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The Morrisville & Preston Published Monthly ress Morrisville, N.C. June 25,1997 Police Chief considers bid for mayor BY MARY BETH PHILLIPS Morrisville Police Chief Bruce Newnam is considering a run for mayor, when filing for municipal elections opens on July 7. Mayor Margaret Broadwell said she plans to be there the first day, and Commissioner Phyllis Newnam also plans to file early. The third town board member who is up for re-election, Mayor Pro Tern Billy Sauls, is still “considering all [his] options.” Newnam, who said there is no law against a police chief serving on a town board, said he is considering running because he “loves the town.” “I care for the town. I have a lot of knowledge and respect for the over all operation of the town, since I’ve been with the town and watched the town grow from approximately 250 people to almost 2,500. The town was about one mile square when I started with the police department 12 and a half years ago,” he said. Newnam is familiar with the polit ical arena. He was a candidate for Wake County Sheriff in 1990. Asked about a potential conflict of interest serving as both mayor and police chief, Newnam responded, “The mayor is not a policy maker and normally does not vote. The mayor that is in there now has never voted. Ernest Lumley in 13 years only voted twice. Even in those situ ations, you can abstain. Both posi tions can easily be separated.” He cited an example of a police chief who serves as town commis sioner in the small Town of Four Oaks in Johnston County. “And he has a vote, he is a policymaker. There is no reason why I couldn’t separate the two and be effective in both positions.” Police Chief Danny Toppings has served as a commissioner for about two years, including a short time when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term, and a recent re-elec tion. Four Oaks has a population of about 1,500. Newnam said it takes an ethical person to be able to do both jobs. “There must be, no question, that when holding an elective office, a sacred and trusted duty must be pre served and held with the highest code of ethics,” Newnam said. “I think my ethics are high enough that I can hold both positions at the same time.” A second chance: Schumaker looks ahead to new life BY ROXANNE POWERS When diagnosed with Alpha-antit rypsin three years ago, Prestonwood employee Lil Schumaker went home and contacted the American Lung Association to learn more about the hereditary disorder. Among other things, she learned that her health would deteriorate until she needed a new lung. She learned she would need oxygen, Prolastin transfusions and the drug Prednisone, which causes dramatic weight gain. But only with time did she learn the full implications of the disease. She didn’t realize the struggle she would have breathing when scents of perfume, cleaners, potpourri’s wafted through the air. She didn’t realize how difficult it would be to go out when, as her disease pro gressed, she would have to go equipped with wheel chair and oxy gen tanks. She didn’t know the dis ease would keep her from reading when cataracts developed through the use of her medication. Through all her woes, Ms. Schumaker has kept her optimism. “Two years of psychology courses in college, and overcoming numer ous personal challenges in my life helped me be prepared for this fight. I knew I was going to win it,” she said. A year after The Progress pub lished a story about her need for a lung transplant, Ms. Schumaker’s family and friends nervously gath ered around her hospital bed as nurses prepped her for surgery. Having grown attached to her, I was among the friends there. We felt excited—after all, this was the day she had waiting for, the procedure that would allow her to live a normal life—but angst, too, because the surgery was so serious. We seemed suspended between desire to offer moral support, and a desire to keep from being a hin drance to her care. Together we buried our heads in light humor, and cloaked our hearts in the warmth generated by our shared concern. When they came for her, panic seemed to rise up into her eyes. But with typical aplomb, she fought it and smiled. Tears glazed her eyes as she realized that she could be look ing at us, at anything, for the last time. She wiggled her fingers in small, stilted movements as she attempted a wave. Someone made a humorous comment, which left her laughing even as she was wheeled away. Today, one month after the momentous surgery, 40-year-old Lil, who says this is her second chance at life, is excited to be home, and is anxious to let the donor family know BREATHING EASY: Lil Schumaker, \who received a lung transplant a and healthy. She is looking forward to seeing her first grandchild, who in December) when they get to visit. of her gratitude. For the next few months, she will be unable to eat meat that is not cooked well-done, and will not be able to touch or eat fruits and veg etables that have not been peeled and/or cooked; but she no longer has to rely on oxygen tanks. She can inhale scents again with out them leaving her breathless or ill. She can walk across the room without being winded. She can look forward to keeping up with her grandchild (whose bir± is expected When the need for Prednisone has ended, her face will take back its normal appearance, and more importantly, she can have the cataracts removed, and get back to driving and reading books. I look forward to getting to know this healthy Lil, but the unhealthy Lil, who accepts everyone and every circumstance and never complained no matter what, will have a lasting impression on me always. Pitoto by Mary Bath Phlll)o« month ago, is happy to be home is due in December. Across the country. Organ Procurement agencies get consent from families an average of 52 per cent of the time. According to a spokesman for the Carolina Organ Procurement Agency, the problem is that most hospitals don’t comply with a feder al law that says they must call the organ procurement organization on every death. She says if everyone who could donate would donate, the waiting list for organs would disap pear in two years. But Newnam said he is not certain he will run. “I’m giving it a whole lot of thought. I’ve had a tremendous amount of support talking with me about it in the community.” He said he will make a decision