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■'•ZEBULON
RECORD
VOLUME 36. NUMBER 21. ZEBULON. N. C.. JUNE 29. 1961
POTTER PATTER
Consider Children's Welfare
By Eloise Potter
It is very difficult to be impar
tial when a controversial issue
such as school consolidation is
placed before the public Al
though I have long favored the
consolidation of Wakelon High
School v/ith one or more neighbor
ing high schools, I have tried to
keep an open mind about whether
combining two, three, or four
schools would be best for the chil
dren involved. Please notice that
I said children—not property
owners, businessmen, politicians,
teachers, or school administrators.
When Attorney Foster Finch
began publicizing a Wendell-Zeb
ulon high school, I thought his
plan had much to commend it.
Certainly such a possibility must
be considered and compared to
the four-school consolidation fav
ored by the Wake County School
Board. Monday night in Raleigh
Mr. Finch had an opportunity to
present his plan to the board, but
he refused to reveal the details
because supporters of the four
school plan were present. He said
that he did not want his plan
“picked to pieces” before he could
finish stating it. People from
Knightdale', Wendell, and Roles
ville agreed not to interrupt; but
they asked an opportunity to give
their views following Mr. Finch’s
presentation. Still Mr. Finch re
fused to divulge details of his
plan. Several times Mr. Finch
provoked laughter by calling the
Banker Makes
Agribusiness Tour
Agribusiness advances in Mis
sissippi, Texas and Louisiana
dramatize the challenge facing the
Southeast in efforts to increase per
capita income, Robert D. Massey,
cashier of PeoplesT3ank and Trust
Co., said.
Massey was one of 150 cara
vaners who saw last week how
gains in farm efficiency, in the
processing and marketing of farm
products and in community, in
dustrial and ports development
are providing increased income op
portunities for people in the Deep
South and Southwest.
board, chairman “Your Honor.”
There was also some restlessness
during legal hair-splitting by Mr.
Finch and Philip Whitley of Wen
dell, but I sincerely believe ev
eryone would have listened re
spectfully if the spokesmen for
the Zebulon-Wendell consolidation
had stated their proposal forth
rightly.
I personally attended the coun
ty board meeting Monday night
not only to hear what Mr. Finch
had to say but also to find out what
people from Wendell, Knightdale,
and Rolesville had to offer in the
way of criticism and other plans.
Since county school board meet
ings are by law open to the pub
lic, 1 am sure proponents of other
plans will be present whenever
Mr. Finch and Mr. Philip Whitley
finally decide to speak their
pieces.
There has been much gossip in
Zebulon about the meeting in
Wendell which enabled Wendell,
Knightdale, and Rolesville sup
porters of the four-school consoli
dation to decide on a tentative
site for the proposed high school.
The meeting was called only after
Mr. Finch had indicated in a news
story that people in those three
towns did not want the four-school
consolidation. The purpose of the
meeting was to find out whether
anyone did really favor the four
school plan and to agree on a site
deemed worthy of consideration
by the county board.
During the meeting in Wendell
a few suggested that Zebulon be
left out of the consolidation, but
the majority believed that a Wen
dell - Knightdale - Rolesville high
school would be no better than
a Zebulon-Wendell school. A site
too near Knightdale was rejected
as being unfair to Zebulon. Roles
ville people asked only that the
school be placed, if possible, on
the road connecting their town
with Highway 64. Finally an area
on the Billy Weathers’ property
jnst a little bit toward Rolesville
from Martin’s Center was agreed
upon because it is not too far from
the geographic1 and population cen
ters of the four school districts and
is thought to be on the route of the
proposed relocation of Hwy. 64.
According to my county map, the
area is (on existing roads) 3.8
miles from Wendell, 4.3 miles from
(Continued on Page 2)
Johnston County Native Awarded
PhD Degree from Lehigh University
The brother of Mrs. John Ihrie,
John Furnifold O’Neal, was a
warded a Ph. D. degree February
1 from Lehigh University, Beth
lehem, Pennsylvania.
