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Dr. William E. Thornton
Military Pledges
Units For Event
Dr. William Edgar Thornton, astro
naut with NASA is scheduled to attend
the Memorial Day Air Festival sponsor
ed by the Edenton Jaycees with the sup
port of other Jaycees in Northeastern
North Carolina.
Also scheduled to attend are Glenn
Turner, multi-millionaire behind Koskot
Interplanetary, U. S. Air Force Thunder
birds, and U. S. Army Golden Knights.
The appearances of the military were
made possible through the efforts of
Rep. Walter B. Jones, stated E. C. Top
pin, chairman of the festival.
Thornton is a native of Goldsboro
and attended the University of North
Carolina where he received a BS degree
in physics and a doctorate in medicine.
Following his graduation from the uni
versity and having completed Air Force
ROTC training, he served as officer-in
charge of the Instrumentation Lab at the
Flight Test Air Proving Ground and la
ter became a consultant to Air Proving
Ground Command.
Dr. Thornton was selected as a scien
tist-astronaut by NASA in August, 1967.
Having completed the initial academic
training and a course in flight trailing
at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, he is
currently involved in training for future
manned space flights.
Hospital Project
The first phase of a renovation pro
gram at the extended care unit of
Chowan Hospital is being advertised
for negotiated proposals. Proposals
will be received until March 2 on work
to meet the requirements of N. C. Medi
cal Care Commission.
Thomas M. Surratt, hospital admini
strator, said the building committee will
review the proposals and award a con
tract as soon as possible.
Some additions, including a connecting
passageway between Unit B (old hospi
tal) and Unit C (old convalescent home),
are included along with extensive reno
vations.
Surratt said a new license from Medi
cal Care Commission is necessary since
use of the two structures is being chang
ed. He said only local money will be
used to make the changes.
The passageway will necessitate rerout
ing of the traffic pattern around the two
units. It will, however, allow for a co
operative dining area for patients being
confined to the units.
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Prefare For Rotbcatlon Edenton Housing Authority is now developing a mobile home park on
Ryders Lane for the temporary relocation of seven families who now live on sites designated for low
re»t public houkng. Jack Habit, right, authority chairman, and R. N. Hines, director of public works,
are shown at the site as work progresses on installing septic tanks and water lines. Edenton Septic
Tank Company if installing the t»«W and the Town of Edenton is doing other site development work.
The authority hopes to advertise for bids on the 100-unit, $1.9-million project within 90 days.
Volume XXXVII—No. “
public |Ktrle
Two For The C c ,t
“Fifteen per cent of all -ouits have
hypertension”.
It is considered a serious public health
problem and the N. C. Regional Medical
Program has funded a project to learn
more about the cause of the disorder.
Dr. James W. Woods, Jr., head of the
project, says only about 10 per cent of
all hypertensive cases have an identifia
ble cause. One cause along the Public
Parade and in 24 other Tar Heel coun
ties is the State Supreme Court.
The Department of Revenue can aid
#the local ills by sending along a check
for local option sales tax already in the
till. This General Assembly can insure
complete recovery by enacting a local
option sales tax that will be constitu
tional.
What It Was All About
The overlay on the front page of last
week’s edition has caused much conver
sation along the Public Parade. It show
ed the seal of the U. S. S. EDENTON
and was our way of contributing to com
missioning of tfMhip.
We were to print it in the gold
and blue of the original but will agree
it was quite handsome in traditional
newspaper black. But what does it all
mean?
The ship’s seal was selected by the
nucleus crew as it embodies aspects of
the Service Force, lineage and nautical
expression of her designed tasks. Sym
bolism portrayed is as follows:
Cordage Garland (Gold) —a symbol
of seamanship; Blue stars —each star
represents a commissioned vessel of the
U. S. Navy named EDENTON; Chain —
a symbol of strength and close associa
tion with heavy salvage; Trident—a sym
bol of the Service Force; Sun, Sea—from
the crest of the borough of Lowestoft,
England (where EDENTON was con
structed).
