Page 4, The Carolina Indion Voice
Mrs. Groce Epps retires after many
years of service to education
Mrs. Grace S. Spps, Super
visor in grades 4-8 with the
Robeson County School Ad
ministrative Unit, retired Oc
tober 1 after 34 years with the
county school system, nine as
a classroom teacher, and 25 in
the field of supervision.
The widely recognized edu
cator was honored by collea
gues and associates from the
central offices of the County
Board of Education Building
with a dinner held at Holiday
Inn South on September 16.
Special guests at the dinner
were her three children and
their families: her daughter,
Lena Epps Brooker and hus'
band James, their daughter
Lora Elizabeth: her s
Franklin D. Epps and his wife,
Kathy, and James Cameron
Epps and his fiancee, Kathy
Carey.
High tribute was spoken to
the contributions made by
Mrs. Epps to education in
Robeson County, to her church
and to the community by Supt.
Young H. Allen, Associate
Supt. Pernell Swett, and fellow
co-workers from the centra!
by Mary Brown •
staff. Mrs. Aileen Holmes,
representing the Robeson
County Board of Education,
presented a certificate of ap
preciation to the retiree, com
mending the positive efforts
and achievements of Mrs.
Epps on behalf of the school
children of Robeson County.
Personnel from the offices at
the Board of Education Build
ing presented Mrs. Epps with
a corsage and three pieces of
matching luggage. One of the
highlights of the evening, and
indicative of the esteem held
for Mrs. Epps at the state
level, was the reading of
letters of good wishes and
tribute from the following: Dr.
Craig Phillips, State Supt. of
Public Instruction: Jerome H.
Melton, Deputy Supt. of Pub
lic Instruction; Mary Purnell,
Director of the Division of
Reading, SDPI; Norman E.
Leafe. Director of the Division
of Health, Safety, and Physical
Education, SDPI; Nedra Mit
chell, consultant with the
Division of Mathematics, SDPI
and Helen Stuart, retired
consultant in Physical Educa
tion, SDPI. Letters of appreci
ation and congratulation were
also received from Mrs. R. L.
Littleton, Pembroke and Mrs.
B. Culbreth, Lumberton, re
tired teachers; and Mrs. Jessie
Byrd and Mrs. Gladys Britt of
the supervisory staff of the
Robeson County Unit.
Several other gestures of
recognition have been extend
ed to Mrs. Epps. At its
September 14 meeting, the
Robeson County Board of
Education adopted a resolu
tion commending Mrs. Epps
for her leadership role in the
advancement of education in
the county schools, for the
high standards she exemplP
fies in her professional and
personal life, and for the role
she has played in promoting
inter-racial and group under
standings in the county. The
resolution concluded: “The
Board of Education on behalf
of all citizens of Robeson
County, wishes Mrs. Epps
many years of health, happi
ness, and fulfillment in her
retirement.”
On Sept. 21, Mrs. Epps was
guest of honor at the first full
dinner meeting of the Robeson
County Unit of Educational
Office Personnel which was
held at Bonanza Restaurant.
A native of Robeson County,
Mrs. Epps was bom in a house
near the present Magnolia
School, the daughter of Rev.
James Walter Smith (now
deceased) and Lela Locklear
Smith. She attended primary
grades at Prospect School
where her father was principal
and later attended Pembroke
Elementary School. She grad
uated from Pembroke High
School, then located in the Old
Main Building, in 1933. She
continued her education at
Pembroke Indian Normal
School, earning a two year
diploma and “B” certificate in
1935. While teaching, she
worked towards an A. B.
degree and an “A” certificate,
which she received from Pem
broke State College in 1942.
Her graduate work was
continued at Appalachian
State University, where she
was awarded an M. A. degree
in 1952. She was the first
Robeson County Indian wo
man to return to work in
education in this county after
receiving an M. A. degree.
Other graduate work was
pursued at th? University of
Alabama, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wo
men’s College at Greensboro,
East Carolina University at
Greenville, ECU at Fort Bragg
and Duke University, leading
to a graduate certificate in
Elementary Education and
Supervision, with emphasis in
reading and history.
