Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Tetterton Facing 154 Counts, Martin Facing 36 Counts
Two Indicted On Pornography Charges
A Halifax County grand jury indicted two county men on child pornography charges Monday.
David K. Tetterton, 40, of South Boston, is facing 27 counts of the production or reproduction of child pornography and 127 counts of the possession of child pornography, according to court documents.
His trial is scheduled to begin September 14.
The grand jury also indicted Edwin Odell Martin of Scottsburg on 36 counts of sexual battery and child pornography, according to court documents.
Martin’s trial is scheduled to begin August 14.
Tetterton, of Wilkerson Street, was arrested on March 24 as he was leaving the South Boston Wal-Mart, where police say he allegedly downloaded and printed pornographic photos of children.
He was initially charged with 27 counts of the alleged production of child pornography and 27 counts of the alleged possession of child pornography and was released the following morning after posting $50,000 bond.
Authorities subsequently obtained a search warrant for his home, where they say they found material that featured images of people under the age of 18 engaged in sexual acts, according to Halifax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kim White.
After prosecutors protested Tetterton’s release on bond, Halifax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Michael Rand revoked the bond following a bond hearing on March 27.
Tetterton has remained in the Halifax Regional Jail since that time.
The grand jury indicted Martin, 58, of McDonald Road, with 14 counts of the felony sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13, seven counts of aggravated sexual battery, four counts of sodomy, two counts of the production of child pornography, six counts of encouraging children to perform in a sexually explicit video and two counts of the possession of child pornography, according to White.
Martin was arrested in April after the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office received a tip and conducted a search of his residence, according to Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Captain Larry Fears.
The search allegedly yielded a number of videotapes that “appear to have been produced at the residence” and involve a number of participants under the age of 18, White said.
If convicted on all counts, Martin could face in excess of 12 life terms in prison, according to White.
He is being held in the Halifax Regional Jail.

 

‘06 Building Starts Surge
But Local Government Is Biggest Spender

If construction starts in the first half of 2006 are any indication of what will follow in the latter half, Halifax County’s record $71.6 million spent in 2005 is certain to be broken.
From January 1 – June 30, building permits issued by Halifax County reflect a total value of $51.1 million, according to county building records.
Of that total, 101 commercial permits totaling an estimated $37.3 million were issued from January–June this year.
As could be expected, the numbers are good news for area contractors.
“ We’re not adding any employees, but we certainly have enough work to keep us busy,” said Mac McDannald of McDannald Construction.
According to the contractor, signed contracts already in-house mean a busy year for the company.
“It hasn’t been what it was last year at this time, but it’s been pretty good,” he said. “And the horizon looks good as well.”
But the devil is always in the details, and 2006 is certainly without exception.
The big spender is local government and the projects include two elementary schools–one in South Boston off Hamilton Boulevard and a second off US 501 in the Cluster Springs community. Each will cost an estimated $14.5 million.
Several commercial and industrial projects are also being planned.
Halifax County is also having aircraft hangers erected at Tuck Airport at a cost of $2.4 million according to construction permits.
ABB announced two weeks ago plans to increase its electric transformer manufacturing capacity, a project that will cost an estimated $23.5 million.
But the building, property and some equipment in the new plant will be owned by the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority.
Funding sources for the project include $11 million in bank loans, a $6 million grant from Virginia Tobacco Commission, and $775,000 in state grants.
While building permits have yet to been issued on the project, the ABB expansion project expenditure, added to the estimated $51 million in construction projects during the first six months of 2006, will surpass all that was spent in 2005 and thus establish a new record.
Virginia International Raceway and its RacePlex™ Motorsports Industrial Park, continue to attract investors and permits exceeding $650,000 in estimated costs were issued in the first half of this year.
The construction at VIR is identified as event buildings, a tactical center, school, embassy and mall.
Housing Starts
Housing starts for the first half of 2006 remain strong and include two multifamily townhouses by Rob Land Development and cluster housing project by Bur-Can L.C. The total of 13 multifamily permit cost estimates are $476,618 according to Halifax County building inspection records.
Conventional, single-family, site-built housing starts from January–June totalled 32 with the most expensive permitted at $350,000.
Single-family modular homes numbered 20 at costs ranging up to $382,000.
All total, the county issued 60 permits for site-built and modular homes at an estimated cost of $8 million
During the same period, 73 permits for manufactured homes were issued at an estimated total value of $2.6 million. Those homes included 26 new doublewides, six new singlewides, and 39 used single and doublewide homes.
Improvements and additions to existing homes accounted for 202 permits having an estimated cost of $993,526.

