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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LX1X NUMBER 2 RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
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The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
58 PER YEAR THURSDAY. MAY 12. 1977
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The rain last Saturday afternoon
did settle the dust but we are in
need of a good steady rain. The
cold front Monday had the
temperature in the 40s Tuesday
morning and most people had to
bring out the jackets again. The
forecast is for the weather to warm
up, beginning Wednesday.
All in all it was a fine weekend
and it seems from the traffic
through town that many mothers
had a fine day with their families.
? ? *
?' Harold Stone had the program at
the Raeford Kiwanis club last
Thursday night and when he
introduced the speaker he had
words to this effect. 1 understand
that the man I introduce to you
could be a rare one as he is the new
doctor in the city and it seems you
don't have new doctors to speak
here regularly. He then presented
Dr. Ramnik Zota who gave an
interesting and well received talk
on his arrival and time spent in this
country before coming to Raeford.
Most of us don't realize the
trouble a newcomer to the country
has when he can't speak English.
There are so many of us who can't
speak anything but English, but
not having been around any other
language, we can't even make
heads or tails out of what a
newcomer is trying to tell us. The
experience of Dr. Zota on his
arrival at Chicago gave the
Kiwanians a few laughs but it
wasn't funny a few years ago to the
doctor.
He also told of how strange some
j things were here, compared to his
native country of India and that it
took awhile to become accustomed
to them. The doctor was very high
on the way people in this country
? are so friendly and helpful to a
newcomer, (of course he had heard
many tall tales about Americans.)
The talk was well received and
the community has a fine citizen to
come here and wants to do a good
job for everyone. Welcome to
Raeford and Hoke County, Dr.
Zota.
? * *
From all reports most of the
precinct meetings went off as
scheduled last Thursday night.
This is the making of the party
organization and from these meet
ings come the party leaders. The
county convention will be held
Saturday, June 18 at 12 o'clock
noon at the courthouse. Be sure to
attend.
? * *
Last week George Pittman finally
got me to go out to the Landfill with
him. George is in charge of
operations for this project and he
had been telling me of all the work
that was being done there, and that
1 wouldn't believe what I would see.
So out to the landfill this writer
went.
It must have been a couple of
years since I was out there and 1
must say it was somewhat different
than my last trip. George was
complaining about some paper on
the grounds but if a landfill can
look all right, then the Hoke -
Raeford one is tops in my
estimation.
This day and time most of us just
want to make our time and leave
and care less about the job we are
doing, but George is proud of what
he is doing and seems to always
make things a little better. Maybe
you have never been to the landfill
and care less, but a trip out might
change your mind and you can see
where some of your tax dollars are
going.
Thanks George for doing a fine
job for the public.
? * ?
Don't forget the annual meeting
of the Raeford ? Hoke Chamber of
Commerce Monday night. The
speaker will be Hector MacLean of
Lumberton, chairman of the board
of Southern National Bank. See
you there.
* * ?
Ann Webb, advertising manager
for The News-Journal is now selling
ads for the graduation issue and we
don't want to leave anyone out. So
if you are not called on in the next
week or so, please get in touch with
this office and we will let her luiow
and she will get in touch with you.
Call 875-2121.
?
Extra Jurors CaUetl
Smith Murder Trial U nderway
? ?
School Unrest Spawns 2nd
Citizens Group ? PTA Unit
The continuing controversy over
the local school situation has
spawned another organization, a
Hoke County Parent Teachers
Association, which has received the
support of School Supt. G. Raz
Autry.
Temporary president of the new
group is Danny McCollum, a West
Hoke parent, Duncan McFadyen, a
Raeford attorney, is acting vice -
president and Charlotte Kelly, a
migrant education recruiter for the
schools, is acting secretary.
McCollum's group met April 26
in the conference room of the
county office building. No public
Principal's Daughters
Get Free School Trip,
Legality In Question
By Marty Vega
An official with the U.S. Office
of Education in Washington said
the legality of the free trip to
Florida for the daughters of a
school principal and one other
youngster whose parents are
schoolteachers is "in question".
The matter centers on the high
school band's three-day trip to
Florida last week. Eight of the
youngsters who made the trip are
Indians and their expenses were
paid wholly out of this year's
federal award of Indian Education
Act funds, assistant superintendent
J.D. McAllister said. The other
students were required to pay the
595 cost themselves.
The group of eight who did not
pay anything included the two
daughters of Upchurch School
principal Earl Oxendine and the
son of Betty and Winfred Rogers,
both high school teachers, accord
ing to McAllister.
As Upchurch principal. Oxen
dine draws 519,884 base salary plus
a local supplement.
