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VOLUME 16 NUMBER 93 251 THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1988
LREMC TO MOLD SRECIAL MEET I N G
JULY 12 ROR ELECTION OR
BOARD MEMBERS
Preparations have begun for a special meeting of
members of Lumbee River Electric Membership
Corporation scheduled for July 12.
At a meeting of the co-op's special meeting Nominating
Committee held June 1, five candidates were selected for
four of the co-op's 12 directors' seats.
Hie cooperative's Board of Directors voted May 24 to
call the special meeting to hold an election for four
director seats which were up for election at the Annual
^-Meeting of 1987: District 3, District 7, District 9 and
At-Large. Hie exclusive purpose of the special meeting of
members is for the purpose of electing these four director
positions. Hie July 12 Special Meeting of members is the
result of a protest filed in the 1987 election of these four
seats.
At Tuesday's meeting of the Nominating Committee,
the following candidates for directors' seats were named:
Bradford Oxendine, incumbent from District 3, which is
comprised of the Robeson County townships of Back
Swamp, Smyrna, Britls, Wisharts, Raft Swamp and
Lumberton; Harold Dean Brewer, incumbent from
District 7, which is comprised of all of Hoke County west
of N.C. 211; Herbert Clark, incumbent from District 9,
which comprises all of Scotland County; incumbent Elias
Rogers of Hoke County, who holds an at-large director's
seat; and Conrad Oxendine of Route 2, Maxton, who will
challenge Rogers.
In addition to the five nominees selected by the
Nominating Committee, other qualified members may
petition the co-op to become candidates. According to
LREMC spokesman Jerry Spivey, there are three ways to
nominate a candidate. Nominations may be made in the
following manner being nominated by the co-op's
Nominating Committee; by a petition; and during the
special meeting.
The deadline for petitions, which must be signed by at
least 15 co-op members, is June 16.
All candidates must be members of Lumbee River EMC
and must reside in the district represented by a director's
seat that is open for election.
LREMC's special meeting of members will be held at
Pembroke State University's Performing Arts Center.
Registration will begin a;6 p.m., and election of directors
will proceed when \ ouorum (250 members) is reached.
JACKIE JACOBS NAMED DIRECTOR OF
INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELATIONS
FOR HOTEL IN SEOUL KOREA
Jackie Jacobs
Ms. Jackie Deloris Jacobs of Hope
Mills, an '87 graduate of Pembroke
State University with a B.A. degree
in communicative arts with a public
relations concentration, has just
accepted an important press rela
tions position in Seoul, Korea, scene
of the 1988 Summer Olympics.
She has been named director of
international press relations for the
Hotel International of Seoul. In that
position, she will be responsible for
hotel-press relations dealing with
over 3,000 international journalists
expected during^ the Olympics.
Ms. Jacobs isijnarried to Andrew
Strickland of Pemblrake, a member of
the U.S. Army who is stationed in
Seoul.
A former "Miss Lumbee," Ms.
Jacobs, 27, assisted the PSU tele
communications office while she was
an undergraduate at PSU.
In her new responsibilities, Ms.
Jacobs is scheduled to go to
Singapore in two weeks for a hotel
chain-wide training conference in
international public relations. After
that, she will return to Seoul to begin
working with Olympic journalists.
Ms. Jacobs is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Calvin L Jacobs of Hope
Mills. "We are very happy for Jackie
that she has this opportunity," said
Mrs. Jacobs.
Television Show Looks For
Amateur Talent From
Pembroke Area
Discovery Talent Search, the na
tionally syndicated television pro
gram, will begin auditions in this
area to select talent for the televised
special broadcast to be aired on
WPCQ TV. Channel 36. for the
Charlotte television area. The Dis
covery producers will be in the area
within the next few weeks to begin
the task of selecting local talent to be
videotaped for the show. Twelve
finalists will be selected for the show
within two age divisions: six in the
Junior Division (ages 16 and under)
and six in the Senior Division (ages
17 and over). The first place winner
in each age division will be announ
ced on the show and each will be
awarded $1,000 in cash.
Auditions may not exceed three
minutes in length and may include a
wide variety of talent such as
singing, dancing, acting, magical
acts, dramatic readings, lip-sync
hing, or any variety talent that has
entertainment value and exhibits the
participant's ability and skill.
