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SHEPHERD PRUDEN LIBRARY
106 W WATER ST
EDENTON NC 27932-1854
482-4418
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
75*
Ward to
receive
NCHSAA
award
- 1B
Edenton hires King as new police chief
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
A 17-year veteran of the
Rocky Mount Police De
partment is the new police
chief in Edenton.
Edenton Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton an
nounced Friday that Henry
King Jr. has been hired to
succeed former chief Jay
Fortenbery who recently
retired.
Captain King currently
serves as the commander
of Rocky Mount Pdlice De
partment’s Criminal Inves
tigations Division, where
he manages mqjor crimes,
property crimes and fam
ily services. He previously
served as a lieutenant in
the Professional Standards
Division. There were 18 ap
plicants for the job, accord
ing to Town Hall.
“I believe Henry will be a
terrific fit for the Edenton
Police Department,” Knigh
ton said. “His enthusiasm
and dedication to helping
people is one of the attri
butes that impressed me
during our meetings.”
King’s first day on the
job will be May 7.
“I absolutely look for
ward to working in Eden
ton,” King said. “I look for
ward to meeting everyone,
working with everyone to
make Edenton a safe place
to five and work.”
King takes over from
Daroyll Brown, who has
been serving as interim
police chief since Janu
ary upon the retirement of
Police Chief Fortenbery
in December. Fortenbery
is working as an assistant
professor at Elizabeth City
State University where he
teaches criminal justice.
Fortenbery was a detec
tive and a sergeant with 20
years of service with the
RMPD before took the job
as police chief in Edenton
in 2009.
“I found out about the
chief position for the Town
of Edenton when it was
posted on the North Caroli
na Association of Chiefs of
Police website,” King said.
“I also knew that Chief Jay
Fortenbery was retiring
and was watching out for
the position to be posted.”
King, 43, graduated from
N.C. Central University with
a degree in criminal justice.
He joined the U.S. Marine
Corps upon graduation,
served for four years and
was honorably discharged
See KING, 2A
KING
Pioneer
educator
dies
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
One of the area’s best
known educators has
died. Mary Forehand
Partin, of Edenton, was
the first Dean of the Col
lege of the Albemarle in
Chowan County. She was
87.
Parker
Chesson,
former
president
of the
college,
said that
Partin
played
an inte
gral role
PARTIN
in expanding educational
opportunities here. In
“College of the Albemarle
Chronicles of Achieve
ment,” a book authored
by Bill Sterritt that fo
cused on female lead
ers associated with COA
who helped develop the
college over the years,
Chesson recalled how the
Edenton-Chowan campus
was established.
“I felt that Mary Partin
was just the person to
lead this new initiative,”
he said. “She had worked
for the college for a num
ber of years, was a native
of Chowan County, knew
the local leaders, and had
excellent organizational
skills. She was respected
in her community, made
good decisions, and was
a hard worker.”
Chesson went on to
say that the passing of
Gardens Tour offers fantastic flora
BY REBECCA BUNCH
AND CLARA MINCEY
For the Chowan Herald
Among all the gardens
that will be featured on
this spring’s Easels in the
Gardens Tour the one with
the most unusual name is,
hands down, Bob Quinn’s
Surprise Garden.
The former Edenton
town councilman likes to
joke that his garden, which
will be new to the tour this
year, got its name because,
“It is always a surprise to me
to see what appears in the
spring. If anyone asks me
about a plant I have to say,
T’m not sure, it is a surprise
to me!’”
Irises and poppies abound
in it along with other plant
ings and shrubs. The Gar
den House on the property
at 200 West Church Street
is also a delightful surprise
with its artifacts and relics.
Quinn says with a twinkle
in his eye that he has had
many conversations with
his plants during the bitterly
cold winter that recently
ended, offering them words
of encouragement to bloom
and make him proud as
spring approaches.
Among the homes return
ing on the tour this time
around will be the garden of
Susan Nolton, one of three
Cupola House Weeders to
occupy the residence at 208
East King Street. The other
two were Suellen Bloom
and Ann Bruce.
Nolton said that those
who are part of the volun
teer Weeders group that
maintains the garden at
the historic site sometimes
bring plants home with
them and that some from
the Cupola House garden —
PHOTOS BY KIP SHAW
Lovely pink azaleas are among the flowers visitors to the community will get to enjoy during the Easels in the
Garden tour.
now known as the Frances
Drane Inglis Garden — can
be found in her yard. The
design of the garden at her
home is also a familiar one.
