November 12,
T2 013165 10/39/1999 *C20
P^-RQUIi^iANS COUNTY
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RTFORO NC 27944
The Perquimans Wee
350
Vdl. 66, No. 46
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Hunter diagnosed with Gehrig’s disease
Hall of Fame
pitcher receives
news at Johns
Hopkins
By BRIAN ZUMBANO
The Daily Advance
It was named for one base
ball legend and now it has
struck another—one who hap
pens to be Hertford's favorite
son and a Perquimans County
icon.
It is Lou Gehrig's disease,
and it has infected Hertford
native and baseball Hall of
Famer Jimmy "Catfish"
Hunter.
“At Johns Hopkins (Medical
Center in Baltimore), they told
me. I had Lou Gehrig's disease,
ALS," Hunter told the New
York Post Sunday. “'They are
going to put me on some medi
cine to try to keep it stable or
slow it down a little bit."
Efforts by The Daily
Advance to reach the leg
endary pitcher and members
of the Hunter family for this
story were unsuccessful.
On Monday, as word of
Hunter's crippling ailment
spread, he reportedly was back
in Hertford doing what he
loves best - hunting with his
son.
Gehrig's disease, which is
technically called amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis and is named
after the Yankee great, is a
degenerative neurological con
dition of the nerve cells that
control muscular movement.
It usually leads to paralysis,
and often, death.
Reaction in the Hertford
area was a somber mix of sad
ness and shock as the count
less residents who call Catfish
a friend learned of the news.
“It' certainly was a sur
prise," said longtime friend
Wayne "Lefty" Winslow, a
Perquimans native and high
school baseball teammate of
t m
Please see HUNTER,
page 12r>^
Youth rally
.'1
\ -
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County native Danny Meads brought a delegation of youth from his church in Midlothian, Va., Victory
Tabernacle Church of God, to Perquimans County this weekend for an area-wide youth raiiy at the high schooi. The group
shared modern, youth-oriented ways to share the gospel with others at a 5th Quarter activity sponsored by the PCHS
Feliowship of Christian athletes Friday night and at a Saturday evening service.
Band requests uniforms, second instructor
By SUSAN R. HARRiS
Editor
A growing band program
and aging uniforms sent
Perquimans County Schools
band program supporters tun
ing up for help from the school
board Monday night.
Band Booster co-presidents
A.O. Roberts and Parker
Newbern and band director
David Ziemba asked the board
for financial help to purchase
new uniforms and for a second
band teaching position.
Roberts said the band’s 12-
year-old uniforms are showing
their age. He said based on
information he and Ziemba
had received from uniform
companies, it will cost approx
imately $40,000 to purchase
new uniforms.
At present, the Band
Boosters are paying for instru
ments on a 5-year installment
contract at a cost of over $5,000
per year, Roberts said. The
club does not have funds to
pay for the uniforms, he
added.
“We’ve got a lot here to be
proud of,” Roberts said of the
band program. “The kids here
are just exceptional. We’ve got
the participation here, we just
need some help.”
Roberts asked that the
board work with the Boosters
to purchase the uniforms.
The co-president also asked
the board to consider hiring a
second teacher for the band
program.
“David Ziemba needs help,”
Roberts said. “We feel like he’s
got a load on him.”
Roberts said that there is a
need for someone else to work
with the band program to pro
vide continuity in the event
that Ziemba would leave or
retire.
Newbern said that the
marching band this year is
composed of about 120 stu
dents. At an average of 100 stu
dents in the marching band
each year for the past 10 years,
Newbern said that the band
program has touched a lot of
students and families.
Ziemba said when he began
the band program in 1978, he
had no idea it would grow so
much. In years past, students
could begin taking band in
sixth grade; however, growth
in the program caused the
sixth grade to be cut from the
program. Another teacher, he
said, would allow sixth
graders to be included in
instrumental music again.
In addition to learning how
to play a musical instrument,
Ziemba said the band helped
sixth graders feel like a part of
their school and helped devel
op pride. Sixth graders are not
eligible for participation in
middle school sports.
Ziemba also said that there
are so many extra duties asso
ciated with being a band direc
tor that additional help is
needed.
“My first goal is my class
room every day, then the other
things,” Ziemba said. “It’s just
a matter of how much I can get
to.”
There are presently about
300 students enrolled in four
band levels in grades 7-12, he
said.
Dare County and Elizabeth
City-Pasquotank school dis
tricts have three full-time
band instructors; Currituck,
two, Ziemba said. Edenton
Holmes and Gates County are
both pushing to get second
instructors, he said.
Ziemba said there needs to
be someone trained and ready
to assume his duties because
he might not be here too much
longer. The veteran teacher
has over 25 years in the state’s
public school system.
The band director likened
bringing in a new band direc
tor to bringing in a new coach.
He said what has happened
with the turnover in football
Community
offers support
DAILY ADVANCE FILE PHOTO
Hall of Fame pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Jimmy to his oid
friends in Hertford, has heiped raise thousands of doiiars for
sports at his aima mater through participation in such activities
as the annuai Oid Timers Game.
coaches over the past few
years wiU happen to the band.
