news-record.com

75 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, May 1936
Several Democrats have filed for offices to be voted on in the June 6 primary.

The candidates and the offices they are seeking:

State Senate, 17th District: J. Benton Stacey of Ruffin; A.D. Hopkins of Reidsville.

State House of Representatives: T. Clarence Stone of Stoneville; T.L. Smith of Leaksville; Karl R. Massey of Spray; Joe W. Garrett of Madison; Harry R. Lindsey of Draper.

Register of Deeds: W.S. Chambers of Wentworth; H.E. Wall of Leaksville; Jim D. Womack of Reidsville.

Sheriff: Kearns Thompson of Reidsville; D.M. Sheffield of Leaksville; Bill Lindsey of Madison.

Board of Commissioners: W.W. Sharpe of New Bethel; H.L. Glenn of Stoneville; R.H. Stocks of Spray; George H. Helmus of Reidsville; J.D. Pearran of New Bethel; V.H. Idol of Madison.

Board of Education: L.W. Matthews of Stoneville; T.J. Garrett of Reidsville; C.P. Wall of Leaksville; J.L. Roberts of Madison; W.B. Kiker of Reidsville.

Surveyor: A.F. Brown of Reidsville.

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The home economics students of Rockingham County sponsored a field day in Wentworth, presided over by Miss Virginia Burroughs, Madison High School home economics teacher.

The show attracted about 600 people who heard various speakers, including school Superintendents H.A. Perry of Reidsville, J.C. Lassister of Madison and J.E. McLean of Rockingham County.

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Rankin Barnes, a young employee of Leaksville Furniture Co., was hit in the head and knocked out by two robbers who entered the store while he was the clerk on duty and robbed the cash register. Only about $15 was taken.

An examination by a physician showed Barnes also suffered a broken rib, apparently from being kicked by one of the robbers while he was unconscious.

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The Women’s Missionary Society of Pilot Mountain Association held its annual meeting at Spray Baptist Church with a large attendance from the 72 churches that are members. Lunch was served by the host church.

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U.D. Koonce attended the first meeting of the newly organized chapter 836 of the Associated Master Barbers in Leaksville to give a report on the annual meeting of the national association in Chicago. A member of the Greensboro chapter, Koonce also read a paper on barber science written by national Association President Alden Warmelin.

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The host Reidsville team won a four-team golf match in Reidsville, scoring 78½ points over Greensboro, Bassett and Fieldale.

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Pure wool men’s suit: $14.

50 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, May 1961
Associates and friends of William Ferrell Burch gave a giant party for him at Pennrose Country Club on the occasion of his retirement after 48 years with American Tobacco Co.

He was named manager of American’s Turkish Leaf Storage in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1924 but has been in Reidsville since 1929 when American moved its Turkish Leaf storage south.

He is married to the former Clara Adylene McCollum of Reidsville. They have two children, a boy and a girl. He also has another son, Ferrell Jr., by an earlier marriage.

Friends and associates from American Tobacco gathered at a party given by Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. French and then converged on the country club for more drinks, speeches and eventually, golf.

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The Rockingham County Bar Association endorsed L. Richardson Preyer for a judgeship in the U.S. Middle District Court of North Carolina. Hampton Price and Claude Scurry of Leaksville and Lon Folger of Madison guided the endorsement resolution to approval.

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Margaret Jeanette Hodges, 7, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Hodges of Spray, died at Baptist Hospital from burns suffered three weeks ago when an old stove exploded in her home.

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Elmer “Jacky” Sparks was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill after allegedly firing a .22-caliber automatic pistol at Faye Dean Page, who was crowned Miss Reidsville 1961 earlier in the week. She was not hit.

Sparks admitted he fired four shots at her bedroom window, but his shooting was meant only to “scare” her and not harm her, deputies said.

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Four staff members of the Rockingham County Library will be sent to the UNC School of Library Science June 8-July 18. Those attending will be Mrs. Ralph Cox, county bookmobile librarian; Mrs. Frank Hall, Reidsville librarian; Mrs. Grayson Miles, Leaksville librarian; Miss Mary Scott Johnson, Madison librarian.

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All-wool worsted spring suits: $29.99

25 years ago
From the News & Record, May 1986
Deputy Sheriff Kelly Lipford, 37, of Reidsville was shot in the stomach about 4 p.m. when he and several other members of Rockingham County’s Special Response Team answered a call about a man armed in his home.

Fortunately, Lipford was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot by Howard Rouse III, 37, of Stoneville. Rouse was shot once in the upper arm.

Lipford was treated at Morehead Memorial Hospital and released while Rouse was listed in stable condition.

Rouse was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Officers were sent to his home after his wife called 911 and reported her husband had not taken his medicine to regulate bouts of depression. She said he had just fired a gun at her car.

He held police at bay for 7½ hours before surrendering.

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The Reidsville City Council voted 3-2 to take over a federal rent subsidy program that has been managed by Eden since 1978.

The Reidsville council will seek transfer of the Housing Assistance Program to the Reidsville Housing Authority.

Under HAP, county residents with low to moderate incomes can apply for assistance. About 100 people are in the program.

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Macfield Texturing Inc. said it will shift manufacturing operations from plants in Eden and Burlington to Mayodan in the next six to eight months.

All 650 workers whose jobs are lost when the Eden and Burlington plants are closed will be given the option of working at Mayodan.

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The Rockingham County unemployment rate edged up to 7.7 percent in March, up from 7.4 percent. Normally the rate drops when spring temperatures bring an increase in hiring for outdoor jobs, but unemployment was so high in other industries that it offset the springtime gain.

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Thurman Hampton, who was fired as an assistant district attorney in 1984, now will be the full-time district attorney, winning the Democratic primary and not having any Republican opposition this fall.

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Men’s suits: $215.

10 years ago
The News & Record, May 2001
The Madison Board of Aldermen voted to buy the 14,000-square-foot Mayo Yarns office building for $150,000 and later voted to move the town hall and the police department to the building on Carter Street about a half-mile from downtown.

The police department moved into the basement of town hall last fall after its previous building was closed by the state for health and safety violations. The public works department also has health and safety violations, but the town hall could be renovated for public works when the town hall is moved to the Mayo Yarns building.

The purchase of the Mayo Yarns building and the subsequent changes in the present downtown building will result in a considerable savings to the town over a period of years.

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Southwest Rockingham grew by more than one-third in the 1990s, and the county hopes to accommodate the area’s rising school need with a new school at Sardis Church Road and Sardis Loop near U.S. 220. But a state report notes that more than 330 vehicles would be driven to the new school, and motorists could be waiting up to 10 minutes in traffic if changes aren’t made in the site.

The school board pledged to study possible changes.

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The Eden City Council amended an ordinance that previously barred establishment of bed-and-breakfasts by allowing homeowners to apply for special-use permits from the city’s Board of Adjustment.

The board will require owners to provide off-street parking and not be within 400 feet of a rooming house or another bed-and-breakfast.

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Rockingham County’s largest mobile home park — Creekside Manufactured Home Park — opened with 192 lots on a 107-acre development on Reidsville’s southeastern edge.

“This gives more housing options for young families, and it’s one more choice for people to look at when they decide to buy a house,” Mayor Jay Donecker said.