He is a native of Johnston
County, 'being bom in 1926 in the
Antioch community in O’Neals
Township. He is the son of Mrs.
Adolphus O’Neal and the late Mr.
O’Neal. After graduating from
Glendale High School in 1943, he
received a B. S. degree in science
from the University of North Car
olina in 1960. While at the Uni
versity he was initiated into Phi
Beta Kappa. '
He taught chemistry and biology
John Fumifold O’Neal
at the Berryhill High School near
Charlotte for two years. In 1952
he received a Master of Education
degree from the University. From
1952 to 1954 he was principal of
the Efland Elementary School in
Orange County, and from 1954
to 1957 he was principal of the
Huntersville Junior High School
in Mecklenburg County.
O’Neal enrolled as a doctoral
candidate at Cornell University
in 1957. As a graduate assistant
in the School of Education, he
helped supervise elementary stu
dent teachers for one year. In
the fall of 1958 he was appointed
as a part-time instructor at El
mire College, Elmira, N. Y., where
he taught educational psychology
and supervised elementary stu
dent teaching.
Beginning in September, 1959,
he assumed duties as an assistant
professor of education at Lehigh
University where he taught courses
in school administration and cur
riculum. Also at Lehigh he
served as assistant to the head of
the department of education and
director of the summer sessions.
He completed all requirements
for the Ph. D. degree at Lehigh in
September, 1960, but this was too
late for a September degree, so
the degree was awarded to him in
February.
He has been married five years
and became a father on September
1, 1960.
Twenty members of his family
i attended his baccalaureate service
I and Mrs. Ihrie was one of them.
Wendell-Zebulon Consolidation
Plan Not Presented at Meeting
Tempers flared.
Blood red faces addressed the
medium.
Words flowed like hot white
heat. |
The air conditioning, however,!
purred gently in the ceiling of the!
committee room of the Wake Coun
ty Schools Building in Raleigh
Monday night.
Delegations from Wakelon,
Wendell, Rolesville and Knight
dale school districts were present
for a mass meeting to discuss con
solidation.
Attorney Foster D. Finch,
spokesman for the Wendell-Zebu
lon group favoring the consolida
tion of the two schools, declined
to present their side to the Wake
Popular Baptist Minister
Dies Here on Saturday
The Rev. A. D. Parrish died last
Saturday morning about nine o’
clock at his home in Zebulon. He
was discovered by his wife. Death
was attributed to a heart attack.
The Rev. Mr. Parrish was re
cently released from Wendell
Zebulon Hospital and was recup
erating at his home. He had
walked out into his back yard
when he was fatally stricken.
He was born December 5, 1900
on a farm in Earpsboro only a
few miles south of Zebulon. He
was the fourth of 10 children of
the late Bryant and Elizabeth
(Betty) Green Parrish.
In an interview for The Record
in April of 1955, he said he felt
the call to preach when he was
20 years old. He was licensed to
preach in 1929.
Feeling the inadequacy of his
meager education (he never fin
ished high school), he began to
take college work at Wake For
est College and Duke University.
He never received a diploma from
either school because he lacked a
high school diploma.
He accepted his first pastorate
in 1931, serving the Union Chapel
Dance Saturday
Zebulon Recreation Commission
is sponsoring a fund raising dance
Saturday night from 8:30 to 12
o’clock in the National Guard
Armory. Music will be furnished
by the Rhythmaires Band for
round, square and bop dancing.
Doors will open at 7:45. Admis
sion will be $1 per person.
County School Board.
Finch said to Chairman of the
County Board C. V. Whitley:
“Your honor,” (which got a laugh
from the audience) “we didn’t
come here to argue but to present
our proposal.”
Finch described the atmosphere
at the meeting as “hostile to our
cause and we have a right to pre
sent our side without any heck
ling or agitation.”
Chairman Whitley said: “We
still don’t know what location the
school will be. It is still in the
early stages of consolidation. Our
plan is to consolidate the four
schools.”
Philip Whitley, Wendell attor
ney and ex-legislator of Wake
Church. Since that time he was
minister of 16 churches.
