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JUDGE R ULES BULLARD
ineligible in lremc controversy
by Connee Brayboy
Judge Craig Ellis recently ruled in Superior Court in
Lumberton that Janice Bullard was ineligible to serve as a
member of the Elections and Credentials Committee of
Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation. The
Committee met following the October 6. 1987 election for four
seats on the Board of Directors of LREMC. The election was
brought under protest by incumbant Elias Rogers, who was
seemingly defeated at the election by Conrad Oxendine. The
Credentials Committee met in response to Rogers' protest At
the hearing before the committee, Rogers and his attorney,
Barry Nakell, brought charges of alleged vote-buying,
conspiracy between existing board members to defeat Rogers'
etc. the committee, after hearing Rogers' evidence, voted to
set the election aside, nils decision reverted all seats to the
original directors, putting Rogers on and taking Oxendine off.
Two weeks later, following much speculation, rumor and
allegations of bribery, the committee met again. This time
they decided to reverse their decision, apparently in violation
of the corporation by-laws which state that "The decision of.
the Credentials Committee shall be final." This means^.
seemingly that the Committee did not have any reason to>
reconvene. To do so placed the committee and the existing
board of directors in violation of the corporation's by-laws.
Following the second meeting Rogers was forced to carry
his case to the courts. Ellis' latest decision was a result of
Rogers' legal attempt to retain his seat on the Board of
Directors. Since Judge Ellis has agreed with the corporation
by-laws and ruled Bullard ineligible to serve, we wonder what
the next step is.
Because Bullard was ineligible to serve, her vote at both
meetings cannot be counted. At the first meeting she voted to
set the election aside. At the second meeting she seconded the
motion to reconsider the previous decision. Neither of those
votes, as this reporter understands it, should be counted. That
being the case, the result should be that the orignal meeting of
the Credentials Committee to set the election aside should
stand. But that decision also will be made by Judge Ellis
because the board of directors appears unwilling or unable to
abide by their own by-laws.
With all these things in mind, those of us who are
member-consumers should be asking some questions, such
as: Who is going to pay for these needless trips to court?
Someone has to pay the corporation attorneys and it does not
take a genius to recognize who the someone is. What action
can be taken against Gus Bullard, or any board member, who
refuses to abide by the by-laws of the corporation which he's
elected to enforce? How about the violation of a director's oath
? of office? Do we have any recourse to demand that the board of
directors act in accordance with the corporation by-laws?
And how long will the board of directors, management and
attorneys of LREMC continue with this seeming charade?
How much has it cost us so far? How much more will they
waste in what appears to be an attempt to illegally defeat a
man?
Janice Bullard is Gus Bullard's neice.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...
MARY hi . LOCKLEAR
Mary H. "Mr*. Mary" Locklear standi on the front porch of
her Pembroke home.
by Barbara ?Brayboy Locklear
Special to The Carolina Indian Voice
She's won dozens of elections; yet she's never run for public
office. And don't come telling Mary Hammonds Locklear that
a Christian has no business politicking. She'll set you straight
quickly.
"Hat's part of Christianity." she says. "The biggest
politician who ever lived was our Savior."
Hie 75-year old Saddletree Community native inherited her
love of politics from her father, Stephen Andrew Hammonds
who was a school teacher, preacher and farmer. Her mother,
Sarah Margaret Hammonds, chose to be a supportive wife and
mother of her six children and husband.
Locklear's father had an early influence on her life. As a
young child, she often times traveled with her father by horse
and buggy across Robeson County to hold week-long spiritual
revivals. He became her mentor.
"I witnessed as a child what it really mean to witness for
Jesus," she recalls. "I watched my parents in the pulpit and c
in the classroom throughout the community." ?
Locklear says bedtime prayer was a nightly practice in her
childhood home. Hie practice proved somewhat embarrassing
one time for the "courting" preacher's daughter. "My
boyfriend was visiting, and Daddy'called 'prayertime' on
him," she laughs. "Hie poor fellow got on his knees and
prayed along with my family."
