An alleged act of larceny led to the death of a 36-year-old North Carolina man Saturday morning in Cluster Springs after he engaged in a scuffle with an officer of the Halifax County Sheriff's Department.
Steven M. Shelton, of Kenham Place in Lenoir, North Carolina, died at the scene of a residence on Cherry Hill Church Road after deputies responded to a 911 call at 6:32 a.m.
Major Richard Pulliam said Shelton, the alleged intruder into the residence, had left the scene when deputies arrived.
However, Shelton returned to the residence with another individual while Sgt. Todd Moser was completing his reports of damage and the larceny of an undisclosed amount of money, said Pulliam.
He said Shelton pulled out a knife on Moser and a scuffle ensued.
According to Pulliam, Shelton was shot once in the chest, yet he got into Moser's vehicle and dragged the sergeant approximately 50 feet before Shelton was shot again.
Shelton succumbed to his wounds, while officers from the South Boston Police Department and Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries arrived at the scene to assist, according to Pulliam.
Moser received scraps and bruises from the incident, added Pulliam.
Because the incident involved the use of deadly force, the sheriff's policy requires that the Virginia State Police conduct an investigation, which is on-going.
· David Reginald Jones, 30, of Coleman Drive in Alton, was arrested Friday by sheriff's deputies on a charge of assault and battery.
Jones allegedly committed the assault and battery of Veronica Y. Coleman on February 20.
A hearing for Jones is scheduled in Halifax County General District Court on April 17.
In other police reports,
A warrant was issued for a 29-year-old Halifax man after a hit-and-run incident Friday afternoon that resulted in a head injury to a passenger.
Trooper M.S. Roark said Kevin Eugene Davis, the driver of a 1998 Chevrolet, approached a curve on Crystal Hill Road (Route 610) at a high rate of speed. The vehicle went across the road, ran off of the left shoulder and struck an embankment, one-half of a mile west of Lower Liberty Road (Route 641).
The trooper said Davis jumped out of the car and fled the scene.
Among three occupants in the vehicle, Rosa Barksdale Walton, 44, of Nathalie, received a head wound and was transferred to Duke University Hospital.
Roark estimated $3,000 in damages to the vehicle from the 4:30 p.m. incident.
Charges are pending.
· John Michael Chappell, 30, of Vernon Hill, was charged with reckless driving early Sunday morning after he lost control of a vehicle at the intersection of Routes 301 and 663.
Trooper Roark said the 1987 Ford that Chappell was driving approached a curve and ran off of the right shoulder of the road, Chappell lost control and his vehicle overturned at the intersection of Carl Brook Road.
Roark said the vehicle was a total loss from the 12:45 a.m. crash.

