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I MA-.r ilVcftMQRE LIBRARY I RU';iHG*c SUTf JWIVfCSJTY | Published Each Thursday Since January 18,1973 anolina Indian Voice 3 HQ Robeson County J "Building communicative bridges in a in-racial setting" os iro VOLUME2?Nljffyg?: THURSDAY, AUGUST 20,1992 JSCESTSPERCOPT iNativj rican "designing women" remember Robeson County roots, by Barbara Braveboy-Locklear Two Robeson County women know well the distance which spans hun dreds of miles between Robeson County's Evans Crossroad area and Roswell, Georgia north of Atlanta Brenda and Gail Locklear remem ber well the years of growing up surrounded by the rich Robeson County agricultural environment which commanded laborious days in tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and hours of sipping lemonade under shade trees on sultry days. Today the Native American women are spending their days surrounded 6y antiques, rugs, collectibles, wall paper samples and fabric swatches. Four years ago the two sisters estab lished themselves in Atlanta by asso ciation with builders who special ized in new homes From that asso ciation was bom Locklear Gifts and Interiors. Three decades ear tier they'd learned first hand from their father, the late Braddie Locklear, Sr., the importance of producing top quality service goods for valued cus tomers. "We spent many hours in the midst of screaming saws, pounding ham mers and spray paint guns learning lessons in the woodwork and cabinet shop our father owned and operated," Brenda Locklear recalls. "Our par ents always taught us that anything worth doing was worth doing right " Both women say they adopted then parents' work ethics and implemented them into creating an interior design business which rivals those decades old in the greater Atlanta area. The women say their business objectives are to tailor their clients' design needs to individual life-styles. They work with clients to provide a forward look to existing homes and new con struction and agree that by knowing the trends projected for the 90's in color, fabric, and design they be came a team which provides the look that is as beautifully classic today as it will be in ten years. Clients most often say, "This re minds me of the Designing Women on television," when they enter the 1.600 sq. ft. studio of Lockiear Gifts & Interiors located at Willow Springs Shopping Center in Roswell. r "Very few days pass when we don't hear that comment," Gail Lockiear confirms. "We owe it in part to the warm hospitality they receive in our studio." Accessory design is one of the areas that sets Lockiear interiors apart. Both Lockiear sisters share the belief that in incorporating people's cher ished items in the updated design that suits their clients' life-styles ? makes them different from other in ter,or designers. "It's important to understand our clients' feelings, needs and desires in designing a new look for them." com ments Brenda Locklear. She says their studio focuses on nineteenth century interiors Their business re ceived national recognition last year when the designers' abilities were displayed at the 1991 Street of Dreams- Anderson Window House in Atlanta. The designers enriched the unique living areas of the Geor gian home with vivid color schemes, sumptuous fabrics, custom-designed window treatments, finely crafted furnishings and tasteful accessories This year the designers branched out into the commercial market and now have health care facilities and hotels among their clients. Forget their Robeson County roots? "Never." say the sisters. They regu larly travel the long distance from Atlanta to visit their family in Robe son County. Their most-recent visit was for Lumbee Homecoming dur ing July 4 weekend. On the family owned farm where they grew up they walked alongside fields npe with corn and tobacco, and plots crowded with vegetables. They say the visit lent opportunity for them to re-con nect with their past It also afforded them a respite from the hustle and bustle which they both experience in their day-to-day busi ness as "designing women." - Gail Locklear is dutwa Ivlt and Brenda Locklear is -shewn right inside Locklear Gifts A Interiors wnatever Happened 10... Rev. C.M. Cummrngs By Barbara Braveboy-LockJear Special to the Carolina Indian V oice On a sultry August Sunday in 1941 eighteen-year-old Coolidge Mack Cummings took his Bible in hand and delivered his first sermon from the pulpit of Bear Swamp Baptist Church in rural Pembroke. Five de cades and hundreds of sermons later, the 69-year-old Robeson County minister continues to bring God's message. The youngest of six children bom to William Bellamy and Ruthie Jane Graham Cummings, Rev. Cummings grew up in Robeson County's Harper's Ferry community. He learned firsthand the virtue of manual - labor in fields his father tended as a tenant farmer. World War 11 was raging in Europe when Rev. Cummings answered a military call to serve his country. The infantry man was to later return borne a Purple Heart recipient. Shortly thereafter he resumed his ministry and enrolled as an under graduate student at Pembroke State College. It was at the school he befriended Miss Mary Livermore, a beloved religion professor. He says it was under her influence that he decided to enter God's ministry pro fessionally. "You'll never be able to lead your people to the heights they deserve if you don't further your education past college," Livermore told him. He took every religion course she taught. The young Native American was or dained into Gospel Ministry in 1947. While an undergraduate student Rev. Cummings accepted a pastor ate at Burnt Swamp Baptist Church in Order to supplement his educa tional scholarship. He was to bold pastorates at New Bethel Bap tist Church in rural Clinton and Cape Fear Baptist Mission in Cumberland County before be was graduated from P.S.C. in 1950. When offered a pnncipalship at his childhood school, he chose instead to enter Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. With