Mrs. Epps’ teaching career
began at Barker Ten Mile
School where she spent six
years as a primary and later
grammar grade instructor. For
the next three years she taught
adult education (grades 7-9)
for veterans at an evening
program at Magnolia School.
She then joined the supervi
sory staff of the Robeson
County Administrative Unit in .
1951 as a general supervisor,
grades 1-12, working with the
14 Indian schools in the unit.
With an addition to the staff ii
1962, Mrs. Epps then concen-
irated her supervision in grad
es 1-8 in these same schools, a
post she continued in until
1965. In the school year 1965-
1966, the desegregation law
was passed and schools no
longer were listed hy racial
groups. Her most recent super
visory duties have been with
grades 4-8 in all schools in the
county system.
Mrs. Epps has held a
number of responsibilities and
has been awarded honors on
the local, state, and national
level during her career in
education. In 1970, she was
one of five members-at-large
nationwide elected to the
Board of Directors of the
National Association for Su
pervision and Curriculum De
velopment, NEA, for a term of
four years. She was selected to
participate in the first group of
25 educators in North Carolina
to be trained as “Right to
Read” directors in 1974, re
turning to serve as “Right to
Read” director for the Robe-
son County Unit. “Right to
Read” is a national program,
promoting the right of every
individual to be able to read.
When the ESEA, Title I.
corrective and remedial read
ing program was implemented
in the schools of the county
unit, Mrs. Epps played a
leadership role in its organiza
tion and development. In 1973,
she accepted an invitation to
serve as a member of a review
panel at the HEWOffice in
Atlanta, Georgia, to evaluate
projects submitted for funding
under Title VII, ESEA. She
has served as a member of an
Advisory Science Committee
at the state level.
In the summer of 1968, she
. completed credits at PSU for a »
What to do about the
cost oieleetrhdtj;Borides
iiigt iiimi]Jaiiiing.
Everybody knows that the
amount of electricity you
use this month directly
affects the amount of your
electric bill next month.
But what few people
know is that the amount of
electricity you use now also
affects how future electricity
prices are determined.
"^bu see, right now, were
going through one of the
hottest times of the year.
When air conditioner usage
reaches its peak. And when
electricity usage reaches
its peak.
Naturally to avoid having
blackouts or brownouts, we
must have the generating
capacity to handle these
"peak load"periods of time.
Nobody knows exactly when
they will come, but they
usually occur during the
summer Last year our peak
load period occurred on
August 25. Whenever it
comes this yeap it determines
the maximum generating
capacity we have to suppy
During recent years, peak
load has continued to climb,
requiring us to invest in more
generating capacity And
with building costs higher
than ever before, eventually
this means higher prices for
your electricity:
'ibu don't want that. And
neither do we.
The trick is to keep the
peak load as low as possible.
during early morning 01 late
evening hours, preferably with
cold water.
When you have to usethe
dishwasher, wait until it's
full and turn it on just before
you go to bed.
Try to take showers before
9AM or after 10PM.
Ty serving cooler meals;
avoid cooking as much as
possible during peak load.
And finally keep your air
conditioner at the warmest
possible comfort setting.
Of course, these and otHer
conservation measures we
Monthly peak Hourly usage
demaud for electricity, onahot summer day.
12 I
6 ^
The best way to help do
that is to use less electricity
between the peak load hours
of 9 AM and 10PM during
the hottest months, June
through September. (As you
can see from the chart,
summer usage starts getting
high arounclPAM and stays
high until 10 PM).
Do your laundry either
talk about will always help
you keep your costs down.
But, during these critical
"hot timesjthey can also help
us keep future construction
costs down.
And, in the long run, the
less we have to spend to
make electricity the less
you'll have to 1
spend to use it. wlrCUi
certificate in nursery and
kindergarten education, and
became the director of a pilot
summer kindergarten program
in the Robeson County Unit.
For five years, she served as
coordinator of special educa-
tion in the school .system, and
for another period of five years
she coordinated student teach
ing. Earlier in her career, she
was a member of the Board of
Directors of the Indian Teach
ers Organization, and at one
time was chairman of the
nominating committee of that
organization.
