THE BLACKBIRD
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount High School
VOLL'ME XlviV
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. Wednesday, April ZZ. 1953
NUMBER 8
Edsonians Present
PlaySf Book, Stage
In Drama Festival
With munh e::citcment and an
ticipation, the Edsonians left
Ro'ky Mcunt on Wedne»lay aft
er: o on,
1.5, to attend the
North CaroJi-'.a drama festival to
prcrent "C'cd Medicine” and
“T.vo Crooks and a Lady.”They
ako carried a Ecrapbook and a
stage model to be judged.
Claapel HHl, AprU 18.
Rac!:y Mount hi^rh school’s
Edsonians came away with top
honors ia tfee scrapbook contest
sponsored at the Drama festival
in Chapel Kill last weekend.
Kon: ruble mentions were given
to both of i:;e plays, “Good
Eiedicine” and “Two Crooks and
a Lady.”
It was the first time thut a
Rocky Mount group has como
away f.rst with the scrapbook
honors. Nancy I’arry and Sarah
Moore di J the excellent job of
makLis: lha scrapbook.
Those in the cast of “Two
Crooks and a Lady” were Suzanne
CoviHgtcn, • Lucil'e; Joe White-
I. ''sr’T C; HDfir.gn.
IvZi's, £;i!i;o£.-Vanf; Kay Sanders,
Miss Jonei; aiiu Newsome Maples,
Inspector. The naeinbers of the
cast of “Good Medicine” were
Patsy McAule:, tlie doctor’s wife;
Newsome Maples, Dr. Graves; and
Christine Hufman, Hett„ Sage.
Prcduction Staff
The producticn staff of both
plays were Donna Clark, Grady
Gardner, Barbara Ann Moore,
Brooks Hinson, MoHie Spruill, and
Edith Ann Johnson., The stage
crew were Bart Ritner, Nicky
Shine, Dan Stancll, Albert Parker,
and Eddie Pennington.
Sarah Moore and Nancy Parry
designed and made this year’s
scrapbock, the cover of which Is
tooled leather. Jn this book are
the pictures and pro;rams of this
year’s production;
The burden,^ cf p;.bl,
pie (See Stori>. Pictu:
ling the school paper and annual will be on the shoulders of the pictured peo-
i from left to right, sitting are Valentine McMillan, Gordon Wilkinson, Bobby
Oeans, CarolGardner, Theo Pitt, and Ruth Parmer. Standing are Robert Daughtridge and
Jearge Knight.
Photo by James Reid
Bulluck Improves
Monday. Arril 21'.
f. • - 'S'--'!; View
Hosyila: th;n I’aul Bul-
uck -l.-i rr. !. 7!! -'ji(:i;>ly and
is comp!s^tcly >"t of critical
condition.
Paul, r' r. ’ a nurse, is
much betfer sr.d Js completely
conscious. Ke w;!! !;e In the
hospital for sor‘-etl»ne and it
will be a "nod while before a
niiwbpr nf ’"“Itors are allowed
NEWSEES
Officer Slate Set
i‘. '•
Elections committee met this
past week arid prepared a slate
of officer? Jor next year’£ Student
Organfzation.
Those who were pominated for
the offices are, president, Baxter
Savage, Sue Gregor;, and Thco
Pitt; vice pi-e3i'lent,.'Marvin Ward
and Eddie B^oth;, secretary, Mar
garet Daughjri'dge, Gfordon Wil
kinson, and AvsH-ey Kennedy. Pe
titions. for additioDal candidates
may be circulated through today.
There will be no rariiDalgning
until tomorrow morning. The elec
tion date is to be announced later
this month. Those wh"' are e’ect°-^.
will head the .'student bi'dy in tl^e
Senior high tichool next ,' ear.
Marv Wilkinson, pie'll dent-of
the Student Organization, aD-
pointei the E'cctions com'nittee.
They were, VivHn Wil’iTms, Eddie
Booth, .'’n'' J'->nr)t Sp'^i-n frcm the
jun'or cItss: F'-ed Reiihon. Ai^n
F’"in‘:on, S'’'nd'' Tho’'r>. Kt’'
ford, reprs-pnting the fre'h'ne’^
class; and Sheila Robbins from
the senior class.
Jimiors Plan Prom
111 Cinderella Style
Cinderella is making plans to
attend the annual Junior-Senior
banquet and dance which will be
held at “Ye old Country Club,”
May I. Her favorite knight will
have his hands full, helping her
with her wrap.'^ and glass slippers
during this “Cinderella Ball.”
The highlight of her night will
be the coronation of the queen
and the selection of her court. The
program has been kept secret.
The Highliters from Wilson un
der the direction of David Batts,
has been secured to play for the
dance.
The decorations and program
I will carry out the idea of the Cin-
' derella theme. Green and white,
■ the senior colors, will be used for
j the invitations and decorations,
j What’ll They Eat?
Menu for the banquet will in
clude ham, string beans, potato
salad, hot biscuits, apple pie, tarts,
and tea. Tomato juice will be
served on the terrace prior to the
banquet.
The committees with their
h'”'rir.en r.nd advirers are music
c'lmmittee, Harry Gray and Mr.
Earl Fr’’ott' program. George
Knight and Miss Athleen Turn-
""r; fo-d. E’i abeth Vann and
Miss Je""ir> Johnson; decorations,
Peggy Pettit. Miss Alma Murchi
son and Mr. Lee Chapman; invi
te tior® Tjin'.i'oad (“Boots”) Pitt-
r’-'n ■’nd Mrs. Ova Vnn Buskirk
I and c'epn vr^ 'R’’! Tharrington
I and Mr. Den Fean tain.
