BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE
FEBRUARY 7,20181
The fabric of Bertie County since 1832
News
Five decades of serving Bertie Co. folks
LESLIE BEACHBOARD
Bertie Ledger-Advance
WINDSOR - A final farewell
brings a new dentist to
town.
Dr. Wayne Attkisson, who
has been serving dental pa
tients from Bertie and sur
rounding counties in his of
fice on Sterlingworth Street
for almost 50 years, has de
cided to retire.
Attkisson, a Richmond Va.
native, says his years have
been wonderful but didn’t
come without trials.
He was 5 years old when
he was stricken with polio
during the height of the 1944
epidemic.
It was a mild case only af
fecting his arms and legs. It
did not require hospitaliza
tion or braces.
His family moved to Kin
ston in 1953, where he grad
uated from high school.
Attkisson says his moti
vation to become a dentist
came from growing up in
Kinston where he went to a
dentist with whom he was
really impressed.
“1 liked the lifestyle and
working with my hands. 1 was
pretty much fixed on that. 1
never really wavered during
high school,” he added.
Attkisson received the
Morehead Scholarship, and
attended the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
beginning in 1958.
“1 didn’t really find college
difficult. 1 enjoyed it,” he
said.
While in college, Attkisson
met and married his wife,
Margaret.
During his last year of den
tal school, he requested to
be assigned to the U.S. Air
Force.
LESLIE BEACHBOARD / Bertie Ledger-Advance
Dr. Wayne Attkisson is retiring after aimost 50 year of new patients. Standing, ieft to right: Shannon Smith,
providing dental care in Windsor Dr. Jonathan Hairr wiii Terry Jernigan, Caroi Perry and Whitney Hardin. Seated
be taking over the practice and serving existing and are Dr. Jonathan Hairr and Dr. Wayne Attkisson.
Attkisson was stationed
in Washington D.C. where
he was made captain. He
worked as a dentist in the
Air Force until 1968.
After leaving the military,
Attkisson began looking for
the perfect location to start
a permanent practice.
“1 looked all over the state.
1 knew 1 wanted to be near
the water. 1 decided on Wind
sor. It was a good location. 1
liked the area and 1 liked the
people,” he said.
Attkisson built an office in
Windsor and has remained
there for nearly 50 years.
He says retirement almost
came earlier due to post
polio syndrome, from which
he began to suffer years af
ter opening an established
practice.
“There was no cure. The
best remedy for the syn
drome was rest. 1 was only
53. 1 loved my work and
didn’t want to retire,” Attkis
son added.
His remedy was an electric
scooter. It allowed Attkisson
to retain his mobility and
continue to serve the pa
tients in his practice.
“1 have a wonderful staff,
and my patients have been
great, but it’s time to retire,”
he said.
Attkisson who now resides
in Edenton says he will be
able to spend more time with
his three grandchildren.
Although Attkisson is re
tiring, the office will not be
without a dentist.
Dr. Jonathan Hairr will be
taking over the practice from
Attkisson.
Hairr, a Selma native, says
his influence to become a
dentist came from his local
dentist back home.
“He was a strong pillar in
the community. He planted
the seed,” he added.
While Hairr was working
on his undergraduate degree
at East Carolina University
he was a member of the Pi
rate Cheerleaders for two-
and-a-half years.
“One of the events we par
ticipated in was Children’s
Dental Day on February 2nd.
The cheerleaders went to
visit the patients at a local
pediatric dental office. So
then 1 decided to shadow
them, and that’s how 1 fig
ured out 1 wanted to be a
dentist,” said Hairr.
He attended the University
of North Carolina School of
Dentistry in Chapel Hill, and
graduated in 2015.
After working in Rocky
Mount for some time, Hairr
decided he wanted to find
somewhere that reminded
him of home and where there
was a need.
“One day 1 went for a ride
through God’s country and
drove through a lot of small
towns. 1 made my way to
Windsor. 1 circled the town
and saw this office. 1 decided
1 would call and just talk with
them,” he added.
As luck would have it Att
kisson was out to dinner
in the same restaurant as
Hairr’s father-in law.
