Monday, August 16, 2004

Philip Morris Ad Incites Tobacco Market Struggle
Small Manufacturer Questions Motive Behind Advertisement Supporting FDA Regulation Of The Tobacco Industry

BY KEITH STRANGE
G-V STAFF WRITER

An advertisement by tobacco giant Philip Morris has incited strong - but differing - opinions on the FDA regulation of tobacco products proposed in the Senate version of the buyout bill.

Currently in conference committee, differing versions of the buyout bill have been passed by both the House and the Senate.

The tobacco giant has taken out an ad encouraging Southside residents to contact their legislators and encourage the Senate package, which places control of the tobacco industry in the hands of the Food and Drug Administration.

Ads advocating the FDA regulation appeared in metropolitan papers last week.

The ad appears in today's Gazette-Virginian on page 5.

"A long-promised tobacco quota buyout that will end outdated government quotas has been linked in Congress to legislation granting FDA regulation of tobacco products," the ad reads. "This bi-partisan compromise has opened a window of opportunity for tobacco growers - and the families and communities that depend on tobacco for their economic survival."

The ad goes on to quote six Republican legislators who advocate FDA regulation.

But at least one manufacturer said the ad is a ruse to secure the tobacco giant's position in the marketplace.

S&M Brands executive Mac Bailey, calling the ad a "smoke screen," suggested Philip Morris is simply trying to manipulate government regulations to corner the cigarette market.

"It's a crock," he said. "It's a smoke screen to give Philip Morris a free hand with the market.

"In my opinion, Philip Morris is the worst thing for the farmer right now."
Bailey said that if the Senate bill is passed in its current configuration, it will trumpet the end of the small manufacturer.

"I'm all for a buyout," he said. "The farmers are begging for a buyout and I understand it. But FDA (oversight of the tobacco industry) will just bring more and more regulations and when it's all said and done, Philip Morris will end up cutting out everyone but the largest manufacturers."

Bailey said that other manufacturers, including R.J. Reynolds and Lorrilard, are opposed to the Senate plan.

"Philip Morris wants FDA regulation so bad because it will kill advertising and the small manufacturer," he added. "It's that simple."

But Board member of Concerned Friends For Tobacco J.T. Davis said that if FDA regulation is necessary to get the buyout passed, many producers will support it.

"I support the Senate version, as Philip Morris does and the public health community does," he said. "There are differing motives, of course. Philip Morris wants FDA because they have enough foresight to see that it's coming."

Davis said that regulation of the tobacco industry was "inevitable."

"It's ridiculous for us to think that tobacco won't be regulated," he said.

"(Philip Morris) wants to do it now so they can have a seat at the table."

Halifax County producer Don Anderson echoed Davis' sentiments.

"Our goal is the buyout," he said. "What we need to achieve is an economy that's competitive on the world market. That's our concern.

"The question of whether FDA is with it is less important," Anderson added. "Our feeling is that it's something that's going to happen, if not now, then eventually.

"We'll support it if it's reasonable and we can live with it," he said. "I can tell you this - we're certainly not of the frame of mind to let FDA regulation be a stumbling block to achieving a buyout."

Davis categorized the concerns voiced by small manufacturers as "smoke and mirrors."

"It's all rhetoric," he said. "If Philip Morris was for apple pie, they'd be against it. It won't put them out of business."

Davis said many in the farm community support the Senate bill, although for different reasons than the tobacco giant.

"But one thing's for sure. We all want the buyout and it has to have some sort of vehicle to move (through Congress) on," he said.

Davis said that while Philip Morris sees the Senate package as providing uniformity and stability to their market, producers see it as offering them a future.

"Philip Morris has enough foresight to know that regulation of tobacco will happen," he said. "It will change the way they do business.

"But with public perception the way it is as far as smoking is concerned, we're in for some changes. It's inevitable.

"Everyone had better get on board because this train's leaving the station," Davis said.

