Eastern Living - September 2021

EASTERN LIVING

NORTH CAROLINA

Heroes among us

start

“We

Speller

“I am a loss for words. did not know anything about this. It was a complete surprise.

talked

Speller said she enjoys her customers and meeting new people.

“Things have changed a lot over the years.

Most of the customers are really nice, and sometimes one can be challenging. always try to think positive,” she continued.

Tameka

“I

S&J

Police Chief Justin Jackson

Speller’s sisters, cousins and her two children, George and Jacquetta, came for the special events.

She was presented with a crystal vase from Powell etched with a special message thanking her for her 43 years of service.

According to S&J Foods Operations Manager Arlisa Freeman, about a month ago the district manager came to Williamston for the regular monthly meeting and overheard Speller talking about her anniversary of her

Story & Photos by Leslie Beachboard

date was that week, and she had been with the company for over four decades.

starting making plans to surprise her (Flora) for her 43 years of hard work and dedication. We contacted her family and wanted them to be here with her to celebrate,” Freeman added.

said she started 43 years ago at the former McDonalds that was housed in the current Bojangles building, and moved along to the current building when McDonalds relocated.

to my daughter, Jacquetta, yesterday and she didn’t say a word about it. She just told me she was off today,” she added.

McDonald of Williamston Manager

Brinkley said it has been a joy working with Speller since she took the manager position at that location 10 years ago.

miss her when she is not here. When

she is not here you can tell, especially on the weekends because she does not work weekends. I wish could clone her. She gives it her all anywhere she works, whether it the drive-through, the inside cash registers even cooking,” Brinkley added.

Foods and McDonalds provided refreshments for Speller and her family.

Speller does not plan on retiring. She said she enjoys what she does.

Leslie Beachboard is Managing Editor several Adams Publishing Group newspapers and Eastern North Carolina Living.

B ertie

County

Hero in the family: Barmer protects and serves two communities

Story by Sarah Davis Photos by Andre Alfred

Atelevision commercial for a popular genealogy website concludes with the question, “Who’s the hero in your family?”

If you are one of Jimmy Barmer’s children, you’re probably pointing at him - Chief of Police in Aulander, a lieutenant on the Murfreesboro Police Department, and a former sergeant with Vidant Company Police - but he’s probably pointing back at them. His daughter Lauren is a dispatcher for Vidant Eastcare; son William, a sergeant with Lake Royale Company Police Department (Louisburg) and a part-time

officer with Aulander Police Department; or son Clay, a full-time EMT and firefighter with Roanoke Rapids Fire Department, a part-time paid firefighter with Davie, and a volunteer for the Ahoskie Fire Department.

Perhaps it’s nature in the Barmer family to serve, but it’s definitely nurture. By word and example, Jimmy teaches his children to give back to the community.

First sworn as a police officer by then Police Chief Steve Hoggard in Ahoskie, Barmer began his service in law enforcement

in 1992. In the twenty-nine years since then, Barmer has served in Ahoskie, Murfreesboro, Aulander and with the Vidant Company. Such is the typical life of a police officer; almost any officer seen on one force one day might be seen on another another day or even that same day/night, just a different shift.

Barmer emphasizes the mutual support the various agencies give each other, with the Bertie Sheriff’s Department assisting the Hertford County Sheriff’s Department or Windsor PD assisting Aulander PD. Likewise,

such support extends beyond the borders of these two counties to Northampton or Gates or Chowan and even across the state line with Southampton County, Va. often assisting local folks.

And that path extends both ways.

Aulander Town Commissioner Jeannette Tinkham immediately noted of Barmer, “He does an outstanding job cooperating with surrounding law enforcement agencies to provide mutual aid in surrounding counties and municipalities.

“Always exhibiting professionalism, he maintains a rigorous program of certification and training for himself and any other officer in the program,” according to Tinkham.

Ever mindful of public safety, “he continues to build our police force by recruiting and hiring additional qualified officers, allowing for more hours of coverage and protection for our citizens.”

To do so, “he is constantly seeking grants and opportunities to acquire additional funding for the department.”

Currently, the force consists of the Chief and seven others - Tyler Burden, Eddie Hoggard, Jessie Mizelle, Brian Knowles, Ricky Morris, William Barmer

and Carl Conner, all dedicated to the concept of service.

Born in Ahoskie on September 13, 1966, Barmer has spent almost his entire life in the region, leaving only for military service. It’s his home, and he wants to give back to it. He’s been doing so in one form or another, working at least two jobs at a time since the day he turned 16 when he began working for Little Mint and Bell Brothers in Windsor.

Barmer credits Hoggard, Mike Williams and Scott Outlaw with sparking his interest in law enforcement.

When Barmer was working for Ahoskie Body Shop, he met them and became interested in the work they were doing. While working full-time with Ahoskie Body, he commuted to Beaufort Community College for night classes. The men became friends, and

Describing Aulander as a tightknit community with good police-community relations, Barmer emphasizes that the job of law enforcement is always to serve and protect.

“ ”

Barmer credits and thanks Hoggard and Williams for mentoring him and helping him become the officer he is today.

In addition to his work in law enforcement, he served with the National Guard, with stints in Windsor, Lenoir and Rocky Mount. At the time of his retirement, after twenty-years service, he was assigned to the Edenton National Guard Unit.

He has also served as a volunteer firefighter with both Ahoskie and Aulander fire departments and currently, along with his sons, coaches a baseball team in Aulander that includes his grandsons, Dylan, 13, and Austin, 9.

Aulander Mayor Larry Drew notes that Barmer has actively supported the Aulander Youth League for the past fifteen years.

Talking with Barmer, one immediately realizes his enthusiasm for his job, what Tinkham calls “his passion for public safety.”

He notes highlights, such as rescuing a child from a burning home in Aulander or transporting an infant to the hospital after a drive-by shooting at the intersection of N.C. 561 and N.C. 11, in both cases saving the lives.

He says he loves the work, and it is obvious he does. Once told, “If you ever wake up without the desire to get out there, it’s time to get out,” he says that’s never happened to him, and he cannot imagine doing anything elsein spite of the fact that he “gets out there” 7580 hours per week.

Noting that law enforcement can be very hard on families, especially spouses, he credits Sheree, his wife of twenty-seven years, with the support he has needed to be the successful officer he is.

As a dispatcher for many years with the Bertie and Hertford County sheriffs’ departments, she understands what the job entails. Calling her “his rock,” he says he realizes her importance to him and to his work every day.

Describing Aulander as a tight-knit community with good police-community relations, Barmer emphasizes that the job of law enforcement is always to serve and protect. He is there for the citizens, and they know they can always call on him. In fact, he freely gives his cell phone number to any and all.

When Marcina Thomas, Manager of Family Dollar in Aulander, was asked for her impression of Barmer, she immediately noted that she has his cell phone number with instructions to call whenever she needs him, and she said he always responds.

“He is here when we need him,” she said. She describes Barmer as “an all-around good guy.”

In a time when “it’s not easy being blue,” Barmer has found the secret to good community-police relations.

According to long-time Aulander resident, Dr. W. J. “Bubba” Peele, “the most

successful relationship between police and the community is the one in which the town policeman gets to know the citizens, young and old alike, and builds up mutual respect.

“This is the real strength of Chief Jimmy Barmer,” he said. “He takes pride in the responsibility of safe-guarding our citizens. He knows hundreds of us by name. He is interested not only in police-related business, but also in the daily activities and special events in the community. He is known to be a good neighbor. Just recently Jimmy saw me outside in our backyard wrestling with a problem. He stopped, got out of his police car, and spent some valuable time assisting me.”

In that way, according to Mayor Drew, “the town and surrounding communities have definitely benefited from Jimmy’s making himself available to help whenever a need arises.”

His patrolling and policing have led him to meet nearly everyone in Aulander and have made it one of the safest communities in the area with one of the lowest crime rates.”

Both Commissioner Tinkham and Mayor Drew echo Peele’s sentiment, noting that Barmer is involved in many community activities. Drew cites Barmer’s participation in the Aulander Elementary School Career Day and programs at Sallie Harrell Jenkins Memorial Library as well as his avid support of the Aulander Peanut Festival, Christmas Parade, and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Tinkham states, “Chief Barmer takes pride in being a part of the community of Aulander. The Town Council and citizens are proud to call Jimmy Barmer Chief of Police.”

Mayor Drew adds, “We are blessed to have Jimmy serving our town.”

Peele further adds, “We value him not only as our law enforcement officer, but also as our friend.”

Not only does Barmer see the citizens as friends, but to him, they are family.

So, when asked, “Who’s the hero in your family?” all can answer “Chief Barmer.”

Gene Motley is a retired Sports Editor and Sports Director and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

Eyes on the horizon Myers keeps watch over Alligator River Bridge

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

For more than 14 years, Mike Myers has held a front row seat to beautiful sunsets, serene sunrises, and a host of wild weather as a bridge keeper of the Alligator River Bridge.

He has kept vigil from the sturdy, cement, windowed, rectangular building - perched like a ships’ crow’s nest atop the swing span bridge - watching over motorists traveling east and west across the closed bridge, and boaters passing north and south through the open bridge.

Annually, thousands of people pass over the bridge, also called the *Lindsay C. Warren Bridge, which connects the outer banks of Dare County to the mainland of Tyrrell County, by way of U.S. 64, across the Intracoastal Waterway.

Most never give much thought to how the bridge is operated - especially if they have never been waylaid while the bridge swings from parallel to perpendicular, allowing large vessels to motor through. Unlike a drawbridge, the roadway swings out instead of rising.

Myers is one of five bridge tenders contracted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate the Alligator River Bridge; a job operated in solo shifts.

“When you are out here, you are your own boss - you make your own decisions,” he said.

The electronic bridge controls, he added, “are streamlined. You can’t really mess up.”

There are times, though, he feels like an air traffic controller - keeping an eye on the horizon for incoming boats while watching

the weather, tracking wind gusts, monitoring the temperature - all while surveying traffic.

He doesn’t always know when boaters might show up, although some call ahead.

“Usually, a captain will call and give the boat name, saying when they will arrive,” he said. “You never really know what you are going to get. Sometimes a boat will call and say they are 10 minutes out and you can’t even see a light.”

The job can be nerve wracking, particularly when multiple boats are passing through on opposite sides, he said.

Recently, during a late summer storm, he clocked wind gusts of 35 miles per hour. If winds are sustained over 35 mph, the canal created by the open bridge becomes too risky to let boaters travel through.

He then must close the bridge to boat traffic and report it to the United States Coast Guard station in Wilmington. The Coast Guard then radios out the message. Once winds die down, Myers can open the bridge again to boat traffic.

From his perch high above the water,

he has been privy to almost every kind of weather, he said, except a waterspout.

“I’ve stayed up here during a tropical storm when the winds were 60 miles per hour,” he said.

During hurricanes, he must leave his lookout and the DOT comes and locks down the bridge.

“We vacate the building until the DOT gives the OK to return,” he added.

The bridge, built in 1960, opened in 1962. It has since undergone several renovations.

“I don’t think anyone expected the number of cars to come across like they do,” said Myers.

The most recent upgrade, in 2018, closed the bridge for a few weeks.

He has kept vigil from the sturdy, cement, windowed, rectangular building - perched like a ships’ crow’s nest atop the swing span bridge - watching over motorists traveling east and west across the closed bridge, and boaters passing north and south through the open bridge.

Of the five bridge keepers, Myers has served the most years. He is also the farthest from home.

After 26 years at a copper mine in Tucson, Arizona, the mine closed down. He and his wife, Katherine (House) Myers, who was originally from Williamston, decided to move East.

“We bought an old farmhouse in Columbia,” he said, only 15 minutes away.

Summertime brings a steady stream of vehicular traffic, but ironically, slower boat traffic.

Boaters who live North travel the Intracoastal Waterway south before the winter months, then travel back north again during Spring.

