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VoiLXtX, No 28 w^S!ng!eCop4esW1
Thomas dies in
plane crash near
private airfield
Perley Andrew Thomas, 71,
whose family founded the.
High-Point based Thomas Built
Buses, Inc., died in a plane
crash Wednesday afternoon
near his private airfield in
Chowan County.
Thomas and William Scott
Archibell, 34, of 410 Mohave
Trail, Edenton, were killed
when a Kit Fox single-engine
plane owned and flown by Tho
mas crashed shortly after take
off, Sheriff Fred Spruill said.
The plane crashed and burst
into flames in a wooded area
about 100 yards from the end of
the runway.
Witnesses to the crash said
the plane's engine sounded like
it was sputtering and not reach
ing full power during takeoff.
One witness, who asked not to
be identified, said the men were
taking the plane on a test flight
and intended to fly only a short
distance before landing in a
field adjacent to the airstrip.
Archibell was the mechanic
who worked on the home-built,
experimental airplane for Tho
mas, the witness said.
The woods where the plane
went down are across Locust
Grove Road from the airstrip,
a site where Thomas also main
tained aresidence, Spruill said.
Locust Grove Road is a private
dirt road off Drummonds Point
Road in eastern Chowan
County.
Local authorities were noti
fied of the crash at 4 p.m., and
the Federal Aviation Adminis
tration and the National Trans
portation Safety Administra
tion have also been notified,
Spruill said. No further infor
mation about the crash was
available from the agencies
Wednesday.
Thomas' family operated
See CRASH On Page a -A
The fourth of July in patriotic colors, fireworks, In Edenton, the Daughters
northeastern North Caro- respect for American sacri- of the American Revolution
Beth Tayior of the DAR joined the Browders, County Commissioner Louis
Beifieid and the Hon. Chris Bean in taking part in a tribute to the patriotism of
Joseph Hewes, a iota! man who signed the Deciaration of independence.
(Chowan Heraid photo by Bud Weagiy)
lina was a sizzling mix of fices and lots of fun.
:——.-:
braved 90 degree heat early
Thursday to honor the
work and memory of Jo
seph Hewes. They and
about 100 onlookers stood
at Hewes' memorial on the
historic courthouse green
for the event.
DAR members explained
that Hewes was a patriot,
and a former Edenton resi
dent who signed the Decla
ration of Independence on
behalf of the people of North
Carolina. He was also in
strumental in the building
of St.Paul's Church, the
Chowan County Courthouse
and Edenton College.
"I just feel like this is re
ally sacred ground here,"
said Daughters of the Ameri
can Revolution speaker Beth
Taylor.
Christopher Bean recited
the Declaration of Indepen
dence. Then Reverend
Ashby Browder of Faith
Baptist Church left the
crowd with another impor
tant statement from Thomas
Jefferson.
"Eternal vigilance is the
price of liberty," he said.
! ,^.^^-CM--1 ".^---^*. .^.n.^:,:,-^zr..-t
This map shows the estimated 65 dB DNL sound curve of the proposed OLF. The
Navy wants to buiid their touch and go practice at one of these sites. These sound
tozenges were caicutated using the accoustica! characteristics for the oider mode)
F-l 8. The newer F-l 8s that wiit be practicing day and night are reportediy much
iouder. Fiight paths from NAS Oceana are not shown.
OI F action group forms here
BY MAMLYN LANGE
Special Correspondent
Last Tuesday homeown
ers and business people of
Chowan, Perquimans, Ber
tie, and Washington coun
ties met in Lderton to dis
cuss the Navy's proposed
Outlying Landing Field.
(OLF). Cliff Copeland pro
vided an update on the ac
tions of county leaders in
the Albemarle region which
are directly affected by the
proposed bases. Those at
tending the meeting shared
perspectives on the impact
the OLF would have on our
economy, our natural eco
system and our social and
cultural climate. The con
sensus was that noise from
the 24 hour operations by
the Navy's F-18 jets using
these practice runways
would significantly degrade
the quality of life in the area
and profoundly injure the
slowly growing economy of
the entire Albemarle re
gion.
As evidence to the eco
nomic threat, Mike Swear
ingen of United Country/
Swearingen Realty cited the
denial of a mortgage loan
This $250,000 transaction
failed as a direct result of
the possibility that an OLF
site will be constructed
here.
A map with the locations
of the proposed sites was on
display. The lozenge shapes
showed the Navy's estimate
of the dB60 sound limit. It
was pointed out that these
estimates, already covering
a seven by fourteen mile
area, were calculated using
data from the older version
of the F-18, and that the air
craft that will be using this
practice field, the Super
Hornet, are reported as be
ing twice as loud.
