I
#'
■;
7
y'
f
I
♦,
i
West
Craven
i-aGHUQ-IT
r'
The Beautiful
Neuse Paper
Serving Askin, Bridgeton, Caton, Cove City, Dover, Epw^orth, Emui, Ft. Barnwell, Jasper, New Bern, Piney Neck, Tuscarora, Vanceboro, Wilmar.
Volume 5, Number 29 Vanceboro, North Carolina
Thursday, July 22, 1982
Phone 244-0780
12 Pages
20 Cents
Hospital Expansi on-Facts, Figures
The following are facts
and figures related to the
Craven County Hospital
expansion project: Total
contract - $4,000,000.
Consists'of 36 beds, 10
intensive care units, new
kitchen and dining room
facility, 50,337 sq. ft..
four floors, underground
utilities, service tunnel,
exterior walls-red brick
veneer to match existing
brick; completion in 18
months; mechanical
cohtract-Electricon of
Kinston, North Carolina
$600,000; plumbing
contract-J.J.Barnes of
Fayetteville, North
Carolina $550,000;
electrical contract-
Watson Electric of
Wilson, North Carolina
$300,000; elevator-Dover
Elevator of Greensboro,
North Carolina $170,000;
Tom Cole-project man
ager; Ed Garland-
general superintendent.
Architects-Odell Asso
ciates.
Ground breaking
ceremonies were held
Tuesday.
The Second Annual
Coward Family Reunion
THE HUMAN PICNIC TABLE-Betsy Ann Coward
Wilson of Vanceboro agreed to lend a lap to several
relatives needing a place for their plates during the
Coward Family Reunion last Sunday at Glenn Franks
Landing along the Neuse River. Except for a strong wind
that came up at one point, the weather was perfect.
It’s not often that you can stand before a group of
over 150 people and call them a bunch of Cowards -
and have them agreeing with you.
That chance came last Sunday during the Second
Annual Coward Family Reunion at Glenn Franks
Landing off of River Road.
It was an afternoon of good food and priceless
conversation under the sturdy oak trees laced with
green-gray Spanish moss along the brown Neuse.
The food was plentiful and good thanks to chef
Lonnie Long who served fried chicken, barbequed
pig, chicken and pastry, endless covered dishes of
baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, creamed corn,
deviled eggs, and oceans of sugar-sweetened iced tea.
One center of attraction was the original rocking
chair used by grandma Mattie Coward as several of
her decendants posed for pictures aside the well-
preserved yellow rocker.
There was also a surprise 51st birthday party for
Melvin Adams of River'Road highlighted by the
singing of “Happy Birthday” by - many of the
womenfolk in perfect harmony.
The oldest member!^ present was 90 year-Old
Johnny Smith of Shelmerdine.
Reunion organizer Helen Coward Gaskins said
that her grandfather Sam Coward was born in 1859
and later married Martha (Mattie) Fleming and they
had seven children.
One of Sam’s grandsons is George Coward and he
grew up on a farm near Epworth. George said, “I got
teased a lot when I was a youngin’ goin’ to school with
a name like Coward but it made me a better fighter
than I woulda been otherwise and I went all the way
through World War II with the name Coward and
many of the women in the service didn’t believe me
when I told them my last name.”
People came from as far away as Hopewell,
Virginia to sample such delights as collards and
home-made lemon pie.
Edna Robinson of Vanceboro tickled everyone
when she reported that she had started going to
church regularly but that she couldn’t get on Social
Security because husband John was too young.
ROLLIN’ AND REELIN’-Beth Johnson, 8, of
Vanceboro may have been a bit dizzy after getting pushed
around by brother Bobby, 10, and Heather Martin, 9.
New Businesses
One of the new
businesses is Farm Life
Florist and Gift Shop. It
is owned and operated by
Ray and Elva Matthews
of Route 1, Vanceboro.
Ray and Elva are
planning to bring to the
Vanceboro community
the latest in gifts, crafts,
and floral arrangements
for all occasions. Elva
recently attended a floral
workshop where she was
instruct^ in how to put
together various types of
floral arrangements.
Wire service will be
available to area resi
dents. This service is used
for sending flowers to
friends and loved ones
In Vanceboro
outside the Vanceboro
delivery area.
When asked why the
name Farm Life Gift &
Florist was picked, Elva
said, “I nam^ it after the
Farm Life School which
has been a part of
Vanceboro for so many
years. I debated whether
to name it “Farm Life” or
“Millstream”, but re*
membrances of our old
school finally won the
decision.”
Other businesses that
have recently opened in
Vanceboro are B&N Auto
Service, Vanceboro Fish
Market, Wachovia’s New
banking facilities,and
Nobles Restaurant.
Question of the Week:^WhatwasjUikejivii^ in Craven County before World War II?
Mack Mills of Chips
“It was tight times back then, life wasn’t
nothin’ fancy-we lived by the mule and the
plow. Most of the town had electricity but
there were places in the country thatdidn’t
and we had cars but nothin’ like now.”
Ethel Purser of Vanceboro
“We didn’t have supermarkets back
then, just Cleve’s arid Peed’s, and people
came to town in cars and horse drawn carts
on narrow roads. House and garden work
was the same-farmin’ was by mule teams.”
Clyde Ewell of Vanceboro
“Came here in 1920’s, remember a
wooden bridge over Swift Creek and Ed
Barrow’s station and I went fishin’ off the
bridge, caught blue brim, perch, catfish
and eel. I worked at Vanceboro Theatre.”
Virginia Tyre of Vanceboro
“Things were hard but we were happy
because family members looked to each
other, children obeyed parents, and if you
got in a tight, neighbors would help. If we
went dancing, we were all poor together.”