PUBLISHED EACH THURSDAY
THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOK
PEMBROKE. N.C
U.il.C. LtePARV
“Building Communicative Bridges
FFR 0. lAfif In A Tri-racial Setting. "
VOLUME 15 NUMBER 5
ROBESON COU
THURSDAY, J
Justice Department Examining Robeson Slaying
LUMBERTON — U.S. Department of Justice
officials say they will discuss the shooting of a Lumbee
Indian by a Robeson County sheriff’s deputy with county
officials and members of the victim’s family.
Bob Ensley, who works with the community relations
Ensley told The Fayetteville Times on Monday he
thinks the Robeson County situation is “just as serious”
as the one in Cummings. He said his job is to try to
reduce the level of tension.
“When we have this type of problem, there is
branch in Atlanta, said he would visit Lumberton Tuesday possibility of disorder,” he said. “We want to get them
after being presented with “concerns by a number of
community people” about the Nov. 1 death of Jimmy
Earl Cummings, a suspected drug dealer who was shot
by Deputy Kevin Stone, the son of Sheriff Hubert Stone.
Ensley said the length of his stay would depend on
developments in a series of racial demonstrations in
Cummings, Ga. — another situation he is attempting to
conciliate.
talking, to sit down across the table and facilitate their
differences.”
Ensley said be and a colleague, Cloyd Hall, who has
wide experience in handling Indian affairs, will meet
with the sheriff and District Attorney Joe Freeman
Britt, as well as with members of the Cummings family.
Ensley said questions brought to his office relate both
to the circumstances of Cummings’ death and the
handling of a coroner’s inquest that cleared Stone. A
six-member coroner’s jury decided unanimously on Nov.
13 that the shooting was “an accident and-or self-
defense.”
“They said they were indignant and something had to
be done,” Ensley said. “We’re coming up to make an
on-site assessment to see if there is a role for our
agency.”
The N.C. Civil Liberties Union has pledg^ its support
^ to the Cummings family and has a lawyer investigating
to determine whether a suit will be filed.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Sam Currin said his office is
looking into allegations by members of the Cummlnp
family of a connection between Cummings’ death and a
supply of drugs missing since August from a sheriff’s
department evidence locker.
“I don’t want to call it a possible connection, because
we don’t know,” Currin said “But that is a part of our
investigation. We are trying to get to the bottom of the
drug problem in Robeson County, and anything that
relates, we will investigate.”
Three men, including a former Robeson deputy, have
been indicted in connection with the missing drug
evidence, and Currin said he expects other indictments
later.
“Whether that will shed any light on the Cummings
case, I don’t know,” he said. “My office is not investigat
ing the shooting. But if something turns up in the course
of our investigation that sheds some light on the shooting
...well, fine.”
PSUStudents Represent Leadership
Womack Hospital at Ft.
Bragg,” said Penny. They
lived in Germany whUe Moni
ca attended the fifth, sixth
and part of the seventh
grades-- and while Penny
attended the third, fourth,
and part of the fifth grades.
Penny says she is glad she
followed Monica to Pembroke
State. ‘‘I love PSU,” said
Penny. “Here Tm a person
instead of a number. And I
get the attention I need when
I need it.”
Penny said Monica “got me
interested” in being in stu
dent government along with
Dr. John Rimbeig, professor
of sociology who teaches a
PSU freshman orientation
class. “Monica was also vice
president of Kapp Delta
sorority when I became sec
retary,” added Fenny.
When Penny enrolled at
PSU, people quickly realized
she was Monica’s sister,
“people say we talk alike and
also look alike. When I was
working at the desk in North
Hall, some girls would come
by and say, ‘You’re Monica’s
sister, aren’t you?”’
Sophomore Penny Midgette emment association and for-
tvith sister Monica, -who is j^er Miss PSU at PSU.
-president of the student go-u-
What’s it like when you
are attending a university
where your older sister is (1)
president of the Student
Government Association, (2)
former Miss PSU, and (3) vice
i president of the UNC Sys
tem’s Association of Student
Governments?
Whereas Monica is presi
dent of the student body.
Penny is sophomore senator,
sophomre treasurer and sec
retary of the SGA senate.
“But I don't plan to com
pete for Miss PSU and my
eyes are not set on the student
government presidency,”
“I’mvery proud of her. My said Penny. “ I have plenty to
sister is a very determined keep me busy with my work-
young lady. She’s a battler.
She’s a winner. I see her
someday becoming a Barbara
Walters because she is ma
joring in communicative arts
and broadcasting,” says Pen
ny Midgette.
Penny, a sophomore, was
talking about the muiy- talen
ted Monica Midgette, 22, a
senior who graduates in May.
They are daughters of
•retired m/Sgt. and Mrs.
'Charles 0. Midgette of Fay
etteville.