 

Higher Education, Research Key To Region’s Future
Southside Educators Lay Out Vision To State Board

Higher education must be a readily available and highly prized commodity in Southside Virginia if the region is going to compete in the global marketplace, the leaders of the region’s institutions of higher learning told state officials Monday.
Those are the two main challenges they face, educators said.
They are working together to make higher education available to Southside residents and to change the region’s culture by putting a premium on higher education.
The State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) held its quarterly meeting at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston for the first time and listened closely as leaders of area institutions of higher learning laid out the blueprint for Southside’s educational future.
State officials said they were impressed with what they heard.
Dr. Thomas R. Morris, Virginia Secretary of Education, said he was impressed with the overlapping themes of the leaders and their regional focus.
Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade Patrick Gottschalk agreed.
“I’m very, very impressed with what I heard here today,” Gottschalk said. “There are several things today that I’m going to take back and try to build on statewide.”
SCHEV Chairman Alan Wurtzel said the attitude of Southside has dramatically changed from several years ago when industries began leaving.
“There was a lot of hand-wringing years ago,” he said. “No regional cooperation.
“What’s happening now is a lot of pulling together,” Wurtzel said. “It’s tremendously encouraging. This region is going to make it.”
During her presentation, Dr. Patricia Cormier, president of Longwood University, said her institution was committed to three goals, developing citizen leaders, emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences as the foundation of higher education and serving as a catalyst for regional prosperity.
Longwood, the only public four-year university in a 7,000- square-mile area, currently offers several of its programs through the higher education center.
But she warned that while all the region’s institutions are working together they still need the state’s assistance.
“What we’re doing is a good start, but it’s not enough,” Cormier said. “It’s not going to transform the region.
“We’re now doing everything we can for the Martinsville region,” she added. “We need to transform this economy.”
Also she said that education must be accompanied by good-paying jobs.
“Southside wants to be a self-sustaining partner in the state’s enterprise,” she said. “You can’t have education without jobs.”
Seeing new jobs will get local leaders on board, she said, to whom research facilities and programs are often a difficult sell.
“The key to good economic development is education,” she said. “Business people tell me that all the time.”
W.W. “Ted” Bennett, executive director of the higher education center, told Council members that they were visiting Southside at a time of transformation and asked for their support.
“It’s not just important that you support us,” he said. “It’s critical.”
Bennett said that the vision for the higher education center was to have it serve as a nationally recognized model that provides comprehensive educational enhancement to all sectors of the community.
“We will be known as a pacesetter and catalyst for change through education in Southside’s economy,” he said.
Bennett said the higher education center has a two-pronged approach to achieving its mission. One is higher education for today’s students and the other is adult and continuing education for people in the workforce.
The higher education center offers programs through UVa., VCU, Va. Tech, Longwood and other institutions for its higher education programs and offers an industry technology lab, as well as a GED and volunteer literacy program for adults.
Bennett offered statistics that show Southside has a long way to go to achieve educational parity with the rest of Virginia.
Less than two-thirds (65.8 percent) of Southside residents over the age of 25 have a high school diploma, compared with over 80 percent statewide, Bennett said.
College graduates are even rarer, with only 11.8 percent earning a bachelor’s degree or higher in Southside, Bennett said.
In response to these challenges, Southside educators are advocating the creation of CREED (Center for Rural Educational Excellence and Development.)
CREED would support kindergarten through post-graduate V-STEM (Vocational-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and early childhood education, offer new programs that support the existing economy industries like forestry, new economic development programs in digital arts and technology and create an undergraduate program including a two-year certificate in graphic design.
CREED would also provide database research on rural schools and communities for assets and needs evaluations of new initiatives.
Barry Dorsey, executive director of the newly formed New College Institute (NCI) in Martinsville, said this year his institution will provide baccalaureate programs for the last two years in four fields: allied health (especially nursing), education, business and computer science.
Dorsey said two-year programs are already available at area community colleges, but an institution offering the last two years was lacking. The NCI will fill that void.
In the second year, the NCI is looking to expand its offerings by bringing in another eight – 10 degree programs and increasing the number of faculty-in-residence as feasible, he said.
In Danville, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) is focusing on creating an environment conducive to world-class research, according to Susan Booth, the IALR’s senior director of institutional advancement.
The IALR will have 160,000 sq. feet, with 75,000 of it supporting research, Booth said.
Research will be conducted in the fields of performance engineering, robotics and unmanned systems, polymers and materials science, forestry and horticulture and nanotechnology, she told the Council.
The IALR is also working with area schools offering tours of research labs and has more than 300 students enrolled in science and math-based summer camps.
The goal is to create a seamless pathway from K-12 education to doctoral programs, Booth said.
The percentage of the population with college degrees is the single factor with the greatest power to explain the difference in per capita income among regions and states, Booth told the Council.
To help students find programs they need, the three institutions in South Boston, Martinsville and Danville are publishing a brochure cross-listing programs.

