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The Hoke County News - Established 1 928
VOLUME LX1X NUMBER 4 RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY. MAY 26. 1977
Around
Town
BY SAM C.MORRIS
The weather is getting better all
the time. As I came to work this
morning (Tuesday) it was raining
and it must have been raining for
some time as everything was wet
and water was standing in low
places. This is the second rain in a
week.
This should aid the farmers with
beans still in the ground and also
should help the gardens if it is not
too late. Maybe the grass will lose
the brownish color and turn green
again.
? ? ?
The band concert given by the
82nd Airborne Division band at the
Raeford Presbyterian Church was
well attended last Sunday after
noon. The program was sponsored
by the newly founded Arts Council
of Hoke County. This was a fine
event and is the kind of enter
tainment that most of us want our
families to take part in.
Thanks to the council for
bringing this program to the people
of the county.
? * ?
The passing last Friday of John
Dune McNeill, takes from this
community another well known
figure or character. Dune was, for
many years, manager of the
hardware department of McLauch
lin Company. So many of the
newcomers to Hoke County will
recall him in this part of his life.
To this writer and those older.
Dune can be recalled as one of
Hoke County's outstanding ath
letes. He was an all - around player,
taking part in baseball, football
and basketball.
I first remember him when he
worked as a high school boy for
Daniel McKeithan in the small
wooden store located on the lot
where the hotel building now
stands next to DeVane's. He would
give us kids stick candy, and of
course this is something that a kid
always keeps in his memories.
Then his days in high school,
playing basketball on the courts
outside on the school grounds. This
is when the girls played on one side
of the building and the boys' court
was on the opposite side.
Watching him play in the semi -
finals in football against Wil
mington at Quarterback and
getting defeated and then Wil
mington going on to win the State
title.
The next spring, pitching Rae
ford High to the Eastern cham
pionship before losing to Shelby 4 -
2 for the state crown.
Yes, an outstanding high school
player.
Then on to Chapel Hill and his
college career in baseball and
football.
I recall in the early 1930s when
the Shoeheel league was in full
swing during the summer months.
Dune was playing for Raeford and
Jim Moore Tatum was playing for
Dillon. On this occasion the team
was at Dillon for a game and it
began to rain. Most of the players
headed for cars around the park to
wait out the rain. Dune and Tatum
had played football together at
Carolina, so they both got in Buck
Blue's car and this writer, who was
bat boy, got in with them. The tales
they related of the college days and
football under Coach Chuck
Collins has always remained with
me.
Of course, many will remember
Dune for his practical jokes which
he played on anyone who shopped
at the hardward. To others it will
be meeting early in the morning at
the hardware and listening to all
the gossip.
Yes, John Dune was a well
known figure and character in
Hoke County, and his being around
during my lifetime leaves many
pleasant memories.
? ? ?
Benny McLeod had the program
at the Raeford Kiwanis Club last
Thursday night and presented Lt.
Col. Tommy Thompson of Fort
Bragg who spoke on many aspects
of the new all ? volunteer army.
Last Saturday was Armed Forces
Day and the program was in
conjunction with that day. I will not
comment or give comments on
what Col. Thompson said as it
could lead to a trip to Washington!
? * ?
Since some of my friends were
(See AROUND TOWN, Pg. 1 5)
DIRECTOR ?? Judy Covington Hendrix and one of her Developmental Day
Care Center students, Bryan, share a book about trucks. Mrs. Hendrix
joined the center May 16 as director. [Photo by S.H. Aplin]
Director Named For
Developmental Center
The Board of Directors for the
Hoke County Association for De
velopment ally Disabled has an
nounced the placement of Judy
Covington Hendrix, 25, as director
of the Hoke County Developmental
Day Care Center.
Chairman of the board. Warren
Pate, said that Mrs. Hendrix began
work at the center May 16. Funded
by a H.E.W. ^rant and monies
from the Sandhills Region Mental
Health Center, the Hoke Center is
aimed primarily at caring for
preschool children with mental or
physical disabilities.
The center is familiar territory
for Mrs. Hendrix who did a three
month internship there in 1975
under former director Dorothy
Johnson.
Mrs. Hendrix is a 1970 graduate
of Scotland High School in Laurin
burg and received an A. A. in
human resources from Sandhills
Community College. She worked at
the Moore County Children's Cen
ter in Southern Pines prior to
joining the Raeford Center as
director. She has also tutored
CSE Plan
Citizens in Support of Education
in Hoke County, an organization
which formed last month in protest
over the Board of Education's
attempt to dismiss high school
principal Allen Edwards, held its
first official meeting Friday night
and announced plans to circulate a
county - wide petition.