At a recent Christmas lun
cheon at the Chancellor’s
Residence at PSU, the Mid
gette sisters were present in
their capacities as student
leaders.
study responsibilities (she is
desk person for one of the
women’s dorms), my sorority,
the SGA, and my studies (she
is majoring in elementary
education (k-4). I don’t want
to overload myself.”
Both girls are ultra petites,
Monica measuring only 4-10
and Penny measuring five
^eet. Both have outgoing
personalities and are very
verbal. They also have “diff
erent’ ’ accents from the norm
in Robeson County. This can
in part be attributed to the
two and a half years they
spent in Germany where their
father was stationed.
“Monica was bom in Ger
many, and I was bom at
Perhaps by the time Penny
gradautes, a third Midgette
will be ready to enroll at PSU
where, as Penny says, a
student “is a person instead
of a number.”
LRDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETS
The Lumbee Regional De
velopment Association Board
of Directors met Saturday,
, January 17, 1987 for the
purpose of transacting busi
ness at its annual meeting.
The major itemsof the
;annual meeting was the seat-
.ing of board members from
;the December 4, 1986 elec-
' tions and the selection of
board officers for the year
1987.
The Elections Committee
reported to the board on tlie
; results and findings of the
'committee in relation to the
districts voting for candi
dates.
The committee recommen
ded the seating to the board of
Mr. Adolph Blue, winner
from the District VI race, Mr.
Grady Hunt, winner from the
District HI race, and Rev.
Grover Oxendine of Distrit IV
who ran unopposed to the
board.
The board received a report
on the elections held in
district seven (7) and district
two (2) in which the elections
were challenged by three
candidates in the two dis
tricts.
After hearing the report the
board voted to seat the top
vote receivers in the districts.
Those seated to the board
GOV. MARTIN TO BE SPEAKER AT
PSU FOUNDER’S DAY CONVOCATION
Gov. James Martin to be
speaker at PSUs Founder's
Day Con-vocation March 5 at
the Performing Arts Center.
Gov. James Martin of North
Carolina has confirmed that
he will be the speaker at
PSU s Centennial Founder’s
Day Convocation March 5 at
10:15 a.m. in the Performing
Arts Center at PSU.
His confirmation was an
nounced Thursday by Dr.
James B. Chavis, PSU vice
chancellor for student affairs
who is in charge of the
program.
The March 5 convocation
will consist of the premiere
performance of Pembroke
State University’s centennial
musical composition as writ
ten by Elliott Borgo of State
University of New York
at Potsdam and performed by
the PSU band.
A special highlight of the
program will be the unveiling
of a statue of Hamilton
McMQlan of Red Springs, the
state legislator who introduc
ed the bill on March 7, 1887,
which smarted the school
which became Pembroke
State University.
Gov. Martin served six
terms in the U.S. House of
Representatives before being
only the second Republican
governor elected in North
Carolina this centuiy. Prior to
his election to Congress, he
served three terms as a
Mecklenburg County com
missioner, was elected chair
man and was elected presi
dent of the N.C. Association
of County Commissioners.
Pembroke State Sets New
Spring Enrollment Record
and 412 graduate students.
Both sisters live on campus,
but don’t room together. “In
my freshman year last year,
we lived only a couple of doors
apart on the sixth floor of
North Hall. This year Monica
is a hall counselor and lives
down on the second floor,”
said Penny.
PEMBROKE-Pembroke State
University has set a new spring
semester enrollment record.
A total of 2,419 students have
registered at PSU for the spring
semester, 73 more than last year’s
total of 2,346, which was then a spr
ing enrollment record.
The 2,419 students this spring in
clude 2.007 undergraduate students
“We are very pleased about
another record spring enrollment,”
said Anthony Locklear, PSU direc
tor of admissions. “It’s especially
nice to have this record in our
centennial year. We hope this conti
nuing growth is a trend which con
tinues at our fine institution.”
Monica’s achievements at
PSU also include having been
PanheUenic president, mea
ning she has headed the
governing body of all sorori
ties on campus. She has also
been a cheerleader and a
member of Sigma Tau Delta
National English Honor Soci
ety.
Both Monica and Penny
are graduates of Pine Forest
High School in Fayetteville.
They have two other sisters:
lila, 23. a graduate of Fay
etteville Technical Institute
and Tara, 16, a sophomore at
Pine Forest High School.
were Mr. Leroy Scott repre
senting District n, and Celia
(Janie) Hammonds represen
ting District Vm. Mr. Rod
Locklear was re-appointed to
the At-Large seat on the
board by vote of the board.
In other business the board
elected its officers for 1987.
Those elected to officer posi
tions were: Harold Deese,
Chairman of the Board,
Roderick Locklear, Vice
Chairman, Roy lacy Cum
mings, Treasurer, Emma
Locklear, Secretary. Adolph
Blue was elected as the
At-Large member to the
executive committee of the
board.