“In August, we’ll put 300 boats throughat the most; then in October, we’ll be back up to near about 1,000,” he added.

The number of boats starts dropping back off in November, then picks back up as the weather warms.

Myers enjoys working the 16-hour night shift, but will occasionally work the 8-hour day shift.

To keep himself busy between boats, he watches television and reads newspapers.

“Years ago, I used to write letters to my mom in Arizona,” he said.

During the night shift, he prefers to operate in the dark.

“I don’t turn any lights on because it messes up your night vision,” he explained.

Myers loves his work.

“It is a great retirement job - because I can still go home and mow the yard,” he said.

Bridge tenders record daily logs of weather conditions, including visibility and wind speed.

“We stay busy,” Myers said.

Each time a boat passes through, “We log when they hail us, record the motor vessel type, the name of the boat, how long traffic stopped, how many cars crossed [after], and the weather,” he said,

This is especially helpful if the Coast Guard calls looking for a boat.

“We can go through our charts,” he said, confirming if a boat has passed through, or alerting the Coast Guard if it shows up later.

Boats with a 14’ clearance can pass under the bridge without it opening, thus are not logged.

Myers said the bridge keepers also help out local law enforcement.

“They will call every once in a while, and say, ‘We are chasing a car from Tyrrell County to Dare. We can’t stop them - can you open the bridge?’ We will put the gates down, put the lights on and put the barriers out. The barriers stop them,” Myers said.

He said one of the greatest rewards of his job is receiving positive feedback from boat captains after they pass through. Myers said because the Alligator River Bridge is an “on demand” bridge, they try to keep boats from waiting long.

“It really makes your day to hear a captain say, ‘Hey bridge master - you are one of the best,’” he said. “I always tell them, ‘Thanks, I will pass the compliment on to the other bridge tenders.’”

*Lindsay C. Warren was a N.C. Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Congressman between 1925-1940 and was the third Comptroller General of the United States from 1940-1954.

Deborah Griffin is a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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Just some Straight Talk

Northampton Communications Dispatchers must be first when seconds count

Story & Photos by Gene Motley

Lakeisha Ransom doesn’t call her work as a telecommunicator with Northampton County a job; she tells you it’s a career. One she has loved for close to 20 years.

The Halifax County native began her law enforcement career as a prison guard in Capron, Virginia in 1998.

“I had small children at the time so I left there and got a job in Northampton County for a year,” she recalls. “Then this position came open when they got grant money to build this building in 2003 separate from the

Sheriff’s Office. My husband was a deputy at the time and I saw this, applied for it, and that was 18 years ago.”

Ransom’s rise was meteoric through the dispatch ranks. She quickly became Lead Telecommunicator, then in 2013 she was named Telecommunications Supervisor, and she has now ascended to the Director’s post as of this past June (2021).

“I come in everyday, do my job, make sure the telecommunicators have what they need and they know what they know and I love

what I do,” she said. “I go above and beyond to make sure everyone is taken care of, and I help every citizen just as if they were a family member.”

One of the benevolent duty’s Ransom performs sometimes just out of kindness is sometimes making a welfare check call to senior citizens.

“I have a grandmother, I have a husband, I have a son and a daughter, so I know how it is (when family is concerned) and I put compassion into what I do,” she related.

With her husband (Northampton County Child Support Officer Deputy Sgt. Wallace Ransom) also in law enforcement, his wife says she keeps everything on an even keel.

“We’re both involved, but he does what he does and I do what I do,” she explained. “We do have a little bit more to talk about at the dinner table because we’re both involved, but it doesn’t overlap. There is concern because I can hear when he checks on and checks off, so when I hear the ‘check off’ I know he’s good.

“He’s always made a promise that he’s coming home at the end of the day, and I keep him to that promise,” she said. “That’s how I get through it.”

Ransom says part of what inspires her is making sure all the officers go home at the end of the day and that every citizen gets the best of whatever they need at the time.

“It may not be an emergency to me, but it could be an emergency to them,” she noted. “I make sure for every concern they have that concern is taken care of and I do that for every person who dials 911 so at the end of the day I know that I’ve done the best I could.”

Ransom says there are misconceptions among the general public over dispatchers’ roles in crisis, or non-crisis situations.

“What’s happening is that we’re not considered first responders,” she

declares. “They sometimes think we’re glorified secretaries, but we’re not. We are the true first responders because, when you dial 911, we’re the ones who have to get you what you need.

“Without dialing us you can’t get the fire department, or rescue squad, or the deputy, or police officer. It’s me who’s helping you with a choking or drowning child, or whatever emergency you have – it’s us. Then it goes to the first responders. This is why we don’t get a whole lot of recognition,” she continued.

In Northampton County – which stretches from the farmlands of Rich Square to the shores of Lake Gaston –there are citizen groups that are helping increase the dispatchers’ visibility.

“We do have the Lake Gaston Task Force that are helping us get recognized as the true first responders,” Ransom

Ransom says part of what inspires her is making sure all the officers go home at the end of the day and that every citizen gets the best of whatever they need at the time.

“ ”

acknowledged. “Two years ago the lady who headed it, tragically her husband died of a heart attack. She was in one county, her call was directed to another county, and it took EMS longer to get there because of how it was directed. So she went out and made it a personal mission that as many of her neighbors as she could had house-number signs out, that they knew what to say to 911, to relate whichever county they were in, and that’s helped us get recognized. She’s really the true hero.”

Ransom says sometimes dispatch calls do stretch across county boundary lines. She says Northampton is bordered by seven other counties in two states: Hertford, Bertie, Warren and Halifax in North Carolina plus Brunswick, Greensville and Southampton in Virginia.

“We get a lot of calls from Halifax (County) because Garysburg is right there near Roanoke Rapids and Weldon. With the (communications) towers so close sometimes the calls will come over here and we treat them just as if they were right there. We

get the name, age, what’s going on, before we even transfer the call, so in case it gets dropped we know what to tell (Halifax). So it doesn’t matter if it’s here or there. It’s whatever is within a 50-mile radius,” she maintained.

Northampton has six communication towers serving its citizens: in Milwaukee/

“We have EMD (Emergency Medical

Conway, Gaston, Jackson, Rich Square, Lake Gaston and one near Garysburg by the Enviva Pellets plant. Dispatchers route calls to Fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Juvenile Services, Department of Social Services, the Jail and the Health Department.

Dispatch) which takes approximately three minutes,” Ransom said. “So within a minute to a minute-and-a-half the ambulance or fire truck or deputy would be en route.”

Because of the length and breadth of Northampton, dispatchers also serve local police departments.

There are two PD’s on the west, Gaston and Garysburg, then Jackson, Woodland, Severn and Conway on the east side. Rich Square and Seaboard did not have police chiefs as of late August ‘21.

“Technically, the (Sheriff Jack Smith) owns all the (communications) call numbers for these (towns),” she pointed out. “So the numbers the police departments use, he owns them.”

Ransom makes the point of debunking misconceptions about the role of dispatchers.

“What goes on in the county has to come through us first,” she emphasized. “That’s why we’re not glorified secretaries, but true first responders. People (are wrong) who think we just sit at the console and answer the phone all day is not what we do.”

There are four telecommunicators on duty at all times working 12-hour shifts. When fully staffed, there are a total of 16 dispatchers. While all are trained professionals, sometimes comes a call they may take to heart.

“I did deliver a baby a few years back, I’ve talked to people who were suicidal or were alcoholics and put a little of me in the call to make them feel they are not alone.” Ransom said. “There’s also the time there were some shootings in Seaboard. One day a call came about someone walking on the railroad tracks. I gave the call to an officer, but an hour later that subject was shot and killed. There was a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda, and that call stuck with me for a while. I like to feel I’m giving them a little assurance that no matter what it is, they can get through it.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it confidence,” she concluded. “I just put myself in their shoes and if I had to call and tell somebody I needed help, I’d want to be treated the same way. This is a good job and my mission is to make sure the citizens out there get their help.”

Gene Motley is a retired Sports Editor and Sports Director and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

Bar-B-Que Shaw’s

Childhood dream of helping

Stotesberry devotes five decades to Swan Quarter

Story & Photos by Sandy Carawan

hildhood dreams really can come true - and for the past fifty years, Jeffrey Stotesberry, Fire Chief of the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department and a trained First Responder, has been making his childhood dream come true.

Inspiration springs forth not only at different times in one’s life, but in different ways. This was true for Stotesberry at an early age.

He recalls two of his favorite television shows, Emergency! and CHiPs, and how the characters’ benevolence toward others while doing their jobs made a difference that

inspired him at a young age to seek out his dream of helping others.

Of course, the place he could best play out this role was at the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department, first organized in 1971.

“I was ten years old when they first started,” Stotesberry says. “I have been here ever since I could actually join.”

Stotesberry notes that early on certain individuals inspired him such as J. C. Williams, Hiatt Cahoon, Bennett Emory and Georgie Ben Williams.

“I remember how everybody was good to me, wanted to see me around and let me be a

part of things,” he recalls. “They’d give me jobs like getting a piece of hose, ax or whatever they needed. I’d go to the fire department early before the meeting and Mr. Hiatt would show me how to start and pump the truck.”

An eager teenager, Stotesberry helped in any way he could, gaining important experience along the way. While the fire department allowed him to run on calls, it didn’t allow him to do any frontline firefighting.

“I would always ask, ‘Do you want me to put on some turnout gear?’ Mr. Hiatt would say, ‘No, not yet.’”

Stotesberry remembers when the Rose

Bay Oyster House burned, the first worst fire he had witnessed. “I asked him and he let me put on turnout gear and I really felt like something that night,” Stotesberry said. “Back then they were my heroes, my super heroes, always helping people. I’ve always liked to help people. I think the TV shows led me to them.”

In 1979, when Stotesberry turned eighteen, he joined the fire department and rose through the ranks to become Fire Chief in 1988.

During his fifty years, he has endured many dangerous and difficult calls that have challenged and changed him emotionally and professionally.

From accidents to collisions to fires in which there has been a loss of life, Stotesberry explains when people’s emotions change that changes his emotions, too. He adds that such disasters can cause post-traumatic stress disorder. He has discovered that talking about traumatic events keeps him emotionally healthy.

He recalls a fire in Swan Quarter in which three people died as being one of the worst disasters with which he’s been involved. He says it affected him so much that he had to seek help, and with that help and the support of his friends he continued to work through his trauma.

“I figured out for myself that what keeps me here is that I’ve got to talk

about it. After a bad call, I’ve got to find someone to talk to,” he insisted. “It’s tough in that way, but it’s what I do.

“If we’ve had a bad call, the least that I will do is watch my people for the next two weeks. If it’s really bad, then we are here within twelve to twenty-four hours putting a circle of chairs in the bay to talk.” He assures his team members, “It’s alright to be the way you are. It’s okay for it to bother you. You can let it bother you and still be part of it.”

Reflecting over his fifty years, Stotesberry says, “My volunteerism gets more important to me because of what I see or learn. Even after fifty years I haven’t learned it all.”

He added, “The other thing is because things are changing every day. We can have two calls that are exactly alike, but something about each one will be different like the wind direction might be blowing in a different direction, your truck might mess up, or you might not have the same people. Every call is different. Every training

During his fifty years, he has endured many dangerous and difficult calls that have challenged and changed him emotionally and professionally.

“ ”

session is different.”

Stotesberry maintains that is why routine and meaningful training is vital for all firefighters as they continue to strengthen themselves and ultimately strengthen the entire team.

“We are a team,” he said. “Everybody is in it together. If there is a problem, we are all going to look at it together. If there is a problem, we are going to say, ‘How can we fix this?’ All of us together.”

Today, the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department comprises twenty-five rostered members including two in the Explorer Program with the youngest member aged seventeen years and the oldest member aged sixty-three.

Through his fifty years, Stotesberry has been a steadfast advocate for change, always building for the future. As a result of fundraising, grant writing and collaboration with other people, the fire department has been able to enhance the services they provide to the community.