S350 in his pocket he moved his wife, Vanice and infant son, Samuel, into a resident hall on the seminary campus A work scholar ship which paid seventy-five cents an hour was supplemented by gifts of money from an older brother in Robeson County. A year later, while a full-tune student, he preached ser mons at Lyons Avenue Baptist Mis sion in Louisville in order to support his family. In 1953, with theology degree earned, he took a pastorate at East Union Baptist Church in Greenville, a Kentucky coal mining community Two years passed and the arrival of a third child before he accepted a min isterial call to Morion's Gap Second Baptist Church in Morton's Gap, KY A deep yearning to return to his na tive land brought forth his resigna tion from his pastorate at the church. He moved his family to Robeson County in 1956 and took a teaching position in a public school. He also accepted a pastorate at Ten Mile Center Baptist Church in rural Lum berton. As Rev. Cummings settled into the dual profession he purchased a farm in his home community of Harper's Ferry "I'd wanted my own farm and home since I was 14 years - old and thought we'd just take it easy in Robesoo County," he says of the land acquisition. An early morning knock at his home two years later revealed 14 members from Second Baptist Church in Ken tucky standing on his front porch. "They'd come to get me to go back and serve as then pastor." He was then serving as pastor to Berea Bap tist Church in Pembroke. He says after much prayer and consultation with his family he resigned his posi tion and returned to Kentucky. It was to be several years later and hun dreds of sermons preached at the church and at others throughout southwestern Kentucky that the min ister returned to Robeson County to stay. After the return to his farm, he took teaching positions at Pembroke Graded and Pembroke High School before resigning to full-time gospel ministry. His longest pastorate was at Island Grove Bap In 1985 Rev. Cummi Friendship Mis sionary Baptist Church a few miles west of Pembroke. He continues to lead the church ministry. The "preacher" grandfather has soweda little. He regularly returns to Kentucky to visit members of the churches he formerly served. He says requests continue to come for him to preach funerals of former church members he served. Most days Rev. Cummings is ac tively going about the business of conducting his ministerial duties in church, community and area hospi tals. There has been little time over the years to develop hobbies except for fishing. The Lumber River be hind his borne is his fishing hole. "1 do enjoy grabbing my old pole. gathering worms from my catawba tree and going to the river to spend some quiet time," he smiles. Retirement? Not for the man who has preached for more than a half century. He's too busy woriung on the second half of one hundred years to consider such a plan. "There's too much more to be done in service to God's ministry," he comments. Rev. Coelidge Mack Cwinnings CLASS OF '68 REUNION Attention: Class of 1968 Pem broke High School. Plans are be ing made for 25th class reunion bfthe 1968 graduatesof Pembroke High School. A cruise on the "Fan tasy" to the Bahamas June 6-11 1993 is being planned Please con tact Robert Chavis at (919) 521 8891 or Gerald Jacobs (919) 422 8819 for more information Dr. Robin Cummings joins Pinehurst Surgical Clinic Dr. Robin G. Cummings recently completed his Surgical Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He join> John Krahnert. Pinehurst Surgical Clinic P A and Moore Regional Hospital in the practice of Cardiac a and Thoracic Surgery as of July. 1992. Dr. Cummings graduated as Vale dictorian from Pembroke Senior High Pembroke Senior High School in 1974. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a James M. Johnston Scholar, and graduated in 1978 with a major in Zoology. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from Duke University in 1983. During medical school. Dr Pembroke student wins honors Kim Hunt of Pembroke has won third-place honors among 12-and 13 year-old in the Back to School with Cotton Contest held August 11. Kim won the judges' praise with her pol ished cotton print dress, which fea tured puffed sleeves and a bow. The daughter of Eric and Karmel Hunt. Rt. 2, Bow 87. is a member of the Golden Hearts 4-H Club. This year's competition was held at Peace Col lege. The contest is sponsored by the North Carolina Cotton Wives and the North Carolina Cooperative Ex tension Service. Kim received a S25 cash award. * C ummings was a N .C. Board of Gov ernors' Scholar, served as Vice Presi dent on the Davison Council, and was a member of the Curriculum Committee for the School of Medi cine. As a third year student, he conducted research in the alterations involved in cellular death during car diac injury. This work was pub lished and presented nationally and for his contributions. Dr. Cummings was recognized as a Henry Kaiser Merit Scholar. National Library of Science Scholar and received the Sandoz Award for Basic Science Research. After obtaining his degree in Medicine. Dr. Cummings remained at Duke and completed an Internship and Residency in General Surgery under Dr. David C. Sabiston. Jr. During this tune he received a Na tional Research Service Award and spent two years as a Research Fel low. He is the author or co-author on more than 30 papers and abstracts and has presented work at several national meetings. Dr C"ummings completed his surgical training with a Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Sur gery also in the Department of Sur gery. Duke Medical Center Dr. Cummings is the son of Rev erend Simeon and Mrs. Maude Cummings of Pembroke. N.C. He is married to the former Rebecca Godwin and they have three Chil dren, Amy. Mark, and David. i * ? i a
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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Aug. 20, 1992, edition 1
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