Kenneth Lilley Receives Scholarship

The Windsor Rotary Club has granted its latest Scholarship to Kenneth Lilley to attend Martin Community College. Robert Bonner of the Martin Commmunity College Foundation was guest at the Rotary Meeting to accept the scholarship fund.


Robert Bonner (on left) Recives Check To Fund Scholarship

Kenneth Lilley was congratulated by the Windsor Rotary Club President, Mary Davis, on earning the scholarship.

Mary Davis Congratulates Kenneth Lilley

The Windsor Rotary Club believes strongly in the motto "Service Above Self" and has done an outstanding job in funding scholarships for local youth. If you would like to get involved in this great work, please come by the meeting on Thursday's at 12:00 Noon at the Carolina Restaurant in Windsor.

North Carolina Republican Convention

ASHEVILLE - The North Carolina Republican Convention was held this weekend to adopt the North Carolina Republican Party Platform and select party leaders for the coming year.

Bertie County was represented by John Stallings, Chairman of Bertie County Republican Party, Inez Stallings, Delegate, and Dean Stephens.

Delegate Inez Stallings and Bertie County Republican Chairman John Stallings

The complete write-up on the convention can be found on the Roanoke Chowan Eagle, the conservative political blog for this area at http://roanokechowan.blogspot.com

Armed Forces Day Celebration

Story and Photos By Jeanette White - Sunday May 22nd, 2005

WINDSOR - A Carolina blue sky, hot barbecue and the sound of a great band warming up greeted visitors at the Salute to Soldiers yesterday, at Historic Hope Plantation.

The North Carolina Army National Guard Band

This first Salute To Soldiers on Armed Forces Day was sponsored by Bertie County Arts Council after members looked for a way to say thank you to men and women who have served or are serving in the military. Entertainment for the night came from the North Carolina Army National Guard Band, the 440th Army Band. They played mostly American and patriotic songs during the first part of the night and the music rocked toward the end of the evening.

Among the veterans who listened to the music were some who served in WWII .... as well as young men like Sgt. Jonathon Eric Taylor, formerly of Merry Hill and now serving at Al Tigh Army Base in Iraq. The visit home was bittersweet for Sergeant Taylor, who visited his loved ones, but also attended the funeral of his grandmother, Flo Harper of Merry Hill.

Bertie County Arts Council's Vice-President Shannon Jennette (from left, seated), U.S. Navy Commander (Ret.) Sherwood Rawls and his wife, Becky, talk with visitors

Visitors had a chance to look at old military weaponry at one exhibit and to greet veterans who used similar weaponry. Barbecued pork meals and homemade shortcake were a big hit with visitors.

One interesting exhibit table held relics from the military's past

Bertie County Commission Chairman Rick Harrell, Commissioners Norman Cherry and Wallace Perry, Lewiston Woodville Commissioner Dayle Vaughan and Windsor Mayor Robert "Bob" Spivey helped serve the barbecue.

Bertie County Commissioners (from left) Rick Harrell, chairman, Wallace Perry and Norman Cherry, serving barbecue

BCAC President welcomed visitors to the Salute and introduced the two speakers, U.S. Navy Commander Sherwood Rawls, Ret., and Brigadier General David L. Jennette, both men from Bertie County.

Commander Rawls spoke briefly after saying any good speaker follows the three-B rule, be brilliant, be brief and be gone. He explained how the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard each had its own day of recognition. But President Harry S. Truman led an effort to establish a single holiday for the public to thank all military members. The Coast Guard was not included in the designation. The celebration was named Armed Forces Day, always the third Saturday in May, when cities around the nation honor past and present sacrifices with ceremonies and parades.

Then Brigadier General David L. Jennette spoke about the National Guard, its history, its programs and its goals.

The Junior ROTC of Bertie High School presented the colors as the band played the National Anthem.

Bertie County Arts Council expressed appreciation to its volunteers, any other person or company who helped make this celebration a reality.

