VETERANS DAY: A REFLECTION
IN THEIR DEBT
NOVEMBER 16, 202 5 Volume 3, Issue 15 NEWOLDNORTH.COM
EDITORIAL
EDITOR Ken Fine
EDITOR Renee Carey
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CONTENTS
4 City to target more eyesores Goldsboro Housing Compliance Officer Taj Polack said knocking down dilapidated and dangerous structures is making a difference in some of the city's oldest neighborhoods. But it is watching others fix up their homes to avoid the minimum housing process that is, for him, truly rewarding.
7 Our Take
Sometimes, it can feel like the generation coming up does not have enough appreciation for the men and women who have served their country. In our view, now more than ever, it is up to us to ensure the heroes from Wayne County are never forgotten.
10 Our Take
The Goldsboro City Council, by making sure eliminating blight around the city was a priority — and by funding the position currently held by former Mayor Pro Tem Taj Polack — proved that when you walk the walk, great things can happen in a community.
12 Cover package
In order to ensure they are never forgotten, Wayne Week Editor Ken Fine remembers a group of the community's military giants.
18 Spectator
The Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition held the group's annual Veterans Day Parade in downtown Goldsboro Tuesday.
20 Public Notices
NEWS + VIEWS
Polack sees progress
Goldsboro’s housing compliance officer said more dilapidated houses are coming down — and more residents are heeding his warning and making improvements to their own properties to avoid consequences.
BY KEN FINE
Moments after he drove by two grassy lots that were, less than a year ago, home to a pair of dilapidated structures, Taj. Polack stops his truck in front of a house near the intersection of Leslie and Corney streets.
“This was on the demo list. They had a tree fall through it,” he said. “But look at it now. They’ve been fixing it up. It looks like a brand-new house and if you go in it, it’s beautiful.”
The same scene plays out for the next 30 minutes.
Goldsboro’s housing compliance officer points out a tract that, not too long ago, housed an eyesore.
Then, he shows “the progress” surrounding it.
“Once we started tearing these places down — once people knew I wasn’t messing around — they took action,” Polack said. “It’s been incredible to be a part of. We are getting our city back on track because people are taking pride in their neighborhoods again.”
He jokes that leaning on homeowners who are violating minimum housing standards and unwrapping for them the future consequences has made it seem like “I’m not doing anything anymore,” but the truth is, it was not until the former City Council member was hired into his new role that residents feared losing their property to a condemnation and lien.
“I kind of look bad,” he quipped. “Everybody’s doing a voluntary compliance and if this keeps up, I won’t have anything to knock down.”
In reality, he knows that will likely never happen.
Because the biggest problems as far as blight is concerned, Polack said, remain.
First, there are “slumlords.”
“The people who own that house should be ashamed of themselves,” he said, passing a “rental house” that has more tenants than bedrooms. “They are lining their pockets and the people they rent to are living in filth.”
But the No. 1 offender, Polack said, are “heir properties.”
“The people that own these houses, most of them have no idea. Some of them don’t even know they are on the deed,” he said. “And the process takes forever because you have to go the legal route. And meanwhile, they are eyesores and hazardous. I always think about what would happen if some kids went inside some of those places to play. It could be a tragedy.”
Still, over the last year, he believes the city has made great strides.
PHOTO BY KEN FINE
The following are the next structures on Goldsboro’s demolition list:
1. 905 Olivia Lane
2. 412 S. John Street
3. 1305 E. Mulberry Street
4. 307 W. Holly Street
5. 310 S. Herman Street
6. 605 N. William Street
7. 609 Simmons Street
DOWNTOWN GOLDSBORO
DETAIL AREA
And while it is true that many prolific eyesores have been razed — and the demolition budget has been well-documented — he wants residents to understand just how much money the city has saved because he and his team are baiting property owners to do the work themselves.
The most significant example is happening now.
“This would have been a demo for the city,” Polack said moments after he pulled into the parking lot of the Dillard-Goldsboro Alumni & Friends building on Poplar Street. “And it would have been really expensive. You’re talking at least a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
But after a constructive conversation with the organization’s new leader, Jamarius Coley, he convinced the group to do the right thing.
“It’s a win for the community and for the city,” Polack said. “And now, we can use my budget on a lot more houses that really need to come down.”
Among those on his to-do list include a slew of “burn houses.”
“Somebody is going to get killed in one of those houses, so, we have no choice,” he said.
But just because people see the bulldozers doesn’t mean his philosophy is to “knock everything down.”
