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^Jj CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE |M
^SSSSSSE^ FOST OFFICE BOX H75 . '/ ?EMB?OKE. W.C. 2UM ^
VOLUME 9 NUMBER 7 29c KB COT* THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12. IM1
III ??! ? ?^
PEMBROKE ASKS
FEDERAL JUDGE
TO DISMISS
COOK CASE
The Town of Pembroke has asked a
federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit Tiled
against the town by a resident who
claims officials trespassed on his land in
May of 1978.
A motion for summary judgment and
dismissal was filed in U.S. District
Court in Fayetteville by the town and
three individuals named in the lawsuit.
The three are town manager McDuffie
Cummings. Police Chief Vernon Oxen
dine and ex- police officer Harvey
Bullard.
The lawsuit was filed last spring by
Alfred W. Coo*, who claimed his
constitutional rights were violated when
town officials prevented him from
plowing up an alley on May 20, 1978
that Cook said he owned.
According to court records, the town
claims the alley had been used as a
public street for at least 20 years before
the 1978 incident.
The federal lawsuit is identical to a
lawsuit Cook filed in July, 1979, in
Robeson County Superior Court. In both
lawsuits he claimed the three defen
dants trespassed on n>s property,
assaulted him by forcibly removing him
from his tractor, and claimed that he
was the victim of false arrest.
Superior Court Judge Hfenry A.
McKinnon Jr. dismissed all but the
trespassing claims in the Robeson
County Superior Court lawsuit last
spring.
None of the claims have been
dismissed in the federal lawsuit.
W. Earl Britt, who represented Cook
as co-counsel with W. Osborne Lee, Jr.
while an attorney in Lumberton, is not
expected to participate in the case at the
federal level.
Britt is now a federal judge with the
U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District in Fayetteville.
The motion for dismissal is expected to
be handled by Judge FraAklin Dupress,
a fellow judge who sits on the federal
bench with Britt.
r
FIRST AMERICAN SHOWCASE,
INC. TO MEET
FEBRUARY 20, 1981
Pembroke-Organizers today announced
plans to hold the first annual meeting of
First American Showcase, Inc. on
Februrary 20, 1981.
The organizational meeting will be
held at Big Mo'a ouai tun restaurant
located on Highway 74 approximately 4
miles from Pembroke.
The first venture of the fledgling
organization was to raise monies via a
successful fund raising dinner to send
Sheriff's
Deputy
Lowry
Dismissed
Marie Lowry, one of four women
sheriffs deputies, has been dismissed
from the Robeson County Sheriff's
Department by Sheriff Hubert Stone.
?
Mrs! Lowry, who had logged more
than two years with the sheriff's offices
was the first woman hired as a sheriff s
deputy.
Sheriff Stone said, when asked about
the matter, "I would rather^ have no
comment."
1
Carnell Lockiear to Hollywood. Califor
nia.
The venture was successful! Lockiear
returned from Hollywood after a two
week stay and is now acting as general
n.aii;?ge? of "Strike at die Wind, the
popular outdoor drama about Henry
Berry Lowrie and his fellow Robesoni
ans before, during and after the Civil
War.
Lockiear made many valuable contacts
in Hollywood and hopes to pursue his
career in the entertainment industry.
The first annual meeting will be
devoted to electing permanent officers,
adopting by laws and charting a
direction for the organization in the
years ahead.
Bruce Barton, editor of The Carolina
Indian Voice, is presently serving as
temporary chairman of the organiza
tion.
All those who attended the fund
raising dinner for Carnell Lockiear and/
or bought tickets are eligible to
participate. The meeting is also open
to anyone who is interested in artistic
expression, especially in the Indian
community.
PEMBROKE JAYCETTES HONORED
? *?' . ' "k
The Mayor of thg^Town of
Pembroke, James Jacobs
has oroclaimed (he week of
Feb. 8-14 as National Jaycette
Week ht the Town of Pern
broke.
The week was designated
because of the ideals of the
organization and the accom
plishments of its members and
for the town. The proclamation
stated that the Pembroke
Jaycettes are recognized in the
Town of Pembroke as a
positive influence in the
community.
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I .
....A CLOSER LOOK
AT Noah Woods
Principal of Oxendine School
?>
NOAH WOODS
The Oxendine or Cherokee
community is situated in a
rural area and contains the K-8
school, Oaendine Elementary,
and Cherokee Methodist
Church. It's a lovely com
munity setting. Tilings, how
ever, are not hudNy what they
seem.
* V -fi *~
School District lines around
that school are quite de
ceiving. You would think that
those students who live near
est would attend Oxendine
School. Not sol These students
are assigned to the Red
Springs Schools.
Noah Woods, principal of the
school for 13 years, finds the
school lines quite distressing.
Said he, "The way these lines
are drawn does away with the
whole concept of a community
school."
Woods wcui on 10 explain
that Wakulla, within walking
distance of the school, is not in
the Oxendine School District.
Historically speaking, the
school lines were jerryman
dered in 1952. This was done
to insure that Indians and
Blacks did not attend, at that
time, all white schools. Red
Springs had been designated
as a special school district/
There was an agreement be
tween the county and Red
Springs systems which allow
ed Indian and Black students
to cross district lines to attend
their own respective segre
gated schools.
In the 1960s federal legisla
tion stated that students have
"freedom of choice." They
could attend school whereever
they desired. In 1970 the
federal government decided to
desegregate all the schools.