Although he doesn't sit on the committee considering the buyout, Congressman Virgil Goode (R-5th) said that he is currently focused on getting some version of the bill signed by the president.

"I am telling all groups the same thing," he said. "We need to be focusing on getting the quota holders paid and out of the system and getting a payment to the growers. This will help Southside significantly and we will have helped tobacco in the U.S."

Goodbye, Joe
More Than 100 Guests Gathered At Berry Hill Thursday To Honor Halifax County Administrator Joe Morgan On His Retirement

Dedication. Humor. Leadership. Integrity. Quiet Strength.

Over 100 well-wishers gathered at historic Berry Hill mansion Thursday evening to say farewell to the retired county administrator.

Guests drove from as far away as Tennessee to honor Morgan's many years of community service.

"It's obvious how much these people care about Joe," interim County Administrator Jerry Lovelace said following the event. "The turnout and distance they traveled show just how much he meant to them."

The evening was filled with laughter as co-workers celebrated the qualities they said made Morgan such an effective leader.

"This is an evening of celebration and joy for Joe Morgan," Lovelace said in introduction. "It's also an evening of sadness, not for Joe, but for those of us who have worked with him over the years.

"But you can be sure that this isn't goodbye, because as the acting county administrator, I'm holding his last paycheck," he added.

Morgan announced his retirement earlier this year, effective this month.

He began as Halifax County Administrator in March, 1984, leaving to serve as Pulaski County Administrator in October, 1986.

In September, 2000, Morgan returned to Halifax County, where he remained until his retirement.

Lovelace said that he had worked with several county administrators over the years, and said that Morgan's "creativity, quiet forcefulness, integrity and dedication" made him an effective leader.

He cited the hours put in over the years as indicative of Morgan's dedication to the community.

"You can't look at the job of county administrator as an eight-hour day," he said.

Estimated calculations of the hours Morgan put in as county administrator translate to 10,000 days or 80,000 hours of work through the years, according to the interim county administrator.

"If anyone deserves to retire, it's Joe Morgan," Lovelace said.

"There is no one in this community who isn't better off from knowing Joe Morgan," he added. "Throughout his career, he's touched thousands of lives."
As testament to Morgan's character, throughout the evening more than a dozen people presented Morgan with gifts and resolutions in honor of his service.

Halifax County Board of Supervisors Chairman William Fitzgerald called Morgan's advice "inspirational."

"Halifax County is better off for your having been here," he said. "One thing is for sure: You will certainly be missed."

South Boston Mayor Carroll Thackston said that Morgan's leadership was responsible for solving complex civic problems.

"There is deep appreciation from the citizens of South Boston for the way you've embraced them as members of the county community," he said as he presented Morgan with a resolution and key to the city.

"This is signed by members of the South Boston Town Council who hold you in the highest regard," he added, saying that Morgan "answered the call, served the caller and fulfilled the calling."

Delegate Clarke Hogan read a letter from Governor Mark Warner prior to presenting Morgan with the state and American flags flown over the state capitol.

"You have set a standard in both education and public service fields that is admirable," Warner wrote. "Lives have been improved due to your skills as both a manager and consensus builder."

Supervisor Doug Bowman said that Morgan's ability to lead without seeking recognition for his accomplishments spoke volumes about his character.
"Joe has gotten more projects accomplished regionally, locally and statewide because he doesn't care who gets the credit," he said.

Former Board of Supervisors Chairman David Martin said he was in "awe of (Morgan's) ethics, intellect and the sheer number of people you know."

Former Assistant County Administrator Julia Moss-Barker, who worked closely with Morgan until her retirement last year, cited Morgan's self-effacing manner in calling him a strong leader.

"When (Morgan) told me he was getting ready to retire, I told him I highly recommended it," she said.

Citing his leadership and dedication, she said that through the years, he never "really had a vacation, he was always working."

"You did all of this so we could have a better place to live and enjoy," she said. "Now, as you retire, I wish you much happiness to enjoy those everyday miracles that we sometimes miss as we go about our working lives."

