Newspapers / The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, … / May 1, 1975, edition 1 / Page 1
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Miss Bessie H. Daniel named 'Citizen of Year' £ourier«me$ Serving All Person County Since 1881 OUR94TH YEAR—NO. 34 ROXBORO, N.C. THURSDAY, MAY 1.1975 TWO SECTIONS-26 PAGES Miss Bessie Heath Daniel was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Roxboro Exchange Club Tuesday night. “Miss Bessie,” as she’s affectionately known in Person County where she has lived and worked for many years, was unable to attend the dinner meeting but sent word that she considered the award “the highest honor that anyone could receive in Person County.” Malcolm Montgomery, last year’s recipient, made the presentation in which he referred to Miss Bessie as “an institution — almost a legend in the county.” “Nobody loves Person County and its people any better than she does. She loves its heritage and is its authoritative, if not its official, historian,’’ Montgomery said. “She is dedicated to helping people and helping is what citizenship is all about. Throughout her life she has gone beyond the call of duty to help people. “I know of no person more deserving than she is to receive this award,” Montgomery concluded. Miss Bessie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She has been a teacher in the public schools of the state as well as an employee of the Person County Extension Service. Since her retirement from the extension service, she has had a radio show on the Roxboro radio station for the past 17 years. She is a charter member of the Person County Historical Society and was that group’s first secretary. She is a member of the Roxboro Business and Professional Women’s Club. She was the recipient of the Exchange Club’s “Golden Deeds” award, 13 years ago last week. The Exchange Club began giving the citizenship award in 1947, according to Dolian Long, chairman of the selection committee. He said the award recognized an individual who had rendered the greatest service to the county during a particular year. The person is chosen from a list of nominees by all the civic clubs in Roxboro. Lewis Hester was named “Exchangite of the Year” during the meeting Tuesday night. Hester was unable to receive the award in person. He is confined to the hospital because of illness. Best program of the year award went to Frank Lane who planned a program dealing with the drug situation in Person County. A representative from the Roxboro Police Department gave the program. Following the awards presentations, Long spoke to members of the club regarding “something I’ve had on my mind for several weeks.” He read from the book of Joel in the Old Testament and suggested that all Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled and that he believes “we are living in the latter days.” He said he believes the return of Jesus and the rapture of the church may take place at any time. Reading again this time from the New Testament, Long pointed out the description of what the latter days would be like and said he feels the present world situation is aptly described by Paul in the book of Timothy. Going to seed Kids love ’em. Lawn gardeners hate ’em. Photographers attracted to them. The lowly, ubiquitous dandelion almost always generates some reaction, but most particularly when it begins to go to seed. For some reason, it seems dandelions are in unusual abundance in Person County this year. Neal Rattican’s camera focused on these four puffs, all in a row, on a vacant lot at the, corner of Gordon and Morgan streets this week. v 'I belong to Person County Churches urged to help meet elderly needs By FLO JOHNSTON C-T Staff Writer “I feel like I belong to Person County,” Miss Bessie Daniel said yesterday as she talked about her careers, which span more than half a century. She’s been a teacher and can still name without too much trouble numbers of Personians whom she taught to multiply and divide. She worked for the Person County Extension Service until her retirement when she branched out into a new career, that of radio. For the past 17 years she’s had a weekly farm-oriented show on WRXO. And last, but probably most significant to her, she considers herself to be a farmer. Here’s the way Miss Bessie figures it. “I spent 50 years farming, 31 years teaching and 23 years working in the extension office.” Miss Bessie doesn’t reveal her age. She says, “I’m going on a hundred.” The total of her years of work indicate that she’s been engaged in more than one of her careers at the same time. in the county. How did she develop such a sense of history? “My father talked it all the time,” she said. He was born in 1850 and was a young boy during the Civil War. She says he told her many stories about life during the war and reconstruction. “He told me how the Yankees came through and would go in your house and take anything they wanted. The people were not allowed to keep guns even for their own protection,” she said. Miss Bessie remembers that her father was always “high in his praise of the slaves and their conduct during and after the war.” When her father was born her grandfather was so proud of his only son that he went to the slave market in Richmond, Va. to buy a young woman to take care of his son. “That was her only job to take care of my father,” Miss Bessie said. The slave was only 17 years old when she came to live with the family. When the war was over, she refused to leave. She was called “Aunt Tilley” and her only request was that she be buried near “Miss Ann,” Miss Bessie’s father’s mother. “Aunt Tilley is buried near my grandmother in the family plot behind my house,” Miss Bessie said. “She was a beloved member of our family.” There were six children in Miss Bessie’s family but only she and a younger sister survived childhood. Miss Bessie remembers that she always followed her father around the farm and that she could hitch up the buggy when she was just a little girl. “I don’t know a thing about housework. I can’t make a biscuit or scramble an egg,” she laughed. Miss Bessie graduated from the State Normal College in Greensboro which later became Woman’s College of the University of N.C. and still later UNC-G. During college she worked in the library and in the office of the president where she assisted the secretary. Following graduation she continued her work in the president’s office and taught in BESSIE H. DANIEL 1962 Photograph the business department at the college for four years. Coming back to Person County when her father became ill, Miss Bessie began teaching in county schools and drove her horse and buggy to and from Roxboro every day to school. She later took the job with the Seel BELONG Page 14 Jailer retires Herman A. Gentry Sr., jailer for almost fourteen years, retired on April 30. His co-workers in the court house gave him" a piece of luggage and a farewell party on Tuesday afternoon. Gentry, 70, says he plans to do some traveling, but he admits he will miss the people he has worked with in the court house. The