Ziemba said he addressed
the need for help to principals
at both the middle and high
schools as well as to school-
based committees last year,
but heard nothing.
The band director ended his
comments by teUing the board
that he. has copies of studies
showing that music education
improves test scores.
Board chairman Wallace
Nelson said the board will look
at both issues brought to the
board.
“I don’t know what we could
do, but we could sure take a
look at it,” Nelson said. “We’U
try to do the best we can.”
In the 1998-99 fiscal budget
of the school system, the band
program was allotted $24,036
in local funds, according to
schools finance officer Frances
Hammer. Hammer said those
funds are to cover two months
of summer employment for the
band director, interim instruc
tor fees, supplies and materi
als, equipment repair and
travel. The band director is in
a teaching position funded for
10 months by the state.
Hammer said to her knowl
edge there has never been a
line item in the band budget
for uniforms.
By WILL SULLIVAN
The Daily Advance
From the high school base
ball field on Jimmy Hunter
Drive to the corner drug store
that still serves as the local
hangout, residents here
expressed similar reaction to
the news no one wanted to
hear.
“Everybody's concerned in
the community because
Jimmy's done so much in here
as far as helping people,” said
Charles Woodard, a lifelong
friend and owner of Woodard's
Pharmacy, a popular down
town establishment and hub of
Hertford activity. “I've had
several people come in today
and ask about him.”
The man they're asking
about is baseball HaU of Famer
Catfish Hunter, who was
recently diagnosed with Lou
Gehrig's disease, the terminal
ailment named after the coura
geous New York Yankees star
first baseman.
News of Hunter's health
problems spread quickly. But
concern and support for the
hometown hero has spread
just as fast.
“Everybody is real upset
here at the school,” said
Perquimans Athletic Director
Harrell Thach. “He has our
prayers and support because
he has meant a lot to us. As far
as the school goes and what
he's done, he's been tremen
dous.”
Debbie Proctor, who works
in the Perquimans County
Building Inspector's office,
agreed.
“I think everybody just
looks up to him," said Proctor,
who can look out of her win
dow inside the Perquimans
County Courthouse Annex and
see a monument honoring
Hunter. “He has been in places
that a lot of people probably
would like to have experi
enced. And he's brought that
experience back home and
shared it with others, too. He's
shared it with children right
on up to adults, helping them
with sports and encourage
ment. And that means a whole
lot.”
Proctor said Hunter has
meant a lot to her family, in
particular. Her husband, Pete,
hunts regularly with Catfish,
while Proctor's sons, Tim and
Nicholas, played under Hunter
in little league baseball.
“Everybody that knows
Jimmy will tell you the same
thing,” said Proctor. “He's just
a homeboy, and it's never been
anything more than that.”
Despite all his athletic
accomplishments—he pitched
a perfect game and won 224
games in a sparkling 12-year
major league career with the
Yankees and Oakland
Athletics—folks close to
Hunter say the hard-throwing
right-hander has never lost
sight of where he came from.
“I've known Catfish Hunter
for approximately 12 years,"
said Perquimans (bounty
Sheriff Ralph Robinson. “His
(youngest) son, Paul, was in
my D.A.R.E. class in 6th grade.
I've got the greatest respect for
him as an individual, and he's
a down-to-earth person.
Success didn't spoil him.”
Robinson said Hunter, who
has been a special deputy on
the Perquimans County force
for the last 20 years, is a local
treasure and a living legend.
“I don't know if they (the
area residents) understand
what they have,” said
Robinson, who is originally
from Long Island, N.Y. “I'm
not a native of this
county—I've adopted this
county—but he's an amazing
guy.”
Woodard said he's keeping
close tabs on his childhood
friend. The two attended
school together from the first
grade aU the way through high
school and remain close.
“He was in here today,” said
Woodard, who first noticed
something different in Hunter
last spring. “I talked to him for
a while. I think the main thing
is, he's at least glad he finally
found out what's wrong with
him.”
Woodard and Hunter, and
their families, go way back.
“My mama was a school
teacher and she used to ride
with Jimmy down to Florida to
tutor him through Spring
Training in Fort Lauderdale,”
Woodard recalled.
Woodard's now hoping some
sort of medical breakthrough
will arrive in time to save the
ailing Hunter.
“The thing is now, hopefully
there are some new drugs that
hopefully can arrest it or slow
it down,” said Woodard, who
noted Hunter was in church,
as usual, for Sunday's worship.
“The word is from the medical
community, they're supposed
to have a cure for Lou Gehrig's
disease by the year 2000.”
Until then, Woodard said
the best thing to do is pray
that Hunter can somehow beat
the mysterious disease.
“You don't see it very
often,” said Woodard, shaking
his head. “It's just a bad thing
to get. It's kind of ironic, Lou
Gehrig played with the
Yankees, Jimmy played with
the Yankees. The people are all
concerned. I just think we aU
need to get together to pray for
him.”
Thursday
Friday Saturday
Nov. 12
Nov. 13 Nov. 14
High 60s
High 70s High 70s
Low 40s
Low 40s Low 50s
Clear, sunny
Partly cloudy Chance of rain
Have a great weekend!