Longed-For Mandates
We were amused the other day
when President Reagan describ
ed the 50-49 Senate vote adopting
^ a budget resolution freezing cer-;
tain cost-of-living increases as a
“mandate” to go to work on Social
Security.
That’s slicing a “mandate” just
about as thin as it can be sliced;
and it says more about the sinceri
ty of the President’s campaign
commitment not to touch Social
Security than it does about the
| force of the mandate.
We have been receiving Social
Security benefits since we reach
ed the age 72 and we make no
bones about it. We had paid into
Social Security every year since
its beginning back in 1937. What’s
more, we had always paid on the
top base, which meant our
benefits would be comparably less
* than those who paid on a smaller
base.
When we went into business, we
became president and principal
stockholder in a small, closely
held corporation. As such, we not
only paid the employee’s portion
of Social Security taxes, but the
employer’s as well. In other
* words, if we had not had to con
^ tribute to Social Security as an of
ficer of the corporation, we could
have paid the savings to ourselves
as dividends or a bonus.
And, during all those years, we
took the government at its word.
We never felt Social Security
would be enough to support us in
our old age; so we invested our
^ savings to the end that we might
have an independent income when
we retired. Now, because of the
fact that we didn’t blow it as we
earned it and do have an income,
we have to pay income taxes at
something like a 40 per cent rate
on half of our Social Security
benefits — which was an indirect
way of cutting Social Security.
A So, we are pretty sensitive when
it comes to tampering with Social
Security. We do not object to
freezing increases in benefits if
other spending increases are
frozen in defense, in civil service
pensions, in business subsidies
add, yes, in congressional arid
other federal pay scales. Taxes
paid into the Social Security trust
^ fund were never intended to be us
ed to retire the General Fund
deficit. Social Security should be
held to spending its own money;
and when it reaches the point
where it can’t afford cost-of-living
increases, then, by all means,
they should not be paid.
We dislike the drift toward con
verting the Social Security pro
|l gram into a “need”-based system
under which recipients of benefits
would have to show they were ac
tually in need. That would be
nothing but another welfare
system; and the decision to tax
half the benefits received by per
sons with other income was but
the first step in that direction. Had
that been the understanding back
* in 1937, Social Security would
never have gotten off the ground.
We were not among the millions
of elderly who took President
Reagan at his word when he
pledged not to touch Social Securi
ty. In the first place, the pledge
was contrary to his well-known
economic philosophy. We weren’t
a fooled. But many were. If not fool
^ ed, simply beguiled by an actor
who knew he was speaking lines
he did not believe.
We did not believe him years
ago when he said he could reduce
taxes and increase spending and
balance the budget within two
years. But we do believe him
when he says the Senate has given
p him a mandate with a 50-49 vote
because it provided him with a
sorely-needed excuse. The next
“mandate”, no doubt, will enable
him to sign a “tax reform” bill
which' will increase revenues
“over his dead body”
.
;
Learning Lab
The Edenton Learning Lab will
continue to be open this summer
every Tuesday and Thursday
nights (except July 4) from 7-10
p.m. at John A. Holmes High
School in room 124. . ^
The Learning Lab is part of the
rnnHnning Education Program of
the College of the Albemarle and
is designed to assist students in
obtaining a GED or a high school
diploma.
Volume XLIX - No. 19
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, May 30, 1985
Single Copies 25 Cents
Rev. W.L. Wainwright
Gil Burroughs
J.A. Holmes Baccalaureate
The Baccalaureate Program of
John A. Holmes High School will
be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday,
June 2 at the Edenton Baptist
Church.
Speakers for the evening will be
Rev. W.L. Wainwright, Pastor,
Hawkins Chapel and Kadesh
A.M.E. Zion Churches, and Gil
Burroughs, Teacher of the Year,
Edenton-Chowan Schools.
Rev. Wainwright, a native of
Memphis, Tennessee, attended
high school at Manassas High
School in Memphis and received
a bachelor of science degree in
business administration from
Memphis State University.
