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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXII NUMBER 49 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8PER YEAR THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1981
J Around
1 Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The weather is typical, Spring.
The weekend was perfect for the
outdoors and on Monday we had
some rain. I don't know how much
but every little bit helps.
The forecast is for the tempera
tures to be in the 70s for the
^remainder of the week. This will be
"nice for the GGO at Greensboro.
* * ?
Last week I mentioned in this
column that Jake Austin wouldn't
say whether he had a ticket to the
NCAA basektball tournament in
Philadelphia. Well, he had more
than one ticket because Jake, Doris
and son, Tony, all attended the
fcevent.
After the paper hit the streets, I
had a call from Earl Oxendine, one
of the big shot educators of the
school system, who said that he was
going to attend the tournament.
Earl didn't purchase a ticket, but
had been invited to attend a family
reunion in Philadelphia and they
? were also going to attend the
k tournament.
He said that his brother, Joe
^Oxendine a professor at Temple
University, had purchased 20
tickets and that seven of the eight
Oxendine brothers and other
members of the family were all
going to attend. Temple University
is the host college for the NCAA
tournament, so the professor had a
chance for some prize tickets.
We are sure that Earl had a big
time and enjoyed getting together
^vith other family members. Now
?his is what I would call a "Family
Reunion."
* * *
D.R. Huff was by the office
Monday and said that he had been
in Washington last week attending
the National Convention of the Soil
and Water Conservation Associa
tion. Huff is president of the North
^Carolina organization and repre
sented the state at the meeting.
He said that the most enjoyable
experience during the week was a
breakfast with Don Abernethy and
Jim Taylor. Of course most of you
readers know the two gentlemen.
Don was superintendent ot schools
here for several years and Jim was
editor of The News-Journal during
the early 1%0's. Huff said they said
to give their regards to all the folks
^n Hoke County.
? Thanks Junior for delivering the
message and we wish the successful
political pair would come to Hoke
for a visit.
The publisher and his wife
returned to the city Monday and
reported in after lunch. I told him
that Buddy Blue had told me at
Munch that he had seen him and
wlargaret in Lumberton a few
minutes before he called.
Dickson said that it didn't make
any difference where you went, that
someone would see you and let
someone in Raeford know about it.
Welcome home Dicksons, even
though we know that your feet will
soon become itchy again and you
will soon be gone.
The end of the road came for all
Tar Heel fans, including myself,
Monday night at Philadelphia. The
(See AROUND TOWN. Page 12)
I Board Recommends
u Denial Of
Variance Request
The Raeford City Planning
Board Tuesday night recom
mended by unanimous vote
that a request by i.H. Wright
for a variance in the zoning
ordinance to permit establish
ment of multifamily apart
ments in a residential district.
A the College Drive-Teal Drive
area, be denied. The recom
mendation will come before the
City Council Monday night for
action.
The board meeting was at
tended by many residents of
the area who protested the
request.
Seven members of the Plan
ning Board participated in the
public hearing.
Pre- Application Sought $500, 000
Downtown Revitalization Grant Denied
Officials Requested To Cancel Transfer
Petition Wants Caldwell At Scurlock
A petition to keep Floyd Caldwell
as principal of Scurlock School is
being circulated in the school
community.
The petition requests the Hoke
County Board of Education and
County Schools Supt. Raz Autry
"to consider the recent change of
Floyd W. Caldwell, Jr. and allow
him to remain as principal..."
The petition gives these reasons
for the requests.
Over the years Mr. Caldwell has
earned the respect of the parents,
teachers and residents of the area
which Scurlock School serves. His
personal knowledge of the people
and the area cannot be replaced.
His rapport with all of the people in
the area will take years to attain by
a new principal.
"For these reason we feel Scur
lock School would function in a
more efficient manner if Mr.
Caldwell were permitted to re
main.
"We request you consider and
yes we implore and even beg of you
to permit Mr. Caldwell to remain at
Scurlock School."
The petition bearing the signa
tures of people supporting it will be
submitted to the school board at its
regular monthly meeting April 7.
The meeting will start at 7 p.m.
and will be held in the conference
room of the Board of Education
building on Wooley Street. Rae
ford.
Caldwell was one of the princi
pals transferred effecitve next
school year by the school board
March 3 in accepting recommenda
tions made by Autry. Caldwell was
assigned to McLaughlin Elemen
tary School, Woodrow Westall,
from West Hoke to South Hoke,
George Wood from South Hoke to
Scurlock, and Assistant Hoke High
Principal Milton Williams to West
Hoke as principals, and James
Bowles, McLauchlin principal to
director of remedial programs at
Hoke High.
In giving reasons his recom
mendations to transfer the admini
strators, Autry said of Caldwell
that he felt Caldwell, because of his
experience at Scurlock. could give
McLauchlin a different direction
and that he has the ability to work
very closely with the faculty.
