The FrSiSlh Times
1 toj I ^
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday ^ \ ^T_-\ Serving All Of Franklin County
Telephone Gy6-3283 Ten Cents Louisburg, N. C., Tuesday, December 16, 1969 ( Eight Pages Today) 100th Year-Number 87
The Sensational , Simmering , Sock - It ? To-Me Sixties
right with the world.
Crime rose at a~5taggering rate. So,
too, did deaths on our highways. And
the nation was stilick by three assassi
nations as a President, a Senator and a
Civil Rights leader were slain.
But on the credit side of the sixties,
Americans landed on the moon, |k>lio
was conquered and in spite of more
than because of all the upheaval,
Americans continued to go to church,
help their neighbors, raise their fami
lies and pay their taxes.
And while the country seemed to
By Cliht Fuller
Times Managing Editor
FIRST IN A SERIES
oe circling the whole block. Franklin
County at long last. turned the corner.
The word was industrial development
and Franklin moved decidedly in that
direction in the spectacular sixties.
January . 1960 started the decade
off with ft-bang. The big news was the
new Mills (Louisburg) High School
building. The Board of Education call
ed for bids on the three-quarter mil
lion dollar project and schopls-one
way or another -never again got far
away from headlines. The political
. hassle over the new school, its location
and its construction at all simmered in
the early sixties and even today, as the
decade ends, some of the heat is
'still now and then-felt But it was
built Even after a court fight and
inadequate financing, it was built and
opened in 1961.
Also at the beginning, road deaths
made the news as three persons- a man
and his two stepchildren- were killed
inside the Franklinton city limits. Be
fore the decade ends. 95 persons
would meet sttnilar fates on Franklin
highways.' Sevwat local men were
named to serve on various drives and
as heads of various organizations. The
same men serve today Pruitt Lumber
Co. suffered a $20,000 fire loss in the
first month of the decade and Frank
linton citizens approved a $250,000
school bond issue to build a gymna
in a lew days it will be gone. Not
necessarily over. Not neceuarily done
with. But the saddening, slaughterous,
smashing, smoldering sixties will be
gone. The end of a decade. The sweet,
space-spanning sixties will retire into
the history books to make way (or the
suspensive seventies.
It has been a decade filled with
uncertainty; with turmoil; disruption
and fear. In a word, the sixties can
best be described as a decade of
protest. At every turn, on almost every
day of the week and every week of the
month, somebody was protesting some
thing. While the stewing sixties were
noted for involvement it was also a
time of non-involvement.
New words came into existance and
old words t6ok on new meanings.
, Relevant and communicate were big in
the sixties. Separatism, relating, mora
"" torium, psychodelic the?"ins" were in.
There were all sorts of "ins". Sit-ins,
lie-ins, love-ins, to name only a few.
There were hippies, drugs, long hair
and beards. Ladies hem lines rose
almost as fast as the cost of living-al
though far less painfully.
There were marches and an untold
number of so-called peaceful demon
strations. Peaceful, but nevertheless
many people were injured. Draft dod
gers burned their draft cards; peace
demonstrators demanded peace and
just about everybody got into the civil
rights act. New rulings by the Supreme
Court freed a number of criminals and
made arresting others more difficult.
Police became the target rather than
the protector of the public and politi
cians played politics as though all was
New Parking
Set At LES
i
C. A. Harris, Principal of Lotjjsburg
Elementary School, announced last
week, a new system for handling the
growing traffic problem at the school.
Harris stated that the new regulations
will "forestall injury to our pupils and
embarrassment to grown-ups".
Among the changes, Harris explains
there will now be only one entrance to
the school grounds and two exits.
Motorists will unload passengers in the
first parking lot and teachers and
students will walk the remainder of
the way to the buildings.
Buses will continue "to the top of
the grade in the driveway turn left and
park on the right side of the curved
driveway. Students will be unloaded at
a spot adjacent to the hall entrance to
the grammar grades building".
Harris said "positively" no pas
senger cars will be allowed in the bus
area. Teacher parking has been moved
from the grammar grades building area
to an area near the old bricklaying
building.
Harris, who said his local School
Committee had approved the plan,
said. "We earnestly solict the whole
hearted cooperation of parents, pa
trons and friends".
