SPORTS: Not in playoffs, but Jackets pleased with summer ball• Page 1B
The Sanford Herald WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010
HARNETT
SANFORDHERALD.COM • 50 CENTS
BILL LAWRENCE • 1928-2010
LEE SCHOOLS
Hitchhiker says he buried man in a field
Williams tapped as board chairman
Sheriff says body of man in his 30s found near suspect’s home
Bonardi to serve as vice chairman
By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
LILLINGTON — A Harnett County man is behind bars after he confessed to murdering a man and burying him in a nearby field, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office said. The man, 42-year-old David Eugene Gates of Lillington, confessed Monday, several days after deputies say they received reports of a “suspicious” Gates hitchhiker who claimed his friend had been shot to death in the area of Gates’ home. Maj. Gary McNeill of the Sheriff’s Office said the body of a man who appeared to be in his 30s was found at approximately 10 p.m. Monday in a soybean field near Gates’ residence at 291 J.M. Wallace Lane. McNeill said investigators believe they know the name of the dead man, who had been
See Body, Page 3A
GOVERNMENT
Nonprofit seeks city’s help with broken AC By BILLY BALL bball@sanfordherald.com
SANFORD — A local nonprofit nursing a broken-down air conditioning unit is pleading for help from Sanford government officials. Theresa Dew, executive director of the Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County, called on members of the Sanford City Council Tuesday to chip in $10,000 to help alleviate the situation at the group’s sizzling local thrift store. The group, which operates a local food pantry for the poor out of a Lee Avenue office, depends at least in part on proceeds from its Sanford thrift store to make ends meet. But a recent crash in the
See City, Page 3A TO INFORM, CHALLENGE AND CELEBRATE
Vol. 80, No. 170 Serving Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties in the heart of North Carolina
By ALEXA MILAN amilan@sanfordherald.com
Herald File Photo
Bill Lawrence stands in his office in downtown Sanford in 2008 for a photo after being awarded The Herald’s Lifetime Achievment Award. Lawrence died at his home Monday. He was 82.
A GIANT LOST Noted businessman, philanthropist made big impact while involved in dozens of organizations By BILLY LIGGETT
LAWRENCE BIO
bliggett@sanfordherald.com
❏ Born: April 15, 1928, in Sanford ❏ Education: Graduate of Sanford High School in 1947 ❏ Family: Married wife Sarah Isabel Heins in 1947. Four sons — William Gerrard Lwarence, Edward Thaddeus Lawrence, Robert Pender Lawrence, Richard Heins Lawrence. ❏ Church: First Baptist Church (served as deacon and on several committees)
SANFORD — Bill Lawrence’s list of accomplishments in the business world are impressive. The list of charities and nonprofits he not only helped but played a big part in is even better. Lawrence — a Distinguished Citizen of the Boy Scouts of America, longtime vice president of Heins Telephone Company in Sanford and 2008 Herald Lifetime Achievement Award recipient — died peacefully at his home in Sanford Monday. He was 82. Lawrence’s philanthropy in Lee County began in 1956 when he became a scoutmaster for the local Boy Scouts troop. In 1967, he joined the board of directors for United Way of Lee County while it was still a relatively young organization (he would become president in 1975).
The following year, he joined the Sanford Elks Club, and in 1970, he joined Sanford Rotary Club. He went on to serve on the board of directors for the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce, Sanford Rotary and Meredith College, among others. In 1995, he was a founding boardmember of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County.
“He was very community oriented,” his brother Joe Lawrence said Tuesday. “He thought if you worked in an area and lived in an area, you should give back to the community.” The eighth of 11 sons and daughters, Lawrence was born in Sanford in 1928, five years after his family moved to the area. His father worked for the railroads and later, for a local fertilizer industry. But his family got by even during the toughest of times because of the contributions from his older brothers and sisters, even after they’d moved away from home. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but my brothers and sisters all worked and helped out when they could,” Lawrence told The Herald in 2008. “Their support helped carry our family during the 1930s, during the Great Depression.
See Lawrence, Page 6A
SANFORD — The Lee County Board of Education unanimously elected Shawn Williams as its new chairman and John Bonardi as its new vice chairman at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. After thanking boardmember Bill Tatum for his service as the previous chairman, Williams told the board he looks forward to leading the board. “It’s a very humbling experience to receive the unanimous consensus of this board,” Williams said. “I just hope to keep taking care of the Williams 9,600 kids in our school system.” TODAY Bonardi The district served as a is expect to member of the release Adboard from equate Yearly 2004-2008 Progress but chose results. Watch not to run for for the story re-election at at sanfordherthat time. He ald.com was elected to the board again in May. “I’m excited about the opportunity,” Bonardi said of his new position as vice chairman. “I hope my past experience on the board will help Shawn in his new experience as chair. I’m glad to be back on board.” The meeting began with the induction of Bonardi, newcomer Mark Akinosho and the re-elected Linda Smith, who stood with their families as they were sworn
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ALOHA SAFARI ZOO
Zoo needs donations to care for bear cub Bear was once scheduled to be euthanized By ALEXA MILAN amilan@sanfordherald.com
CAMERON — At Aloha Safari Zoo in Cameron, a Russian grizzly bear named Bodie spends his days bonding with his caretakers, enjoying the outdoors and splashing around in a kiddie pool to keep cool. After a rough start, the spirited young bear has enjoyed a happy life in his
HAPPENING TODAY Sanford Jobseekers, a community support group for the unemployed, will meet at First Baptist Church from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. This week’s program will help you design your business card. For questions, call 776-6137. CALENDAR, PAGE 2A
new home. But if the zoo can’t earn enough money to build Bodie his own habitat, it will lose the bear it has spent the past five months raising. Up until he was eight weeks old, Bodie was used for photography shoots. When he was returned to his breeder, he was set to be euthanized because it was more cost-ef-
See Bear, Page 3A
ALEXA MILAN/The Sanford Herald
Lesa Drye, curator at the Aloha Safari Zoo in Cameron, takes Brodie — a young male grizzly bear cub — out to cool off in a playpool on Tuesday afternoon.
High: 97 Low: 74
INDEX
More Weather, Page 12A
OBITUARIES
R.V. HIGHT
Sanford: Shirley Bowlin, 73; Betty Harrington; William Lawrence, 82; Dallas Ragland, infant; DeBerry Southerland, 85; Walter Spivey, 47; Thelma Stone
Can you remember what these current businesses used to be in Sanford?
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Abby, Graham, Bridge, Sudoku............................. 6B Classifieds ....................... 9B Comics, Crosswords.......... 7B Community calendar .......... 2A Horoscope ........................ 6B Obituaries.......................5-6A Opinion ............................ 4A Scoreboard ....................... 4B