As he said goodbye, Morgan presented John Cannon with one last gift in the form of a $3,500 personal check for The Prizery on behalf of county staff.
And that night, as the guests drove out the gates of Berry Hill the Halifax County flag was flying alone.

County Escapes Charley’s Fury

From Staff And Wire Reports

Halifax County got off easy, escaping unscathed as Hurricane Charley roared up the east coast Saturday.

Jim White of the National Weather service in Blacksburg echoed that sentiment.

"The hurricane was initially tracking to hit Halifax and central Virginia pretty hard when it was in the Caribbean, but it's course deviated when it reached Florida," he said. "The storm's track was altered to the east, so in subsequent forecasts the storm was further east and no longer headed toward central Virginia."

The county did receive patches of heavy rain from the hurricane, but not enough to cause any widespread flooding.

According to an official at the South Boston Waste Water Treatment Plant, the county received 1.1 inches of rain in the 24-hour period from 7 a.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Sunday.

Not everyone was so lucky. Hurricane Charley took a terrible toll on several comminutes in western Florida and other coastal areas.

Many Florida residents got a first look at the devastation left behind by Hurricane Charley Saturday. Officials estimated the storm caused as much as $11 billion in damage to insured homes alone.

President Bush arrived in Florida Sunday to assess the damage, two days after declaring the state a major disaster area. Charley killed at least 13 people — including a man who was crushed outside his home when a banyan tree fell on him — and left thousands homeless. The hardest-hit areas appeared to be Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte in Charlotte County, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 25 counties eligible for disaster aid.

The eye of the worst hurricane to hit Florida in a dozen years passed directly over Punta Gorda, a town of 15,000, which took a devastating hit Friday. On Sunday, the Rev. Leroy Martin set up two dozen chairs and laid Bibles on them outside his small Punta Gorda church, unsure whether the darkened building was safe for services.

‘‘I guess it is at a time like this when you realize the significance of spiritual values when everything else has blown away,’’ Martin said.

As a weakened Charley churned up the East Coast as a tropical storm, emergency officials pronounced it the worst hurricane to wallop Florida since Hurricane Andrew tore through in 1992. Twenty-six deaths were directly linked to Andrew, which caused $19.9 billion in insured property losses.

‘‘Our worst fears have come true,’’ said Gov. Jeb Bush, who surveyed the devastation by helicopter.

The initial damage estimate of $5 billion to $11 billion for Charley was based on the value of homes and insurance policies in the storm’s path, said Tami Torres, a spokeswoman for state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.
Uninsured homes, business losses and damage to automobiles were not included.

State officials said it was impossible to estimate the number of missing people, and downed power lines and debris made the task of searching for bodies ‘‘tedious and dangerous,’’ said Mike McHargue, director of investigations for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Thirty-one mobile-home parks in Charlotte County sustained major damage, some with more than 1,000 units, said Bob Carpenter, a sheriff’s spokesman. He said teams were sent to each park to search for bodies and survivors, but ‘‘we just couldn’t get the vehicles in — there is so much debris.’’

Deputies stood guard over some bodies in areas not immediately accessible by ambulance. Earlier, Charley killed four people in Cuba and one in Jamaica.
Charley cut northeast across Florida, hit open ocean again and made landfall again at South Carolina’s Grand Strand resort region Saturday. The weakened but still-powerful system moved into North Carolina and up the eastern seaboard.

At 8 a.m. EDT Sunday, Charley’s center was in the Boston area and moving northeast at about 30 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was expected to be downgraded sometime Sunday.

What little strength remained from Hurricane Charley dumped heavy rain on parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Sunday morning, especially coastal areas. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell late Saturday and early Sunday in New Bedford, Mass., with about an inch in Boston.

‘‘It’s a weakening system and it’s expected to be gone within several hours,’’ Scott Reynolds, a National Weather Service meteorologist in New York said Sunday morning.