He continued his studies in
business management at Wayne
State University, Detroit,
Michigan, and received a diploma
for Data Entry/Computer Pro
gramming from Harbarger
Business College, Raleigh.
His seminary studies were at
Shaw Divinity School, Raleigh,
and Southeastern Theological
Seminary, Wake Forest. He has
served A.M.E. Zion Churches in
Benson, Kittrell and Henderson,
N.C.
Born in Bethel, North Carolina,
Gil Burroughs attended public
schools in Norfolk, Virginia,
graduating from Granby High
School in 1934. He graduated from
Wake Forest University with
honors in 1957 with a bachelor of
science degree in physics.
From 1957 to 1960 Burroughs
was employed by the Army
Ballistics Missile Agency in Hunt
sville, Alabama working on the
Jupiter and Saturn missile pro
jects that launched the first U.S.
sattelite. From 1960 to 1968 he
headed a research team at the
Night Vision Laboratories in
suburban Washington, D.C. con
ducting studies on photoelectric
emission for night viewing
devices.
Continued On Page 4
Office Moved
The Edenton Drivers License
Office is moving from its location
on the second floor of the NCNB
building to a new building located
at 812 North Broad Street next to
the TraUvvays Bus Station.
“ We’re moving to the new loca
tion because its more convenient
for the public,” said licensing ex
aminer James Everette.
Hours at the new office will con
tinue to be Mondays and Tuesdays
from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
County wide 4-H Talent Show
By Murray Goodwin
Susan Pelletier of Pembroke
4-H Gub won first place in the an
nual Chowan County 4-H Talent
Show held Friday at Rocky Hock
Community Center. Susan did a
jazz dance and wore a beautiful
pink costume. She commented
after the program, “This must be
my lucky year since I won the
dress revue too.”
Placing second was Vevlyn
Parks of Gliden 4-H Club. She
played the piano. Vevlyn was also
a top winner last year.
Susan and Vevlyn will represent
Chowan County at 4-H District Ac
tivity Day to be held in Martin
County High School on June 26.
Winning third place were three
high school students from Oak
Grove 4-H Club. They did a
military routine and were dress
ed in their pretty blue and white
uniforms. They snapped through
their routine in a fine fashion.
These girls were Tammy Bunch,
Glenda Byrum and Crystal
Monds.
“Cute” might be the word to use
in describing Kim Moye and Ken
dra Bunch as they tap danced
their way to fourth place. These
girls are members of Hertford
Road 4-H Gub and their outfits
were blue.
Edenton Rotary Gub gave the
prizes to the four top winners.
Susan and Vevlyn received a
check for $10 and will receive a
rosette ribbon later. Third and
fourth place prizes were for five
dollars.
Judges for the contest were:
Jack Parker, Area Swine
Specialist; Mrs. Gladys White,
former Extension Worker; and
Mrs* Emily Lawrence, teacher in
the Perquimans County School
System.
Seven dubs were represented in
the talent show. Pembroke had 15
stage appearances, Hertford
Road 13, and Ryland 7. Approx
imately 110 people attended the
4-H Entertainment Program.
Pembroke also won the most
blue ribbons - four; Hertford Road
had three and Yeopim, two. Other
clubs with participants were
Gliden, Oak Grove, 'and Mexico
Road. There were a total of 18
numbers in the talent show.
Other blue ribbon winners
were: Melissa Pelletier and
Elizabeth Brown of Pembroke 4-H
Club; Clifford Vanterpool, Ben
jamin Burum, Lamont Burum,
Malik Vanterpool, of Mexico Rd.
4-H; Lynn Jordan, Keisha
Jackson, Regina Moye, Katina
Roberts, Denise Moye of Hertford
Road 4-H; Rhonda Sawyer, Erin
Pfundt, Gina Swanner. Tracey
Continued On Page 4
COA Summer
Quarter Begins
Tonight (May 30) at John A.
Holmes High School the College of
the Albemarle opens its summer
quarter. Applicants who have not
registered for the curriculum
courses may do so by reporting to
Room 106 at John A. Holmes
beginning at 7 p.m. Tuition is $4.25
per credit hour for resident
students. New applicants can
complete a general application at
the time of registration.