Everyone has an equal opportunity
to appear on the television show
regardless of age and is invited to
call for an audition appointment.
Auditions are being held for all ages,
men, women and children, indivi
duals and groups. To schedule an
audition for the show call toll free
1-800-227-6319.
CHAVIS RETIRES FROM
R ROSPECT SCHOOL
Mr. William C. Chavie, mutant
principal ofProipect School, receivei
a retirement plaque from Mi. Agrut
CKavu, Pretident of the Robe ion
County NCAE, and a retirement
certificate from PurneU Swett, Super
intendent of the Robe ion County
Schooli.
Mr. Chavie wot honored along
with three other retiring educator!
from the Robeton County School
Syetem at a banquet held in their
? '
?
behalf May SO at the Western Steer
m Lumberton. Keynote speaker for
the banquet was Rev. Sidney Locks,
a member of the North Carolina
House of Representatives for the
16th District of Robeson, Hoke and
Scotland Counties.
Mr. Chavis uu honored for his U
years of educational services render
ed to the children of Robeson
County.
1
Ota
C<3 fc ii~i ' s
Clio loo Golf
Tomrn^mon t
F31 anned To
Fi^iJ-SG Monoi-j
foxr JSATW I
Area golfers have one week to
polish their golf clubs and practice
before the Captain's Choice Tourna
ment takes place at Riverside Golf
Course on June 18th. Tee off time is
9:30 a.m.
This second golf tournament, spoD
sored by Robeson Historical Drama,
Lie. is one of several fund-raising
projects planned for Robeson Co
unty's outdoor drama. Strike At The
Wind.
Tournament committee chairman
Willie R. Harris, Jr. says proceeds
from entry fees will go into the
drama's general operating fund.
"Prizes, donated by area mer
chants, will be awarded participants
on every hole," Harris states. "This
project will serve a three-fold pur
pose. It will raise funds, publicize the
exciting outdoor drama exploring
Henry Berry Lowrie's life, and it will
afford golfers an opportunity to
compete with each other," Harris
adds.
According to Robeson Historical
Drama board member Harris, the
tournament held two years ago drew
50 participants from throughout the
state to the golf course located near
the Adolph L Dial Amphitheater two
miles west of Pembroke.
Those planning to enter the tourn
ament should register by paying their
$25.00 entry fee on or before June
17th by 7 p.m. Registration may be
made at Riverside Golf Course or at
Strike At the Wind's office in
Pembroke State University's Old
Main building. For more information,
call Riverside Golf Course at 919-521
8433 or SATW, 919-521-2489.
LOG A l_
M/XRRENINGS
Ik
JACOBS FAMILY PLANS
REUNION JUNE 18
Owen and Fannie Jacobs family
will have a reunion Saturday, June 18
at 5 p.m. All family members are
urged to attend and bring a covered
dish.
For more information call Fannie
Jacobs at 844-3285.
ANNIVERSARY
SINGING PLANNED
Brother George and the C&L will
be celebratinfplheir second anniver
sary with a singing Saturday, June
11th at 7:00 p.m., at the Mission
Church. Featured on the program
Will be Brother Felix Deal & Family.
McNeil Family, and the Chapeliers.
Hie Mission Church is located on
the Union Chapel Road. The pastor is
Rev. Critea Oxendine. Everyone is
coridally invited to attend.
ALZHEIMERS FAMILY SUPPORT
GROUP TO MEET JUNE 9
The Alsheimers Disease and Rela
ted Disorders Family Support Group
will meet on Thursday, June 9, 1988
at 7:30 p.m. at Southeastern General
Hospital Long Term Cars Facility
(cafeteria) on Pine Run Road in
Lumberton. All interested persons
are welcome. There will be a guest
speaker and refreshments will bo
provided. For further information,
call Robin Jones. 738-8104.
t ^ II] 1
CLASS OF '88 PLANS REUNION
Hie Pembroke High School Class
of 1948 plans a i^union for July 2.
For information and reservation
please call Daphne at 621-4865,
621-4097 or Helen at 521-0438 before
June 20th 1988.
MEMBERS OF SAND CUTT
CEMETAKY TV MEET JUNE 18
All members of the Sand Cutt
Cemetery are to meet Thursday,
June 16, 1988 at 8:00 p.m. at New
Hope Church's Fellowship Hall.