Caldwell's state salary for the
McLauchlin position is $84 per
month less than his pay at Scurlock
is. but the difference will have to be
made up, under state law, for at
least a year, by the county school
board. The McLauchlin pay is less
because McLauchlin has fewer
teachers than Scurlock. Caldwell's
pay at Scurlock is $24,684 per year.
Legislator Allowed Time
to Pay Off Check
State Rep. Horace Locklear of
Lumberton has been given till
Friday to raise the money to make
restitution for a $2,000 worthless
check.
Locklear's case was scheduled
for trial last Friday in Scotland
County District Court but was
continued till Friday to give him
time to raise the money to make the
check good.
Assistant District Attorney John
Carter said Friday the case was
rescheduled for April 3 after the
prosecuting witness, Lacy Collings
of Rt. 3, Marton, agreed to allow
Locklear time to raise the money.
Locklear told news people Friday
the check charge resulted from a
personal check he had written late
last year as part of his part
ownership of First American tobac
co warehouse. He said he wrote the
check because a $40,000 mortage
on the warehouse was due early this
year and that the warehouse's
money was wanted to meet the
mortgage payment.
Locklear was named in a civil
suit filed by Southern National
Bank of Lumberton March 11 in
Robeson Superior Court for alleged
default on three loans. The suit
asks foreclosing on a 1968 Porsche
and business equipment put up as
security for two bank loans totaling
$9,677.76 and also wants payment
of a $500 loan which the bank
alleges Locklear hasn't repaid.
The bank says Locklear is in
default of $4,500 of a $10,000 loan
he obtained between 1978 and
1980.
Last December. Locklear an
nounced he planned to resign from
the State House, because of busi
ness and family reasons, but shortly
after January 1 he announced he
had decided to stay in the House.
At the time, he said, "Since my
announcement, the influx of 'do
not resign' support has been over
whelming, thus resulting in num
erous conferences and meetings
with supporters from the 21st
District (Hoke, Scotland, and
Robeson counties).
"As a result of the overwhelming
support 1 am today announcing my
decision to retain my elected posi
tion..."
Locklear. an attorney, was re
elected unopposed to his House
seat, in the November 1980 General
Election. He is serving his third
two-year term. David Paraell and
William C. Gay are the district's
other members of the State House.
Chamber Executive Writes
Hunt Asked T o
Intervene On McCain
Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., has
been urged to intervene and stop
action to close McCain Hospital
and insist that the true facts be
made available before any final
decision is made.
Earl Fowler, executive director of
the Raeford-Hoke County Cham
ber of Commerce, made the plea in
a letter written to the governor
Monday morning.
Fowlers's letter points out that a
member of the State Human
Resources Department staff admit
ted information he obtained on the
number of patients at the hospital
was incorrect. Fowler also pointed
out that the staff member (Jim
Woodall) has not explained why he
did not correct it.
The closing of the hospital, the
state's only such institution treating
lung diseases has been recom
mended by a state budget sub
committee as an option for cutting
state expenses.
Fowler's letter also referred to
final meeting of the Specialty
Hospital Task Force held February
16, 1978. At this session, Fowler
says, quoting the written record,
the final vote showed 14 in favor of
keeping McCain and the two other
lung-disease state hospitals open,
and six for closing them. Fowler's
letter adds that after the meeting
was closed formally, the chairman
of the Task Force, Glenn Wilson,
informed the group that minority
reports should be submitted to Dr.
Sarah Morrow, the secretary of the
Human Resources Department, as
part of the Task Forces report.
Fowler notes that Wilson and
seven doctors, members of the Task
Force, signed the minority report,
though one, Dr. Ernest W. Staub
of Pinehurst, wrote a qualifying
statement. Staub's statement says
he feels the patients cared for
through the specialty hospitals
system must continue to receive
care, and that arrangements for
this must be made prior to the
closing of the specialty hospitals.
Staub s statements adds that he
also feels that if a single hospital is
maintained, is should be McCain
"Because it appears to be in the
best physical condition.
"It has an ongoing and long
standing surgical-teaching affili
ation with the Department of
Surgery of Duke University Medi
cal Center."
The statement, in reference to
making of arrangements for pa
tients before closing the hospitals,
says: "According to testimony and
personal experience, this group of
patients has particularly difficult
socio-economic problems which are
not always dealt with satisfactorily
in the private sector. Many hospi
tals which take care of this type of
ftatient have experienced undue
inancial burdens, and this needs to
be rectified."
Morrow accepted, however, the
minority report, explaining at a
March 23 meeting with Fowler and
other Hoke County representatives
that her reason was she felt that the
members of the Task Force voting
for the majority report "had be
come too emotionally involved" to
make a rational decision.
Subsequently, the specialty lung
hospitals at Wilson and Black
Mountain were closed.
