"-ZEBULON
RECORD
VOLUME 36. NUMBER 16. ZEBULON. N. C.. MAY 25. 1961
Zebulon Man Escapes Death
In Gas Chamber; Given Life
Lonnie Albert Strickland, sched
uled to die Friday morning, May
26, in the gas chamber at State
Prison in Raleigh, received a
commutation of his sentence to
life imprisonment Monday.
Strickland, a resident of the
Zebulon community, was sen
tenced to die following his con
viction of rape of his nine-year
old stepdaughter last Christmas
Eve while his wife was away
from home.
He was tried in Wake County
Superior Court following waiving
probable cause hearing in the Zeb
Memorial Day
Services
American Legion and Legion
Auxiliary members will meet at
the Zebulon Methodist Church
Sunday, May 28. In observance of
Memorial Day they will sit in a
body while they attend the morn
ing worship service.
ulon Recorder’s Court, and was
sentenced to death by Judge Leo
Carr after the jury failed to rec
ommend mercy. He offered no
evidence at the trial.
The local man, described by
medical authorities as a “border
line mental defective,” never fin
ished school, leaving as a fourth
grade student at the age of sixteen.
He was struck on the head when
seven years old by a horseshoe,
and never learned his alphabet in
school.
The Board of Paroles unani
mously recommended clemency to
Governor Terry Sanford early this
week, and the Governor commut
ed the sentence Monday before
leaving on an Ohio Valley indus
try seeking tour.
A defense fund for Strickland
was made up by local citizens after
his conviction, and Ferd Davis,
local attorney who did not take
part in the trial, was employed
to seek executive clemency.
GUEST EDITORIAL—
A Teenager's Viewpoint
Upon looking at the teenager’s viewpoint we first must
look at the past and see what pitfalls occurred that has
brought about the situation with which we are now faced.
In the past there have been some forms of recreation offered;
however, the programs lhave lacked organization and the
devoted leaders to carry them out. There was no distinction
by age groups. There was a need rf variety, that is, differ
ent types of recreation to satisfy the wants of all the teenagers.
Last and probably the most important, there was a lack of
support and interest on the part of the people in this com
munity. They failed to recognize the need of a good recrea
tional program, and the results can be found by looking back
to the incidents that occurred last summer. Also the parents,
themselves, have failed their children. They have lost the
respect of their children by allowing them to do as they please
and by showing no interest in the activities in which they
participate.
In trying to correct the situation with which we are now
confronted, we must realize that no matter what is offered
to the teenagers, there are going to be some that will not
participate. They have grown accustomed to doing as they
please, without any supervision; and like the old saying goes,
‘‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
If a good program had been started years ago, we would
now have close to a 100% participation. However, we have
to start at the bottom and work up toward this goal and hope
that it will catch on.
First of all, the recreational program should be well
organized with parents, youth, different organizations and
social groups, and the churches in this area participating
and providing the leadership necessary to carry it out. Upon
planning the program, it should be determined whether we
want a large program or a small one; and if there is a
willingness to finance such a program. We will have to decide
if money is more important than saving our future generation
from destroying themselves both socially as well as morally.
The program, itself, should be one of large scope and should
have variety. There will be a need for age distinction, for
there are many different wants and desires that are found in
the different age groups of teenagers. Interest in this pro
gram can be brought about by personal contact with those
teenagers wno want to neip start sucn a program ana Dy tnese
teenagers encouraging others to participate. It will be neces
sary to find out just what the teenagers wants are. and a
survey should be made before the program is started. And
perhaps a survey should be taken of the people of the commu
nity to see how many would be in favor of it and how
many would donate their time or money to help make it a
success. At any rate, the program should be started now,
before school is out. Then maybe we will be able to offer
the youth of this community something that they will be
proud to be a part of and that will give our community
something which they can be proud of.—Sonny Perry.
Final Preparations
Made for Annual
Song Convention
Preparations have been com
pleted for the 21st annual Eastern
Carolina Singing Convention, L.
