THE ZEBULON RECORD
Volume XXXIV. Number 51_Zebulon, N. C., Thursday, February 25,1960 Theo. Davis Sons, Publishers
"Going With Husband"
Causes Local Woman To Knife
Wendell Woman Here Tuesday
A Wendell woman was admitted
to Rex Hospital early Tuesday*
afternoon after she had been cut
about the face and arms by a Zeb
ulon woman.
Mrs. Pauline Ray, about 30, of
Wendell received facial, arm and
back lacerations when Mrs. Dolly
Alford, about 35, of Route 1, Zeb
ulon, whacked her with a knife.
Police Officer Willie B. Hopkins
said the affray took place about
one o’clock Tuesday in front of the
gas pumps of Sinclair Service
Station at the corner of Gannon
and Arendell Avenues here.
Mrs. Alford used a new 12-inch
butcher knife as the weapon, Hop
kins said. He said it was brought
from the Pope store in Wendell,
which Mrs. Alford manages.
Hopkins said the victim received
cuts about the face, arm and back.
Dr. Durwood Stallings, Jr., who
gave the woman first aid and re
ferred her to Rex Hospital for
further observation, said he found
two facial lacerations and a
laceration on the lower left arm.
He said he did not discover a back
wound.
Hopkins said no motive was
given, but that Mrs. Alford said
she attacked the woman “because
she broke up my home,” and had
been “going with my husband.”
Mrs. Alford was taken into
custody by Officer L. A. Baker.
Baker said she did not resist arrest
and was “quiet and calm.” She
was jailed but later released in
custody of her sister who lives in
Raleigh.
No charges have been preferred
against the parties involved pend
ing further investigation, Hopkins
said.
Mrs. Alford is married to Jack
Alford, and Mrs. Ray is the wife
of Thurman Ray.
Father of Local
Woman Dies
Of Cancer
A funeral service was held for
John Battle O’Neal, 80, of Route
1, Zebulon, Monday from Corinth
Baptist Church. The Rev. A. D.
Parrish, pastor, conducted the
rites, assisted by the Rev. James
F. Heaton, pastor of Tabernacle
Baptist Church, Raleigh.
Mr. O’Neal, who died of cancer
Saturday in Rex Hospital, was the
father of Mrs. Willard Gill of
Zebulon.
He was a retired merchant and
farmer of the Corinth Community,
and has served for many years
on the school committee of Cor
inth-Holders School.
His wife was the former Donia
Creech, who died in 1954.
He is survived, besides Mrs.
Gill, by Mrs. Joyce Wheeler of Ra
leigh, Mrs. Christine Glover of
Route 1, Zebulon, Mrs. Rochelle
Powell of Route 1, Zebulon, and
one son, R. G. O’Neal of Route 1,
Zebulon, seven grandchildren and
11 great grandchildren.
Senior Play To Be
Given Friday Night
The senflor class of Wakelon
High School will present its annual
play Friday night (tomorrow),
February 26, at 7:30 in the school
auditorium.
Students taking roles in this
three act mystery are Wilbur
Blackley, Dan Massey, Terry
Kemp, Earl Perry, Joe Phillips,
Carolyn Beck, Nancy Strickland,
Phyllis Braswell and Anne Curtis.
Mrs. Raymond Pippin and Miss
Blanche Gay are co-directors of
the production.
An admission of 25 and 504 will
be charged.
>
Science Fair
The science department of
Wakelon High School is holding
its annual fair Thursday night
(tonight) in the gymnasium from
7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Students in the department, un
der the direction of Mrs. Clara
Roebuck, instructor, will display
143 projects.
Wakelon students in the last few
years have exhibited some out
standing and award-winning pro
jects.
Committees for the fair have
been named and are:
Refreshment: Betsy Rountree,
chairman; Bunny Bunn, Betsy Al
ford; Program: Tim Harwood,
Freddie Clark, Priscilla Bercik;
Artist: Tommy Wood; Arrange
ments: Rod Strickland; News Re
porter: Mickey Hinton, Betsy Al
ford; Advertisement: Elaine Doyle,
Carol Gay and Jimmy Johnson.
Fire Ravages Two
Homes Last Week
Zebulon and Wendell fire de
partments, aided by National
Guardsmen valiantly fought a fire
here last Thursday night which de
stroyed two homes.
The fire occurred aTound 7:15
p.m., and firemen were hampered
by wind gusts ranging up to 31
miles an hour and driving rain
mixed with hail.
No one was injured in the fire.