The finance committee will recommend to the Board of Supervisors that school officials' proposed $43,382,172 budget be advertised for public hearing on April 20, noting that the budget figure may be lowered but not raised following the public hearing.
The finance committee's recommendation will be delivered to the full Board of Supervisors on Tuesday during a 7 p.m. session in the conference room at the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
Supervisors are expected to go into closed session following that meeting to discuss applications for the county administrator post.
The proposed $43,382,172 school budget is one that the School Board adopted at its March 20 meeting.
School officials will receive public comment on their proposed budget tonight at 7 o'clock in the second floor public meeting room of the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax.
School system officials say that $13,299,661 in local money will be needed to fund the school system's budget package.
However, the county's initial budget proposal for schools and the School Board's request do not match. The county's proposed budget reflected $12,910,601 in local monies, creating a $389,059 gap.
School officials have since reported $300,000 in lottery funds received from the state that could be made available to help bridge the gap, leaving an $89,000 difference.
Finance Committee
The finance committee added a 5-cent real estate tax hike to its growing menu of revenue options during its Thursday night session, but some supervisors worried about the future.
"I agree we need to be as conservative as we can," said Supervisor James Edmunds, as the finance committee discussed revenue options.
However, Edmunds said that he thought the county must keep up with similar counties to be able to draw people.
"I hate to see rates go up, but I want to see some things (improved)," added finance committee member Page Wilkerson, naming more recreation, improved trash collection and building another high school somewhere in the county as needed improvements.
"We are at a breaking point and we might spiral downward if we don't progress," added Edmunds.
Facing an estimated $4 million budget deficit in the proposed $68,278,492 county budget, supervisors are studying a range of real estate tax hikes, including: a 10-cent hike; an 8-cent hike; a 6-cent hike; a 5-cent hike and a 3-cent hike.
The current Halifax County real estate tax rate is 31-cents per $100 assessed value.
But with any of the proposed real estate tax hikes, in addition to a half-dozen other fee and tax hike proposals, supervisors will have to dip heavily into unappropriated funds.
Tax Relief
Although finance committee chairman Tom West told his committee that he did not think there was enough time to implement an elderly tax relief plan or institute land use tax relief in the 2000-2001 budget, Commissioner of the Revenue Danny Jackson met with the finance committee to discuss surrounding counties' tax relief plans.
The Town of South Boston, Campbell and Pittsylvania counties all provide a tax relief plan for senior citizens, according to Jackson.
Each featured its own income and property ownership requirements to qualify for the tax relief program.
Jackson told committee members that 385 qualify for relief in Campbell County, with a dollar amount in tax reduction to the county of $31,400.
In South Boston, Jackson said 50 applied for elderly tax relief but that only 10 qualified under the town's plan.
There is no data on the number of families owning real estate that are at the poverty level, Jackson said.
There also is no information on the elderly who own real estate in Halifax, or any data on the elderly showing combined gross income or combined net worth, all part of the formula consideration for relief, he added.
If Halifax County chose to implement tax relief for the elderly and the disabled and used a tax relief plan similar to Campbell County, Jackson estimated Halifax would reduce its tax dollars about $20,000 to $25,000, because of Halifax's tax rate of 31 cents to Campbell County's 51 cents.
Jackson emphasized that "qualifying the applicants would be time consuming," adding that he anticipated there would be more applicants than those qualifying.
Land Use
In Halifax County, Commissioner of the Revenue Danny Jackson estimated the deferred tax at a 34-cent real estate rate at $254,643, if the county had a land-use program.
He also said one additional employee would have to be trained in his office to take care of the program, estimating the total cost to the county in his office at $30,000 to administer a land-use program.
"If you want to help the true farmer and not just the large landowners, you exempt where it counts the most, the farm equipment and bulk barns," Jackson told committee members.
Jackson said that Mecklenburg and Pittsylvania counties already exempt farm equipment.
Also, exempting farm equipment and bulk barns would not be an additional cost to the county, Jackson advised.
In the 1999 tax year in Halifax County, Jackson listed the farm equipment tax at $116,479. The bulk barn tax was $10,784, resulting in a combined total of $127,263.
In Halifax County, a 1-cent increase in the real estate tax creates an additional $214,091 in revenue, according to Jackson.
With a 1-cent increase in the real estate tax, coupled with an exemption on farm equipment and bulk barns, the county would receive an estimated $86,828 in additional revenue, according to the commissioner.
However, some supervisors expressed concern about non-farming taxpayers.
"I have a problem with a little lady in a $25,000 house and she is not getting any break, yet you are going to give a big farmer a $4,000 break," Supervisor Corky Rorrer said.
Finance committee members also asked that the draft budget reflect the cost if the county paid the Virginia Retirement System payment of 5 percent for employees.
The committee also asked for all the figures on the E-911 surcharge. Sheriff Jeff Oakes is bringing a proposal for an increase in that surcharge to upgrade emergency services communication in the county.
The final budget must be advertised, introduced at public hearing and approved by supervisors prior to the June 30 deadline.