 

Terry Headed To Virginia Tech
HCHS Receiver Patrick Terry Has Made A Verbal Commitment To Play Football At Virginia Tech In 2007
Patrick Terry has dreamed of playing football for Virginia Tech since he was a youngster.
The rising Halifax County High School senior wide receiver will now get his chance to do just that.
Terry, accompanied by his family, announced Monday that he has given a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech officials to play football and plans to ink a scholarship pact with the Hokies when the officials signing period begins in February.
“I’ve been a Hokie fan since I was six-years-old,” said Terry,
“ It’s been a lifelong thing.”
Terry, a First Team All-Western Valley District Team and Honorable Mention All-Northwest Region Team pick last season with 44 catches for 809 yards and nine touchdowns, had also fielded offers from ACC members Maryland and Duke.
He said he felt it was important to make a decision now and put an early end to speculation as to where he would attempt to further his football career.
“I think it was important for me to get this out of way so that when my senior season comes I can focus more on the Comets than where I’m going to go after high school,” Terry explained.
“I don’t want to cheat my coaches, my school, or my fellow players by being selfish and thinking about myself instead of thinking about the team and trying to win the state championship this year. By going ahead and getting this out of the way, it not only helps myself, it helps my team out. I can focus more on us as a team instead of where Patrick Terry is going to go after high school.”
The Halifax County High School senior explained that Virginia Tech officials made the offer at the end of a summer football camp the university hosted this past weekend – a camp that was attended by Terry and several other members of the Comets football team.
“We ran our 40 (40-yard dash) and did agility drills and things like that, ran routes (pass routes) and did one-on-one drills,” Terry explained when asked about the camp.
“Coach Beamer (Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer) kept hinting to me he needed to talk to me afterward,” Terry continued.
“ I was excited and eager to find out what he wanted. After the camp they made an offer. I’m still in disbelief now.”
When asked at what position Beamer and Tech officials had indicated they plan to use him, Terry said he felt it would be as a receiver.
“ I stayed with the wide receivers while I was there (at the camp),” Terry said.
“I’d like to play receiver. But, wherever they need me, I’ll play.”
Virginia Tech is not known as a team that passes the football a majority of the time. Terry said, however, that does not bother him.
“Their (Virginia Tech’s) quarterback coach is Clemson’s former offensive coordinator,” Terry pointed out.
“ They gave me a little notion they were going to start throwing the ball a little more. Even if they didn’t start throwing the ball more, I think I’d be comfortable. I can’t tell the coach what to run. I’m just going out there to play football.”
The Halifax County High School senior knows he will be involved in a tough competition among other incoming recruits and returning players alike to earn playing time.
That thought, he said, doesn’t scare him.
“If you go somewhere and the spot is just given to you, obviously the program is not up to par,” Terry said.
“I like the fact that I have to go somewhere and compete for a position because it means that the program is really good and they want the best out there. If I go out there and compete for a position and I get the position, I feel like I’ve earned it. That proves I’m the best for that position. I’d rather have a lot of competition than no competition at all.”
