The Franklin Times
I <?/ 1
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday ' ? c ? A" " ? 11 - r
Serving All Of Franklin County
Telephone Gy6-3283
Ten Cents
Louisburg, N. C., Tuesday, December 2, 1969
(Eight Pages Today)
100th Year-Number 83
Bright-Eyed Youngsters View Parade W ith Mixed Expressions
Former Local Woman
First Single Parent To
Adopt Child In Decade
Miss Jean Bumgarner, formerly of
Louisburg and now a social worker
with the Roanoke, Va. welfare depart
ment's child placement service, is the
subject of a recent feature story pub
lished in the Roanoke (Va.) Times.
Miss Bumgarner adopted a one-year
old boy and is the first single person to
do so through the Roanoke depart
ment in a decade according to the
story.
According to the article, written by
Times Staff Writer Mary Small. Mi?
Bumgarner says the adoption idea was
''something that's been kind of hang
ing in the back of my mind for a long
time." Until 1957 single person-with
rare exception-seeking to adopt child
ren were told that it was impossible,
the article says.
In 1967, howler, the Child Wel
fare League of America made a study
and announced its approval of single
parent adoptions "if all efforts to find
a two-parent family had failed". Miss
Bumgarner reportedly said that it is
easy to understand why prospective
parents desire the smallest babies.
"They are so sweet when they are just
tiny infants and they depend on you
so much", she said.
But she knew the older children can
be just as sweet and can need parents
just as much, the article says.
The fact that Miss Bumgarner,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bumgar
ner. 120 Church Street, here, was a
staff member, she was still required to
go through the forms, interviews and
various other steps required in adop
tions, including the usual waiting
period.
Then just little over a year ago, the
waiting ended and the Louisburg nat
ive adopted a one-year-old boy. The
happy, healthy two-year -old cheerfully
says he's "Monny's 'dopted baby
boy". His name is Scott and he and his
mother were visitors here during the
Thanksgiving holidays. The article re
ports that it has been hard for Miss
Bumgarner, working and supervising
the youngster: She has the aid of a
babysitter during the day and she
takes over the duties after work. The
article says Miss Bumgarner reports
there are disadvantages to being a solo ?
parent but that the same disadvantages
are faced every day by widows and
divorcees with small children. She
visits here in Louisburg regularly every
other weekend and says she eventually
hopes to move back here so that Scott
will "have more people to associate
with'V
She .doesn't mind giving up her
bachelor-girl independence, thp says
because "the closenesi of being to
gether, of sharing and watching him
grow . . . mean more than any material
possessions or spur-of-the-moment
trips ever could." >
If she could offer one piece of
advice to single prospective adoptive
parents. Miss Bumgarner says, "It
wouTd be to go ahead, not to be too
hesitant."
Historical
Society To
Hear Edwards
The Franklin County Historical So
ciety will hold its monthly meeting
here Thursday night. December 4, at 8
p.m. The meeting will be held in the
Community Room of the First Citi
zens Bank Building on Bickett Blvd.
Conrad Sturgess. a local attorney,
will give a program on gold mining in
.Franklin County. Mr. Sturgess is a
descendant of one of the early owners
of Portis Gold Mine, the mine that
made the county one of the leading
producers of gold prior to the 1849
gold strike in California. Robert Ed
wards. a local geologist, will also parti
cipate in the program.
The meeting is open to the public
and any one interested in county
history is cordially invited to attend.
Wreck-Prone Intersection Strikes Again
Scene above shows accidental intersection of US- 401 and NC-98 eleven mllea south of Louisburg last Friday around noon.
One person was Injured. Mr?. Mk> rtle D. Dozier of Rocky Mount, a passenger in the Ford, was transported to Franklin Memorial
Hospital with head injuries, by Ihe Lnuisburg Rescue Service. Her husband and the unidentified Negro driver of the Ckdlllac.
extreme right, were uninjured. The intersection has been the scene of a large number of accidents in recent years.
- Staff photo by Clint Fuller.
Thousands Brave Bitter Cold
To View Santa Claus Arrival
Thousands of persons-including
hundreds of bright-eyed youngsters
braved bitter cold night here Monday
to witness the arrival of Santa Claus.
The Franklin Business Association's
annual Christmas Parade brought out
the largest crowd ever to see a parade
here as the thermometer dipped inside
the twenties and the wind added to
the chill.
Main Street was lined several per
sons deep from the courthouse to the
post office and thinner lines reached
to Louisburg College. Along East Nash
Street another huge crowd gathered to
view the forty-entry parade
The Louisburg's Woman's Club won
first prize of $25 for the best non
commercial entry. Corinth Baptist
Church captured second place and $16
and Farmer's lYactor and Truck Co.
placed third winning $10 In prize
money.
