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PROGRESS SENTINEL
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VOL. XXXXVI NO 2 USPS 162 860 KENANSVILLE. NC 28349 JANUARY 14, 1982 1 4PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
1982 Jobs
,Forecast Optimistic
A prediction that job op
portunities and industrial ac
tivity will increase more in
1982 than in the past five
years if the economy holds
up, came from the Duplin
County industrial develop
ment director, John Gur
#ganus at a meeting last
week.
His optimistic prediction to
the county board of com
missioners came despite the
present high unemployment
rate in the county and
sewage treatment plroblems
preventing much growth in
one of the county's largest
towns.,
Duplin's current unem
ployment rate of 10.3 percent
#means 1,763 people are
seeking jobs, he said. Duplin
ranks 6th in the state in
unemployment. During
October 390 people were laid
off by Duplin industries due
to the slack economy.
The industrial director also
noted Wallace has a problem
with lack of sufficient sewage
treatment capacity and that
while the town is prepared to
? appropriate its share of the
9cost of a new treatment
plant, ii ranks 40th in the
state for Environmental
Protection Agency funding.
He said an attempt to im
prove the town's position in
that regard is being planned.
Gurganus noted the J.P.
Stevens Co., which has two
plants in Wallace, will assist
the development commission
in recruiting industry for the
county.
The new James Sprunt
Technical College microelec
tronics course is expected to
become an industry attrac
tion by providing trained
workers in this field.
County Manager Ralph
Cottle said Gail Bailey of
Univision Cable Television
Co. had telephoned him just
before the board meeting to
say that a $100,000 letter of
credit, drawn on Branch
Bank & Trust Co. of Gas
tonia. would be in the county
hands by Wednesday for the
firm's performance bond.
The firm's county franchise
to install a cable television
system has been held up
pending receipt of the per
formance bond.
The board canceled its
contract with Farm Tire &
Brake Service of Rose Hill to
supply cold cap recapped
tires for the county's heavy
equipment, claiming the firm
was not supplying the proper
type of recaps. It awarded
the remainder of the contract
to Steed Tire Service of
Warsaw.
The board approved use of
the county computer by the
Duplin-Sampson Mental
Health department for a fee
of $400 a month through
June 30. The department
hopes to obtain its own
computer in the near future.
A meeting for making
plans for the county to meet
the needs of the year 2000
will be held at James Sprunt
in Kenansville Jan. 25. Gur
ganus said Gov. Jim Hunt
has established a state com
mission to provide guidelines
for the future rather than
allowing the state to stumble
into the next centurv.
Gurganus estimated
Duplin's population would be
45,678 by the year 2000. that
school enrollment, now about
8,000 students, would be
down by 20 percent, that the
number of senior citizens,
now about 5,000. will in
crease 70 percent and that
the number of households
will increase more than the
population.
Russell Tucker, county fi
nance officer, reported the
sale of a 1975 sheriff s car to
Roger L. Barrow of Albertson
for $351.
O.T|a Our
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Duplin County To Kick Off INC 2000 j
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More than 150 local
leaders will meet in Kenans
ville on Monday, Jan. 18 to
A launch the North Carolina
? 2000 planning project in
Duplin County.
The meeting, sponsored
by the Duplin County NC
2000 steering committee will
be held at the old Kenans
ville elementary auditorium
at7:30 p.m.
According to the chairman
John H. Gurganus Jr., the
purpose of the meeting is
_ two-fold.
"First, we want to get this
broad-based group of leaders
thinking about the long-term
future, about what life may
be like in this state and
county in 10 years," said
Gurganus.
Featured speakers will be
Senator Harold Haridson and
Govcr Lancaster, president
of the N.C. County Commis
sioners Association, who are
members of the Commission
on the Future of North
Carolina. Hardison and Lan
' caster will discuss statewide
forecasts for the year 2000 in
areas such as population
growth, changes in jobs and
availability of water and
land.
"Our second goal." said
Gurganus, "is to get these
leaders to involve every
citizen in Duplin County in
the project. We will encour
age them to reach out into
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their communities to build
local awareness of the
emerging issues and to give
our citizens a clear voice in
choosing future directions for
the state."
During the next several
months, counties across the
state will be holding com
munity meetings, participat
ing in a statewide citizens'
ballot on the future, and
sending delegates to a state
conference on the future in
Septem ber of 1982.
The counties are working
closely with the state-level
commission which has been
charged by Gov. Hunt to
submit a report of recom
mended actions by Decem
ber. 1982.
