Memorial Day Services Scheduled Saturday, Monday

Saturday at 3 p.m., the Halifax County Veterans Association is sponsoring a service at the War Memorial in downtown Halifax.
On Monday at 11 a.m., the John M. Jordan Camp 581 Sons of Confederate Veterans, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Halifax Chapter 1321, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Berrymen Green Chapter, NSDAR, and the Sons of the American Revolution are participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Halifax War Memorial.

Rister To Seek Second Term On School Board

School Board trustee Sandra Rister, Election District 7, is seeking her second term in office.
In her bid for re-election, Rister is anxious to see the School Board’s work completed. “I want to see it through,” she said. “I want the taxpayers to see the funding as a good investment.”
Rister, who worked in the Virginia Beach school system for 34 years before returning to her native Aarons Creek, thinks her experience lends value to the teacher’s viewpoint.
“I wanted to be sure the teacher’s viewpoint is seen, and that was something I could bring to the Board since I was a teacher,” she said.
The trustee, who began her career as a librarian and later earned her Master’s Degree in media technology, also brings an overview.
“I have worked with everyone in the schools, specialists, administrators and teachers because of the job I had,” she explained.
When she returned to Halifax County, curriculum drew her interest, and she is pleased to see new opportunities — including academies — within the Halifax County system.
“We don’t even know the jobs these elementary school children will have because they haven’t been invented,” she said. “But we are trying to get them ready, as much as possible.”
Rister and trustee Joe Bailey, ED-4, have announced their re-election bids to the School Board in the November General election. Trustee Kelly Hill, ED-8, previously announced she will not seek re-election in November.

Obituaries

Leroy Kent Andrews
Leroy Kent Andrews, 68, of 14164 Mountain Road, Vernon Hill died May 23, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Andrews was born in Halifax County May 18, 1939, the son of the late Miller R. Andrews and Thelma Whitlow Andrews.
Survivors include two sisters, Ruth Rutherford of Vernon Hill and Mary Andrews of South Boston; a special friend, Nancy Raynor of Vernon Hill; and a number of nieces and nephews. One daughter, Sharon Andrews; two sisters; and one brother preceded Mr. Andrews in death.
Graveside services will be held today, May 25, at 11 a.m. at Mount Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Bill Wilkins officiating.

Russell C. Loftis
Russell C. Loftis, 77, of Richmond, formerly of Halifax County, died May 19, 2007.
Mr. Loftis was the son of the late Aubrey and Dorothy Loftis and was married to the late Joyce P. Loftis. He was an U.S. Army Combat Veteran who served during the Korean War and survived the Chosin Reservoir Battle. He was also a retired Virginia National Guardsman and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1426 and the Korean Veterans of Foreign Wars Chapter 13.
Survivors include one daughter, Paige L. Wood and husband, Jimmy; one son, Stan Loftis and wife, Patty; grandchildren, Joshua, Jessie and Jamie Loftis, Jason, Nicole and Brian Wood; two brothers, Stuart and Stanford Loftis; and one sister, Nelda Ingram; his companion, Dell Burke; and his former daughter-in-law, Mickie Loftis.
One son, Eddie Loftis; an infant daughter, Rebecca Loftis; and a brother, Curtis Loftis,
preceded Mr. Loftis in death.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. May 22, at Morrissett Funeral Home in Richmond. Burial followed in Centralia Cemetery.

Mattie Lee Jennings
Mattie Lee Jennings, 73, of 2219 Swain Road, Halifax died May 21, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Ms. Jennings was born in Halifax County March 19, 1934, to the late Channie Jennings Bagwell and was a member of New Vernon Baptist Church.
Survivors include one son, Gene Jennings of Halifax; one sister, Frances Louise Miller of South Boston; three grandchildren, Robert Edmonds of Vernon Hill, Albert Hightower and Barry Hightower, both of Halifax. One son, Robert L. Jennings; and one sister, Mary Hightower, preceded Ms. Jennings in death.
Funeral services will be held today, May 25, at 2 p.m. at New Vernon Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Roger Ford officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.

Willie Dibrell ‘Joe’ Mills
Willie Dibrell ‘Joe’ Mills of 1092 Beaver Pond Road, Nathalie died May 23, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Mills was born in Halifax County the son of the late Arthur Presley Mills and Velma Landrum Mills and was married to Mary Lou Garber Mills. He was a member of Catawba Baptist Church and a retired tobacconist with Diamond Tobacco Company.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Vickie Mills Gilbert and husband, Dennis, of Nathalie; one son, Mark A. Mills of Fairfax; and a special friend, William R. ‘Bill’ Bishop of Fairfax.
Funeral services for Mr. Mills will be held at Powell Funeral Home Chapel tomorrow, May 26, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Michael O’Shea officiating. Burial will follow in Catawba Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Cancer Association, P.O. Box 875, South Boston, or Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston, 24592

William Antwon Parks

William Antwon Parks, 25, of 1224 Union Grove Road, South Boston died May 19, 2007.
Mr. Parks was born in Halifax County April 15, 1982, the son of Lonnie Anthony Parks and Cheryl Womack Palmer. He was a m ember of New Vernon Baptist Church.
Survivors include his mother of South Boston; his father of Crystal Hill; two sisters, Tanya Cutler of Portsmouth and Stephanie Womack of Norfolk; his maternal grandmother, Louise Womack of South Boston; his paternal grandmother, Amy H. Parks of New York; and one brother-in-law, Theodore Cutler.
Funeral services for Mr. Parks will be held tomorrow, May 26, at 1 p.m. at New Vernon Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Roger J. Ford officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is receiving friends at the home.