The Louisburg High School Band
and the South Granville High School
Band from Creedmoor supplied the
music. The Rescue Service, the Fire
Department, the CAP and the National
Guard added colorful units.
Traffic was at a standstill during the
parade and traffic jams were the order
of the day as the parade ended. Traffic
was tied up at several points as mo
torists tried to get onto busy Blckett
Blvd.
Tie Louisburg Police Department,
aided by the Franklin County Sheriffs
Department controled the crowd and
the traffic. For the first time, the
sidewalks were roped off and the
crowd control was the best in years.
Louisburg Police Chief Earl TTiar
rington expressed his appreciation to
the crowd and estimated the gathering
at "several thousands".
The parade itself was typical and
one of the best seen here in many
years. There were small animals.
horses, sirens, pretty girls, pretty cars,
some outstanding floats, commerical
and no n -commercial and several
marching and dancing groups.
It was. of course, the old man with
the whiskers that stole the show. All
the glitter failed to brighten the eyes
of the youngsters as much as the
arrival of Santa did.
And while there was much conver
sat ion about it, few really were sorry
they braved the cold. If they looked
-? *"fhl<) the eyes of any of the hundreds
- " of small children, they knew it was
worth it.
Santa Claus Arrives In Style
The Late Liz To Speak At LJC
Mrs. Gertrude Behanna. sometimes
called 'The Late Liz", will speak In
the Louisburg College Auditorium
Wednesday. December 3, at 7:30 p.m.
and Thursday, December 4, at 11:00
a.m. The public is invited.
Mrs. Behanna was raised by her
millionaire
father in the
Waldorf As
toria. grew up
to become an
alcoholic, a
divorcee, and a
would-be .sui
cide Sh?""Says
that she "des
cended into
hell," using
benzedrine "to
get me up, li'q
BEHANNA
uor to keep me up, and sleeping pills
to knock me oftt again."
Gcrt. as her friends call her? has
spoken in numbers of places*in North
Carolina, including Raleigh, Rocky
Mount, the University of North Caro
lina at Chapel Hill, and Davidson
College One agnostic student said of
her, "She has reality!"
Copies of her books and records
will be on sale and she will be available
for autographing.
lo entertain IUU banquet .
Dr James Cobb, chairman of the
music department at Atlantic Christian
College, will provide the entertainment
at the fifth annual Louisburg College
"100" banquet. The event will be held
Friday. December 6, in the B. N. Duke
College cafeteria ,.
Or. Cobb studied at Southwestern
University of Memphis, Boston Univer
sity and the Uni
versity of Illinois,
where he complet
ed his Doctoral
studies in 1966.
His career as a lin
ger ha^ included a
solo spot on the
Ed Sullivan Show,
recording sessions
with Columbia Re
cordi, guest
COBB
Symphony, the Atlanta Popt, the Uni
versity of Illinois Symphony and the
North Carolina Symphony, a* well aa
numerous concert and oratorio appear
ances.
For hii appearance at "The 100"
banquet, Dr. Cobb will be assisted by
his combo and will present a selection
of standard and brotdway musical
numbers.
Approximately 200 alumni, faculty
members, college friends, and Franklin
County businessmen are expected. Re
quirements for membership are a mini
mum contribution of $100 annually to
the Loulsburg College development
program.
Franklinton Parade
?Thursday Night
The Franklinton Townthip Chamb
er of Comir\erre will tta^e ill annual
Chriitmai I'arade at Franklinton
Thurmiay night, December 4, at 7 P.M.
The annual Franklinton event hat
/frown to be one of the more popular
Chritlmat Paradet in the area and a
brge < rouid it expected. \ . v
Williamson I
a
Joins Local -
Law Firm
John Perry WiUiamston Jr., who
passed the North Carolina Bar exami
nation last August, and who was ad
mitted tq practice law in North CSaro
lina before Judge Clarence W. Hall at
WILLIAMSON
We sepiemoer aes
sion 6f the Frank
lin County Su
perior Court, has
begun the practice
of law in Louisburg
with E. F. Yar
borough and W. M.
Jolly
Williamson is a
native of Louisburg
and a graduate of
Louisburg High
School and the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
HUI. He received his Doctorate of
Jurisprudenc e Degree from the Univer
sity of Tennessee in June, 1969. He is
the son of Mrs. Evelyn J. Williamson,
of Louisburg, and the late John P.
Williamson, and is the grandaon of
Mrs W. H. M. Jenkins of Franklinton
?nd of Mr*. B. N. Williamson, Sr. of
Louisburg.
Mr. Williamson it married to the
formtr Hope McCroskey of Knoxville,
Tennessee. While a student at Louis
burg High School, he was an outstand
ing member of the football, basketball
and baseball teams. He is a member of
the Louisburg Methodist Qiurch