THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOlCftw Pul lis hed each Thursday by First American Publications, Pembroke, NC / _VQUJME22NUMBER 22 _ THURSDAYJUT^J^J^ Artist Delora Cummings Unveils Pembroke Centennial Painting Pembroke-Local bustoc sman Juddie Revels, Jr was the lucky winner last Friday night when he bought the first original print of Artist Ddora Cummings' Cen tennial punting celebrating 100 years of history in Pembroke. It was the highlight of the evening at the Pembroke Jaycee Hut when upwards pf 200 Pembrokians and friends gathered to celebrate anew the 100th birth day of the town. There was music, dancing, good food and the art auction of the first ten prints of Cummings' painting ?yi other Centennial items such as plates with the town's Centennial seal embossed thereon. The original painting ty Cum mings, an art teacher at Purnell Swett High, was commissioned to capi re the essence of Pembroke's glori jus post The original point ing is a monlagr, featuring the town's historic train depot. Old Main, Carolina Inn, boy soout hut,, town hall, high school and Bank of TTd? ? in 1 i A remoroke f Pembroke businessman, Allen Dial, volunteered asauctkmeer and the festivities were hoatedby Coun cilman Greg Cunynings, who along with Councilman Harry Oxendine serves as co-chairman of the Centennial Celebration Mayor Milton Hunt extended warm greetings to the festrve crowd and a good time was had by all The first 10 prints were auc tioned oft and ranged from $ 1550 to $500 All ten were sold Ten commemorative plates were also auctioned oB, bringing in prices ranging from $100 to $350. Mm Ohm^P The original painting, accord ing lothe artist, DeioraCumnungh will hang in the ait gallery at Old Main until a new municipal build ing is built, which will than be the home ui Ood first, family second, and career "If you loee your fhnily in the pro oeaa. then you've failed Suooaaa is ao much more wonderfhl when you have someone to dure it with." Pembroke area men andMcKendree College have strong tradition St Don Gersh niversitv Relations Pembroke-When Chancellor Joseph B. Oxendine of Pembroke State University recently received an invitation to represent the Uni versity at the installation of the president of McKendree College, two thoughts crossed his mind First, the strong tradition of Pembroke area men who attended McKendrec College during the 1920s and '30s. These included Chancellor Oxendine's uncle. Dr. Clifton Oxendine, longtime dean and history professor of education atPSU;ElmerT Lowiy,Chancel lor Oxendine's principal during hisvearsat Pembroke High School , James Thomas Sampson, former PSU coach and a member of the University Hall of Fame; Delton Lowry who attended Mdtendrce " in 1927; Frank Enps, a 1931 gradu ate; Dr. Earl C. Lowry, and Carlie Lowry who graduated in 1936. . The Chancellor's second thought was Mr. Paul Saapaon, a 1937 McKendree College gradu ate, a PSU, and now a resident of Illi nois What a perfect way to keep the PSU/McKendree College coo ""cSwdtor Oxendine Mr Sampson at his Illinois home and admd him to represent PSU at the April 29 installation of Dr Junes M Dennis at McKendrec Codeae in Lebanon. 01. Mr ?'"!?"* was thrilled at the opportunity to i crura to his altM mater, representing the Pem broke area, andarrangements were ouckly made for him to do aa. But what is the PSU/ McKendree Connection'7 Its aboul a time when college-bound Ameri can Indians from Robeson County looked to a small co-educational liberal arts college in Illinois founded by the Methodist Church, that offered admission to anyone who was academically eligible to attend McKendree did not look at a student's race, ethnicity or reli gion when determining to offer admission to a prospective stu dent McKendree College is Illinois' oldest, the 97tholdest in the United States, and the oldest with con tinuous ties to the United Method ist Church. It is named for Bishop William Mckendrec. America's tint native-barn Methodist bishop Lebanon, HI, is located less than 20 miles from St Louis, Mo. The oldest building on campus is Old Main, a Georgian style building similar in destoi to Pembroke State's oldest bui Idi ng. also called Old Main but not by coincidence More about tins connection later The year was 1924. A year ear lier the first permanent structure housing classrooms, offices and an auditorium was