As Lowestoft,is located at the eastern
mosL.point .of England near the prime
Meridian, the sun is first seen here ,as it
rises Irom the sea commencing each new
day. The rising sun from the sea is
used to symbolize the beginning of a new
class ship and USS EDENTON’S origin,
and the Figure One—the hull number of
the ship.
Now you know!
Study Is Welcomed
Chowan County commissioners have
lost little time in coming to grips with
problems in the local county government.
Taxpayers along the Public Parade will
be glad to learn that the initial study
session on Tuesday night was considered
“fruitful” and further meetings are
planned.
County government is big business
these days. And it is getting bigger.
The days are gone when the county’s
business could be operated on a scratch
pad around a wood stove by one-galus
politicians.
The county commissioners have grown
to realize if they are to maintain a sensi
ble, practical and payable property tax
rate they must build into local govern
ment every possible efficiency. They
C—tt»«i mi Face 4
THE CHOWAN HERALD
County Board Begins Study
Chowan County commissioners Tues
day night launched an extensive study
of the local county government. Chair
man J. Clarence Leary had earlier ap
pointed the commissioners as a commit
tee to carry out the study..
The meeting was described by one
commissioner as being quite fruitful.
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Tour Schools Edenton-Chowan Board of Education Monday
toured all schools in the unit to inspect the facilities. Shown at
Swain Elementary School in Edenton are, left to right: Morris
Small, Thomas Paul Griffin, Chairman Eugene Jordan, Supt. Bill
Britt. Mrs. L. F. Amburn. Jr., and Carlton Goodwin. Not pictured
are Drs. J. H. Horton and Edward G. Bond.
School Lunch Program In Difficulty
By PATRICIA M. ARNOLD
The Edenton-Chowan Schools’ lunch
room program I 'is still in big trouble un
der the new program formulated by the
U. S. Dept, of Agriculture (USDA).
Supt. F. L. (Bill) Britt explained the
program to the Edenton-Chowan Board
of Education members Monday after
noon during their regular monthly
meeting.
VA Benefits High
The Veterans Administration has an
nounced that estimated expenditures for
North Caroina for Fiscal 1970 totaled
$211,021,783 of which $275,505 was for
Chowan County.
W. R. Phillips, director of the X. C.
VA Regional Office, said that the bulk
of the money was $131,721,221 in disa
bility compensation and pension pay
ments for North Carolina veterans
$216,023 for Chowan County veterans.
Other VA expenditures in Chowan
County for Fiscal 1970, Phillips said,
were for GI Bill and other VA educa
tion programs, $33,187; and insurance
and indemnities, $26,295.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, February 4, 1971
At a meeting late last year, Commis
sioner C. A. Phillips proposed the study
in an effort to create a more efficient
county government.
It is understood that the commission
ers will seek the advice of consultants in
various fields as they conduct future
meetings.
The program runs into trouble with"'
the elementary school children who pay
30 cents for their lunches. USDA will
reimburse the school six cents on each
paid plate lunch served. The price of
the meal is 41 cents per plate. This
leaves a deficit of five cents per plate,
or a total of $12,095 for a year.
Free and reduced lunches are com
pletely reimbursed by USDA.
Supt. Britt stated, ‘‘We cannot give a
quality program for 36 cents per plate,
but can we afford to raise the price of
lunches another nickel?”
He also stated he was attending a
meeting in Raleigh in the very near fu
ture to ask for some type of support.
He commented that if he could not get
any relief in Raleigh that he would have
to come before the board and seek an
answer to the problem from them.
Morris Small, Thomas Paul Griffin
and Supt. Britt toured the schools after
hearing the fire report from Fire Chief
Luther Parks. They said the house
keeping portion of the fire hazards had
been corrected. They also stated that
the teachers’ lftunges had been fixed in
an appropriate way so not to be a haz
ard. They remarked that there are still
Continued on Page 4
Low Bidder Listed
RALElGH—Dickerson, Inc., of Mon
roe, has been declared low bidder on 15.1
miles of sand, asphalt base and surface
for resurfacing US 158 between Kitty
Hawk and US 64.
The bid was $375,070 and the final
completion date is July 1.