In Florida, Charley gutted oceanfront homes and trailer parks, knocking out power to an estimated 2 million people as it crossed from southwest Florida to Daytona Beach.

The Category 4 storm was stronger than expected when the eye reached the mainland Friday, pummeling the coast with winds reaching 145 mph and a surge of sea water of 13 feet to 15 feet.

Avis Thattell huddled in a bathtub with her two poodles for more than an hour as the storm devastated the Punta Gorda mobile home park where she lives.

‘‘I was waiting to see if the roof was going to disappear,’’ she said. ‘‘The wind got so bad it was just roaring. You could hear the stuff flying. I didn’t know until later that it was our neighbors’ roof and not ours.’’

Extensive damage also was reported on exclusive Captiva Island, a narrow strip of sand west of Fort Myers.

The storm devastated citrus groves, and could have a ‘‘huge impact’’ on this year’s crop, said Andy LaVigne, chief executive of the trade group Florida Citrus Mutual. ‘‘Growers in these areas have seen their groves, barns, equipment and homes destroyed,’’ he said.

The American Red Cross set up more than 250 disaster relief shelters in Florida and 40 in the Carolinas. Staffers and volunteers were providing dry clothing, meals, first aid and counseling to victims. Charlotte County officials requested help in obtaining necessities such as towels, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes for volunteers.

Bush’s disaster declaration makes federal money available to Charlotte, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry offered his ‘‘full support to the president and governor as the people of Florida rebuild their communities and their lives.’’

Three hospitals in the county sustained significant damage, Sallade said. Officials at Charlotte Regional Medical Center in Punta Gorda said they were evacuating all patients Saturday, and spokesman Josh Cutter said Sunday that the hospital hoped to reopen within three weeks.

‘‘This place just isn’t safe,’’ said Peggy Greene, chief nursing officer. She said windows were blown out, part of the roof was blown off, and there was no power or phone service.

Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth named storms of the Atlantic hurricane season were out at sea Sunday. Tropical Storm Danielle formed Friday and developed into a hurricane Saturday but was several days from land.

Tropical Storm Earl had sustained winds of 45 mph Sunday and was centered about 65 miles east-southeast of Grenada, prompting storm warnings for islands in the southeastern Caribbean Sea.
On the Net:
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Jeff Lands Ride With Childress
Jeff Burton Has Cut His Longtime Ties With Roush Racing To Join Richard Childress Racing As The Driver Of The No. 30 AOL Chevrolet

BY JOE CHANDLER
G-V STAFF WRITER

South Boston’s Jeff Burton has left Roush Racing and signed a multi-year contract to drive for Richard Childress Racing.

Burton will take over the Richard Childress Racing No. 30 America Online Chevrolet beginning with this weekend’s GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Carl Edwards, who drives for Roush Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will take over the No. 99 Ford this weekend at Michigan and will complete the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season in the car in what is the first major move of NASCAR’s yearly “silly season.”

The South Boston driver said the closing of the deal to leave Roush Racing and drive for RCR has been an emotional situation for him.

“It was a lot of emotions but, at the end of the day, the final emotion right now is relief, excitement, anticipation and anxiousness.” Burton said in a press conference with Childress Friday at Watkins Glen.

“I’m anxious to get going and get started so we start building something.”

Childress said he is very happy and excited to have Burton on his team.

“This is something we have been looking forward to for a long time,” said Childress.

“We go back to the day that Dale Earnhardt even started talking about retiring, maybe 1998 or 1999, not so much about retiring but who was going to get in the 3 car. This guy’s (Burton’s) name kept coming up.

To have him in an RCR car today means a whole lot to me personally,” added Childress.

“I’m looking forward to the things he can do. He’s a championship caliber driver. We’re going to give him the stuff it takes.”

Childress said one of the great things Burton brings to the table is stability.

“We need someone that these guys can lean on,” Childress said.

“I think he can bring a whole lot in general to RCR. I think we’ve been needing this.”

GM officials were as excited as Childress to have Burton come on board with the GM camp.

