During a four-hour marathon meeting Monday night, supervisors elected David Martin as their chairman, Lottie Nunn as vice-chairman, declined to venture too far into the Town of Halifax/sheriff dispute and set in motion a relief proposal for large industry in distress.
Martin took the chairman's role on a four to three vote over James Edmunds, with supervisors Ronnie Vaughan, Lottie Nunn, William Fitzgerald and Martin casting the deciding votes. Lottie Nunn, nominated by R.E. "Dickie" Abbott, received his vote.
Nunn, who was next nominated by Fitzgerald for vice chairman, won that position, again with a four-to-three vote over James Edmunds. Abbott declined to vote in the vice-chairman's race.
Martin is to meet with supervisors before committee assignments are made and announce progress at the January 28 meeting.
Supervisors, with William Fitzgerald and Ronnie Vaughan opposing, authorized the Industrial Development Authority to proceed with the distressed business assistance program concept presented by the finance committee.
The recommendation included extending support to the Commissioner of the Revenue in implementing a reduced assessment on industrial machinery and tools located within Halifax County, but idle for all or a portion of a tax year.
The second recommendation addressed the distress business assistance program, with the IDA requested to implement a program to aid major employers experiencing severe business distress.
Eligibility, loans, loan security, loan repayment terms, distress status, loan funding and legal review are program components.
Burlington Industries in Halifax, with an estimated workforce of 500, could fall under the program.
"Our attempt is to try to retain jobs in Halifax," Bill Confroy, IDA director told the board.
Fitzgerald asked if there was a written agreement that the industry would stay in the area if it received program benefits.
"The incentive is contingent on their staying in business and giving employment," Confroy replied.
"We want to make every attempt to keep a plant open (here)," he added. "Anything we can do to retain the jobs."
Fitzgerald again questioned what assurance the community would have that the industry would remain.
Confroy said that financial intermediaries will be the ones deciding what (plant) will be staying open as the company negotiates Chapter 13 status.
"We are offering to relinquish money we're not going to get anyway if they're not here," said Supervisor Edmunds. "It shows people that the board does, indeed, care and is trying to do something."
Abbott told the board that the county would still get some money even if the company was bankrupt because the local government tax debt would take precedence.
"It's performance based," Supervisor Rorrer said of the proposed distressed business program.
"I don't think you should play lottery with taxpayer dollars," Fitzgerald said.
Confroy estimated that if there are 500 jobs with an average salary of $30,000, the plant's employees put a lot of revenue into the community.
"If you lose these jobs, the community will really feel it," added the IDA chief.
However, Confroy noted that the IDA can't do anything without funding by the board.
"What I'm worried about is the people losing the jobs," added Abbott.
Confroy told board members that before any agreement they would get additional information, but that they must have a program to offer.
In other business, at Vaughan's suggestion, supervisors voted to seek an appraisal of the old ladder truck as well as interested buyers for the truck. The Fire Commission said it no longer needs the truck. It was noted that the truck's ladder does not work.
"Just because there is no use for it is no reason to give it away," Vaughan said.
Board members also agreed to hold a public hearing in March regarding the disposal of the Project Hope property on Mountain Road.
Supervisors approved recommended priorities for Tobacco Commission Funding projects. Confroy, South Boston Town Manager Ted Daniel and Morgan had recommended the following priorities:
· Riverstone request from Tobacco Commission, $1,190,764.
· The Prizery, with an $800,000 request.
· Agricultural Marketing Center, with a $200,000 request.
· Tobacco Barn Conversion, with a $312,000 request.
·Hangar/Offices at Tuck Airport, with a $210,748 request.
The total allocation request is $2,713,512.
County officials also discussed problems with DEQ regarding alleged landfill violations and the board approved proposing additional solid waste collection and recycling centers in lieu of possible DEQ action.
Jerry Lovelace, assistant county administrator, discussed the U.S. Route 58 east bound bridge replacement over the Dan River in Leggett's Bottom.
Lovelace told supervisors that the road west of the bridge floods. He said that about 3,000 feet of the approach needs to be elevated. He also told supervisors that there is not a clear channel under the bridge serving traffic flowing in the opposite direction. He recommended seeking a clear channel under that bridge since the new bridge channel would be open and a bottleneck could result.
The board endorsed the plan, which Lovelace will present to VDOT, but the board emphasized its concern that the project not be jeopardized by the proposals.
