PROGRESS SENTINEL
1
^ VOL. XXXXV NO. 20 USPS 162 860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 MARCH 20. 1980 12 PAGES THIS WESK* 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
NOT A GOOD PIECE OF ART - Parents of students attending East Duplin.
High School met with Duplin County commissioners to voice their
opposition to a drama presented by the N.C. School of the Arts and a film
shown in a Future Homemakers of America meeting. Spokesman Aldis
Deaver of Albertson, pictured in the right corner, addressed several
I questions to Duplin Arts Council Director Mark Monday, pictured in the
" left corner, during the meeting. Monday replied that before there could be
a reaction to stop the performance of "This Is The Rill Speaking," a
30-minute production, it was over. Several teachers had walked out during
the performance, but Monday added that the Arts Council does not
condone vulgarity on a school stage, and the performance was not a good
piece of art. Letters of apology have been sent to the teachers, students
and principal at East Duplin, Monday said, along with a public letter of
apology in the newspapers.
East Duplin Parents Petition Against
Film Shown At FHA- School Meeting
' By Emily KlUettc
Sex, devoid of morals, and
infringement on the rights of
parents were the criticisms
fourteen Albertson citizens
brought before the Duplin.
County commissioners at the
Monday morning meeting.
Parents of students at East
Duplin High School
| presented the commissioners
with petitions against a film
shown at the high school in
January during a FHA
meeting. The parents also
voiced opposition to the
30-minute presentation of
"This is th< Rill Speaking,"
performed by the seniors of
the North Carolina School of
the Arts, which was
scheduled through the
Duplin. County Arts Council
| and shown at the high school
in February.
Appearing before the
commissioners as spokesman
for the group of parents was
Aldis Deaver of Albertson.
Deaver asked Duplin County
Arts Council Director Mark
Monday if it were true that
teachers at the school walked
out during the production by
the School of the Arts.
"Yes, it is true. It was an
unfit production, but I want
to remind you that it was not
produced by the Duplin
County Arts Council,"
Monday said. "We have
sponsored about 270 pro
grams in public schools since
1975, all of which have been
screened in the same way as
the production at Cast Duplin
by the School of the Arts.
"The Arts Council doesn't
condone vulgarity of any kind
in the schools or on the
school stage. And the pro
duction shown at East Duplin
was not a good piece of art,"
Monday stated.
Monday stated that letters
of apology had appeared in
newspapers and had been
sent to the East Duplin
teachers, students and prin
cipal. A letter had also been
sent by Monday to Dean
Malcolm Morrison of the
N.C. School of the Arts in
which Monday asked the
performances be reviewed
more closely. Monday called
for a more careful screening
of material which would be
presented in public high
schools, and called the play
at East Duplin "undesirable
work," while he praised the
next day's performance by
the School of the Arts for for
their production at Wallace
Rose Hill High School.
Deaver said, "This is not
the first time something like
this has happened. There
was a film shown at a FHA
meeting at East Duplin in
January. And we would like
to know if these two things
were coincidental, and you
(Monday) have told us that
they are coincidence.
However, we (parents) can't
support or sustain such pro
grams in our schools."
Superintendent of Duplin
Schools C.H. Yelverton re
sponded that both the film
and drama presentations at
East Duplin were unfortu
nate mistakes. But the con
tribution of "wholesome"
material by the Arts Council
should more than pay for
their mistake, he added.
"We also do not condone
such programs in our
schools. In order to teach, we
must maintain the respect of
the students and the com
munity," Yelverton said.
Jackie Stroud of Albertson
offered petitions from
Albertson area churches
stating, "We, the taxpayers
and parents of Duplin County
do hereby voice our strong
opposition to the teaching of
sex, devoid of morals, in our
county school system." The
petition continued to state,
"We do hereby declare that
our rights as parents have
been infringed upon in the
form of movies, perfor
mances, pamphlets, etc.,
provided for our children
without our consent."
"1 would like to present
these petitions with 190 sig
natures to the county com
missioners, and more are in
the mail," Stroud said.
"These petitions are related
to the film teaching sexual
permissiveness which was
shown at a Januarv meetine
of the East Duplin FHA.
"We come here in oppo
sition to such films as the one
shown to our children which
presented six, devoid of
morals. And, as parents, we
feel that our rights have been
infringed upon," Stroud
continued. "The film was
teaching sexual permissive
ness and showed my
daughter that she can go to
the health department and
get birth control devices
without my knowledge."
Chairman of the Duplin
Commissioners Franklin
Williams reminded the
parents that the film had not
been related to the Duplin
Arts Council, but had come
through the school system.
He also added that the peti
tions should be presented to
the Board of Education which
has control over the film pre
viewing process.