“We would like to welcome Jeff Burton to the Chevrolet family,” said Patrick Suhy, NASCAR group manager for GM racing.

“We have admired Jeff’s talent while competing against him and are excited to have him join Chevy behind the wheel of the No. 30 America Online Monte Carlo. We look forward to his success and his contributions to keep Chevrolet the winningest name in racing.”

“America Online is very excited to have a driver of Jeff’s caliber in the seat of the No. 30 car,” said J.D. Ettore, America Online’s Director, National Brand Promotions and Sponsorships.

“We are thrilled to have a multi-race winner driving for and representing America Online. America Online has a lot of respect for Jeff and his abilities and we, along with RCR, want to welcome him and look forward to great things with him.”

The move, which was announced late Thursday, ends a relationship Burton has had with Roush Racing that has spanned more than eight years.

“Since 1996, I have enjoyed some of the greatest days of my life with the No. 99 Roush Racing team,” said Burton.

“I will forever be grateful to Jack Roush, my driving teammates and my crew. I wish only the best for the entire organization.”

Burton says he feels he and Roush Racing have parted on good terms and that he harbors no animosity to anyone in the Roush Racing organization.

“I think it goes almost unspoken, the relationship that Jack and I have had and the things he has done for myself and my family,” said Burton.

“I’ve worked exceptionally hard at Roush Racing. I have a lot of blood, sweat and tears in that company. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jack. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of the crew chiefs and all of the drivers.

Roush Racing has done everything in its power to do the things that were good for Jeff Burton,” he continued.

“I’ve tried to do the same for them. I leave with no animosity. I wish them only success. One of my closest friends is Mark Martin. He was supportive throughout this whole process. Nothing went on without Mark and I talking.”

While Burton has won 17 races for Roush Racing and finished in the top-ten in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points race each year from 1997-2001, he has finished 12th in points the past two seasons.

Entering yesterday’s scheduled race at Watkins Glen, Burton had gone winless in his last 97 starts and was ranked 24th in points with one top-five finish this season, the worst season he has struggled through since finishing32nd in points the year before he joined Roush Racing.

Roush Racing officials were unable to land a primary sponsor for the team this season and have not signed a sponsor for the No. 99 team for next year.

Burton was asked if he would have stayed with Roush Racing if it weren’t for the team’s sponsor problems, Burton said he didn’t know.

“I can tell you this,” Burton said.

“I feel like I have joined an organization that is a top caliber organization that has a chance to win championships and win races and I feel I left one that can do the same thing. I believe Carl Edwards is going to come in and do a really good job for them (at Roush Racing).

“I think the same about the 30 car and the AOL team,” continued Burton.

“The AOL team is in good shape and I think I’ll come in and do a good job for them. I think at the end of the day it will be a win for all parties.”

Burton said the decision to leave Roush Racing was not a snap decision.

“There were a lot of factors,” Burton said.

“The only thing I can tell you is that we spent a lot of time coming to this conclusion. There were a lot of things that were weighed out from a competition standpoint. At the end of the day, I made the decision I thought gave me the best chance to be in this sport at a high level for as long as possible and to compete at the highest level.”

Burton says he sees this opportunity to drive for RCR as a new beginning.
“With what we’ve gone through this year and the sponsor struggle that we’ve been part of, to me, this feels like a new beginning,” said Burton.

“Leaving Roush Racing was a difficult decision, but going to Richard Childress Racing was an easy decision. Richard has a huge amount of respect from everybody in the garage from not only being a great race car team owner to being a great person as well.”

Both Burton and Childress say they are anxious to get to work and start on the process of building up the No. 30 AOL team and gearing up for next season.

“We’re not planning on going to Michigan and running bad,” said Burton.
“We’re ready to go to Michigan and have a chance to run well and compete at the highest level and start building on something for this year and next year.

The AOL car owner points is not in that bad a shape. We need to get the car up as high in the points as we can. We’ll start that this coming week.”