Clarkton Bridge
Historic Clarkton Bridge's fate appeared sealed Monday night when Joe Barkley, VDOT resident engineer, sought permission from supervisors to move forward in demolition or removal of the bridge with available maintenance funds.
VDOT seeks action in order to retain use of such funds without impact on the secondary road construction budget for the county.
Supervisor Abbott first asked that action be delayed in order to investigate use of the Enhancement Fund associated with the bridge project. Joe Morgan, county administrator, yesterday estimated that fund as in excess of $200,000.
"Give it a month," Abbott asked supervisors.
However, after discussion, it was felt that it was probably not necessary to wait a month to address the fund issue and the board indicated that VDOT could proceed toward demolition.
Barkley was to meet with the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors yesterday to discuss the same issue since the bridge spans Staunton River, with entrances on the Charlotte and Halifax sides of the river.
Public Hearings
Supervisors approved a request from Charlie and Rachael Scott to rezone 556 acres from Agricultural 1 to M-2, general industrial following the public hearing.
The property adjoins the east side of Clover Power Station and is bordered on the north by the Staunton River and on the south by Route 92.
Attorney W.W. "Ted" Bennett spoke on behalf of the rezoning during the public hearing. Bennett reminded supervisors that even if the rezoning were approved, the owners would have to have a conditional use permit approved by them for development.
Bennett, who was the only speaker, said that he is not aware of any buyer for the land.
No one spoke during a second public hearing to address grants for the Town of Halifax streetscape improvement - however, Halifax Town Council entered a resolution in support of the project - and the Paul C. Edmunds Jr. Memorial Park
Enhancement Project Grant applications.
The town and the county are seeking the grant for Halifax and Morgan and town manager Bobby Green met with Southside Planning Director Joyce French on Dec. 13 to begin the application process.
Supervisors authorized county staff to prepare applications for approval at the January 28 meeting.
In other business, the board approved policy and personnel committee recommendations to employ two building inspectors and a recycling/clean-up coordinator.
Appointments
The board approved the appointment of Dr. Carlyle Ramsey and William Royster Jr. to the IDA Board, filling the positions previously held by Joe Chandler and Logan Young. The nominations were by Vaughan and William Fitzgerald, respectively.
Supervisors also approved a resolution requested by Dominion Generation to become an advanced life support - non transport agency to be licensed by the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services.
William Starkey and Bob Jennings, Route 668/Tower Lane residents, discussed a barricade on the road and through traffic.
VDOT Resident Engineer Joe Barkley said that he would meet with the men to discuss the problem.

After years of controversy, the Halifax War Memorial Commission presented a high-tech masonry memorial with a granite centerpiece "designed to last 500 to 1,000 years" to supervisors Monday night.
Larry Clark, president of the memorial commission, said its members were seeking final approval of the design so that they can go forward with working drawings and technical review.
The design will now be forwarded to county architects, Dewberry and Davis, for technical review.
"We think this is a fitting memorial to the hundreds of Halifax County citizens who gave their lives," Clark said.
The commission president said that the design will fit into the historic landscape of Halifax.
The proposed design features a polished black granite centerpiece, which will carry the names of the war dead.
The commission's memorial columns and canopy are of cast masonry and would be white.
The design features an 18-foot structure with an 8-foot center monument.
The memorial would also feature interior lighting so that the memorial would be visible at night.
Clark, who said the commission has about $104,600 in its treasury, cited the "cost efficiencies" of the masonry structure.
Site preparation will be done by the county.
The design was approved by the Halifax War Memorial Commission at its December meeting. Clark noted that veterans' organizations had approved the design as well.
The commission set Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as the dedication day for the memorial.
It was when Supervisor David Martin asked about the longevity of the memorial's materials that Clark called on Jack Dunavant, a commission member and an engineer.
Dunavant said that it was designed "to last 500 to 1,000 years" and would have stainless steel reinforcing rods.
"We have solved the problem of longevity.
He also said that the columns would "be coated," a process that might be needed "every 25 to 50 years." However, Dunavant said that was not an expensive undertaking.
Dunavant said the columns would "stay white and require almost no cleaning."
"It is a very good product, new high-tech masonry.
"We think it is the best design and probably no other like it," added Dunavant. He said the pure white columns would match the courthouse.
