After little more than a year of operation, the massive Dollar General Regional Distribution Center in the Halifax County Industrial Park is planning to undergo a major expansion.
The current facility is 718,000-square feet in size. Officials announced plans that include a 485,480-square foot addition, bringing the facility to a total of 1,207,230 square feet.
"We are expanding to meet the growth needs of Dollar General and to take care of our customer demand," commented Ken Attaway, manager of the distribution center.
"We are a growth company," he added. "With the ideal location in this market, and a with a dedicated, loyal local work force, we are happy to be able to do so."
The distribution center currently employs approximately 500 people and 60-70 employees will eventually be added, Attaway said.
The expansion will be on the west side of the existing building and will also involve the construction of a center for the company's two outside motor carrier operations.
Trailer parking will increase from a current 501 spaces to a total of 1,005 places, while employee parking will increase from 354 spaces to 513 spaces, Attaway said. Gray Construction Company of Tennessee, which built the initial structure, will also be utilized to construct the addition, he added.
Dollar General plans to relocate its vehicle maintenance facility to a site adjacent to the access road on the west side.
Another key to the expansion is that the company currently rents other storage space and the addition would allow "everything under the same roof," which is a boon to efficiency, officials said.
Company officials outgrew their own 1996 expansion plans, which requires
them to gain a conditional
use permit from the county to begin the expansion.
There will be an advantageous cost and time frame factor for Dollar General if the project can begin in April, according to Jerry Lovelace, Assistant County Administrator for Planning and Zoning.
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors approved a public hearing for the request for their regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 6.
The hearing will be held at 8 p.m. The Halifax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the matter during a special meeting on April 2.
The local distribution center for Dollar General supplies 745 stores from South Carolina to Maryland and westward to Ohio in the 3,200-store Dollar General chain, Attaway said.
Setting the mechanism for studying E-911 consolidation with South Boston and exploring Clover's request to explore town charter annulment dominated the county supervisors' agenda with towns Monday night.
Clover Mayor Debbie Griles and county officials are to put together figures, maps and draft a proposal as the next step.
The proposal would have to be adopted by Clover Town Council and county supervisors. Next the town would have to pass an ordinance which would go before a circuit court judge who would order the question put on the ballot. Only Clover citizens would vote and 51 percent of those voting in the referendum would have to approve.
Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper estimated it could be November or next year before a charter annulment would come before a circuit court for approval.
Entering into discussions with South Boston Town Council first during the Monday night session, the county and town agreed to seek prices from a communications consultant on 911 consolidation, and to establish a committee to study 911 consolidation issues.
Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper suggested a consultant be hired to study the two 911 systems and make a third party recommendation.
"It covers a whole lot of detail and new things keep coming up," said Sleepter. Officials noted both technical and non-technical issues must be explored
The county administrator said he hoped he and South Boston Town Manager Ken McLawhon could get estimates from consultants prior to the governements' regular April meetings.
Inquiries began the next day, according to McLawhon.
South Boston Mayor Glen Abernathy suggested at the Monday night session that three members from each body work with a consultant and staff on the 911 issue. The county agreed.
Abernathy also suggested that the committee meet with the public at least twice, listening to their concernes and wishes at the first meeting and at the second meeting explaining why recommendations were made.
Equipment, field work and manpower would all be involved in the consolidation of the 911 systes said Sleeper. The county administrator noted 911 was a t the top of the proposed consolidation agenda timetable established during the South Boston-county boundary adjustment.
Noting 911 was all South Boston had on their agenda Monday night, Mayor Abernathy said "We look forward to getting started," closing South Boston's segment.
"There has been a lot of talk about what we offer our residents," said Clover Mayor Debbie Griles. Several residents, she said, had asked council to look into annulling the charter.
Clover is a town of approximately 200 residents.
The only service the town provides its residents, according to Griles, is street lights. That service, she told supervisors, cost the town $3,300 annually. In 1997 the town dissolved its police department, explained the mayor, because it could not financially afford it.
The town's water and sewer is economically self-sufficient, added the mayor, and pays annual payments of $32,000 on debt which will culminate in 2026.
The town currently uses approximately half of its 35,000 gallons a day capacity, supervisors were told.
Clover has a treatment system and supervisors learned it was six miles from Clover to Scottsburg at the closest connection point for lines.
The mayor told supervisors the town has no general fund debt, and in addition the town has a $10,000 money market set aside for repairs. The mayor also said the town has a $37,000 certificate of deposit, a guarantee, she said, for payment required by the Rural Water Authority when bonds were issues for the water system.
