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The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER 3 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
25
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1 905
$8 PKR YEAR THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1982
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The weather has been nice for
the past week. The weekend was
perfect for golf, tennis and other
outdoor activities. We expect that
many were on the road over the
weekend because of Mother's Day.
The forecast is for nice weather
for the remainder of the week. If we
have any rain it usually falls about
the time the papers are to be
delivered on Wednesday.
? * ?
The lead story in this paper last
week about the "Proposed School
Budget" included a sentence that I
believe many folks in the county
misunderstood. The sentence
stated: "Autry also said during his
talk he was going to resign at the
end of the year after 36 years in
public education work, 15 of them
in the Hoke County school system."
Now some folks have taken this
to mean, at the end of this school
year. This 1 don't believe is what
Autry meant. It should have stated
that he would retire after the
1982-83 school year. This is when
his contract expires. If I am wrong,
then I know that Raz will let me
know, in "no uncertain terms".
You know it doesn't make any
difference how a story is written,
people will get out of it what they
want to, no matter what is true or
false.
So if you have an eye on the
superintendent's chair, I believe
you can wait a year before sending
your resume to the Chairman of the
Board of Education.
* * *
Paul Dickson, former publisher
of The News-Journal , was by the
office Monday at the same time this
writer showed up. It seems that we
are in and out of the office for
various reasons, but it seems we
seldom hit at the same time.
We were talking about the
upcoming 50th Reunion for the
Class of 1932 of Raeford High
School. Dickson said that he
believed there was only one teacher
of that class still living and that it
was Mrs. J.C. (Frances) McLean,
who still lives in Raeford. He did
say something about John T.
Biggers who taught Physics to that
class and that he believed he was
dead. I told him that Biggers was
Supt. of Schools of Perquimans
County in an article I had seen in a
aper a few years ago. This led to
ow to get in touch and find out if
he was still alive.
Now when I want to find out
something about schools or school
people. I always call my friend, Raz
Autry. After a few minutes of
conversation, he said he would get
back in touch with me.
This he did and stated that John
Thomas Biggers had retired as
superintendent and now lived in
Hertford. Raz gave Paul the
address and phone number of the
man.
From all reports the reunion is
going to be a gala affair on
Saturday, May 22, starting at five
o'clock at the Wagon Wheel
Restaurant in Raeford.
If you had sisters, brothers,
aunts or uncles in this class, check
and see if there are any old school
pictures, write-ups, etc of this
class. If so, get them to Paul or
Jake Austin.
? * *
The latest voter registration
figures for Hoke County as of May
7, 1982 are as follows:
Democrats ? 74 c 4
The registration books will close
30 days before the primary and this
is about the end of May as the date
for the primary is now set for
Tuesday, June 29.
If you haven't registered be sure
to do so.
Rose Sturgeon, clerk for the
Board of Elections for Hoke
County, was by the office last week
and stated that she had the
numbers for the house and senate
districts that Hoke County was now
in for the election year.
The house is the 16th district and
the senate it the 30th. Of course
most of you know that we are now
in the 8th Congressional District.
? (S*f AROUND TOWN, page 1 5)
1 Republicans ?
Unaffiliated ?
Total ?
7454
406
64
7924
? * *
For Candidates ; Deadline Passes
Hoke, Districtwide Contests Slated
A A A A A A A A A a a ? ? - -
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Of Hoke County School System
Mary James Secretary Of Year
Mary James was announced
Friday night as the Secretary of the
Year 1981-82 of the Hoke County
school system.
The announcement was made at
a dinner at the Southern Pines Elks
Club.
It was made by Raz Autry,
superintendent of the county school
system, and he presented Mrs.
James with the award plaque and a
bouquet of flowers.
Mrs. James is on the staff of the
Hoke County High School princi
pals office. She is the wife of Jimmy
James, Hoke High's band director.
The secretaries of the school
system, their principals, and the
other administrators they work
with, members of the County Board
of Education, and special guests
attended the dinner.
Before the announcement, each
of the secretaries were introduced
by the administrator she works with
or, in one instance, a representative
of a principal who was unable to
attend.
Among the honor guests seated
at the table with the principal
people irt the program was Deborah
Purcell, the Secretary of the Year of
1980-81.
The guest speaker. Gene Caus
by, told the audience that "there's
no such thing as 'just' a secretary."
He spoke of the high importance
of the secretary to public educa
tion. The visitor gets his first
impression of a school system from
the secretary he sees. The visitor
will see one sort of administrator or
another, he said, but every visitor
sees the secretary.
