VOLUME 36. NUMBER 59. ZEBULON. N. C.. MARCH 29. 1962
SAYS COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT
Forget Sentiments
Think of Children!
+ 9
Superintendent Fred Smith told
the group: “I implore you parents
not to be carried away with ex
pressions of sentimentality and the
resistance to some change, but I
implore you to go home and look
your child straight in the face and
say ‘I know that I am doing ev
erything I can to give you the
tools of life.’ ”
Smith said he was concerned
for the boys and girls when he
was principal of Wakelon School.
He said he never did anything to
harm the children.
“There is no intent to harm a
child; there is only intent to help
a child,” he said vehemently.
He brought out the fact that this
is a new day and a new age in
which we are living. He said Dr.
L. M. Massey, a prominent Zebu
Ion dentist, is not doing business
in the same office that he did when
he (Smith) came to Zebulon, nor
is Ed Hales, who operates a gen
eral farm mercantile business, dis
pensing fertilizer from the same
place.
“Progress is toeing made.”
Smith continued: “I haven’t
ever said a small school couldn’t
be a good school, but it will take
three times the amount of money
to make it a good school as we are
getting today to operate.”
He declared that it doesn t in
crease his salary nor does it en
hance his prestige to look toward
bettering the opportunities for
children.
“It’s simply a basic responsibil
ity that I have, a sworn duty that
I have to try to offer educational
leadership to point the way,” he
averred.
He pointed out the Wakelon
School is the result of several con
solidations.
“There are, yes, Mr. Finch, 44
names, outstanding people. And
there will continue to be outstand
ing people who come out of this
school. But you haven’t said a
word about the untold thousands
of boys and girls who drop by the
wayside here, who never finish
school because the school curricu
lum did not fit their particular
needs.”
Attorney F. D. Finch, leader of
the three school consolidation
forces, reported he has 44 names
of Wakelon students who have
made outstanding records in col
leges since leaving the local scho >1.
“Pray show me today in t.iis
curriculum that we offer here
(Wakelon) where there is a sal
able skill offered a child,” the
Wake superintendent exploded.
He said not all children are col
lege bound. Those, he continued,
that are college bound can recoup
their losses they suffered from an
inadequate high school curriculum.
“Constantly the people who
speak of the effectiveness of edu
cation use the criteria of success
in college. This boy did all right,
that boy did all right in college.
But they never stop to think of the
untold thousands who never get
through school.
“Go to your files, gentlemen,
and bring those people out and
talk to them. They come to my
office almost daily and say: ‘How
can I get a high school diploma?
How can I get an education?’ I
say: ‘Son, you can’t. Daughter,
you can't. It’s too late.’ ”
Smith, in an impassioned plea,
said: “Please, please, not for my
sake, please understand there is
no benefit for me except the satis
faction of knowing that your chil
dren are getting the very best we
can offer in educational facilities.”
Dentist Prefers
Site on Bypass
Dr. L. M. Massey, Zebulon
dentist, said: “I think, looking at
the Wakelon School area, its size
and its number of pupils, it would
indicate that Wakelon should be
given some consideration where
it should go.”
“We have a beautiful campus but
not ample buildings. I helped dig
the ditches to drain the swamp
here.”
“I think, looking at the Wakelon
School area, its size and its num
ber of pupils, seemingly, to me,
the history of it and the present
condition of it, it would indicate
that Wakelon should be given
some consideration where it should
go,” the dentist said.
“I am sure that consolidation
will offer a great deal of ad
vantages and I am sure also there
could be a great deal of disad
vantages,” he said.
Dr. Massey has indicated that |
he favors a consolidated school
located on the bypass.
Local Attorney Expresses
Concern about Economy
Foster D. Finch, leader of the
opposition forces against consoli
dation on a site in the Bethany
area, had Chairman Whitley to
clarify whether the declaration of
intent to consolidate included
Wake Forest School.