Mrs. Rogers is a member of the
Parent Title IV Committee, the
Band Concert
May 19
The annual spring concert of the
Hoke High Band will be held May
19 in the school gymtorium. The
performance begins at 8 p.m.
The band is under the direction
of Jimmy James. The concert is
free, James said.
local body which decides how the
Indian Education Act funds are to
be spent.
Robert Taylor, the chairman of
the Title IV committee, said this
week that there was nothing im
proper in paying the expenses of
the principal's daughters or the
Rogers' son.
"The guidelines simply say the
program is designed to meet the
educational needs of Indian chil
dren with no stipulation whatsoever
as to financial condition. There
fore, the parent committee feels it
would be gross discrimination to
limit participation because of the
financial standing of any Indian
student's family," Taylor said.
The chairman also said that Mrs.
Rogers, secretary of the committee,
did not vote on this issue when the
trip expenditures were approved.
However, Lloyd Elm, education
program specialist responsible for
North Carolina grants, was out of
his Washington office but was
reached in Lumberton late Tuesday
and he said the legality of the
expenditure would have to be
investigated.
"As far as the program applica
tion was written and approved,
unless they prepared a revised
request, the trip wasn't in the
application. This doesn't mean it
was illegal," he said.
"However, it could be considered
an item in which economic need
has to be established. There are
some programs that have a com
ponent of economic need. Whether
this field trip would be considered
(Continued on Page 15)
announcement was made until this
week. Autry attended, along with
county commissioner Neil Mc
Phatter, the Rev. W.K. Mitchell,
and about eight other persons,
asistant extension service agent
Willie Featherstone Jr. said. '
Featherstone said he was not
active in the new association, but
that he had been asked to research
the procedures for setting up such a
chapter of the P.T.A.
Hoke County has not had a local
P.T.A. chapter in a number of
years.
Mrs. Kelly said the group plans a
public meeting June 7 at the Board
of Education offices and hopes to
have the district director of the
P.T.A. here.
McFadyen said he did not intend
to hold permanent office, saying
that he felt it was better to have a
parent or a teacher as vice -
president.
McFadyen also said that the
purpose of the P.T.A. was to serve
all people concerned with school
problems and that it should not be
construed as an attempt to
"counter" the recently ? formed
Citizens in Support of Education in
Hoke County.
Citizens in Support of Education
in Hoke County, led by Richard
Coker, formed last month as a
result of disapproval over the board
of education decisions and the
handling of the attempted dis
missal of Allen Edwards, the high
school principal. That group has
used newspaper advertising to
protest the board's actions.
Gerald Sappenfield, the C.S.E.
treasurer, announced that a public
meeting open to anyone will be held
May 20 at 8 p.m. in the courthouse.
He said the purpose of the meeting
is to give an opportunity for citizens
to express their views on the school
system and to become more active
in the issues.
He also said that a permanent
slate of officers will be chosen at the
meeting.
The superintendent, contacted
Monday, said he felt he and the
board of education members could
give their blessing to the P.T.A.
group. He said he had no opinion
on whether the existence of two,
separate parents' organizations
would be confusing or disruptive,
as both groups share some of the
same objectives.
Testimony in the murder - robbery trial of A.D. Smith Jr. opened
Tuesday morning here in Superior Court after final jurors were
selected from an extra jury pool.
Smith, 24, of Fayetteville. is one of three men accused of the Dec.
23, 1976 slaying of Robert Leslie Brooks, propreitor of the Rockfish
Grocery. Brooks was killed inside the store during an early evening
holdup. Smith and Kenneth Leo Dockery, also 24, of Rt. 1, Raeford,
were arrested here last Dec. 31 and charged with the crimes. A third
defendant, James Otis Havis Jr., 29, a Ft. Bragg serviceman, was
arrested and charged last January.
All of the three are free on bond.
A six - man, six - women jury composed of eight blacks, three
Indians and one white was seated late Tuesday morning. An extra
jury pool of 25 persons was called Monday after the original pool of
jurors was exhausted.
The state has subpoenaed a large number of witnesses and the
trial is expected to last into next week. Already, this is the third
consecutive week of Superior Court before Judge D.B. Herring Jr.
and the spring term of criminal court here normally lasts two weeks.
Many of the witnesses who testified for the state during the Feb.
10 preliminary hearing are expected to be called again this week by
Asst. Dist. Atty. Randy Gregory. Also subpoenaed is Charles Junior
Locklear, who was Smith's cellmate in the Hoke County Jail during
February. Several area radio stations and newspapers have also been
subpoenaed by the prosecution for the trial and ordered to bring all
news accounts, broadcast and published, concerning the case.
