Volume XLX - No. 20_ Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, May 15, 1986 Single Copies 25 Cents
Hats Off To Holmes
John A. Holmes seniors took the
nation’s top academic superbowl
honors Tuesday when they stood
in as surrogates for high school
graduates across the country
while President Reagan delivered
the commencement address at the
White House.
And they did it almost without
realizing what they were about.
It was late Wednesday when
Principal Rob Boyce received a
telephone call extending a special
invitation to the John A. Holmes
seniors to attend the President’s
address at the White House on
Tuesday, May 13.
It being the season for pranks
and the date being the 13th, the
principal was at first skeptical,
asking the aide on the other end of
the line if the invitation were the
real thing. A few more details con
vinced him.
The seniors were being invited
to Washington to receive their
commencement address in person
from the President, who would be
speaking through them to all other
seniors getting their diplomas this
spring. The Holmes class had
been selected for the honor by
Secretary of Education William
Bennett, primarily on the basis of
the school’s receiving the National
Secondary School of Excellence
award last year.
In any event, it adds up to an
honor which will make John A.
Holmes seniors the envy of their
contemporaries not only across
North Carolina, but the whole
country. And it means that John
A. Holmes administrators, facul
ty and students must be doing
some things right.
In the recent past, schools
everywhere have had a difficult
time trying to devise ways
thrdUgh Which attention could be
focused on academic excellence
as it seems naturally to be focus
ed on athletic prowess. Historical
ly, John A. Holmes has won its
share of athletic laurels on the
football field, the basketball court
and in other sports.
Now, beginning with the Na
tional Secondary School Ex
cellence award and continuing
with the invitation to the White
House, the scales seem to be com
ing into balance.
So, we want to congratulate
Secretary Bennett and President
Reagan for thinking up the occa
sion and the staff and students at
John A. Holmes High School for
Continued On Page 4
i
Local Officials Discuss Fund Allocations
Town ana county omciais ana
several interested individuals met
Tuesday at noon with First
District Highway Commissioner
Kenneth Roberson and DOT Divi- >
sional Engineer F.W. Adkins.
The informal meeting was held
in the Carolina Room of Gaslight
Square and took on the flavor of
a panel discussion as questions
and observations were directed to
' Roberson and Adkins. The com
missioner stated that he believed
By JACK GROVE
WASHINGTON, D.C.-A bright
and shining class of ‘86 from John
A. Holmes heard a special ad
dress to them from the President
of the United States in the Rose
Garden of the White House Tues
day afternoon. President Ronald
Reagan spoke to them and
through them to all high school
senior in the nation via live TV
and radio.
Holmes’ seniors were picked
from among 208 schools that
received the National Excellence
in Education Award last year ac
cording to Assistant Secretary of
Education for Secondary and
Elementary Education, Larry
Davenport. Davenport
represented U.S. Secretary of
Education William Bennett at the
White House function.
Patricia McKee of the Educa
tion Department’s Secondary
School Recognition Program ex
panded on the selection process.
She said that department person
nel were asked to recommend
nominees for forwarding to the
White House.
McKee said that the following
outstanding characteristics of the
educational program at John A.
Holmes contributed to the school’s
selection:
♦An increase of 150 percent in
student SAT scores over the past
five years;
♦The lowest dropout rate in the
state;
♦And a 34 percent reduction in
discipline problems.
The department sent over five
nominations and the President’s
Scheduling Staff chose John A.
Holmes.
The President’s upbeat 1 p.m.
speech began with a “welcome to
the White House and thank you for
coming.”
He spoke of an improving
economy and “good news in
defense funding.” He said, “All
that we’ve ever done was done
with your future in mind.”
The President continued, “It’s
important that you’re fit for the
future and that you can be all that
you can be. So go for it.”
The seniors were told, “The big
gest contribution you can make is
to become a good citizen.” He
added that ways to accomplish
. *z3A**mai*- ■
Senior Class Enthusiastic
Tuesday, May 12, was an ex
citing day for the senior class of
John A. Holmes High Schol. As in
a dream, they boarded four
chartered buses around 6 a m.
and began their trip of a life-time
to Washington, D C. and the White
House as guests of the President
Governor James Martin has a
good program outlined and pro
jected a bright outlook.
Roberson said he could possibly
get a maximum allocation of
$150,000 for Edenton but needed a
proposal of priorities from the
town just as soon as possible for
presentation to his board in early
June.
Priorities mentioned were
widening and curbing and gutter
ing of Paradise Road and a
similar Queen Street Extended
project.
Attending the meeting were
Mayor John Dowd; Town Ad
ministrator Sam Noble; Town
Council Members Alan B.
Harless, Marina Crummy, E.N.
Manning and Willis Privott; Coun
ty Board of Commissioners Chair
man Alton Elmore; and N.J.
George, Hoke Roberson, Gilliam
Wood and John Wood.
f
INFORMAL MEETING—Town and county officials and private citizens confer with DOT officials Tues
day. Kenneth Roberson, of Robersonville, DOT Board Member, (middle left) answers Councilman Willis
Privott’s question (right).
President Reagan Addresses
Area Students At Rose Garden
this included becoming teachers
in a growing teacher shortage
situation; staying in school and he
emphasized the importance of
voting.
The President urged the
students to retain “a clear mind
and steady intellect.” “Drugs are
just a dead end street. I want to
tell you I’m enjoying myself
because I’m fit,” he said.
President Reagan concluded his
remarks by speaking directly to
the Gdenton Seniors. “You have
much before you. All I can say is
that you’ve begun brilliantly.