"We are not trying to get rid of water/sewer," said Griles. "In all honesty, we are trying to do what is best for citizens.
"Looking at all the figures, we are not sure we need to keep the town charter," said Griles. The service provided, she noted, did not justify town and county taxes for residents.
Also a crucial consideration driving the town's deliberations, the need to paint the water tank, work estimated at $65,000 during the Monday meeting but a job Griles said yesterday is estimated between $80,000 to $100,000 for the complete project.
Clover Councilmen Robert "Leo" Noblin also noted the age of some of the town's water lines.
Not discussed at the Monday night meeting, police consolidation, a topic none of the towns had entered on the agenda.
One citizen in the audience, Reba Wade of Greens Folly, said she "thought you were going to discuss the police department."
The governments have never discussed consolidation of police, noted Sleeper.
Wade said since the boundary adjustment both the sheriff's department and town police were patrolling the area.
Halifax Town Council and supervisors opened discussion with the Grubby Road sewer treatment project.
Supervisor Ricketts asked about a proposed timetable on signing the contract. Sleeper said yesterday he and Halifax Town Manager Robert Greene are discussing it and expect to present a final contract for the sewer treatment service project in April.
Asked if the town wanted a joint meeting with the county, town councilman Harold Younger Jr. said they would like to have a joint meeting but were not prepared to establish that date. "We have some homework we need to do," said Younger.
Halifax Town Councilman S.J. "Jack" Dunavant said the board would like to talk about water and sewer consolidation and that is "what I came down to discuss." But Dunavant was rebuffed by town council.
"Jack is saying 'we,' said Halifax Mayor Dennis Osborne. "But tonight is not the time." Osborne said council wanted to talk, but later.
Sleeper noted a public service authority is in place to serve the community.
"We are very interested in discussing, just not tonight," said Halifax Councilman Younger. Halifax officials noted they were "not prepared" Monday for discussions.
Halifax Town Manager Robert Greene also asked supervisors for the updated William C. Overman Associates' report on the Halifax County Regional Utility Master Plan. Sleeper is to request additional copies.
A Scottsburg town council spokesman told supervisors Monday night that town was "not prepared to talk at the time," noting council would meet the following night.
Virgilina did not enter discussions.
BY JOE CHANDLER
School system officials unveiled a record $39.7 million 1998-99 school budget proposal Monday night, a package that calls for a two percent hike in local funding and a 4.35 percent overall increase over the current year.
The budget proposal includes a 4.2 percent average salary hike for teachers and a four percent average salary increase for all other employee groups.
School board chairman Alan Gravitt told trustees at Monday night's budget work session that in prior informal conversations county officials and members of the Board of Supervisors hinted they want to see the school system bring a budget to the table that would not require an increase in local funding next year.
The local appropriation from the Board of Supervisors to the current year's budget is $9,723,126. Yet, the school board is seeking a two percent increase in local money next year which represents an additional $194,462 for a total of $9,917,588.
Gravitt told his fellow trustees he has discussed the situation with school superintendent Dennis Witt and that "we want to work with the Supervisors. We want to try to be understanding of their position."
On the other hand, Gravitt said, "I thought we ought to get at least inflation (the inflation rate) percentage in local funding and that's where the two percent comes in."
Gravitt pointed out that while the final figures haven't come in from the state legislature which was still in session, it appears that the school system will see an increase in the amount of state revenues next year.
The budget package put together by school system officials projects a 6.31 percent increase in state revenues next year
"But, I don't think the school system should look to state revenues to solve revenue questions between the county and the school board," Gravitt remarked.
School trustees will now have a week to study the 1998-99 budget proposal before they sit down and review the budget and other pending financial concerns with the Board of Supervisors.
A joint meeting of the school board and Board of Supervisors will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the school board's first floor administrative conference room.
The budget proposal contains an average 4.2 percent pay hike for teachers and an average four percent increase for all other employee groups. Along with that, the proposal calls for a ceiling of eight percent for those employees moving to the top step of the salary scale and a floor of a 1.5 percent increase for those employees that are off the salary scale.
School system officials produced data showing that 48 of the county's 506 teachers will be affected by the eight percent ceiling and 113 teachers will be affected by the 1.5 percent floor.
In order to come up with a more competitive salary for beginning teachers, the new budget proposal calls for hiking the starting salary for beginning teachers to $25,300 and making that figure the salary for all teachers on the first three steps of the salary scale. That represents an increase of 6.53 percent over the current starting salary for new teachers.
