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Vol. XIVII ■ No. 9
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VETERAN CHAIRMAN RETIRES —R. M. (Pete) Thompson,
left, retires Friday as Agricultural Extension Chairman in
Chowan County. He was recognized last week at a banquet. Here
he receives a resolution from David Bateman, chairman, Chowan
County Agricultural Extension Advisory Committee. (See Public
Parade.)
Roasting Pete
It was billed as a Pete Thomp
son Appreciation Dinner. What it
turned out to be was a meeting of
. the Wolfpack Club, with a
generous amount of free ad
vertisement for Peoples Bank.
The Chowan County Extension
Advisory Council and the Ex
tension Homemakers Council
headed by David Bateman and
Mrs. Mary Julia Parrish, respect
ively- put together a fine recognit
ion dinner for Pete Thompson,
who retires Friday as county
agricultural extension chairman.
Pete has served this community
in splendid fashion for 11 years.
His good work speaks for itself.
The high esteem in which he is
held by his peers was demon
strated by their presence. To have
either Dean J. E. Legates of the
School of Agriculture & Life
Sciences; Dr. T. Carlton Blalock,
director, Agricultural Extension
Service; Dr. Chester Black,
associate director; or Dr. Paul
Dew, assistant director, would be
quite an honor. All of them were at
Friday night’s banquet.
Some of those on the program
fried more than they roasted. At
times even we looked at the
program to be reassured the Tar
Heels had not been substituted for
Friend Pete.
Two people in the audience were
particularly interested in some of
the things being said. J. Gilliam
Wood, who is chairman of the local
board of Peoples Bank & Trust
Company, and Jim Brown, city
executive, soaked in all the free
exposure. For those who haven’t
heard, Pete is joining the bank as
an agribusiness consultant.
During our turn on the platform
we were compelled to define a
consultant as one who blows in,
blows off and blows out. The
audience recognized right off that
Pete fit the description to the tee.
PeteThompsonexemplifies what
is good along the Public Parade.
His manner of leadership is a
quality which many seek but few
attain. The community is for
tunate that he will remain here.
As he moves up the street to a
new challenge we know everyone
joins us in wishing him good
health, happiness and continued
success.
Program Material
There is an abundance of talent
along the Public Parade. Some 100
men, women and children were
exposed to it Sunday night at a
family Fellowship supper at
Edenton United Methodist
Continued On Page 4
Shop In Edenton Every Friday Night ’til 9 o’clock
# / ° -
Murder Charge Is Reduced;
Suspect Is Freed On Bond
Bertha Lee Cooper, 35-year-old
Negro, Route 3, Edenton, is free on
bond after the first degree mrder
charge against her was reduced
Tuesday in Chowan County
District Court.
Judge John Chaffin presided at
the probable cause hearing. He set
bond at $3,000, after he ruled that
the state’s evidence failed to meet
the elements of first degree
murder.
The woman had been in Chowan
County Detention Facility since
her arrest at 1 A.M. February 11.
' She admitted sfaßßmg George feV
Hathaway, 56, after a domestic
squabble. However, Christopher
Bean, court appointed attorney,
argued it was in self defense and
without premeditation and
deliberation.
Asst. Dist. Atty. Mike Johnson of
Elizabeth City contended that
Commissioners; School Board Members Tour USS Edenton
Eighty miles south of Virginia
Beach, Va., lies the Town of
Edenton, the namesake of USS
Edenton (ATS 1), homeported at
the Naval Amphibious Base, Little
Creek in Norfolk. On January 19
the two Edentons met as six
members of the board of education
and five county commissioners
from Edenton visited the Am
phibious Base for a tour of USS
Edenton.
Escorted by Capt. M. S.
Schuman, NJROTC Area Five
Manager, the group boarded the
ship at approximately 1:30 P.M.
They were conducted on an hour
long tour of USS Edenton by Lt.
Cmdr. Bill Stillmaker, com
manding officer; Lt. Tom Service,
executive officer; and Ens. John
Sepulveda, diving and salvage
officer.
As the tour began, Lt. Service
explained that USS Edenton is the
first of a new class of salvage tugs
fitted with new and improved
equipment. Providing rescue,
salvage, and towing facilities to
the fleet, the ship is able to assist
and take in tow damaged ships or
to conduct major diving and
salvage operationg.
