commotion and came running to the dog's aid. Wsrido cowered in the corner of the room and limped badly on his right leg. "How dare you beat this animal senseless," Harry's wife said, throwing my protesting friend into the yard to spend the night. "He's faking," Harry yelled as the door slammed in his face. For the next week, Waldo limped every time Harry was in sight. Harry's wife continued to admonish him about cruelty to animals. One day, Harry looked out in the yard and noticed Waldo was running, jumping and had no limp. The dog could not see him. Harry took his wife by the arm out into the yard to prove to her Waldo had not been injured by his gentle spanking. As soon as the dog saw them, he started limping, but on the left leg, not the one . allegedly injured earlier. 4f] ? I think Calhoun may have talked to Waldo and gotten instruc tions on the Ump. Next year, when we go on v action, we plan to take him with us. I
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 22, 1985, edition 1
14
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75