“Wayne told him he was
looking to retire, and my
father-in law told him 1 was
a newly graduated dentist
looking for a practice. Wayne
and 1 connected, and since
then 1 have been working
here on Mondays and Thurs
days,” Hairr said. “The peo
ple here are great. The girls
in the office are wonderful.
Everyone has been warm
and inviting.”
Hairr and his wife Gayna
were married in October and
currently reside in Green
ville.
“1 look forward to serv
ing the existing patients as
well as accepting new ones,”
closed Hairr.
Although a new name for
the office has not been de
cided, those interested in an
appointment or who wants
more information can con
tact the office at 252-794-
2053 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Mondays, Tuesdays and
Thursdays or from 8 a.m. un
til noon on Fridays.
Leslie Beachboard can be
reached via email at Ibeach-
board@ncweeklies. com.
Roxobel Ag Festival seeks sponsor, vendors
THADD WHITE
Bertie Ledger-Advance
ROXOBEL - Those wishing
to be involved in the second
annual Roxobel Ag Festival
can start now.
The event, which cele
brates the agricultural heri
tage of Roxobel and Bertie
County, will be held on April
7.
Those planning to help
sponsor the event can do
so - and the event is making
the sponsorship levels just a
little more fun.
Those contributing $1,000
will be known as “Rain Mak
er Sponsors” while those at
the $500 level and above will
be known as a “Barn Raiser
Sponsor.” The levels contin
ue as “Harvester Sponsor” at
$350, “Cultivator Sponsor” at
$100 and “Seed Sower Spon
sor” for those contributing
less.
Sponsors will be recog
nized at the event, receive
advertising on signage and
will also receive a Roxobel
Ag Festival T-shirt.
Those wishing to attend
the event as a vendor can
begin signing up to do so
now.
The Ag Festival is accept
ing vendors to sell food or
merchandise, and serve as
Advertising/Promotional/
Educational providers. In
lieu of a fee, vendors are re
quested to donate an items
valued at $20 or more to be
used for door and raffle priz
es.
All spaces will be 10 feet
by 10 feet unless the vendar
requests additional space.
Vendor setup on the date
of the event will begin at 8:30
a.m. and must be complete
by 9:30 a.m.
Those wishing to become
sponsors or vendors can
do so by contacting Cindy
Vaughan at 252-209-4738 or
via email at Cindylou6280@
yahoo.com.
Drugs -
From A1
the driver’s side of the
vehicle on foot. As the
officer approached the
vehicle, he saw a male
subject behind the
wheel and the subject
appeared to be passed
out or experiencing a
medical emergency.”
Windsor Police Cpl.
Jason Thomas joined
Leggett on the scene
and the two were able
to wake the man, who
stated he was simply
tired.
“Both officers were
familiar with the sub
ject, and Officer Leg
gett inquired if the
man had consumed or
was in possession of a
controlled substance,”
Chief Lane said.
Once asked, the sus
pect - Michael Larue Jr.
of King Street in Wind
sor - reportedly admit
ted he was in posses
sion of illegal controlled
substances.
A search of the ve
hicle revealed two bin-
dles of heroin and a
small amount of mari
juana along with a pipe
and needles.
Larue was then tak
en into custody and
charged with felony
possession of heroin,
possession of drug
paraphernalia, simple
possession of marijua
na and several motor
vehicle violations.
He was confined to
the Bertie-Martin Re
gional Jail under a
$7,500 secured bond,
and will make his first
appearance in Bertie
County District Court
today (Wednesday).
Just days later, Larue
was in trouble with the
law again.
Cpl. Frank Ratzlaff
arrested him on an
outstanding warrant
for misdemeanor lar
ceny. According to the
warrant, Larue was
accused of taking $80
in cash from a family
member on Feb. 2.
Larue was again
transported to the mag
istrate’s office where
he was placed under a
$5,000 secured bond.
“Officer Leggett did
an outstanding job of
recognizing a suspi
cious situation and
taking the appropriate
enforcement action,”
Chief Lane said.
“Windsor is also ex
periencing the same
opioid epidemic as the
rest of the state, just
on a smaller scale. The
officers of the Windsor
Police Department are
doing an excellent job
of identifying the sell
ers and users of these
drugs, and making the
necessary arrests,” he
added.
Thadd White can be
reached via email at
t whit e@nc weeklies.
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