Since 1939, Halifax Courthouse has been attorney W. M. "Mickey" Lewis' working domain, but on May 1, he is closing the courthouse chapter of his life.
The courthouse green will not be the same.
For 61 years clients have sought Lewis' counsel and wisdom at his 1870-historic office on the green.
A private man, Lewis seeks a quiet transition to private life, but his responsibilities alone require a public changing of the guard.
As Commissioner of Accounts since 1978, most families in Halifax County - generation to generation - have sought his office.
It is there that the mandate of a last will and testament is carried forward.
Lewis' job has been to supervise the activities of trustees (fiduciaries), executors, administrators, guardians and conservators.
"The Commissioner of Accounts is the executive arm of the probate side of the circuit court," explained Lewis.
"By statute, these fiduciaries are required to submit to the Commissioner of Accounts inventories and accountings for review and approval," explained attorney Pamela Gordon, who will begin her duties as Commission of Accounts in Halifax on May 1.
Lewis, who maintained a solo practice of law throughout his career, was first introduced to the commissioner's work in the mid-1940s, when he was appointed an assistant commissioner by the late Judge Mitchell.
He was appointed Commissioner of Accounts by the late Judge Meredith Dortch in 1978, following the death of Henry McLaughlin who had served as commissioner.
Lewis, an Ashland native, came to practice law in Halifax as a young bachelor. He still remembers the date, Columbus Day,1939.
His law office was in a county building prior to WW II, when he left to serve as a line officer with the U.S. Navy Reserve during WW II.
He returned to Halifax following the war and continued his practice of general law, a practice that ranged from land transactions to murder trials.
"It was a good life," recalled Lewis. "My mother thought the Town of Halifax was the finest place in the world to raise a family."
Lewis and his wife, Becky, would raise a family of four in the Town of Halifax. Lewis also contributed to the community's well being.
He served as a volunteer fireman, a member of the Halifax Lions Club, a Sportsmen's Club member and as a scoutmaster. And he apparently had his hands full with the last commitment.
During a recent tribute to Lewis and Halifax attorney James Edmunds, both scoutmasters, a local judge smiled as he recalled that had there been a juvenile court during those years, some of the scouts might have been in it but for the two men's leadership.
Apparently, Lewis and his longtime secretary, Geraldine Coates, brought the same patience and determination to the Commissioner of Account's responsibilities that he had brought to scouting.
"It is detailed work," said Coates, who is in the front line as receipts are examined and entered as part of the ongoing Commissioner of Accounts' record.
The work load has also increased through the years as a result of the county's healthy economy.
Still, it is with mixed feelings that Lewis ends his commitment to law next month.
And it is with sadness his clients have received the news.
He is remembered fondly by one client as an attorney who advised "behaving as a gentleman" in settling a difficult matter.
It was advice befitting his generation, a generation of grace, style and dignity, and it is sad to see yet another courthouse chapter close.

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Pamela Gordon's office is located on courthouse green in the law office of James Midkiff, with office hours by appointment. She may be reached at 476-9377.
"I will be available to the public by telephone and will try to schedule appointments at the convenience of the fiduciary," Gordon said.
Gordon is a graduate of Westhampton College of the University of Richmond and a graduate of the T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond.
She began private practice in 1977.