Both the houses were located
on Wakefield Street. One of the
homes was owned by a recently
discharged serviceman, Gilbert L.
Bullock. Gilbert, his wife and
small child were not at home at
the time. They were visiting his
parents, only a short distance from
his home.
The other house, owned by Buck
McSwain, was not ocupied, Fire
Chief Willie B. Hopkins said. It
had been vacated only recently.
Fire Chief Willie B. Hopkins
estimated the loss at $10,000.
The fire originated in Bullock’s
recently remodeled home, and fire
men said it may have been caused
by the explosion of a heater.
The fire was reported near Paul
V. Brantley’s Service Station No.
2, just west of Zebulon. However,
a second alarm sent firemen rush
ing to the scene on Wakefield
Street, near Brantley’s Service
Station No. 1.
Both houses were fully ablaze
when firemen arrived.
Fire Chief Willie B. Hopkins
said other homes might have been
lost except for the help of the
Wendell firemen and the Guards
men. Another big factor was that
it was a rainy night, he said. Had
it been dry with the wind blowing
as it was, it might have burned up
that entire section of town, fire
said.
Hopkins said it was the worst
fire here in 10 years.
A 5,700-gallon oil tanker only
250 feet away from the fire turn
ed out to be empty. Water thrown
on it from the big hoses sizzled, it
was so hot.
Almost a thousand persons turn
ed out to see the burning inferno.
The congestion was so heavy that
many times the firemen were ham
pered in their operations.
Fire Chief Willie B. Hopkins
said there is a town ordinance pro
hibiting persons from getting too
near a fire; however, this ordinance
is not enforced.
Linesmen from Carolina Power
it Light Co. said people were ml'l
mg about under the high voltage
lines, endangering themselves
greatly.
Petition To Be Circulated
Against Removal Of School
Town Board Opposes
Four members of the Town Board of Commissioners are in op
position to the removal of Wakelon High School and consolidation.
These men speak as public citizens and in no way have the
intention of influencing the general public. They do not believe that
school policies should in any way be made a political issue.
The commissioners’ reactions follow:
P. O. Farmer said: “I am not in
favor of moving Wakelon High
School. I think the community
will grow and we can have the
biggest school in the county. Con
solidation might make us in the
same fix some other counties are
that consolidated. Now these
counties have to build more high
schools to take care of their stu
dents. Wakelon has the largest
high school of the four schools,
and I think that if consolidation
is to take place the other three
smaller high schools should be
brought here and not move Wake
lon because it is the largest.”
T. B. Hepler said: “I am not in
favor of consolidation. I think
it would be mighty bad for the
people of Zebulon to let our school
lose its identity. Competition be
tween the schools would help make
better schools. Zebulon is the
larger school. We raise more sup
olementary tax money than any
other two of the three schools. If
our community supports our school
that good, I think it would be
mighty bad to lose its identity with
a consolidation affair. People in
the community don't realize how
much can be put on each individ
ual mother if the school is moved.
It will require an extra hour’s
time, at least, for the mothers to
get their children ready for school.
The Bethany section is the wrong
place to put the school to start
with. In my opinion it is not good
for Zebulon and what is not good
for Zebulon I am against. A lot
of progress is being made in Zeb
ulon and within five years our
population will be doubled.”
J. Raleigh Alford said: “I am
i not in favor of consolidation. I
j want a good school right here in
j Zebulon. This is a progressive
1 community and we are due a good
j school. I know what it does to
| communities which lose their
schools. We have got good po
tential here and we need our high
school.”
G. Kermit Corbett said: “I’m not
in favor of removing our high
school.” Why? he was asked. “We
won’t go into that, it’s too long.”
Mrs. Elizabeth Ellett, only wom
an on the Town Board, withheld
a statement, feeling that it might
l put her position in jeopardy.
Pre-School Registration To Be March 3
Pre-school registration for children entering Wakelon School
next fall will be held in the school cafeteria Thursday, March 3,
according to Mrs. Fred Page, pre-registration chairman.
Mrs. Page said it is very important that parents register their
child or children on the above date and to bring the birth certificate
and a copy of his immunization record.
Before entering school all children are required by North Caro
lina State law to have innoculations for small pox, polio and triple
vaccine. This information must be recorded on the child’s perma
nent school record.
Pre-registration will begin at 9 a.m.
Methodists Seek Enlistment
A special service seeking the en
listment of every member of the
Zebulon Methodist Church has
been voted by the church’s Official
Board, according to an announce
ment by H. C. Wade, chairman.