Causby is executive secretary of
the North Carolina School Boards
Association and is a former assis
tant state superintendent of public
instruction.
Mary Archie McNeill, coordina
tor of the county school system's
cultural arts programs, served as
mistress of ceremonies.
Mrs. James receiving the Secretary of the Year plaque from Schools Sunt
Raz Autry.
Some of the people at the Secretary of the Year dinner.
Gene Causby addressing the dinner audience.
Ex-Senator Chamber Dinner Speaker
Robert Morgan
hormer North Carolina U.S.
Sen. Robert Morgan will be the
principal speaker for the annual
dinner of the Raeford- Hoke Coun
ty Chamber of Commerce schedul
ed for 6:30 p.m. May 25 in Gibson
Cafeteria of Hoke County High
School.
Meanwhile, the chamber's 1982
83 officers and five new directors
were elected Tuesday morning at a
breakfast meeting at the Wagon
Wheel Restaurant.
Horace Stogner was elected pre
sident, Steve Parker first vice
president, Jimmy Wood second vice
president, and Ruth Parrish. secre
tary-treasurer.
The new directors are Bobby
Conoly, Terry Houston. Benny
McLeod. and Gerald Wright. The
officers were elected to one-year
terms, and the directors to three
By IS. C. Governor
Iris Davis Named
To CD Council
Gov. Jim Hunt this week re
appointed Mrs. Iris T. Davis of
Raeford to the Community De
velopment Council.
The council advises the Depart
ment of Natural Resources and
Community Development on the
promotion and assistance of orderly
development in the state, the type
and effectiveness of planning and
management services provided to
local government and any other
matters referred to it by the
Secretary of the department.
In announcing the appointment.
Hunt stated, "Mrs. Davis and
other members of the advisory
council are well versed in the
problems and potentials of our
state's communities. I will be
looking to this council to provide
real leadership advice and counsel
to Secretary Joe Grimsley and his
department."
Governor Hunt said that the
council will also be of great help as
the department begins to ad
minister for the first time the
federally funded Community De
velopment Block Grants to local
communities.
Mrs. Davis owns the Credit
Bureau of Raeford, Inc.
Reappointed to the council are
Aurora Mayor Grace H. Bonner,
Ronald Aycock, executive secretary
of the N.C. Association of County
Commissioners, and S. Leigh Wil
son, executive director of the N.C.
League of Municipalities.
New Council members include:
Sampson Buie, Jr.. of Greensboro,
Asheville Mayor Roy Trantham,
E.A. Britt, president of the North
Carolina State AFL-CIO, the Rev.
Robert L. Walton of Charlotte, a
Mecklenburg County commis
sioner, and G. Ray Cantrell of
Hendersonville.
year terms. All will be installed
formally during the annual dinner.
Morgan a Democrat, is a former
state senator and state attorney
general and served one six-year
term in the U.S. Senate, to 1980.
He is a native of Lillington and is
now practicing law there after
practicing in Raleigh with the firm
of Boyce. Mitchell & Smith.
Morgan won his first election to
public office-clerk of Harnett Su
perior Court while still in law
school at Wake Forest College. He
served four years, then left the
position to enter private law prac
tice.
Morgan served in the State
Senate in the sessions of 1955,
1959. 1963, 1965, and 1967. He
was Senate president pro tem in
1965.
He won the Democratic nomina
tion for attorney-general in the May
1968 primary, then was elected to
the office in the following Novem
ber general election and was re
elected in November 1972.
He was elected U.S. senator in
1974 alter winning the party pri
mary for the nomination, then the
November general election.
Morgan, a 1947 graduate of East
Carolina (now University), has
served nine terms as chairman of
the ECU Board of Trustees and is a
member of the Lees-McRae College
Board Trustees.
Hoke Sales Tax
Collections
$70,705.91
Hoke County collections of the
state's 3 per cent sales tax in March
totaled $70,705.91 on gross retail
sales of S3, 360. 602.
Collections in February were
$70,087.42 on sales of S3. 209.069.
March 1981 collections were
$70,869.88 on sales of $3.497.71 1 .
He received his law degree in
1959 and his Doctor of Laws degree
in 1972. both from Wake Forest.
He and his wife, the former Katie
Earle Owen of Roseboro, have two
daughters. Mary and Margaret,
and a foster son. Rupert Morgan
Tart. .
While in the State Senate.
Morgan forcefully advocated jail
reform, mental health programs,
and better facilities for higher
education, among other causes.