completed A.B. Riley was principal of the Cherokee Indian Normal School (toady we would call a normal school a teachers college). And seven local students were prcpar *T woofthose graduates. Earl C. Lownr and Clifton Oxendine, would be the first of aine local men during the 1920s and Ms to travel wato to attend college According to Pant Sampaon,a l937 graduate of McKendree College. > lot of people think that these were ten of as Lambeee from Robeaon County at McKendree But that 'snot right Raimen Lowry was an American Indian and he didn't come from North Carolina ." As Dr Lowry transferred the following year to the University of Chattanooga, also a Methodist college, to pursue a pre-mcdical degree Dr . Lowry earned his medi cal degree and became a physician to General and later President DwightD Eisenhower Dr, Lowry is a retired colonel in the Army Medical Corps and lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Dr Clifton Oxendine remained at Mckendrec and graduated in 1928 earning a degree in history and secondary education He re turned to Pembroke and began a long and distinguished teaching career Oxendine earned a Master of Art's degree in history from George Pea body College for Teachers (Nashville. Tenn) in 1934 He also studied sociology and economics at Louisiana State University in 1932. It was Dr Clifton Oxendine who in 1949 referred to the two story brick building as Ok) Main, for it reminded him of the similar structure at McKendree Dr Oxendine became principal of Pembroke Graded School in 1932 and then principal afPromect High School in 1936^la I939> joined Pembroke Stale College as its dean and history professor He served as dean until 1937. Dr Oxendine retired as professor emeritus of history at Pembroke State Univer sity in 1970 and was awarded an :=5?r??s:? He died the following year at agr 87. during 42 years of teaching, Clifton Oxendinc motivated many Robeson County students to enter the field of education One who credits Oxendinc as his inspira tion to attend college and devote himself to being an educator is John Paul Sampion. Mr Sampson was born July 20. 1912, one or 15 children of Oscar R and Susie Jane Sampson of Pembroke Oscar Sampson, a farmer, preacher, and school teacher and administrator, was one of the pioneers in Lumbee educa tion. He served as the chairman of the Board of Trustees for Pem broke Stale for 30 years Paul Sampson graduated from the Cherokee Indian Normal School ofRobeson County in 1933 and entered McKendree College " I was influenced by my teacher Clifton Oxendinc. a McKendree graduate, to attend the college." he recalled. "It was a Methodist Conference and open to anyone I was there from 1933 to 1937 and earned a liberal arts degree " "It felt great to return to McKendree, Mr Sampson said "I saw a lot of friends and the program was nice. I was a delegate representing Pembroke State and was in the procession." After his graduation in 1937. Mr Sampson and his wife, the former Kathrya Paget of Effingham. 01. returned to Pem broke end taught French during fell term. He eleo coached and what PSU became a four-year school during the 1939-40 aca demic year, wae Pembroke State s first athletic director "I stayed a I Pembroke until the early '40c." Mr Sampaon ex plained. "and then became principal Jf years During the early pan of World War II, I ca rolled in a government safety pro gram at PSU and then left North Carolina to work in a government ordnance plant in Decatur. III. I worked in the weights and mea sures office " After the war. Mr Sampaon returned to leaching "1 taught social studies and coached at Mount Zion High School for about six years and then went to Taylorville to do the same Mr Sampson left leaching for a short time lo become ? salesman for Compton's Picture Encyclope dia He returned to teaching at Decatur's Roosevelt Junior High School and taught social studies Mr Sampson earned a master s degree in liberal arts from the University of Illinois in 1941 He also completed 64 post-graduate noun towards a doctorate Mr Sampson has Hum ataasrs living in Pembroke and a brother in Baltimore His nephew. Dr ? Gilbert Sampson of Pembroke, is profesaor and chair of the math and computer science department at Pembroke State University C?ck M faifiii md Mr 194$ Chmku ImSm Nmmti Sckod t?dt Vmi*?rwtt)i CTtmmcitUr JmupkB. (\xwn4mt'fidarbndnr.ilhBmmttu i>m**