Bill Beckham Is Named . Man Of The Year
At Rotary Award Dinner
Pictured above at the Man of the Year award dinner of the Louisburg Rotary Club are, left to righ?e Bill Lancaster. Club
President; William T. (Bill) Beckham, chosen Man of the Year; Mrs. Beckham and Don Hartness, who made the presentation.
Beckham received the honor for his work in establishing a little league baseball program here. - Staff photo by Clint Fuller.
ollege Gets Ancient Palestinian Artifacts
Louisburg College has received *
shipment of ancient Palestinian arti
facts which Charles Joseph Farmer.
Associate Professor of Religion says he
hopes will be just the beginning. Farm
er says, "It is the hope of the depart
ment that in the enAieing years a
reasonable collection of such antifacts
can be obtained".
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF RELIGION CHARLES JOSEPH
FARMER LOOKS OVER ANCIENT PALESTINIAN ARTIFACTS
JUST ARRIVED AT LOUISBURG COLLEGE.
The collection consists of four oil
lamps and two oil vases and the oldest
piece dates back to 1800 B.C. Accord
ing to Farmer, the items will be used
by the faculty and students "in an
attempt to confront and appreciate
Palestinian life in the historical periods
covered by the Old and New Testa
ments". All, items so far acquired are
earthenware and Farmer states this
"pottery it of particular importance as
it best reflects the various aspects of
the material culture in a given era". He
adds that ."the mere knowledge that
you are handling an object that was
created and used by people who lived
the Biblical history causes a sense of
awe and hopefully motivation to un
derstand the loftier meaning of that
history".
An oil lamp (No. 1 in photo above)
was excavated at Jericho and is dated
to approximately 1800 B.C., the gen
era I era of patrtah Abraham. A second
oil lamp (No. 2) was excavated at
Hebron and dated to the era
1376-1225 B.C:. about the time of the
conquest of Canaan by the Israelites
following their wandering in the Sinai
peninsula, explains Farmer.
A third oil lamp (No. 3 In photo).
Farmer note*, was alao excavated at
Hebron and dates to 1050-1080 B.C..
the time of Saul, first king of Israel
The fourth oil lamp (No. 4 in photo),
alao acquired from excavation at Heb
ron dates to 930 B.C. or thereafter.
Thla, says Farmer, was the time of
Solomon and subsequently the divided
kingdom. f ?
Items No. 5 and No. 6 in photo are
small vases used to store oil for the
lamps. Both are dated to the era
1050-1000 B.C., says Farmer.
Hie valuable artifacta are not pre
aently available for public inspection.
Farmer says it is hoped that the public
can view them in the near future.
Right now, he aays, the department is
in need of some type of display case
for such storing and showing.
Anyone having such a case which
would be suitable for this purpose and
deairing to donate It to the College
should contact Mr. Farmer or this
newspaper.
Hop To It!
Only 7 More
Shopping
Days 'Til
j
Christmas
William T. (Bill) Beckham. Director
of Food Services at Louisburg College,
was chosen Man of the Year last
Thursday night by the Louisburg Rot
ary Club. The 32-year old Hartsvjlle, S.
C. native was cited for his work with
the little league baseball program.
Beckham had been the spearhead in -
establishing a most successful- youth
summer program here last year and
this year.
Beckham, the twelfth man to be so
honored, attended Bethel and Thome
ville elementary schools, Hartsville
High School. '"frkPr Ptllei'f and Ihy
University of South Carolina. Beck
ham came to Louisburg in 1964 and
with the exception of a one-year stint
as Food Services Director at Davidson
College has held his position here at
Louisburg College.
Rotarian Don Hartness made the
presentation and described Beckham
as "A man who has never been known
to turn his back when his assistance
was needed. He has always been there
to help in any way possible."
''When we hear of the long hot
summers in other cities," said Hart
ness, "we will remember the long, cool
summers of Louisburg are partly re
sponsible to our Man of the Year".
Beckham was President of his Jun
ior Class In High School, a member of
the Student Council, a football player,
a trumpet player and an "A" student.
Beckham was credited with estab
lishing the Rotary Little and Junior
leagues. which this past summer num
bered six teams in each. The program
affected a number of young men in
several communities in the county as
well as Louisburg.
Hartness also disclosed that Beck
ham has been asked to address the
International Rotary Convention in
Atlanta. (>^. "to explain how a town
the size of Louisburg. with the aid of
only private donations and the co
operation and working togetherness of
fellow Rotarians could established and
support a baseball program".