Terry is also a well-known track and field standout. He won the 55-meter race in the Western Valley District Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet and finished seventh in the state Group AAA meet this past winter and qualified for the district, Northwest Region and Group AAA state meets in the spring outdoor season.
During last week’s camp at Virginia Tech, Terry was clocked by Tech coaches at 4.39 seconds and 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
His speed and ability to catch the football are the traits that have led college scouts to become attracted to Terry.
“Patrick brings a skill set that makes him a recruitable athlete that none of us have anything to do with – good genes and God-given ability,” said Halifax County High School offensive coordinator Stan Hodgin.
“Some people can just run a lot faster than others. Patrick has been blessed in that area. Patrick also has very soft hands and receives the ball quite well. It’s not a skill that he has to work at constantly.
“He’s now played in a pass-oriented offense for one season,” continued Hodgin.
“He has learned an awful lot about reading coverage. When reading coverage you determine where soft spots are and that’s where we try to get our receivers to is the soft spots in the coverage and Patrick is getting a lot better at that. That will become even more important as he goes to the collegiate game.”
Hodgin said Terry should be able to fit in well playing college football.
“I think Patrick has a wonderful skill set to compete at the collegiate level.” Hodgin noted.
“ He brings great speed. He will be a very disciplined route runner. He will be a good receiver of the ball. Once he’s got it, he’s very dangerous. That would fit pretty much any offensive philosophy.”
Terry said he chose Virginia Tech after having visited the University of Maryland.
“I haven’t visited Duke’s campus, so I really can’t talk about that,” Terry said.
“ I did go to Maryland. Everything was nice. The coaches treated me well and the players treated me well and I liked their facilities. But, when it came down for me going to Tech, they (Tech) had everything Maryland had.
“It was just a feeling I had that I was at home,” added Terry.
“ I was more comfortable at Tech than I was at Maryland.”
Terry pointed out that the quality academic education that Virginia Tech offers also a consideration.
“I’m not going to Tech just because most of their games are televised or anything like that,” Terry said.
“ I’m going up there because they have a great football program and they’re known very well for their education. I know that if I graduate from Virginia Tech I know I’ll be well off in terms of my education.”
As for Terry’s academics and schoolwork are concerned, Hodgin said the Comets speedster is in good shape there as well.
“Not only is Patrick a good football player, and that’s what brought this opportunity his way, he has taken care of things in the classroom,” Hodgin pointed out.
“ He’s already academically qualified for the NCAA with his bookwork. Patrick has had really good guidance and has taken care of his academics. He is in a position now academically that he’s not under the pressure to perform at a really high level just to qualify. He’s already done that.”
Along with playing college football, Terry said he also has playing football in the NFL in the back of his mind.
“It’s hard for that not to be in the back of your mind,” said Terry.
“I’d love to go to the NFL, but you never know what’s going to happen. As long as I get a good education and a degree I’ll be fine.”