HOG KILLING - This is the time of year when farmers and friends
traditionally get together for an old-fashioned hog killing. In years past,
neighbors would join neighbors, but now it is more of a family affair. Last
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Thursday Russell Killette butchered five hogs weighing about 500 pounds
each. Pictured (L to R). Billy Dail. Warsaw; Timothy Killette, Warsaw;
Russell Killette. Warsaw; and Lyndon McCall. a UNC'-W student.
Outstanding
Employee
Kenneth Futreal. district
conservationist for the
Duplin Soil and Water Con
servation District, has been
chosen as the Outstanding
Soil Conservation Service
Employee for 1981 in service
to the N.C. Association of
Soil and Water Conservation
Districts.
The award was presented
by association president D.R.
Huff Jr. of Aberdeen at the
association's 39th annual
meeting in Pinehurst.
According to Huff. Futreal 1
was cited for outstanding j
accomplishments in conser
vation in Duplin County,
including work on the Lime
stone-Muddy Creek Water
shed project and "excep
tional enthusiasm and com
petence in every-dav assis
tance to landowners."
He was nominated by the
Duplin Soil and Water Con
servation District and
selected from statewide en
tries.
STORY PROGRAMS AT
LIBRARY
The Duplin County -
Dorothy Wightman Library
staff announces a new series
of weekly story program for
toddlers and pre-schoolers.
The programs will be pre
sented every Thursday
morning starting Thursday.
Jan. 7, from 9:30 to 10 a.m.
in the children's area of the
new county library building
in Kenansville.
.Duplin Scores On
Competency Tests Off
Duplin County juniors
dropped 4.1 percentage
points in the reading and 6.5
points in the mathematics
competency tests last fall
from their predecessors'
scores in 1980. Assistant
Superintendent Gary
Sanderson told the board of
education last week at their
Tuesday night meeting.
The county's 1979 and
1980 mathematics test scores
topped the state average,
although the .eading scores
remained below the state
level in all four years.
In the' 1981 reading test.
87.4 percent of the students
passed, compared with 91.5
percent in 1980. 91 percent in
1979 and 87 percent in 1978.
In 1981 mathematics test,
85.5 percent passed com
pared with 92 percent in
1980. 89 percent in 1979 and
82 percent in 1978.
The state reading test
averages were: 91.9 percent
for 1981. 92.5 for 1980. 92 for
1979 and 90 for 1978.
State mathematics test
averages were? 89.4 percent
in 1981 and 1980. 89 in 1979
and 85 in 1978.
Sanderson told the board
the state funding for reme
dial work has decreased.
"The way the state operates,
the more you have failing the
test, the more money you
get, ,so as our grades in
creased. the less (money) we
received."
He said the county had
seven full-time remedial
mathematics teachers in
1978 while it only had three
in 1981.
The over-all ability level,
according to aptitude tests
given the 10th graders last
year, had dropped from the
1979 and 1980 test class
levels, Sanderson said.
The official said one cause
of the lower 1981 scores
may be lack of student
concern about the tests.
"They may no longer think
them so important, thinking
they have other chances to
pass them," he added.
Teacher turn-over may
have caused some problems.
he said, pointing out reme
dial teachers three years ago
averaged three years' ex
perience each while this year
they averaged one year.
"We now have 23 seniors
who have not passed reading
and 12 who have not passed
math," Sanderson told the
board. "That is 4 percent of
the class in reading and 2
percent in math."
He said 69 of the 547
juniors in the Duplin system
have not passed reading and
79 have not passed the math
test.
The board's Jan. 19 meet
ing will be held at 7:30 p.m.
in the O.P. Owens Building,
the school system headquar
ters in Kenansville.
Burned Plane Missing Since Dec.
23 Found Near Wallace Airport
WALLACE - The charred
wreckage of a plane missing
since Dec. 23. when it took
off from a Vance County
airport, was found Thursday
in a swampy area just off the
runway at the Wallace mu
nicipal airport.
Two burned bodies found
inside were identified by the
State Chief Medical Exami
ner's Office in Chapel Hill as
the pilot. Henry C. Jackson.
44, of Henderson, and a
passenger. Claig Holmes Jr.,
26, of Louisburg.
The Piper Lance single
engine aircraft was discover
ed by Stacy "Doc" Dempsey
of Route 1. Wallace, who
lives near the airport.
Dempsey said in a tele
phone interview that he had
been hunting in woods near
his home when he spotted a
piece of metal that led him to
the wreckage.
"One day last week I saw
what looked like a piece of tin
while i was bird hunting, but
I didn't think anything about
it." he said. "But I was back
over there (Thursday) morn
ing and saw some again, so I
walked a little further, and
there it was."
Dempsey said planes ap
proaching the Wallace air
port "fly right over my
house," but that he heard no
unusual noises on the day the
plane disappeared.
