CHOWAN^HERALD
252-482-4418 Wednesday, September is, 2019 $1
NEWS
Mayor praises town employees
for clean-up efforts - A5
COMMUNITY
Cupola House brunch, auction set for Sept. 22 - A6
SPORTS
Live Your Dash 8K held Saturday - Bl
COMMUNITY
Bee Downtown CEO knows the buzz of beekeeping,
business - B4
Group: Repair library now
Conference room closes to due
water damage cancelling events
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Friends of the Shepard-Pniden Li
brary urged the Chowan County
Board of Commissioners to take ac
tion regarding the deteriorating state
of affairs that has forced the closure
of a major conference room for the
foreseeable future.
Vonna O’Neill, a long-time mem
ber of the Friends, read a letter to the
commission, which can be found on
the Opinion page A4, that states that
the conference room was shut down
due to water-related health and
safety issues, that includes mold and
mildew. O’Neill also presented the
commission a long list of main ¬
tenance requests that have not been
addressed in 2019.
“I view this library as a home for
this community where people from
all walks of life have access to the
same resources to enrich their lives,”
she said. “It’s the place where we op
erate as a civilized society to the ben
efit for all. It is normal viewed as a
See LIBRARY, A2
MILES LAYTON/
CHOWAN HERALD
Vonna
O'Neill, mem
ber of the
Friends of
Shepard-Pru-
den Library,
reads a letter
Monday to
the Chowan
County Com
mission.
‘One person
can make a
difference’
Organizer Leon Evans honored
during annual 9/11 ceremony
BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON
Editor
One single day 18 years ago
changed American forever.
Sept. 11, 2001, now known as
Patriots Day, was a day in which
19 “cowards” carried out a
See DIFFERENCE, A5
NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Barry Overman, current
Pasquotank County commis
sioner and former firefighter,
speaks during the 9/11 Memo
rial on Sept. 11.
INSIDE
Chowan County residents talk about
9/11-A5
Week honors
United States
Constitution
Annual ceremony will be held
Saturday at 1767 courthouse
BY SANDRA LANCASTER
SPERRY
For Chowan Herald
In recognition of the obser
vance of Constitution Week, the
Edenton Tea Party Chapter,
NSDAR will take part in Consti
tution Week with a 10 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21, program cel
ebrating Constitution Week. The
program will be held at the His
toric 1767 Chowan County
Courthouse.
The program will include a
welcome by Edenton Tea Party
See WEEK, A5
INSIDE
Judge Boyles to speak at Constitution
Day ceremony - A6
B9076"44813'
Vol. 84, No. 37
6
©2019 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
A Look at the Possibilities
NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON/CHOWAN HERALD
Students get out of school Monday at John A. Holmes High School.
DDE releases concept drawing
Propsoal for high school site
includes performing arts center
SUBMITTED REPORT
Destination Downtown
Edenton Inc. released a profes
sional schematic design that
shows the feasibility of main
taining the current Broad
Street location of John A.
Holmes High School.
The Board of Directors of
Destination Downtown Eden
ton, Inc. is advocating to keep
ing the high school in its cur
rent location on Broad Street.
After much discussion and
questions from the public, the
board decided to hire
Clearscapes architects to show
that in fact, a new facility with
an added Performing Arts Cen
ter and Natatorium would be
feasible at the current high
school location.
Site plans created by
Clearscapes depict the option
of keeping and renovating the
historic high school fascade
while demolishing and rebuild
ing additions to create a new
modern facility. The plans
show the possibility of new,
A mother remembered
Nancy Mordecai’s broadcast
career got started ip Edenton
BY JULIEN MORDECAI
Editor’s Note: This vignette of
fers a view not only of Edenton’s
history, but provides a story of the
American dream, how it is still
alive and vibrant. Anne Langhorne
Wood Mordecgi’s obituary can be
found on Page A3.
met my mom when she was 42 in
Nicaragua in November of ’68.