The meeting in the courthouse
attracted about 25 persons.
Richard Coker, the temporary
chairman of the group, argued
against the school board's decision
to transfer Edwards to Upchurch
Rain Drops Ke
Crops in Hoke County welcomed
the rain that began falling Tuesday
in the wake of a long, dry spell that
had plagued fields throughout the
Cape Fear Region.
Agricultural Extension Agent
Wendell Young indicated that if
the rains continues it will definitely
end thg drought. According to his
observations, the rain was coming
down in all parts of the county. A
light rain was coming down in all
parts of the county. A light rain last
weekend had left as much as one
inch in some sections while other
parts of the county recieved almost
none.
The crop situation never had
reached the critical stage according
to Young.
"We suffered some getting crops
up, like in some cotton fields," he
said. However, Young went on to
prisoners in basic reading skills,
done volunteer work at Reynolds
Rest Home in Carthage, and
worked identifying retarded adults
in Moore County for the ADAP
program. For the past six months
she has served as a Girl Scout
leader for eight handicapped girls
in Moore County. During her first
year at Sandhills, Mrs. Hendrix
started a private project in which
she collected and distributed SI 50
to needy families in Moore County.
Later as part of her school field
program she worked with the
Headstart Project in Vass.
Assisted by Mrs. Irene Goins and
Mrs. Woodie Morrison, the new
director said that she was currently
reviewing records and setting up
individual programs for each of the
children.
"We can always use volunteers
who can come on a regular basis."
she said. "We need people to hold
the children and try to stimulate
them."
Mrs. Hendrix has one son. Chad,
age six.
s Petition
Junior High School and transter
Upchurch principal Earl Oxendine
to the high school, saying it was
unwise from a "cost per benefit"
standpoint.
Gerald Sappenfield, the C.S.E
treasurer, agreed to spearhead the
petition drive and to try and get
leaders working in each of the
county's seven townships. The goal
is to collect signatures in time to
present the petition to the school
board at their regular meeting
which is June 6. The petition will
formally request the board to
ep Falling
say that most ot the corn was
already up and many farmers
delayed setting soybeans until it
rained. The moisture falling can
help some of the parched tobacco,
Wendell said.
"It's really too early in the season
to say we've suffered damage." said
Young. "We've not really worried
over lack of moisture. Mavbe in
another week or two we'd have had
a problem."
Young said that local people may
have noticed fields of corn with the
leaves rolled and may have been
alarmed. Actually it is a normal
reflex by the plant to try to keep
moisture from evaporating and
does not necessarily mean that the
crop has been damaged.
"I'm not trying to minimize the
need for rain, I'm just saying that
for us the situation hasn't gotten
critical." he said.
A&R Plans For Lumber Yard
To Run Into City Opposition
'No Shows ' Raise
Judge's Hackles ,
Says System * Stinks '
Judge Joe Dupree. who in recent
weeks has sharply criticized tratYic
offenders who fail to show in court,
handed out numerous PJC
dispositions in District Court here
Thursday in protest of a system
that "stinks."
Dupree apparently became an
gered over the number of "no
shows" in Court Thursday. Out of
86 cases calendared. 47 were
persons cited to court for traffic
offenses. Of the 47. 31 defendants
were called and failed and orders
for arrest papers were drawn.
"Under the present system,
orders for arrest go out but 1
suspect you'll find that maybe 50
per cent of them are never served.
The officers hold the orders for a
period not to exceed 90 days and if
it's not served, it is returned. As a
rule, they are not sent out again.
So. if a person can avoid service for
90 days, the case is dismissed and
that person is only assessed points
on his record for failing to appear,"
Dupree said.
"So what we have is simply
this-those people who do come to
court are fulfilling an obligation
and are law-abiding citizens. But
by being law-abiding citizens, they
are penalized for coming to court if
they are then assessed the cost of
court and a fine, too. So anyone
can obviously see that it doen't pay
to come to court in traffic cases and
the present system stinks." the
judge said.
"I have every intention of being
just as kind as 1 possibly can be to
people who come to court as they
are bound to do when charged with
minor traffic offenses, as attested
to by the PJC's in my court today."
he said.
A PJC, or prayer for judgment
continued, does not count as a
conviction and ordinarily no final
judgment is entered and no points
are assessed on a driver's record.
Assistant district attorney John
Dickson agreed that "something
definitely needs to be done about
the problem".
Earlier this month. Dupree
presented an idea in the form of a
proposed bill for the General
Assembly that would allow police
officers to take possession of a
person's operator's license at the
time of issuing a ticket. The person
would be given a receipt which
Drive
reverse its decision on transferring
the two principals.