Beckham is married and the father
of five children. He and his family
reside here on Lumpkin Blvd.
The Man of the Year award was set
up by the local Rotary Club in 1958 as
a means of honoring the one man
doing the most for the community in
any given year. ' ?
Following are those selected for the
honor over the years: 1958: H. C.
Taylor, Jr.; 1959: A. F. Johnson, Jr.;
1960: W: J. Benton; 1961: Dr. Cecil
W. Robbins; 1962: Bland B. Pn^t:
1963: Willis W Nash; 1964 Harbld
Talton; 1965: K F. Yarborough;
1966: Clint Fuller; 1967: Hoke H.
Steelman and 1968: Warren W. Smith.
sium at Person School and renovate a
cafeteria at Franklinton High School.
Before the decade ends, passage of a
' school bond issue here or any place
else had become as extinct as the
buffaloe nickel.
^Gubernatorial candidate John Lark
ins now i ll. S. District Judge -became
miffed at the late Wiley F. Mitchell,
Supt. oj Schools, when the school man
refused to allow the politican the use
of the public address system at the
county basketball tournament. Unlike
Larkins. Bunn carried home all the
honors, winning both divisions that
year.
It snowed on March 2 that year and
again on March 9 and in the heavy
winds and snow, the main building at
the former Franklin County Training
School burned. All the children had
been sent home earlier becausf of the
weather, averting, perhaps, a real tra
gedy.
In Franklinton as (he sap began to
rise,- grading started on a shopping
center along U. -S. . 1 and Centerville
* completed its new fire station.
Franklin went for Dr. 1 Beverly
Lake for Governor Terry Sanford won
keeping the county's record in tact.
James Speed upset Ed Yarborough as
State Representative and Mayor W. J.
Benton called fop a concerted effort
on the part of county citizens to "4 urn
the economic tide of the county". In
November, they did. They voted for
an industrial development tax. proving
one of the best things to happen
locally in the saddening sixties.
John Kennedy won the Democratic
nomination as North cast 21' . votes
for Lyndon Johnson. Franklin County
wenl for the Kennedy-Johnson ticket
in November. Bill Benton was Man . of
the Year for his work with industrial
development and other civil projects.
, And so ended year one of the sixty
decade.
The early sixties brought some tra
gedies and some unusual happenings.
acquitted on some embezzling charges,
received suspended sentences in
others, settled a civil suit growing out
of the charges and then was elected
Mayor. A Ixiuisburg banker tried to
kill his wife .and make it look as
though she was injured in an automo
bile accident. He was caught, jailed,
released on bond and committed sui
cide.
Continued Thursday
Next: The mid-sixties.
Armed Bandit
Gets $1500
Sheriff William T. Dement reports
that his department and agents of the
,SBI are assisting Youngsville Police
Chief. Jack Green today in investiga
tion of an armed robbery which took
place at Youngsville last Kriday night
Dement said that L. W. Pearce, a
clerk in the Corner Grocery at Youngs
ville, was held up at his home around 8
p.m. and robbed of $1500 in cash and
checks belonging to the store, which is
operated by James Murphy.
The Sheriff reported that Pearce
said he arrived home and was entering
his back door when a masked man
jumped from behind some nearby
shrubbery, flashed a sawed off shotgun
and demanded the money in the bag
Pearce was carrying the money in a
grocery bag. leading officers to believe
that the crime was committed by
someone with knowledge of Pearce's
operation.
The bandit was said to be wearing a
red toboggan type cap with holes cut
out for his eyes and long gloves. One
suspect was checked out but was out
of town at the time of the robbery, it
was reported.
Dement said bloodhounds were
rushed to the scene 'ollowing the
report of the robbery but that no trace
of the bandit was found
Boulevard Wreck Scene
Pictured above it last Thursday night's wreck scene on Bickett Blvd here. Louitburg Police Chief Earl Tharrington reported
that a car driven by Maria Arrlngt6n Perry, c/f/51. Route 2, Louisburg pulled out from.the KiA Supermarket at Ford Village
into the path of a car driven by Raeford Hunt, w/m/34. Tharrington said that investigating officer Larry Gilliam has charged the
Perry woman with failing to yield the right of way. Her car received damage estimated at $500 and damage to th? Hunt ca was
set at $1,000. Hunt was taken to the hospital by the Louisburg Rescue Service with injuries not believe serious.
' ? Staff photo by Clint Fuller.