Under the direction of James
Cobb, the Flora MacDonald Col
lege Choral club presented its
spring concert in a special As
sembly April 14.
They sang selections of folk
songs, religious and Scotish bal
lads. As an added attraction eight
of the girls, dressed in Scotch cos
tumes, gave three of the folk
dances. One of the most well
known was the Highland Fling.
Singing and touring with the
group is a 1950 RMHS graduate,
Phyllis Leggett.
Alice Diehl Barnes, senior,
presented tJie winning speech
from RMHS in the World
Peace Contest sponsored by
the University of North Caro
lina. but she lost out in the
dfstrirt competitinm to a stu
dent from Jamesville.
Alice was chosen from the
five finalists—Jim Barksdale,
Christine Hufman, Janet
Spain and Sue Gregory. These
finalists were selected from
the second and third period
American History classes en
tering the contest.
“Building World Peace:
What are the accomplish
ments and what are the pro-
sDects of the United Na
tions?” was the theme for the
essays.
Donald Edwards and Billy
Knowles were selected the Boys of
the Month for April 1. Donald is
atteniine the Kiwanl,s meeting
while Billy is the Exchange Boy.
Street Picks Queen
-JauiCn ilowi'll Cl;ar.t, nc-tod
author, has graciously ■ consent
ed to be judge of the beauty
30’.itest for this year’s Juniorr
Senior. The pictures will be
sent to him when they are
completed. ■ ■'
Mr. Street Is the'author of
iie recent best seller The Vel
vet Doublet and many other
jest sellers. Notably are The
Uauntlet, the life of a small
;own Baptist minister, and
Dabrey books covering life in
Vlississippi from 17S)4 to the
present day.
Mr. Street moved to Chapel
flill in 1945 so his daughter
ind two sons could attend
UNC.
?ubl. Staffs Choose
954 Editors, Mgrs.
Editors and staff:-; for noxc
ear’s Blackbird and III-Noc-Ar
lave been selected. The co-editors
'or the Blackbird are Valentine
'icMlllan, who was advertising
nanager this year and George
Cnight, who was a colmunist this
vear. The Hl-Noc-Ar editor is
Bobby Deans, who was on the
■taff this year as a Junior mem
ber.
Next year’s business manager
.’or the Blackbird is Caroljn Gard
ner, who was a columnist this
year. Busine«ss manager for the
Hl-Noc-Ar Is Theo Pitt. Circula
tion manager for the newspaper
Is Patsy Pearce and for the year
book it is Gordon Wilkinson. Ad
vertising manager for the Black
bird is Ruth Fanner and the Hi-
Noc-Ar is Robert Daughtridge.
Electcd To Posts
The BUckbird staff is elected
by the entire staff and the Hi-
Noc-Ar staff by the Junior mem
bers only.
In the rsi-ent Columfcic .‘Coho’": -
tic Press Association contest in
New York, the Blackbird received
a one rating in its group of news
paper publications. Since next
year’s staff will have so many
senior members, they say they
hope for a medalist rating.
Juniors who have an avei-age of
a "B” on English wor^ may elect
Journalism In place of' eleventh
grade English, on recommenda
tion of their English teachers and
the Journalism instructor. Seniors
take Journalism as an elective
course. Staff members for the
Hl-Noc-Ar are elected by the
staff from the Junior and senior
classes.
Colleges Select R M Grads
To Impt. Student Offices
The North Carolina Sym-
!>hony Orchestra, under the
r’’~ectj'in Dr. Bpnjnmin
Gwalin. s’pve a co’’'ert for the
gram*»iar cell'll
In the high
school aud'torlum.
Part of the RMHP c>^olr p’"'*-
fented a groun of splection.* for
the Club last Satiirdav
nigh*-. “’'Corning Pro^'er.” “I Wish
I Wiiz ” and “Alleluia” were
among their selections.
Phyllis Leggett, a graduate of
the class of ‘50, is now a senior at
Flora MacDonald College. Phyllis
has been an outstanding student
both in high school and college.
Recently she was elected president
of the student body a:nd brought
further honor to herMlf and to
her alma mater.
I Bobby Gorham, class of 1950
' and editor of the Hi-Noc-Ar for
I that year,: has been elected presi-
! dent of the student body at the
I University of North Carolina. Bob-
I by was running on the University
! Party ticket and won out over
1 two other candidates.
Russell Cowell also of the class
of ‘50, has been elected vice-presi
dent of the senior class at Caro
lina. He is a NROTC student.
Another graduate of RMHS,
Tom McMillan, has been elected
treasurer of Pi Kappa Alpha at
the University of North Carolina.
Tom is now a senior.
Success in another way has
come to Christine Glasgow, for
merly Christine Searey. After
graduating from school here, and
attending Flora MacDonald Col
lege, Christine married and is now
the mother of two darling chil
dren.
Herman Geddle, who graduated
In the class of ‘49, is with the
nary In Japan. He holds the rank
of 3rd class petty officer. Herman
plans to further his education at
the University of North Carolina
when his term In the navy Is
ccHnpleted.
George Starling and his cousin
Leonard Starling, class of '49, had
leading roles In the East Carolina
College production of the operetta,
“The Student Prince.”