"This is a way of getting the first step up higher to help us attract new teachers," Witt said.
Witt noted that a teacher is on probationary status for the first three years and that is a factor in the rationale used in establishing the same salary for the first three steps on the scale.
"We are assuming that there will be some type of increase each year," said board member Patricia Nelson.
"That being true, they will make more money but they (all of the teachers in their first three years) all will have the same salary."
Witt produced data on teacher salaries from 11 Southside school systems showing that in the current year, Halifax County ranked 10th on the first, fifth, and tenth steps of salary scale. By step 15, Halifax County moved up seventh on the list and, by step 20 the county stood fourth among the 11 school systems.
What that shows, Witt says, is that the lower half of Halifax County's salaries are not competitive with surrounding school systems while the upper half of the salary scale is more competitive with its area counterparts.
The school superintendent also presented data showing that the average salary for Halifax County principals rank last among the same 11 Southside school systems used in the teacher salary comparison
Halifax County's average principal's salary this year is $47,618. The average principals salaries in the other 10 school systems with which Halifax County was compared was in the mid $50,000 range.
"From my experience our principals are not anywhere near overcompensated, Witt said.
"We may have too many principals because we have too many schools but they are not overpaid. As a group, our principals are not overpaid and I can back that up with plenty of data."
Among the Southside school systems Witt used in the comparisons were Appomattox County, Campbell County, Franklin County, Bedford County, Charlotte County, Mecklenburg County, and Henry County.
In a related move, the 1998-99 budget package calls for an increase in the amount of the Master's Degree supplement, a supplement paid to teachers who hold a Master's Degree. The current Master's Degree supplement is $1,810 and that figure increases to $1,900 under the new budget proposal.
That represents an increase of five percent and an estimated $20,000 in the budget. Currently, 224 of the county's teachers hold a Master's Degree.
"There ought to be a higher supplement for a teacher who holds a Master's in their teaching area," Witt commented.
"If you're in administration, your Master's should be in administration. If you are an English teacher and you have a Master's Degree in English, you should be a stronger teacher for that."
However, no system of accomplishing that wish was proposed in the budget.
Another major budget initiative would have the school system increase its contribution toward the individual employee's group health insurance premium from its current $143 a month to $150 per month, a move that represents a five percent increase.
The budget package also calls for the hiring of five Special Education teachers to take care of the increasing number of children in the school system with special needs.
In addition, the budget includes the hiring of three additional teachers at Halifax County High School to take care of the need associated with the school's move to the 4x4 Block Schedule format next year.
"We had talked about two (teachers) at one point," Witt said.
"But, we put in three to be on the safe side."
Also, the budget contains funds to hire four elementary school aides, most of whom will be used in Special Education.
The proposed budget package contains funding for the purchase of nine new school buses at a cost of $384,835 to keep the school system on its 12 year school bus replacement cycle. Eight new buses were purchased out of the current year's budget.
A total of $179,800 was put into the budget under the professional improvement category, an increase of $34,200. Some of that increase is attributed to additional inservice training for Halifax County High School teachers to help them prepare for the transition to block scheduling next year.
Also, the proposed budget contains $250,000 to continue the school system's implementation of its technology plan, a $75,000 increase in the area of contracted maintenance to fund an architectural study of school facilities, and a $30,000 increase over last year in the category of replacing equipment to be used for replacing and maintaining copiers.
There were discussions of other potential budget initiatives including hiring a school nurse that would serve Halifax County High School and possibly Halifax County Middle School. However, no action was taken.
Halifax County tobacco growers were among those joining the public health community Monday in a press conference in Washington, D.C. outlining 10 "agreed to" core principles, Concerned Friends for Tobacco board member J.T. Davis said yesterday.
The core principles address public health as well as tobacco grower community concerns.
A statement by President Clinton was also issued at the press conference, said Davis, congratulating the public health and tobacco producer communities for working together to promote comprehensive legislation to dramatically reduce youth smoking and protect American farmers and their communities.
"I am firmly committed to protecting farmers and their communities, and have made this commitment one of the five key elements that I will insist upon before signing tobacco legislation," said the Clinton statement.
Davis said a small delegation was invited to the White House to meet with senior policy advisers on Monday. Among those were Davis and Don Anderson of Halifax County. Davis said that "opens the door to provide input as to what the growers want and need out of this tobacco settlement."
