RAEFORD, NORTH CAROLINA
I t. THURSDAY, MAY 7,1970
Citinen Momth
Need To Be Useful Met At Senior Citizen Clubs
"If you work hard. you live
longer,' Mri. Mary Autry, who
will be 89 next month laid.
She patted the two quilti
which the had almost
completed. "One winter, I
remember I made 63 quilts",
she said.
Preacher Elbert Bethea,
retired cook since 1963, also
believes in hard work. "I've
worked hard all my life, he
said. "Oh yes, I'd like
retirement ... if I could juit
work ? little more."
The* are two of the
residents of the county who
take part in the senior citizen
program here.
There are three clubs in the
county ?? Dial, Raeford
Friendship Club and Cameron
Heights. Miss Josephine Hall is
advisor for the three groups.
The members plan projects
and go on field trips. They
havea vliitnH f hdS Ckitt/ HnUM in
Southern Pines, the John
Charles McNeill reitored home
in Wagram and the Kenan
home in Kenantville.
Some of the projects include
making quilts to give to
families whose homes have
burned, sewing clothing for
needy school children and
making bed pillows. They have
also had craft programs on
such things as braiding rugs and
decoupage.
May haa been named Senior
Citizen Month in North
Carolina. A convention for the
eastern district of senior
citizen's clubs will be held in
Fayetteville May 21, 22.
Activities will include a queen
for the day contest with a
parade featuring the queen
through downtown
Fayetteville, a fashion show,
club awards, projects and a
banquet.
Delegates from the three
Hoke County clubs are
planning to attend the two-day
gathering.
Mrs Aurty doesn't get to
attend many senior citizen's
club events. She suffers from
arthritis and is unable to go
very far from her home.
Instead, Miss Hall makes
regular visits and brings her
quilt scraps for her handiwork.
"I am ashamed of these
quilts," Mrs. Autry said. "They
are just blocked out and run up
on the machine. I can't cut out
the patterns I once could."
Sne gives many of her quilts
to the children, now grown,
with whom whe used to
baby-sit.
"There isn't much in the
way of outdoor work I haven't
done," she reminisced. "My
father was a cooper, made
barrels. I've cut poles and
stripped them . . . plowed but
plowing is easier than hoeing."
Mrs. Autry was born in 1881
in Cumberland County and hai
lived in Raeford since 1934.
She hat nine children, 26
grandchildren and IS great ?
grandchildren. One of her
granddaughters is now working
for the government in South
Vietnam.
Besides making quilts, Mrs.
Autry loves poetry and writes
poems. She has an excellent
memory and can recite her
own works and other poems
that she has memorized.
Preacher Bethea, 77 is a
regular at the meetings of the
Cameron Heights Club.
He has lived in Raeford since
1937 when he came here to
cook in a cafe. When Upchurch
School was built he became a
cook there and worked there
until his retirement in 1963.
He was also the pastor of
Bridges Grove Church for 23
years until he retired from that
five years ago.
Bethea, who said he has
worked hard all his life,
sometimes seven days a week
as a hotel cook without a
vacation for a year or longer,
still likes to keep busy.
He gardens, and enjoys
cooking, which he described as
his first hobby He also likes
crafts and enjoys learning new
ones at the club meetings. He
displayed a lap robe he had
made from the cloth in an old
overcoat.
"This wai the first thine I,
tried to make," he laughed a*
he held it up. "I wai going to
decorate it with the alphabet
but i got the letter* on
backward*". He ihowed how
the line of capital letter* began
on the right tide and read
backward.
He hat been more tuceuful
with hit other project*. One of
theie wat a bedspread made
from old tie* he nad cut and
aewed together. "1 with I had
laved a few, though, tince wide
tie* are back in style," he laid.
Bethea alto thowed a tet of
braided place matt he had
made and a planter made from
the fork of a tree limb. He
built his home, a large rambling
white home, beginning with
three rooms and a small
kitchen addition.
One of hit daughters lives
there with him now. He had
three daughters, three
grandchildren and four great ?
grandchildren.
The tenior citizen's program
was begun with a grant for
each of the three counties in
the Sandhills Community
Action Program. This year,
each county will have to share
part of the expense to keep the
program financed. The county
commissioners have included
51,500 in the new budget for
Hoke's senior citizens clubs.
$2.5 Million Telephone
Project Nears Completion
Work it nearing completion
on a S2.S million microwave
radio relay facility which will
connect Fayctteville with
Charlotte and all other points
throughout the nation.
Carolina Telephone Manager
(J. Glenn Daugntride said that
the project it a joint
undertaking between this
company and the Southern
Bell Telephone Company.
This new system will
supplement an existing
telephone cable route which is
becoming overtaxed. The rapid
development of this area and
southeastern North Carolina
has brought about an increased
demand for both voice and
data transmission circuits. Calls
from the Clinton. Jacksonville,
New Bern, and Morchead City
areas, as well as other sections
served by Southern Bell, will
be routed over the new
microwave route
Originating at Fayetteville,
the system will terminate at
Stant'ield, 26 miles of
Charlotte. There are
intermediated relay towers and
amplifying equipment located
at Montrose. Hamlet, and a
point near the Pee Dee River.
Service over this route will
begin in September. There will
be 504 long distance circuits
placed in service on the system
initially. The ultimate capacity
is 12,000 telephone
conversations simultaneously.
Daughtridae said that
Carolina Telephone is spending
about S 1,250,000 for the
construction and equipment
involved in its portion of the
new facility.
N?ill J. Blu?
AOINT
Phone 876-3709
P.O. Box 124
Raeford, N. C.
28376
MRS. MARY AIJTRY
PKLALHtK BhlHfcA
Boundary Approved
For Fir** TlistriM
The boundary for the new
Pine Hill rural fire department
was approved last week in
Raleigh by Kenneth Scott,
State Fire Chief^T.C. Jones,
chairman ol the county
commissions announced this
week.
Approval was also given to
extend the boundary of
Dundarrach Rural Fire District
to the four mile limit.
There are now four taxable
fire districts in Hoke County
and four more are being
organized. Jones said.
He asked that a
representative from the fire
districts that are now being
organised to please contact
Ralph Bar n hart, fire
commissioner, to see that the
measurements are made and
that the boundaries are written
for approval in Raleigh.
Thank You
I Appreciate Your Vote
And Support
In The Primary
NEILL L. McFADYEN
Esso retailers have
gone clean crazy!
m
Our Clean craiy Pledge
/ . -
%
T;
Gool Gift
One scenic place mat free with each
gasoline fill-tip, S-gallon mini
mum. Six different place ??
mats in alt. Each has a
popular local scene in
full-color on one side rgfi
and a gold, woven design *0
on the other. Mats are
11" x 17Vi" with round
comers. They are wash- jyp
able, laminated plastic,
and so good looking, f|
they're suitable for fram
ing. Start collecting yours
today at participating Eaeosta
ions. You'll want to ooHsct several
of these sets. It's a beautiful way to
Discover America