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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXII NUMBER 43 HARFORD, HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
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Struck Northeast Area Early February 11
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1981
1 Death , Damage Blamed On Hoke Tornado
Around
it Town
BY SAMC. MORRIS
The weather for the weekend and
the past day has been perfect. The
temperature Monday was in the
high 60s and the low Monday night
was in the 40s.
We can't expect the weather to
stay this way because the March
snows are the largest we have most
^ears. Easter is late this year being
^n April 19th. It seems that we
always have cold weather until after
Easter.
It would be fine with me if the
weather continued the way it has
been for the past few days, espe
cially with the cost of heating one's
home.
? * *
A Don't forget that the United
T^und Drive will begin around the
first of March. An announcement
should be forth coming soon from
the campaign chairman.
? * ?
The following letter was received
this week and we say "Thank
You." The letter is self-explana
tory;
gPear Mr. Morris:
It was indeed a pleasure talking
with you in regard to your article of
January 29, 1981 in the "News
Journal" concerning the plight of
the agencies served by the United
Fund of Hoke County.
As an industry vitally concerned
with the many community services
provided by these agencies, we wish
to pledge the continued support of
Carolina Telephone and Telegraph
QTompany to this fine effort by the
enclosed check for $150.
Best wishes toward you and your
community's efforts to keep the
United Fund alive and functioning.
Yours very truly,
J.L. Holmes
District Commercial Manger
This letter was received last week
QYom a native of Raeford and Hoke
County. He is a graduate of
Raeford High School in 1932 and a
brother of the late William La
mont. He graduated from The
Citadel in Charleston. S.C. and
from that time on worked for the
highway system in South Carolina.
We think the letter will be of
interest to our readers:
JDear Sam.
P Enclosed is a personal check in
the amount of S6.24. the reduced
rate, for renewal of our News-Jour
nal subscription.
I retired on Aug. 29 with 42 years
service with the Federal Highway
Adminstration. As structural En
gineer it has been a very rewarding
career.
Sam, I would like to commend
you and your weekly column. It is
Knost interesting and enlightening.
\ also enjoy Mr. Lindau's editorials
and the editorial views of others as
well.
During the summer, about July I
believe, you mentioned an adver
tisement in an old newspaper
signed by Major Murdock McRae
McLauchlin teacher and principal
of Raeford Institute. He was my
great uncle and a brother of John
W. McLauchlin of Raeford. My
pnother was also a teacher in the
Raeford Institute. My father and
mother told me stories of the
Institute and of relatives.
I would like to relate a brief story
about Major M.M. McLauchlin
that you might find interesting. As
a Confederate officer in the "War
Between the States" Maj. Mc
Lauchlin was wounded by a shot
through the jaw breaking his
jawbone. Although painfully
?vounded he escaped capture and
returned to his family home. This
was the old McLauchlin home
located to the right of the Arabia
road and about a mile east of the
crossing of Rockfish Creek on old
Rt. 401 (Fayetteville Highway) if 1
remember correctly. I believe the
old home is still standing at least it
was a few yean ago. Tne Yankee
soldiers found out that he was there
^nd came to capture him. As two
* (See AROUND TOWN, page 12)
Remains of Mrs. Beulah Stephenson s mobile home after it was knocked off Vernon Lee. is the man in the pit helmet walking toward the trailer's floor,
its cinder blocks in the foreground. Mrs. Stephenson's son ? in ? law. still on trailer's wheels.
Vacancy Left By Resignation
Wright Named To School Board
Robert H. Wright, a 40-year-old
Rt. I, Raeford, farmer, was named
Thursday afternoon to the Hoke
County Board of Education to fill
the vacancy created February 3 by
the resignation of Dr. Riley M.
Jordan.
He will serve the remainder of
Jordan's four-year term which will
expire in December 1982. Jordan
also was chairman of the board
when he left. A new chairman will
be elected by the board members at
their regular meeting March 3.
Wright was the only person
nominated tor the vacancy at the
special meeting of the school
board, but Mrs. Mina Townsc'nd,
the board's vice chairman who
presided in the absence of a
chairman, said 15 names were
submitted by groups and indivi
duals for consideration, and each
of the 15 was discussed by every
member of the board.
Wright will be sworn in at the
board's March meeting.
Wright was nominated for the
board membership by Walter
Coley. Wright has never served in
public office but Coley said Wright
has three children who arc students
in the public schools and has
expressed deep interest in the
schools. Coley said of Wright. "He
will be a very competent and
capable person on this board."
Mrs. Ruth McNair seconded
Wright's nomination.
The vote was taken after Mrs.
Iownsend asked whether any other
nominations were made. All four
members of the board voted for
Wriuht.
Wright is a native of Hoke
C ounty and a graduate of Campbell
College. He is married to the
former Shirley Johnson.
Coley was seleeted by official vote
nt his fellow board members to ask
Wright whether he would accept
the selection of him to serve on the
board.
After the board acted on the
vacancy, the members voted to go
into executive session to discuss a
personnel matter. When the meet
ing was reopened, the board mem
bers adopted a motion to adjourn.
Citizenship Award For 1980
McBryde Kiwanis Man Of Year
Thomas Franklin McBryde, a
Hoke County native and builder, is
the Raeford Kiwanis Club's Man
of the Year for 1980.
He was announced Thursday
night as the recipient of the honor
and was presented the Man of the
Year trophy. The honor is the
club's Citizenship Award.
The announcement and presen
tation were made at the club's an
nual Ladies Night dinner at the
Southern Pines Elks and Country
Club.
Club President Wilton Wood
served as master of ceremonies for
the annual program.