Gov. Jim Gilmore Sunday amended a textile worker relief measure in the budget to provide long-term economic development assistance for localities recovering from an economic crisis, and short-term relief for displaced workers.
The plan Gilmore amended would provide $1.5 million in grants during FY 2000 and $5.5 million in FY 2001 to localities that are in an economic crisis (defined as a locality with an unemployment rate above 10 percent for two consecutive months during FY 2000).
Grants can be used by a locality in an econimic crisis for economic development initiatives and transition assistance to minimize the impact of the economic crisis on the community and individuals.
The grants can specifically be used for development of an industrial site, incentives to attract employers, promote commercial development and for transition assistance such as housing services, health care, financial assistance, job search skills and to support local service agencies.
The Virginia Employment Commission would provide the Department of Housing and Community Development with a list of eligible localities. The list would be updated each month through FY 2000.
Currently eight localities qualify for the program. They include the cities of Martinsville and Covington and the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Henry, Lancaster, Pulaski, Northumberland, Russell and Wise.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Jim Gilmore proposed an amendment  Saturday adding $416 million in state insurance premium tax revenue to the $2.6 billion the General Assembly voted to spend on transportation projects over the next six years.
Gilmore also said he vetoed legislation that would allow localities to impose an income tax of up to 1 percent for transportation.
Legislators will consider the governor's proposals at the one-day reconvened session April 19. It would take a two-thirds vote of each chamber to override Gilmore's veto but only a simple majority to adopt his amendment.
Gilmore faces a midnight Sunday deadline for signing, vetoing or proposing amendments to the approximately 1,100 bills and  resolutions passed by the 2000 General Assembly.
The proposal to spend some of the insurance tax revenues on highway construction was included in some of the many versions of  transportation legislation debated by legislators, but it was not part of the final package. Some lawmakers said the state's traffic congestion is so bad that a steady source of revenue is needed to address the problem. Gilmore agreed.
''My amendment provides a long-term solution for Virginia's  transportation needs by adding a reliable and continuous revenue source for priority transportation projects throughout the commonwealth,'' Gilmore said.
Del. Jack Rust, R-Fairfax, said he supports Gilmore's amendment because it will provide a long-term source of transportation funding that is otherwise lacking. He said the House had wanted to dedicate an even larger portion of revenue from the insurance tax, but the Senate wouldn't go along.
''I don't think (Gilmore's proposal) will be an issue in the House, but I think it will be in the Senate,'' Rust said.
Gilmore's veto of the local income tax measure came as no surprise. The Republican governor has consistently opposed tax increases of any kind.
''It is critical that we give the people of the commonwealth a complete transportation strategy that provides funding for major road, transit and rail projects without raising taxes,'' Gilmore said.
Del. Roger McClure, R-Fairfax and sponsor of the local income tax bill, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
McClure's bill passed 69-28 in the House, 34-6 in the Senate.

This coming Sunday, April 16, is Palm and Passion Sunday on the Christian calendar. It also marks the 20th consecutive year that South Boston churches have joined together to conduct a march down North Main Street to celebrate Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
The first community Palm Sunday procession was in April of 1981. It was an outgrowth of the traditional Liturgy of the Palms as celebrated at Trinity Episcopal Church. For years, parishioners had gathered outside the church building to start the procession, with the whole congregation marching behind the cross to the church doors, knocking three times. When the doors were flung open wide, the congregation entered to receive their palm branches, joyfully singing hymns.
But in 1981, the procession had attracted attention from other churches. The rector of Trinity Church, the late Rev. Blair Jenkins, invited other neighborhood churches to participate. In addition to Jenkins, organist and liturgist Kenneth Cranford also represented Trinity. From Main Street United Methodist Church, there were Meredith Bowman and the Rev. Bill Ayres. The Rev. Dr. Steve Bradley represented First Presbyterian. Rex Rachel, First Baptist Church's minister of music and youth, came. Dr. Robert Ruth participated on behalf of St. Paschal's Roman Catholic Church. And the Rev. Kim Hull represented McCanless Memorial United Methodist Church.
The committee met several times to prepare for the procession. There was even an ill-fated attempt to find a donkey to lead the march; it was never discussed again.
The goal of the march was for the participants to share what they had in common in their faith and to publicly profess that faith.
On that Palm Sunday, the organizers were delightfully surprised when an estimated 600 people showed up for the march, gathering at what is now Urgent Care on North Main Street, and processing several blocks down the street, led by Bill Caldwell's little truck with its public address system.
Little has changed over the years in the form that the celebration takes. This year, as in years past, worshipers will gather at Urgent Care at about 10:10 Sunday morning for a brief liturgy and the blessing of the palms. Then the anticipated hundreds of participants will slowly march down North Main Street toward downtown, singing joyful hymns, bearing their palm branches, carrying processional crosses and banners and flags to welcome Holy Week.
The procession will halt for a moment at Second Street for prayers and one last hymn as the worshipers march off to their own churches to begin the Passion portion of the day's observance, as the celebration dissolves into the stark realization that it is we who deny Christ, it is we who betray him, and it is by our own weakness and dereliction of faith that nails him to the cross in the week to come.
The public is urged to come out Sunday morning to participate.