 

Scottsburg Extends DYB Sub-District Playoffs
Scottsburg And Halifax County South Were To Square Off Last Night For the Dixie Youth Baseball District 2 Major League Sub-District Tourney Title
Host Halifax County South appeared to be in the driver’s seat in the quest for the Dixie Youth Baseball District 2 Major League Sub-District Tournament crown after the first two games.
However, Scottsburg is doing its best to change that.
Scottsburg, which lost 3-2 to Halifax County South on Saturday, extended the sub-district tournament to an extra game Monday night with an 8-3 win over Halifax County South.
The two teams were to square off again last night with the winner advancing to the District 2 playoffs this weekend.
Scottsburg staved off elimination twice, downing Halifax 7-6 Sunday night and putting away Halifax County South in Monday night’s championship round.
In Monday’s game, Scottsburg’s bats had the heavy hand, pounding Halifax County South’s hurlers for 11 hits.
The big one was a grand slam homer from Joe Martin in the fifth inning, a shot that propelled Scottsburg over the top.
Scottsburg took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Rufus Jeffress scored on a bases-loaded walk. Nicholas Anderson singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning and scored when William Worley walked with the bases loaded to make it a 2-0 score. Martin’s grand slam round-tripper with two out put Scottsburg up 6-0.
Halifax County South scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Dylan Sons opened the inning with a single and scored on a hit by Dillion Puryear to make it a 6-1 score.
Scottsburg plated two more runs in the top of the sixth inning on run-scoring hits from Jacob Stephens and Martin to make the score 8-1.
Halifax County South tried to muster up a rally in its last turn at the plate and did it with a pair of runs on a two-RBI hit by Sons. However, it wasn’t enough as Scottsburg picked up the 8-3 win.
Scottsburg had 13 hits in the contest with Martin leading the way with three hits and five RBIs. Jeffress, Stephens, Mike Farson, Worley, Casey Doss, Ethan White, Anderson and Avery Anderson each had one hit.
The winners left 13 runners stranded on the basepaths in the game.
Halifax County South had eight hits with Sons and Jacob New leading the way with two hits each. Puryear, J.T. Reeves, Tyrell Harris and Evan Cole each had a hit.
Before making its way to the championship round, Scottsburg edged Halifax 7-6 Sunday night in an elimination game.
Scottsburg took the early lead in that one as well, getting three runs in the top of the second inning, two of which came on a hit by Nicholas Anderson, to take a 3-0 lead.
Munzie Boyd, who led off the bottom of the third inning with a hit for Halifax, scored on a hit from Robert Dawson to make it a 3-1 Scottsburg lead.
Scottsburg scored the rest of its runs with a four-run rally in the top of the fourth inning, two of which scored as the result of a Halifax error, to take a 7-1 lead.
Halifax countered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the frame, two of them coming on a two-run homer from Dylan Hendricks, to make it a 7-5 score.
Facing its final trip to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning, Halifax plated one run with hits by Galantre Thaxton, Andrew Hamlett amd Dustin Brightwell but it wasn’t enough as Scottsburg staved off the rally to win 7-6.
Scottsburg had four hits with Farson, Worley, Derek Conner and N. Anderson each getting one hit.
Halifax had 10 hits with Hamlett leading the way with three hits and Thaxton following with two hits. Steven Childrey, Hendricks, Brightwell, Trey Crews, Boyd and Dawson each had one hit.

 