Signing the minority report with
Wilson and Staub were Dr. E.
Harvey Estes, Jr.. professor and
chairman, Duke University De
partment of Community Health
Sciences; Dr. Manson Meads, vice
chancellor for health affairs. Bow
man Gray School of Medicine,
Winston-Salem; Dr. William B.
Wood, associate professor of medi
cine, University of North Carolina
School of Medicine; Dr. T. Regi
nald Harris of Shelby; Dr. Daniel
Gottovix of Wilmington; and Dr.
Roy V. Berry, head. Tuberculosis
Control Branch, Division of Health
Services, State Department of
Human Resources.
Wilson is professor and chair
mand of the UNC medical school
Department of Community Medi
cine and Hospital Administration.
Fowler explained Monday that
the vote of February 16, 1978,
totaled 20, but that the names on
the minority report total eight
because two members who did not
attend the February 16 meeting
signed the minority report late.
Before the February 16 Task
Force meeting, the North Carolina
Association of Local Health Direc
tors adopted a formal resolution
Hoke Reactions
To Shooting: Shock, Anger
Hoke County people reacted
Monday afternoon with shock and
anger over the attempted assassina
tion of President Reagan, wounded
with three other men, in the
shooting in Washington.
The president was reported in
good condition following his oper
ation for treatment of his chest
wound and its effects and removal
of the bullet the gunman fired. The
conditon of his press secretary,
James S. Brady, snot in the head,
was "serious but improving" Tues
day, presidential spokesman Larry
Speakes said.
Secret Service Agent Timothy
McCarthy and Washington, D.C.,
Policeman Thomas K. Delahanty,
also wounded by the gunman, were
listed in stable condition Tuesday.
Being held on charges of at
tempting to assassinate the presi
dent and the wounding of the
policeman was John Warnock
Hinckley, Jr., 25, of Evergreen,
Colo. An FBI spokesman said he
knew of no motive for the attack.
A Raeford woman called the
shooting "terrible," and another,
expressing outrage over violence
which occurs regularly, suggested
"bodies" be left around, to make
people think twice when they plan
to shoot someone. She was reter
<*
ring to the fatal shooting ot alleged
bank robber at Cross Creek Mall in
Fayetteville recently by a police
man.
Following the heavy coverage on
television newscasts Monday night,
little talk about the shooting was
heard in public in Raeford Tues
day.
One woman, however, expressed
indignation over scarcity of news
about the condition of the wounded
policeman, other than that his
conditon was serious. Delahanty
was admitted to Washington Hos
pital Center, and the president,
McCarthy and Brady to George
Washington University Hospital.
Raeford's pre-application for
a federal $500,000 grant to help
finance improvements to the
city's downtown business dis
trict has been turned down by
the U.S. Department of Hous
ing and Urban Development.
Mayor John K. McNeill. Jr.,
was informed this week.
The notice was contained in a
letter written March 27 by Betsy
H. Stafford, area manager of
the HUD Greensboro Area
Office.
The grant was sought to help
finance revitalization of the
downtown section, but city of
ficials and other community
leaders indicated before the
pre-application was filed in
January that the revitalization
would be done whether the city
got the federal money or not.
The area manager's letter to
McNeill says, at one point, "We
regret that, due to the highly
competitive nature of this pro
gram, your proposal did not
rank high enough to be con
sidered for funding.
An attachment accompany
ing the letter shows the city's
score was 537 on the economic
development activity, and the
lowest rated pre - application
funded carried a score of 573.
The pre - application had
been for funding under the
Small Cities Community De
velopment Block Grant Pro
gram of the federal agency.
The area manager's letter
also says: "... Your request
strongly reflected the concern
and needs of your community.
We regret that, due to the
highly competitive nature of this
program, your proposal did not
rank high enough to be con
sidered for funding."
Of the $500, OCX) in federal
money sought. 5128,000 would
have paid the estimated cost of
providing a parking lot;
5114,766 for walkways; $104,
150 for store facades: and
$50,000 for burying utilities
lines.
2.1 Inches Of Rain In March
endorsing "the continued funding,
operation, and livelihood of the
three pulmonary specialty hospitals
as an integral part of our total
health care system in the State..."
(See McCAIN. Page 12)
March got 2. 1 inches of rain, less
than half the amount of the next
driest March in the past five years,
records kept by Robert Gatlin,
Hoke County observer for the
National Weather Service show.
* V'.jklj j
The rainfall for the same month
in the other years amounted to 6.9
inches in 1977, a total of 4.4 in
1978, 4.5 inches in 1979. and 7.5
inches in 1980.
-iESSBLtit. M- '???" t '
SPRING IN RAEFORD--This cherry tree was in bloom Friday when this
picture was taken, looking west on West Prospect Avenue. [Staff photo. )