Hometown Heroes
Rage 3
Kick Butts Day observed
Rage 6
Easter tourney highlights
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P5/C4
ffRQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
April 30, 2003
Vol. 71. No. 18 Hertford, North Carolirta 27944
109
' 4/29/2003.
Perquimans
Weekly
9-year-old county boy dies in accident
SUSAN R. HARRIS
BEN DECK AND
RYAN BURR
“How” and “why” are
words heard often over the
past week in Perquimans
County as family and
friends of 9-year-old John
Richard “J.R.” Winslow try
to cope with his tragic
death.
The young man was
killed last Wednesday after
noon when the all-terrain
vehicle he was riding and a
dump truck traveling on
N.C. Highway 37 collided.
Winslow was approach
ing the highway from a pri
vate driveway around 3
p.m. when he struck the
right side of the passing
truck, said Trooper J.H.
Blizzard of the state
Highway Patrol.
The ATV was thrown
J.R. Winslow
into a ditch where it rolled
over, and Winslow was
thrown off the vehicle and
onto the shoulder of the
highway. Blizzard said.
Winslow, who was op
spring break from Hertford
Grammar School when the
accident occurred, was pro
nounced dead at the scene
of the accident. He was not
wearing a helmet. Blizzard
said.
According to family
members, Winslow was on
the first of three vehicles
on the private drive prepar
ing to cross Highway 37.
His sister, Jessica, was on a
second ATV behind J.R.,
and the children’s paternal
grandfather, Johnny
Winslow, was on a farm
vehicle behind them.
Both Jessica and Johnny
Winslow reported to other
family members that J.R.
had stopped his four-wheel
er and was checking the
highway for traffic before
crossing it.
The actual accident hap
pened so quickly that some
details are not known.
Brenda Winslow, J.R.’s
mother, said she wants peo
ple to know that the ATV
was not on the highway,
according to Jessica, nor
was J.R. run over.
The truck, a 1983 GMC,
was driven by Andrew J.
Brown of Como, Blizzard
said. Brown was driving
between 45 and 50 mph at
the time of the crash.
No charges have been
filed in connection with the
crash. Blizzard said.
When students returned
from spring break Monday,
counselors from across the
system and volunteers with
the Ministers’ Council
were on hand to help stu
dents at Hertford Grammar
School deal with having
lost their friend, a third
grader in Stacey Pierce’s
class, according to schools
Public Information Officer
Brenda Lassiter.
Lassiter said an
announcement of J.R.’s
death was made just after
the school day began
Monday. Most students
knew about the accident,
and in fact, many had visit
ed his family and attended
his funeral Saturday after
noon. There were some,
however, who had not
heard the sad news.
Lassiter said the coun
selors and ministers were
wonderful with the chil
dren, providing the support
they needed to understand
and deal with the loss of
their friend.
Students were also con
cerned about Brenda
Winslow, a cafeteria worker
at Hertford Grammar
School loved by all the stu
dents, Lassiter said.
Lassiter is a friend of the
family and attends Up
River Friends Meeting with
them. She fondly remem
bers J.R.
“He was a perfect little
boy. He looked for the best
in everyone,” Lassiter said.
“His family is very weU-
known and loved by the
community. They are life
long residents of
Perquimans County
“J.R. always had a smile
on his face,” Lassiter
added.
J.R. had been busy lately,
practicing with the
Belvidere-Whiteston youth
league baseball team
coached by his grandfather,
Richard Stallings, and get
ting ready to show his pig
in the Albemarle 4-H
Livestock show this week.
Last Tuesday night,
J.R.’s bat finally came
around and he hit a triple, a
memory his grandfather
win no doubt cherish.
Kyle Winslow, J.R.’s
cousin, win show J.R.’s pig
in the livestock show on
J.R. behalf.
(Please find an obituary
on page 3.)
Termites, moisture
damage N-W House
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Termites and moisture
have played havoc at
Perquimans County’s
Newbold-White House, the
oldest standing brick house
in North Carolina.
Gerald Zel, a member of
the Perquimans County
Restoration Association
board of directors, said
there has been a problem
since the first of the year.
^ PCRA owns and oversees
the operation of the
Newbold-White House.
, Zel said the house has
been under a termite con
tract since 1987. It is
unclear how the termites
infested the house. Zel did
not name the company with
whom PCRA contracted,
but said PCRA and the com
pany are talking about each
group’s responsibilities.
The moisture problem is
a result of water wicking
up the thick exterior walls
of the house.
The damage has forced
PCRA to close the south
room on the second floor of
the house to the public, and
to allow only two visitors at
the time in the north room.
Zel said it will cost an
estimated $50,000—$100,000
to restore the house.
A dehumidification sys
tem win be installed in the
crawl space at the house in
hope that the system will
keep the moisture levels
down, Zel said.