She had moved to Managua after
George, by her close cousin, Peggy
Sears Winborne Mordecai, who was
married to my uncle Frank Mordecai
and had been living in Nicaragua
since the early 1950’s.
By this time, mom had married
Dad and moved down with her three
children from her first marriage, my
brother Ed, sister Anne and my
brother Jimbo. Mom had been previ
ously married to Ed Carson of
Greensboro, NC. She had worked as
a single mother since their divorce in
radio in Edenton in the 1950’s with
having been introduced to my dad,
See MOTHER, A2
SCHOOL FORUMS
Due to press deadlines, coverage of
Tuesdays public forum regarding the
future of John A Holmes High school
does not appear in this edition. Look
for coverage at dailyadvance.com or on
our Facebook page, facebook.com/
thechowanherald.
INSIDE
For a look at Clearscapes conceptual
drawing see page A2.
improved and expanded park
ing for students, staff and
events.
The plan greatly improves
traffic patterns on campus and
advocates for a bus and car-
pool drop off lane. An added
rear fence and fewer entrances
and exits were included in the
plan in an effort to make the
campus more secure.
“The high school is such an
important part of our commu
nity we can’t imagine Edenton
without John A. Holmes. It’s
life, it’s education, it’s part of
our identity. John A Holmes is
one of the first things people
see when they arrive in Eden
ton,” Mayor Roland Vaughan
said. “It sends a message to vis
itors that education is impor
tant here, our children are im
portant here. This plan proves
the High School can be a top-
notch facility and remain here
in the heart of our community.”
Destination Downtown
Edenton Inc. has been advo
cating decision makers be
loyal to the existing campus.
In a resolution passed by
DDE last year, the board ex
pressed its dedication by
saying: “DDE fully and com
pletely supports all efforts
by individuals, busi
nesses,and organization to
retain John A. Holmes High
School at its current loca
tion, and endorses a plan to
remodel, refurbish, and/or
rebuild a facility as needed
on the current site.
“Ultimately it is our goal that
our students have an outstand
ing updated modern facility
while keeping it at its current
location downtown— a win-
win scenario,” DDE Chairman
Nelson Spear said.
See COA, A2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
(L-r) Wood, Harris and Beatrice Mordecai pose with
their grandmother Anne “Nancy” Mordecai in this old
family photo.
COA will
name new
president
Friday
Kersey: State board expected
to vote on selection at meeting
BY MILES LAYTON
Staff writer
Chowan County Commission
President Patti Kersey an
nounced that College of Albe
marle will announce its new
president Friday.
During Monday’s Commis
sion meeting, Kersey said the
list of finalists was narrowed
from three candidates to one
possible presidential choice.
The COA Board of Trustees
submitted the name of a finalist
for the job to the State Board of
Community Colleges and hopes
the state board will approve its
recommendation at its meeting
scheduled for Friday.
The finalists include Jeff
Jochems, president and vice
chancellor at the Richwood Val
ley Campus of the Ozarks Tech
nical Community College in
Nixa, Mo.; Richard Pagan, vice
president for academic and stu
dent affairs at New River Com
munity and Technical College in
Beaver, W.Va.; and Jack Bagwell,
vice president for academic af
fairs and chief academic officer
at Piedmont Technical College
in Greenwood, S.C.
To learn which of these candi
dates will be hired as the presi
dent, see the Chowan Herald’s
Facebook page on Friday and
pay close attention to the Daily
Advance’s website.
In other matters, commission
ers approved a $1,542 million
contract with AR. Chesson for
the renovation and repair work
Mayberry Hospitality
Dinner Theatre
OCT. 4,5 & 6,2019 • 6:30 PM • $12 donation per SEAT
MENU - Steak, Baked Potato, Green Beans, Roll, Tea, Dessert
For tickets call Church Rocky Dock Baptist ( lunch
Office at 252-221-4133 113 Rocky flock Church Rd., Edenton, NC