The following courses are
available in Edenton this sum
mer: Beginning Tennis - T/Th,
5:30; Word Processing - Thurs.,
7:00; Acting I - Tues., 7:00;
Economics II - T/Th, 5:40; Ac
counting II -T/Th, 7:00; and
Psychology I - Thurs., 7:00.
For additional information on
the above college-credit courses,
contact Mary Partin at 482-8426 on
Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Alice Jones Appointed:
School Board Seat Filled
By a four to one vote at a special
Monday night meeting, attended
by approximately 75 interested
citizens at D.F. Walker School, the
Edenton-Chowan Board of Educa
tion appointed Alice Jones to fill
a seat on the board that became
vacant due to the resignation of
Jerald Perry on April 30.
Jones, who is now the board’s
only female representative, was
nominated by Eugene Jordan.
Besides Jordan, school board
members John Mitchener III,
C.B. Smith and Billy Nixon cast
their votes for Jones.
Board member James Taylor,
however, cast his vote for
nominee Johnny Bond, manager
of the Chowan Credit Union.
Taylor’s nomination of Bond was
endorsed by the Edenton-Chowan
Civic League, an organization that
is working to have more black
representation on the board.
Because of a condradiction bet
ween state and local laws, it is
unclear at this time whether
Jones will serve through the re
maining term of Perry’s office -
November 1988 - or until the next
Primary election in the Spring of
1986.
At the meeting, Chris Bean, at
torney for Edenton-Chowan
Schools, said, “My opinion is that
we’re bound by what the state law
says.” That law says the ap
pointed person should serve until
the next election.
Alice Jones, 47, is a native of
Chowan County and a commercial
note clerk with Peoples Bank. She
is married to Carroll W. Jones,
Unit Administrator at the local
National Guard Armory; they
have three children, two who have
graduated from school and one
who attends junior high.
Active in the community, Jones
is a member of the Edenton Na
tional Guard Ladies Auxiliary and
the Macedonia Baptist Church
where she is a G.A. leader and a
member of the prayer group. She
served as registrar of the West
Edenton Voting Precinct for
several years and has done
substitute teacher work in local
schools.
During a public hearing before
the nomination, Rev. J.L. Fenner,
president of the Edenton-Chowan
Civic League, said that Bond
should fill the empty seat because
475 people had signed a petition
supporting his nomination. He
said the only qualification needed
to sit on the board is the ballot box
and he felt the “petition is the
same if you had gone to the polls.”
“Johnny Bond is the choice of
the black community,” said Fen
ner. “He could best represent our
cause.”
After the board nominated
Jones to fill the position,
schoolboard member James
Taylor said “the person you just
voted in has no interest in black
children whatsoever.”
In a telephone interview, Jones
responded to Taylor’s comment
by saying, “I have as much in
terest in the education of black
children as I.do the white. I care
about children.”
Report Issued
(Editor’s Note: Due to the recent
closing of two North Carolina rural
hospitals, the Board of Directors of
Chowan Hospital has asked that we
print the following article.)
Yes, Chowan Hospital is alive
and well. Despite recent publici
ty about the closings of rural
hospitals in Bertie County and
Warren County, the hospital in the
rural community of Edenton is
financially healthy.
An example of the stability of
Chowan Hospital is the expansion
that was completed two years
ago. During 1984, Nuclear
Medicine was added to the
Radiology Department and this
fall a mobile CT scanner will visit
the hospital two half-days per
week. Plans are currently under
way to renovate an area into a bir
thing room.
Also during the past year,
special emphasis has been placed
on outpatient and same day
surgery, in order that cost to the
patient can be more economical.
The hospital’s planning commit
tee is currently reviewing short
and long-range goals to determine
the future needs and direction the
Continued On Page 4
Association Honors Mrs. Keeter
RALEIGH — Evelyn Keeter,
Edenton, was honored by the
American Heart Association,
North Carolina Affiliate at its 36th
Annual Meeting, Delegate
Assembly and Scientific Sessions,
May 17-18.
