Homes tour is Friday
Page 3
Library group seeks honoree
Rage 5
Four named All-Conference
Page 8
The
PERQUIMAHS couhty library
XIO * ACADEMY ST
Oxford, «c 27944-1306
December 6, 2006
Vol. 74, No. 49 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perquimans
Weekly
MARGARET FISHER
A man fleeing drug
charges in Virginia was
caught speeding through
Hertford on Nov. 27.
Police officer Kevin
Worster was driving on
U.S. Highway 17 North
when he saw a vehicle driv
ing south on the same
highway at an excessive
speed, said Police Chief
Dale Vanscoy.
Worster clocked the
vehicle at 82 miles per hour
in a 55-mile-per-hour zone.
He turned around and
stopped the vehicle driven
by Troy Donte Reid, 26, of
Hampton, Va.
Upon checking Reid’s
record, Worster, found that
he was driving on a
revoked license and was a
fugitive for drug charges
against him in Hampton.
He was charged with
speeding and placed on a
$1,000 secured bond. He
was taken to Albemarle
District Jail where he
remained at press time.
County
slow on
filling
board
Ed Nixon, member of
the Perquimans County
Planning Board, expressed
his frustration to commis
sioners on Monday night
for not having appointed a
new board member since
Wayne Howell resigned as
chairman three months
ago.
“I’m disappointed that
it’s taken so long to fill this
position,” Nixon said.
Later, he said that the posi
tion should have been filled
two months ago.
Mack Nixon, who was
voted in as chairman of
the commissioners’ board
the same night, said there
are a number of quality
candidates for the job, but
commissioners had differ
ent opinions as to which
one should be appointed.
Ed Nixon explained to
commissioners that
upcoming projects, includ
ing those related to high
ways, water and the his
toric district, will require a
candidate who is from and
appreciates the county and
will also be available to
attend board meetings.
“It should be a known
person in the county,” he
told the board. “...I think
this person should be in
love with this county. I
hope you don’t draw it out
any longer.”
Ben Hobbs, who was still
acting chairman at the
time, said that he dis
continued on page 3
Christmas on the Perquimans
PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
Christmas came to Perquimans last week, as the
downtown merchants and Historic Hertford, Inc.
hosted a grand illumination, caroling on the green
and open houses beginning Thursday evening and
the parade wound its way through town Saturday.
The ninth grade chorus from the high school
(right) led carols on the green, as did The
Albemarle Sounds. The most anticipated partici
pant in the parade was the jolly old man himself,
Santa Claus (above). The parade was sponsored by
the Chamber of Commerce.
Calvin Johnson hangs up his mail bag
Carrier retires
after 31 years
MARGARET FISHER
Calvin Johnson has been
walking the streets of
Hertford for so long that he
plans to continue walking
and greeting friends now
that he’s retired.
Johnson has worked for
the U.S. Postal Service for
31 years. He delivered his
last piece of mail on Friday.
Now, he plans on spending
more time with his wife,
Lois Johnson, and with the
church where he is pastor -
Holy Temple in Edenton.
“I’ll probably do mostly
church work after I retire
and take some trips and
enjoy life,” he said.
Johnson had to take a
leave of absence following
a heart attack a number of
months ago. He later
returned to work and
resumed his walking rou
tine. His doctor told him
that the outcome might
have been different for him
if he hadn’t been getting
the exercise he gets on his
daily route through town.
His coworkers say they
will miss the man who took
issues in stride and didn’t
Calvin Johnson
let him get him down.
“We all hated to see him
go,” said Mary Corprew, a
rural carrier who has
worked with Johnson for 23
years. “He was a good
employee and a good influ
ence on the rest of us.”
Alton Lane is a clerk
who started out at the
Hertford post office as
Johnson’s substitute 25
years ago.
“He’s a very fine fellow.
He’ll be missed very
much,” Lane said.