Whitley said it did not. He said
it only includes the four schools of
Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell
and Wakelon.
“To begin with the original plans
were to consolidate the four
schools,” Finch said. “We finally
decided after much discussion and
several meetings that it might be
a good idea to have another survey
made that included the sixth
school.”
Finch then read a portion of the
last report made by the School
Planning Committee: “The size of
the territory embracing the five
school district is such that study of
transportation indicates that it
would not be feasible to plan for
one high school but two schools
could adequately serve the school
area without transportation diffi
culty.”
Finch pointed out that that re
port was a contrast to the first re
port. The first report indicated
one school would be adequate.
“Ladies and gentlemen: Wake
Forest needs Rolesville, Rolesville
needs Wake Forest. We certainly
don’t object to anyone—Rolesville
or Knightdale—coming to Wake
Ion. We are glad to have them.”
He pointed out, however that
Rolesville is only six miles from
Wake Forest. “Only six miles,
ladies and gentlemen, six miles
from one campus to the other, ac
cording to this very report.”
He said: “We are strangling a
high school (Wake Forest) and we
are failing to use the facilities
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Four-School Consolidation Issue
Produces Lively Meeting Here
FORMER MAYOR SPEAKS CALMLY
Don't Move School
An ex-mayor of Zebulon and a
prominent hardware business
owner told the consolidation meet
ing last Thursday night that he is
against moving Wakelon School
anywhere.
“The people who have spoken
here tonight seem to say that con
solidation is all right, but I am on
the other side of the fence. I am
not in favor of any consolidation
which will make Wakelon School
move from here.
Debnam pointed out that Wake
lon is the only schodl under dis
cussion— „he others are Rolesville,
Wendell and Knightdale—which
is accredited. The high school
was accredited six years ago and
the elementary two years ago,
“We have a good school. I
know it’s not the answer to ev
ery educational problem in this
community and neither would a
consolidated school be. We have
an interest in our school here and
I think it takes an interest to make
a school go.”
Debnam cited an example of the
attendance of a Raleigh school of
2,000 students w’ith only 100 par
ents attending its PTA. He said
he had been to many Wakelon
PTA meetings and he has never
seen fewer than 100 parents pres
ent.
He said the Raleigh school has
“sort of been taken away from the
people.”
“If a vote will be taken tonight,
and I hope it will, Mr. Whitley,
we’ll see how many people are in
favor of staying right here at
Wakelon School and pleading for
the support of the County Board
and the continued support of the
people to make this a good school,
a better school than it already is.”
Wakelon Band
Concert Tonight
Wakelon Senior and Cadet
bands will give a concert tonight
(Thursday) at 8 o’clock in the
school auditorium, Mrs. Frances
Hilbum, director-instructor, has
announced.
Sixty members of the band will
present selections ranging from the
classics to Dixieland.
Proceeds from the concert will
help finance transportation ex
penses of the Wakelon band to the
Azalea Festival in Wilmington.
Tickets to the concert will be
on sale at the door for $1.00.
The program for the Cadet
band is: United Nations March by
King, Hansel and Gretel Overture
by Humperdinck, Pacific Grandeur
Overture by Olivadoti and Jubilee
(a medley of spirituals), arranged
by Leroy Jackson.
The senior band program is:
Coast Guard’s March by King,
Komm Susser Tod by Bach, An
Occasional Suite by Handel, Ter
zetto by Baccherini, Air for Band
by Frank Erickson, Perpetual Mo
tion by Carl Bohm, Cuban Capers
by Kinyon, and Dixieland Jam
boree by Warrington.
The Terzetto number will be
performed on wood winds played
by Celia Hales, Buddy Broughton
and Vicky Tart.
With an impassioned plea, the
tall, slightly stooped young father
continued: “If consolidation comes
after we take this vote, I think,
Mr. Whitley, you will find that
the people want the school to stay
here. And if consolidation comes,
I think it will be forced upon us
and we will not be asking for it.”