“Some people, they want to come at me and say, ‘All you’re doing is tearing things down.’ Take a drive around this area and you’ll see the truth,” he said. “What I’m most proud of — what we should all be most proud of — is that people are fixing these houses now, too. As a matter of fact, way more houses are being fixed because of this than ones that are being torn down.”
And thanks to the savings produced by his office — a number that reflects at least two times his new demolition budget — the city is actually getting ahead.
Just don’t expect all the work to be done at once.
In fact, Polack said he and city leaders agree that doing so would be counterproductive.
“We don’t need to just do them all at one time. We need to spread them out so that people can see what we’re doing — so they can appreciate it without just hitting them with everything, all the demos, at once,” he said. “If we keep doing it the way we’ve been doing it, people can really see the progress. But more than that, it gives their neighbors the time to do the right thing. It’s a domino effect, and we’re moving in the right direction. It really is a blessing to be a part of improving my city. n
our TAKE }
PRESERVING THEIR LEGACY
We honored veterans this week — the men and women who have served, and who are serving, in this country’s armed forces because here in Wayne County, November 11 is particularly poignant.
We have a front-row seat to what it takes to safeguard freedom — and the sacrifices families and service members make to ensure that promise to serve and protect is kept.
And the men and women of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base have answered that call with courage and honor for generations.
So, here, Veterans Day is not just another holiday that closes banks and federal offices and schools.
It is a day to reflect on what so many have given to make sure that our flag continues to fly and that freedom is not just something we say but is something we cherish.
Those who are serving or who have served know that November 11 is more than just a day to honor the people who take that oath.
They know the risks firsthand and the courage it takes to do their jobs under threat every day.
And they know, personally, how difficult it is to be thousands of miles away from family and friends — which is made even harder around the holidays.
And if they are veterans from wars long past, they still remember those who did not make it home.
They will never forget their names or their stories — and they hope you won’t either.
So, yes, Veterans Day has always been a big deal in Wayne County — complete with ceremonies, special events, gatherings, and flag-waving.
And there is also a parade — usually a big one complete with streets lined with spectators.
But that brings us to this year.
Sure, there were people who braved the cold to come out for Tuesday’s parade — and more than a few more who decided to be part of the actual procession.
But it felt, to us, that there weren’t nearly as many people along the roadside or in the parade ranks as we have seen every other November 11 over the last two decades. It made us sad.
But more importantly, it made us think.
The truth is, we are not remembering — at least, not nearly enough.
And in a world that seems more stressful than ever, being engaged in the community is not as much of a priority as it used to be.
But there are many, many stories of men and women
who have served their nation honorably right here in Wayne County that deserve to be remembered.
No, it is imperative that they are remembered.
Because those heroes are everywhere — most of whom are reluctant to share their stories of courage and dedication to mission — and if we listen closely, they have valuable things to teach us.
We have Purple Heart and Silver Star recipients as well as a Medal of Honor honoree.
And men and women who wear the Distinguished Flying Cross as well as other medal recipients are part of the history of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Some have even been a significant part of history — from the call to action after Sept. 11, 2001, to the most recent defense of Israel.
And those are only a few of the stories that need to be told and the history that absolutely deserves to be shared.
If we don’t, we might just forget who we are.
There have been heroes and heroines in conflicts all the way back to World War I and World War II.
Many of their stories begin with a young man who raised his hand — sometimes not telling the truth about his age — who decided that he needed to serve, that he would
Continued on page 8
Keen Plumbing Co.
answer the call to protect his country.
They left their families to travel across the world to fight for those who could not fight for themselves.
And they endured brutal conditions and debilitating injuries to make sure that freedom wasn’t just something we would talk about in the past tense.
They fought for families across Europe — and they defeated a despot who exterminated a generation of Jews.
They fought for people they never knew, but upon whom they left a lasting and enduring impact — a gratitude that has endured for decades since.
Their selfless courage, by the way, is why there is a ceremony each year in Normandy to say thank you — and to honor those who never made it home.
It is also why, to this day, descendants of the survivors of the Holocaust talk with reverence and respect about the day when the soldiers who defeated the Third Reich opened the doors of the concentration camps, allowing survivors to find their way back to freedom.
Those people will never forget.
And there are others, too — like men and women who answered their country’s call after 9/11 and made sure the world knew that this nation, although battered, bruised, and mourning, would never stand down.
In fact, many kept tales of their sacrifices and heroics — and the honors that came with them — from their families and friends.
It was never, for them, about the fanfare. They simply wanted to do their part for a nation they treasured.
And in our view, we should honor every single one of them.
So, if you know a veteran who has inspired you, send us a note so we can add them to our list.