Samuel J. Crews

Funeral services for Samuel J. Crews will be held Sunday, May 27 at 2 p.m. at the New Shiloh Baptist Church in Nathalie, with the Rev. Lorenzo S. Otey officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Mr.Crews, 76, of Nathalie, died Wednesday at his residence.
He was the son of the late Frank Crews and Ellen Davis Crews.
Samuel J. Crews is survived by one step-son, Howard Payne of Nathalie; three sisters, Margaret Barbour of Nathalie, Queenie Jennings of Maryland and Bessie Garner of Washington, D.C.; one brother, Ezekiel Crews of Nathalie, and a host of other relatives and friends.
Condolences may be emailed to Jeffressfh@aol.com.

Girls Netters End Year With Regional Appearance

By Doug Ford
G-V Staff Writer
Comets girls netters Shanna Luck and Sarah Bradford McCollum completed successful seasons with an appearance in the Northwest Region Tournament on Wednesday.
Luck, the newly crowned Western Valley District singles champion, won a quarterfinal match over May Gourley of C.D. Hylton 6-4, 6-0 before falling in the regional semifinals 6-0, 6-0 to Cassie Carver of Stafford.
The Comets doubles tandem of Luck and Sarah Bradford McCollum, which advanced to regional play after a second-place finish in the Western Valley District Tournament, fell in three sets to Reagan Travis and Connie Costella of Forest Park 2-6, 6-2, 3-6.
Comets coach Greg Donner was both pleased and encouraged with Luck’s and McCollum’s performance in the regionals.
“Luck played a consistent game all over the court and was in control of the quarterfinal match throughout,” noted Donner.
“Her strong play was especially evident in the second set where she dominated with strong play from the baseline to win.”
Donner said Luck played well in the semifinal against Carver despite not winning a game.
“She played well in the semifinal, especially in the second set, pushing almost every game to deuce, but could not get the critical points against the experienced senior from Stafford,” said Donner.
Luck and McCollum rallied after a slow start in the doubles quarterfinals to make a match of it, according to Donner.
“They dominated the second set and play was close throughout the deciding set with most games going to deuce multiple times,” said Donner.
“The final two games were hotly contested but the more experienced team managed to pull out the win.”
Donner said that the performances of Luck and McCollum proved that Comets tennis could hold its own with the more experienced players in the Northwest Region.
“All of our opponents were seniors with regional and state tournament experience,” explained Donner.
“The doubles team from Forest Park was led by a player who was half of last year’s championship team, and Carver was not challenged in either singles or doubles competition the entire regional tournament.
“This experience should help us next year. Shanna established herself as one of the top echelon players in the region with her quarterfinals win, and I was especially encouraged to see the improvement from Sarah Bradford as half of our doubles team.
“Her confidence should be greatly enhanced by the matches we have played over the last half of the season.
“We beat everyone in the district in doubles except GW, and their team was undefeated this year, advancing to the regional semifinals.
“Last year, they made it to the final four in the state,” contiuned Donner. “We played them and our regional opponents to three sets and had a real chance of winning.”
With the majority of the team returning next year, Donner is looking for even better results.
“It was a great year and we accomplished a great deal with a relatively inexperienced group,” noted Donner.
“We have established that we can play at the top of the lineup with the best players in the district and we have a good group of first-year players who improved a lot by the end of the year.
“We should be competitive with everyone in the district.”