Debnam was given thunderous
applause that lasted minutes for
his speech.
Candidate Clarifies
Stand on Question
Zebulon Attorney Ferd Davis,
seeking Democratic nomination to
the Wake County Board of Edu
cation to succeed C. V. Whitley,
who has announced that he will
not seek reelection, explained his
position with respect to consolida
tion and site.
“As far as I am concerned there
are a great many agonizing consid
erations when it comes to talking
about a school consolidation, and
any decision that anybody makes
is one that necessarily involves
emotion and intellect. And some
times in cases of that kind it is
hard to decide when emotions
leave off and intellect takes over.
“But because of the number of
problems, such as drop-outs and
the need for broader curriculums
and utilization of libraries, labora
tories, I am presently of the opin
ion that there are enough prob
lems presented that up to i^ow con
solidation appears about the only
answer.
“And I will say further, that
I think that if it came to a choice
between consolidation and site,
consolidation is the more impor
tant question. And that does not
mean for one minute that I don’t
think site isn’t an important ques
tion.
“I believe we have a good school,
and please remember this: when
you ask a person to give up a pres
ent benefit for a possible or even a
probable future gain you are ask
ing that person to do essentially an
unselfish act.”
Davis is a former member of
the local school committee. He
has practiced law here since 1953.
Words Flow Freely
As School Patrons
Give Their Views
Chairman Wake County Board of
Education C. V. Whitley stated
emphatically last Thursday night
the Robertson pond area has not
been selected as a site for the con
solidated school to be built for the
eastern part of the county.
“We haven’t designated the
Robertson pond area,” Whitley
said adamantly in answer to that
question. “Nobody has. It was
just a suggestion.”
The hassle over school consoli
dation and site location continued
last week when a group of Wake
ion School District patrons and in
terested citizens met with the
Wake County Board of Education.
The discussion, lasting two and
one-half hours, was held in the
high school auditorium with an
estimated 300 persons present.
Some school patrons are still
irate, others luke warm, and others
I-don’t-care over the proposed
plan of the Board of Education to
consolidate Wakelon with Roles
ville, Wendell and Knightdale
schools.
The Board has adopted a resolu
tion of intent to consolidate, Whit
ley told the group.
“The Board has tried to be as
fair about consolidating as possi
ble. We (the Board) realized the
importance of the thing two years
ago. However, we had thought
about the possibility of consoli
dation even before then, but we
were kind of hesitant with the
matter.”
Whitley said the laws of the
State say that such action must be
taken before the people of the
communities involved before con
solidation is made.
“That’s what we wanted to do,
anyway, whether or not it’s a law,”
he added.
Since the Board revealed that
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Open Installation
Wakefield-Zebulon Chapter Or
der of the Eastern Star will hold
an open installation of its 1962 of
ficers Saturday night at the Zebu
Ion Masonic Hall. The public is
invited to attend the proceeding
which gets underway at 8 o’clock.
Mayor Says Rolesville School
Given Too Much Consideration
“From the very beginning the
idea to consolidate the four schools
of Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell
and Wakelon was wrong,” Mayor
Ed Hales shot at the audience last
Thursday night.
“Rolesville is in the area of
Wake Forest and Millbrook. Wen
dell, Knightdale and Wakelon are
in a different area,” he said.
The popular mayor asked the
question that if Wake Forest does
n't gain students from the move to
consolidate what is to become of
that high school.
“It is a matter of time until
Knightdale will find herself in the
same position as Garner and Cary,”
he pointed out.
Hales said that another high
school will be needed in the
Knightdale area in the years a
head.
“If we are to consolidate, it
doesn’t make sense to build a high
school where the people are not
living. Today 76 per cent of the
people in the corporate city limits
of the Rolesville, Knightdale,
Wendell, Zebulon area live in the
Wendell-Zebulon area. If we con
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