BULON RECORD
VOLUME 38. NUMBER 26. ZEBULON. N. C.. JUNE 27. 1963
Four School Districts to Decide
At Polls Saturday; 2,070 Are
New Methodist Minister
To Serve Zebulon Church
The Rev. Pearce H. Layfleld,
Jr., of Tabor City has been ap
pointed by Bishop Paul Neff Gar
ber as the new minister of the
Zebulon Methodist Church. The'
appointment became effective on
Thursday, June 20, when the ap
pointments were read by Garber
at the conclusion of the 138th ses
sion of the N. C. Annual Confer
ence at Greenville.
Layfleld replaces the Rev. Bill
Quick who was transferred to the
St. James Methodist Church in
Greenville. Quick has served the
local church since July 3, 1959.
Layfleld, 47, is a former prac
ticing dentist. A native of Geor
gia, he practiced dentistry for 13
years at LaGrange, Ga. He is a
graduate of Emory University and
what is now the Emory Dental
School. Both Layfleld and his
wife, Frances, are native Geor
gians.
Experiencing a call to the min
istry, he attended and graduated
from the Duke University Divinity
School.
His first appointment was the
Watkins Revival
Revival services will be held at
Watkins Chapel Missionary Bap
tist Church June 30 through July
6 at 8:00. The guest minister will
be Rev. C. W. Driver, pastor of the
Corinth Baptist Church. The pub
lic is cordially invited to attend.
West End (N. C.) Methodist
Church. For the past five years
he has served the Tabor City
Methodist Church and the church
has made marvelous progress dur
ing his pastorate there.
The Layflelds are parents of
three children: two • teen-age
daughters and one son. Sue Lay
field (19) is a junior at Emory
University; Ann is a rising junior
(16) in high school and Buzz is
nine years old.
Mrs. Layfleld, The Record, learns
is an artist and is currently doing
portraits of the Layfleld children.
The Rev. Mr. Layfleld and fam
ily will move to Zebulon on
Thursday, June 27. He filled the
pulpit on Sunday, June 23, and
conducted the Bernard Brantley
funeral on Sunday afternoon.
“Zebulon—the town and the
Methodist Church—is fortunate to
have a minister like Pearce Lay
field,” Bill Quick told The Record
this week.
Request
Telephone subscribers in this
area are urged to return their
cards with an affirmative or neg
ative response to toll-free service
between the towns of Zebulon and
Wendell to Raleigh.
Bill Reynolds, district manager
of Southern Bell for this area, said
response from subscribers has
been “good” but that all telephone
I owners have not responded with
I a vote.
White Lake Camp
FFA Group Visits
Eleven members of the Wakelon
Chapter of Future Farmers of
America attended the White Lake
F. F. A. Camp at White Lake, the
week of June 17-22, 1963. These
members spent the week enjoying
competitive athletic events with
sixteen other schools attending
camp the same week. The stu
dents visited places of interest
around White Lake, Elizabeth
town, and on the Cape FeaT River.
Those attending camp were:
Sidney Perry, Larry Perry, John
nie Currin, Vicky Murry, Frank
Pulley, Linwood Oakley, Bruce
Richards, Pou Ihrie, Donn Liles,
Joe Green, Lanny Strickland, and
Mr. and Mrs. C. V. Tart, Vickie
and Carl.
The State FFA Convention held
at N. C. State College, June 26
28, is one of the highlights of the
FFA program during the year.
Two official delegates plus other
members from all chapters in the
State will converge at William
Neal Reynolds Coliseum to par
ticipate in State Contest, to re
ceive awards for outstanding
work, to draft plans for the com
ing year, to develop leadership,
citizenship, character, and to
elect officers to guide the State
Future Farmers during the year
1963-64. The two official dele
gates attending the convention
along with C. V. Tart, Wakelon
FFA Advisor, are Sidney Perry
and Donn Liles, newly elected
president and vice president of
the Wakelon FFA for the year
1963-64.
i Consolidation Issue
i Registered to Vote
Opposing Forces Make
Last Stands on Proposal
Citizens of four school districts
will decide Saturday whether they
prefer a comprehensive consoli
dated school or continued opera
tion of separate schools. Regis
trars of the four districts reported
that 2,070 persons are registered
and qualified to vote in the refer
endum.
The polling place for the Wake
lon district will be Wakelon School.
Hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to
6:30 p.m.
Ballots will carry only two
statements: for and against the
consolidation of school district 13.
Foster D. Finch, an opponent to
the site the County Board of Edu
cation has selected, said: “I feel
like the interest of the community
will be served best by retaining
our school.”
Advocates of a comprehensive
high school have emphasized the
advantages of one larger higl
school for the four districts, a:
opposed to the limited program
of instruction possible in present
schools of the districts.
The injunction against the Wake
County Board of Education by the
Wakelon District School Commit
tee is still pending. The suit was
Kleenex Sale
Jaycees will be on the streets,
highways and school Saturday,
June 29, selling Kleenex. Pro
ceeds from the sale will be used
for club projects.
brought against the board several
months ago after the board decid
ed on the site to locate the com
prehensive high school.
If the vote Saturday indicates
patrons of the Wakelon district
are not satisfied with four-school
consolidation, the Committee may
then seek further action.
The anti-site forces have an
option on the Pattie Lee property
in the Lizard Lick community.
Miss Lee agreed to sell the 47
acres of property for a sum of
$15,000.
Mr. Finch, a spokesman for op
ponents of the site, said if pa
trons of the Wakelon district ex
clude themselves by vote it is ex
pected the County Board will be
asked for the proposed $40,000 for
the construction of a music build
ing at Wakelon.