Jerry Lovelace said the county would need drawings and other details from the commission before the technical review could proceed.
Lovelace said the information would then be forwarded to Dewberry & Davis with a report to Building and Grounds.
Supervisor R.E. "Dickie" Abbott offered the motion to accept the design and move forward with technical review.
The board unanimously approved.
"I was very pleased. We certainly appreciate the board's support, and all the folks' support," Clark said.
"This is not the beginning of the end, this is the end of the beginning," Clark said yesterday, paraphrasing Winston Churchill.

Dixie Inc. Board members and supporters told South Boston councilmen Monday that they were running their program in the public's best interest contrary to opinions expressed by parents and coaches of youth involved in the three Dixie Inc. baseball programs.
In attempting to explain how their organization worked, speakers indicated the board has been handicapped by both public opinion and media coverage of the ongoing war of words.
"We've taken a tremendous beating from the public and the media in this regard," said Robert Hatcher Jr., Dixie Inc. president for the coming year.
"Our credibility, the way I look at it, may never be restored in the community. I hate to say it, but it's very possible.
"We've encountered many accusations over the years past, not just this past year.
"As you've heard from many people, we have nothing to hide. We run a good organization; we've got many good people in the program."
Hatcher commented they'd lost a lot of good people because of some "basic threats" against them, that they "need to get off this board."
Hatcher assured councilmen that in his 26 years experience with Dixie baseball the programs are being run the same way they had always been.
"The coaches actually run the program, because they really make the decisions on what transpires in each of their individual programs," Hatcher said.
Coaches also determined their schedule and practices, number of games per week, and days when they would play those games, according to Hatcher.
Hatcher also said the coaches had a "high say" in uniforms and equipment.
In responding to public rumors of financial mismanagement, Hatcher said "every penny that we accumulate goes into operating our programs, and whatever's left over goes into improvements of facilities."
"No one's ever been turned down in their program for any justified expenses," said Hatcher, although adding that there has to be financial accountability in purchasing such things as equipment.
Operating the Dixie programs in the public's best interest is actually in "the childrens' best interest," Hatcher said.
Dixie Inc. Board members Terry Meadows and Archie Bohanon also defended their organization, with Meadows saying he'd seen board members "get angry and walk away from Dixie Inc. when something didn't go their way."
Meadows said he stayed on the board to give it a sense of continuity, and was willing to work with other people who wished to participate.
"I'm willing to work with these people, but sometimes it's hard to know what they want," said Meadows.
"I think it's a good organization, or I wouldn't be there."
Bohanon cited his admiration and respect for longtime Dixie advocate Hugh Moore as one of the reasons he came on the board.
He added he also went on the board to give back to the program things it gave him through both him and his child's participation.
"I admire anyone who wants to work with kids, give up their free time, because no one is paid to do this," commented Bohanon.
Bohanon continued by saying he heard nothing but compliments about the facility and condition of the fields during the state tournament held last summer at the Mason Day Complex.
In answering concerns over community involvement in Dixie Inc., Bohanon presented councilmen with a letter inviting interested people to an organizational meeting of the Dixie Inc. Board when it was formed in 1993.
"These are people we thought would have a positive impact on the overall concept of the complex and the programs," continued Bohanon.
"Over the years, I've invited or talked to several people about being a part of this board, and most of the time, people I've talked to have declined because they didn't have the time or just didn't want to get involved."
"We're not perfect, obviously we've made some mistakes, and there's been some frustrating times trying to get this project completed."
The biggest problem, according to Bohanon, is people they have being able to sit down and communicate effectively.
"I want to go on record as saying anyone who would like to be a part of this board or would like to participate in any way, feel free to call me.
"If anyone would like to talk to me about the program, I'd be glad talk to anybody about it.
"We need to put these negative issues behind us and look at the positive things we can do with this complex," said Bohanon.
When asked if he had any comments or suggestions, Mason Day Jr. said "jealousy and competition are probably two big things that you really can't deal a lot with."
"We want to broaden our board," said Day.
"We've asked people five years ago to come on, they didn't want to come on and help, they wanted to come on and be the bosses.
"But we don't want to leave it," continued Day.
"I don't know the right word to say...idiot comes to mind. We can't afford to turn it over to idiots that's there for one year or two years...
"We send more teams to the World Series than any other community in Halifax County. Our record stands second to none.