Childress pointed out that the focus now is to start building for next season. He noted that as far as personnel go, the No. 30 AOL team lineup remain as it is.

“We’re going to get in there and take a hard look to see how we are running and see how everything works out and how the chemistry works out,” Childress said.

“We’ve got to build a championship team and whatever it takes to do that, that’s what we’re going to do. This thing isn’t going to turn around overnight. It’s something we’ve got to work at. By being able to start out this year with it, it’s going to give us a huge advantage to be able to be ready to go next year.”

Childress was asked if he was committed to Robby Gordon, the driver of the RCR No. 31 car.

“Robby and I are constantly talking,” said Childress.

“Robby Gordon is a great race car driver. He’s a lot of fun to be around. Right now he’s an RCR driver and we’re going to see what’s up for next year.”

Childress said a formal announcement concerning the lineup of drivers and sponsors for the RCR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series teams will be made in October.

Obituaries

Daisy Cole Averette

Funeral services for Mrs. Daisy Cole Averette will be today at 11 a.m. at the Brooks Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tommy Robertson conducting the service.

Burial will follow at the Cole Family Cemetery.

Mrs. Daisy Cole Averette died Friday at the Woodview.

She was 90.

Mrs. Daisy Cole Averette was born in Halifax County on May 3, 1914. She was the daughter of the late Alex Cole and the late Ola Lowery Cole, and was married to the late George Averette.

She was a member of the Shady Grove United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Daisy Cole Averette is survived by: a son, Terry Averette of South Boston; a daughter, Mrs. Carolyn A. Thomas of Roxboro, N.C.; two sisters, Nelva C. Lowery of South Boston and Doris C. Purgason of South Boston; two brothers, Malcolm "Jack" Cole and Floyd "Buddy" Cole, both of South Boston; a grandson, Steve Ray Thomas and his wife, Lisa, of Roxboro, N.C.; two great-grandsons, Tyler Steve Thomas and Justin Taylor Thomas, both of Roxboro, N.C.

She is predeceased by: her husband, George Averette; her father, Alex Cole, her mother, Ola Lowery Cole; her stepmother, Bessie Canada Cole; three brothers, Felix, Ramon and James Cole; a sister, Viola Lowery and a stepbrother, Willie Canada.

For memorials, please consider Mill Creek Baptist Church, 1890 Mill Creek Road, Roxboro, N.C. 27573 or Shady Grove United Methodist Church, 4129 East Hyco Road, South Boston, Va. 24592.

Nannie Coles Crews

Nannie Coles Crews of Nathalie died August 12 at University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

Mrs. Crews was born in Halifax County on December 31, 1925, the daughter of the late John Coles and Lucy Younger Womack Coles, and was married to the late Deacon Amos Crews. She was a member of County Line Baptist Church, and was a retired cafeteria manager at Meadville Elementary School.
Survivors include two daughters, Belinda M. Crews of Danville and Patricia Diane Crews of Nathalie; two sons, Clinton Crews and Michael Crews, both of Nathalie; three sisters, Selestine Powell, her twin sister, Mattie Coleman, both of Nathalie and Catherine Logan of Newport News; and three grandchildren.

Funeral services for Mrs. Crews were held August 15 at 3 p.m. at County Line Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Otis R. Dillard officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

Mildred Courtland Davis Dixon

Funeral services for Mildred Courtland Davis Dixon will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Tim Cannon officiating.
Burial will follow at the Halifax Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home Monday from 7:30-9:00 p.m. and other times at her home, 1309 Friend Avenue, South Boston.
Mildred Courtland Davis Dixon died Thursday at her residence.
She was 77.

She was born May 14, 1927 in Halifax County. She was the daughter of the late Roy Benjamin Davis and the late Blanche Tune Davis and was married to the late Dr. Cecil Burton Dixon.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church where she was a choir member, Sunday school teacher, WMU director, and a former Deacon. She was also a member of the Fidelis Sunday School Class, the Polly Wilkerson Circle and a member of the Berryman Green Chapter of the DAR.
Mildred Courtland Davis Dixon was a graduate of Longwood University and a former English teacher.