Delegate W.W. "Ted" Bennett of Halifax was among grower advocates and a speaker at the Washington meeting. Also in Washington from Halifax were Lucy Conner, Mr. and Mrs. Tom West, Charlie Scott and John David Terry.
The president of the Burley Tobacco Cooperative and a representative from the Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative were speakers. "We have representatives from those tow cooperatives which represent 100 percent of the burley and flue-cured growers," said Davis.
"As the White House looks for consensus, we think the core principles will be a common denominator," said Davis.
Users of cocaine in Halifax County should beware of whoever they "deal" with, according to a substitute-judge from Salem who sentenced several convicted cocaine users Monday afternoon in the Halifax County Circuit Court.
Every citizen in Halifax County should be so afraid that any person they sold (cocaine) to or bought (cocaine) from could be an undercover agent," Judge Gerald O. Clemens told the court. "They should be afraid to sell or give drugs to anyone."
His remarks came at the conclusion of a lengthy sentencing hearing for Rhonda Blackmon, 42, of South Boston who was convicted of distribution of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Judge Clemons sentenced Blackmon to five years in prison on each of the two felony convictions, for a total of ten years in prison.
He suspended all but 18 months on condition of her successfully completing three years of active, supervised probation following her release. She must also be subjected to random drug tests during her probationary period.
Blackmon's defense attorney, Bill Watson of Halifax, attempted to portray the offense as a case of Blackmon helping someone purchase cocaine on an accommodation basis, rather than selling cocaine with a profit motive.
Accommodation status could reduce the amount of jail or prison time, according to state sentencing guidelines.
Halifax County Commonwealth's Attorney John Greenbacker Jr. disagreed with Watson's contentions, raising the question that Blackmon shared in the cocaine. The transaction took place during the late night/early morning hours of October 4-5, 1996.
Blackmon and her boyfriend, Charles H. Wilkinson III, returned to his Wolftrap Road home after an evening of dinner and dancing at a local restaurant, they both testified.
Wilkinson was not charged, but testified Monday on behalf of Blackmon. He told the court that he did not use cocaine with Blackmon and that he did not see any cocaine being divvied up at his home.
When they drove up to his home, a vehicle with Cindy Whitlow, 24, and her date were backing out of the driveway, both Wilkinson and Blackmon testified.
Whitlow's date, unknown to the three subjects at the time, was working as an undercover informant and operative of the Tri-County Regional Drug Task Force.
Whitlow is awaiting sentencing on felony charges of distribution of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine stemming from the same incident. She was subpoenaed to testify in Monday's hearing.
Wilkinson described Whitlow as being extremely intoxicated, belligerent, and demanding that Blackmon take her to purchase cocaine.
He also testified that he "felt sorry for" the undercover drug informant who was cursed and ridiculed by Whitlow. Since they had arrived in Whitlow's car, Wilkinson testified that he later agreed to take the subject to his residence.
Before he was taken home, Blackmon and Whitlow went to a location on U.S. 58, west of South Boston, where Blackmon went inside alone to purchase what she said was a gram of powdered cocaine, according to Blackmon.
Different accounts were given in testimony by Blackmon and Whitlow on the amount of cocaine purchased and who actually paid for it. Whitlow testified that she got a cash advance of $100 from a credit card and gave the money to Blackmon to purchase the cocaine.
Agents of the task force had given money to the informant, who gave the money to Whitlow, who in turn gave the money to Blackmon to make the actual cocaine buy, according to the investigation.
Agents recovered one-half gram of the cocaine from their undercover operative, task force officials said.
Both Blackmon and Whitlow were among over 120 people who were arrested during last year's "Operation Fall Harvest," the culmination of an 18-month-long undercover drug investigation conducted by the task force.
Judge Clemens reiterated his message that active jail or prison time will get the attention of serious drug abusers and users.
"For you (Blackmon) and others watching this case...you need to be deterred," he said. "It's going to continue to be your lifestyle unless something drastic (like this) happens."
BY JOE CHANDLER
For the third year in a row county school system officials are seeking a waiver from the Virginia Department of Education that will allow school to start prior to Labor Day.
And, they are hoping that state officials will be in a generous mood when they consider the waiver that will exempt Halifax County from the state law which mandates that the state's public schools cannot start classes until after Labor Day.
State Department of Education officials have granted waivers to school systems in situations where the school system has missed an average of eight days of school in five of the past 10 years.
Halifax County's average has been high enough to meet that criteria each of the past two years. As a result, the local school system has been allowed to start school prior to Labor Day.