Free Skin Cancer Screenings

June 11th
9:00 AM until 12:00 PM

Cashie Medical Center
(Located inside Bertie Memorial Hospital)
(252) 794-6775

Father Tom - A Story By Bob Fringer

About 10 years ago or so, our church requested a new priest to serve as the leader of its congregation. In a move that was new to our congregation, the new priest was a female and married to a retired priest. Many in the congregation commented that our church was getting two priests for the price of one. While this was not the exact situation, “Father Tom" quickly melted into our church as though he had been there forever. Everyone loved him for his zest for life and his interest in everything that went on around him.

Father Tom wanted to know what everyone in the congregation did and how they did it. He rode harvesting machines with the farmers, visited cotton processing operations and went to the tobacco auctions. He just wanted to know a little about everything.

One day Tom asked me to take him quail hunting. Now Tom was not a hunter and he was at an age where he should not be walking through an area which had been recently logged for timber. Old stump holes, ruts left by the logging equipment, numerous vines, branches and other debris made walking difficult. Unfortunately, that's where the quail are found. I agreed to take him but honestly hoped that he would forget about the idea.

He did not forget and persisted until one day I agreed to take him on a short hunt. I thought about the various places where Warner Perry and I had hunted that year in hopes that I could remember a location where walking would be easy and there was a chance of finding a covey of quail. I wasn't particularly interested in killing a quail as much as I wanted Tom to see how a hunting dog handled a covey of birds. I finally remembered a place adjacent to a harvested soybean field. Warner and I had found two coveys of birds there earlier in the year. We had shot several birds out of each covey and had left the rest to reproduce the next year.

Several days later Tom met me at my house shortly after lunch. It had rained earlier in the week but we had a beautiful day to hunt. He was properly dressed as well as possible for a non-hunter. He wore an old pair of army boots, corduroy pants and a warm jacket. It was a nice day so we weren't burdened by a bunch of heavy clothes. We put my English Setter, Duffy, in the dog box and headed out to the field. When we arrived I explained that we would hunt along the edge of the soybean field and let Duffy range in the woods next to us. I had put a bell on Duffy's collar so that I could keep track of him. When I could not hear the bell I knew that he was pointing a covey of birds or had ranged out of my hearing.

We hadn't gone far around the field when Duffy's bell stopped ringing. Sure enough, we could see Duffy locked up in a classic point. It was a beautiful scene. He stood there as though he was frozen. Tom stayed on the edge of the field as I walked up the small path where Duffy stood. As I stepped in front of Duffy one single bird exploded from under my foot and rocketed straight away from me. I, in my normal fashion, raised my gun, shot and promptly missed that bird. Oh well. At least Tom saw some beautiful dog work. I never claimed to be a good shot!

We continued around the field's edge while Duffy worked farther back in the woods. After about 10 minutes I could no longer hear Duffy's bell. I suggested that Tom remain on the edge of the field while I went to look for Duffy. After about 10 minutes of searching I found Duffy hunting along a strip of woods. He had gotten out of our hearing range. I called him back to me and walked out to the field.

As I entered the field I saw Tom trying to pull himself out of a ditch. Apparently, he had tried to walk back into the woods and had slipped into an old drainage ditch. I helped him to his feet and checked him over for any injuries. But he was fine. At that point we agreed that we should head back to the truck. We decided to walk straight back to the vehicle rather than walk all the way around the edge of the field. There was a low, wet spot in the middle of the bean field which we would have to walk around but the footing was fairly good with the exception of the soil being a bit muddy.

We moved along at a slow, steady pace. Tom would stop occasionally to rest and tell a short tale. The going was pretty easy if we kept moving. As we reached the area near the wet spot we began to sink a little more into the mud. Tom stopped to gain his breath and tell another short tale. As he stood there in the mud his feet began to slowly sink deeper and deeper. As I was looking at him he began to slowly tilt backwards. His arms began to flail awkwardly around in wild, erratic circles as he attempted to regain his balance.

Unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain because by now his feet were firmly held in place by the mud. It was only a matter of time before gravity took control and Tom fell backwards in the mud. He made a soft but muddy landing. I thanked God that he was not injured.