Superintendent Yelverton
said, "It is impossible for the
Board of Education to pre
view all the films that are
seen in our schools. Some of
the schools have individual
review committees and we
would be happy to have you
(parents) on these com
mittees.
Jim Grady, Bishop of the
Church of the Latter-Day
Saints in Albertson, which
was represented by a petition
ggainst the film, said. "We
are a forgiving people, and
we will forgive what has
happened and hope that it
never happens again."
AAUW
Meeting
CANCER KICK-OFF - The Duplin County chapter of the
American Cancer Society held a kick-off dinner for the
1980 fund drive and Cancer Crusade month in April.
Speaking to the group was Anne Houston of Kenansville.
who is a graduate student at East Carolina in the school of
nursing. The goal set by the Duplin County chapter is
\
SI2,000, which they plan to raise during March and April.
Pictured above, guest speaker Ann Houston, Duplin
Cancer Society President Mary Sue Thompson of Warsaw,
Kenansville Fund Drive Chairman Zan Stepp, Chairman of
the Cancer Fund Drive Beth Brinson of Kenansville, and
Beulaville Fund Drive Chairman Eleanor Weston.
t i
The .hird organizational
meeting of the American
Association of University
Women will he Thursday,
March 27 at the Kenansville
United Methodist Church
beginning at 7 p.m.
Speaking to the group will
be Karen Dawes, sociology
instructor at James Sorunt
Technical College. Dawes
will discuss the changing
family unit. After the talk on
family life, a report will be
received from the nominat
ing committee and the
cussion will follow con
cerning the best meeting
time for the AAUW.
Any woman with a bacca
laureate or higher degree
from a regionally accredited
college or university is eli
gible for membership and is
invited to attend the meeting
School Board
Budget Proposal
A preliminary 1980-81
county school budget of
$3,363,650 was presented to
the Board of Education
Wednesday night. The pro
posed amount represents an
increase of 103% over the
current year's sum of
$1,654,430 from local funds.
The total preliminary budget
proposal, including state and
federal funding, amounts to
$17,519,183.
After reviewing the pre
liminary requests, the board
returned the budget to the
administrative staff for
further study.
The current-expense por
tion of the proposal totals
$2,024,232, an inc-ease of
34% over the present ex
pense budget of $1,509,430.
The current-expense propo
sal calls for 10% salary
increase for all county-paid
school personnel. Requested
for capital outlay was
$1,349,418.
In recent years, most capi
tal outlay funds have come
from federal revenue
sharing, which amounted to
$500,000 to $850,000 a year,
according to the request.
Last year the school system
received 47% of the county's
ad valorem tax total of
$5,016,000.
Victor Tucker, school fi
nance officer, said detailed
comparisons between the
1979-80 and 1980-81 budget
figures are difficult because
chase of 5.447 acres of land
at the Wallace-Rose Hill
High School site. Also re
quested is $34,000 for tennis
courts at James Kenan and
North Duplin, $88,000 for
computer equipment and
furniture, $132,000 for school
buses, truck and tractors,
and $12,000 for new plumb
ing at Charity Middle School,
the state has changed the
budget forms.
The capital outlay request
includes $850,000 for a
six-classroom and media
center addition to James
Kenan High School and
$100,000 to connect the
school with the Warsaw
sewer system. It also
includes $21,304 for pur
Disaster Victims Meet With
Small Business Representative
Small Business Adminis
tration Representative Hank
Brinkley, recommended that
Duplin be declared a disaster
Brinkley visited Duplin
County last week and toured
poultry farms hurt by the
snow storm. Duplin
Emergency Services Director
Hiram Brinson furnished
Brinkley with estimates of
storm damage to Duplin .
farms. Brinkley commented1
that the figures he received
from Brinson appeared to be
a good estimate of the
damage in Duplin County.
Following a meeting with
some poultry farmers and
Duplin commissioners on
Tuesday, Brinkley said he
would call the figures of
estimated damage to Duplin
to the Charlotte SBA office
Two
Women
Killed
Two women were killed in
a truck-car collision near
Beulaville Monday while on
their way to work at National
Spinning's Beulaville textile
plant.
Dead were Evelyn Holmes
Tyndall, 44, and her sister,
Mary Holmes Hutchens, 41,
both of Route 1, Pink Hill.
Driver of the loaded
logging truck was Ronnie
Dean Bugg of Route 6,
Goldsboro. He was injured
and taken to Duplig General
in Kenansville for treatment.
Trooper J.N. Ray, who
investigated, said both
vehicles were traveling south
on N.C. 41. The car, driven
by Mrs. Tyndall, started to
make a left turn onto State
Road 1722. It was struck in
the side. The vehicles
traveled 286 feet after the
impact. The car was pushed
in'o a large drainage ditch.