This year, though, Halifax County's situation is borderline with respect to that criteria as the school system's average is 7.6 days. As a result, the county's situation hinges on whether or not state officials will round the county's figure up to eight or drop it back to seven.
"I'm a little concerned because the state is really starting to scrutinize these requests," said county school superintendent Dennis Witt.
"If they (state officials) choose to count this year as one of the 10 years, we're in big trouble," he added noting that no school days have been missed thus far this year.
The school system is hoping that Department of Education officials will count the 1996-97 school year when four days were missed, the 1995-96 school year when 15 days of school were lost, the 1993-94 school year when school was out for 11 days, and the 1989-90 and 1987-88 school years when four days of school were lost in each of those two years, in their computations.
Should state officials choose to count the current school year, the county's average will fall below the requirements and the county will likely not gain a waiver as a result.
Witt said that gaining a waiver this year is important because Labor Day comes late this year, falling on September 7, the latest that it falls on the calendar.
Starting school after Labor Day "will not have a devastating effect," said Witt, "except for delaying everything. The big difference is that it runs the start of the second semester well into January which is in the dead of winter, which, if there is going to be bad weather, it will come then."
The school superintendent also noted that if school cannot start until after Labor Day and several days of school are lost due to weather, "it will run us later into June. And that could cause problems because some of our teachers have Summer School commitments."
If state officials turn down the school system's request for a waiver based on the average number of lost days, Witt says he will file the request for a waiver on another set of criteria based upon the dependency of the school system on programs offered by other school systems that may have received a waiver.
The school superintendent said Monday night that he would cite the school system's participation in the Southside Regional Governor's School program, noting the ties the county has with that regional program and the other school systems that participate in Governor's School.
Until state officials make a determination of Halifax County's waiver request, school system officials will be in a state of limbo with regard to the development of the 1998-9 school year calendar.
The calendar for the upcoming school year cannot be finalized until after starting date for school can be determined.
Otis Taft Newcomb of 206 Easley Street, South Boston died March 16, 1998 in South Boston. He was 86 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr. Newcomb was born January 2, 1912 in Charlotte County the son of Jessie Harrison Newcomb and Maude Newcomb and was married to Virginia Vaughan Newcomb. He was a retired superintendent and chief operator of South Boston Water Plant. He was a member of South Boston Seventh Day Adventist Church, and also a member of Woodmen of the World Camp 106.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, March 19 at 11 a.m. at Halifax Memorial Gardens.
Surviving Mr. Newcomb are his wife; two sons, Douglas Newcomb of Mechanicsville and Phillip Newcomb of Sandston; one step brother, Charlie Newcomb of Tecumseh, OH; four step-sisters, June Lacks and Carol Rickman, both of Randolph, Dorothy Conner of Clover and Erma Hardy of Richmond; two grandsons, Michael and his wife Rita Newcomb of Hilliard, OH, and Mark Newcomb of Greensboro, NC.
The family will be receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home this evening, March 18 from 2 until 4 and 7 until 8:30, and other times at the home.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Rescue Squad, PO Box 183, South Boston.
Thomas Joe Howell of Forest View Apartments, Halifax died Saturday, March 14, 1998 at his home. He was 35 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr. Howell was born December 21, 1962 in Halifax County the son of Richard L. Howell Jr. and Barbara Ann G. Watters. He was a Town of Halifax employee.
Survivors include his mother and step-father, Barbara and Chock Watters of Holdenville, OK; his father; paternal grandmother, Lucille Howell of South Boston; maternal grandmother, Emma Gainey of South Boston; and one brother, Sam Howell of South Boston.
The funeral will be private.
The family will receive friends at Brooks Funeral Home this evening,
March 18 from 7 until 8:30.
Nellie Coleman Lewis of 116 Fairmont Apartments, South Boston died Saturday, March 14, 1998 at The Woodview Nursing Home at the age of 79.
Mrs. Lewis was born on September 10, 1918 the daughter of James Coleman and Amanda Greene Coleman and was married to Octavius Lewis. She was a member of The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Survivors include one son, William Jackson of South Boston; three brothers, Major Coleman and James Coleman, both of Scottsburg, and Aaron Coleman of Iselin, NJ; one sister, Priscilla 'Katie' Morton of Mt. Vernon, NY; one daughter-in-law, Shannon Jackson; and other relatives and friends including the devoted Aleatha McAdoo.