"A lot of people don't like us because of that," added Day.
"Our board...we want to sit down at our next meeting...we'd like to have some of you all [council] there. We don't want the press. This thing really hurts us in the newspaper," said Day.
Day emphasized that his group was there for the kids.
"The kids are the main thing you need to look at."
Council will make its recommendations to help resolve the issue after two weeks of deliberation and studying documents and by-laws pertaining to Dixie Inc.
They will make their recommendations public at a January 21 meeting, preliminarily scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. at council chambers on Yancey Street.

By KEITH STRANGE
"Virginia is a great example of the need for farm subsidy reform. Most of the farmers who need them are not eligible for benefits," said a spokesman for the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The Washington-based lobbying organization that focuses on supporting the environment, farmers and agricultural issues recently published a database of farm subsidy recipients across the nation.
In Halifax County, the list included 2,999 recipients receiving $9,614,132 between 1996-2000.
The payments ranged from $103,036.98, recieved by Robertson Brothers Farm, Virgilina to less than $100.
(See page 4 for a complete list of the top 200 recipients.)
The average payout in Halifax County is just over $3,000 for the approximately 3,000 recipients, disbursed over the five-year period.
An EWG spokesman for the organization said that 18 months of work went into compiling the U.S.D.A. data made available to the public following a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by the Washington Post.
"We wanted to show why billions of dollars are not helping the struggling farmer, but rather are going to the wealthiest landowners, including agribusiness concerns," the spokesman said.
An organization spokesman said that the web site "clearly shows" that the program, contrary to claims by supporters, does not benefit small farmers.
"It puts hard numbers where there is an outcry for real reform," the group claims.
Among the claims made by the organization are that subsidies are being paid to non-residents and it is possible for a single family to have multiple applicants.
According to the spokesman, brothers and sisters owning the same land can apply both separately and collectively under a corporate name, thus effectively receiving two payments for the same farm.
The EWG says that it doesn't fault the government for subsidizing the farmers, but wants a more equal disbursement.
The website reports 15 million searches since it went online.
"We're getting hundreds of calls from farmers who are embarrassed by this reporting.
"They are claiming that it's an invasion of their privacy," said a spokesman for EWG.
But many of the calls the group is getting are from smaller farmers thanking them.
"They said that they understand now why they are unable to compete in the marketplace," the spokesman said.
According to government representatives in Halifax County, the information on the database is accurate.
"The EWG pulled the information from our database, so it looks accurate," Kevin Bohon, county executive director of the U.S.D.A. said.
Bohon noted that he had received several calls concerning the database since its November debut.
While he reports that the list is accurate in data, Bohon feels that it is wrong to publish a list of recipients.
"(The list) is accurate, but printing it is misleading.
"People can look at this and think farmers are getting rich. It doesn't take into account the production costs associated with farming, labor or the taxes paid by the farmers," he said.
Bohon urges caution regarding the interpretation of the list.
"A lot of people are going to wonder why the list was released. But it falls under the Freedom of Information Act. We have to release the list if it is requested," he said.
In Virginia, according to the EWG, only 19% of farms in operation received farm subsidy assistance for the four-year period.
"That sounds awfully low to me," Bohon said.
"But they probably used data pulled from the agricultural census, - which counts everyone from the person who grows two bushels of green beans, to the 100-acre tobacco farm," he added.
The EWG notes on its website that the top 10 percent of the farmers receive 80 percent of the government money.
"(The top 10 percent) are really big farmers," Bohon said, adding that not every crop is a subsidized crop.
The eight crops subsidized by the government and reported in the database are wheat, cotton, soybeans, sourgum, oats, rice, corn and barley.
Bohon said that the governmental subsidies have a substantial impact on Halifax County.
"This money keeps us raising grain in Southside," he said.
"Compared to the Midwest, we don't have that much production, but it does help our farmers to be able to continue to produce cash crops," he said.
Bohon drew on the national grain prices as an example of why the subsidies are necessary.
"The U.S.D.A. has a targeted price that is effectively the cost of production of a bushel of grain.
"The costs to the farmer to produce that bushel of grain keep going up, while the money they are paid for it keeps going down," the FSA officer said.
"Without these subsidies, there is simply no way to make ends meet for the farmers."
The target price for a bushel of soybeans in Halifax County is $5.36.