“The layout is reminis
cent of the way the Cupola
House garden is laid out,”
Nolton said.
The Easels in the Gardens
Tour will take place Friday
and Saturday, April 20-21
from 1-5 p.m. both days.
The historic Cupola House
in downtown Edenton will
serve as tour headquarters.
On Saturday evening from
5-7 p.m. there will be gar
dening workshops and a
garden party for tickethold
ers in the Cupola House gar-
A large staghorn fern adorns a brick wall in the gardens
at the home of Keith and Nancy Sorensen.
dens. To reserve yours, con
tact the Penelope Barker
Welcome Center, 505 South
Broad Street, Edenton, by
phone at (252) 482-7800 or
online at www.ehcnc.org.
Tickets are $30 in ad
vance or $35 if purchased
days of the tour. Co-chaired
by Clara Stage and Anne El
lis, the event will offer tour-
goers the chance to visit
some of the community’s
most beautiful gardens and
to watch while some of the
area’s most gifted artists
paint there.
After eqjoying the Cupola
House gardens, tickethold
ers will continue on to other
locales on the tour that be
sides that of Nolton and
Quinn will include various
venues for fantastic flora.
See GARDENS, 3A
See PARTIN, 7A
Taylor Theatre poised to start the movies
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44813 1
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
INDEX
Calendar 3B
Church 7B •
Community 3-6B
Obituaries 2A
Opinion 4A
Politics 9A
School 6A
Sports 1-2B
BY MILES LAYTON
Editor
Taylor Theatre is closing
in on its opening act.
“When we’re done, it’ll be
solid for another 100 years,
maybe longer,” said Paul
Waff, owner of Waff Con
tracting, which is handing
the reconstruction of the
theater.
A storm damaged the icon
ic downtown theater in June,
but Chowan County-rallied
to provide funds to purchase
and restore the property on
South Broad Street
“The roof leaks are fixed,”
said Charlie Creighton, one
of the leaders of the group
of investors who purchased
theater. “The inside has been
cleaned up, the bathrooms
have been remodeled and en
larged. Tile for the bathrooms
is here and being replaced.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Back in the day, marquis movie signs lit up the skyline
as magic came to life on the silver screen. Taylor
Theatre’s flashing sign doesn’t need Harry Potter’s wand
to light up Broad Street. Imagine what memories are
going to be created when the theater opens late April or
early May to kick-off summer blockbuster season.
The old carpet has been re
moved while new carpet has
been ordered and will soon
be in place. I think we’re in
good shape because a lot of
progress has been made.”
Optimism abounds for the
the theater’s new owners,
Belinda and Ryan Respass.
“We’re certainly ready to
open up and we’re waiting for
everything to fall into place,”
Belinda Respass said. “This
is a dream come true for us.
We’ve been working for the
theater for 20 years because
it was a passion. Now it has
come full circle from me
working there as a teenager
to saying that I am a business
owner on Broad Street”
Waff said if everything
goes as planned, the theater
will be open in late April to
early May. He explained that
the building on South Broad
Street has endured water
leaks for years, so workers
have been drying out the
theater with a dehumidifier
system to get the moisture
under control. Gordon Sheet
Metal & Roofing has placed a
rubber membrane to protect
the roof and there have been
extensive modifications and
repairs made to preserve and
restore the theater to its for
mer glory, Waff said.
Though current projects
underway are intended to
be completed so as the the
ater can open soon, the work
behind the scenes on main
stage will be ongoing.
“Our goal is to get the
theater up and running and
then we will work behind
the screen where the original
stage area is located,” Waff
said. “We have more area to
work on back there, but we
can do that later so that the
theater can open soon.”
In recent weeks, the front
“Taylor” sign has undergone
repairs and so that it has
flashing lights capacity. Note
that the sign will be flashing
starting today (Wednesday)
and through the next few
days as a symbol and re
minder of what is to come.
“The sign has gotten a
See TAYLOR, 5A
FRIDAY, APRIL 27“’, 7:00»
3
Tickets
$10.00
r SATURDAY, APRIL 28% 2:00pm & 7:00pM
JOHN A HOLMES
HIGH SCHOOL
AUDITORIUM
EDENTON, NC
.•—.
Tickets Available at various locations or call 252-221-4875 or 252-3,33-8567. Email rockyhock opry@live.com