“That’s the cheap part,”
Zel said. “That’ll probably
cost about $2,000.”
The expensive part will
include tearing apart the
second floor to access the
extent of the damage. The
floor and waU paneling will
have to be removed to
expose the joists and
rafters.
Until that is done, how to
repair the damage cannot
be determined.
And that is where PCRA
is stuck. The organization
does not have the thou
sands of dollars it wUl take
to fund the renovations.
PCRA is a private orga-
hization that seeks grant
funds and private dona
tions to fund the operation
and programming at the
Newbold-White House. The
organization purchased the
house and restored it from
1974—1981, using grants
and private donations.
Donations and grants
have also furnished the
house, built a barn that
serves as a visitors center
and gift shop, and pur
chased and renovated the
David Newby House which
once served as a site man
ager’s home and is now
administrative and meet
ing space.
PCRA worked with the
state on purchasing proper
ty between the Newbold-
White House and the
Perquimans River. The
state purchased the proper
ty and leases it back to
PCRA. The group plans to
add the importance of the
river to daily life into its
interpretation of the site.
Zel added that PCRA
hopes to purchase the land
on both sides of the site in
the near future.
PCRA has asked the
county to up its contribu
tion to the house from
$6,500 per year to $10,000 to
help with the renovation
expenses.
The historic property is
also running without a paid
site manager at present,
which wUl save over $35,000
per year, Zel said.*
PCRA has formulated
what Zel called a “bare
bones” budget for fiscal
2003-2004 of $60,000, which
provides no maintenance
funds and works only with
board members taking on
duties instead of paying to
have them done.
PCRA raises funds with
the annual garden party,
membership drive. New
and Bold Decorators, visi
tors, gift shop and biennial
homes tour.
This year, Zel has con
tracted with Captain Bob’s
to cater dinner in conjunc
tion with the June Summer
Breeze concert and
Tommy’s for the July con
cert.
PCRA offers educational
programs throughout the
year. The site is open for the
season March—October,
Tuesday — Saturday,
10—4:30. The gift shop is
open weekends in
November and December.
Shot for Cinnamon
Cinnamon was the last of the 40 cats and dogs to receive a rabies vaccination from
Dr. Rustin Howell of Chowan Animal Hospital at the third SPCA of Perquimans
County Rabies Clinic on Saturday. Volunteers assisted with the clinic. For more
information on the SPCA or animals who need homes, log onto spca.inteiiport.com
or email spca@inteliport.com.
School supply drive kicks off
Saturday will officially
kick off the Community
Makes It Happen project to
provide school supplies to
local children whose fami
lies may have difficulty pro
viding the supplies
required by the schools.
Communities in Schools,
Perquimans County Social
Services, Holy Trinity
Episocpal Church,
Frankie’s Cafe and
Courtesy Ford have joined
forces to provide supplies
to county students.
Saturday, there wUl be
chicken s^ad sandwiches.
cantaloupe, chips and
drinks for sale on the cour
thouse lawn, along with
entertainment, from 11—1.
Courtesy Ford will pro
vide a 4 X 4 that organizers
hope to fill with school sup
plies by June.
Communities in Schools’
Barbara Gustafson said
there are about 200 chil
dren served by the Angel
Tree at Christmas, so orga
nizers feel there is a need to
help with school supplies.
Those who wish to apply
to receive school supplies
should complete an applica
Life
jacket
rule in
effect
Spring is here, and in
Perquimans County warm
weather takes boaters to
area waterways.
Those who plan to enjoy
the county’s three rivers
and the sound should
remember that the United
State Coast Guard’s Life
Jacket RiHe went into effect
Dec. 23.
In support of the ongo
ing efforts of the states and
Coast Guard to improve
boating safety, the Coast
Guard requires that aU chil
dren under age 13 wear
Coast Guard approved life
jackets while aboard recre
ational vessels underway,
except when the children
are below decks or in an
enclosed cabin.
This ride was created to
address the problem of
chddhood drownings whde
boating. Between 1995 and
2001, 210 chddren under the
age of 13 died whde boat
ing, 121 of them by drown
ing. Most of these deaths
could have been prevented
if the chdd had been wear
ing a properly fitting life
jacket.
Continued on page 8
tion at social services by
the end of May
Those who wish to
donate may do so Saturday
or in barreUs decorated by
4-Hers that wdl be distrib
uted to participating busi
nesses.
Contributions may also
be made through social ser
vices or Communities in
Schools.
For information or to
donate, call Carlyn Brown
at social services, 426-5478,
or Gustafson at
Communities in Schools,
426-3644. ■
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 78
Low: 63
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High:78
Low: 58
Scahered T'storms
Saturday
High: 75
Low:51
Scattered Showers
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