SBS Drivers Barker, Cook Rise To The Top

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
Adam Barker and Rodney Cook have reached the top of the top of the charts.
Barker, from Hurt, by virtue of having picked up his fourth straight win of the season in his last outing at South Boston Speedway, has emerged as South Boston Speedway’s new leader in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division points standings.
Rodney Cook of Reidsville, N.C., who stands fifth in the South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock car Division points standings, has taken the lead in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points standings.
Barker has had the hot hand at South Boston Speedway this season, having won four of the track’s first five races. His win in the last race at the famed four-tenths of a mile oval thrust him into the track points lead and gave him a narrow two-point edge over Ford driver Wayne Ramsey of Amherst entering Saturday night’s Sam Ard 150 at South Boston Speedway.
Cook, who got off to a slow start at South Boston Speedway, has logged finishes of second, third and eighth in his last three starts here. He also competes at Ace Speedway at Altamahaw, N.C. where he picked up his first win of the season last Friday night.
For the season, Cook has nine top five finishes and 11 top ten finishes in 15 starts. The veteran North Carolina driver has 334 points in the national points standings, giving him an edge of 26 points over second place Andy Loden of Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, N.C.
Barker and Cook will be just two of the drivers fans will be keeping a eye on Saturday night as South Boston Speedway hosts the Sam Ard150, which will be highlighted by a 150-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division race.
Saturday night’s Sam Ard 150 is an event that will be both a tribute and benefit event for former South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division champion and two-time NASCAR Busch Series National Champion Sam Ard.
Ard is continuing to recover from injuries he sustained in a recent ATV accident. The former two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion has been battling tough circumstances in recent years, having been stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease and his wife, Jo, having been stricken with a degenerative eye disease.
To help the Ard Family, South Boston Speedway has set a $10 admission price for the five-race event and will donate $2 from each ticket sold to the Ards. Youths ages 10-15 admitted for $5. Kids ages nine and under will be admitted free.
The Sam Ard Night 150 racing program will get the green flag at 7 p.m., and will include five races highlighted by the Late Model Stock Car Division race. Races for the Limited Sportsman Division, the Budweiser Pure Stock Division, the Southern Vintage Modifieds and the INEX Legends Cars are also slated Saturday night.
Grandstand gates will open at 5 p.m. with qualifying set for 5:15 p.m. Pre-race activities will start at 6:30 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Peyton Sellers of Danville, the 2005 South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division champion and the 2005 NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, will return to competition at South Boston Speedway Saturday night in the 150-lap race for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car Division.
As a tribute to Ard, the 1982 South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division champion, Sellers will drive a car that will be painted to resemble the well-known No. 00 Thomas Brothers Country Hams Oldsmobile that Ard drove to numerous wins.
In addition, former South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, Barry Beggarly of Pelham, N.C. will also be in attendance.
Fans attending Saturday night’s Sam Ard 150 will have their last chance to place their order for South Boston Speedway’s commemorative 50th anniversary book and get the book for its pre-order price of $12. The book will sell for $15 each after Saturday night’s race.
Copies of the book may be pre-ordered by visiting the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com, downloading and printing off the order form and either faxing or mailing the order form to the speedway. Pre-orders will be held with a credit card. Order forms will be available at the track on race night.
The track’s 50th anniversary book, which will give fans a detailed look at the speedway’s history, is at the printer and is expected to arrive in early June.

Loss Hopefully A Learning Experience For Comets

By Joe Chandler
Sports Editor
It was a tough way for the Halifax County High School baseball team to end its season.
Unable to capitalize in key situations, the Comets fell victim to a walk-off three run homer by Franklin County’s Jonathan France in the bottom of the eighth inning, a blast that ended their season in Tuesday night’s Western Valley District Tournament semifinal game in Rocky Mount.
“We just didn’t get it done,” said Comets coach Kelvin Davis.
That, in a nutshell, said it all.
The Comets got both of its first batters in the first inning and second inning on base with nobody out and, thanks to base-running miscues, ran themselves out of both opportunities, opportunities they didn’t see again.
Later, in the fourth inning, the Comets got two runners on base with two out and failed to score.
Finally, in the bottom of the eighth inning, things unraveled for the Comets thanks to an error and a muffed play on a Franklin County bunt that left Eagles runners on first base and third base with nobody out.
It was then that France put the lights out on the Comets and ended the Comets’ string of appearances in the Northwest Region Tournament at three in a row.
Davis said he hopes Tuesday night’s loss will serve as a learning experience for his players.
“Hopefully they learned from this experience,” Davis said, “and hopefully the guys that are coming back and those that will be coming up to the varsity level next year take this experience and learn from it.”
The Comets coach said that while his team missed out on the two valuable opportunities in the first two innings, it is one of things that sometimes happens to the best of teams.
“It happens to the best of them,” Davis pointed out.
“It happens in the major Leagues and all. It’s just a part of the game. Unfortunately we didn’t get it done in the first inning and ran ourselves out of the inning.”
The Comets’ misfortune also extended into areas such as hitters not being patient and disciplined at the plate.
“The credit for that goes to Franklin County’s pitcher (lefthander Brandon Grenier),” Davis pointed out.
“He kept us off balance. He kept us guessing the whole night. Some of the guys that did that (not show discipline at the plate) are some of our best hitters in the lineup. We bailed him out in a couple, of instances. But, the pitcher’s job is to get the batters to do that.”
The Comets, who finished 11-9 overall and finished 11-8 in the regular season with a 4-4 in district play, had a rough ending to the season, losing four of their last five games. In each of the losses, it was what Davis calls “the little things” that beat them.
“It’s been the story of the season,” Davis pointed out.
“If you look back over the season and look back at the games that we lost, the guys didn’t do the little things. We talk about the little things a lot and we work on the fundamentals in practice but the guys have to execute them themselves. It’s got to be baseball instinct.”