USS Edenton has an overall
length of 282 feet and eight inches,
a beam of SO feet, a full-load draft
of 14 feet and six inches, and a full
load displacement of 2,929 tons.
Her designed complement is eight
officers and 92 men, and her
designed speed is 16 knots.
The salvage tug Edenton is the
third ship of the fleet to bear the
city’s name. The first Edenton
(No. 3686), a cargo ship, was built
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, February 26, 1981
Political Vacancies Measure
Opposed By Commissioners
Chowan County commissioners
have been angered by a “local”
bill for Wake County which has
blossomed into a statewide
measure in the General Assembly.
The legislation authorizes political
committees to appoint vacancies
in county elected positions.
The measure, which was to be
acted on Monday in the House of
Representatives, would make
mandatory nominations from the
Executive Committee of the
majority party in a county.
Chairman C. A. Phillips ex
pressed the tenor of the board
he said he was very sur
prised “our delegation would not
have been in touch with us before
it (the bill) got this far along.” The
board, meeting in special session
Monday afternoon, adopted a
resolution aimed at getting the bill
killed in the Senate or at least
Miss Cooper’s statement to
Deputy Glenn Perry contained
sufficient incriminating
statements to support the charge.
Deputy Perry was the only
witness at the hearing. He told of
receiving a call at 1 A.M. on
February 11. He arrived at the
home on the Clarence Lupton farm
and found Hathaway positioned on
a bed. He said there was evidence
of blood on the porch and inside
the house.
“Someone had tried to clean
most of the mess up,” he told the
judge. —" '
He said the defendant told him
that Hathaway came home about
10:30 P.M. and was drinking. A
squabble resulted and she was cut
by a knife wielded by Hathaway.
Miss Cooper related that she
took the knife away from him and
Continued On Page 4
for the United States Shipping
Board during World War I by
Skinner and Eddy Corporation in
Seattle, Wash. It was launched
November 9, 1918, and was
acquired by the Navy on
December 5, 1918, and com
missioned the same day. The
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EDENTONIANS ABOARD ’EDENTON’ Refreshments were in order recently as members of
Chowan County Board of Commissioners and Edenton-Chowan Board of Education toured the USS
Edenton. Lt. Cmdr. Bill Stillmaker is joined in cutting the ceremonial cake by C. A. Phillips, right,
and Eugene Jordan, chairmen of the commissioners and school board respectively. At left is
Commissioner J. D. Peele. (More Pictures On Page 7-A.)
having Chowan County exempted.
Phillips said he has been told
that Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., and
other ranking Democrats across
the state are supporting the
measure. He said this is a real
surprise since the new ad
ministration in Washington is
moving toward more home rule.
“This thing started in Wake
County,” he pointed out. “What
was Wake County politics is
suddenly a measure with
statewide implications,” he said.
Commissioner Alton G. Elmore
said the present system has
worked “very well” and if “the
county commissioners are to get
the flack then we should appoint.”
Commissioner J. D. Peele
agreed, adding the measure would
be saying the county com
missioners “arenothing.” Then he
noted: “So long as the county
commissioners are the governing
body they should have the say
about filling vacancies in elected
positions.”
Commissioner George Jones
predicted that most counties will
want to be exempted after they
learn about what is about to
happen.
Earlier, Phillips said Raleigh
Carver, chairman of the board in
Pasquotank County and area
board member on the N. C.
Association of County Com
missioners, was not aware of the
measure until it had already gone
Recommendations
To Be Revealed
Recommendations for
Democratic Party representation
on the Chowan County Board of
Elections will be announced
March 6 at a meeting of the par
ty’s Executive Committee. The
meeting will begin at 6:30 P.M. at
Mrs. Boswell’s Restaurant.
Mrs. Janice H. Faulkner,
Continued On Page 4
second Edenton was built as a
submarine chaser by Albina
Engine and Machinery Works in
Portland, Ore. It was launched
July 29, 1942, and was com
missioned December 14, 1942, as
USS PC-1077. The third Edenton
t was built by Brooke Marine, Ltd.,
Single Copies 20 Cents.
to committee and been favorably
reported.