All members and prospective
members please sttend.
For more information call Earl
Hughes Oxendine at 621-8080.
I
WHATEVER MARREM ED TO. - .
Rev . Arber Oxendine
by Barbara Brayboy-LockLear
Special to THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE
"Order" best describes the life of the Reverend Arber
Oxendine. Perhaps the order came about during his early
military experience during WWI, or maybe the sense of
doing things in an orderly manner came about during his
early childhood growing up in rural Fairmont.
"My daddy, Dougle Oxendine, insisted on order in his
home. Even during meal-time, nobody sat down at the
dinner table after he had asked the blessing on the food,"
the 92-year-old minister says. "If company came in
during the dinner hour and didn't accept an invitation to
eat before the blessing, they weren't given another
chance." Oxendine, to this day, enforces the rule in his
own home, located near Fairgrove School.
And when he left for France in 1918, he had no problem
adjusting to the order required in military operations.
On the day of his first wife's funeral, Oxendine received
his U.S. Army draft notice to report to a Spartanburg,
S.C. base. He buried his wife, Largie. He had married
her 18 months earlier. There were no children from the
marriage.
He was shortly thereafter shipped to LeMans, France.
There he engaged in warfare for eight months. While in
France, he was to meet up with fellow Lumbees, including
J. R. Lowry. Oxendine was discharged from military
service in 1919.
The soldier returned to his beloved Robeson County,
and in 1920, he married Pearlie Locklear, a "young kid"
he'd met on a neighboring farm and with whom he'd
churched at New Bethel Methodist Church. She was 16,
and he was 22. "Her parents liked me because I was a
plumb honest church boy," he says.
A life of farm sharecropping was taken up on the Hoke
Smith Farm outside Fairmont. He later bought a farm,
but never personally tended it because it was too small to
support his 12 children. Today he rents the property.
Throughout his life, Oxendine has maintained a
spiritual order. As a young child, his parents drove their
12 children to Peasant Grove Methodist Church either on
a surrey or buggy Oxendine comments.
The great-great grandfather says he remembers the
first time he ever spoke before a church congregation, "1
was 14 years old, and I stood in front of the church people
and recited the 23 Psalm. Spiritual emotions overtook the
listeners, and some of them started shouting and moving
about the church."
"I got so confused and scared by it all, I said Td never
go to that church again," he laughs.
It was during the same period in his life that he was
attending Henderson School which was named for his
grandfather, Henderson Oxendine, who had built the
one-room structure in 1901.
"It was there at the all Indian school in 1909, my
teacher, Rev. D.F. Lowry, became the first person ever to
take pains ( patience ) in trying to teach me to read and
write," Oxendine fondly recalls.
Oxendine says Lowry became his mentor and told him
one day he'd become a preacher. The prediction came
true in 1954, when Oxendine was allowed to preach under
his Deacon license. His first pastorship was taken at New
Bethel Methodist Church. Several other pastorships
followed along with hundreds of sermons delivered at
various other churches in the county.
In 1969, at age 73, Oxendine retired from farming. But
he didn't retire from the pulpit. He continued to preach
regularly until he was 80 years old. And until a few years
ago, he preached "just when he was called on" - mostly
at annual church homecomings.
During Easter worship service this year he sang his
favorite hymn "Amazing Grace." It was a special request
of the "singing" preacher. He is known throughout
church communities for his rare talent in "talk-singing."
"I just took up that way of singing within me. I just
recite words of a hymn and the congregation sings what I
recited. This goes on and on until the hymn is completely,
spoken and sung" he explains.
Rev. Arber Oxendine sits flanked by family photos.
Oxendine says he has seen change in church structures
as well as in the way of worship. "I used to attend night
services where we had to worship by oil lanterns." The
retired minister says it was a time when people shouted
and dust rose from the cracks of wooden plank floors.
"You don't see them churches anymore. Buildings
have improved more than the churches have," he adds.
In 1972, Oxendine and his wife accepted an invitation to
tour the Holy Land for ten days. It was in the foreign land
at a church service his wife was asked to lead the group in
the singing of a hymn. She chose "Amazing Grace"
without music. "Our voices could be heard over the moun
tains. What a time we had that day," he smiles.