“We now have three engines, which are engine tankers. We also have one equipment truck that hauls equipment, one brush truck for brush fires and one rescue truck that is rescue work, not EMS,” he said.

He adds that over the years they have expanded the station, making it three times larger as when it was first built, adding air conditioning and a commercial kitchen.

Their list of added services includes Medical First Responder and Ag Rescue for agricultural emergencies in which they can do grain bin rescue and high-angle rescue that involves rappelling.

Stotesberry says that they are in the process of adding Water Rescue and the boat will have a fire pump and rescue equipment.

An addition of a substation on Highway 94 near Highway 264 will enlarge their district from a six-mile district to an eleven-mile district allowing them to serve more people.

“We will put a ladder truck there, the first one in Hyde County. We will have a pumper tanker there, the boat, the Ag Rescue trailer

and another brush truck,” Stotesberry says. “It will have a community building, which we encourage the community to use.”

With all of these services, Stotesberry says, “If we save one life, then it will be well worth it.”

Whether Stotesberry is on the frontline of a fire, giving CPR, trying to control bleeding or advocating for new equipment or a new training program, his selflessness and tireless devotion to duty brand him as a hero.

Jeffrey Stotesberry is a hero who not only sacrifices his free time putting his own life at risk to save the lives of others, but he also strongly advocates for change in the Swan Quarter community all the while encouraging his team to train and learn more to better themselves as they step up in their service to the community as they, too, perform their own acts of heroism.

Sandy Carawan is an English Language Arts teacher at Mattamuskeet Early College High School in Swan Quarter and a longtime contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

m arti N

Doing good for people Pastor feels calling to minister to all

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

Cynthia Pointe is in the business of looking after souls.

“People are always talking about Black Lives Matter, well - every soul matters,” she said. “Our souls are going to live forever.”

Four years ago, Pointe retired after serving 32 years as a Physical Education teacher. Most of those years were spent with the Martin County School System.

Since retiring, she has dedicated herself to serving the community.

“I decided, ‘Let me devote fulltime to

the Lord.’ I believe and know that He is real. Only what we do for Him is going to last,” she added.

Pointe is in her third year as pastor of Mount Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Williamston, after serving as interim for a year.

The church, located at 205 N. Elm St., celebrated 147 years Aug. 1.

Pointe feels a responsibility to those in her community.

“My motto is, ‘Jesus went about doing good,’ so we need to walk in His footsteps to

do good for others,” she said.

One powerful way she does this is through a Food Pantry, created in the basement of the church.

Every Tuesday, from 3:30-4:30 p.m., church members hand out food boxes to those in need in Martin County.

Because of multiple grants she has applied for, she receives food donations from several sources.

One grant, from the Food Bank of the Albemarle and Blue Cross and Blue Shield,

landed the church a $42,000 freezercooler combo to hold large amounts of food and keep it fresh.

“We serve about 120 to 140 families. That is roughly 600- plus people, counting family members,” she said. “Thanks be to God we can do that every week.”

Pointe admits when the ministry first started out, she would see some in line and wonder if there truly was a need.

“But when you see the applications - the figures on paper - you wonder, ‘How in the world are they making it?’ When they have to choose between paying for medicine, or rent over foodwhose heart wouldn’t go out to them?” she asked.

“I don’t care if they come on the finest of cars - I’m not here to judge. I just want to make sure they are fed, and they can feed their families,” she added.

Pointe knows many in the community were hit hard, both financially and emotionally by the pandemic.

“There has been a lot of isolation and depression,” she added. Many lost their jobs.

Mount Shiloh church started meeting back in-person Aug. 1. For the past year-and-a-half, she has held church services via conference call.

“But the food pantry never stopped,”

she said.

Pointe hopes her congregants can continue to meet in person, but it depends on the virus.

She is concerned.

“We have a lot of elderly,” she said.

Regardless, she plans to continue her conference call-style of preaching. She realized she can reach out and touch more people than before, through a simple phone call.

“It’s not Zoom,” she said. “With their age, I knew they were not going to do that.”

But anyone can tune in by phone.

In fact, a church in Texas, and her home church near Lumberton join the weekly calls which don’t interfere with traditional worship services, as she conferences at 6 o’clock on Sunday evenings.

“We have a good fellowship enjoying the Word of God,” she added.

Pointe also realized she could share

“I always tell them, ‘When I was in the school system, I looked after you physically. Now, God has given me an opportunity to look after your soul,’

“ ”

“Before, we would take them communion, or I would call or visit them. But now, they can get on the call and hear it,” she said.

Pointe is a board member of the Martin County Arts Council and a member of the NACCP.

She is the survivor of two bouts of breast cancer.

“God is good,” she said. “I’m in remission. It’s been 10 years now. I had prayed, ‘Lord, if it’s meant for me to be on this side, I’m going to keep on praising you and telling your story.’”

She feels the empathy she has may have been learned from her childhood.

Growing up in the community of Proctorville, 15 minutes outside Lumberton, she was the tenth of 14 children.

“There were seven girls and seven boys,” she said. “We were poor, but never realized it.

“Even with having so many children to feed, our door was always open to people in

the neighborhood. My mother would feed whomever,” she added.

She never felt as if she didn’t have enough. Seeing those in her community who are not getting enough, “makes me want to be sure they are taken care of,” she said. “We give them as much as we can.”

As a young girl, she was involved at her church, at Antioch Baptist.

“I was out front, doing a lot of youth things. I was president of the youth ministry. I didn’t understand then, but I guess God was molding me all this time,” Pointe said.

She is married to Clarence, who also retired from the Martin County School system. He serves as deacon chair at Mount Shiloh. They have two grown boys - C.P., who is the girls’ basketball coach at Riverside High School; and Brandon, who works for Fed-Ex in Greenville.

They have four grandchildren. She involves her grandchildren with the food pantry whenever she can.

“They love helping,” she said. “The Word

tells us to train them while they are young. Whenever they want to help, I tell them to come on. Engaging them at such a young age, serving is something they will never forget about. Prayerfully, they will continue doing it as they grow. “

Pointe loves to cross paths with former students out in the community.

She recently saw one of her students at Roses.

“I asked him, ‘Have you made that decision to follow Christ? That is the most important decision you will ever make in life.’

“I always tell them, ‘When I was in the school system, I looked after you physically. Now, God has given me an opportunity to look after your soul,’” Pointe said.

Those words are what Mount Shiloh’s mission is all about.

Deborah Griffin is a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

All in a day’s work Wildlife

Officers must be everywhere at once

Ben Spaulding does not consider himself a hero.

Things he has done which might warrant that title, are all in a day’s work, he said.

As a North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer, Spaulding is stationed in Greene County, but also has jurisdiction in Pitt and Beaufort Counties and is one of four wildlife officers who cover the three counties.

Wildlife officers, also called game wardens, enforce state and federal hunting, fishing and boating laws and have much of the same

authority as urban police officers have.

Life as a wildlife officer goes well beyond checking for up-to-date hunting and fishing licenses.

According to Spaulding, it can be an exciting, but dangerous way to make a living.

Officers must confront, and sometimes arrest people breaking the law. They spend time educating and informing those unaware of certain laws. They manage injured and rabid wildlife.

They patrol fields, forests and rivers using

automobiles, boats, and many times, their own two feet. At times, Spaulding patrols from the skies, using high-powered binoculars - looking for would be lawbreakers, especially poachers.

Wildlife officers also do search and rescue missions and are called on any time of the day or night.

Officers often conduct stakeouts – hiding for hours out in the elements.

“We are everywhere all the time. But I love it,” said the 38-year-old Bladen County native.

Story & Photos by Deborah Griffin

He often finds himself walking through the woods in the wee hours of the morning.

“You have to be really sneaky,” he added. “It’s a lot of walking, a lot of sitting, a lot of mosquito spray - and a lot of hoping you brought water with you.”

He is not afraid to put himself in harms’ way - a concept he accepted as a soldier in the United States Army, which he joined as an 18-year-old.

During that time, he felt the closest to being a hero. He served in Iraq in 2002 and 2003 and his unit was part of the initial invasion of Bagdad in the Iraq War. He served in the Army for four years.

Spaulding has been a wildlife officer for the past 13 years, five of them in Greene County. He did his training in Granville County, serving in Alamance County and Sampson County before moving to Greene.

“The people are great here. It is a very small county,” Spaulding said. “People are good about letting me know about those who are trespassing. With hunting season coming up, that is a big issue.”

The Contentnea Creek runs through Green County, which adds to his list of duties. He also helps patrol waterways of the other two counties.

In the summer, “We are out on the water trying to catch people boating while impaired. Although, it is legal to drink on a boat - you must have a sober driver. That’s the big thing we look for –being reckless. And littering,” he added.

Those who trash the environment are one of his biggest frustrations.

“I love taking care of our waters,” he said. “I’m really big on clean waters. I like our wildlife to be healthy and have clean drinking water.”

He also wants waterways to be clean, “because children love to swim in

“ W ildlife 31

the water.”

He has four children of his own - two boys and two girls, ranging in ages from 5 to 13.

One of the growing problems wildlife officers face are the increasing numbers of people doing drugs.

“We watch and wait on them. Sometimes they think we might not be working, but we are probably hiding in the woods somewhere,” he said. “Unfortunately, we can’t catch them all.”

Catching poachers sometimes means going undercover. Adding to the danger, everyone he comes in contact most likely has a gun.

“Even on the river, they’ve got a gun in that boat - for shooting snakes or beavers. Everybody has guns now and everybody is

carrying guns concealed now. I don’t freak out when I hear the words, ‘I’ve got a gun,’ because we are so used to guns,” he said.

“I’ve tased people on the water - and fought people on the water,” he added. “I don’t want to have to shoot anybody.”

Wildlife officers also assist with school shootings and provide backup to police during traffic stops.

State Trooper Josh Harris works closely with Spaulding in Greene County. He knows he can count on Spaulding.

“You don’t even have to call him,” he said. “If he knows you are out there, he’s going to be out there with you. And he’s the one I want out there with me.”

During hurricanes, Spauling stays overnight at the Emergency Management Service (EMS)

building in Snow Hill.

“I leave my house and kids and stay there so I can be on this side of the river,” he said, referring to the side of town where most of the buildings are.

“We do a lot of water rescues. The river rises fast here,” he said.

During 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, he rescued multiple people out of attics and off roofs.

Other illegal activities officers look for are shooting deer at night, trespassing, shooting deer from a motor vehicle or from statemaintained roads. He also must check for the illegal practice of baiting dove or turkeys.

During duck hunting season, he checks hunters’ guns for plugs, which allow for no more than three shells in a shotgun at a time, the legal limit for the sport.

Spaulding also teaches hunter safety and boating safety classes online.

One of his disarming tactics as a wildlife officer is to be nice during confrontations.

“It’s called verbal judo,” he said. “You never know what someone is going through. You’ve got to see it from the other point of view.”

Being mean, he said, gets him nowhere.

“If you get a reputation of being a mean wildlife officer, people aren’t going to like you. They won’t have your back,” he added.

He has an empathy that comes from knowing life is hard.

He has been told – even by those to whom he has written a ticket - he is the nicest game warden they know.

“They will tell me, ‘I know I was wrong. Thank you so much for treating me the way you treated me.’ They know I have to write them a ticket or I’ll lose my job,” he added.

Trooper Harris said Spaulding’s kindly approach in the field is rare, “especially today - it is a different world out there right now.”

Harris said there is no doubt Spaulding loves his job.

“He genuinely cares about people. It’s good to have someone out there like that, especially when you know he’s got your back,” he said. “He is a good one to have.”

Deborah Griffin is a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

Photo Courtesy of Washington County TTA

Wearing many hats

Knox gives her all at Pungo Christian Academy

Story & Photos by Kelly Grady

Mother, wife, fourth-grade teacher, classroom custodian and bus driver are some of the hats Susan Knox wears during the school week at Pungo Christian Academy in Belhaven.