The truck came to rest on top
of the car. A crane being
used in construction work at
the National Spinning Co.
plant was used to separate
the vehicles.
The investigation was
being continued late Monday
and no charges had been
filed.
Extension
Workshops
Mae H. Spicer, home
economics extension agent,
has announced a slipcover
workshop to be held March
26-27.. Registration is
required as only 12-15
persons can be accommo
dated. Call 296-1995.
A blouse workshop will be
held is scheduled for April 1
& 2. Some sewing skill is
necessary, and registration is
required. Machines will be
furnished and eight will be
the limit of tf - class. *
and recommend that Duplin
be declared a disaster area.
The request and figures
would be sent through the
SBA office in Atlanta and on
to Washington where,
Brinkley said. Congress
would act upon the request to
appropriate funds for
disaster victims in Duplin.
Brinkley said he expected a
reply within two or three
days. , t ...
* "From my p< st exj e
with the SBA. 1 don't foresee
any difficulty with Congress
declaring Duplin a disaster
area," Brinkley said. "And
at the time that we get
notification from Congress,
we will also know the interest
rate of the disaster loans."
According to Brinkley.
interest on loans through the
SBA since October has been
8'/i%, but the rate of interest
for disaster victims in Duplin
would be set by Congress at
the same time funds are
appropriated for the loans.
At the time of notification
from Congress, a SBA loan
officer will meet with dis
aster vicitims in the county.
The loan officer will distri
bute and explain how to
complete SBA loan applica
tions, Brinkley said. SBA
makes loans just like any
other lending institution,
except its interest is lower,
Brinkley said. And in order
to qualify for such loans,
Brinkley said the applicant
must have a loss due to the
snow storm, must have the
ability to repay the loan, and
must have collateral. Loss
verifiers, employees from the
SBA, will work with disaster
victims to set individual loss
figures to be used when
applying for loans, Brinkley
said.
Farmers who were present
said they had to clean up and
rebuild their poultry houses.
The farmers were instructed
to take pictures of the
damage before cleaning up.
Brinkley also recommended
that the farmers keep all
invoices from building
supplies as both the pictures'
and invoices could be used
by loss verifiers to deternjioe
? . ?-{*!.???':? lost.
Brinkley informed the
farmers present that the SBA
would not lend money to pay
off loans of higher interest
which the farmer may have
been paying off before the
storm. However, the SBA
will lend money to pay off
short-term emergency 1"-?is
that the farmer may h_ e
borrowed to rebuild after the
storm.
Loan applications will have
to be completed by the
farmer because the SBA does
not have enough personnel to
work one-to-one with appli
cants, Brinkley Said. He
added that a reply from loan
applications containing all
the necessary information
would take about three to
four weeks.
Farmers inquired about
the possibility of the county
furnishing people to aid the
disaster victims in filling out
SBA loan applications. Com
missioners D.J. Fussell and
William Costin agreed that
the county should be able to
help the loan applicants and
speed up the loan process.
The commissioners were
instructed to contact the SBA
District Director Larry B.
Cherry for information about
providing to SBA loan appli
cants.
FmHA Approves
Disaster Loans
For Duplin
The Farmers Home Ad
ministration authorized
granting of low-interest dis
aster aid loans to eligible
farmers of Duplin, Pender
and three neighboring
courses this past week, ac
co-d'n t0 Duplin FmHA
Supervisor J.M. Mills.
He added that more than
50 persons have already
made inquiries about the
possibility of obtaining such
help.
Duplin farmers took the
worst beating from the
snowstorm with damages
estimated at more than S10
million.
Mills explained FmHA will
make 5 percent loans to
farmers who are unable to
obtain necessary credit to
rebuild damaged buildings
and equipment. The disaster
loans may only be used to
rebuild the fanning opera
tion to the same size and
scope as before the disaster,
he added.
FmHA will also make
standard loans to eligible
farmers at higher rates of
? interest. Interest on those
loans varies with the money
market he said. He said the
rate last Wednesday was 11
percent.
FmHA has considerable
flexibility in assisting
farmers, he noted.
"We sit down with each
applicant to determine the
amount of the actual loss and
to work out the best ar
rangements," Mills added.
He also-commented. "I do
not sec any particrlar fund
ing problem for. emergency '
loans in the county."
Mills expects possibly 75
applications from Duplin
farmers. Some of the fanners
lost all of their poultry
houses. At least 1W poultry
houses have been destroyed
or damped too severely to
be repaired. Many others ',
have been damaged but can
be repaired. ^ / f