Locklear says it wasn't always easy being a preacher's
daughter. She clearly experienced peer pressure. It was
during her teenage years that she accepted Christ as her
Savior in the little country church, Mt Olive Baptist, where
she had grown up attending.
Hie grandmother says both her parents encouraged her to
get a formal education, because it would be something no one
eould ever take away from her.
After completing grammar graoes at rtney (Jrove School,
she attended Cherokee Indian Normal School and graduated in
1933, with a teacher's certificate. She married Harry West
Locklear, a boy "across the swamp" in 1934.
Her first teaching position was at Magnolia, a school she
once attended as a child. Her"a was a first grade of 102
students. Locklear says she'd always dreamed of being a
teacher, but admits the first day on the Job proved a rude
awakening to a "green" first-timer.
"In going to school, I had to Warn Just for myself, but now I
had to teach six-year olds to learn for themselves," she
eemaneate. "A Utile boy same up to my desk and taught me
my first lesson in teaching. It became one I"d never forget in
life," she adds.
"He asked my name, and I told him 'Mrs. Mary.' He said,
' my dad said you was my teacher and he wanted you to larn
me something for I didn't know a damn thing," she chuckles.
In that moment, Locklear says she realized she felt exactly the
same as the young student. She then committed herseu to uie
task of shaping minds. She'd do it one step at a time. "To take
one step at a time" became a philosophy she would follow the
rest of her life.
The next two years followed her to Barker Ten-Mile School.
Her next assignment was taken at Symrna School where she
became the county's first female Indian principal. It was to be
a position she held two years. Seven years later she returned
to the school she first joined and retired in 1977 from a
teaching career which spanned 42 years.
Even during her teaching career, Locklear was active in
politics. It seemed second nature to walk alongside her
husband of 42 years. Mr. Locklear had been appointed the
first Lumbee Indian to serve on the Robeson County Board of
Education. He was later elected and served 14 years in the
position. Due to the couple's efforts, they saw the first Indian
non-teacher employee hired at the board's central office in
Lumberton.
A widow since 1976, locklear says she's not retired--just !
tired. Yet her energy seems endless. Since leaving the
classroom, she substituted only once for a five-week period.
She declines invitations to teach now because of getting
attached to young students whom she loves so much.
She opts instead to help as a volunteer to schools during
special testing periods. And even though she helps administer
scholastic aptitude tests, she feels such testing does not fully
measure one's intelligence or potential. She says nothing
quite measures up to the benefits that a one on-one teacher/
student relationship offers.
She has visited and entertained hundreds of school students
with songs and music from a band made up of several retired
citizens in the area. And when she is nudged, she'll even 1
dance a Charleston jig to the amazement of others three-score
less her age.
When not out lobbying for causes affecting the welfare of
her people, she's busy visiting ill shut ins or spending time at
local parks or gymnasiums cheering for one *of her four
grandsons in athletic meets.
She's an active member of her beloved Berea Baptist
Church where she has taught Sunday School for years. She
loves her native Robeson County and wishes others would look
closer at the many good things it offers.
A simple principle has guided Locklear's life for more than
seven decades. It was given to her by a six year old whose
father thought he knew nothing. Yet, with the gift, Mary H.
Locklear molded a rich and rewarding life one step at a time.
SANDERSON SERVEC
AS GOVERNOR'S
m
RAGE
RALEIGH Jon Michael Sanderson of Pembroke, North
Carolina served at a page last week in Raleigh with the
Governor's Office as a part of Governor Jim Martin's page 1
program for high school students.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael V. Sanderson, Jon is a
junior at West Robeson High School.
Governor's Page are chosen on merit, having been
recommended by teachers, principals, or other leading
members of the community. Governor's Pages assist the
various departments in their communications with other state
government offices. They are also given the opportunity to
tour state museums, the Governor's mansion. Legislative
Building, and State Capitol.
"There is an excellent opportunity for outstanding young
people like Jon to learn about state government," Governor
Martin said. "In addition, Governor's Pages provide
invaluable assistance in helping to maintain the smooth and
efficient operation of state government"
For additional information, contact Mary Denning. Director
at the Governor's Page Program. 919-7S3-M11.
