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The
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday
Yotj^r Award Winning
Se rving All Of Franklin County
'ounty Newspaper
Industry
Education
Agriculture
T?l. 6Y 6-3263
Ton Cents
Louisburg. N C.. Thursday. July 6. 1967
(10 Pages Today)
98th Year-Number 40
Hospital Renovations Nearing Completion
Since February 11, ' 1951
when Franklin Memorial Hos
?pltal was dedicated, demands
oii*tireipcal facility have grown
at a rapid and unexpected
rate. Although the county
population has dwindled from
31,000 then to slightly more
than 28,000 now, health ser
vices have continued to grow.
An alert Hospital Board of
Trustees and an efficient Ad
mlnlstrator foresaw this de
mand and began some time
ago to plan ahead. The plan
ing, the long hours of dis
cussion, the months of working
under difficult coiidittons, are
about to bear fruit.
Sometime within the next
few weeks, Franklin Memorial
Hospital will hold open house
to show the public an amaz
ing fulfillment of plans care
Mrs. Grace Hall Stokes s,a,f Pho,? * c"n' *""" Carl Pernell
"Always Wanted To Ride The Fire Truck"
An Era Ends As A Dream Conies True
All things come to him who waits? as the saying goes. And
sometimes, happiness Is a small thing.
After waiting most of her 83 years, a lifetime dream came
true here Wednesday for one of Loulsburg's most pleasant
ladles. And the dream was a small thing.
Mrs. Grace Hall Stokes rode on the town fire truck.
She and her sister, Miss Lynn Hall, had nurtured a desire
to ride the huge red wagon all their lives. Misfortune struck
Miss Lynn recently, when she suffered a severe fall, and
she Is now recovering In a nursing home at Goldsboro. She
would have enjoyed the ride.
The sisters have operated the Hall House and a variety
store here for many years. The popular boarding house,
' which has been home to many weary and hungry travelers
and an equal number of local citizens, has operated since
the old hotel building burned here many, many years ago.
' Their mother, Mrs. Annie Hall, began the operation to give
those burned out a place to stay.
"Miss" Grace is planning to move to Goldsboro where
she and Miss Lynn will live with a sister, Mrs. Scott B.
Berkeley, wife of the late Goldsboro mayor.
"I hope all of you will be happy," "Miss" Grace said as
she Stepped down from the fire truck. "I hate to leave
Louisburg, but I have to," she added.
"How was the trip," we asked as she and Fireman Carl
Pernell returned to the fire station following the short trip
around town.
"Fine. Wonderful," she said.
"I've wanted to do this all the time," she replied In answer
to our question. She said she had never ridden on a fire
truck before.
"I want to thank whoever is responsible for making It
possible," she said as she was helped from the truck by
Fireman Grey Moon.
Her desire to ride the town truck was relayed to radio
newsman Asher Johnson who publicly called for a relaxing
of the rules prohibiting riders on the trucks, In order to grant
this wish before "Miss" Grace and Miss Lynn moved away.
Johnson's suggestion fell on kind ears and the Town Council
and Mayor V. A. Peoples granted permission.
Both "Miss" Grace and Miss Lynn are natives of Louls
burg. They were born In a house that stood where the post
office now stands. Later they moved to a house In the middle
of the block between College Street and Sunset Avenue.
They have lived In the Hall House on Franklin Street here
for the past 75 years. Miss Lynn is the youngest at 81.
Miss Lynn has already moved. "Miss Grace will be mov
ing as soon as she can conclude her business here.
With their going, Loulsburg will lose two of Its most loved
and respected citizens. They have contributed much to
their community over the years.
Riding the fire engine was a small thing to do In remember
ance. But, this Is what they wanted.
We all are sorry to see them go.
?
Editor Named To
National Committee
Clint Fuller, Managing
Editor of The Franklin Times
haa been appointed vice
chairman of the national
Freedom of Information Com
mittee of the National News
paper Association. The ap
pointment was announced to
day by John Biddle, newly
elected president of the
organisation.
Biddle said, "This com
mittee Is vastly Important at
this time of constant need for
alertness in the field of Free
dom of Information. The com
mittee members are charged
with the responsibility of being
*watch dogs' in the FOI field
and to report such problems
from their states. They should
also assist In supporting
access -to- new a and records
legislation. Another com
mittee responsibility is sup
port of the Freedom of In
formation Center at the Uni
versity of Missouri."
Fyller said he had accepted
the appointment, "For what
ever small contribution I
might be able to make toward
keeping the people's right to
know sate. I consider it a
privilege to be asked to serve
on this national committee."
Farmers Vote On Four
Issues This Month
The Secretary of Agriculture
has proclaimed acreage
poundage marketing quota*
for 1968, 1069, and 1970 crop*
of flue-cured tobacco and has
called a referendum for Tues
day, July 18, 1967. Voting will
be by polling places with hours
of voting seven a.m. to seven
p.m. local time.
The 1968 flue-cured quota
Is 1126.8 million pounds and
On WRAL-TV Dateline
i
The Franklin Times will be
featured on WRAL-TV'? Date
line News Program, perhaps
tonight at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Dateline newsman Ban Runkle
and a sound cameraman
?lilted the Times office Wed
nesday and taped a short In
terview with Times Editor
Clint Fuller on the news
paper's recent winning of the
number one spot In the nation
in community service.
the national acreage allotment
la 607,605.18 acre*.
North Carolina tobacco, pea
nut and cotton grower* will
vote on a total of four Issues
in a Joint referendum to be
held Tuesday, July 18.