"For the last month or so, the farmer was getting over a dollar less than the target price," Bohon said.
"This year wheat wasn't as bad as last year. Only down 20-30 cents per bushel."
He added that with the profit margin of tobacco dwindling, "anything the farmers can do to make money with their land is helping."
"When you are looking at these payments and what people are being paid, keep in mind the big picture.
"The shelves in the grocery stores are stocked and people have to spend less of their income on food than in nearly any other nation.
"These farm programs play a big part in that," said Bohon.
"It's easy to see the costs of the farm programs when they are printed like this, but think of the benefits we reap from them," the FSA agent said.
According to the spokesman for the EWG, farmers originally qualified to receive the government subsidies in the mid-1980's.
"Once they were on the list, the money keeps coming in regardless of whether they produce the crops or not," the spokesman said.
Bohon agrees, but says that there is a finite limit on the funds.
"It is based on the principle of production flexibility. Once the Farm Bill of 1996 was passed, the growers were given the option to either grow their crops, or to not produce and receive subsidization based on the prior five-year average that they had produced," he said.
Bohon added that the program was designed to give growers a seven-year period to phase out the traditional subsidy program.
"Before 1996, the grain program was a reduction in price control program," he said.
Both sides of the issue speculate that the renewed interest in subsidization is based on the possibility of a new farm bill going before congress this year.
"I know what (the EWG) is getting at. In the new farm bill they want a more equal disbursement of farm subsidy funds," Bohon said.
The new bill going before Congress is based on a 10-year period at a cost of over $170 billion.
The EWG already has its eyes on the new proposal.
"In a lot of ways, we are fearful that it will be business as usual," said the EWG spokesman.
Access to the information is available free of charge on the Internet at http://www.ewg.org.

If anybody has reason to be excited heading into the February 17 season-opening Daytona 500 it's Ward Burton.
Driving a car that was wrecked twice last year, Burton posted the second fastest lap of the morning practice session, turning a lap of 49.163 seconds and 184.529 mph.
"The car has seen its ups and downs but it's always been a good race car," Burton said.
"This car was torn up pretty good at Talladega but my guys worked hard getting it fixed and it looks like the hard work is paying off. My Caterpillar team and Bill Davis Racing have always put a lot into it before we come down here.
"Today is not a real reflection of how good or how bad you are," added Burton.
"It's a learning day. Hopefully, we'll get a little better tomorrow (Tuesday) and a little better still on Wednesday."
The Dodge Burton wheeled on Monday's opening day of testing was the same car that he drove in last year's Daytona 500 which he led nine times for 53 laps before being caught up in an accident that was not of his making.
It was also the same car that he ran well with at Talladega before being caught up in a wreck on the last lap of the race.
"I don't think you could have a better car than we had last year in the Daytona 500," Burton said.
"I would be thrilled to death to have something comparable to it. It's been very rare that I had a car that would just lead. We've had cars that would run good and be competitive but not lead the pack. That car wanted to lead the pack."
NASCAR has mandated a different aerodynamics package for the Winston Cup Series for this year's Daytona 500.
The package has slowed the cars speed-wise and made them more stable in the draft.
Burton says he's not sure what will result from the new rules.
"Is it going to favor the Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford or Pontiac?" Burton said.
"I'm not sure on that when it comes to one-lap qualifying.
"We tested this very similar package at Talladega with 18 cars or more," Burton explained.
"What we saw, it did away with a lot of cowl pressure in the middle groove, which eliminated the three-abreast racing as much as we had had before, but still promoted a lot of two-abreast racing. That's what we were all in favor of, eliminate the three-abreast racing all day long and go back to the two-abreast. Hopefully, it will play out here, too."
This week marked the first time that testing was conducted according to the final car owner points standings from the previous season.
In the past, Daytona testing had been conducted with Ford having certain dates, GM having certain dates and Dodge having certain dates.
What the new testing format did was result in cars of all makes being able to get onto the track and teams have an opportunity to see how they stack up against other teams with different makes of cars.
"I think this is definitely a better way to do it," Burton said.
"There is no need to have three or four different tests. It gives everybody a chance to see where they stack up.
"Some of us will have to go back and do more homework than others," Burton continued.
"We all prepare pretty hard for this race and you have to be competitive. NASCAR is doing a really good job to keep an even playing field. There's always one make at one time or another that steps ahead but they don't stay out there for long."