From young manhood he was
always vitally interested in re
ligion. He began his religious
work with his community church,
Hales Chapel. His first sermon
was preached at Hales in August,
1929.
More than 2,000 converts pro
fessed their religious faith under
him during his ministry. And ac
cording to his records, he con
ducted more marriages and more
funerals than any other minister
in this vicinity.
(Continued on Page 5)
Hospital Notes
The following were patients at
Wendell-Zebulon Hospital Wed
nesday morning.
White
Ine<- Wilson, Cabell Powers,
Addie Winstead, C. B. Eddins,
Zelma Pearce, Ruth Lewis, Mil
ton Strickland, James H. Bunn,
Mae Barham, Elaine Currin and
Millard Strickland.
Colored
Pauline Himes and Naomi Mon
tague.
County, pointed out that the group
was not given sufficient notice of
the meeting to enable them to
get everyone together to speak for
their side.
It was indicated by the Zebulon
Wendell group that prominent ed
ucators were contacted to be at the
meeting but were unable to be
i present.
Finch argued there was a va
i cancy on the school board not yet
i filled which meant they would
have to present their plan all over
i again to the full board.
I H. H. Eddins (Bubber) said:
j “Mr. Whitley, are you biased?”
I “I certainly am,” replied Whit
! ley.
Hardin Hinton, chairman of
| Wakelon School board, asked
Wake County Superintendent Fred
Smith if a meeting held June 1
was not to be a curriculum study
meeting but turned out to be a
meeting of talk about consolida
tion.
Hinton told Smith only the local
school board was notified to attend
the meeting, but when they got
to the meeting there were delega
tions from the other three schools.
Randolph Hendricks, newly ap
pointed Wakelon School board
member, admitted he attended a
mass meeting in Wendell of the
schools of Wendell, Rolesville and
Knightdale. He would not di
vulge, however, who invited him.
Mrs. Jack Potter urged that
Finch present the alternate plan
but it was not heard.
The Zebu Ion-Wendell group
asked that they be permitted to
give their side later in a better
atmosphere, preferably on “home
ground” with a full board present.
Chairman Whitley did not agree
to such a suggestion, saying that
the proper meeting place was in
the Board building.
There were heckles from the op
ponents and Finch said no plan
could be presented in such an at
mosphere.
Many persons of the Zebulon
Wendell group felt they had won
the round by postponement. No
date was set for the next meeting.
Shortly before the end of the
meeting the lights went out and
because of the tense feeling some
persons declared fear that high
tempers would break out.
Wendell Mayor Elected President
Of County Mayors' Association
! Wendell Mayor Ira H. Johnson
J has been elected president of
Wake County Mayors’ Association.
He succeeds Ed Hales, mayor of
Zebulon.
Other officers for the 1961-62
year are Dr. W. H. Justice, mayor
of Cary, vice president; and W.
G. Enloe, mayor of Raleigh, sec
retary-treasurer.
Members of the association, be
sides the above mentioned, are:
W. R. Rand, mayor of Garner; S.
L. Lane, mayor of Fuquay Springs;
Ben Aycock, mayor of Wake For
est; George T. Rogers, mayor of
Apex; E. F. Harper, mayor of
Knightdale; Irving M. Gattman,
mayor of Holly Springs; H. E.
Perry, mayor of Rolesville; and
J. H. Robertson, mayor of Morris
ville.
The Mayors’ Association meets
once a month at the Raleigh Y.
M. C. A. Opportunities, possibili
ties and problems of all the mu
nicipal areas of Wake County are
discussed in view of a prosperous
future and growth of Wake Coun
ty, for the welfare of everyone.
New Secretary
Miss Billy Faye Privette, a June
graduate of Wakelon High School,
became Dr. Lee Sedwitz’ secre
tary June 6. Dr. Sedwitz is sur
geon for Wendell-Zebulon Hos
pital.
Miss Privette, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Billy Privette of Zebu
Ion, will only be associated with
the surgeon this summer. She
plans to enroll in Watts Hospital
School of Nursing in September.