Woody Clay, David Meeks Reclaim HCC Member-Member Title
Sunday Comeback Edges Defending Champs Rinker-Gupton
Woody Clay and David Meeks reclaimed a title they last won in 2003 on Sunday, coming back from a one-stroke deficit at the start of the final round to win the 2006 Halifax Country Club Member-Member Golf Tournament.
Clay-Meeks shot a 66-65-131 to win by four strokes over defending champions Phil Rinker and Gary Gupton.
Rinker-Gupton shot a 65-70-135, leading the way after one day of competition, but fell behind after a hot start by Clay-Meeks in the annual tourney that featured almost 40 teams.
The tournament all came down to putting, particularly on the second day, with Clay-Meeks using the short game to take the lead and hold on through the last few holes.
“We got off to a good start today [Sunday],” said Clay. We played okay the first day and were one behind Phil and Gary.
“Today, we got off to a good start and were five under par after the first six holes,” said Meeks.
“Woody birdied one, three, four and he eagled six, and I made a couple of good birdies on the back nine.
“We ‘ham and egged’ well today,” he added.
Gupton said he and Rinker were happy to be in the lead by one stroke entering the final day, but that they couldn’t match the torrid pace set by the winners.
“They came out aggressive and made a lot of birdies at the beginning, and we didn’t,” began Gupton.
“Woody played well and when he faltered, David was there to pick him up and vice-versa.”
Gupton added that he and Rinker didn’t make any drastic changes to their game compared to last year.
“It came down to making putts down the stretch, but the biggest key was that we were to shots down after 15,” said Gupton.
“They birdied 16 and we bogeyed the hole. That gave them a four-stroke cushion, and it was over after that.
“We were still neck and neck and battling hard before that,” he added.
“We didn’t change anything, we made the putts yesterday and we didn’t today,” said Gupton.”
Finishing third in the First Flight were Roger Long and Jim Burton, who shot a two-day total of 67-70-137. Long and Burton were awarded third after a match of cards with Mark Repokis and Don Thompson, who shot a 68-69-137.
Jimmy Clay and Lurdy Stinespring won the Second Flight with a two-day total of 70-68-138, a stroke ahead of Bobby Long and Leon Plaster, who shot a 70-69-139.
Tom Kluge and Ray Green finished third in the Second Flight with a two-day total of 70-73-143.
Third Flight winners were Jack Caldwell and Bobby Wilborn, who shot a 75-65-140 over the two-day tourney, while Chris Lumsden and George Hayes finished second with a 74-71-145.
Bob Tysinger and Wendell Hite were third in the Third Flight with a 74-73-147.
Sam Lewis and George Burton won the Fourth Flight with a two-day total of 80-74-154, while Aubrey Houghton and Bryan Foster were a stroke back at 82-73-155.
Bristol Martin and Fred Mistal were third in the Fourth Flight with a two-day total of 81-76-157.
Halifax Country Club Member-Member Golf
Tournament Results
First Flight
Woody Clay-David Meeks 66-65-131
Phil Rinker-Gary Gupton 65-70-135
Roger Long-Jim Burton 67-70-137
Mark Repokis-Don Thompson 68-69-137
Mike Hailey- DennisWitt 68-73-141
W.J. Long-Ed Edgar 69-72-141
Second Flight
Jimmy Clay-Lurdy Stinespring 70-68-138
Bobby Long-Leon Plaster 70-69-139
Tom Kluge-Ray Green 70-73-143
Bion Fite-M.C. Day 71-73-144
Charlie Baskervill-John Hayes 70-74-144
Sammy Fisher-Charlie Payne 72-73-145
Joe Gasperini-Jerry Burnett 72-73-145
Paul Butler-Tommy Elliott 73-72-145
Scott Bosiger-Grayson Throckmorton 71-74-145
Jeff Barger-Stacy Tingen 73-76-149
Mike Sizemore-Jason Snead 72-80-152
Third Flight
Jack Caldwell-Bobby Wilborn 75-65-140
Chris Lumsden-George Hayes 74-71-145
Bob Tysinger-Wendell Hite 74-73-147
Nick Lumsden-Bryan Farley 76-72-148
Eric Arthur-Brian Satterfield 75-77-152
Wayne Fuller-Reed Edwards 75-77-152
Buddy Ferrell-Vic Fitchlee 77-78-155
Randy Cage-Dennis Seamster 78-77-155
Darrell Nichols-Wayne Roller 78-81-159
Fourth Flight
Sam Lewis-George Burton 80-74-154
Aubrey Houghton-Bryan Foster 82-73-155
Bristol Martin-Fred Mistal 81-76-157
Phillip Saunders-Earl Orme 83-78-161
Dunnie Nichols-Harry Mapp 80-83-163
Daniel Ivey-Clayton Garmon 81-85-166
Scott Irby-Kenny Irby 88-92-180

