Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Single Copies 50£
Vol. LXXII,
Holmes
grads set for
'real world'
Chesson urges
grads to keep
‘winning’
Statf photo by Sean Jackson
Andrew Blanchard, left, and
Tanner Bloom prepare for the
graduation ceremony,
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
To hear Tanner Bloom tell
it, the Class of 2005 at John A.
Holmes High School was a mix
of pranksters and perfection
ists whose sole goal was to
overachieve.
Bloom, class valedictorian,
was one of 154 seniors gradu
ated from Holmes on Friday
night. It was 13 years in the
making, Bloom said, but it had
been a trip well worth taking.
“Our presence here to
night,” she told her fellow
graduates, school staffers, and
well-wishers gathered at the
outdoors Aces Athletic
Complex, “is totally a victory.”
Parents and teachers were
given high marks by Bloom.
“They have suffered in our
loses,” she said, “and cel
ebrated in our victories.”
Keynote speaker Wes
Chesson, a 1967 Holmes grad,
urged the class to continue
seeking victorious ways. A
former NFL wide receiver who
also starred at Duke during his
gridiron days, Chesson noted
the changes he endured during
his football career. He com
pared the developing global —
and North Carolina —
economy to the shifts in play
ing roles he faced with the Blue
Devils.
“For the past many years,”
he said, “North Carolina has
depended on agriculture, fur
niture, and textiles as the foun
dation of our economy. Re
cently, however, we have seen
many of these jobs go overseas
to lower-paid workers, and
See GRADS On Page 3-A
INSIDE
Calendar.C2
Church.C4
Classifieds.D1-4
Editorials. A6
Obituaries.C6
Society.C3
Sports ..B1-4
On Page Cl ...
Dr Hines says
goodbye to patients,
dental practice
NC House visits Old Chowan Courthouse
Local representative given the gavel; runs the show for a day
Rep. Bill
Culpepper of
Edenton,
standing in
background,
shares a laugh
with fellow N.C.
House members
during a playful
debate between
Rep. Arthur
Williams (right,
foreground) a
Beaufort County
Democrat, and
an unidentified
representative.
About 80 state
lawmakers,
lobbyists, and
local officials
gathered at the
1767 Chowan
County Court
house on May
25th for the
historic session.
Lighthearted House visit not popular
with one Republican legislator
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
It was 10 years in the mak
ing, cost nearly $50,000, anti
has drawn the ire of at least
one Western North Carolina
Republican.
But the 80 or so members of
the state House of Representa
tives who held session in the
1767 Chowan County Court
house on May 25 made nearly
as much humor as they did his
tory.
Vets, families remember fallen
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
“I remember growing up in
the years following World War
II—my aunt holding a picture
in her lap shedding tears over
the photograph of her oldest
son who died when his ship
was blown up; fny uncle hav
ing problems readjusting after
what he witnessed in the
Army; my father proudly
speaking of his brother and
others who served in the mili
tary—these are the things that
impacted me,” said Rev. Don
English, speaker at the fif
Domestic Violence workshop sharpens focus
BY EARLINE WHITE
The Chowan Herald
Domestic violence not only
affects the family in which the
crime occurs, but the entire
community. With the emer
gence of new laws on the books
it is crucial that law enforce
ment and family advocates
Fighting for the victim’s rights
are kept abreast of those im
portant new regulations. A re
gional seminar held last week
was aimed at doing just that.
Last year in North Carolina
there were 81 homicides result
ing from domestic violence dis
putes, reported Sgt. John
Guard of the Pitt County
Sheriff’s Dept. Domestic Vio
lence Unit at a Domestic Vio
♦
To Rep. John Rhodes, a
Mecklenburg County
Republican, it was a
“weird, stinky situa
tion,” he told a re
porter last week.
To Rep. Bill
Culpepper, a Chowan
County Deniocrat, it
was the culmination
of a decade of hard
work to bring the
House to Edenton.
To Rep. Richard Morgan, a
Moore County Republican, it
teenth Memorial Day Service
on Monday.