There was time for questions
from eight seniors to the Presi
dent. (Twenty students were
prepared to ask questions.) They
included:
Ques.—Saundra Rountree ask
ed, “will we be able to receive
Social Security when we retire? ”
Ans —“When I came here, we
saw Social Security was in trou
ble. We put together a bi-partisan
commission to find solutions. As
far as we can see now, Social
Security is on a sound financial
basis.”
Continued On Page 4
The threat of woodland fires is
very much on the minds of
foresters as a spring drought con
TV INTERVIEW—Senior Mary Rich was one of many Holmes
students surrounded and interviewed by the news media on the South
Lawn of the White House. Here she is interviewed by a news team from
WRAL-TV from Raleigh
ON TO THE CAPITOL—The senior class boards buses after hear
ing an address by President Reagan at the White House After some
free time in the Capitol area, they toured the building.
About Washington Trip
of the United States.
Leaving Edenton, they saw a
sign held up by students and
residents that said "We re proud
of you.” And indeed they were
proud and excited to be picked as
the best of all American high
school classes to represent their
peers across the nation for a
Presidential address.
Their first stop was as guests of
McDonald’s at Chester, VA for
breakfast. Things settled down in
the buses until they rolled into the
nation’s capitol when the feeling
of excitement rippled through the
air again.
The students soon found that the
threat ot terrorism is not taken
lightly these days in Washington.
Concrete barriers ringed the
street curbing around the White
House and security was tight
entering the grounds. The Seniors
driver's licenses were checked
against a master list and they
passed through metal detectors
before being escorted to the South
Lawn.
Arriving at about 12:15 p.m., the
139 students and 21 educators
(plus six news media personnel in
the party) found refreshments
laid out on white linen.
The Edenton group took their
Continued On Page 4
R.M. Thompson Seeks Runoff
Chowan County candidate R. M
“Pet^” Thompson announced
Monday that he would seek a
runoff against Winifred “Winnie”
Wood of Camden. Thompson and
Wood were among six candidates
for the Democratic nomination for
two seats in the N.C. House of
Representatives in last week’s
primary.
Incumbent Vernon James top
ped the voting to cinch nomination
for one of the seats. Wood receiv
ed 5,883 votes and Thompson
garnered 5,864, a difference of on
ly 19 votes. Each received 17 per
cent of the vote, but needed 25 per
cent plus one vote for the
nomination.
In his announcement Thompson
said, “Because of the support that
has surfaced, I am asking for a
runoff for the First District
Representative. With the wide
field that was in the first primary
and the narrow spread between
the second and sixth positions, I
feel that the voters in the first
District should have this
opportunity.”
Thompson continued, “1 know
that I can work well with the
elected officials in the
municipalities, counties and state
government. My interest in
education, highways, agriculture
and economic development is
strong. Regional development is
essential, with all nine counties in
the First District having to work
together.”
He concluded, “These are my
reasons, along with the en
couragement of my supporters,
that I have chosen to seek a se
cond primary.”
The runoff will be held on June
3, with the winner facing
Republican Shirley Perry of Per
quimans in the general election in
November.
inues to plague the Albemarle
irea. Weather records show that
his is the driest spring since 1895
iccording to Chowan County
rtanger Roger Spivey. Burning
jermits were cancelled May 2 for
he second time this year and the
ian remains in effect.
Spivey said that since 1980, the
irea has averaged a shortfall of
)ne foot in rain. This holds true for
he southern mountain area as
veil, with only the Piedmont
■eceiving its normal amount of
rain over this period.
There have been eleven woods
[ires since the first of the year in
Chowan County with 43 fires total
for all of last year.
Spivey said, “Scattered
showers won’t do us much good.
We need two inches plus, of con
tinuous rainfall, light winds, and
i high relative humidity to ease
she fire danger.’’
A forest fire, called, ‘very, very
langerous,” has been burning out
)f control in Onslow and Pender
Counties for almost two weeks,
rhe fire had burned over 70,000
icres or some 109 square miles by
Vlonday. Eight forestry personnel
ind one tractor/plow unit from
he N.C. Forest Service’s District
seven (based in Elizabeth City)
vere sent to that fire.
County residents may have
smelled smoke over the past
several days from a large fire
lorth of Winfall or another fire
turning about 400 acres at
Vloyock, a peat fire Smoke was
carried to this area by northeast
vinds.
Spivey said, “We ask the
public’s continued cooperation by
lot burning in this extreme fire
ianger period.” He said that no
outdoor burning permits are be.ing
ssued until the fire danger has
lassed.
Burning permits are not ro
Continued On Page 1
Fugitive
Apprehended
The FBI. announced
Wednesday afternoon that
Prentice S. Valentine, 29, of
Edenton, was arrested by
agents on Tuesday in Edenton.
Valentine was indicted by a
federal grand jury on May 5 in
Alexandria, VA on a charge of
rape on a government reserva
tion. The alleged rape took
place at Fort Belvoir, VA on
October 31, 1985.
Valentine was brought
before U.S. District Judge Ter
rence W. Boyle in Elizabeth
City the day of his arrest
where bond was set at $15,000.
He was confined in the
Albemarle District Jail in
Elizabeth City in lieu of bond.
Robert L. Pence, Special
Agent in charge of the F.B.I.
Field Office in Charlotte made
the announcement.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS—President Ronald Reagan addresses
the senior class of John A. Holmes High School in the Rose Garden
of the White House Tuesday afternoon. He told the Class of ’86 that
the future belonged to them. The seniors were honored as represen
ting the best in American high school students.
Drought Plagues Area