 

Obituaries

William Clarence Boyd
William Clarence Boyd, 72, of Red Oak died July 9, 2006, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Boyd was born in Charlotte County on January 27, 1934, to the late William and Emma Goode Boyd. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Wylliesburg, and a retired farmer.
Mr. Boyd was preceded in death by his wife, Irene Boyd, and a daughter, Laurena Boyd.
His survivors include five daughters, Rose Morales and husband, Armondo, and Tammy Duncan and husband, Gary, of Chase City, Mary Lena Boyd of South Boston, Deborah and Donna Boyd, both of Red Oak; two sons, William Boyd and Tyrone Boyd, both of Red Oak; 21 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren; one brother, Clyde Boyd of Red Oak; two sisters, Estelle Boyd of Red Oak and Hazel Mosley of Randolph; and an adopted sister, Florence Staten.
Funeral services for Mr. Boyd will be held at 2 p.m. July 15, at First Baptist Church, Wylliesburg with the Rev. Opie Terrell officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Online condolences may be registered at www.harrisfhc.com.
Buford Herman Brown
Buford Herman Brown, 78, of Gladys died July 10, 2006, at Virginia Baptist Hospital. He was the husband of the late Sadie Poindexter Brown.
Mr. Brown was born in Halifax County on November 15, 1927, son of the late Richard Thornton Brown and Ellen Davis Brown. He was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a Marine Corp Veteran of the Korean Conflict and a retired contractor.
Survivors include one daughter, Jackie Roberts and husband, Mike, of Brookneal; two brothers, Bobby Brown of Volens and Ricky Brown of Halifax; two sisters, Velma Fisher of Nathalie and Nancy Burnette of Gladys.
Graveside services for Mr. Brown will beheld at 11 a.m. tomorrow, July 13, at Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Joseph Giles officiating.
The family is receiving friends at the home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, Hospice of the Hills or Ebenezer Baptist Church building fund.
Vivian A. Garner Jennings
Vivian A. Garner Jennings, 69, of Nathalie died July 6, 2006, in South Boston. She was the daughter of Rosa Mae Garner and the late Acie Garner.
Survivors include one daughter, Rhonda Lynn Hayes of Lynchburg; two sons, Bruce Everett Jennings of Brookneal and Quentin Lee Jennings of South Boston; one granddaughter, Quenterra; four grandsons, Todd Hayes of the home, James and Xavier of South Boston and Demon of Brookneal; her mother; four sisters, Cornelia Jennings and husband, Richard, Barbara Jennings and husband, Johnnie, Lillian Espinoza and husband, Raymond, all of Nathalie, and Emma Davis of Washington, D.C.; one brother, L.G. Garner and wife, Sylvia, of Nathalie; one daughter-in-law, Terri; and one sister-in-law, Mary Garner.
Funeral services for Mrs. Jennings were held July 9, at 12:30 p.m. at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Nathalie with burial in the church cemetery.
Condolences may be emailed to Jeffressfh@aol.com.
Charles Melvin Stevens
Charles Melvin Stevens, 92, of South Boston died July 11, 2006, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Stevens was born October 20, 1913, in Halifax County the son of Thomas Ellis Stevens and Nora Price Stevens and was married to the late Dorothy Power Stevens. He was a member of Main Street Methodist Church, a World War II Army Veteran where he served in Company F, the 116th Infantry Division and was a Normandy D-Day survivor.
Survivors include one son, Thomas E. Stevens and wife, Julia Carrington, of South Boston; two brothers, A.T. Stevens of Moore, S.C. and R.W. Stevens of South Boston; two sisters, Gladys S. Dodson and Mary S. Barnes, both of Winns Creek; one grandson, Simon Muir Stevens of South Boston; and one granddaughter, Dorothy Claire Stevens of South Boston.