Kathy Myers of Bertie
County offered her view
that the Navy's proposed
OLF was a response to the
active opposition of Vir
ginia Beach residents to the
noise of the jets based at
Oceana and Fentress fields.
Locating practice fields in
northeastern North Caro
lina woo'd deflect this op
position. Another group
member noted that Virginia
would continue to have the
jobs and economic benefits
and the only thing we would
get is air'and noise pollu
tion.
The group discussed strat
egies for increasing public
awareness of the OLF threat
and set up the Albemarle
Community Action Net
work, a web based e-mail
communication network to
strengthen that effort. If you
are concerned about this
threat, would like to be kept
informed or learn what you
can do, the action group's e
mail address is:
NO_OLF@mchsi.com. Or
call 252-482-2983
Community Inclusion Forum
to be sponsored by Partnership
Tickets
are now
available
On July 19 a van will leave
Edenton United Methodist
Church for the Raleigh Enter
tainment and Sports Arena for
an outstanding weekend of
Christian fellowship. For two
days men from all over North
Carolina will gather to rally
for Christ. The program, Prom
ise Keepers, Men of Integrity,
is dedicated to igniting and
uniting men to be passionate
followers of Jesus Christ. Some
of the speakers for the rally are
Michael Silva, Larry Jackson,
Crawford Loritts, and Joseph
Stowed.
There are only six ticket
packages left for this trip. The
package includes transporta
tion, motel, and registration to
the Promise Keepers. For de
tails, contact the church at 482
3269.
Linda Todd, right, Assistant Manager of the Empioyment
Security Commission presents the Emptoyer of the Year
award to Chowan Hospita! representative, Debbie
Swkegood, (teft). She is Director of Human Resources.
Hospital earns award
RALEIGH Chowan Hospi
tal was honored with a 2002
Employment Security Com
mission (ESC) Employer
Award June 26 during an
evening reception at the North
Carolina State University Fac
ulty Club.
Chowan Hospital was one of
81 employers receiving an
award for exceptional contri
bution to the North Carolina
economy through new busi
ness, business expansion and
partnership with the ESC.
The ESC Employer Awards,
first given in 1987, are spon
sored by the ESC and the State
Job Service Employer Commit
tee (JSEC), one of North
Carolina's largest employer
association.
TYNER - Wendy Jewett, ex
ecutive director of the
Chowan/Gates/ Perquimans
Partnership for Children, an
nounced today that "Putting
the Pieces Together: A Com
munity Inclusion Forum," will
be held at White Oak Elemen
tary School on Sandy Ridge
Road in Edenton on Saturday,
Aug. 17. from 9 a.m. to 1p.m.
Childcare will be provided.
People who would like to regis
ter should call Gail King at 221
3030 prior to Aug. 1.
"This Forum will provide an
opportunity to share informa
tion about issues relative to
serving young specially-abled
children and their families,"
Jewett explained. "Parents of
ch ildren w i th special needs are
invited to attend this event,
where staff from community
agencies and advocacy groups
will be present to provide in
formation on their services and
how they can be accessed," con
tinued Jewett.
Representativesfrom public
schooi preschool programs,
Head Start, early childhood in
tervention programs, the
health and hospital fieldss men
tal health professionals, early _
childhood educators, and
people from the faith commu
nity have been invited to par
ticipate. (Early childhood edu
cators who attend will receive
three Contact Credit Hours.)
Sally Sloop, Family Support
Specialist, from the North
Carolina Partnership for Chil
dren (herself the parent of a
special needs child) will give
the keynote address.
"Planning for this Forum has
been a collaborative effort in
the truest sense of the word,"
said Jewett, "as parents, edu
cators, and representatives
from community agencies in
all three counties are taking
part in bringing it to fruition."
The committee is co-chaired by
Ms. Jewett, Catina Byrum, par
ent of a special needs child in
Chowan County, and Nann
Ambrose (Hertford), a Pre
school Teacher of deveiopmen
tally delayed children at White
Oak School.
Othermembersofthe Forum
Planning Committee include:
Theresa Carter and Janet
Respess (Chowan DSS), Anna
Copeland, Sandra Jordan
Leigh, Carolyn Privott, and
Laurie Valentine (Albe marle
Mental Health Center) Chenay
Coston (Perquimans County
Childcare Center), Elizabeth
Dail (Chowan County), Mary
Douglass (Albemarle Child
care Resource and Referral),
Sid Eley (Perquimans Cham
ber of Commerce), Lori
Heginbotham (Edenton United
Methodist Church), Juanita
and William Hurdle, Hattie and
Thomas Sharpe, and Vivian
See FORUM On Page 8 A
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