Dickerson has area headquarters at
Edenton Municipal Airport.
Horner Convicts Three In Incident
Judge Fentress Horner of Elizabeth
City placed heavy fines on two of three
defendants convicted Tuesday in Chowan
County District Court of obstructing
officers attempting to make an arrest
at John A. Holmes High School.
Two of the defendants are Holmes
seniors.
Joseph Leary was sentenced to 90
days, suspended for three years upon
payment of SIOO fine and costs; William
Henry Leary, 30 days, suspended for
two years upon payment of costs; and
Lessel Jackson. 60 days, suspended for
three years upon payment of SSO fine
and costs.
Joseph Leary and Jackson art students
*4#
Single Copy 10 Cents
At the regular monthly meeting of
the board Monday, commissioners ap
pointed L. F. Amburn, Jr., as the coun
ty’s director to the Albemarle Area De
velopment Association. He replaced
John A. Mitchener, Jr., who resigned
recently.
Pete Thompson, county extension
chairman, and Commissioner Phillips
pointed out the importance of the posi
tion. “This position is probably the
most important now than any time in
the 10-year history of AADA,” Thomp
son stated as he pointed out programs
underway.
Amburn, president and general man
ager of The Chowan Herald, is also
executive director of Edenton Housing
Authority. Commissioner Phillips said
housing is of vital importance in the area
and Amburn’s experience should be
valuable to the board.
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Goodwin, tax col
lector, reported 64 per cent of the 1970
levy collected. She said this is some
what less than 1969 but January was
a good month.
Commissioner N. J. George pointed
out that 108 per cent of the 1969 tax
was collected and said those responsible
should be commended.
Robert Hendrix, director of the De
partment of Social Services, discussed
“extremely high” hospital bills for char-
Continue£ on Pagre 4
Jaycees Will Host
Rotocraft Meeting
In a joint statement between the Eden
ton Jaycees and the Popular Rotorcraft
Association (PRA), of Raleigh, it was
announced today that the Ninth Annual
International PRA Convention would be
held in Edenton.
Plans are for the convention to be
.held on June 26-28 with headquarters
at Edenton Municipal Airport. Last
year’s conv&ition was held in Hemet,
Calif., and was attended by hundreds of
people, including CBS-TV newsmen and
many other newspaper and magazine
writers.
The PRA is an organization of over
12,000 members world-wide who are en
thusiasts of the gyrocopter, a home-built
rotorcraft which can be bought in kits
for home assembly. One of the most
popular is the Benson Gyrocopter head
quartered in Raleigh.
About 75 of these rotorcraft are ex
pected to be brought to Edenton where
they will be judged for workmanship,
maintenance and in many other areas of
competition. Competition will take
place on June 27 with an awards banquet
to be held that night.
In making their decision to come to
Edenton, Dr. Igor B. Benson, president
of the International PRA said that
“Edenton has the ideal facilities to host
such a convention as this and that he
and his organization is looking forward
to working closely with the fine people
of the Edenton area.”
Wallace Evans, speaking for the Eden
ton Jaycees said that “the Edenton club
is happy to be hosting this PRA con
vention. We are pleased that they have
selected Edenton above all the other
towns in the United States. This will
probably be the largest convention ever
held in the Edenton area and it will
be a rather new experience for the Eden
ton Jaycees. However, it is evidence
that the Jaycees are interested in pro
moting Edenton by bringing new faces
and economy into our area by taking
on a new project of this scope.”
Jaycee President Robert Dail said that
Carlton Layton has been selected to be
general chairman for the event.
at the school.
Edenton Patrolman F. M. Parker and
Ray Norman testified about the three
defendants interfering Friday night as
they attempted to make an arrest of a
public drunk at a basketball game on
the Holmes campus.
The witnesses told the court they re
peatedly warned the trio not to interfere
or they would be arrested. Joseph Leary
was arrested at the scene outside the
gymnasium and Jackson and W. H.
Leary were arrested Monday.
Judge Horner described the incident
as an “explosive situation” and said the
defendants should have taken the offi
cer’s warning and not interfered in tfet
arrest.