Funeral services for Mrs. Lewis will be held Thursday, March 19 at 1 p.m. at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses with Brother Phillip Lewis conducting the service.
The family will receive friends at the chapel of Jeffress Funeral Home this evening from 7 until 8:00.
Dorothy McDaniel 'Dot' Clowdis of Brookneal died Saturday, March 14, 1998 at her home. She was 68 years of age at the time of her death.
Mrs. Clowdis was born in Pittsylvania County on April 17, 1929 the daughter of James W. McDaniel Sr. and Sarah Frances Doss McDaniel and was first married to Aubrey William Daniel and later to Cary Vernon Clowdis. She was a member of Brookneal Baptist Church and a former employee of Brookneal Drug Co.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, James and Anne Daniel of Herndon; two daughters and sons-in-law, Faye and Carl Davis of Altavista, and Kathy and Charles Wingfield of Mechanicsville; one step-son, Vernon Clowdis of Brookneal; two step-daughters, Norma Beadles of Brookneal and Draye Clowdis of Brookneal; one brother, Hilton McDaniel of Renan; two sisters, Margaret Glass of Halifax and Shirley Wilborn of South Boston; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three sisters, Sally Garner, Bertie Wade and Catherine Daniels; and two brothers, James W. McDaniel Jr. and Richard McDaniel.
A funeral service for Mrs. Clowdis will be held today, March 18 at 2 p.m. at Henderson Funeral Home Chapel with Revs. Charles Ward and Elton McDowell officiating. Burial will take place in Wickcliffe Cemetery.
Mary Dunn Regan of Roxboro, NC died Saturday, March 14, 1998 in Duke Medical Center. She was 70 years of age at the time of her death.
Mrs. Regan was a native of Person County, NC the daughter of William McKinnley and Fogie Howard Dunn and was married to James M. Regan. She was a member of North Roxboro Baptist Church.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 17 at 2 p.m. at North Roxboro Baptist Church by Revs. Ken Durham and Mark Sterling. Burial was in Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Hurdle Mills, NC.
Surviving Mrs. Regan are her husband of the home; two daughters, Patricia R. Phelps and Shelia R. Tuck, both of Roxboro; one son, Jimmy B. Wilborn Sr. of Roxboro; two sisters, Cora D. Tuck of Roxboro and Amelia D. Lea of Leasburg, NC; one brother, Bennie T. Dunn of Leasburg; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial services for Thomas 'Tommy' Henry Smith II, age 17, were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, 1998 at Faith Christian Family Church in Clovis, NM. Pastor David Swann officiated.
Tommy died Saturday, March 14, 1998 at the University Medical Center in Lubbock, TX. He was born April 17, 1980 in Monroe, NC to Thomas Henry Smith and Carol Graves Smith. He was a member of Faith Christian Family Church and a senior at Clovis High School.
Survivors include two sisters, Kristen and Kimberly Smith; maternal grandmother, Mildred W. Graves of Pageland, SC, and paternal grandmother, Geneva Dalton of Hurt; two uncles on his mother's side, Sherrill and Larry Graves; three aunts on his father's side, Shirley Smith Scearce, Carolyn Smith Phillips and Joyce Dalton Wade and one uncle, Richard Dalton, and many cousins.
He was preceded in death by both his grandfathers, Lenson Graves and Henry Smith.
The family request memorial contributions be made to the Faith Christian Family Church Building Fund in memory of Thomas Henry Smith II 'Tommy.'
Jimmie Long Conner of 1006 Harris Drive, Apt. 118, South Boston died Friday, March 13, 1998 at Halifax Regional Hospital. he was 61 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr. Conner was born in Halifax County on March 14, 1936 the son of James Garland Conner and Nannie Francisco Conner and was a member of Dan River Baptist Church.
Survivors include his parents of Halifax; two daughters, Gwynn C. Snead of Halifax and Jodi B. Conner of New Orleans, LA; two sons, Raymond Keith Conner of Scottsburg and James Edward Conner of Lynchburg; three sisters, Helen C. Bates of Vernon Hill, Judy C. Anderson of Nathalie and Brenda Ann Conner of Halifax; two brothers, Gurney Conner of Nathalie and Garland Mitchell Conner of Halifax; two grandchildren, Misty P. Snead and Dustin K. Snead, both of Halifax. He was preceded in death by a sister, Teresa Paige Conner.
Graveside services for Mr. Conner were held Sunday, March 15 at 3 p.m. in Hunting Creek Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Leroy Davis conducting the service.