I helped Tom get back on his feet and then we continued our walk to the truck. We both laughed about the fall and decided that we had enough quail hunting for the day. We cleaned him up so that he could get in the truck and then drove back to my house. When we reached home we washed him up a bit more and put an old towel on his car seat so he wouldn't harm the car's interior.

As we were going through all the cleaning and washing processes, I thought of my Priest's reactions to our hunting expedition. I had put her loved one in harm's way and sent him home looking as though he had been mud wrestling. I certainly hoped that she practiced what she preached - forgiveness!


Bob Fringer - December 28th, 2004

Father tom went to meet his maker several years ago. He died in France while visiting his wife's daughter. His approach to life has continued to be an inspiration to me. I will always remember our quail hunt. He was a fine man and I miss his company.

Salute to a Soldier

by Angela Perez

Retired Navy Commander Robert Sherwood Rawls, 71, has the rolling gait of a man who has spent a lifetime at sea. Rawls, who grew up on a farm in Aulander, enlisted in 1950 as a deck seaman aboard the heavy cruiser USS Albany. Since he first set foot on the ship, he has given a total of 43 years of his life to continuous active duty in the service of his country.

And in a sense, so did his wife, Rebecca, who, said Rawls, “has picked up and moved for me more times than I can remember.” “She’s been the perfect Navy wife,” he said, “taking care of everything along the way.” Taking care of everything meant running the household and taking care of all aspects of day to day to life, including paying the bills, making household repairs, and caring for their only child, Robert, while Rawls was sent out to sea for weeks, sometimes months, at the time. “It becomes a way of life,” said Rebecca, “but you grow to love it and it makes it difficult to settle down into normal civilian life.”

But settling down in Aulander is just what the couple has done since Rawls finally retired in 2000 after a working for 7 years as a Naval Science Instructor of the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Nottoway High School in Blackstone, Virginia. He had planned to retire in 1993. Prior to that, in 1990, he received his Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and served as an Operations Officer for three years. “At that time, we talked about him retiring,” said Rebecca, “but he was so used to wearing that uniform, he just wasn’t ready to take it off.”

They always say, behind every successful man, there is a strong woman. And in the case of Ret. Navy Commander Robert S. Rawls, the words ring true. Pictured behind Rawls is his wife of 42 years, Rebecca. Both now reside in Aulander and Rawls has almost become a bonafide landlubber. (Photo by Angela Perez)

Rawls’ uniforms have changed over the years as he moved up through the ranks; picking up every enlisted, warrant, and commissioned rank there was until he became a commander. Some of his more memorable years were in the early sixties, when he served in Vietnam on one of the newly formed Navy SEALs teams. He also recalls the very early days of his career when he earned 57 dollars a month. “That wasn’t so bad in those days,” he said with a smile.

Since returning to Aulander 5 years ago, Rawls has finally put the uniform away but not the memories. But it is the memories of life before the Navy that drew them back to their hometown. “We both grew up here,” he said, “and it just seemed right for us to come back to Bertie County to the only permanent home we ever knew.”

The couple moved into a house built by Rebecca’s grandfather and remodeled it. They now spend their days traveling to visit their son, now a retired Commander teaching ROTC in Virginia, and their grandson, Robert Alexander, who will graduate with honors this year. They do still travel – but these deployments are shorter stints to visit their Navy friends all over the United States. And unlike the past, when Rawls packed his bags and headed out alone, he and wife go together, hand-in-hand. “I spent so much of my time for so many years away from my wife,” he said, “and now it is important that I am with her as much as I can be.”

Do they miss the world of the military? “Of course,” said Rebecca. “It was truly a lifetime for us. And it has its own particular troubles and concerns that are so different from civilian life. But we’ve adjusted just fine. We love Aulander and we love finally being able to be together.”

Rawls is a strong supporter of veterans, rights and benefits and to show that support, he will speak on Saturday, May 21 during the “Salute to the Soldiers” event being held at Historic Hope Plantation. The event, sponsored by the Bertie County Arts Council, will feature the 440th Army Band.

“I think this type of celebration is important,” said Rawls. “I don’t think that we can ever do too much to support the veterans who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy.”

