Book |
Buddies I
have positive I
impact... 10-A f
Taylor Theatre
gets a facelift, lots of TLC
from owners.....-.... 1-B
Gateway Bank
to open office here..... 11-B
f^| jg Wednesday, November 14,2001
CHOWAN HERALD
Vo!7lXVIH, No 45 Published in historic EdentonThe South’s prettiest town, _ Single Copies 500 ]
----— |
Community pays tribute to veterans
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
Keynote speaker Tim
Dannelly praised the sacri
fices made by America’s ser
vicemen and women during
his remarks at the Chowan
County Veterans Day cer
emony held Sunday in
Edenton.
“We are here today to say
‘thank you' to those who are
serving and to those who have
served our great country in
the ranks of the American
military,” said Dannelly, a
Vietnam veteran. “Their sac
rifice and commitment, their
depth of character has assured
us the right to pursue our life’s
goals....This is no routine Vet
erans Day observance. For the
first time in decades, careers
will be interrupted, families
will be separated...and some
lives will be sacrificed...”
Dannelly noted that a surge
in the patriotic spirit of Ameri
cans followed closely on the
heels of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks on America.
“Hours after the fateful
events of Sept. 11, we began
gathering in Edenton to pray
for our country and for the
victims of this cowardly act of
war and for the families of
those victims,” he said. “It
seemed the normal thing to do
— to pray...”
Many of us, Dannelly said,
are acquainted in our daily
lives with someone who has
served our country.
“You may work with one
of those patriotic heroes or
live next door to one or go to
church with one,” he said. “I
go to church with Mac
Privott, who left a good job
and a full life to go to Viet
nam. And Murray Byrum
who can tell you stories
about World War II that are
so vivid, you feel like you
can hear the bullets whiz
past. In our town are men
like Jimmy Yates and David
Ambrose and Carroll Wood
Jones and Ken Stalls and
Morris Small, and so many
others who have kept the
backbone of the Army strong
with our proud local Guard
unit.
“Maybe you’re here today
remembering one who has
passed on,” he added. “I re
member a few myself — real
men with names 1 ike Wallace
Bass and George Cooke and
Ralph Outlaw and Bill Perry.
These fellows did their duty
in World War II simply be
cause it was their duty and
their watch. Their patrio
tism was as strong as iron
and their character was ster
ling.”
Keynote speaker Tim Dannelly (at podium) praises the
sacrifices of America's veterans. (Staff photo by Debbie Collins)
Nixon is top
administrator
Edenton-Chowan Schools
administrators have chosen
the county’s top administrator
for 2001-02.
White Oak School principal ’
Mary Nixon was selected from
among her peers for the honor.
Nixon will represent
Edenton-Chowan Schools as
the system’s Wachovia Princi
pal of the Year, in a program
co-sponsored by the NC Depart
ment of Public Instruction and
Wachovia Bank, NA, North
Carolina.
Nixon was born in Chowan
County and attended school
here as well. She has taught in
the county nearly 30 years. She
received her undergraduate
and graduate degrees from East
Carolina University.
Nixon has taught first, third,
seventh, and eighth grade stu
dents. She- served as elemen
tary supervisor and assistant
principal in a middle school,
high school and elementary
school.
“My first teaching position
in Chowan County was at
White Oak,” Nixon said. “So
when the principalship be
came available (in 1990) it was
like coming home.”
Nixon said it’s the children,
“of course,” that make her
Mary Nixon
work so rewarding. “Each
child is a precious gift with an
internal fire to be lit,” she said.
Service to Edenton-Chowan
Schools runs in Nixon’s family
— her husband, Billy, is trans
portation director for the sys
tem. The Nixons have two sons:
Jon, who lives in Chowan
County, and Jim, who lives in
Beaumont, Texas.
Nixon now moves on to com
pete with other local award
recipients from the northeast
region of the state. One princi
See NIXON On Page 8A
Northern Chowan Community Center opens for citizens
1 i * ‘ '
■
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
A ri bbon cutting Wednesday,
Nov. 7, celebrated four years of
planning and hard work to of
ficially open the much-needed
Northern Chowan County Rec
reational Center. City and
county officials had long rec
ognized the need for additional
space. The plan eventually en
compassed the needs of nearby
Chowan Middle School in that
it was rapidly outgrowing the
needs its present facility could
meet.
“This facility is awesome,”
said Wayne Goodwin, County
Commissioner. “Whoever
thought that four and a half
years ago we w'ould be stand
See CENTER On Page 8-A
Smiling faces and lots of praise capped off a momentous
occasion for the citizens and school children of Chowan County
during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Northern Chowan
County Recreation Center. Robbie Laughton, Director, his staff,
shown above, and the Chowan County Commissioners (left)
participated in a joint ribbon-cutting ceremony hat officially
marked the center's opening. (Helen Kerr Outfand photos)
A Queens, NY neighborhood
burns following the plane crash.
(CNN photo)
Plane crash not
terrorist-related
Witnesses say. the Flight 587,
bound for the Dominican Repub
lic, broke intoseveralpiecesMon
daybeforecrashingintoaQueen’s
New York neighborhood in what
was initially thought might have
been a terrorist-related attack.
The plane had undergone a me
chanical overhaul in December
of 2(X)0, a thorough maintenance
check on October 3rd of this year,
and a follow up maintenance
check this past Sunday.
Chowan County Jail receives
award for outstanding facility
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
The Chowan County Deten
tion Facility was recently
awarded the Small Facility of
the year award.
A press release from the
Chowan County Sheriff’s Of
fice states that the Chowan
County Detention Facility re
ceived the award at the An
nual North Carolina Jail Ad
ministrators meeting in
Burlington, NC.
The award process started
in June with each county facil
ity submitting an application
accompanied by a letter stat
ing why the facility should win.
Also included were several let
ters of recommendation from
local business, law enforce
ment and professional people.
The jail administrators then
reviewed each application. A
committee selected by the ad
ministrators made a follow up
inspection of each facility se
lected.
Each facility was evaluated
on inmate behavior, cleanli
ness of the facility, security
within the facility, compliance
with state standards, plus the
professionalism, morale,
knowledge, and appearance of
the staff.
The facility was also evalu
ated on functions that contrib
ute to the community service
programs, reparation pro
grams, school release, SCAAP
and Inmate release for work
programs.
The committee selected a
large facility comprising 100
or more inmates and a small
facility with less than 100 in
mates. The selection was made
from facilities throughout the
state.
“I would like to congratulate
the detention staff on a this
recognition for a joh well
done,” says Chowan County
Sheriff Fred Spruill. “It is a
real honor for them to be
awarded the Small Facility of
the of the Year.”
The Jail Administrators As
sociation is comprised of ad
ministrators from jails located
throughout North Carolina. A
letter from the Grand Jury of
Chowan County, dated Octo
ber 15,2001 states, “The Grand
See JAIL On Page 8 A
Farm-City Banquet
planned Nov. 20th
invitation to attend and jpar*
Reserve Your Space In The Albemarle Magazine...
For More Information, Call Mia or Zenetta at
1 _
A quality publication distributed
from Historic Williamsburg
to North Carolina’s Coast.