Our hope is that in the years to come, we will be able to share their stories with all of you.
And in turn, we hope you will share those stories with the people in your life — particularly your children and grandchildren.
That way, fewer and fewer will forget what it takes to keep our nation strong. You see, true heroes have much to teach — about commitment, courage, and selflessness.
“You see, true heroes have much to teach — about commitment, courage, and selflessness. ”
Their legacy of resolve continues in today’s military.
American service members are currently stationed around the world and are involved in active operations.
They peace-keep and they train others to protect their nations.
They, too, are heroes in every sense of the word.
That is why we were so shocked at how many of our neighbors do not know the stories of some of this community’s truly momentous heroes.
So, this week, we decided to remind them — and you — of just how much courage and bravery has been a part of this county and country’s history.
And we will do the same every Memorial Day and Veterans Day from here on out.
You will meet people from all walks of life whose courage and dedication have been part of keeping this nation free.
They did not serve for the attention — or the thanks.
But these are lessons that have been eclipsed by the clamor of celebrity and “viral” gossip that bombard our children on social media every day.
We have all bemoaned the effect instant information and limitless entertainment have had on the perspective and the personal development of our youth.
We have wondered aloud why they don’t seem to have any sense of history — or know why it matters.
We worry that they will not answer the call if it comes because they do not truly understand the sacrifices that were made for them.
Well, this is a way to change all that — and to remind ourselves at the same time.
So, while it’s true that Veterans Day is not the only time that we honor our service members in Wayne County — that you would be hard-pressed to find a place that works harder to make our airmen and other veterans feel so at home — this week, we need to think about why it matters so much that there are marchers in that parade and throngs of people lining the streets along that route.
It is not about flags or even patriotism. It is about gratitude and carrying on the torch.
It is about remembering that freedom is never, ever free.
Consider this a pledge that we will do our part.
We hope you’ll join us. n
INVESTING IN A CLEAN SLATE
We have seen what happens to neighborhoods when no one holds property owners to a standard.Overgrown yards and dilapidated structures.
Abandoned houses that soon become attractive nuisances — vulnerable to the homeless, the addicted, and the criminal element.
And when one house blights a neighborhood, it is not too much longer before the rest of the block follows suit.
It’s a problem Goldsboro has been dealing with for decades.
Many of the homes on the “need to go” list are long-abandoned and located in the center of what was once a thriving downtown.
They send the wrong message to those who might be thinking about investing — in a residential development or a business — and they are a cancer when it comes to attracting industrial investment to this community.
No business wants to think that their employees would have to relocate to a rundown and dangerous city.
And for years, it has done no good really to talk to the owners — that is, if they can even be found.
Whether it is an heir who simply did not want to be bothered or a slumlord who has moved on — or even, innocently, a property owner who simply couldn’t or wouldn’t keep up the maintenance — without some pressure or some accountability, warnings went unheeded year after year after year.
That is, until this past year.
You see, there is a new sheriff in town.
Goldsboro Compliance Officer Taj Polack, a former city councilman and teacher, has heard the complaints and seen the results of letting bad neighborhoods get worse. He knows how growing up in communities like this affects young people and what happens when dilapidated homes are allowed to get out of control.
There has been no hope — not for the families who have invested years and dollars in keeping their own homes in shape and who cannot afford to move; not for those who are forced to live next door whose property values are sinking like a rock.
And talking to — and even shaming — the owners hasn’t worked, either. No, those speeches during City Council
meetings have not made an impact.
Polack, himself, has heard — and delivered — plenty of those.
So, when he took on his new job, he already knew what wasn’t going to cut it, that a “nice guy” wasn’t going to get the job done.
But sending the message that if a property that is a blight on a Goldsboro city street is
look at because, at long last, we have real action to back up all that talk about fixing neighborhoods.
But knocking down the most dangerous dwellings is not the only positive outcome.
Polack says that in places where the demolitions have already been done, the houses in the surrounding area are beginning to look a lot better.
not dealt with that there will be consequences up to and including demolition?
Well, that was a different story.
And that is exactly what Polack has done.
But more importantly, he has carried out those consequences in several of the worst areas for blight in the city.
To date, that means that there are dozens fewer eyesores for residents to
With the neighborhood eyesore gone, local residents are putting in the effort to spruce up their own homes — making repairs, keeping their yards up, and adding some paint.
You see, the contagion works the other way, too.
When the neighborhood starts to look better, there is motivation to keep up with
the Joneses.
So, property values go up, and the criminals and vagrants find somewhere else to go.
Frankly, we have been lucky that someone has not been seriously injured in one of these dilapidated homes.