Tickets for the event are on sale at the Bertie Arts Center, 124 South King Street, and are $3 in advance, $5 at the gate, for ages 12 – adult. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Everyone with military ID, his/her spouse, and dependent children will be admitted free. Barbecue plates and homemade desserts will be on sale.

For more information, please call 794-9402.

Salute to Soldiers - Saturday!

Saturday, May 21st - 6:00 until 9:00 PM - Armed Forces Day
Bertie County Celebration
"Salute to Soldiers"

This is the week when Bertie County can show the military people in the area how we feel about them. This Saturday is the "Salute to Soldiers".

Navy Jet Landing at Night

The Bertie County Arts Council is looking for names of Bertie men and women serving in all branches of the military to be honored at their Salute to Soldiers! This will be held at Historic Hope House this Saturday, May 21st from 6:00 to 9:00 PM


Training in Kirkuk, Iraq

The North Carolina National Guard Band will perform at the celebration. The full band, including the Patriots, who perform big band and jazz music; the Minute Men, who perform music from the 50s to the 80s; and the concert band will offer every kind of music the public could want.

War in Afghanistan Continues

The celebration will allow the public to show its appreciation for the sacrifices made on behalf of America. We owe them our freedom.

Air Force F15 Deploys

Bertie County Arts Council is asking the public to help spread the word and get members of the military and their families to the gathering. Military service people with I.D. will be admitted free. This includes spouse and dependents. For others, there will be a $3 admittance fee ($5 at the gate) to help defray expenses for the evening celebration.

Dangerous Work

There will be pork dinners and homemade desserts for sale during the concert. As part of the effort to make this a family event, no alcohol will be allowed. The audience is asked to bring lawn chairs.

Night Refueling Requires Precision

Anyone with a family member or friend serving his/her country in any military capacity is asked to call Bertie County Arts Council, 794-9402, or email us. If no one is in BCAC office when you call, please leave a message with name, service and rank.

Long Months at Sea

Please come help us honor military personnel from Bertie County.

Bertie Relay For Life - Great Success!

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Bertie County was held starting yesterday and ending today at Bertie High School. It was a long night but a success in every way.

Balloons Signal The Start

Opening Ceremonies were held Friday night, followed by cancer survivors making a ceremonial lap. Linda Speller gave the Survivor Message.

Cancer Survivors Start The Ceremonial Lap

A luminary service was held to honor survivors and remember those who have lost the battle.

Luminary Claiming Cure And Hope ....

Numerous musical groups entertained including Southwestern Middle School Choir and Trinity Gospel Ensemble. Ed Pittman provided music in between the groups as D.J. At midnight, Karaoke was started, and the enthusiasm ran for hours, not ending until 5:30AM. (So I was told, as I can't say I was there!)

Saturday Morning After A LONG..FUN night

Walkers were continuing the Relay For Life when dawn broke and Reverend Tommy Kiker held a Sunrise Service. Walkers continued all Saturday until the very end.

Saturday Morning Walkers Keep Going

The Wall Of Memories

Richard Simmmons held a concert Saturday Morning for the dedicated who stayed all night.

Patrick Demofonte Thanks Ed Pittman For His Great Work as D.J. And Security For The Event

What was truly amazing was the enthusiasm and energy of the attendees, workers and staff, right up until the end.

Sheriff Greg Atkins Takes A Turn As "D.J." Substituting For Ed

Nearly Over And The Energy Is Still High, They're Dancing!

The last lap and Closing Ceremonies occured shortly after 1:30 PM.



Starting The Final Lap


Final Lap Ends The Relay For Life!

For more information, email Bobbie Parker or call (252) 345-2781.

Windsor Tee & Sea Fest - Outstanding Golf

The annual Windsor Fire Department Tee & Sea Fest, scheduled for May 5th and 6th, concluded today, and it was a beautiful day for golf. The major sponsors of the event had to be happy with the outcome, Sprint, Wrangler, Bertie Ambulance and Action Auto Center-Cellular Warehouse.