view from here “May is Senior Citizens Month. Let’s minister to their needs.” That’s the appeal going out to all Person County ministers and churches this week as the county, state and nation focus special attention on the needs of elderly citizens and map plans for meeting those needs. For the past several weeks, the Person County Ministerial Association, through its Committee on Ministries with the Aging, has been encouraging Person churches to implement programs for and with the elderly members of their congregations. While the committee undoubtedly hopes to see such programs continued throughout the year, particular emphasis is being encouraged during Senior Citizens, or Older Americans Month, which begins today. The Rev. William V. (Bill) Taylor, pastor of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, is chairman of the Ministries with the Aging Committee. Taylor has pointed out that about 15 per cent of the Person County population is over age '60. And, he added, a survey conducted in the county last December identified certain needs of elderly citizens here. Senior citizens participating in the survey ranked their respective needs in order of importance. Heading the list was transportation, followed in order by requests for friendly visiting, recreational services, health services and information and referral. Taylor’s committee has prepared a list of suggested programs with the elderly that churches can adopt. Among them is Senior Citizens Sunday, wherein elder church members may participate in the worship service by reading scripture, leading songs etc. Fellowship and social hours for senior citizens also are being encouraged. It also is suggested that sermons, special church music and the like be recorded on cassette tapes that can be carried to and played for shut- ins and those who are ill. In addition, churches are being asked to set up programs wherein church members pay friendly visits to senior citizens, or offer transportation, telephone reassurance and-or other services. Taylor and his committee also are asking county pastors to share their own program ideas for ministering to the elderly with the committee and other churches. Born on a farm on the banks of Flat River, Miss Bessie farms the same land her great- grandfather bought in 1847 from the Williamson estate. She says that tobacco has been grown on this land since her family has owned it. Miss Bessie says her father was a good farmer and that he practiced crop rotation. She feels that farming today has become too complex. “Farmers today are losing some of their spirit because farming is so complicated.” She pointed out that a farmer these days has to be a chemist, a machinist, a plant specialist — “It wasn’t like that in the old days.” Miss Bessie is one of Person County’s most avid historians and can remember exact details and dates relating to practically every aspect of life Full Superior docket slated The calendar for the criminal session of Superior Court for the week of May 12 lists a total of 131 cases to be tried. Judge Giles R. Clark of Elizabethtown will preside. On the docket for motion are three charges against Craven H. Sumerell, former president of Piedmont Technical Institute and two charges against Fred L. Myers, former ‘business manager at PTI. Sumerell is charged with one count of conspiracy, one of misappropriation of funds and one of embezzlement. Meyers is charged with two counts of embezzlement and one of conspiracy. Fugitive warrants have been issued for the two who are no longer living in Person County. According to an unofficial source, Meyers is living in Atlanta, Ga. where he working as a salesman. The whereabouts of Sumerell is still unknown. The docket lists these cases for motion only. It is unlikely the cases will come to trial during this session. Cecil Satterfield, who is charged with hitting and killing two boys with his car following a basketball game at Person Senior High School on Dec. 26, 1974, will be tried on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Burnett Lunsford who is charged with the Feb. 8, 1974 slaying of Thomas Clark will be tried for murder. Lindsey Kester Carver who was convicted of murder in the death of George Leon Clay but who won a new trial by order of the N.C. Court of Appeals will be tried during this session also. Hattie Mae Bagley and Anthony Kenneth Luster whose previous trials resulted in deadlocked juries will be tried again. The pair are charged for larceny, damage to a coin machine, breaking into a coin machine in the Aug. 4, 1974 incident in Person County. DEBBIE WAGNER, who was featured in a story in last Thursday’s edition of The Courier-Times, has been interviewed by MARTY JOHNSON of the WTVD (Channel 11) news staff. The film segment will appear as part of Channel Il’s “Eyewitness” news cast today between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m HENRY DANIEL finished painting a bathroom at his home over a week ago, but is still sporting paint on his hands. Some people will go to great lengths to make others believe they are working. . . . Roxboro Jaycees promising that no overflow crowd will see Duke and Carolina basketball players perform here on May 10. When N. C. State pleyers were here a month ago, the gym was packed to overflowing. To prevent that this time, only 1,000 tickets will be sold and those will be sold only on an advance basis. Better get yours in plenty of time. Arrests made in Moriah B&E Person County Sheriff’s Department have arrested two men and charged them with offenses, stemming from a break-in last Thursday at a store at Moriah. Kenneth A. Norwood of Durham and Coy David Newman of Roxboro have been arrested and charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny. According to a sheriff’s department spokesman, the charges grew out of last week’s break-in at Mangum’s Store at Moriah. Newman was charged this week, when he voluntarily came into the Person County Sheriff’s Department. Earlier in the week, he had been charged by Roxboro police officers with possession of marijuana and improper motor vehicle equipment, after this car was stopped on South Main Street. Sheriff’s officers said that most of the items taken from Mangum’s Store have been recovered. The recovered items include a color television set. Somerset branch This two-section mobile branch of First Union National Bank went into place at a Somerset location last week. It is located next to Cotton’s Drive In. However, a date for the opening of the branch is now dependent on acquisition of zoning clearance. The Courier-Times learned today that FUNB has requested a zoning hearing before the Person County Planning Board on Monday) June 2. Over 1,000 signatures of Person County citizens were gained on a petition, seeking a Somerset branch bank, about a year ago and presented to FUNB officials. (Staff Photo)
The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, N.C.)
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May 1, 1975, edition 1
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