Originally from Washington, DC, and facing sixth grade, Susan soon found herself moving to a different location with a similar name. Her father had accepted a newly created position as the first city appraiser in Washington, therefore causing the family to relocate to Eastern North Carolina.

She attended and graduated from Bath High School. Originally, Susan had the desire to study and become a nurse. However, as was the norm at the time, shortly after high school, she married her sweetheart and eventually was fortunate enough to be a stayat-home mom to her three children.

During her early motherhood years, Susan began working at a Christian Pre-K school and nurtured those children for four years. It was during this time that Susan felt she had found her true calling to become a teacher.

While her young children attended school, and continuing to work at the Pre-K, Susan enrolled in Patriot University to earn her degree. It is comparable to today’s online learning; she was sent all of the books and lessons and all of her work was done through snail mail, not email.

As a mother of three, wife and full-time employee, Susan was able to reach her goal and obtained a B.A. in Christian Education within the typical four years it takes attending college.

A typical day for Susan, begins with driving the bus and picking up Pre-K through twelfth-grade students for school from 7:00-8:30 a.m. She parks the bus, and - with a big smile and even bigger heart - walks into the classroom to teach her class of students.

As the day comes to an end and the bell rings at 3 p.m., Susan once again gets in the driver’s seat of the school bus to bring the students back home. As she drops the last rider off, she pulls into her driveway around 4:30 p.m.

She loves driving the bus and listening to the different age groups chatter away - seeing a different side of them from being in school. She even has a rider who started riding the bus when he was three years old to attend Pre-K and is now a senior in high school.

Yet, after dropping off her last student, Susan’s day still hasn’t come to an end, she has her own family to care for, hours of planning, grading and lesson preparation for the next school day.

With over 30 years of teaching, Susan, like many others, faced many challenges in the classroom this past year. Aside from reminding students to keep their mandated masks on during the school day, there was an even bigger challenge Susan faced.

Rarely leaving the classroom, she taught, ate lunch and had recess with her students in order to limit contact with other teachers and students. Spending six hours a day, she and her students considered themselves to be a family with Susan comparing her day spent with her students living like a day in Little House on the Prairie.

“We were always together! They trusted in me, and I trusted in them. We had to,” she said.

This challenge forced changes on the bus as well. It was somewhat manageable to limit contact with others while keeping her students in their classroom, but now she also had to create a seating arrangement to limit contact amongst her bus students aged 3-18 years old.

However, the biggest challenge was yet to come.

In March 2021, Pungo Christian Academy went completely online. Susan’s biggest concern was how she was going to help meet the academic and emotional needs of each of her students. Comparing it to an almost 24/7 day work schedule, she, like many others taught Zoom classes, uploaded numerous lessons and even dressed in costumes to try and help her students stay engaged during the school day.

Despite those challenges, Susan keeps going with more than three decades in the classroom. Her reason for continuing is simple.

“The kids,” she said.

Despite her hard work and dedication, Susan was more than a little reluctant to accept the term hero to describe herself.

“I’m not a hero. The lady standing all day at the store is a hero. A hero is anyone who does what they need to do or agree to do. So, in a way, aren’t we all heroes?” she closed.

Kelly Grady is a retired educator and regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

Despite those challenges, Susan keeps going with more than three decades in the classroom.

“ ”

The Volunteer Retiree keeps pace with school’s student-athletes

Story by Gene Motley Photos by Charles Revelle & Contributed

Life may have taken Kay Barker out of Gates County, but it never took Gates County out of her.

So much so, that she’s been honored by Gates County Schools as their ‘Volunteer of the Year’ not once, but twice.

Her reach extends beyond the halls of Gates County High School where she will do everything for the students from teacher’s aide to writing letters of recommendation to assisting the athletic program by supervising the student managers.

“She means everything,” said GCHS Principal Jonathan Hayes. “She shows up on her days off. She gets involved in extracurricular activities like clubs and sports. She even goes down to the middle school and recruits kids to play sports; just doing everything she can to find out what their interests are.”

It was a fellow Gates County native who lured a young Barker to the state capital years ago. The late former North Carolina Secretary of State Thadd Eure.

Eure, who gained a reputation for sometimes often irascible behavior in state government, and whose long tenure on the Council of State earned him the moniker of ‘oldest rat in the Democratic barn,’ hired Barker to work on a special project: the History of North Carolina Government. The lengthy publication covered state government from its beginnings through the mid-1970’s.

“There was so much to learn from Mr. Eure because he knew North Carolina so well,” she acknowledged. “He got along with so many

people, and he was so well respected. He had friends and supporters from both sides of the aisle from across the state.”

Following those three years of service, Barker’s career shifted to higher education with a job in administration as a liaison for the North Carolina Community Colleges system in Raleigh.

After calling it a career in Raleigh, the siren call of Gates County lured her back to eastern North Carolina.

Once she relocated from the Capital, Barker settled in Edenton with family, but still commuted daily to Gates County until four years ago.

“My children are all grown, and I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren,” she related.

Once settled in as a volunteer within the school district, Barker found what she loved best about the work a bit hard to pin down.

“Yes, it’s hard to say what I like the most,” she said. “I enjoy encouraging the students to become involved in constructive activities in addition to their academic work.”

Barker’s involvement with Red Baron athletics is more than merely ‘a little old lady in tennis shoes.’ She mentors to a pair of her former students (one a UNC graduate, the other finished at

UVa) who patrol the sidelines at football games recording the game’s statistics.

“I was involved with the athletic program when I was here in high school,” Barker revealed. “I was All-State in basketball (she would not reveal when), but I didn’t make All-State until my senior year, and I was on the track team. Athletics taught me about teamwork and dependability and to young people that is so invaluable.”

Volunteerism means a lot to her; offering help when and where help is needed.

“I aid the students if they need help with college applications or those who wish to enter the military,” she noted. “I just enjoy helping them if they need help with recommendations for school

Her reach extends beyond the halls of Gates County High School where she will do everything for the students from teacher’s aide to writing letters of recommendation to assisting the athletic program by supervising the student managers.

“ ”

Kay Barker and student trainers with the late Wayne Hathaway, who served as Athletic Director at GCHS.

or for jobs.

“If I’ve known them to be good, dependable students, then I’m happy to write letters for them,” she said.

Over 20 years ago, Barker started the school’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“It was a great opportunity to put something like that in place at the school,” she observed. “It was just a good thing to do; a national organization like that.”

At no time did Barker see more of a need for athletic participation than during the pandemic.

“It made me see more than ever how important team sports are because the children, many children really, became disconnected with activities that are constructive, which is what team sports can bring to them,” she maintained. “They became disconnected from a positive identity group, and for teenagers that is so important.”

Barker also takes pride and receives joy when years later, former students come up to

her and discuss their own achievements since high school.

“Being in the school business for as long as I have I get to see 30 and 40-year-old students to whom athletics meant so much,” she articulated. “The growth they experienced because of their involvement meant so much to them then, and I means so much to them now.”

Beyond her work in the schools, Barker is also on the Gatesville Town Council.

“They asked me to fill an unexpired term and I’m not sure if I’ll run for a full term,” she said. “The Ruritan Club has asked the town to take responsibility for the Gatesville Cemetery, which they had managed for decades. After some details, and paperwork, we’ve finally accomplished it being taken care of because it’s almost completely full and there are a lot of families no longer in town to maintain it.”

Barker also works with the Gates County Historical Society, and has been instrumental in collecting memorabilia for the ‘Thadd Eure Museum,’ which is housed on the upper floor

of the old 1836 Gates County Courthouse. In August, the state archives bestowed on the group Eure’s old wooden desk that he used for 50 years in the state capital room.

“Naturally, I can’t take all the credit, so many others have worked to make it possible,” she expressed. “I was certainly interested in seeing the room come together as a way of honoring his service to the state of North Carolina. His family has given us just volumes of memorabilia, including his granddaughter, Van, donating his old law books.”

Barker says she has no plans to slow down, even finding time to work through the summer sun in her garden. Volunteering for her will remain a priority.

“There are a lot of needs,” she imparted. “And I guess I just keep seeing needs that need to be met.”

Gene Motley is a retired Sports Editor and Sports Director and regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

W ilso N

County

Player, coach, cheerleader and more Griffin has enjoyed her years in sports

outhern Bank Stadium provides Wilson with one of the premier little league baseball fields in America.

S

As summer turns into fall the stands sit empty and silent, with tarps covering the infield dirt and no aroma of concession stand hot dogs wafting through the air. When another season rolls around in March of 2022, though, you can bet that one local lady will be in the stands for as many games as possible, shouting encouragement to every player.

Jean Griffin has enjoyed quite the mutually beneficial relationship with sports in her 85

years. That would not have been a predictable path for her life as a child since she came from a family that was not active in sports.

Over the years Jean has played, coached, and watched enough sports to make up for the rest of her family, and then some! She has amassed a legendary record of accomplishments as a participant (in several sports), coach and volunteer, while balancing those efforts with being a devoted mom and fan.

Jean’s eyes and mind still dance as she pours over a stack of pictures and articles

dating as far back as 1955, no doubt a small and intentionally chosen representation from hundreds of others that fill unseen boxes, albums, and scrapbooks. Unable to use her legs now, she expresses that she also knows her mind is not what it used to be. No one would be able to discern that, though, as she bounces from story to story, sharing episodes from different times of her life and including plenty of interesting details.

An avid roller skater and skating instructor as a teen, Jean indirectly met her husband through that sport.

The two hit it off, largely because of their shared love of playing and competing. Bill was one of 11 children who all played sports, and they even competed together as a family.

Jean remembers, “I already loved sports anyway, and getting together with Bill just added to that.”

The couple’s wedding day (August 12, 1956) was even hijacked by sports. Bill was a semi-pro baseball pitcher, and his team was leading one game to none in a best-of-three series for the league championship. The couple’s wedding was on the same day as games two and three, but because his team had another strong pitcher they figured that his services would not be needed for a third and deciding game. They were wrong!

Making the rounds to visit both sets of parents following the wedding, they arrived at Bill’s parents’ house to learn that a call had just been received and the team had lost the second game. They hastily grabbed Bill’s uniform and Jean drove the car while Bill changed in the backseat. He arrived in time to pitch a championship victory.

Her love of sports and becoming a mother of children who played sports led Jean to coaching. As her son, Carey, began playing Little League baseball,

Jean wanted to coach him. During those days, it was unheard of for a woman to coach boys’ teams.

“I already knew I could do just as good a job as those other coaches. There’s not much about baseball that I don’t know. And I knew the rules inside and out, - I kept a rulebook with me all the time,” she said.

Carey and his mother recall that there really was not much pushback from other players or parents, not like might be expected five decades after the fact. Carey admits that other players did razz him about it, but not in a truly bigoted way.

“

”

43

The Griffins point out another unusual tidbit for that time, that parents didn’t typically coach their own kids. While there was some hesitation among the recreation department leaders, the timing was perfect in that there was a need for Little League coaches. Jean was grateful for the chance, but she was also confident.

everybody about something, and that was the easy thing to razz me about,” he said.

Another positive memory for Jean is that she never had a losing season, and she saw improvement in her teams every season. And, in 1972 she blazed another trail when she served as one of the coaches for the team that captured the Midget League all-star championship.

When the Griffin family moved from the city of Wilson to the Buckhorn community in the western part of Wilson County, they weren’t received warmly at first.

Jean chuckles, “We were the snobby city slickers, you know.”

Once again, sports gave back to the family by facilitating their acceptance into their new community. Carey joined the Rock Ridge midget league football team, and by midseason he was the starting quarterback.

As usual, Jean found another need to fill. At one of the games near the end of that first football season, she noticed the absence of cheerleaders. In the offseason she approached the recreation leaders to broach that topic and she was commissioned to start a cheerleading

program.