in the early part of the filing He added that if he does run, “I will be entirely positive in this election. I will not have anything negative to say about any other candidate. See CHIEF, page2 Fore! Golf course on par for Morrisville BY MARY BETH PHILLIPS The Morrisville Board of Commissioners voted to allow a developer to begin grading for a par 3 public golf course to be located along N.C. 54 between Weston and the Cedar Fork soccer field, although the site plan has not yet been submitted to the town. Developers Karl Blackley and Tim Smith of Preston Development Corp. asked for permission because, they said, grading for the site must occur in the summer months. Also at the meeting, the board awarded a contract for grading a soccer field at Lumley Park to Willow Run Enterprises, although the bid was about S4,000 higher than the next bidder, Marshall A. Webster Grading. Preston developers will submit plans for the golf course and related structures in time for the Planning and Zoning Board meeting June 26. Plans for the 49.3-acre tract include a par three golf course, a 36- hole miniature course, a driving range, practice putting greens and a clubhouse, said Brad Hart, an assis tant project manager. Hart said the developers are con sidering adding to the plan a base ball batting range. See GOLF, page 2 Morrisville couple celebrates 10 years of ‘Guiding Eyes for the Blind’ BY MARY BETH PHILLIPS Eleven years ago, Don and Sherry Dodson raised their first puppy for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. They kept her with them from eight weeks old until she was 14 months old, then sent her to Guiding Eyes headquarters in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., for another five months of intensive training. In late January of 1987, Abby was assigned to a blind person from Rochester, N.Y., and the Dodsons drove to New York to see her graduation. They were hooked. Abby was the first dog from North Carolina to be accepted into the pro gram. At that point, the Dodsons decided that North Carolina needed a chapter of Guiding Eyes, hut officials at headquarters were skeptical. “They didn’t think we could do it,” Don Dodson said. “The distance from the school, and transpo'rMltion to and from would be a major stum bling block.” But the Dodsons, who live in the Green Level community west of Morrisville, weren’t afraid to ask /or favors. They were able to get American Airlines to agree to fly all the puppies to and from New York at no cost. Today they have a similar arrange ment with Midway, and the program is going strong. Thanks to their leadership, more than 130 puppies have been raised under the North Carolina program in the past 10 years. The North Carolina , Photo by Mary Beth Phillips CRAFTY CANINES: Don and Sherry Dodson relax at nome witn their hwo dogs, Liebler, a Golden Retriever, and Morgan, a Labrador Retriever. program is the farthest away firom Carolina, and some from South headquarters of any of the 29 other Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia at programs from Maine to here. Brooks United Methodist Church in Recently, Jane Russenberger, Raleigh for a puppy evaluation, puppy evaluator from Guiding Eyes Every three months, the 20 dogs headquarters, joined a group of being raised under the North puppy raisers from across North Carolina program are evaluated. “Each puppy gets a 45-minute time with us,” Sherry Dodson explained. “We look at where they are, we guide the puppy raiser in what they will need to do for the next three months. There is also a puppy raiser manual that puppy raisers get.” And soon they will have a video to help raisers even more. “It’s really no different than raising a good pet for yourself,” Don said. “When we raised Abby, we didn’t have a puppy evaluator coming down; we didn’t have a puppy man ual to tell us what we needed to do and didn’t need to do. We raised that dog the way we would raise any dog in our home. We don’t allow beg ging at the table or jumping on the sofa in the living room. We have good, well-mannered pets. That’s what Guiding Eyes is looking for. We didn’t know that what we did matched up so well. That’s what enabled Abby to go on and be a working guide.” Another reason the North Carolina program has been so successful is the response of the veterinarians in this area. “It has just been phenome nal,” Sherry said. “We started in this area a voluntary veterinary sponsor ship which has been just marvelous. In other areas veterinarians can’t afford to donate that level of care. We’re fortunate in this area.” Johnson Russell of Apex is the Veterinary Coordinator for N.C. Guiding Eyes. He, along with about 25 veterinary practices, has donated hours of care and thousands of dol lars of medicine and supplies. At the meeting on May 2, plaques were presented to six veterinarians from the Triangle area to the coast, in thanks for sponsoring dogs for the program. At the same meeting, the Dodsons were honored when the other coor dinators named a puppy after them. A certificate was presented to the Dodsons, “In appreciation and with deepest affection, the N.C. puppy raising program has named a Guiding Eyes for the Blind guide dog in pre-training 'Dodson’ in honor of Sherry and Don Dodson for their tireless dedication to the suc cess of our program.” “It was a total surprise. They pulled it off without us knowing,” Sherry said. “We have delighted in naming puppies after all kinds of people in this area,” she said. “One was a vet litter, named after our vet erinarians. One was named Crandall for the CEO of American Airlines. We always felt it was an honor. So the assistants got together with Jane to do this for us. “I feel—I hope it’s an okay name for the poor little thing,” she added.. “I hope he makes it,” Don said. Not every dog is accepted into the program. “Not every person is meant to be an attorney or a brain surgeon,” Don said. “Not every dog is meant to be a guide dog. But the dogs are never looked on as a failure. We never call them anything but career changes,” They have a very long waiting list at Guiding Eyes of people who want a pet dog that’s already well trained. See GUIDE, page 2 I Bulk Rate Postage Paid Morrisville, N.C. Permit #23 Delivered expressly to the residents of Moirisvillo and
Morrisville and Preston Progress (Morrisville, N.C.)
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