"To be effective we have to be
better informed," Coker told the
group, in discussing long - range
objectives. "Our organization has
to gather information and disem
minate it. as well as know the
regulations and statutes."
Coker urged that C.S.E. rep
resentatives attend the first meeting
of the newly-created Hoke County
Parent Teacher Association to find
out what that organization's
objectives are.
Coker also announced that
C.S.E. had incurred expenses of
S71 for newspaper and radio
advertising and appealed for
contributions.
Jobless Rate
Creeps Up
Joblessness in Hoke County
during March climbed to 8.2 per
cent, according to the latest report
issued by the Employment Security
Commission.
l he March figure reflects a rise
over the February estimate of 7.8
per cent.
In the latest report, an estimated
650 persons were out of work
during March out of a total labor
force put at 7,950 persons. Number
of employed persons was estimated
at 7.300.
would allow him to continue
driving until his court date. Then,
if the defendant tailed to come to
court, his license would be kept.
Dupree heartily supports the
plan, believing it would help cut
down on the number of "no shows"
in the state's courts. The judge
estimates that "no shows" are
costing North Carolina taxpayers as
much as S10 million a year in
administrative costs.
Dupree's protest gladdened
many of the lucky offenders in
court Thursday who received PJC's.
One man began clapping his hands
when his case came up until he was
told to stop.
An assistant clerk of court.
Willaree McDuffie. estimated that
about 75 per cent of the arrest
orders for failing to appear are
returned served. At the judge's
request, the clerk's office will begin
keeping a record for the next 30
days for comparison purposes.
Murder
Charges
Dropped
Following the May 13 acquittal
of Allen Dwain Smith Jr.. the
District Attorney's office formally
dismissed charges against Kenneth
Leo Dockery and James Otis Havis
Jr. who had been scheduled to be
tried in June.
Dockery. 24, of Raeford. and
Mavis. 29. a Ft. Bragg serviceman,
were indicted along with Smith for
the first degree murder and robbery
of Robert Leslie Brooks last Dec.
23 at Brooks' store in Rockfish.
Smith, of Fayetteville. was
acquitted of both charges by a
Superior Court jury in a week-long
trial here which ended May 13. A
spokesman in the District At
torney's office said convictions in
the two cases were unlikely in view
of the acquittal of Smith.
?
City council members hinted
Monday that they will try and
influence the Zoning Board of
Adjustment to turn down a pro
posed lumber yard in the central
business district.
The council met at 8:30 Monday
morning for a special meeting.
According to city manager
Robert Drumwright. the Aberdeen
and Rockfish Railroad has applied
for a conditional use permit to
allow Calloway Land and Timber
Sales to use an area along the
railroad siding for storing timber
until it can be shipped out.
Drumwright said the railroad plans
to use the area in which three
warehouses were recently removed.
The city manager said the railroad
also intends to close Central Ave.
through the yards and the unpaved
portion of the alley running behind
Home Food Market.
Councilmen Graham Clark and
Sam Morris expressed disapproval
at the plan. Morris said the A&R
president. William Formyduval,
had told him the reason for tearing
down the warehouses was to clean
up the area, and Morris said he
didn't regard putting in a load of
lumber as cleaning up.
Mayor J.K. McNeill Jr. ques
tioned the need for closing up the
roadways but the city manager said
he didn't have any further infor
mation about that part of the plan.
Drumwright warned councilmen
that the city would be needing an
easement from the timber firm
owner for the proposed sewer
construction work along Hwy. 211
in another matter. Councilman
Bob Gentry remarked to the others
that Calloway has "got an ace in
the hole".
Since the matter concerns a
conditional use decision, it is up to
the board of adjustment, not the
city council, to rule on it. Council
members requested a list of the
members on the board from the city
manager.
The board of adjustment has
scheduled a public meeting on the
application for June 13 at 8 p.m. at
city hall. The application seeks a
non-conforming use for a period
of 18 months.
In other business, the council
approved two decisions of the
Planning Board. Edward Jamison
received permission to move a small
office building from Ft. Bragg to a
vacant lot at Central Ave. and
Reeves St. for use as a beauty shop.
Crawford Davis received permis
sion to move a building to 506 W.
Donaldson Ave. for use as a
garage.
Neither of the requests was a
zoning matter, Drumwright said,
but city council approval is re
(See LUMBER, Pg. 15)
i fHV
NO BACK SEAT DRIVER -- Snoopy got impatient waiting for his master
to finish his business on W. Elwood Ave. and hopped behind the wheel to
go for a spin around the block. Snoopy and his owner. Clifford Collins of
Edinborough A vt. . enjoy the ' 'open air ' rides created by the stripped down
Chevy. \Photo by S.H. Aplin )