Hundreds gathered at the
Chowan County Veterans Me
morial to honor tho^e who
loved and served America and
gave their lives in defense of
the homeland. Retired service
men stood alongside families
of those who are currently
fighting in Iraq and Afghani
stan for the same freedoms
that our forefathers did. Chil
dren listened as English spoke
of freedom. “Freedom is never
free,” English said, quoting
John Claypool, “it always costs
something in terms of
lence and the Law seminar.
Albemarle Hopeline hosted the
seminar in Elizabeth City and
Guard
Hertford for all interested per
sons of the law including offic
ers and security personnel.
The objective was to provide
was an honor to be in the his
toric building where
1
I
the Colonial Assem
bly met in the fJOOs.
> ‘The town\i ier
should cry diloud
from the largest
building in Eden
ton,” Morgan said.
“To be able to hold a
session here on these
hallowed grounds is
so humbling.”
See HUMOR On Page 2-A
struggle, agony and effort.”
“Memorial Day is not so
much of a celebration,” En
glish continued, “but an obser
vance of America’s finest sons
and daughters that died for the
freedoms we enjoy today. I chal
lenge all of the young people
to visit a family, city or na
tional cemetery marker and
think of the lives of fallen sol
diers who died for us and our
freedom. Their race, sex, creed
and religion is not important.
What is important is their ser
vice to our country. And re
See FALLEN On Page 2-A
current information on laws
and practices as well as to ful
fill new legislative require
ment for DV training.
“When I started on the force
there was no block instruction
on what to do with Domestic
Violence calls, but with the cre
ation of Domestic Violence
units there are standard mea
sures officers must take to en
sure safety for the victims
while applying current laws
and practices as they relate to
the investigation.”
“Our job is not to bust up
families,” said Guard, who
grew up in Edenton, “ but to
make the homes violence free.
Why do I continue to work in
#
See WORKSHOP On Page 2-A
>
Culpepper lauded for efforts to
bring representatives to Edenton
BY SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
It was a break from the
grinding routine of hammer
ing out a state budget, and the
N.C. House of Representatives
made the most of its historic
session in Edenton on May 25.
Escorted
to the 1767
Chowan
County
Courthouse
by state
Highway
Patrol
Troopers on
motor
cycles,
roughly 80
House mem
bers packed
into the his
toric build
ing for a 75
minute ses
Staff photos by Sean Jackson
House members react dur
ing debate over naming the
Venus flytrap the state's offi
cial carnivorous plant.
sion.
The end result was the pass
ing of bills naming the Venus
flytrap the state’s official car
nivorous plant, and the Fraser
fir as North Carolina’s official
Christmas tree.
It was the first time in 262
years that the state’s largest
governing body had met in
Edqntou — since the Colonial
Assembly met at the Georgian
courthouse prior to the Revo
lutionary War.
Much of the credit was
given to Rep. Bill Culpepper, an
Edenton Democrat, for bring
ing the House to the historic
building, which re-opened last
October after a $3 million reno
vation.
“It’s just been wonderful,”
Rep. Richard Morgan, a Moore
County Republican, said to
Culpepper during the session.
“We appreciate so much you
giving us this opportunity to
visit.”
Morgan noted that Cul-pep
per is the third generation of
his family to
serve in the
House, following
in the tradition
of his grandfa
ther, William T.
Culpepper, and
father, William
T. Culpepper II.
The House’s
Rules Commit
tee chairman,
Culpepper
seemed to relish
a very special
moment. Just 22
minutes into the
session, House
Speaker Jim
Black handed the gavel over to
Culpepper, who presided over
the rest of the session.
“I’ve always wanted to get in
this seat up here,” Culpepper
quipped.
Representatives approved
three resolutions, including
one that honored the memory
of some of Edenton’s histori
cal leaders and the signifi
cance of the 1767 courthouse,
as well as a resolution honor
ing the UNC Tar Heels basket
ball team that captured the
NCAA title in April.
Six bills were also passed,
most being sent to the Senate
See SESSION On Page 2-A
Staff photo by Susan Moore
Hundreds gathered at the Chowan County Veterans Memo
rial on Monday to observe Memorial Day.
Steamers set to start
■ Staff photo by Earline White
The Edenton Steamers swing into action in Manteo on Thurs
day, and open their home season the following night at His
toric Hicks Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
* t
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