The First Tee

The planned May 6th Sprint Classic Golf Tournament was unfortunately rain delayed, but they could not have chosen a better day to complete the event. Last week they had the Action Auto & Cellular Warehouse's Duffers Tournament and the Wrangler Night reverse and silent auctions. Both were a success. Everyone also enjoyed the Seafood Buffet that traditionally completes the event, but last Friday's rain did not allow for the big golf tournament to take place as scheduled.

For those who were able to reschedule, today was the big day. Golfers who had the early tee times started to gather with the normal lugging of golf clubs in from the parking lot.

Scott Cobb, Crystal Cobb And Patrick Demofonte Arrive For The Event

The event is a competition, and everyone who wanted to do well took the opportunity to get in some last minute practice on the putting green.

Last Minute Practice

As tee time approached, golfers gather their clubs and find their golf carts, getting ready for the shotgun start used for this Four Man Super Ball contest.

Tee Time Approaches

The Shotgun Start Had Carts Scattering To All The Tees

Billy Smithwick, the fire chief who works so hard to make the event a success was everywhere taking care of last minute details.

Billy Smithwick, The Windsor Fire Chief

We were lucky to get pictures of players from two of the teams who finshed well teeing off.

Rodney Willford Of Williford Cleaners Team

Bill Price Of The Dot Ward Team

Lunch was served for all participants by the Windsor Firemen, a few of whom took a moment after lunch was served for me to capture them here. Unfortunately the rest were too busy to take a break, so we did not get everyone's picture. Maybe next year guys!

Everyone Got A Great Lunch Served By The Windsor Fire Department

A Portion Of The Windsor Fire Department

Many teams were willing to pose for team photo's, but I did not have room for them all in the article. Weyerhauser got the short stick in my personal lottery to pick the team that was included. They weren't as lucky at the day's golf and they were not in the top 3 of either of the two competitions (but they were close!). The two competitions were in Gross Score (no handicap counted in the score) and Net Score (handicaps counted).

Weyerhauser Team, Larry Roco, Bill Edwards, Will Hardison, Carroll Jones

The top 3 teams in the "Gross Score" competition were:
Bill Clough Ford (Riley Thompson, Steve Hoggard, Sid Copeland and Kent Williford)
Williford Cleaners (Bill White, Joe Warlick, Carroll Bowen [Busscie] and Rodney Williford)
Cars "R" Us (Mike Spears, James Citrell, Joel Nolen and Randy Crabtree)

The top 3 teams in the "Net Score" competition were:
Dot Ward (Dot Ward, Carroll Forehand, Bill Price and Louise Ann Rascue)
CRMP (Ernie Hoggard, David Simmons, Donnie Roberson and Charles Mobley)
Cellular Warehouse (Toby Williams, Tim Ivey, Vic Thompson and Kyle Williford)

Closest to the Pin on the 5th Hole:
Billy Smithwick

Closest to the Pin on the 8th Hole:
Bill Edwards

*****************************************

If you have any questions about the event, please call the Windsor Fire Department at (252) 794-3437.

World of Pharmaceuticals

The Bertie Memorial Hospital's Speakers Bureau presented a lecture on the "Controversial World of Pharmaceutical Drug Companies" at the Bertie County Council on Aging in Windsor.

Claire Mills, Vice President of Patient Care Services for University Health Systems, was the opening speaker. She was followed, by guest speaker Wallace Nelson, Pharmacy Director for Bertie Memorial and Chowan hospitals. Mr. Nelson is past President and current Board Member of the NC Board of Pharmacy.

Claire Mills and Wallace Nelson of UHS

Mr. Nelson covered the controversial world of pharmaceutical drug companies. He explored why prescription drugs are so costly, how companies spend their money, and the dangers of purchasing Canadian drugs.

Mr. Nelson presented the argument that the costs of drugs are out of control because of the actions of the drug corporations. He feels that local pharmacists and hospitals such as the one he represents are not the problem. He did note that as drug costs have gone up, the availability of drugs has reduced the need for more expensive medical care by doctors and others. This overall cost reduction is a major driving factor in the continuously escalating use of drugs. This does not alter the fact that consolidation in the drug industry has allowed companies significantly greater profits as competition has declined. The availability of patents has also allowed drug companies to create artificial marketing opportunities by heavy advertising of patent protected drugs in opposition to more cost effective generics.