For her outstanding and con
tinued dedication to the Chowan
County Heart Association, Keeter
received the silver service
recognition medallion. She has
been active with the Chowan unit
for two decades, having served as
treasurer for 18 years.
Una Loy Clark, wife of the
world’s first permanent artificial
heart recipient, Barney Clark,
presented the award. Mrs. Clark,
along with scientists, researchers,
and medical and non-medical
volunteers from throughout the
state attended the meeting whose
theme was “New Life through
Heart”
RECOGNITION— Mrs. Una Loy Clark, (right) wife of the first per
manent artificial heart recipient, presents the Silver Service Recogni
tion Medallion to Evelyn Keeter, Edenton, for her outstanding service
to the American Heart Association. Mrs. Clark, who is National Cam
paign Chairperson for the American Heart Association, was in North
Carolina recently to address the volunteers attending the 36th Annual
Meeting, Delegate Assembly and Scientific Sessions of the North
Carolina Affiliate.
Band Class
Discussed
Should 6th graders in Edenton
Chowan Schools have the oppor
tunity to participate in the band
program?
That question was asked at the
regular monthly meeting of the
school board on May 7 and again
during a special meeting Monday
night held at D.F. Walker School.
The question remains to be
answered.
The controversy began when a
recommendation to begin the
band program in the 7th grade
rather than the 6th was made dur
ing the May 7 school board
meeting. The recommendation
was one of seven made by a cur
riculum committee formed to
come up with a program for D.F.
Walker School when it merges
with Swain School in the fall. The
committee was comprised of 8
teachers, 2 parents and Mary Nix
on, principal at Swain School.
In reporting to the school board
on May 7, Joyce Cole, chairperson
of the committee, said the recom
mendation “wasn’t taken lightly”
but the committee concluded that
6th grade students weren’t
mature enough to make a decision
to join the band and needed the
time set aside for band for other
activities. She also said the com
mittee felt band director Otis
Strother was doing a great job,
but was spreading himself too
thin.
School board member John Mit
chener III complained that the
chief faculty member involved
(Strother) was never consulted.
He suggested the curriculum com
mittee report be studied by the
board before it was accepted.
In a public meeting held Mon
day night, several parents pro
tested the recommendation that
the band program be eliminated
in the 6th grade.
Rudolph Dale, who said his son
started music in Swain School and
is now a music major at East
Carolina University, said he was
upset over the idea of doing away
with the program in the 6th grade.
“I think it should start sooner, ” he
said.
John A. Holmes High School
faculty member Gil Burroughs
said he was “terribly disap
pointed” that Strother was not
consulted and said it made him
wonder how much out of his way
he should go to develop a good
science program when it could be
wiped out at any time.
When band director Otis
Strother was asked by a school
board member about the recom
mendation he said, “I think if we
eliminate one year of the program
it will effecct the kids. Music is
proven to develop skills in
students.” He also said that while
he had little time for lunch, he
didn’t think he was spread too thin
by having a band program in the
6th grade.
The board voted to have the
committee restudy the program -
this time consulting Strother.
Board members C.B. Smith,
James Taylor and John Mitchener
III voted in favor of the additional
study while Billy Nixon and
Eugene Jordan voted against it.
Darf Owner
Taken In Death
George Collins Wood, Jr., Route
2, Edenton, died Saturday, May 25
in Chowan Hospital. He was 65.
A native of the Greenfield sec
tion of Chowan County, Wood was
the president and owner of Darf
Corporation.
He served in Europe as a U.S.
Army Captain during World War
II. He was a member of St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church.
He is survived by a brother,
T.B.H. Wood, Edenton, and
several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held
Monday, May 27, at 11 a.m. in St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church with
Rev. John Gibson officiating.
Burial followed in the church
cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions
may be made to Chowan Hospital
and directed to the “Cat Scan”
Fund.
Funeral conducted by Williford
Barham Funeral Home.