No Decision
On McCain
Before Meet
No decision about the future of
McCain Hospital will be made by
the state Department of Human
Resources before the department
staff meets with the Hoke County
Study Committee on the hospital.
Earl Fowler, executive vice presi
dent of the Raeford-Hoke County
Chamber of Commerce, said he
was informed of this by State Sen.
Sam Noble recently. He quoted
Noble as saying he had been told
this by a state department spokes
man. The committee is to meet
with the state agency to give
recommendations and information
regarding McCain.
The chairman of the six-member
Hoke study committee is Tom
Howell, president of the Raeford
Hoke County Chamber of Com
merce.
The committee was established
several weeks ago after a report was
heard that the state planned
changes in the hospital's opera
tions. The committee has been
studying the hospital's situation
and its potential uses for the future.
The committee will give the state
recommendations based on its
findings.
Friday's filing deadline for
candidates for district offices
passed leaving June 29 primary
contests for Eighth District con
gressman, and the State House and
Senate districts which include Hoke
County, as well as the earlier-guar
anteed contests for some Hoke
County offices. Runoff primaries
where necessary will be held July
27.
The deadline for filing for the
county offices was February 1.
In the larger-area contests, Hoke
County Commissioner Danny De
Vane of Raeford, State Rep.
William Gay of Lumberton, Tracy
Britt, John Hasty, Sidney A. Locks,
Bernard Lowry and F.H. McDuffie
will run in the Democratic primary
for their party's nominations for
the three seats in the new 16th State
House District. The district by act
of the General Assembly's re
districting is composed of Hoke
and Robeson counties and the
Scotland County townships of
Spring Hill, Stewartsville, and
Williamson. The old 21st District,
which the new district replaces, was
composed of Robeson, Hoke and
all of Scotland.
One Republican also has filed for
election to a 16th District State
House position - Steven A. Strick
land. Like all the candidates except
DeVane and McDuffie, of Laurin
burg, he lives in Robeson County.
Two of the incumbents are not
running for reelection to the House:
Rep. David Parnell of Robeson is
running for the Democratic nomi
nation to the State Senate, and
Rep. Horace Locklear of Robeson
is not running for any office.
In the new 30th State Senate
District, Parnell and State Sen.
Sam Noble, also of Robeson, are
contesting for the party's nomina
tion to the district's single seat. The
district, remaining unchanged by
General Assembly redistricting. is
composed of Hoke and Robeson.
In area-wide races besides the
State House contests involving
Hoke County people. District court
Judge Joseph E. Dupree of Raeford
is running for reelection but must
get by Hope Mills attorney W.R.
Davis in the Democratic primary
for the 12th Judicial District,
composed of Hoke and Cumber
land.
Candidates for District Court
judgeships run for specified seats.
In the other 12th District con
tests set for the Democratic pri
mary, Judge Sol G. Cherry is
running for renomination and is
opposed by Willie Swann, and
Judge Anna E. (Beth) Keever and
N.H. Person are running for the
nomination to Judge Derb Carter's
position. Carter retired this year,
and Keever was appointed to serve
the remainder of his term. She was
an assistant district attorney when
she was appointed. All but Dupree
are Fayetteville residents.
District Court Judge Lacy Hair of
Fayetteville, a Democrat, is un
opposed for the party nomination
but is opposed in the November
general election by Paul Eaglin of
Fayetteville.
District Court Judge Charles L.
Guy of Fayetteville is unopposed
either by a fellow Democrat or by a
Republican candidate.
Edward W. Grannis. Jr.. of
Fayetteville is unopposed for reelec
tion for district attorney for the
12th.
Hoke County voters this year will
help pick the Democratic and
Republican nominees in the pri
maries for the Eighth Congres
sional District's seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives, then
help choose the district's congress
man in the November general
election. Redistricting switched
Hoke to the Eighth from the
Seventh.
In the Eighth. Congressman
W.G. "Bill" Hefner of Kannapolis,
and James R. Ellison of Mt.
Pleasant will contest for the Demo
cratic nomination, and Harris
Blake of Pinehurst, and Jake
Presson of Salisbury for the Re
publican nomination.
The candidates for Hoke County
offices are:
?-For sheriff: incumbent David
Barrington and James Peterkin in
the Democratic primary. No Re
publican has filed.
-?For county commissioners
(three seats up for election):
John G. Balfour, James A. Hunt,
and Mabel Riley, all incumbents
and Democrats; and Cleo Bratcher,
Jr.. Thomas Howell. Edward Lun
(See CONTEST, page 1 5) /