/19 ^ ^ 21*^
July 25,
i he Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 64. No. 30
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Hertford man killed in boating accident
By GINGER LIVINGSTON
TTie Daily Advance
A Perquimans County man
was killed in a boating acci
dent Sunday morning, appar
ently after his boat hit an
tmidentified obstruction below
the surface of the water.
Thurman C. Whedbee, 57, of
Route 6, Hertford, was boating
alone on Sutton’s Creek in the
New Hope community when
his boat’s motor apparently hit
some underwater debris,
throwing him from the vessel,
Perquimans County Sheriff
David Lane said. The accident
happened around 10 a.m.
A nearby resident, Tom
Graham, heard Whedbee call
ing for help and had family
members caU emergency serv-
cies. Lane said. Graham and
Renovations at
high school move
as scheduled
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Four new rooms will be
added at Perquimans County
High School when renovations
underway at the site are com
plete.
Schools superintendent
Randall L. Henion said
Monday that the new teaching
areas are being created in the
upstairs section of the 1924
buUding. Henion said the reno
vation will add two large class
rooms on the Edenton Road
Street side of the building, a
smaller classroom and a
teacher resource room. Two
restrooms are also being
installed.
“We desperately need the
space,” Henion said. He added
that the decision to utilize the
upstairs of the 1924 building
was made because the renova
tion is cheaper than new con
struction, and because the 1924
building is important to the
history and tradition of
Perquimans County.
The renovations carry a
$240,000 price tag, Henion said.
The superintendent said new
construction would have run
up to $100 per square foot. The
renovations are being complet
ed for approximately $50 per
square foot.
Henion said the project is
running on schedule. It is sup
posed to be complete when stu
dents retimn to school.
The new classrooms are
needed, Henion said, because
of increasing enrollment. The
additional teaching areas
should meet immediate space
needs.
“Looking at the numbers,
we should be in pretty good
shape there (at the high
school),” Henion said. Henion
said there will be renovation
needs in the future such as a
track field, the front entrance
area and parking areas.
Access to the new class
rooms wUl be by stairs located
at both ends of the building.
High school principal
Elaine Pritchard said that last
year, some classrooms were
used by more than one
teacher. The classrooms
others got into a paddle boat
and searched for Whedbee.
When they found him, he was
floating unconscious. Lane
said.
The Grahams put a life pre
server on Whedbee, pulled him
to the shore and administered
CPR. The Perquimans County
Rescue Squad responded along
with officials with officials
with the sheriffs department,
N.C. Wildlife Commission and
the U.S. Coast Guard Station
in Elizabeth City.
Lane said Whedbee was
unresponsive to rescue squad
efforts and was transported to
Albemarle Hospital where he
was declared dead.
Lane said it was reported
Whedbee could not swim and
he apparently was not wearing
a life jacket.
Lane said officials at the
scene could not identify what
Whedbee’s boat struck.
Officials would not speculate
on whether Whedbee’s boat
might have hit debris created
by Hurricane Bertha. The
storm damaged or destroyed
many area piers and private
docks when it struck the area
July 14-15. Area boaters have
reported seeing pilings, trees
and decking materials floating
in waterways.
Whedbee was a native of
Perquimans County. He was
married to the former Kay
Matthews. He was a sales rep
resentative with
Furst/McNess Feed and
employed part time with
Albemarle Builders Supply.
(See complete obituary
information on page 3.)
Celebrities come to Plantation
assigned to some teachers
were used by roving teachers
during the planning periods of
the teachers assigned to the
classrooms. The roving teach
ers were assigned office space.
Pritchard said she feels that
being able to assign each
teacher a specific classroom
will be beneficial to teachers
and to students.
Pritchard said at this point,
she plans to use the new class
rooms for science, history and
English. The teacher resource
room may also house a class
room if there is a need.
Because there is no elevator,
Pritchard and Henion both
said that all subjects taught in
the upstairs classrooms will
also be taught by a teacher
assigned to a downstairs class
room. That will allow the
school to offer all subjects to
students with physical disabil
ities, while avoiding the high
cost of installing an elevator.
After contractors leave the
site, Henion said the schools
maintenance crews will per
form minor cosmetic finishes,
such as painting and oversee
ing carpet installation.
The high school is not the
only school in need of addi
tional classroom space. The
school board approved leasing
two mobile units for the 1996-
97 school year to serve Central
School.
Henion said a higher stu
dent population at that facility
coupled with current over
crowding made adding class
rooms imperative at Central.
The board opted to lease the
units rather than buy or build
because officials hope to build
a new facility to replace
Central School in the foresee
able future, Henion said.