Wakelon at one time hoped to
receive $40,000 for construction of
a building for band and other types
of music instruction.
Consolidation forces have been
open in their support of the pro
posed comprehensive high school,
and, as the day for decision neared,
seemed to gain strength from
many persons formerly neutral or
reluctant to take sides publicly.
Mrs. Evelyn Creech is registrar.
Judges for the referendum will be
the Rev. David Daniel, pastor of
Zebulon Baptist Church, and M.
J. Sexton. Mr. Sexton replaced
the Rev. Bill Quick, who could
not serve because of his reassign
ment as pastor of a Greenville
Methodist Church.
Affirmative Vote Saturday Will Help Soothe Feelings
By Eloise Potter
It is very encouraging that
1,060 people in the Wakelon
School District are interested
enough in the education of oui
children to register for the school
consolidation election. I hope
that 100% of the registered voters
will also be sufficiently interested
to inform themselves of the facts
before casting theiT ballots. An
informed public, genuinely con
cerned about the future of our
young people, will support con
solidation.
When I talked with Ferd Davis
about his reasons for advocating
the consolidation election, he ex
pressed great confidence in the
judgment of the average citizen.
Certainly Col. Davis is right when
he says that people who vote tc
consolidate will support the new
school and work together bettei
than those who feel forced to dc
something against their will. II
we vote to consolidate, all the
past differences of opinion will be
nullified, and we will be free tc
meet with people from Knight
dale, Wendell, and Rolesville in
a spirit of friendship and to work
constructively with them. We
will have before us the challenge
of helping our new high school
achieve accreditation and fulfill
its potential for service to all four
communities.
Many voters seem to be taking
a “wait and see” attitude toward
consolidation. They will either
refuse to cast ballots or vote
against consolidation as a protest
against the site. If the new school
proves to be sufficiently superior
to Wakelon or if Wakelon’s en
rollment dwindles, they reason,
we can always consolidate next
near or the year after ... or the
year after that.
I can certainly see the logic of
this idea, and it is indeed a tempt
ing alternative to approving a site
purchased in an unethical manner.
However, before deciding to cast
a protest vote, we should consider
the consequences.
Knightdale, Wendell, and Roles
ville seem almost certain to con
solidate. They have had hard
working and well organized groups
supporting consolidation for sev
eral years. Their PTAs have al
ready expressed overwhelming
approval of consolidation, and the
election appears to be a mere
formality where they are concern
ed. Thus in all probability the
school will be built on the site
which has already been purchased,
whether we like it or not.
During the first year of opera
tion the student government will
be formed, the band will be or
ganized, and the athletic teams
will be selected and their captains
chosen. Our children, entering
one or more years later, will
have to prove themselves to an
already organized student body.
No doubt they will have to face
a certain amount of hazing, which
won’t make adjusting to a new
school any easier. Also the delay
ed entrance of Wakelon students
will necessitate reorganization of
the faculty and curriculum, a
reorganization in which Wakelon
teachers may be at a disadvantage.
If all four high schools unite
at once, community ties will be
minimized. Each student will
have an opportunity for lead
ership based upon his own person
ality and ability. Wakelon teach *
ers, like all the others, will com
pete for their first choices in
teaching assignments on the basis
of experience and professional
qualifications.
Assuming that all four districts
consolidate simultaneously and
cooperate perfectly in getting the
new school established, we will
still face several years of adjust
ments in faculty and curriculum.
Some teachers may need refresher
courses in subject matter they
have not taught in many years.
Selecting students for DE (Distrib
utive Education) and interesting
businessmen in cooperating with
the program will take time, may
be two or three years. No doubt
there will be a multitude of other
problems which 1 cannot possibly
anticipate. No one expects a new
school to operate without any
problems or confusion.
Basically, the only question be
fore us is whether or not the chil
dren of our school district will
benefit from consolidation. I sin
cerely believe that they will; and
I am certain that if we are ever
going to consolidate, now is the
time to do it.
“What kind of high school will
we have if we consolidate?” many
people aTe asking. “Will it real
ly be any better than Wakelon?”
The buildings and equipment
will be the most modern avail
able. They will be in every re
spect equivalent to the Cary High
School plant, and in some ways
superior to it, according to Mr.
Grimes, assistant superintendent
of Wake County schools. It has
been my privilege to study the
plans for the proposed high school,
so I know he does not exaggerate.
In fact, I have a copy of the plans
at my home, and I will gladly
show them to anyone who is inter
ested in seeing what the school
will look like and what facilities
will be available to the teachers
and students.
To me the most exciting part of
j any educational institution is the
library. I have a weakness for
libraries, and by nature I am
somewhat of a bookworm. Plans
for the proposed eastern Wake
County High School include a li
brary with enough shelf space to
accommodate 7,900 books. Ac
cording to a friend who is a pub
lic school librarian, this is in
keeping with a new standard call
ing for ten books per student.
Wakelon High School Library has
about 2,200 books, which is a re
spectable number in proportion to
enrollment; but it cannot possibly
offer the variety available in li
braries having six, seven, or
eight thousand volumes.
Buildings, teachers, students,
books, lab equipment, and a fine
gymnasium do not guarantee qual
ity education any more than a
house, people, and furniture make
a Christian home. Every school
has a spiritual atmosphere, an at
titude toward education that is a
unique blent) of the ideas and
ideals which motivate the princi
pal, the teachers, the students,
and the parents. We parents can
play a major role by creating
among our children an eagerness
for learning and a desire to ob
tain the best possible education.
In this respect the new school will
be only as good as we make it.
Just how good do you want it to