Halifax County got clutch hits at the right time and turned back E.C. Glass 8-2 Friday night in the Western District opener.
"This was a big game for us," said Comets coach Kelvin Davis whose team rang up its sixth consecutive win to keep its season record unblemished.
"It was a tough battle. E.C. Glass is really scrappy. Every game in the Western District is big. We can't afford to take any team in the Western District lightly. We only have six Western District games to play and all of them count big."
The Comets varsity diamonders got valuable hits at critical times while pounding E.C. Glass for a dozen hits in the contest.
A handful of them came from the lower part of the batting order with Josh Milam and Justin Smith, the eighth and ninth batters in the lineup respectively, each going two for three for the night.
And, Michael Priest broke out with a big night as well with a two for four performance including a home run.
Nick Thompson, David Greene, Brian Medley, Todd Meadows, Chad Compton and R.D. Cole each had a hit.
"It's just like I've said all along," said Comets coach Kelvin Davis.
"We don't have one or two standout players. We have a group of players that on any given night, in any given game, that can stand out and do a good job for us."
"We had guys like Justin Smith and Chad Compton drive in some runs," added Davis.
"Those guys have been in a slump. Mike Priest hit the ball well. He needed that to boost his confidence."
The big thing, though, was that the hits came at the right time.
"The hits we got came at some clutch times," Davis noted.
"We got the runners on base and the guys stepped up and di what they had to do. That's what we've got to keep doing."
The Comets also got a good pitching performance from Meadows who came up with his fourth win of the season and from reliever Scott Adams who came in for the final inning and a half and got the save.
Meadows gave up two runs, one of which was unearned, six hits and a walk. He fanned six batters.
"I can't say enough about Todd," Davis said.
"He stepped into the game with a lot of confidence and it showed."
Adams gave up one hit and one walk and struck out three batters in his turn on the hill.
But, the real story of Adams' night was his ability to come up with a pair of big strikeouts, one in the sixth inning and one in the seventh inning, that squelched E.C. Glass threats.
"He came in did what we needed him to do," Davis pointed out.
"He got ahead of the hitters and made them hit his pitches. I feel comfortable with him coming in in any situation."
If there was a problem spot for the Comets it was the three errors they committed in the contest.
The three errors were the most errors that the team has made in any of its six regular season contests to date.
Yet, the Comets were able to overcome the errors without any major damage.
Also, the Comets struck out 13 times at the plate, something that is unusual for the offensively strong team.
"We've got to protect the plate better," Davis said.
"The Glass pitchers pitched well but we've got to do a better job at the plate with two strikes."
Halifax County jumped on top early, getting the first run of the contest in the top of the first inning when Thompson led off with a hit, advanced to second base on a Glass error, and scored when Priest grounded out to the shortstop.
Two Comets errors in the bottom of the opening inning paved the way for the host Hilltoppers to deadlock the contest.
Meadows fanned the Hilltoppers' leadoff batter. However, he walked the second batter.
Once on the sacks, the Glass runner stole second base. He advanced to third on an error on the throw by Compton, the Comets' catcher, to second base and scored on an error on the throw in by Milam, the centerfielder, to tie the game at 1-1.
"Those were mental mistakes," Davis said.
"We can't afford to keep doing that and get by with it."
That twist of events didn't rattle Meadows. The next two Glass batters grounded out to second baseman Brian Medley to end the inning.
Glass threatened in the bottom of the second inning, getting back-to-back base hits with one out.
But Meadows came through with a crucial strikeout to get the second out of the inning and the fifth Hilltoppers' batter in the inning popped up to Cole, the Comets' shortstop, for the third out.
The Comets took the lead for the second and final time in the top of the third inning when Milam came through with a double to jump start the inning.
Justin Smith reached base on an E.C. Glass error that allowed Milam to score and put the Comets on top 2-1. A base hit by Priest scored Smith to up the Comets' lead to 3-1.
Halifax County added another pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning when Meadows led off with a double and scored when the next batter, Compton tripled.
A base hit by Milam, his second of the contest, scored Compton to push the Comets' lead to 5-1.
Glass scored its final run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, stringing together three consecutive base hits with one out to plate a run and make it a 5-2 game.
A leadoff solo homer by Priest in the top of the fifth inning gave the Comets a 6-2 lead.