With that in mind. Red
Springs began to enforce their
district lines. This left Oxen
dine School, seemingly, sitting
in the middle of the Red
Springs School District.
The entire situation distress
es Woods as H does other
educators. Woods is quite at
home in the rural community
sometimes referred to as Che
rokee.
He was bora in that com
munity and Kved there for 7
years. The family then moved
to Shannon wlfr?w he attended
Magnolia School. When he
was 14 yean old, Woods
moved Into the homo of Mr.
nod Mrs. I oonori Loohloar
who thee resided lo the Union
Chapel area Ho b second
ooueifl to Mrs. LooMoar He b
? grodoeit of Union Chapel
behom am grade wblvM
ho prsiostr-f from fbmbrofc*
Hgh School
. Wood, b the ooo ef Mm.
Mary Wyoe ad the iote tense
Woodi wfcn Hod in 1441 Ooo.
ot tnteen children, he is the
grandson of Mr. Russell
Woods of Maxton.
In l%2 he earned his B.S. in
elementary education and
taught six years at Oxendine
School.
In addition to his Master's
Degree from East Carolina
University. Woods is working
towards his becoming a cur
riculum specialist which is a
year of school after earning his
Master's degree in school
administration.,
When asked if he was
interested in working in an
administrative position at the
local board of education,
Woods responded negatively.
"The challenge for me." he
said, "is the students. If I
worked in the central office, I
would miss the daily contact
with the students and the
people in the community."
He continued, "1 can't arti
culate how much it means to
me to see one of mys UidenU
leave Oxendine School and do
well at high school and col
lege. The reward in elemen
tary education comes later -
you have to wait on it, and I
- don't mind (hit."
Woods is very much at home
in his native Cherokee com
munity. Although he lives in
Pembroke with his wife, the
former Ruth Dial. She is the
daughter of the late A.G. and
Ruby Dial of Pembroke. Mr.
and Mrs. Woods reside at
home with their four children:
Stephanie and Connie Ro
berts, Ollin and Rueben
Woods. He is also the father of
Perry and Carey Woods.
Woods' professional and civic
organizations are almost too
numerous to list. They include
the Pembroke Jayoees, Ri
verside Country Club. Pros
pect PTA, Robeson Historical
Association, the Executive
Committee of the State De
mocratic Party, the National
Advisory Coundl of Indian
Education, and others.
With all his credentials,
Woods is very much a member
of the Cherokee community.
Whenever the community is
meeting for various reasons,
you'll find him there. During
the school year, you can
usually find him at his school,
Oxendine Elementary, very
concerned and very involved.
Oxendine Elementary School
has approximately 300 stu
dents and 28 members of the
faculty and staff. The school
accomodates grades K-8. If
the school district lines are
ever straightened out, it will
increase the population of the
school. Said Woods, "It would
increase my challenge... I am
already involved community
wise with most of the families.
It would serve to give us even
closer ties... More important,
our school would certainly be a
closer-knit community
school."
PEOPLE
AND PLACES
AND THINGS
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
FEB. 8*14
Robeson County Fire Marshall Mutt
McNeill is encouraging residents in
Robeson County to bono* Feb. 8-14 as
Fire Educational Awareness Week as
proclaimed by Governor Jim Hunt.
Fire Marshal McNeill asks the citizen
ry to conduct fire drills in their homes
and determine the number of fire exits
and share the information with all
members of the family so that safe
exits can be made in the advent of fire.
McNeill notes "The best way to
combat fires in the house and else
where is through preventive measures
like education."
LRDA SUPPORTS ONE SCHOOL ..
ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT
Lumbee Regional Development Asso
ciation's board of directors recently met
and considered two proposed school
merger bills from Rep. Horace Locklear.
One proposal is for two school units;
the other calls fur one administrative
school unit.
It was the unanimous decision of the
board to support the "One school
administrative unit" for Robeson
County.
Sessions Benefit
Odum
None Staff
For several yean now, the
Southeastern Mental Health Center
in Lumberton has proved to be a
valuable resource for Odum Home.
Twice each month, a staff
member from the center travels to
the Pembroke BCH campus, and
it's all part of an effort to help the
staff do their jobs better. The ulti
mate beneficiaries are the children.
"One Monday each month,
someone from the center meets
with our staff to do a staffing on
two children," explained Meivin
Brown, director of the Pembroke
Area Family Services Center.
"We talk about the strengths
and the needs of a child, and they
share with us information an in
sights which may be helpful to us
in working with the child."
Another day during the
month is set aside for staff develop
ment. Personnel from the center
deal with such issues as discipline,
alternatives to discipline and
communication-es it takes place
with the children and among the
staff.
An example was a recent staff
development session conducted by
Dr. Dennis O'Brien, the center's
director of psychological servicer
The one and one-half hour meet
ing centered on parent effective
nets training, including such con
cepts as the WIN solution to prob
lems, democratic discipline, assert
iveness training and active listening.
"We work toward helping the
whole staff in working with kids,"
O'Brien noted. The center also con
ducts psychological testing on the
children when appropriate, and
occasionally provides counseling
for a child.
The two monthly sessions are
usually conducted either by Dr.
O'Brien or by Jerry Miller, a child
psychologist with the center. And
they've proven to be very benefi
cial to the staff.
"Our relationship with the
mental health center has been
quite valuable to us," Brown com
mented.
"They've helped us work
through problems. Sometimes we
work so closely with the children
that we need another perspective."