On Sunday evening, February
28, the night service has been
planned with the explicit purpose
of enlisting every resident member
into a total witness for the church.
In cooperation with the total en
listment mission of the Methodist
Church, persons will be asked to
New Florist Opens
Zebulon was the possessor of a
new florist shop Monday. This is
the third floral establishment for
the town.
Mrs. Ruric Gill, Sr. opened a
florist shop in her home on Gannon
Avenue.
Mrs. Gill said she has served
her apprenticeship in flower de
signing and arrangement under
Gene Moring, Raleigh floral de
signer. Moring was formerly as
sociated with The Art Flower Shop
in Raleigh.
The new florist said she has al
ways loved flowers and flower
arranging and designing. Flowers,
she said, are her love and hobby.
“It will be my pleasure to serve
my friends and the people of this
community,” Mrs. Gill said.
Mrs. Gi'l will specialize in flow
ers for church, hospital, funerals,
weddings, corsages, dried arrange
ments, potted plants and dish gar
dens.
consider re-dedication in the areas
of worship and witness, material
possessions, service, influence and
life.
The service will also be a rally
to explain the program of the new
parsonage, expected to be built
soon. The Official Board has vot
ed to approve such a service with
a roll call of the resident mem
bership.
The church’s pastor, the Rev.
William K. Quick, will speak on
the topic, “When The Roll Is Call
ed Down Here!” Special music has
been planned by the choir. The
service begins at 7:30 p.m.
Down with the Temoval of
Wakelon High School!
That is the hue and cry of many
people of Zebulon and Wakelon
School district.
Mayor Ed Hales, a strong foe of
consolidation and the removal of
the high school from the town, said
he would say less than 5 per cent
of the people favor consolidation
and the removal of the high school.
Four of the five members of the
Town Board of Commissioners are
opposed to consolidation and the
removal of the high school from
the town. One member withheld
statement fearing that it might
jeopardize her position.
Reports were that the rural
people favored the two issues, but
Mayor Hales said that is untrue.
He has checked with a number of
key persons in outlying communi
ties and said he found only oppo
sition to consolidation.
He was questioned if a rumor is
true that a petition will be circu
lated opposing the removal of the
high school from Zebulon. He
said Tuesday one is being drawn
up by an attorney in town.
Some people think that consoli
dation would not be for the best
interests of the students and com
munity.
Other persons feel that if Wake
lon had gotten its promised funds
voted overwhelmingly it would be
a better school, if not the best in
the county.
The Bethany-Riley Hill section
of the county is not the place to
locate such a school, many people
hotly contend.
One person said that Zebulon
raises more supplementary tax
money than any of the other three
schools and he thinks it would be
bad for Wakelon School to lose its
identity by consolidation.
An ex-school teacher said that
consolidation will not solve all
the problems.
Some persons have asked will
the proposed beautiful structure
be manned with the same caliber
personnel now used or will the in
structors be befitting the fineness
of the building.
Talk is, if worse comes to worst,
that Wakelon School may be put
on the city system of operating.
Eight men vitally interested in
the school’s welfare visited Elm
City February 9 to observe this
plant and its operational facilities.
These men were very favorably
impressed with this system which
became so after a group strove to
consolidate it with other schools.
Attorney Foster Finch, Mayor
Ed Hales, Dr. L. M. Massey, re
tired educator E. H. Moser, Avon
Privett, Wilbur Debnam, Dr. B.
D. Thomas, chairman of Wakelon
School Board, and Hardin Hinton,
a member of Wakelon School
Board, were the men who observed
(Continued on Page 7)
Wendell Citizens Filed No
Protests In School Issue
“No protest has been registered
in any way" concerning the pro
posed consolidation of four East
Wake high schools by the Wen
dell community, according to J.
Harold Griffin, prominent Wen
dell attorney and former mayor of
the town.
Mr. GTiffin took issue with a
statement in the February 18 Zeb
ulon Record, which said when plans
for consolidation were first men
tioned “Wendell citizens rose in
protest and their protestations ap
peared in some of the State's lead
ing newspapers.”
A delegation of citizens from
Wendell appeared before the Wake
j County Board of Commissioners
and later before the Board of Ed
ucation, Griffin said, but the dele
gation did nothing more than ask
questions.
“We were completely in the
dark (about plans for the consoli
dation),” he said, “and questions
were asked and we got some an
swers. The matter has been dor
mant since that time. The sole
purpose was not to protest but to
seek information.”
He said reports of a protest
were “completely untrue” and con
cluded that “no protest was filed in
any sense of the word.”