Halifax County added another run in the top of the sixth inning when Cole led off with a triple and scored when Smith doubled with one out to make the score 7-2.

E.C. Glass threatened to score in the bottom of the sixth inning but the Comets turned them away.
The Hilltoppers' leadoff batter in the inning reached base on an error and the second batter doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out.

Adams came to the hill to relieve Meadows at that point and the Comets retired the next three batters in succession, one on a pop fly to second base, one on a popup to the catcher, and the third on a strikeout.
The Comets added their final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning when Medley singled and moved to second base on an error.
A balk advanced Medley to third base and another Glass error, this one on the catcher, opened the door for Medley to score and make it an 8-2 game.

Glass made one last threat in the bottom of the final inning when Adams hit a batter with two out and Glass followed with a base hit to put two runners on the sacks.
But, Adams ended the game himself by striking out the next batter to get the third out of the inning and the final out of the contest.

Three local sports luminaries, Stanley Davis, Barbara Talbott and Hugh Moore were inducted into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame in ceremonies Saturday night.
The induction of Davis, Talbott and Moore into the Hall of Fame pushed the number of inductees to 40.
A large crowd estimated at 200 persons viewed the 12th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Banquet which included the presentation of scholarships to three outstanding high school seniors, Jon Vaughan, Lateisha Chambers and Josh Milam.
Hall of Fame member Buck Williams presented a $1,000 scholarship to Vaughan. Luther Matze, a member of the Matze family that has established an annual contribution of $1,500 to the Hall of Fame Scholarship Fund, presented that scholarship to Milam. And, Hall of Fame president Carlyle Wimbish, presented a third Hall of Fame scholarship to Lateisha Chambers.
Vaughan will attend Averett College, Milam will attend Virginia Tech and Chambers will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C.
South Boston native Boxley Llewellyn, a former Halifax County High School basketball player who is employed as the Director of Thought Leadership for IBM's Global Financial Services, was the guest speaker for the event.
Davis, a baseball star at Halifax County High School where he won three consecutive batting titles with batting averages of .435, .441 and .432 and three consecutive home run titles, was introduced by Harvey Dillard.
Dillard painted a picture of Davis as being one of Halifax County's best ever diamonders, noting the highlights of from Davis' high school career through his eight year stint in the Minor Leagues after being selected as the third round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977.
Davis hit the high point of his baseball career when he joined the AAA Vancouver, Canada team of the Pacific Coast League in 1982. That year he hit .296 and had 10 home runs and 56 RBIs.
He retired from baseball in 1984 after completing his third season with Vancouver, missing baseball's top level by just one step.
Davis thanked Hall of Fame officials for the honor and noted that he has been very fortunate in his life.
"Baseball is a tough business," Davis said.
"I'm very fortunate. I've traveled all over the country and to foreign countries and had life experiences that are very valuable. Coming back to Halifax County and sharing this with you makes it very special."
Davis pointed out that youngsters should have fun playing sports.
"The main thing for kids is to have fun," Davis said.
"It's a game."
He also noted that if you want to get the next level, if you want to develop skills, "You have to practice. You have to practice more and more."
Davis added that he felt that it was a big honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the same time as Moore who had covered Davis' baseball career in high school and beyond as a journalist.
"He's a great person," Davis said of Moore.
"I'm glad to be inducted with you. I'm very, very pleased."
Moore, who is noted as being one of the organizers of South Boston's Dixie Youth Baseball program, one of the organizers of South Boston's midget basketball league program and a member of the organizing committee that created the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame, was the second in line to be inducted.