A. ‘Hagwood, president, announc
ed today.
The date has been set for the
traditional fourth Sunday in May
which comes on the 28 this year.
On this date lovers of gospel
music will gather in Fleming Sta- j
dium in Wilson for the annual:
song fest. It will get underway ;
promptly at 10 a.m. and continue \
until late afternoon. Admission is 1
free and in event of rain will be
held in Wilson Recreation Center.
Hagwood said on the program
will be The Carolinians Quartet
of High Point, radio artists known
and loved throughout the South
land; the Pembroke All Male
Chorus of 22 voices who were such
a sensation at the convention last
year; the Master Three Trio of
Rocky Mount; Songsters Trio of
Winston-Salem; Melody Quartet
of Zebulon; Tabor Sister Female
Quartet of Concord, Va.; Selma
Trio of Selma; Marvelaries Quar
tet of Zebulon; Songsmen Quartet
i of Norfolk, Pilgrims Quartet of
Wilmington, radio and TV artists;
Eastover Quartet of Fayetteville;
Happy Time Quartet of Zebulon;
I Chordovians Quartet of Greens
boro, and many others,
j Tnis annual event is sponsored
by the Wilson Junior Chamber of
Commerce. Members of the Wil
son Jaycees have made prepara
tions to accommodate several
thousand. The convention has
grown in attendance from 1500
when it was organized in 1940 to
between 10,000 to 15,000.
It has become traditional for
families to bring a lunch and
spend the day.
Baccalaureate Set
For Sunday, June 4
Dr. Eugene Owens, professor at
Baptist Theological Seminary at
Wake Forest, will deliver the bac
calaureate sermon Sunday, June 4,
to the Wakelon High School sen
iors. The Rev. Horace Hamm, pas
tor of Wakefield Baptist Church
will offer the invocation and bene
diction.
Class night is Friday, June 2.
Dr. Douglas Jones, who is with
the department of education at
East Carolina College, will deliver
the commencement address.
Saturday, June 3, school will be
open. This is a make-up date, ac- I
cording to Principal John Hicks. I
School closes Monday, June 5.
Resident's Mother
Dies Of Heart Attack
The mother of Mrs. Crafton
Hudson, Mrs. Eunice Holland, died
Tuesday, May 16, at her home in
Salemiburg. She was 64.
Besides Mrs. Hudson, she is!
survived by two more daughters,
Mrs. Charles Tew of Route 1,
Salemburg and Mrs. Lyle T. War
ren of the home; and one son,
Clyde H. Holland of Roseboro.
Funeral services were held;
Thursday afternoon at Salemburg
Baptist Church with the Rev.
Yancey Elliot, pastor, and the
Rev. G. N. Ashley of Roseboro, of
ficiating. Interment was in Sa
lemburg cemetery.
1961-1962 Faculty
For Wakelon School
Announced by Hinton
Three Wakelon High School
teachers have resigned and one
elementary teacher is retiring.
Board Chairman Hardin Hinton
released the resignations, the
retiring teacher, and the teachers
who will be returning to Wakelon
for the 1961-62 school year.
Miss Jacqueline Culler, Mrs.
Clara Roebuck and Mrs. Marie
Sawyer Webb have resigned. Mrs.
Marguerite Jones is retiring.
High school faculty returning
are Maurice H. Chapman, Miss
Blanche Gay, Miss Mary Lacy
Palmer, Mrs. Madyline Pippin,
Mrs. Mary P. Seago, Mrs. Ann
Strickland and C. V. Tart.
Elementary faculty returning
Summer Program
Set by Commission
Zebulon Recreation Commission
board members and interested cit
izens are planning a summer pro
gram for the children of the town.
“But,” said one member of the
board, “it is hard to plan a pro
gram when there isn’t one cent
available for the program.” A
barbecue supper to raise funds for
the program has been planned but
no date has been set.
At the meeting Monday night,
the board decided to let young
people join Commission members
and tell them what they would
like in the program this summer.