Johnson and his wife
plan to visit" Puerto Rico
and other islands. Johnson
said that he’s never been
there, but his wife has been
looking forward to going.
Johnson graduated from
Perquimans Union High
School in 1970. He spent
four years in the U.S. Air
Force. He left as a sergeant
in the mechanics field in
1975. It was then that he
started working as a clerk
at Edenton post officers cus
tomer service desk. In
three months, he trans
ferred to Hertford where he
has remained until retir
ing. He worked in auxiliary
routes until the 1980s when
he began doing city deliv
ery in Hertford.
In the early days, he cor
related all his mail. He had
about 825 different places
for the mail to go. As the
years have passed, the
postal system has become
more automated, eliminat
ing the need to separate all
the mail. Much of that is
done now in Rocky Mount.
Automation has also led
to starting his work day
later. While he had to show
up to work by 6 a.m. at one
time, most recently, he has
n’t had to arrive until 8 a.m.
Changes in the system
have removed some of the
power out of the local post
master’s hands and given it
to higher-ups outside the
community, he said.
Johnson has seen some
changes downtown, as well.
A Rose’s department store,
a furniture store and other
landmarks are now gone.
People have changed,
too. The children he used to
greet are now living in
their own homes and get
ting their mail from
Johnson.
“They remind me of my
birthdays. Some of them
got kids,” he said.
But through all the
changes, and come rain,
sleet or snow, Johnson con
tinued to deliver mail.
“I guess I’ve been doing
it so long,” he said. “I guess
that’s how I got hooked.
Now, on rainy days, some
times you wish you were
inside.”
Johnson didn’t have too
many crisis situations to
deal with on his daily trek.
But once, he found a man
who had fallen off a ladder.
The man turned out to be
okay, but Johnson knocked
on the door to inform the
man’s wife of the incident.
He made it a practice to
check on the elderly if
their mail remained in the
mailbox the following day.
The nice way he was
treated by his customers is
something Johnson will
continue to remember.
“I’ll miss the people and
miss my coworkers and
miss delivering mail,” he
said. “But, every good thing
has to come to an end.”
Johnson and his wife
have three grown children
- Tesha Burm and Calvin
Johnson Jr. in Greenville
and Arika Hurley in
Brooklyn, N.Y.
One suspected
of carrying
drugs
MARGARET FISHER
A quantity of drugs may
have slipped through
police fingers last week
when a man fled after
being apprehended.
A group of four young
men were loitering on King
Avenue in Winfall on
Wednesday at about 7 p.m.
when Winfall Police Chief
David Shaffer pulled up in
his patrol car. One person
in the group fled the scene.
The other three .were
ordered up against the
police vehicle.
Shaffer said he began
asking Corey A. Warren,
20, of Elizabeth City, ques
tions and he appeared to be
nervous.
“While attempting to
search him, I found what I
believe to be a large quanti
ty of narcotics ,in his pock
et,” Shaffer said. “And
when I went to retrieve it, a
. short struggle ensued.”
Warren broke free and
ran away. Shaffer detained
the remaining two men
and called for backup.
Hertford Police
Department and
Perquimans County
Sheriff’s Office responded.
Tony Boyd Jr., 16, of
Elizabeth City, was
charged with possession of
marijuana under half an
ounce and resisting a
police officer. His bond was
set at $700 secured.
Tremayne Stone, 17, of
303 King Ave. Was charged
with resisting a public offi
cer and placed on a $500
secured bond. He and Boyd
were charged for allegedly
lying about Warren.
Shaffer had recognized
Warren and contacted the
hoy’s father in Elizabeth
City. After being shown a
video taping of the appre
hension taken from
Shaffer’s car, Warren’s
father turned his son in on
Saturday.
Warren was charged
with resisting a public offi
cer and placed on $1,000
secured bond.
Weather
Thursday
High: 58, Low: 28
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 44, Low: 27
Sunny
Saturday
High: 50, Low: 32
Sunny