Leo Carden, a close friend who served as a longtime assistant coach with Moore in the South Boston midget basketball league introduced Moore in what was a serious review of Moore's life history and accomplishments in youth sports coupled with light-hearted moments that resembled something of a "roast."
"He's a clone of Dennis the Menace," Carden said with a hearty laugh while noting some of Moore's high school antics."
And, on a serious note, Carden said "He taught me a lot of things helping him coach."
With the humility that he is so well known for, Moore thanked Hall of Fame officials for the honor and his family members for the sacrifices they have made over the years.
"I want to say thanks to all of the adults who have helped with all of our sports programs in the community for the youth of the community," Moore said.
"I wouldn't be stepping up here if most of you hadn't been out there doing the background work and working with the youngsters."
Moore was also honored for his 12 years of service as president of the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame and was presented a gavel by current Hall of Fame president Carlyle Wimbish.
"I don't know of anybody who has touched more young people in Halifax County than Hugh Milton Moore," Wimbish said.
The last to be inducted was noted womens bowling standout and softball player-coach Barbara Talbott.
Talbott, one of Halifax County's best ever bowlers, has been a noted figure in local bowling circles since she joined the Southern Belles League in 1964. She has won numerous tournament titles and awards, served in various posts with local bowling leagues, and, this year, will represent Halifax County and the state in the National Seniors Bowling Tournament which will be held in May in Reno, Nev.
Her daughter, Sandy Slayton, introduced her.
Slayton, who played softball on one of the teams her mother coached, spoke of a Talbott as a great mother, a great coach, and a great player.
"Our whole family is very proud she is being honored," Slayton said during her remarks which were both serious and light hearted.
"We didn't really realize what she was accomplishing until we took up bowling ourselves and realized how hard it is to bowl a 200 game," she said.
Slayton called her mother the "coach" of the family. She said that when it came to sports, her mother taught all of the members of the family the importance of basic values.
"She taught the rules, the techniques, and strategies and insisted we win and lose gracefully and respect the other team's accomplishments as well as our own."
Talbott did not make any remarks. Instead, she had those individuals who had bowled with her and played softball with her to stand and thanked them.
Llewellyn's speech focused on the topic of "Sports On A Small Planet." And, while he spoke of the widespread technological advances that are rapidly engulfing our world, he pointed to a few basic premises.
"For sports to work, kids need three things: involved parents, the important coaches and volunteers and the chance to keep sports fun," Llewellyn said.
"My mom cheered at so many of my games I can't ever remember her missing one," he said.
Pointing to the importance of good coaches and volunteers, he pointed out how he had the opportunity to experience and learn things from several coaches .
"Nothing matches the lessons of determination from Bill Morningstar, the experimenting with new ways to win from Don Thompson, the knowledge of the game from Addison Marable and the genuine love of the game from two people, Leo Carden and Hugh Moore," Llewellyn said.
Llewellyn concluded by noting that sports can still be fun.
"We need to keep the fun throughout the years and even into our adult years," Llewellyn stated.
"I'm glad you pause each year to honor some of those who have done well at sports and some of those who have kept the fun going in sports for kids and adults."
Also Saturday night, the Halifax Couny-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame announced that a resolution honoring Gaitha Richardson, who has retired after 12 years of service on the Hall of Fame Board of Directors, will be presented to Richardson.
Richardson was not in attendance at the banquet.

Deloris Smith Jennings of Nathalie died March 31, 2000, at Lynchburg General Hospital.
Mrs. Jennings is survived by her husband, Sherman Jennings of the home; her children, Patrice Jennings of Baltimore, Md., Terrence Jennings and wife, Kim of Richmond; her mother and father, Virginia Davis and Oscar Davis of Concord; three sisters, Sandra Smith of Madison Heights, Betty Payne of Concord and Sharon Clark of Brookneal; and one brother, Roy Davis of Concord.
Funeral services were held April 4 at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Nathalie with burial in the church cemetery.