Letters were sent home with the girls at the local elementary school, and the response was overwhelming, over 50 girls showed up. Jean knew that it simply was not practical to have that many girls, so a tryout process was undertaken. However, she couldn’t bear to cut anyone so she got creative. The older girls were the sideline cheerleaders, the younger girls were the pep team in the stands.

Looking at the team photos from two of those seasons, she remembers exactly how many girls are in those photos and notes the exuberance and joy on their faces.

Jean shares the plain secret for the whirlwind of activity she’s always lived.

“I don’t like sitting still,” she insists.

Carey confirms that notion, remembering that she never missed any of her kids’ games.

On the rare occasion that she or the children didn’t have a game or a practice, she would load the kids up to go watch others play whatever sport was in season.

Jean has a couple of adult grandkids playing college sports, and she can watch them online if she can’t get to their games in person.

She’s also become vested in the children who live next door, using them as an excuse to find her place in Southern Bank Stadium. And when that happens, the 85 year-old is back in her early thirties, shouting out lots of encouragement and some coaching as well.

Carey blushes, “I do have to shush her sometimes.”

Jean Griffin has dedicated thousands of hours to youth over her years - coaching them, taking them to games, creating opportunities for them, chaperoning their school field trips, working with them in her church. Spending time with her as she considers that lifetime of service, it would be tough to determine whether they got more out of it or whether she did.

Andy Cockrell has written dozens of academic papers as well as newspaper articles and weekly columns. In 2016, he wrote and published a novel “A Quarter ‘til Life” which is available on Amazon. Along with his wife and two children, Andy resides in the home in which he grew up in Kenly.

Citizen-Soldier gives of himself Maness protects and serves in multiple uniforms

By & Photos by John H. Walker

The National Guard is part of the reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, and has been a part of the nation’s defense system since 1903.

The National Guard is made up of what has always widely been called “citizen soldiers,” who identify themselves as civilians first, rather than as a soldier.

And in day-to-day life, there are many occupations a person can choose.

For Tyrell Maness, it just so happens that his is as a deputy with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office.

“I serve two ways,” he explained as he worked as a part-time school resource officer at SouthWest Edgecombe High School. “I serve the people of Edgecombe County as a member of Sheriff Clee Atkinson’s staff and I also get to serve my community, my state and my nation as needed as a member of the Army National Guard.”

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Maness — who carries the rank of corporal with both the sheriff’s office and National Guard — moved south in 2009 because of a dearth of jobs.

“That was the recession and there just

wasn’t anything,” he said.

Indeed, those were the days of the Wall Street debacle, the General Motors bailout, the Chrysler buyout and millions of foreclosures nationwide.

“I just decided to come this way because of everything I saw, it didn’t seem to be quite as bad (in North Carolina),” he said.

After arriving and getting settled, Maness wound up applying for and being accepted into the Basic Law Enforcement Training program at Nash Community College.

“I successfully completed that program

and went to work for the Rocky Mount Police Department in early 2017 and left for the sheriff’s office in December 2017. I’ve been there ever since,” he said.

When he came to the sheriff’s office, Maness already had three years in the National Guard and was a team leader.

Because he is in the National Guard, Maness has a commitment to meet. It’s a commitment his employer — the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office — also made when Maness was hired.

While field personnel at the sheriff’s office work a rotating schedule of weeks on and weeks off as well as days on and off within them, one factor that always has to be considered is the National Guard commitment.

Maness is committed to one weekend a month for monthly drills and he is also committed to two weeks of training annually. Some units break the two weeks up, while others conduct the training all at once.

Maness said he’s never experienced an issue with his schedule in regard to meeting his National Guard obligation.

“You just need to be flexible and they are going to do everything they can,” he said.

Since joining the National Guard, Maness said his MP company, based in Nash County, had only been deployed three times — all domestically.

“We were sent to Raleigh twice last summer in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing and before that, we had been deployed to Charlotte in 2016 for civil unrest,” he said.

Maness said that as a member of the guard, he is only on assignment in support of local law enforcement.

“We bring additional manpower,” he said. “We have no authority to make an arrest, but if we see a law being broken, we can notify law enforcement and detain the violator until local authorities arrive and decide how they will handle the incident.”

As a member of the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, Maness has several responsibilities, including patrol, working

incidents as the need arises, making arrests, assisting in investigations as needed and other duties.

“There are specific duties and then there are those that overlap in the event of an emergency or disaster,” he said. “At those times, we do whatever is needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of our county.”

When asked about his goals, Maness said he wanted to learn everything he can at the sheriff’s office and move up the ranks.

“Sometimes, my supervisors have to tell me to slow down and let a younger (less experienced) officer get the experience,” he said. “I’ll say one thing and that’s the fact I will stay at the sheriff’s office as long as Sheriff Atkinson is there. He’s fighting for his people and he’s brought it light years ahead of where it was.

“He’s getting equipment upgraded and replaced and he’s constantly working to get us more money and it all goes a long way toward making you want to stay,” he added.

Maness, 33, is single.

“It’s not the kind of life I’d want to bring someone into,” he said. “They would really have to be understanding because it would certainly be a stressful situation and I wouldn’t want to put that pressure on anyone.”

So, for the time being, Tyrell Maness will continue to be a citizen-soldier as he balances the duties of the National Guard with that of being an Edgecombe County deputy.

John H. Walker is a Staff Writer with the Rocky Mount Telegram and Eastern North Carolina Living.

... We do whatever is needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of our county.

“ ”

Community paramedic fulfills goals Dyky likes personal connection with patients

Story & Photos by Amelia Harper

hile paramedics are heroes to any community by responding to health care crisis situations, Jaimie Dyky is one of a new breed of community paramedics who work tirelessly to help prevent these crisis situations from occurring.

Dyky, 34, is one of three full-time community paramedics who work with Nash County Emergency Services to reach out to people in the community with chronic health needs that may lead to repeated emergency calls.

Community paramedics are experienced paramedics who receive additional training to serve in such a role. Nash County began its community paramedic program about six years ago, but Dyky has only been serving in the role full-time since April.

“I was interested in becoming a community paramedic since before the program began in our county,” Dyky said. “There was talk of it and Brandon Taylor, who now heads the program, developed the community paramedic program for us. When we first

started the program, I didn’t have enough years of experience to be a community paramedic because you have to have about five years of experience as a paramedic before you can become a community paramedic.”

Community paramedics go through an extra level of training that most paramedics do not take. The extra training includes some hands-on clinical hours as well as deeper training about chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heath disease. It also includes some mental health training to help

community paramedics deal with crisis mental health situations.

Dyky went through the initial training for the position. After she had gained her five years of experience as a paramedic, she worked as a fill-in for the community paramedic program until a full-time position opened up.

Dyky said she likes being able to follow up with patients and offer them an extra level of care.

“I like being able to have a more personal connection with my patients. I can sit down with them in their own home and get to know them on a personal basis. I like to be able to build that relationship rather than just pick them up, treat them and drop them off,” she said.

In recent months, Nash County community paramedics have taken on a new task: administering the COVID vaccine to community members who may not otherwise have access to it.

“We saw a need for people who aren’t able to easily get out and get vaccinated. These patients are also often the ones that are at high risk of infection because of their health conditions,” Dyky said.

The Nash County community paramedic program originally worked with Nash UNC Health Care through a Duke Endowment Grant. One of the original goals of the program was to follow up with high-risk patients to make sure they were getting access to medications and follow-up care in a bid to reduce 30-day admissions to the hospital.

Over the years, as the original grant funding changed, the hospital went a different direction and set up its own community paramedic program.

However, the Nash County Community Paramedic program still serves high-risk patients in the community who often need to call on emergency services. By working

with these patients to provide better monitoring of their conditions and better health care education, community paramedics are often able to head off health crisis situations before they require a trip to the emergency room or a hospital admission. This also frees up ambulances for more acute care situations.

The Nash County Community Paramedic program not only gets referrals from emergency services, but it also works with local physicians who refer patients they feel can benefit from regular monitoring of chronic health conditions.

For now, the service is provided at no cost to the patients. However, state legislators are considering legislation that may allow community paramedic programs to bill Medicaid or Medicare for services at little to no cost to patients. This measure could help support the growth of such community paramedic programs in the future.

In addition to working with chronically ill patients, Nash County community paramedics also work with other emergency service workers to provide additional support on critical emergency calls, to respond to overdoses and offer resources to patients and families following the call and to connect patients with a mental health crisis to appropriate long-term care.

Amelia Harper is a Staff Writer with the Rocky Mount Telegram and Eastern North Carolina Living.

I was interested in becoming a community paramedic before the program began in our county.

“ ”

Hail to the Chief!

Troy Fitzhugh retires after long and distinguished career in law enforcement

Story & Photos by Cal Bryant Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Troy Fitzhugh always knew this day would come. What he failed to realize is just how fast it got here.

Fitzhugh recently retired as the Chief of the Ahoskie Police Department, a position he has held for the past 17 years. All totaled, he spent 30 years in law enforcement in Hertford County; 29 of those were with the Ahoskie Police.

“Looking back, I have no regrets,” said Fitzhugh prior to his retirement. “Sure, we still have some unsolved murder cases, but this department will not rest until those suspects

are arrested, prosecuted and sentenced for their crimes.”

The Long Island, New York native moved to Ahoskie in 1989 and obtained a degree in Criminal Justice. He worked for a short time as a correctional officer in Virginia before being hired by the now late Hertford County Sheriff Winfred Hardy to work at the jail in Winton. That led to a job as a sheriff’s deputy before he took a position as a patrol officer in Ahoskie in 1992.

“[Now retired Ahoskie Police Chief] Steve Hoggard got me started here, he made me

the police officer I am today and made sure I had all the training and certification I needed to gain promotions,” Fitzhugh recalled. “I used Chief Hoggard’s same blueprint when I became the Chief in 2004.

“What worked for me as a rookie cop worked well for those officers that worked for me while I was in charge. All that training is worth the time and the effort to make yourself a better police officer and supervisor,” he added.

As a rookie, Fitzhugh said he was blessed to learn from other APD officers as well.

“Curtis Freeman was my training officer back then; he taught me a lot,” he stressed. “And my first partner was Ed Webb, who went on to become the Sheriff over in Gates County. The Ahoskie Police Department has seen many of its former officers go on to bigger and better things… to become Sheriffs in other counties and police chiefs in other towns.”

Along the way, Fitzhugh earned his Intermediate and Advanced law enforcement certificates from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. The latter, he noted, also included management classes that he would eventually use to earn the Chief’s chair at the APD.

Prior to that, Fitzhugh rose through the ranks at the department; Patrol Sergeant in 1998 and Detective Sergeant four years later.

“I continued to seek out training classes even after becoming Chief,” Fitzhugh said. “Those classes help with decision making, management, grant writing and community policing. I also met with other police chiefs and county sheriffs. Their advice helped me along the way.”

He said the key to being an effective police officer is to gain and build the trust of your citizens.

“The most important thing is to always treat people the same way,” Fitzhugh noted. “Being in a small town, your residents will learn who you are and will respect what you do if you treat everyone the same.”

In today’s society where there are cries for defunding the police, Fitzhugh said if that becomes reality it presents problems down the road.

“Without law enforcement, who do you turn to to enforce the laws we have,” Fitzhugh remarked. “Sure, there are documented cases of police officers stepping across the line, but don’t judge the entirety on the actions of a few. The great majority of law enforcement

All that training is worth the time and the effort to make yourself a better police officer and supervisor.

“ ”

officers do things the right way.

“Every department is not the same, you deal with the ones causing issues,” he added.

“If it’s a [police] policy issue that’s problematic, then those policies need our immediate attention to make them better. I know that

people will get upset and may tussle with us when we make an arrest, that’s just human nature, but when we say that a person was arrested without incident, it’s a great day.”

Fitzhugh feels that he’s handing his keys over to his successor – current APD Major

Jimmy Asbell – with the “cupboard nearly full.”