Not only does Oxendine profess a great love for church,
he loves his country, too. Since 1944, he has been an
active member in V.F.W. He is the second oldest Indian
member belonging to a V.F.W Post in NC. The oldest
holds membership in a Clinton Post Every second
Monday night in each month, Oxendine travels to V.F.W.
Post #2843 outside Pembroke to meet with other veterans
of foreign war.
life-long rituals continue to dictate order in his life
even today. Since he was a youngster he has risen before
the sun on the first day of each calendar year. He slips
quietly outside his home and finds a location in his yard -
a different location is always used. There he offers a
private prayer asking God's guidance in helping him
adhere to his New Year's resolutions.
"I don't stand there and wish forF i help. I ask for it,"
he stresses. "There's a difference in the two, you know."
For 70 years, the sage has kept a daily journal. He says
the habit began when he left home to go to war overseas.
Very few days pass, even today, without an entry being
made - noting events of his life. Time daily is, too, spent
in reading his Bible.
Oxendine's entire family never tires of his storytelling -
an art his grandfather taught him. "Hie widower can
recite stories he learned from his school's "second
reader" while attending Mrs. Maggie Bell's class in 1902.
He's known countywide as a gentleman who loves
words and people - especially young children. "I've
always tried to love people and have tried to make them
love me," he comments. "Tve never met a stranger. I
speak to people, because the day may soon be gone, and I
may not see them again and get the chance to speak to
them kindly."
It just follows his Christian order to do it.
PEMBROKE TOWN COUNCIL
ENDORSES PROPOSED NURSING HOME
The Pembroke Town Council held
its regular meeting in Council
Chambers at 7:30 p.m. on June 6
where they considered a short
agenda.
A resolution was adopted giving
support to a proposed nursing home
to be located behind Hill's Food
Store in the Colony Plaza. Pembroke,
N.C. The facility is being proposed
by Brian Center of Hickory, N.C. The
state allocates a particular number of
beds for a geographical area. There
are, currently approximately seven
applicants for the allocation for
Robeson and Scotland Counties.
The N.C. Department of Transpor
tation is proposing the elimination of
the left turn signal in front of Town
Hall, or the elimination of 100
parking spaces along the front of
Pembroke Hardware to rectify a
safety hazard in traffic flow at that
intersection. Hie Board voted to
leave the parking spaces and let the
State come in and eliminate-the
turning lane. The problem has been
that traffic heading East was flowing
directly into the turning lane.
The Board went into a short
executive session to discuss litiga
tion, after which no action was taken.
A public hearing on the Town
Budget was set for June 21, 1968 in
Council Chambers.
Reported By Sam Menu
ROBESON YOUTH ATTEND
4 ?H JUNION DAY
Millstone 4-H l amp was tne
setting for the 1988 South Central
Junior 4-H Day. A delegation of 28
4-H members and three adults
attended the Saturday Retreat. Ju
nior Day is held annually for 8-12
year olds and sponsored by the South
Central District 4-H Council.
Four H'era participated in classes
on insects (Bug Out), wild birds and
their habitat, survival skills, crafts,
and field day activities. Hie camp
provided a wonderful outdoor setting
for a picnic style lunch.
Attending Junior Day were:
Morgan-Britt Go-Gttten b-H Club
Allison Oxendine Phillip Oxendine
EricChavis Susanne Williams
James Nealy
Union Ckapsl Wildcats 4 H CM
Tan* Jones Stephanie Harding
Sanford Harding Setina Harding
Michelle Jones Strawdie Harding
4
Marietta 4-H Club
In grid Powell Latoya Johnson
DeNotra Johnson Adrian Powell
Lacoetia Powell
Super Kids 4-H Club
Camilla Thompson Donna Thompson
John Carmicheal
Rowland Super Rollers 4-H Club
Tara Clark Jessica Clark
Ronnean Deese Kimberly Harris
Josh Deese
Boys Clover 4-H CM
Jame Mosby Shaun Southeriand
Courtney Jones Antwmin Jones
Member^U-Ltrge
Kim Harris
Chaperoning the delegation wens
volunteer leaden Geoqp Moeby of
Boys Clover 4-H Club and Mary Alice
OnMxkne of Moigan-Britt Go-Get
ters 4-H Club. Also Sriiaiting was
Cathy Lowery, 4-H agent