Mrs. Epps was appointed in
1973-as a central staff consul
tant to a committee of teachers
and principals in the Robeson
County Unit whose responsi
bility it was to draft “A
Preliminary Study Guide For
Use In Ethnic Minority Studies
for Robeson County Schools.”
In June 1974, she was
honored by the Raleigh News
and Observer as “Tar Heel of
the Week.”
Her professional member
ships include the local and
state North Carolina Associa
tion of Educators, the National
Education Association, Nation
al Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development,
N. C. Divisiono of ASCD, the
American Association of Scho
ol Administrators, the N. C.
Association of School Admini
strators, and the Elementary,
Kindergarten, Nursery Edu
cation Division of NEA.
Church and community af
fairs have played a vital role in
her life. She is a member of
the Ten Mile Baptist Church
where she is pianist and adult
Sunday School teacher. She
has been a member of the
Program Committee and the
Committee on Committees of
the Burnt Swamp Baptist
Association A term as presi
dent of the Pembroke State
University Alumni Assoication
was served in 1973-1974. She
has been a state board mem
ber of the American Cancer
Society and is education leader
of the N. C. Division of the
Cancer Society. She has been a
member of the board and
secretary of the Robeson His
torical Drama, Inc., producers
of “Strike at the Wind.” She is
president-elect for 1976 of the
Business and Professional
Women’s Club of Pembroke.
Mrs. Epps’ interests and
hobbies are many. She enjoys
gardening, especially flowers,
at her spacious home on Route
8, Lumberton. She plays the
piano and organ for self-
satisfaction and enjoys
listening to music. Walking
and water play at the beach or
lake are favorites, as is
window shopping. She keeps a
scrapbook related to her work
and travel. Another hobby is ‘
talking with people, which her
self places “high on the
list.”
Her future plans promise
just as busy a life as before
retirement. She intends to
continue her -work in church
and community activities. To
this she will add some time to
the self- development of skills
and talents which she has
always wanted to pursue such
as typing (already started at
Robeson Tech.) music, and
art. She hopes to devote more
time to the cultivation of and
the re-establishing of friend
ships, as well as to helping
people individually. High in
her priorities is the opportun
ity that will be offered in
retirement for seeing more of
her family and friends in
recreational types of situa
tions. True to her entire life
style, she states that she will
“spend more time in medita
tion, prayer, and study for
personal and spiritual growth.”
Mrs. Epps was
married to the late Frank H.
Epps, originally from Person
County. NC on November 24,
1937. Mr. Epps was a teacher
and principal in the Robeson
County System until his death
in 1974. The couple had three
children: Lena Brooker of
Raleigh, Franklin D. of St.
Pauls, James Cameron of
Camp Lejeune, NC, ana a
granddaughter, Lora Elizabeth
Brooker of Raleigh.
In the past several weeks
prior to her retirement date,
Mrs. Epps has had many
opportunities to reminiesce on
the experiences of the,past and
her hopes and concerns for the
future in education in Robeson
County. She voiced her
thoughts in the following
statements:
“On the eve of my retire
ment from the Robeson Coun
ty School System, I did much
reflecting on theschoo! system
the county itself, the people,
and my personal life. These
reflections stimulated within
me a great deal of satisfaction,
some concerns and a few
dreams.
“I became aware of the
close association that I have
had with the Robeson County
Schools since my birth. 1 was
bom the daughter of a teacher
(my father). I also realized that
my mother taught me four
very important lessons: 1. One
must feel love and respect for
one’s self; 2. Each person
should be considered as an
individual, not judged as a
part of any group, and treated
kindly and respectfully regard
less of race, position, social
status, etc.; 3. Faith in God
and obedience to Him is a
most in one’s life; 4. Everyone
needs some formal education.
“These two dear teachers
have had a great impact on my
personal beliefs, attitudes,
and philosophy of life. My
mother, who is a resident at
the Methodist Retirement
Home in Durham, often says
to me: “I don’t understand
why children of today have
buses running right by their
front door and still don’t want
to go to school. I walked all the
way from Lumberton to Piney
Grove to attend school.”