“We still have a few openings to fill, but the officers now on staff are all highly trained. I’m leaving the Major with a department he can build upon,” Fitzhugh stated.

As for his retirement plans, Fitzhugh said he would spend his first few days doing as little as possible.

“No more early mornings for me,” he laughed. “I may look into something else after that, but I’ll still be the same man whether I’m wearing a badge or not.”

Fitzhugh and his wife of 31 years, Angela, are the parents of three adult sons and the grandparents of six.

The town of Ahoskie treated Chief Fitzhugh to a retirement luncheon at the Ahoskie Fire Department. There he was presented with numerous gifts and well-wishes from his family, friends, and his law enforcement colleagues.

Cal Bryant is Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications, including the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald and Gates County Index.

Supporting a community of faith

Tedder’s volunteer work aids his church home

Story by Leslie Beachboard Photos Contributed

Randy Tedder grew up in the little farming community called Delco, in southeastern North Carolina.

After school, Tedder took a job in the power industry. This allowed him to travel across the country for work.

“I went from power plant to power plant. I would answer a phone call and travel somewhere new. I have been to at least 40 of the 50 states,” said Tedder.

“Most of the assignments were not

necessarily permanent,” he added.

Once he was able to establish roots in Halifax County, Tedder has become an advocate for Christianity and a loving volunteer at the church he now calls home.

According to Tedder, he was on an assignment in Arkansas in 2008 when he met his wife, Michelle. He stayed there for five years.

Next, Tedder’s work travels took him and his wife to Clarksville, Virginia.

While in Clarksville, the Tedders attended Water’s Edge Community Church.

Water’s Edge Community Church is a church that hungers to worship in Spirit and longs for fellowship in Christ and enjoys living in God’s glory in lake country and beyond.

“They are great people. We are still friends,” Tedder added.

After staying in Clarksville for four years, Tedder transferred to Roanoke Rapids for work and decided to reside in Littleton.

The Tedders began searching for a new church home and found what they were looking at Valley Community Church in Weldon.

“I was looking for four things in a church. One of those things was the number of salvations in a year. Valley Community Church demonstrated all four of the things I was looking,” said Tedder.

Valley Community Church is a nondenominational, charismatic, grace based church. The church members believe the book of Acts is the blue print for the church’s mission and polity for an effective church life and growth.

According to Tedder, he participates in several projects with the church and considers all of the members his brothers and sisters.

After finding his church home, Tedder was reassigned to a job in Hopewell, Virginia. He decided to keep his home in Littleton and make other arrangements for when he had to work.

Tedder leaves on Monday and stays at a camp site near Dinwiddie, Virginia. He then returns home when he is not working and on the weekends.

One of Tedder’s highlights when he is home is hosting the, Littleton Small Group, which is a group of church members and individuals in the area that meet for fellowship.

The event is hosted on Tuesday nights at the Tedders’ home.

“We have a time of prayer and praise. I love to hear praise reports and what God is doing in someone’s life,” he said.

The group has discussions and sometime will pull out a guitar to sing songs together. Some evenings the group prayers the entire time.

“As a group, we have experienced death, the birth of children and grandchildren and marriages. We share and do life together as a group. It is a great support system,” he added.

You go out thinking you are going out to bless others, and you actually get the blessing. To see the things that happen on the street is a blessing.

“ ”

Tedder said he was saved as a 12-year-old young man at a revival, but strayed from God as an older teenage and young adult.

“I thank God that He was patient. I was a heathen, and Jesus met me where I was at. I am so glad he will leave the 99 to find one,” he added.

Tedder usually gets involved in any activities of the church, including community service projects.

Valley Community Church hosts a soup kitchen, and Tedder participates.

“We served typically 300 to 400 meals each time. At first people came to the church. After COVID-19 we began to make changes. We use a truck and trailer to deliver the meals. We will fill a truck and trailer to go in one direction and another to go in the opposite direction,” Tedder said.

“It is amazing to see what happens. We get to pray with people. You go out thinking you are going out to bless others, and you actually get the blessing. To see the things that happen on the street is a blessing,” he continued.

Tedder said he loves evangelism and telling people what Jesus did for him.

“Doing God’s work is all that matters,” he added.

Tedder said he had plans to retire when he was in his 40’s, but that did not happen.

He wants to be financially stable when he retires.

Tedder has a passion for Mopars and classic cars. He has a goal of owning a 1968 Dodge Dart GTS. He is also part owner of a race car.

“I love spending time with my children and grandchildren. I am very blessed,” Tedder continued.

Tedder has a blended family with two biological daughters and three stepchildren. He has one grandchild and two more on the way.

“I believe in fearing God, and keeping his commandments. There are actually 100’s and 100’s of commandments in the Bible. I believe that God’s word is all that matters,” Tedder closed.

Leslie Beachboard is a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

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W ashi N gto N

County

Giving to God, team and state Cagle serves Plymouth, RHS and North Carolina

Story by Lewis Hoggard Photos by Jim Green & Contributed

In local communities we learn to work together with common goals to make our region better.

There are individuals in each county that selflessly give their time to others to help make all of us better. These individuals are

often unsung heroes.

If one were to ask Tom Harrison, the director of the Black Bear Festival, who is an unsung hero, it would be Mark Cagle. Harrison extols the virtues of Cagle, who has made quite an impact on many lives in Washington

County and the counties of eastern North Carolina as a law enforcement officer, a teacher, a coach and a leader.

Whether volunteering with the Black Bear Festival - which has been a great success in Plymouth - or serving the community as

wildlife officer for 20-plus years (Cagle advanced to the rank of lieutenant before retiring), Mark has lived a life of putting community first. He has done so whether through his choices in jobs in law enforcement or a school teacher or a coach.

Not that Cagle hasn’t received any recognition, because he has. Cagle was named the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Officer of the year in 2008. At the time Cagle helped end a multistate bear baiting ring which achieved some notoriety at the time. Cagle does not mention the awards he has received and prefers to talk about the organizations that he has been involved with and worked for.

Mark grew up in Greenville and attended J.H. Rose High School. He also graduated from East Carolina University. A Pirate fan and supporter, he enjoys attending ECU football games.

Cagle started teaching in Farmville after graduation. He taught for seven years many of those as a history teacher.

A change of work brought a new challenge to Cagle as he got certified as a Wildlife Officer and changed career paths. He had always been outdoor enthusiast so it seemed like an excellent job choice. A 28-week training program had to be passed before he received a field assignment.

His career choices have not been about trying to accumulate wealth, but serving and helping his community while also enjoying himself. There is a lot to be said for a life of service, by helping and protecting others and those individuals that make those choices benefit all of us.

He was assigned originally to Manteo, but worked the area of eastern North Carolina all through his career. Wildlife officers often work alone, in rural environments and whomever they encounter are usually armed with shotguns or rifles. Being a wildlife officer is an important but dangerous job.

While working with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, Cagle started coaching at Riverside High School in Williamston. He has had great successes with his cross country teams and track field teams.

Cagle is a different breed, so says

Whether volunteering with the Black Bear Festival or serving the community as a wildlife officer, Mark has lived a life of putting community first.

“ ”

“All of our coaches at Riverside High School are dedicated and passionate about their sport, but with Coach Cagle it is a little different,” he said. “For him cross country and track aren’t just sports he coaches, but a sport that he participates in and, frankly, a way of life.”

Woolard states that Cagle has a way of using running to teach life lessons to his cross country and track and field teams at Riverside High. He often seen running around campus or up the steps in the Swamp, the football stadium. Winning has become a tradition for his Riverside teams for the individuals and the actual teams.

Cagle’s impact is just not on the high schoolers, in his hometown Plymouth he leads a group of men running and exercising each morning. So if one is driving through downtown Plymouth - especially by the Roanoke River - and sees a large group of men exercising or running, there is a good chance Cagle is leading them.

Cagle has set up one of the fastest growing F3 nation-fitness groups in the state or nation right at his home town of

Plymouth. These men meet during the week at 5:30 a.m. and exercise together until 6:15 a.m. and also at different times on weekends. There are currently 64 members of the group with as many as 20 participating in each workout during the week.

The basis of this program is fitness, fellowship and faith. The idea is to prepare men to be leaders of the families and communities with faith inspired teachings as well as physical exercise. More information can be found on the group’s website locally at www.f3plymouth.com.

People like Mark Cagle are what makes northeastern North Carolina a special place to call home. The people really do care for each other and people like Mark Cagle help lead the way in making lives healthier, safer and a better place to live. Mark Cagle does not desire to have his praises sung, but deserves a little recognition for all the things he does for his community and fellow man.

Lewis Hoggard is Executive Director of the Windsor/Bertie Chamber of Commerce and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.

Athletic Director Phil Woolard.

Discover the beauty & charm

A Hero with many talents

Feature

Lieutenant

Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.

many hats.

Born in Edgecombe County and raised in Nash County, he graduated from North Edgecombe High School and then joined the U.S. Army. After 31 years, he retired with military service in the US Army, U.S.

Mercer received his Associate degree from Nash Community College and his Bachelor’s degree from Shaw University after retirement from the military.

In addition to his time in the U.S. Army, LTC Mercer had a

Colonel (LTC) James Mercer, U.S. Army (Ret.) is a man with many talents, who has worn

Story & Photos Contributed by N.C. Wesleyan College

Feature 1

distinguished civilian career and served in multiple roles, including: police officer and firefighter for the city of Rocky Mount, Deputy Fire Marshal for Nash County Emergency Services, Public Safety Instructor at Nash and Edgecombe Community Colleges, Director of Public Safety Training for Nash Community College, Director of Emergency Management and Fire Marshal for Edgecombe County, Director of Emergency Management for Fayetteville State University and later for the city of Raleigh, where he retired in 2012.

LTC Mercer is currently the Director of Military Studies at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount and coordinates the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

At the college’s most recent graduation, LTC Mercer had the honor of commissioning five ROTC cadets as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

As a staunch advocate for U.S. military veterans, LTC Mercer founded The Mercer Foundation, Inc. in late 2017. The 501C (3) nonprofit

Eugene and Jean Rogers Scholar

Rodgers Elementary School instructor is teacher of excellence

HODGES STALLS

Martin County Schools’ Teacher of Excellence for 2020-2021 has added another accolade to her resume.

Paige Hart, a fourth grade math and science teacher at Rodgers Elementary School, will attend the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Inc. (NCCAT) as the Eugene and Jean Rogers Scholar for 2021-2022.

Each year, the Eugene and Jean Rogers Honored Educator Scholarship provides for the Martin County Teacher of the Year to attend an NCCAT program of his or her choice. The scholarship covers all costs associated with your participation in an NCCAT program including: instruction; food and lodging on the NCCAT campus; program materials; travel to and from the campus from the teacher’s home and payment for the substitute teacher while they attend

NCCAT. In addition to program costs, Hart will receive $250 for use in her classroom.

Rep. Rogers and his wife served in numerous educational systems and leadership roles throughout the state. A former teacher, Eugene Rogers served as a State Representative for fifteen years, representing the 6th District.

He also served as superintendent of Martin County Schools for twenty years. Jean Rogers was a well-known and respected school psychologist for twenty-seven years.

Hart began her career as an educator in 2016 in Edgecombe County and joined Martin County Schools in the fall of 2017.

To learn more about the mission of NCCAT, visit their website at www.nccat.org.

Story and Photo by SARAH

Forty three years of dedication

Forty-three years of dedication and still going. Flora Speller got the shock of a lifetime when she received a surprise recognition

earlier this week for her 43 years of service and dedication to McDonald’s of Williamston and its patrons.

While Speller was working the drive thru window Tuesday morning, S&J Foods’ (the owners of McDonalds in Williamston) corporate staff and Speller’s family were preparing to surprise her just around the corner.

As Speller came around the corner and everyone yelled “surprise.” The look on her face was priceless.