And we are also fortunate that the City Council decided to take action.
Polack is no magician.
He could not have made the stride he has without the support of a fed-up council.
The problem, for years, has been a policy that wasn’t enforced.
But now, it seems like the city government in general and Polack in specific have the guts to see it through.
There are endless opportunities for investment in Goldsboro — from new residential offerings to storefronts around an already getting-busier Center Street.
And because of men like Polack, the city is on the cusp of something wonderful — and so, too, is Wayne County.
The truth is, we cannot move forward unless we have city neighborhoods that say, “Come on in.”
And when we build it, they will come — as the development that has filled up Raleigh and its immediate environs spreads down I-40 and U.S. 70.
So, we are pleased to see that Polack is sticking to his guns and getting the job done.
Now, all we have to do is make sure that there is funding in the kitty to support continued demolitions and improvements.
Because if this becomes a regular part of the city’s budget planning — and if we can find a few grants along the way — Goldsboro will not just have nice neighborhoods in its outskirts.
They will be right downtown.
And telegraphing that we care about the quality of life in our city — and that we have rules that we expect to be followed — will send another important message.
Goldsboro is serious about its future and welcomes investment.
We can think of nothing better for those who hope to bring children and grandchildren back home someday.
So, our hats are off to you, members of the City Council.
Now, all you need to do is find more money to help Polack continue the important work he has started. n
LAST DAY TO ORDER:
Friday, November 21st
• Stuffing Bread
• Turkey Bread
• Pumpkin OHs
• Harvest Rolls
• Pies
• (Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan)
• Cranberry Orange Bread
• Ginger Bop Cookies
• Cheddar Biscuits
1721 E Ash Street Goldsboro, NC (919) 288 - 2401 Monday Friday 7:00am —3:00 pm
HOLIDAY HOURS: 11/26– 7am 4 pm
CLOSED 11/27 11/30
EVETERANS' DAY: A REFLECTION
FOREVER IN THEIR DEBT
B Y KEN FINE
very time I have written about a hero — whether it be a young man cut down in his prime or a veteran who, against all odds, made it home and lived to tell his tale decades later — I assumed the story would live forever. I figured that because I have carried their words with me for all these years that readers would remember, too.
So, I must admit that it took me aback when, Nov. 7, as I served as the keynote speaker for a Veterans Day program at the Peggy M. Seegers Senior Center — and attempted to unwrap the experience of telling, for more than 20 years, the stories of men and women I consider heroes — that the majority of the 100-plus in attendance who were in many cases, themselves, veterans, had no idea who I was talking about.
They had never heard about Silver Star recipient Maj. Bob Stone or read excerpts from the letters Bobby “Bud” Lane sent home from Vietnam before he fell.
They did not know that the Rev. Walter Barkley Satterfield was awarded the Bronze Star some 60 years after he earned it on the battlefield.
For most, the name Bill Watkins did not stir memories of the day Wayne County found out that an F-15E crew had been lost the Middle East.
And even fewer knew about the heartache sus-
tained by the family Murray Borden left behind when his F-4 Phantom went down in North Vietnam.
But something happened at the end of the event that gave me hope.
A young woman — a teenager — representing the Goldsboro High School JROTC program stepped up to microphone.
She said she had something on “my heart.”
It turns out that being in that room surrounded by veterans — and hearing bits and pieces of local stories during the event — had inspired her to serve.
Her speech, while unprepared, was moving.
For some in attendance, it was another reminder that their service had mattered — a reminder that was particularly poignant coming from a member of a generation seemingly caught up in the throes of social media instead of the “real world.”
And for me, it stoked an obligation to ensure you, our readers — and this community — know
Continued on page 14
why we should forever honor men like Stone, Lane, Satterfield, Borden, and Watkins.
Sometimes, it is easier to focus on the “firsts.”
That is why most everybody knows about Wayne County giants that include the likes of Medal of Honor recipient Joe Marm and Private 1st Class Dan Bullock.
But it took a Goldsboro High School teenager to remind me that all who serve are worth honoring — and that if we do our part to shout their stories from the mountaintops, a new generation might be inspired to stand on their shoulders someday.
So, it is our great honor to use this week’s paper — this special Veterans Day edition — to introduce you to a few of the heroes whose stories we have been lucky enough to hear over the decades we have spent documenting this place we all love and the people who make it so special.
And our sincere hope is that you will share their tales so they will never, ever be forgotten again. n
VETERANS DAY: A REFLECTION
By 2007, the memories were more difficult for him to find, but Bob Stone was on a mission.