“The love and respect that
my parents shared with me
have helped me to feel good
about myself as well as about
others. Their teaching and
living examples of accepting
ajl people have broken down
the barriers that could have
made it a problem for me to
live and work with people of
all ethnic backgrounds, socio
economic differences, or what
ever.
“I joined the central staff of
, the Robeson County Admini
strative Unit as a supervisor in
1952. From that time until
1965, tremendous growth in
enrollment, facilities, curricu
lum development, and pro
gram of instruction had taken
place under very capable
leadership. With the passage
of the Civil Rights Act of 1965,
the Robeson County System
was faced with what appeared
to be an impossible task-
compliance with this Act. This
was the beginning of a new
decade. It brought drastic
changes in personnel, pro
grams, organization and fin
ances, along with challenges
for board members, central
staff, principals, parents and
students.
“As I recall these years, I
think of the many, many
crucial decisions that had to be
made by all of us, and the
trying hours we have come
through. But, above all. I think
of the opportunities I ' had
to see our board members
work together for the good of
all; our administrators tried
and tested to an extent, that
would break any but the very
strong, and yet be able to cope
and continue to give us, their
Thursday
teammates, the wise leader
ship we needed to carry on. I
feel very grateful, humble,
and proud to have been a part
of this team and the accom
plishments in education in
Robe.son County during this
period.
“The past ten years have
certainly afforded an oppor
tunity and a challenge for each
person in the county to accept
and respect persons of diffe
rent ethnic backgrounds, soci
al, financial, and intellectual
levels. It affords me even
greater satisfaction to know we
have come through that period
in a creditable manner, and
today we are continuing to
seek ways to provide more
adequately for all the boys and
girls in our county.
“On the other hand, 1 have
concerns about children and
adults who do not feel good
about themselves-- who do not
feel loved and accepted by
others as persons of worth and
dignity— who feel unable to
contribute to the society in
which they live. I am, also,
fearful that there are those
who do not care enough to do
something about and for these
people to help them feel good
about themselves.
“What are my dreams?
Threefold. That Robeson
11
. Oc-ober 7, 1976
county’s people will someday
in the near future get together
in some kind of consolidation
program that will facilitate
several comprehensive high
schools for all the boys and
girls of our county. That
Robeson County’s people will
realize and understand that
more local financial support
must be provided if our girls
and boys are to get the best
possible education. The non
school and the school popula
tion must be involved in seeing
that this takes place. Finally,
that all professional persons in
education, county staff per
sonnel, principals, and teach
ers will communicate to all
children that they care about
them and have concern for
them in order to give children
a feeling of worth and dignity.
If is equally important, that
parents, too, communicate to
their children their care and
concern for them.
“With earnest hopes that
my three dreams will become a
reality, I would like to con
clude with an anonymous
verse which I feel sums up my
philosophy about providing
the best for all children:
"Coming together is the be
ginning.
Keeping together is progress
Thinking together is unity
Working together is successl”
Mrs. Grace Epps
Dial elected to Board of
Directors of Southern
National Bank
in Red Springs
nnnnnr naaQQQc
Henry Dial has been elected
to the local board of directors
of Southern National Bank in
Red Springs. The announce
ment was made by Craven
McDonald, assistant vice pres
ident and city executive offi-
Dial is a licensed building
contractor in North Carolina.
He is presently serving on the
Hoke County Board of Elec
tions, and also thS Advisory
Board to the County Commis-
.sioners, He has served on the
Hoke County Board of Social
Services for a period of seven
years.
Dial is married to the former
Joyce Chavis of Red Springs.
They are the parents of three
childre, Jan, ShelH, and Pat
rick Henry. They attend the
Mt. EHm Baptist Church were
Dial is serving as the Sunday
School superintendent. He al
so has served as the church
clerk and on the Church
Building Committee.
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Contact your local recruiter for all the details,
or call toll free (8CX)) 841-8000. In Georgia, the
number is (800) 342-5855. ns UWf