“It is very rare to celebrate something like this. I wish I had a store full of Flo’s. She is a true meaning of dedication,” said S&J Foods owner Donnie Powell.

Speller’s sisters, cousins and her two children, George and Jacquetta, came for the special events.

She was presented with a crystal vase from Powell etched with a special message thanking her for her 43 years of service.

According to S&J Foods Operations Manager Arlisa Freeman, about a month ago the district manager came to Williamston for the regular monthly meeting and overheard Speller talking about her anniversary of her

Story & Photos by Leslie Beachboard

start date was that week, and she had been with the company for over four decades.

“We starting making plans to surprise her (Flora) for her 43 years of hard work and dedication. We contacted her family and wanted them to be here with her to celebrate,” Freeman added.

Speller said she started 43 years ago at the former McDonalds that was housed in the current Bojangles building, and moved along to the current building when McDonalds relocated.

“I am a loss for words. I did not know anything about this. It was a complete surprise.

I talked to my daughter, Jacquetta, yesterday and she didn’t say a word about it. She just told me she was off today,” she added.

Speller said she enjoys her customers and meeting new people.

“Things have changed a lot over the years. Most of the customers are really nice, and sometimes one can be challenging. I always try to think positive,” she continued.

McDonald of Williamston Manager Tameka Brinkley said it has been a joy working with Speller since she took the manager position at that location 10 years ago.

“I miss her when she is not here. When

she is not here you can tell, especially on the weekends because she does not work weekends. I wish I could clone her. She gives it her all anywhere she works, whether it is the drive-through, the inside cash registers or even cooking,” Brinkley added.

S&J Foods and McDonalds provided refreshments for Speller and her family.

Speller does not plan on retiring. She said she enjoys what she does.

Leslie Beachboard is Managing Editor of several Adams Publishing Group newspapers and Eastern North Carolina Living.

Teen recognized for 4-H efforts

Story by JOHN H. WALKER & PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

A longtime member of the Edgecombe County 4-H program is being rewarded for being an “agvocate” for the agricultural industry and Edgecombe County.

Hallee Whitehurst, the daughter of Ross and Kim Whitehurst, is a freshman at N.C. State University and grew up in the 4-H program starting at age 5 with both parents

supporting her both in and out of the show ring. She is majoring in agriculture.

Whitehurst has been awarded multiple scholarships in recognition of her efforts,

including a $1,000 Edgecombe County 4-H Livestock Scholarship, a $500 Eastern Carolina Showmanship Circuit scholarship, a $2,000 Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton 4-H Leadership Scholarship and a $2,000 Joe L. Perry 4-H Scholarship.

In a news release announcing the scholarships, it was noted that Whitehurst has an extraordinary background in showing livestock on the local, regional, state and nationals levels.

She was described as a great competitor in the show ring in addition to being a 4-H’er who will assist anyone to fine-tune their showmanship skills if needed.

In her livestock scholarship application, Whitehurst said, “Showing livestock is hard work (requiring) dedication and responsibility (and) developing a sense of character, being productive, managing money and time and most importantly having fun and living the best days of our lives.”

Whitehurst also said that even though high school has been difficult the past two years, especially after COVID hit.

“When I step into the barn in the

afternoons all my stress and problems go away, livestock showing has challenged me daily and made me into the person I am today,” she said.

Whitehurst is an accomplished exhibitor showing all species of livestock from cattle, sheep, swine & goats.

She is known statewide for being a great showman and many breeders want her to show their stock.

She has also participated in a variety of programs offered through the 4-H program from leadership to public speaking.

Whitehurst has been an Edgecombe County 4-H Youth Council President, Howlin’ Wolfpack 4-H Club Officer multiple times,

has attended programs that teach quality assurance, leadership, citizenship and service throughout her tenure with the 4-H program.

“As the 4-H agent, I am delighted to watch these young people grow and develop their skills,” county Extension Director and Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development Tanya Heath said.

“Hailee is one of those 4-H’ers that you will continue to watch her excel no matter what she decides to do later in life. She has a strong work ethic and always strives to do her best.

She will be missed in her 4-H club and county program, but I just hope her years as a 4-H volunteer are just getting started.”

“Showing livestock is hard work (requiring) dedication and responsibility (and) developing a sense of character, being productive, managing money and time and most importantly having fun and living the best days of our lives.”

ALL IN A Day’s Trip

Story & Photos by Meghan Grant

Visiting charming Franklin County

Franklin County is a great place to visit for a day trip featuring quaint, charming towns with down home charm. There are some changes happening to the area with breweries, restaurants and shops popping up, plus beautiful murals and views of the Tar River. We started out our day trip in downtown Franklinton with lunch and shopping right on Main Street. There is ample street parking and it is quite cute with the revitalization happening to the buildings there.

g ra B l u N ch at m aso N a N d m ai N

This cute spot offers a variety of coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads, wine and beer, plus an artisanal food and beverage market. Their menu includes everything from pulled pork sandwiches to charcuterie boards to sausage dogs. They also sell artwork created by local artists and feature live music on the weekends. There is adorable covered seating on the sidewalk to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Mason and Main is located at 2 North Main St., Franklinton.

s ho P at m erca N tile o N m ai N

Mercantile on Main is the cutest spot that features a wide variety of locally made products, beautiful bouquets and hilarious gift items. The Mercantile makes it a welcoming shopping experience highlighting handcrafted and homemade products and it is obvious that Christopher and Christian are thoughtful in curating their shop.

Mercantile on Main is located at 4 North Main St., Franklinton.

e N joy P izza & B eer at the N ew O wl ’ s R OO st B R ewi N g

On the other side of Mercantile and Main, the brand new Owl’s Roost Brewing is serving up pizza, beers, wine and mimosas. It just opened in August 2021 and is located in the historic movie theatre on Main Street. The building was renovated around the historic skeleton of the theatre and they have done a beautiful job with the space. The outdoor seating area is expansive and they also have a horse hitching post.

Owl’s Roost Brewery is located at 20 North Main St., Franklinton.

t a K e a d ri V e to l ouis B urg & e N joy the V ie Ws of the t ar r i V er

The drive from Franklinton to Louisburg is just a lovely, short drive. As you drive into town, you’ll be greeted by the Tar River, which runs right through the center of town. We parked and walked back over the bridge to check out the views. There are plenty of grassy areas to enjoy a picnic on the banks if you opt to enjoy some leisurely time outdoors.

g ra B a B eer at t ar B a NKs B re W ery

Tar Banks Brewery Co. is a wonderful, welcoming brewery located right in the heart of downtown Louisburg. The brewery often hosts food trucks on weekends and shares which ones will be there on their social media channels. Tar Banks brews their own beers and makes their own seltzers, while also featuring guest taps, popular seltzer brands and wine, too.

Tar Banks Brewery Co. is located at 108 North Main St., Louisburg.

e N joy a f arm - to - t a B le m eal at r ustic r oots

After spending a day experiencing Franklinton and Louisburg, finish up with a hearty farm-to-table meal at Rustic Roots in Bunn. This restaurant opened a little over a year ago by a husband and wife team with a mission of sharing seasonal, sustainable and local food. While their menu changes with the seasons, it features items such as North Carolina scallops, zucchini fries, farmhouse burgers, homemade pasta and filet mignon.

Rustic Roots is located at 20 Cheves Rd., Bunn.

Meghan Brown Grant is the author of I’m Fixin’ To, a lifestyle blog focusing on North Carolina, and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living. She lives in Willow Springs with her husband, David, and two dogs.

Grandma’s Kitchen

After reading this magazine, I would like to ask, “Who is your hero?” Has there been or is there now, someone you have looked up to and who shaped your life?

I would have to say, my dad – Sidney Herbert Scott - is the one who comes to mind for me. He made me feel I could do anything I really set my mind to do.

In the days we are living in, the first responders have become heroes to many in our world. Those who pushed to get us food, the farmers, producers truckers, grocery store workers who stuck with their job, are heroes as well.

There are many organizations now who have made their sole purpose to feed the heroes in our country. There are some who feed healthcare workers, firemen and police. There are other organizations who are providing food for veterans and care packages for military who are currently serving.

There are also individuals who are fixing box lunches or meals for their local heroes. We have businesses and churches in the Windsor area who are donating meals to first responders. I have even seen movies

where the main characters are feeding their hometown first responders. It seems to be a new trend and it is a good one.

So, if you wanted to recognize some group, what could you do? Many people have a full schedule and not much time. There are still a few easy options without a lot of effort.

The old fashioned Hero Sandwich is easy and feeds many people with one sandwich. When I looked on the Internet to see why is was named Hero, eater.com says - The term likely comes from New York Herald Tribune columnist Clementine Paddleworth, who in 1936 described a sandwich so large “you had to be a hero to eat it.” Whether that is true or not, it sounds like a reasonable explanation.

Along with this sandwich, cole slaw and a cake would be enough for a meal. Slaw and cake also feed many. I think I have used the cole slaw recipe in this column before, but I will repeat it along with my version of a Hero Sandwich and a cake my grandmother fixed for many years. It is a Jam Cake and I have never known anyone else who made it. It is moist and delicious.

Sylvia Hughes is a retired newspaper editor and columnist residing in Windsor. In addition to three sons, she has a gaggle of grandchildren, many of whom love cooking with her just as she did with her mother and grandmother.

Sylvia Hughes with her grandmother, Bertie Dameron.

Hero Sandwich

A loaf of French bread Salami Ham Lettuce, shredded Tomatoes

Green peppers in strips Banana peppers, sliced Black olives, sliced

Red onions in thin strips

Cut open French Bread and layer lettuce, salami, ham, tomato, onion, green pepper, banana pepper, olives. Top with dressing, place top on sandwich and cut into individual servings.

Dressing

1/3 cup red wine or balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon mustard of any kind

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place all in a jar and shake until well mixed. Store leftover in refrigerator.

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

Cole Slaw Dressing

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons milk Blend well with a fork and refrigerate

Jam Cake

1 box raisins

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup blackberry jam (could use any kind of berry jam)

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup of any kind of juice instead of milk

Cream oil and sugars

Add eggs, beating after each Add jam and mix

4 cups green cabbage

1/3 cup diced celery

1/3 cup slivered green pepper

1/3 cup grated carrott ¼ cups sliced radishes

Only add dressing when ready to serve. You could just use green cabbage if you want easy.

Whisk together, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg

Add flour mixture and juice alternately

Add raisins

Pour in greased and floured tube or bundt pan

Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean

Allow ten minutes befor removing from pan

After it cools, dust with confectioners sugar

Tidal river patterns

The waterways in the Albemarle region are all connected to the ocean so we have some tide in our rivers. The tides are not as prevalent as other rivers like the James or Potomac rivers, but we do have tides.

The water in our rivers is influenced by the wind more than the tide simply because the banks of our rivers are relatively low so when the water comes in it goes outward more than upward. When the wind blows out of the east it will push the water up into the sound and surrounding rivers.

The opposite happens when it blows from the west. If anyone has ever fished the Oregon Inlet during a good wind you can see the water

rushing through the opening. Most of our rivers get their water from that inlet. It is an amazing thing to witness.

The thing about moving water is it makes the largemouth predictable and if you know how to read the water you can take advantage of their predictability. When the water is falling the fish will move to the edges of the flat and hold onto structure like laydowns and brush.

The mouths of the creeks are a good spot to start then work your way back into the creek until you begin to get some action. It could be the first turn in the creek or a secondary point farther up the creek.

When the water is moving into the rivers then you want to fish the shallow cover next to the bank. Flipping a soft plastic or throwing a square bill will bring a strike during these times.

You have to imagine that the fish move up and down just like the water levels. The key spots are the breaks in the current like brush or log and the fish will position on the down current side. They use the breaks so that they can hang in the off current and wait for the bait to come to them.

This means you want to fish into the current and bring it back to you with the presentation. The current doesn’t have to be hard because our fish are used to smaller breaks but it still works the same no matter

The thing about moving water is it makes the largemouth predictable and if you know how to read the water you can take advantage of their predictability.

how much the water is moving.