She was also a substitute teacher and worked with homebound students.
She is survived by: a daughter, Donna Dixon-Fisher and her husband, Ed Fisher, of Bluefield, W.Va.; three sons, Stephen Davis Dixon and his wife, Janet Fisher Dixon, of Winston-Salem; Dr. Larry Burton Dixon of Chicago and David Kent Dixon of Danville; a sister, Elsie Davis Todd and her husband, Andrew Todd, of Chatham; five grandchildren, Scott Carter Dixon and Zachary Kent Dixon, both of Winston- Salem, Todd Courtland Dixon of Greensboro, Claire Cecille Fisher and Brian Edward Fisher, both of Bluefield, W.Va.; a great-grandchild, Aidan Scott Dixon of Winston-Salem; and two step-grandchildren, Katie Elizabeth Nelson and John Byron Nelson IV of Winston-Salem.

She was preceded in death by: her husband, Dr. Cecil B. Dixon, a daughter, Janet Courtland Dixon, and by her brother, Roy B. Davis, Jr.

For memorials, please consider the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Homes, PO Box 1398, Brookneal, Va. 24528, The First Baptist Church Chancel Choir, 815 Main Street, South Boston, Va. 24592, ora charity of your choice.

Margaret Lloyd Plautz

Funeral services for Mrs. Margaret Lloyd Plautz will be held Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the Crystal Hill Southern Baptist Church with the Rev. Edd Griffin conducting the service.

Burial will follow in the Providence Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Mrs. Margaret Lloyd Plautz, 80, of Crystal Hill, died Friday at Halifax Regional Hospital.

She was born June 15, 1924, in Halifax County. She was the daughter of the late Jessie James Lloyd and Mary L. Lloyd and was married to the late Dale Plautz, Sr.

Mrs. Margaret Lloyd Plautz is survived by: one daughter, Deborah C. Plautz of Halifax; two sons, Dale Plautz, Jr. of Chicago and David J. Plautz of Crystal Hill; four brothers, Albert Lloyd and wife, Hazel, of Charlotte County, James Lloyd and wife, Joyce, of Nathalie, Garnett Lloyd and wife, Evelyn, of Liberty, Earl Lloyd of Mt. Laurel; five grandchildren, London Plautz of Lynchburg, Eric Plautz of Milwaukee, Dylan Plautz of Cluster Springs, Brianna Plautz of Cluster Springs and Daria Plautz of Cluster Springs.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dale Plautz, Sr. and by two brothers, Irvin Lloyd and Howard Lloyd.

For memorials, please consider the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Homes, PO Box 1398, Brookneal, Va., 24528.

Hannah Lowery Tuck

Funeral services for Mrs. Hannah Lowery Tuck will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Glenwood United Methodist Church with the Rev. Karen Sandoval and the Rev. Michael Teixeira officiating.

Burial will be at Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Visitation will be today at Brooks Funeral Home from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and at other times at her home, 1908 Wilborn Avenue, South Boston.

Mrs. Hannah Lowery Tuck died Saturday at Duke University Medical Center.
She was 81.

She was born January 13,1923 in Person County, N.C. She was the daughter of the late Dandy Lowery and the late Mary Cox Lowery. She was married to the late James Elvin Tuck, Sr., and was a homemaker.

Mrs. Tuck was a member of the Glenwood United Methodist Church and the UMW.

She is survived by: a son, J.E. Tuck, Jr. and his wife, Suzanne, of Halifax; a daughter, Emily T. Talbott and her husband, Luther, of South Boston; a sister, Joyce Lowery Boyd of Roxboro, N.C.; a granddaughter, Elizabeth Tuck Dixon; two grandsons, Dwight Elvin Talbott and Stephen Lawrence Talbott.

She was preceded in death by her husband, James Elvin Tuck, Sr.
Those wishing to make memorials may give to the charity of their choice.