Margaret Edmunds Beverly of Seattle, Wash., formerly of Halifax County, died April 3, 2000.
Mrs. Beverly was born in Halifax County the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry Edmunds and was married to Eugene Beverly Sr. She was a former member of New Vernon Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband; one daughter, Daphne Beverly of the home; one son, Eugene Beverly Jr. of the home; three sisters, Mary Roberson Tucker and Catherine Daniel, both of Halifax and Gladys Alexandria of Dale City; two brothers, Elder Hamilton Edmunds of Washington, D.C. and Gurfes Edmunds of Danville. She was preceded in death by one son, Markco Beverly.

Funeral services for Mrs. Beverly will be held today, April 10 at 11 a.m. at the Bone V. Watson Funeral Home in Seattle.

Rosa H. Jackson, age 98, of South Boston, died April 5, 2000, at The Woodview.
Mrs. Jackson was born in Halifax County on November 28, 1901, the daughter of John and Mary Harris and was married to Thomas Jackson.
Survivors include her son, Thomas N. Jackson of Richmond; one brother, James Harris of Reading, Penn.; 14 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and 17 great-great-grandchildren, among them a devoted granddaughter, Frances Adams.
Funeral services for Mrs. Jackson were held April 9 at 2 p.m. at the chapel of Kent, Ballou and Crowder Funeral Service with the Rev. Bernard Wilkins officiating. Burial followed in the Rose Garden Cemetery.

Jessie McCraw of Tampa, Florida and formerly of Halifax County, died in Tampa at the age of 79.
He was the son of the late William McCraw and Virginia Tune McCraw.
Mr. McCraw is survived by his wife, Katie McCraw, of Tampa; one brother, Abner McCraw, of South Boston;and one sister, Elizabeth McCraw Wesley, of Orange, NJ.
Funeral services for Mr. McCraw were held Sunday, April 9, 2000 at 12 noon with services at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Tampa, FL. Burial also took place in Tampa.

Oranda Brown Barksdale, age 94, of South Boston died Friday, April 7, 2000 at the Halifax Regional Hospital.
She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mamie June Ingram, of Park Forest, IL. and Mrs. Sally Raye Ferrell; one son-in-law, Harvey Ferrell; two sisters-in-law, Mrs. Cora Brown and Mrs. Christine Medley, all of South Boston; seven grandchildren; and twelve great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 11, 2000 at 1:00 p.m. at the New Vernon Baptist Church in Vernon Hill, with interment in the church cemetery.

Florence Whitt Watts, age 82, formerly of South Boston died in Manor Nursing Home, Las Vegas, NV Thursday, April 6, 2000.
Mrs. Watts was born August 4, 1917 in Halifax County the daughter of William A. Whitt and Isabell Conner Whitt.
She was married to the late Joel Easley Watts and a member of Mt. Cana United Methodist Church.
She is survived by a son, J. Morgan Anderson, Roanoke; one daughter, Cindy Colter, of Las Vegas, NV; three sisters: Mary Barker, Scottsburg; Ann Caune, Charlotte, NC; and Gladys Robey, of Greensboro, NC; and two grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Watts were held Sunday, April 9 at 2:00 p.m. at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. Don Davidson officiating. Burial took place in Shady Grove United Methodist Church cemetery

Louise Davis Thompson, age 64, of 1102 Grubby Road, Halifax, died Friday, April 7, 2000 in Halifax Regional Hospital, South Boston.
Mrs. Thompson was born January 19, 1936 in Halifax County. She was a member of North Fork Baptist Church and a retired Tultex employee.
She is survived by three sons: Carl Thompson, Benny Thompson, and Steve Thompson, of South Boston; three daughters: Linda T. Mills, Janice T. Spencer and Sheila T. Wilson, of South Boston; two sisters, Virginia D. Short, of Nathalie; and Jeanette D. Dillow, of Halifax; one brother, Clifton Davis, of Halifax; 10 grandchildren, two great grandchildren and was preceded in death by one sister, Joan D. Clardy.
Funeral services for Mrs. Thompson will be held today (Monday, April 10, 2000) at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel at 3:00 p.m. with the Rev. Rudolph Jacobs officiating. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery, South Boston.