One of my favorite techniques is to fish the mouths of creeks or inlets when the water is moving. You can tell the good structure by watching the water sweep past it and make an eddy so the fish will be positioned behind it waiting for the bait to come to them.

Another pattern I like to use is simply pitching a soft plastic or square bill to every piece of stick or log you can see especially if it is a single structure with no others around. I put the trolling motor on high and power fish down the bank hitting everything I can see.

I will throw it past the spot and knock it with the bait then reel it back fast and hit the next one till I get a strike. Once I do get a strike I will slow down and fish the area more thoroughly because where there is one there is usually another.

So remember to always watch the water and use it to help find the fish.

HIGH SCHOOL

VOLLEY Ball

by Andre' Alfred

Photos

6 QUESTIONS WITH CHIEF JUSTIN JACKSON

1What led you to enter the law enforcement profession?

I had some friends that were in law enforcement. I did some ride alongs with them and I was hooked. I went to BLET at Pitt Community College in Augusts of 2004 and was hired by the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office in February 2005. I worked there until May of

2007 when I went to work for Vidant Company Police. I stayed there for about a year and went back to Bertie Sheriffs Office in 2008. While I was at the Sheriffs Office, I worked my way up to Corporal on patrol, then in 2012 I moved to the Windsor Police Department, where I’m currently the Chief of Police.

2What made you want to become Chief of Police?

I was hired by Chief Rodney Hoggard at Windsor PD and started out as patrol officer before being moved up to shift supervisor. I enjoyed working patrol, but a detective position became available and I moved into that position to try something different. I was promoted to Lieutenant in 2014 by Chief Todd Lane, who had replaced Chief Hoggard in 2013 when the latter retired. I was then second in command, I took on more administrative duties and I found that I really enjoyed that. When Chief Lane announced his retirement, I decided to apply for the position. I felt like the guys respected me and we had a great department and what’s better than running the department of the town you grew up in?

3Does it mean more to be Police Chief in the community in which you grew up?

I believe it means more because you’re from here, and you know everybody, so you have a stake in the town and you want the best for the people and the town.

4What do you think is the most dangerous thing facing law enforcement officers today?

There are many dangers in law enforcement today, but I think what might be the most dangerous is the public doesn’t trust law enforcement like they used to. That means we have to work harder to gain that trust.

5How much do you worry about the safety of the officers who report to you?

I’m in charge of eight officers and law enforcement is a dangerous job because every situation is different. I worry about them because I’m responsible for them.

6What would you say to those considering the profession of law enforcement?

Law enforcement is a great career and it has been good to me. I would tell someone to do some ride alongs so they can see how law enforcement really is, because TV makes it look too easy.

Justin Jackson is a veteran Bertie County law enforcement officer who currently serves as Chief of Police in Windsor.

Photo by Andre’ Alfred

Grace & Truth Israel’s Mother

If I were to ask you who the most influential women in the Bible were, I bet the mother of the tribes of Israel would fall at least into the teens before being referenced. You may be flaking on her name right now.

Do you remember the woman who was given by her father deceitfully because no one had asked for her hand? She is the woman that lived every day with the reminder that her husband preferred her sister. And, if that’s not weird enough, she and her sister married the same man.

Rachel, her sister, should have been her best friend as sisters often are. Instead, she was her chief rival. Traded by her father and rejected by her husband, Leah is often a forgotten person in the story of Israel.

Leah was the older of the two sisters. She was an intelligent and nurturing mother who God gave fertility to be the mother to the patriarchs who would be the tribes of Israel.

Leah gave Jacob his first son. Leah served behind the scenes and had to barter for time with her husband. Rachel, forever the heart’s fire for Jacob, died young, leaving the remainder of mothering for all his children to dejected Leah. The only mother Benjamin ever knew was Leah.

From Leah, we get Levi. So without Leah, there is no Moses. There are no ten commandments or covenant, no deliverance from Egypt, or the training up of Joshua for leadership to take the Promised Land. She is the one who births the lineage of all priests.

From Leah, we get Judah. From the lineage

of Judah, we get Caleb, who at eighty-five years old tells Joshua to grant him to conquer his hill, then wages war and wins. Caleb, a man of profound faith and strength, would be wiped from the pages of history without his several times’ great grandmother, Leah.

Judah is also the line we find David, the greatest king of Israel. Judah is an ancestor to the kings of Judah, including the King of Kings and son of God, Jesus. Yes, Leah was the mother of the many-time great-grandfather of Jesus.

Why do I belabor such thoughts?

Well, it seems that one of the most prominent people in the word of God is someone we would almost immediately forget. Is it that quietly faithful people are unimportant? I don’t know anyone who would say this. I would say it was the unnoticed millions that have formed most of our lives. If I were to tell you of the hundreds of people who made an impact on my life, you might only have heard of a handful. Does it lessen their worth? I think not.

So, if we know this to be the truth, then there is great significance laid outside of prominence. Why don’t we live more satisfied in our obscurity? Can we become more faithful despite the lack of fame? Andy Stanley says, “Your greatest accomplishment may not be something you do, but someone you raise.”

Are you ok with that being your legacy?

Leah was.

Even after Rachel died, we do not see a softening of the heart of Jacob. She continues to serve and nurture those children. But,

when she died, she was laid to rest beside Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob. Perhaps late in life, she enjoyed companionship with Jacob, and his heart was warmed by her, for he chose not to be buried beside Rachel, who was left in Bethlehem, but Leah, who now lies in a place of honor.

Leah did her work in the shadows, but her children are famous in every corner of the earth. What if you were content to serve wherever you can, no matter the recognition by anyone? Who knows, maybe you could change the world no matter how many things plague you or the lack of opportunity or appreciation you receive? I think the people who serve the unseen God are content to be unseen themselves. They change the world. Servants don’t seek the spotlight. Servants do what is right when no one else sees it.

Maybe you are a Leah. You may feel forgotten, unseen and unloved. God sees you. Keep serving. While you were still sinning and in darkness, before you even knew you needed saving, Jesus decided to go to the cross for you. Though Jesus didn’t hide the act, his reasons for serving were. He died so we could live, even when we didn’t know we were dead. Keep serving. Remember, without Leah, there is no Savior either. You have no idea the worth of what you are doing. Leah didn’t either, but we do today. Keep serving.

Pastor Emanuel Webb Hoggard is Pastor at Askewville Assembly of God. He can be reached via email at pastorwebb@hotmail.com.

P astor W e BB h oggard

County: Bertie Marker ID: A-7

Original Date Cast: 1936-P

STONE Governor, 1808-10; U.S. Senator; Congressman. “Hope,” his home, stands 4 miles northwest.

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Title To Begin Here

Information courtesy of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

David Stone, a follower of Thomas Jefferson politically, was the builder of the now-restored “Hope” plantation near Windsor. Born in Bertie County on February 1, 1770, he was the only son of Zedekiah Stone and the former Elizabeth Hobson. Little is known of his early education, but in 1788 he graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) with honors. Stone’s first wife was Hannah Turner of Bertie County, whom he married in 1793. She died in 1816; six of their eleven children reached adulthood. In 1817 he married Sarah Dashiell of Washington, D.C.

Stone studied law under William R. Davie at Halifax and was admitted to the bar. He served as a Federalist at the Fayetteville convention of 1789 that ratified the federal Constitution, and was subsequently elected to the state House of Commons, where he represented Bertie County from 1790 to 1795. Following four years as a superior court judge, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from 1799 to 1801. It was while in Congress that Stone switched his political affiliation from Federalist to Republican, supporting Thomas Jefferson for president in 1800. The following year he resigned from the House to accept a seat in the United States Senate. There he remained until 1807. In both chambers of Congress Stone generally supported Jeffersonian policies while still maintaining a high degree of political independence.

Stone returned to North Carolina and to the

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state judiciary in 1807, and on November 28th of the following year, was elected to the first of two terms as governor. As chief executive, he struggled to protect property owners from the land claims of Lord Granville’s heirs, encouraged broad-based education, and urged improvements in agriculture, transportation, and finance. It was during his second term as governor (1810) that the State Bank was chartered.

Declining to stand for a third term, Stone ended his governorship in December of 1810 but returned to the state House of Commons in 1811 and 1812. During the latter year he was again elected to the United States Senate, where he served for two additional years. As senator, Stone’s persistent opposition to the War of 1812 provoked a resolution of censure from the North Carolina General Assembly, whose members supported the Madison administration and the War by a substantial margin. Stone vigorously defended his actions as based on principle, but in 1814 resigned his Senate seat and returned to North Carolina as a private citizen and gentleman planter. His landholdings were quite extensive, both through inheritance and acquisition, his principal plantation residences being “Hope” in Bertie County and “Restdale” near Raleigh. Renewing his earlier interest in internal improvements, he endeavored during his last years to improve navigation along the upper reaches of the Neuse River. Stone died at his Wake County plantation on October 7, 1818, and was buried there on the grounds.

REFERENCES

John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, eds., American National Biography, XX (1999) Delbert H. Gilpatrick, Jeffersonian Democracy in North Carolina, 1789-1816 (1931) Richard W. Iobst, “Personal Life of David Stone” (unpublished research report, Department of Archives and History, 1967?) Sarah M. Lemmon, Frustrated Patriots: North Carolina and the War of 1812 (1973) Dumas Malone, ed., Dictionary of American Biography, XVIII (1936) William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, V, 457—sketch by Melonie Johnson Taylor Robert Sobel and John Raimo, eds., Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, III (1978) David Stone Papers, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh http://www.hopeplantation.org

DAVID

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Because of external factors, this has been one of the most challenging magazines we’ve put together since this staff took over back in October 2018. It, like it’s predecessor in May of last year, has also been one of the most rewarding.

We love telling the stories of our 14 counties. It is among the most wonderful experiences we have in this profession. And there’s something very special about sharing the stories of our unsung heroes – the people who work hard every day and don’t get a lot of recognition for what they do.

We promised in that edition we’d revisit this theme and share with you stories of other

PARTING SHOTS

Thadd White

- Joseph Campbell

heroes among us who are giving their all. The truth is, we have now put together nearly 30 stories of heroes and we didn’t have to stretch to find them. Instead, we again had to trim our list.

Almost to a person this group – much like the last – eschewed the “hero” label. They instead shared what they are doing as part of a group. They want their coworkers, comrades and friends recognized way more than they care about any individual honor.

In a world often filled with people seeming to scream “look at me,” it is refreshing to find people so dedicated to sharing whatever honor comes their way with others.

There are certainly commonalities among this group – a love of others, a desire to be helpful and a true passion for service – but those don’t include race, color, creed or any other common label. The folks highlighted within these pages are black, white, male, female, older, younger and so many more variations. They are also what this magazine is about – true Heroes Among Us.

Whether learning about the Fire Chief who has given five decades to Swan Quarter, the police officer who has worked tirelessly in

multiple jurisdictions or the bridge keeper who has to remain on his post through storms, we think these are stories you’ll enjoy reading.

We are grateful to the men and women who made time to let us tell their stories and we’re thankful for you who take the time to read them. If you have a favorite among the stories, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us. We’ll be glad to hear from you.

Next time we’ll revisit one of our other popular themes – the one which basically isn’t. We’ll be back with a second version of “Our Stories,” a gathering of things that just make good stories in our 14 counties. We can’t wait to share them with you.

Until next time, remember… all who wander are not lost. Continue joining us as we wander through Beaufort, Bertie, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Tyrrell, Washington and Wilson counties.

Thadd White is a father, an editor and a fan of everything from Chelsea Football Club to Napoleon Bonaparte. He is a longtime writer and is currently Editor of five Adams Publishing Group properties, including the N.C. Press Awardwinning Eastern North Carolina Living.

We are grateful to the men and women who made time to let us tell their stories and we’re thankful for you who take the time to read them.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.