Union Chapel's 1986-87 king and queen, Brandon E. Locklear
and Touxcnnon L Loddear -were -recently -named. Brandon, the
son of Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Loddear, is a fifth grader in
Mora McLean's class. Towannon, the daughter of Paulette
Loddear, is a sixth grader m Y-vonne Wallace’s class.
Lowiy Appointed to Serve
As Congressional Page
Clifton Lowry, the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Oberon Lowry
of Pembroke, has been
appointed to serve as a
Congressional Page in Wash
ington, D.C. for the remaind
er of the school year.
Clifton is a sixteen year old
junior at West Robeson Senior
High where he is active in
various honor clubs and or
ganizations. He excels in a
college preparatory curricu
lum with emphasis on the
math and science areas.
Clifton hopes to pursue a
career in Engineering at
North Carolina State Univer
sity, after graduation from
West Robeson.
Jeannie Buckner, a junior
from West Robeson and dau-
ghterof Mr. and Mrs. Marion
E. Buckner, will be returning '
to finish her junior year. 4;
Jeannie served as a Congres
sional Page for the first
semester of the school year.
Provisions are made for the
students to continue their
studies while they serve in
their special capacity.
Born in Savannah, Ga*,
Gov. Martin is the son of the
Rev. and Mrs. Arthur M.
Martin. Gov. Martin and his
three brothers attended Da
vidson College where Gov.
Martin earned his B.S. in
1957. He received a Ph.D. in
chemistry from Princeton Uni
versity in 1960.
Fellowships Available
For Local Poets
Professional North Caro
lina poets or fiction writers,
who have, made career com
mitments to their art, may
apply for $r: 000 fellowships
from the N.C. Arts Council.
The deadline for applying is
Feb. 1.
The Arts Council offers
fellowships to encourage the
continued achievement of
North Carolina’s finest writ
ers and to recognize central
contribution professional
poets and fiction writers make
to the creative environment of
our state. The program pro
vides direct support to indi
vidual poets and fiction writ
ers who have made substanti
al contributions through their
art.
Jean McLaughlin, litera
ture/ visual arts director for
the Council, explained the
Art Contest to be part of
Unity Conference
An art contest to recognize
the talent of American Indian
artists in North Carolina will
be one of the many features of
the Twelfth Annual North
Carolina Indian Unity Confe
rence to be held March 12-14
at the Sheraton Airport Plaza
Hotel in Chariotte.
Persons who wash to enter
the contest must be American
Indians who are currently
residing in the state.
Entries may be submitted
in five categories: original
drawings, paintings, basket
work, wood carvings and bead
work. All entries must be
submitted to one of the North
Carolina Indian organizations
no later than March 5.
bed bulbrin
Blood Drive Planned
Magnolia School is sponso
ring a blood drive in the
school library on January 30,
1987 from 9 a.m. til 2:30 p.m.
The public is invited to
participate.
Indoor Flea Market Planned
Robeson County Extension
Homemaker Clubs wall spon
sor an indoor flea market and
bake sale at the O.P. Owens
Agriculture Extension Center
on Friday, February 13. Other
organizations who would like,
to participate should call 738-
fellowshiuR are intended to
allow writers to set aside time
to write, to purchase equip
ment, to achieve specific
career goals, and other ni'eds
allowing them to devote full
attention to writing.
. dl
il.
sf
U
Applicants will be evalu
ated on artistic excellence,
importance of the fellowship
to the writer’s career at tlie
time of application, and past
contributions to the art form.
Fellowship funds must be.
spent between July I, 1987
and June 30, 1988.
For more information, or to
request an application, con
tact Ms.McLaughlin at the
N.C. Arts Council, Depart
ment of Cultural Resources,
Raleigh 27611. 919- 733-
2111.
All contest entries will
be displayed during the Unity
Conference, which is spon
sored by the United Tribes of
North Carolina (UTNC). Jud
ging will be held March 12,
and awards will be presented
during the conference ban
quet to be held March 13.
The N.C. Commission of
Indian Affaits, a member
organization of UTNC, will
coordinate the contest. For
more information on contest
ules and regulations, contact
Teresa Jones or Wanda Bums
-Ramsey, N.C. Commission of
Indian Affairs. P.0. Box
27228. Raleigh, NC 27611. or
caU 919-733- 5998.
8111 for detaOs. Space is
limited.
In addition to flea market
items, homemade cakes, pies,
cookies, and candy wUl be |
available for purchase. Sand-
wdehes and coffee will he
available during the lur; .-h
hour.
ThesalewDlbeginat9a.m. '
and end at 4 p.m.
Its purpose is to
raise funds for individual
clubs for charities in their''
various communities. Tlie
public is cordially invited to
attend.