Secretary of Agriculture Or
rllle Freeman has announced
this date for tobacco growers
to vote on continuation of the
present acreage - poundage
control program with price
supports.
The three commodity
groups, Tobacco Associates,
N. C. Peanut Growers As
sociation and the N. C. Cotton
Promotion Association, have
selected the same date to have
farmers vote on continuation
See VOTE Page 4
fully made and effectively
carried out.
The happy marriage of the
people and hospital officials,
working together has resulted
In medical facilities second to
none and far better than most
for a community this size.
When visitors take the tour
on open-house day, they are In
for a most pleasant surprise.
Not . only will they see bright,
beautiful rooms and an untold
number of modern up-to-date
lnovatlons, they will see
technical medical facilities
not found In many much larger
medical centers. Just looking
Is Impressive. When and If
the need for these new facili
ties comes, one can only
.imagine Just how Impressive
they will seem then.
Work on the new additions
and renovations began Fe
. bruary 15, 1966 following ap
proval by the people of a
1325,000 bond Issue. The
vote and the subsquent hospi
tal Improvements might well
be termed the greatest bar
gain ever received by Frank
lin County. The total cost of
the project was set at $987,
000 by M. M. Person, Jr.,
popular administrator. A few
months ago, The Duke En
dowment gave the institution
a grant of $50,000. The re
mainder of the near million
dollar funding comes from
the N. C. Medical Care Com
mission and the federally sup
ported Hill-Burton program.
The new wing on the south
side of the old building will
contain an additional 30 beds,
housed In 14 private rooms and
Board
Approves
Projects
The Franklin County Board
of Education approved minor
projects at Perry's, Gethse
mane and Bunn Schools, In Its
regular monthly meeting held
here Monday. Contracts were
awarded to Quality Paint Co.
to paint the Inside of Perry's
gymtorlum and the Gethse
mane gym and Neuse Tile
Co. was given the nod to lay
quarry tile In, toilets at Bunn.
Several new teachers were
approved for various posi
tions In the county schools and
resignations were accepted
from several others. New
salary schedules calling for
increases were approved for
See BOARD Page 4
A SPECIAL REPORT
First of a Three- Part Series
By Clint Fuller
Times Managing Editor
8 semi-private rooms. Pri
vate rooms- have a full bath
and semt-prlvate have half
baths with shower rooms
nearby serving the wards.
Each room in the new addi
tion Is equipped with patient
Intercom by which the patient
can talk to the nurses at
anytime. Also contained on
New Lab
the second floor are two wait
ing rooms which will serve
both the present part and the
new part of the hospital.
The new lab Is (our time*
the size of the present faci
lity and has already been mov
ed to the new quarters. X-ray
facilities have been doubled
with an Image lntenslfler add
ed to improve the quality of the
film. A new X-ray develop
ing machine has been lnctall
ed which will give Dr. John
W. Vassey, full-time radlolo
"21st, a dry negative In 4 and
a half minutes. In the past
X-ray developments took at
least 15 minutes and had to
be read ^whlle wet. The new
machine Is fully automatic
and frees the technicians from
the time-consuming task of
hand developing.
With the opening of the new
wing, the bell system of pag
ing Is being eliminated.
Voice paging has already taken
over. Mr. Person explains
that the new system Is an
Improvement and cuts down on
the patient disturbing noise.
Doctor's consultation rooms
are also a new lnovatlon.
Located at the nurses sta
tions, Doctors can read charts
and consult with others with
out disturbing the routine of
the station.
A sophisticated light system
has been installed which tells
central nerve centers
throughout the hospital which
doctors are In the hospital
at all times. Doctors press
a button when entering and
leaving the hospital. Their
personalized light relays the
message that they are on call.
Special parking Is provided
See HOSPITAL Page 6
July 4th Holiday Passes Quietly
.See Pictures Page Six
Fireworks, parades and
speeches marked the Indepen
dence Day celebrations else
where In the country but here
the day passed quietly. So
quietly In fact, without looking
at the calendar, one would have
hardly noticed that this was the
191st anniversary of the birth
of the nation.
A number of businesses were
closed, but almost as many
were open for businesses as
usual. Activity was con
fined to work by a resur
facing crew along Louls
burg's Main Street, oneortwo
flags on display and an all
day celebration by members
of Green Hill Country Club
here.
Golfing, swimming, diving
contests and an outdoor feed
highlighted the festivities at
the local club.
Trophies were awarded
those chosen best by the judges
in several contests. The
Foursome Golf Match for Jun
iors was won by the team of
Marsha Person and Billy Ful
ler and the Golf Spectacular
winning team was composed
of Helen Lloyd and Clifford
Joyner and Ruth Wheless and
Lou Oxnevad.
Matt Person was awarded
the Ping Pong Championship
with Arlene Mashburn chosen
cur<
runner-up.
Swimming Event winners In
cluded: Tim Perry for 7
year-olds; Karen Isley and
Scott Debnam In the 8 to 12
groups; Marsha Person and
Mike Dement In the 11 to 13
age group and Kevin Warren
in the 14 and up group.
Diving Champions were
Becky Talton for Junior girls
and Ree Oxnevad for Senior
girls. Kent Henley was Junior
boys champ and Larry Fuller
was champion of the Senior
boys. Karen Isley, Glenn
Meddcrs, Elizabeth McKlnne
and Mike Dement were run
ners-up.
Bevy Of Beauties Observe Fourth *?" ph? * c'"*