Funeral services for Mr. Stevens will be held July 14, at Powell Funeral Home Chapel at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Ed Rigg officiating. Burial will follow at Halifax Memorial Gardens with Military Rites.
The family will receive friends tomorrow evening, July 13, from 7:00 until 8:30 at Powell Funeral Home, and other times at the home of his son, 5130 Union Church Road.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Main Street United Methodist Church, 701 North Main Street, South Boston 24592.
Sarah Tuck King
Sarah Tuck King, 82, of 4131 Newbill School Road, Halifax died July 20, 2006, at Halifax Regional Hospital. She was married to the late George Russell King.
Mrs. King was born in Halifax County on June 7, 1924, the daughter of the late Howard Buck Tuck and Lilly Powell Tuck. She was a member of the Church of God of Prophecy, and was a retired nurse’s aide at Camelot Nursing Home.
Survivors include three daughters, Deana Conner of South Boston, Polly Dyer and husband, Billy, of South Boston, and Carrie H. Saddler and husband, Holt, of Danville; one son, George King and wife, Lisa, of Halifax;; two sisters, Lucille Newcomb of Richmond and Becky Wilmouth of Chase City; 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. One son-in-law, John Conner; three sisters, Ola Morris, Louise Irby and Cornelius Conner; one brother, Tom Tuck; four infant children; and two infant grandchildren, preceded Mrs. King in death.
Funeral services will be held at Church of God of Prophecy tomorrow, July 13, at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Stephen Byrd officiating. Burial will follow in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home this evening, July 12, from 7:00 until 8:30, and other times at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Church of God of Prophecy.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@earthlink.net
Clifton Douglas
Graveside services with full military honors were held for Clifton Douglas, 85, of Goldsboro, N.C., at Wayne Memorial Park in May.
The Pittsylvania County native was the son of the late Albert L. and Rosa O. Reaves Douglas and was married to the late Margaret G. Douglas.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he was in the 35th Infantry, 25th Tropical Lightning Division from 1940-1945. While in the military he received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the 18th Air Force NCO Academy Association.
Mr. Douglas is survived by two sons, Charles Douglas of San Angelo, Texas, and Curt R. Douglas of Dudley; daughter and son-in-law, Mary L. and Al Olson of Wilkesboro; sister Alice M. Dodson of Turbeville, Virginia; and grandchildren Michael C. Douglas, Allee Olsen, Ashlee Olsen and Halee Olsen.
Ben Anderson Lacks Jr.
Mr. Ben Anderson Lacks Jr., of Black Walnut Road in Clover, died Monday, July 10, at McGuire Veteran’s Hospital in Richmond. He was 86.
Mr. Lacks was born in Halifax County on July 4, 1920, the son of the late Ben Lacks Sr., and Mary Coleman Lacks. He was married to Christine Lacks, was an Army veteran and was a member of Bethel Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife; six sons, Anthony Lacks, Bennie Lacks, Kelvin Lacks, Lester Lacks, Joe Lacks and Zachary Lacks, all of Clover; 17 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; three sisters, Eliza Richardson of Bronx, N.Y., Thurla Lacks and Georgia Davis, both ofClover; three brothers, Emerson Lacks, Marcellus Lacks, both of Clover and Harry Lacks of Manhattan, N.Y.; four daughters-in-law, Alicia Lacks, Anita Lacks, Bobbie Lacks and Lynn Lacks, all of Clover; three sisters-in-law; four brothers-in-law; one aunt and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by one son, Mark Benson Lacks.
Funeral services for Mr. Lacks will be held Thursday, July 13, with services at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Brother Doug Stacy will officiate.
Burial will follow in the Bethel Grove Baptist Church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence, 5222 Black Walnut Road, Randolph, Va.