The early success Burton experienced in the opening session of testing at Daytona has added more fuel to the optimism that is brewing inside Burton.
"I'm very optimistic about the whole year coming up after we started gathering strength at the end of last season," said Burton.
"I know we're much more prepared than we were at this time last year car-wise, motor-wise, knowledge of what we've got versus guessing and knowledge of how to get the Goodyear tire to work.
"We've got a stable of eight or nine proven race cars and many, many motors that Terry Elledge and his guys have built," added Burton.
"I think the momentum we ended the year on last year has started the beginning of this year."

Ruth Talbott Puryear

Ruth Talbott Puryear, 74, of 2083 Old Cluster Springs Rd., South Boston, died January 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Puryear was born in Halifax County on May 1, 1927, the daughter of the late Charlie M. and Lorena Keesee Talbott. She was married to the late Earl Mitchell Puryear and was a member of Black Walnut Baptist Church. She was a volunteer at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Her survivors include two daughters: Patricia Grinstead of Roxboro, NC and Susan P. Knick of Puyallup, WA; son: Mitchell E. Puryear of Mockville, NC; two brothers: Ed Talbott of Cluster Springs and W.C. Talbott of New Bern, NC; two sisters: Ester Glasscock of Alton and Mildred Guthrie of Alton; six grandchildren: Troy and Travis Grinstead, Tracy P. Hamm, Bridgitt Puryear and Chad and Blair Knick and four great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by three brothers: Coleman, Luther and Clifton Talbott.
Funeral services for Mrs. Puryear were held January 8 at 3 p.m. at Black Walnut Baptist Church with the Rev. Grover Stevens officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

Robert Graham Redmayne

Robert Graham Redmayne, 91, of 301 Merritt Street, South Boston, died January 6 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Redmayne was born in Manilla, The Phillipines on November 24, 1910, the son of Robert Clift Redmayne and Mary Jane Graham Redmayne and was married first to Marian Dresser Redmayne then to Margaret Moser Redmayne. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Halifax Little Theater, Faulkner Memorial Masonic Lodge #91, and Thalian Hall.
Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Ann R. Brooks of Warren, Pa.; one grandson, Samuel G. Brooks of Washington, N.C.; one granddaughter, Laura B. Williams of Mt. Dora, Fla.; two stepdaughters, Karen Shelton of South Boston and Laura S. Adler of Richmond; one stepson, John B. Stanford of Richmond; one great-grandson, Hatteras Brooks of Washington, NC; one great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Rose Williams of Mt. Dora; two step-granddaughters, Margaret Ellen and Elizabeth Leland Stanford, both of Richmond; three step-grandsons, Steven B. Adler of Richmond, David L. Shelton of South Boston and John S. Shelton of Durham, NC; two step-great-grandchildren, William S. and Erin V. Shelton, both of Durham; one brother, Richard Banks Redmayne of Seattle, Wa.
Services for Mr. Redmayne will be held today, January 9 at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with the Revs. Drs. Stephen Bradley and Robert Fox conducting the service. Burial will take place in Halifax Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider First Baptist Church, 815 North Main Street, South Boston, or the South Boston-Halifax County Museum of Fine Arts and History, 1540 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston 24592.

Cynthia Marie Wilborne

Cynthia Marie Wilborne 'Penny', 49, of 3236 James D. Hagood Hwy., Halifax, formerly of Chase City, died January 6 at her home.
Mrs. Wilborne was born in Mecklenburg County on December 8, 1952, the daughter of the late Thomas and Ruby Oliver Robertson. She was a member of Silone Baptist Church where she served as secretary of the Sunday school and also worked with the youth department. She was formerly employed by the Mecklenburg County School System as a teachers aide.
Survivors include her husband, Wayne Wilborne of Halifax; one son, Ryan Wilborne of Halifax; one sister, Rosa R. Johnson of Jersey City, NJ; three brothers, Charles Robertson of South Hill, Ervin T. and Ernest C. Robertson, both of Chase City; her mother-in-law, Shirley Wilborne; and her father-in-law, Jacob Wilborne.
Funeral services for Mrs. Wilborne will be held at 11 a.m. today, January 9 at Silone Baptist Church in Chase City. The Rev. Isadore Mims will officiate. Burial will follow in Thyne Memorial Presbyterian Church Cemetery.