“We want to know what the
young people want,” a board mem
ber said. “We especially want the
young people to come to the next
meeting and express what things
they would like to be in the pro
gram. After all, the program is
for them and we want them to
help us plan it.”
The next meeting of the board
is Tuesday night, May 30, at the
Town Hall. Parents also are en
couraged to attend this meeting.
The board is enthusiastic about
the summer program. Even with
the barrier of no funds, the board
members are going ahead with the
program, planning to give the
young people of the town recrea
tion facilities for their pleasure
and enjoyment.
At the Monday night meeting
were Mrs. Doris Privette, Mrs.
Georgia Croom, Eldred Rountree,
Wayne Davis, Dick Turlington,
Ray Goodwin, Bill Quick, Dur
wood Chamblee and Tommy Wood.
are Mrs. Selma Alford, Mrs. Dor
othy Blackley, Miss Judith Boyd,
Mrs. Sadie Braswell, Mrs. Cores
sa Chamblee, Mrs. Elizabeth Ellett,
Mrs. Helen Gregory, Mrs. Janet
Harris Winstead, Mrs. Marion B.
Jenkins, Miss Edna Longest, Mrs.
Ruth Allen Moss, Mrs. Mildred A.
Mullen, Mrs. Eva Page, Miss Alma
Lou Pierce, Miss Marjorie Rich
ardson, Miss Margaret Ann Strick
land, Mrs. Edythe Medlin Tippett,
Mrs. Elizabeth Todd, and Mrs. Lois
M. Wall.
Mrs. Doris H. Privette will leave
college teaching and return as head
of the commercial department at
Wakelon.
Band director Herbert J. Ireland,
Jr., was reelected as was Principal
John J. Hicks.
Custodians named by the Board
are Winston Perry, head custodian,
Coy Richardson, Joe W. Bunn, and
Alpha Lawrence. Office clerk will
be Mrs. Margaret Bowling and
Mrs. Eleanor Massey will con
tinue to serve as lunch room man
ager.
Reelections were made during
the May 1 meeting of the Board.
Poppy Day to Be
HeM on Saturday
“Wear a Poppy,” an annual ap
peal from the American Legion
Auxiliary, will be heard in Zebu
Ion Saturday, May 27.
For more than 40 years, Poppy
Day has offered the citizens of
this country the opportunity to re
member both the nation’s war dead
and its disabled veterans. The
poppy became immortalized in a
poem by a Canadian soldier, Lt.
Col. John McRae, entitled, “In
Flanders Field.” Practically ev
eryone is familiar with its open
ing lines: “In Flanders fields the
poppies blow between the crosses
row on row.”
The poppy was a familiar sight
to servicemen in Europe during
the first World War. When the
men returned home in 1918, they
remembered the poppy and soon
adopted it as a symbol of their
comrades who died in battle. It
became a bright memorial to
American dead of three wars, and
a tribute to our living disabled
veterans.
American Legion Auxiliary
(Continued on Page 7)
Music Is Life Time Hobby
For Popular Song Leader
Music has been a life time hob
by with Leon Album Hagwood.
“I am and have always been a
real lover of gospel music,” Hag
wood, who has a pleasant, pleas
ing personality, said. “Nothing
thrills me more than singing old
gospel hymns.”
Hagwood is the founder of the
Eastern Carolina Singing Conven
tion which meets annually on the
fourth Sunday in May.
“We organized the convention
in 1940,” he said in his deep voice.
“Our first meeting place was in
the Middlesex High School au
ditorium. More than 1400 per
sons attended this gospel song
fest.”
After five years at Middlesex the
convention moved to Wilson be
cause of the need of larger facili
ties. Now the attendance almost
reaches the 20,000 mark.
Another reason the convention
moved to Wilson was because the
Wilson Jaycees offered the conven
tion a better deal, Hagwood said.
Other towns and cities also made
offers, but the Jaycees of Wilson
made the best offer.
“And we aren’t sorry,’’ Hag
wood said. “The facilities are all
one could ask for and there have
been very pleasant relationships
(Continued on Page 5)