Henion said the state
schools capital funds bond ref
erendum which will be put to
voters in November will be
very important to Perquimans
County. If passed, Henion said
it will help smaller counties
like Perquimans with facilities
needs. The greatest overall
need at present is replacing
Central School, according to
the school system’s long-range
capital needs plan.
Celebrities flocked to Albemarle Plantation Sunday for the
Clifton Davis Celebrity Golf Classic held at Sound Golf Links.
Funds from the tournament went to raise money for
Elizabeth City State University Founddftion for Scholarships
and the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabeth City. University offi
cials were pleased with the tournament, which teamed
PHOTO BY BRIAN VANDERVLIET, THE DAILY ADVANCE
celebrities with local golfers who support Elizabeth City
State University. Participants and university officials tagged
the effort a huge success. Among the celebrities who turned
out for the fund raiser was Samuel Jackson (above), co-star
of “Pulp Fiction” and other films. Like most of the rich and
famous who attended, Jackson signed autographs.
8 teacher slots remain vacant
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The days of summer vaca
tion are dwindling to a close
for students and teachers.
Teachers return to work on
Aug. 14, with students follow
ing on Aug. 22.
Perquimans County Schools
Personnel Director Paul Ward
said Monday that he has filled
seven of 15 teacher positions
open at this time. With the
interviews he had scheduled
for this week. Ward said he
anticipated having two or
three more recommendations
for employment to make.
“It’s going slowly, but sure
ly,” Ward said of the interview
and recommendation process.
The personnel director said
one thing that hampers efforts
to reach potential employees is
that many are working or con
tinuing their education during
the summer. That makes them
difficult to reach duriitg busi
ness hours. So Ward returns to
work in the evening in order
to attempt to reach them.
Another factor that can hold
up the hiring process is the
reference check.
“We’re pleased with the
ones (teachers) we’ve been
able to interview and recom
mend for positions,” Ward
said.
While eight teaching slots
remain open. Ward said there
are no openings for adminis
trative positions at the school
level or teacher assistants.
Personnel items approved
by the school board in July
included:
• Appointments: Doris
Alligood, math/science
teacher, middle school;
Michael Lee Bonner, custodi
an, high school; Melvin
Thomas Cook, science teacher,
high school; Tina Louise
Frazier, sixth grade language
arts/social studies teacher,
middle school; Martha
Giraldo, Spanish teacher.
Central School; Steven Jay
Hunnicut, custodian, Hertford
Grammar; Emily Jane Bass
Parrish, math teacher, high
school; and Wendy Curtessa
Stover, English teacher, high
school.
• Reassignments: Andrea
Boone, from English teacher at
high school to enrichment
facilitator, middle school;
Bertha Moore, from vocational
business teacher at high and
middle schools to vocational
business teacher, high school;
and Donna Winslow, from
kindergarten teacher at
Hertford Grammar to third
grade teacher, Central School.
• Transf^er: Jerry L.
Lightfoot, custodian Hertford
Grammar to custodian, high
school.
• Resignations: Karen L.
Castranio, music teacher,
Hertford Grammar; and
Rhonda S. Tynch, eight grade
math/science teacher.
• Career contracts
approved: Andrea Boone,
Rhonda Tynch, Janet
Cartwright, Andy Hunt, Nancy
Morgan, Melissa Fields, and
Brenda Matthews.
Juvenile crime rate on rise in Hertford
Outside
Curfew enacted to
try to stop rise in
crime rate
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
There is good news and bad
news in crime statistics from
1994 and 1995, according to
Hertford Police Chief Bennie
Murphy.
The good news is adult
arrests remained stable over
all, with 157 arrests made in
both years.
The bad news, however, is
that juvenile arrests almost
quadrupled during the same
two-year period. There were 10
juvenile arrests in 1994 and 36
in 1995.
Murphy said the increase in
juevenile crime is a national
problem. Like many munici
palities across the country.
Hertford passed a juvenile cur
few to try to help stem juvenile
crime. Still, Murphy said,
juveniles roam the streets
after hours.
“A lot of parents are not
aware of it (the curfew) or they
just don’t seem to care,”
Murphy said.
It is unlawful for a juvenile
to be on the streets unaccom
panied by a parent, guardian
or responsible adult between
the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
the next morning Sunday-
Thursday. On Friday and
Saturday nights, juveniles
must be off the streets by mid
night. If a juvenile is accompa
nied by an adult other than a
parent or legal guardian, the
juvenile must have written
permission to be on the street.
The curfew ordinance applies
to juveniles who are walking
or riding in vehicles in any
public place.
Please see crime, page 3
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