> Club members who haven't miss
ed a club meeting for at least one
year and as many as 37 also were
honored. The member honored for
having had perfect attendance for
37 years is Marion Gatlin. Gatlin
also was announced as the reci
pient of the Golden Skillet award,
which is given to the member who
sells the most tickets to the club's
annual Pancake Supper. Gatlin
sold 70 to this year's event.
The award for having given the
best program at a club meeting
during the past year went to Dale
Teal, whose program was on Jean
Johnson's trip to China.
The attendance awards were
given to the following in addition
to Gatlin, with the number of years
of perfect attendance of each
listed: Harold Gillis 18, Benny
McLeod and Avery Connell 17
each,. Bill Moses and Frank
Crumpler 15 each; Jim Attaway
12, Bill Lancaster 10, Bill Niven H,
Vardell Hedgpeth 7, Gene Carter
and Dale Teal 6 each, Wood 4, ani
Ralph Calloway 1.
The details of McBryde's ser
vices to the community and
church, his business activities and
his family background are told in
the following read by Harold Gillis
at the meeting preceding the
announcement of his selection for
the honor and the presentation of
the trophy.
THOMAS FRANKLIN
MCBRYDE
In last Sunday's Fayeneville
Times-Observer, there was a
feature article regarding Waller
Cronkite, CBS's anchorman. The
writer quotes a former associate of
Walter Cronkite as follows, "He's
a tremendously loyal person and
the friends he has made over the
years when he was a working
reporter are still his friends.
That's a very important part of his
character. He's a great human be
ing. That's the kind of a guy he
is."
The individual we honor tonight
is just that same type of man.
As all of us know, the Raeford
Kiwanis Club annually recognizes
a person whom they consider has
made a significant contribution to
our county and city. This award is
something very special. Thirty-two
persons have received this award
since it was first established in
1949. Through a secret committee,
the Kiwanis Club is very careful
and meticulous in the selection of a
worthy individual.
The person chosen tonight has
freely served to make our com
munity a better place without ever
seeking or desiring applause or
recognition. In his quite way, he
has truly been one of our outstand
ing leaders over a number of
years. In fact, he is not for what is
happening right now. I believe I
(See MAN OF YKAR. page 1 2)
Thomas McBryde \left\ receiving the Hoke Man of the Year trophy from
Wilton Wood. Raejord Kiwanis Cltih president, at the club's annual
Ladies' Night dinner Thursday. | Photo hy Harold Gillis . |
Staff photos and text
by Bill Lindau
A tornado struck the north
eastern area of Hoke County
early l-ebruary 11, causing one
death and at least $66,000 damage
to buildings and $125,000 to
limber.
(Other photos of storm damages
can be seen elsewhere in today's
edition of The News-Journal.)
Tree limbs were knocked down
on power lines throughout the
area, cutting off electricity to
many homes and businesses. Much
of the service was restored by
noon, about 8'/2 hours after the
tornado was reported to have
struck the area.
Mrs. Beulah Stephenson 77, was
in her mobile behind the home of
her son, Roy Stephenson, just off
SR 1406 a few miles west of
Rockfish when the tornado swept
the residence off its cinder-block
foundation and dropped it on its
wheels about 15 to 20 feet away.
One report said the mobile home
was turned over completely.
Mrs. Stephenson was reported
to have suffered fractures of
several ribs but died in Cape Fear
Valley Hospital in Fayetteville of
shock or a heart attack caused by
the accident.
The Hoke County Rescue Squad
was called, but trees or limbs felled
by the winds delayed the squad
members and equipment on route
to the home.
Stephenson, meanwhile, carried
his mother from the scene to the
house.
The mobile home was stripped
completely of its walls, and fur
nishings and parts of the structure
were scattered around the area as
far as about 100 yards away.
A mobile home and a smaller
storage trailer were knocked on
their sides by the storm while Mr.
and Mrs. Louis Halstead were in
the mobile home, but they were
uninjured and got out of the fallen
trailer through a hole made in the
roof.
Across the road from the
Halstead trailer, the storm
destroyed three farm buildings,
and uprooted large trees on the
properly of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Wood. The chimney, however, ap
parently was all that was damaged
at the Woods' home, which is not
far from the farm buildings.
The Woods lost a cattle barn,
vacant at the time, a storage
building, and a tobacco barn
which was being used at the time to
store hay.
The tornado apparently leap
frogged along SR 1406 for about
five miles eastward through
Rockfish and about 150 yards
flanking the road.
The News-Journal photographer,
who went out to get pictures of the
damage, saw the first evidence of
the storm at the old Rockfish
School building and a small un
occupied house, the latter facing
1406. Neither building appeared to
have been damaged but large trees
had been knocked down, one
uprooted. The property is owned by
Hadley Peoples Manufacturing Co.
of Siler City, which once produced
yarn there, but the plant is out of
production. __
Across a side road running in
front of the old school house, three
large trees in Paul Heath's front
yard were knocked down by the
storm.
Oscar Ray, the caretaker of the
Hadley property, said the storm
knocked out the windows of his
house, which is near the buildings.
Elsewhere, between there and
Rockfish fallen trees and limbs
were on the ground in many
places.
Mrs. Carl Strickland, wife of the
pastor of Tabernacle Baptist
Church of Rockfish. said the tor
nado "sounded like a freight
train" when she first heard it. She
said this was at about 3:30 a.m.
Mrs. Strickland was at the Woods'
home when she made the comment
to the reporter. Mrs. Halstead was
there also but asleep at the time, a
guest of the Woods, after she had
been up all night after the storm
struck.
The estimates of the damage in
Hoke were made late in the morn
ing the day of the storm by Bill
Niven, Hoke County director for
the federal Emergency Manage
ment Administration. He had
come to the Stephenson home with
(See TORNADO, page 13)