1
SPOTLIGHT ON; WAKULLA SUPPLY CO .
LOCAL BUSINESS PERSONS
Dennis Ray Chains is shown inside Wakulla Supply Co.
by Barbara Brayboy Locklear
Special to The Carolina Indian Voire
Travel about five miles west of Red Springs on NC 71 , and
you'll find an honest-to-goodness general store. The Wakulla
Supply Company is set back from the road with an old bench
which seems to invite old and young customers to stop and sit
a spell.
A steady traffic of customers enters the old wooden front
door which is plastered with metal snuff, chewing tobacco and
headache powder ads.
To the right of the entrance, through light a'trifle dim down
long aisles of groceries, farm suppliesrand "soft goods,"
the newcomer is surprised to see a Victorian fireplace with
beveled-glass mirror above the mantel.
Standing with one foot propped on a counter is store
manager, Dennis Ray Chavis greeting the "regular"
customers with a broad smile.
It was more than 18 years ago, the 34 year-old Lumbee
Indian would hang out at the country store after school hours
and dream one day he'd own or manage the business. In 1971,
the dream began to develop when his father, Ernest Chavis,
bought the old brick building which was first occupied by the
Wakulla School, which abandoned the structure about 1921 in
a school consolidation move only four or five years after its
construction.
In 1976, after graduating with a R.S. in business
administration from Pembroke State University. Chavis joined
his father in managing the family-owned business.
'Tve always had a sense. I'd be a part of Wakulla Supply,"
he comments. The bachelor says he took the job to be near his
family. "I also felt an obligation to help my parents because
they sent me through school." His father managed the
business until recently when he retired due to ill health. "He's
still the boss and overseer, though." Chavis adds.
A professed workaholic. Chavis puts in an 11-hour work
day, six days a week. He does it for the love of it and for the
love of people.
"I like the simplicity of life. Here at the business, I'm
dealing with simple, honest people." He says 60 percent of his
business with customers is handled on a credit basis. "I can't
let faithful customers down. They always pay their bills," he
smiles.
In addition to stocking garden seeds, farm tools, fertilizer,
picnic items and sporting goods, an array of meats is
available, fresh and frozen, to customers. Hie customer can
purchase a slice or whole stick of bologna.
And for Southerners who moved North years ago, quart jars
of " Covington" Molasses await their return visits to the area.
"Northern people just love the molasses," Chavis grins.
Lunchtime finds the manager busy preparing sandwiches on
one of two antique butcher block tables located in the back end
of the store. He serves up sandwiches, soft drinks and hot
coffee to hungry customers who stand patiently in line to get
one of his specail bologna or peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches.
Gospel music from a television set entertains visitors as they
shop. Several years ago. Chavis added stereo equipment,
tapes and video cassettes because of a personal interest
Gospel music lovers keep the tape supply pretty much low.
Wakulla area residents no longer must travel far to
purchase items such as dictionaries and Bibles. The store has
them too.
Hie businessman also supplies an advertisement service
which offers advertisement on items such as caps, pens,
pencils, matches and caiendars-20,000 items in all. Orders are
taken at the store and delivered to the customer in three to sis
weeks.
The dream of owning and managing a business has come
true forChavis. With an humble smile, he adds, "Til tell you.
Wakulla Supply's been good to me."
Wakulla Supply Co. is'located on NC 71, five miles west of
Red Springs. Business hours are Mon.-Fri. 7-6p.m. Wed. 7-1
p.m.
TASK FORCE'S McKELLAR RERORT:
A Positive Statement For
Hatcher & J acobs
hu Conner Rmuhov
The recent report released on the death of Billy McKellar
was a positive statement for Eddie Hatcher and Timothy
Jacobs. McKellar died in the Robeson County Jail on January
9, 1988. The report was released by the special task force
appointed by Gov. Jim Martin. The task force was appointed
as a result of the demands made by Hatcher and Jacobs as
they were negotiating within the Robesonian on February 1,
1988. Hatcher said that he requested an investigation into that
death because he felt "It was a needless death." Neither
Jacobs or Hatcher said that there was any criminal intent, but
they both felt that McKellar's life could have been spared with
proper attention given to his asthmatic condition.