Mr. Nelson discussed the complicated issue of Canadian drugs. Canada benefits from the drugs developed for the American market. After a drug is developed, Canada does a large scale purchase of the drugs for their country, negotiating with the drug company under the threat that they will not allow the drug into Canada other than as part of the socialized medicine purchase. Being 1/10th the size of America, they will never be able to supply all of us with these drugs, since the drug companies would not sell a larger quantity to Canada at the low negotiated price if the drugs were not a net additional market they could not otherwise reach.

Mr. Nelson addressed another factor he sees as problems with Canada, which he described as "they don't have the same level of control". There is a risk that when you buy, the company selling them to you is not really selling Canadian drugs but is in fact selling either knockoffs from third world countries, or fake drugs, since currently it is illegal for Canadian doctors to prescribe for American patients. Black markets are notoriously unreliable sources for products.

Mr. Nelson concluded his presentation with a review of the numerous discount programs available to reduce drug costs, and made recommendations about how to find the best program for each specific individual. The essence of this recommendation was to work with your pharmacist, and if he would not take the time, to find another pharmacist.

If you have any questions about this presentation or any service of Bertie Memorial Hospital, please contact Angela Perez by email, or call the hospital at 794-6653.

Tsunami Relief Described

The Windsor Rotary Club welcomed Steve Smith, Chief of Police of Williamston, as guest speaker today. Steve was speaking of his experiences in support of the Tsunami relief efforts of Thailand, one of the nations hardest hit by that recent disaster.

Sheriff Greg Atkins

Steve was introduced by Bertie County Sheriff, Greg Atkins.

Police Chief Steve Smith

Steve took a leave of absence to go work in the relief effort. He was employed by an Australian firm working for the Australian government. Australia is still bearing a disproportionate share of some of the recovery efforts in the region. The firm was supplying people of every type, from forensic scientists to logistics people such as Steve.

Steve described the devastation that he saw. He also described his experiences with the Thai people. Steve felt they were very helpful people, and very appreciative of what was being done on their behalf. He says that they are very decent and quite resilient, and are bearing up well even despite the many hardships they endure.

A great number of people are still missing, and a great number are still without shelter. Steve's work was involved in the logistics of moving equipment and supplies out to the different places that recovery efforts were taking place. He reminisced about the period when another big earthquake hit, and he wound up sleeping on the sofa in the lobby of the hotel until they were sure danger had passed. He smiled when he said he slept with one eye open worrying about the possibility of another Tsunami.

He said that the people of the area still need a lot of help, and encouraged the Rotary Club to consider helping out in some way.

If you have any questions or wish to contact Steve you can email him at willpd01@hotmail.com

Three Bertie Artists Honored

Peggy Brinkley, Jaquelin Perry and Nancy Spruill were honored for their artistic talents during a "wine and cheese" reception yesterday by the Bertie County Arts Council. The reception was held at the Bertie County Arts Center in Windsor.


Jacqueline Perry, Peggy Brinkley and Nancy Spruill

All three artists are clearly professional level, as shown by their work pictured below.

Peggy Brinkley

Jacqueline Perry

Nancy Spruill

The Bertie County Arts Council specializes in promoting local artists and has the artwork by many of them on display. BCAC offers artisans of various disciplines, including fine art, jewelry, ceramics, photography, needlecrafts, books, handpainted glassware and other select items. Recent artists featured at the center have included Barbara Sant of Windsor, Ken Attkisson of Edenton, Margaret Attkisson of Windsor, Dr. J. Fred Saunders of Aulander and Carolyn Dail of Windsor.

Bertie County Arts Center

The Council has public classes and workshops throughout the year that offer such crafts as stained glass, guitar, piano and knitting.The Arts Center is open Monday-Friday from 10 AM until 2 PM at 124 South King Street in Windsor.

Anyone interested may contact BCAC by telephone at (252) 794-9402 , or email to bertiearts@earthlink.net.