The wreckage was found
partly under water about ISO
yards from the end of the
runway. Duplin County
Sheriff T.E. Revelle said it
appeared that (he plane
"was leveling off, trying to
land, but it came in too low
and clipped the trees.''
Maj. Lelia Brigham of
Henderson, commander of
the Vance County Squadron
of the Civil Air Patrol, said
Jackson and Holmes toos ->ff
from Oxford-Henderson Air
port Dec. 23, headed foi
Myrtle Beach, S.C. She slid
it was -melv that they fllw
over the Wallace area while
headed toward Wilmington,
planning to follow the coast
line to Myrtle Beach.
No radio messages were
received from the plane after
it took off, Maj. Brigham
said.
The crash will be inves
tigated by the Federal Avia
tion Administration.
The Liberty Cart
Receives State
Theatre Grant
Judy Chavis, director of
North Carolina Theatre Arts
of the N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources in
Raleigh, recently announced
that the Duplin Outdoor
Drama Society, producers of
THE LIBERTY CART out
door drama in Kenansville,
has been awarded a state
theatre grant in the amount
df SI 1.680.
According to James
Strickland, president of the
society, and Jim Johnson,
general manager of THE
LIBERTY CART, the grant
will be used for salary sup
port, expansion of the sea
son. and the addition of an
alternate production.
The 1982 production will
open July 9 and run through
August 22. with the alternate
production. GODSPELL,
playing every Wednesday
night beginnign July 2} and
running through Agusut 18.
NCTA and the NCDCR
recognizes THE LIBERTY
CART as a professional
theatre and provides grant
assistance to the Duplin Out
door Drama Society from
funds appropriated by the
N.C. General Assembly.
For more information,
contact Jim Johnson at
296-0721 or write P.O.' Bo*
470. Kenansville. NC 28349.
Annual Membership Meeting
* Of Kenansville Area
C Of C January 21
Bruce H. Robinson Jr.,
attorney with offices in Wal
lace and Kenansville, will be
the speaker-entertainer at
the annual meeting of the
? Kenansville Area Chamber
ofCommercc, Inc. on Jan. 21
at 7 p.m. The meeting will be
held in the fellowship hall of
the Kenansville United
Methodist Church on
Highway 24 in Kenansville.
Robinson is a professional
magician who has perfo.med
throughout the eastern
United States for audiences,
large and small. His Show
will last about 30 minutes
Aand will consist of sleight of
hand tricks. While he can do
the stock magic tricks, he has
found that his audiences
seem to like the sleight of
hand best, and he usually
sticks to those.
Robinson is a graduate of
Western Maryland College
and Wake Forest University
School of Law, having ob
tained his juris doctor degree
Vin 1969. He helped put
v himself through college and
law school by performing the
magic acts that he has been
working dn since he was 12
years old.
After graduating from
Wake Forest. Robinson
served as an Army attorney
for four years, trying crimi
nal cases. He worked as the
attorney for the Fayetteville
police department and later
as an Attorney. For the past
several years he has been
practicing law in Duplin
County.
He is married to the
Sherry Robinson and they
have two children, Heather
and Lee. They live in Wallace
and call Duplin County
home.
The meeting will begin
with a "dutch buffet dinner"
catered by the ladies of the
church. It will cost $7 per
person. The public is invited.
Reservations are necessary
and may be made by calling
the executive secretary of the
Chamber. Carolyn C. Hall at
296-1827. Make your sever
vations no later than Satur
day. Jan. 16.
Other entertainment is
planned and there will be
door prizes as well as nice
favors.
Duplin County Public Schools Accredited
According to Rick Som
mers, the Southern Associa
tion of Colleges and Schools,
through its Commission on
Elementary Schools, has
awarded continuing accredi
tation to Duplin County
Public i Schools by action
taken during the Associa
tions 86th annual meeting
held in December.
Through accreditation,
school staff and faculty
members win oenefit by
knowing that conditions for
teaching in accredited
schools meet certain mini
mum standards and that
efforts are continuously
made to improve these con
dition^ Regional standards
require adequate faculties
and facilities and their ef
fective use. ?
^Citizens are assured of
accountability and of value
for their tax dollars through
the process of standard
setting and the regular re
evaluation of SACS member
institutions. Communities
with accredited schools can
be confident that their in
stitutions compare favorably
with others in the region.
Accredited schools are a
"plus" for those who are
interested in relocating theft
families and businesses.
Founded in 1895, the
SACS is one of six regional
accrediting bodies in the
United States. More than
11,000 member public and
private universities, col- ,
leges, junior colleges, occu- (
pational institutions, secon
dary schools, middle schools j
and elementary schools .
enroll approximately five
million students.