Commissioner Barbara Ward
did not enter into the discussion.
She was appointed late last year to
fill the vacancy created by the
sudden death of Lester Copeland.
The Chowan County Democratic
Executive Committee recom
mended a woman to the com
missioners. She withdrew before
the board acted on the recom
mendation. Mrs. Ward was then
recommended by the political
committee and unanimously
approved by the county board.
In another matter before the
General Assembly about ap
pointments, the board supports
House Bill 9 which gives the
county board absolute authority to
make appointments to and fill
vacancies on the ABC Board. In
Chowan Couhty the action is tak
en jointly by the commissioners
and Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education.
While it hasn’t happened, the
school board could out vote the
commissioners in pushing a
particular nominee. There are
seven members on the school
board and five county com
missioners.
DOT Official
Schedules Visit
Marc Basnight of Dare County,
a member of the State Board of
Transportation, will be at the
Municipal Building in Edenton
today (Thursday) at 3 P.M.
Basnight is anxious to discuss
highway needs with as many
people as possible.
During the visit, a 16-minute
film which graphically points out
the existing emergency in funding
highway programs will be shown.
The General Assembly is now
considering various alternative
means of securing necessary
money for highway maintenance
and construction.
Lowestoft in Suffolk, England; its
keel was laid April 1, 1967. The
salvage tug was launched May 15,
1968, and was commissioned
January 23, 1971.
The Town of Edenton, in
'■X
corporated in 1722, was named in
Continued On Page 4
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Frank A. Stewart
ENC Chamber
Names Executive
GREENVILLE The two-year
old Eastern North Carolina
Chamber of Commerce has em
ployed its first full-time executive,
it was revealed today.
Frank A. Stewart will become
executive vice president of the
new organization on April 1, it was
announced by Robert S. Hackney
of Washington, president of the
regional chamber.
Stewart is employed by the U. S.
Chamber of Commerce as a
membership development
representative, and lives in
Statesville. He will move his
family to Greenville shortly.
“Frank Stewart is just the type
of individual our organizatior,
needs as it continues its growth in
preparation to provide Eastern
North Carolina with a strong,
unified voice,” Hackney said. He
reported that the chamber’s
selection committee chose
Stewart from more than 40 ap
plicants for the job. It has been
screening the applicants for the
past two months.
A native of Illinois, Stewart has
a degree from Southern Illinois
University with a major in
communications. He is 39 years
old and during his career has been
a newspaper reporter and a radio
station manager, after having
worked in the radio field for
several years.
He joined the staff of the U. S.
Chamber in 1978, and since
August, 1979, has been serving as a
training officer for new
representatives being added into
the membership development
effort of the national chamber.
Continued On Page 4
Democrats Slate
Executive Session
The Chowan County Democratic
Executive Committee meets
March 6 at 6:30 P.M. at Mrs.
Boswell’s Restaurant. Democrats
who are not members of the
committee are welcomed, ac
cording to N. J. George, party
chairman.
At the same time, George
released the 1981 Democratic
Calendar. Events include:
March 26 - Precinct Meetings 8
P.M. - Polling Places.
March 27-28 - Young Democrats
State Convention Raleigh - Royal
Villa.
April 2 - Precinct Meetings
Make-up Date 8 P.M. - Polling
Places.
April 11 - Jefferson-Jackson
Breakfast 10 A.M. - Raleigh -
Hilton Inn. Sponsored by
Democratic Women of Wake
County - $lO. Jefferson-Jackson
Dinner 7 P.M. - Raleigh Civic
Center - $25.
April 25 - County Conventions -1
P.M. - Site to be named by County
Chairman.
May 19 - Democratic Women’s
Spring Fling, Goodwin House, 220
Hillsborough Street, Raleigh.
May 28-31 - Democratic
Women’s National Convention,
Indianapolis, Ind.
July 17-18 - Downeaster,
Wilmington - Hilton will be the
headquarters. Banquet Speaker
on the 18th - the Honorable Charlie
Rose.
September 18-19 - Democratic
Women’s State Convention, Wilson
- Heart of Wilson.
October 3 - Vance-Aycock
Weekend, Asheville (tentative).