SNB Head To Address
Annual Chamber Dinner
The Chairman and chief
executive of Southern National
Bank of North Carolina and
Southern National Corporation will
address the Raeford - Hoke
Chamber of Commerce annual
banquet Monday night.
A former mayor of Lumberton
and former state senator from
Robeson County, Hector MacLcan
will speak to the group in the
Gibson Cafeteria at the high
school.
A lawyer, banker and farmer,
MacLean is listed in Who's Who in
America, Who's Who in the South
and Southwest, and Who's Who in
International Commerce and
Industry.
He is also director of North
Carolina Zoological Society, Inc., a
member of the First Presbyterian
Church in Lumberton, president of
the Medical Foundation of North
Carolina, chairman of the North
Carolina Bicentennial Commission,
director of the N.C. Natural Gas
Corp., and president of Lumberton
Implement Co.
The son of former Gov. Angus
MacLean. he spent his early years
in the executive mansion in Raleigh
meeting notables like Charles A.
Lindbergh and Will Rogers.
MacLean finished school however
in Lumberton and later earned his
BS. from Davidson College. After
being discharged as an Army Major
after WWII, MacLean married the
former Lyl Warwick and decided to
follow his father's footsteps and
become a lawyer. He earned an
LL.B. in 1948 from U.N.C. Chapel
Hill.
The MacLeans have one daugh
ter. Lyl MacLean Clinard, whose
husband is a law student at Wake
Forest University.
The banquet program will also
feature entertainment provided by
the Hoke High Chorale and by
harpist Olive Jenkins.
New chamber board officers will
be introduced to the group. Earl
Fowler has been elected president,
Bobby Burns McNeill, first vice -
president, William McDonald,
second vice president, and Frank
Baker, secretary ? treasurer.
Three new members have also
joined the board of directors,
Robert Gatlin, Julian Johnson, and
B.B. McNeill.
Hector Mac Lean
Robeson Community
Center Lends A Hand
By Marty Vega
Like most elderly residents
living on fixed incomes with ever
- present inflation, Mrs. Maggie
Brown thought she would
probably never be able to repair
her sagging kitchen ceiling or
windows around her South
Hoke home.
replace the weatherbeaten
Today, she is getting both
jobs done, plus a new roof and a
rebuilt porch, thanks to the
Robeson County Church and
Community Center, Inc.
The Center, a non - govern
ment agency which operates a
wide range of programs to
improve the quality of life for
ijmmm wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
KITCHEN CEILING The unsightly and dangerous ceiling here will be
repaired at no cost to the elderly homeowner, thanks to one of the housing
assitance programs operated by the Robeson County Church and
Community Center. Besides improving the appearance, the repair will
greatly bolster insulation, often a problem with substandard nomes.
low - income families, was able
to do the work on Mrs. Brown's
home at no cost to her through a
special grant designed to help
people "weatherize" homes and
save costly fuel. Besides Mrs.
Brown, three other Hoke
County residents, all elderly,
have had free work done on
their homes.
Although only a relatively few
number of families will be able
to get free work done, there is a
"self - help" project available to
families who qualify, also.
A six - man construction crew
can furnish quality labor at no
cost to households that can
supply the materials or the
money for the materials.
The Center will also assist
homeowners in a 504 loan. The
504 loan is offered through the
Farmers Home Administration
to repair or improve privately -
owned dwellings to make them
safe, sound and sanitary.
Repairs may include roofing,
porches, floors, installation of a
bathroom, the addition of a
room, insulation work and other
improvements.
The interest rate on a 504
loan is only one per cent. The
loan cannot exceed $5,000.
The Center counselors will
also assist in arranging new
home loans for eligible families
under the FmHA 502 program.
A family with an adjusted
income of approximately $6,000
may qualify for this loan with an
interest rate ranging from one
per cent to eight and one - half
per cent.
The Robeson County Church
and Community Center, Inc.,
operates within a four - country
region and has counselors who
will help clients complete ap
plications and any necessary
forms at no cost. Mrs. Bertie
Harden is the Hoke County
counselor for the housing pro
rams and can be reached at
75-3849, or by contacting the
Center office, Rt. 4, Box 845,
Lumberton, 28358, telephone
738-5204.
1.
? ? ? ? w I m _ V
HOUSE REPAIR ?? James Billinger. contractor, and helpers James
Hammond and Lorenzo Murchison, are at work finishing the new roof at
Mrs. Maggie Brown's residence near South Hoke. The work was made
possible through a grant received by the Robeson County Church and
Community Center, Inc.
4