According to reports, Phil Kirk, chairman of the task force,
said: "There was neglect, but we could not find any reason to
believe the negligence was criminal." "We didn't see any
criminal intent-just neglect of duty."
The report ended by saying that McKellar's death could be
attributed to the following:
* A "recognized significant underlying illness; asthma."
* Failure of Billy McKellar to take prescribed medications.
?Failure of jail personnel to verify that McKellar took his
medication "as required by the jail's Medical Care Plan."
* Environmental conditions of the cell that would aggravate
asthma.
* Lack of adequate monitoring of inmates, "which caused a
substantial delay in the jailer's rounds."
* Failure "to immediately recognize the seriousness of
(McKellar's) condition, resulting in a delay" of calling an
ambulance.
? McKellar's "medicines were allowed to run out"
The report recommends that:
? Steps be taken to ensure there is always an adquate
number of personnel to handle emergencies.
? Steps be taken to ensurg that monitoring systems are
operational. ( The jail's intercom system was operational but
its TV monitoring system was not the report states.)
? Jail personnel comply with the jail's Medical Care Pan by
ensuring that inmates receive and consume all prescribed
medications. ( Two "shakedowns" by jailers revealed
McKellar stashed pills under his bunk, according to the
report)
? Steps be taken to prevent inmates with serious health
problems front, being placed in environments/conditions that
may aggravate those conditions. ( The report states that
McKellar was in a cell with two other inmates, although
Sheriff Stone says McKellar was told he could move but
turned the offer down.)
"It is beyond the scope of state governnrent to require
implementation of these recommendations," the reporf
states. "However, we strongly encourage officials in Robeson
County to consider them." ?
If the officials don't. Kirk suggested that Robeson County
voters elect officials who will.
"Ultimately, it is the people who decide who runs the jail,"
he said. "It is the voters who elect the sheriff, and the sheriff
runs the jail." ~ ?
Eddie Hatcher Responds To
>
McKellar Report
L / |
When the colonists listed
their charges agaisnt King
George IE they continued to
describe the response to thsir
peaceful protests. "In every
stage of these oppressions we
have petitioned for redress in
the most humble terms: our
repeated petitions have been
answered only by repeated
injury" wrote the colonists in
the Declaration of Indepen
dence.
For many yean we too
sought peaceful ehange in
Robeson County only to be
ignored and further insulted
with injury. In particular, the
last two years have shown the
entire nation the oppressions
hovering over the Indians.
Blacks and poor whites of
Robeson County.
We peacefully sought
answer to the many unsolved
murders in Robeson County.
We peacefully sought an
swers to the many unsolved
murders in Robeson County.
We plead for answers con
cerning the racially motivated
murder of Joyce Sinclair, a
Black lady from St Pauls. Yet
to no avail.
After the murder of Jimmy
Barl Cummings, by Sheriff
Hubert Stone's ton, we pea
cefully marched and humbly
called for an end to the police
state government existing in
Robeson County.
Further still, we rallied
in protest to the many un
answered questions ia the
killing of Edward Zabttoaky
by a sheriff a deputy.
k
Therefore, on February 1,
1988, we were forced into
declaring our Independence.
Forced by the heavy hands of
corruption, drug trafficking,
and racisim existing within
Robeson County and the State
of North Carolina. Forced to
seek a long overdue Redress
of Grievances in the only non
violent manner remaining.
Many local and state offici
als who have participated in
activities they wish to keep
covered have made attempts
to publieally discredit the
charges are have levied
against them. They wOl
sloop to whatever to nessssary
to farther discredit us and our
f
and we shall see more. The
wall of oppression has become
shaky and is sure to fall.
An investigation into the
needless death of Billy
McKellar of Lumberton was
one of the demands made on
February 1st Some continue
to say we could haws let the
system handle our charges.
Where was the system in <the
murder of Jimmy Earl Cum
mings or Joyce Sinclair or any
one of the more than a dseen
others yet to be answered foi?
Yet today, we have received
CQtfQNUKU ON lAOf f