He was not going to let Parkinson’s disease defeat him just yet — not after everything he had been through in his 70-plus years.
So, he took his time and worked his way, methodically, through images of the family farm and the day he dropped out of school to ensure his brothers and sisters did not go hungry until he found the experience he was looking for.
And after what seemed, to him, like “an eternity,” he arrived, at last, on March 13, 1966 — the night he saved four American soldiers in the central Vietnam highlands and earned the Silver Star.
To a young reporter hearing one of the first, of what would become many, war tales told to him over two decades as a journalist covering Wayne County veterans and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Stone’s story felt like something out of a movie.
And the Army major arrived at the climax fairly quickly — perking up when he got to the moment that “all hell broke loose.”
He and his men were on a canal when enemy forces began raining fire upon their position.
Several were wounded.
So, Stone stopped thinking and thrust himself into action.
At first, his eyes turned to those who were fading.
BOB STONE
If they did not receive medical attention soon, he said, they might have been lost.
And then, he realized that an American armed artillery truck had been ambushed during the melee — that if he did not secure it, everyone pinned down along the canal would likely perish.
“There was a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on that weapons carrier. It was fully loaded. That’s the only thing I kept thinking,” Stone said that day back in 2007. “Then, (the enemy) ran two guys across the canal. They got pretty close to that weapons carrier. I don’t know why, but I eliminated them. Then, I went back, I climbed up on that truck, turned the machine gun around and just hosed their area down. All I could see was them in control of that .50-caliber machine gun. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Decades later, he admitted he found it strange that a life that began on a simple North Carolina farm transitioned into a decorated military career — that the son of a “very poor” farmer would become a national hero for his actions on that muggy night in Vietnam.
But for Stone, who also acknowledged that a man must rectify, with his God, what he did in battle to survive, if sharing what he went through resulted in a more patriotic community, his sacrifices were worth it.
Because to him, a man who, long after his time in the Army was through, proudly put on his dress uniform and attended the many veterans functions he took part in until his illness confined him to an electric wheelchair,
there was no greater honor than fighting alongside men he considered his heroes to ensure freedom remained an ideal worth laying down one’s life for.
That is why he served for more than 20 years — a career that saw him fight once in Korea and three times in Vietnam.
He considered it his duty, and the honor of his life.
But being called a hero because he earned numerous Bronze Star medals for valor?
Having a Silver Star pinned to his chest?
None of those things defined the Bob Stone we came to call a friend.
For him, it was the cause for which he fought that told the real story of the man that son of a farmer would ultimately grow into.
And when we spoke to him back in 2007, he told us that it was a cause he would have proudly died for — and still would.
Because in his mind, there was no greater calling than defending what he characterized as the greatest country in the world, a place where freedom was more than just a word on a bumper sticker and flags were not simply meant to fly on patriotic holidays.
“I get a lump in my throat every time I see that flag,” he said that day before reaching down and adjusting the oxygen being fed into the tube secured under his nose. “I shed tears sometimes. I’m not the man I once was, but I still love this country. I will die loving this country.” n
VETERANS DAY: A REFLECTION
IBOBBY “ BUD ” LANE MURRAY
t had been more than 40 years, but the paper was still crisp to the touch. And in the right light, the ink still glistened — as if the letters had been sent weeks, not decades, ago.
The picture that was framed and sitting on the kitchen table captured the likeness of a young man who looked as though he could have been a recent Parris Island graduate.
It was like Bobby “Bud” Lane had been frozen in time.
And when his brothers, John and Ricky, began reading passages from some of the letters he had sent them from Vietnam, their mother, Leerene, revealed that she had still not fully accepted that her son never made it home.
At times, she stared off out the window. Every so often, a tear would trickle down her face.
Until that day, she had never heard much of what John and Ricky shared.
The letters Bud sent to his mother spoke of boredom and little action in the jungle, so not to worry her.
And when he told his brothers what was really unfolding — when he admitted his fear of falling on the battlefield — he swore them to secrecy.
They kept that promise until that day in 2010.
“This right here is the most I’ve ever told her,” John, at one point, said. “He never wanted her to know what he was going through.”
And he did not want her to know that he
had accepted that he might die — even, in one correspondence, hoping that should it happen, the bright side might be that his death could spare his mother the pain of having to send another son into combat.
“If I was killed or something, you might not have to ever go (to Vietnam),” Bud wrote.
“It’s really something to think about.”
John and Ricky did think about the potential of losing their brother — particularly as the tone of his letters began to shift.
Like in one of the last ones they received, when he requested they “take care of Mama” and pledged his love for them “always and forever.”
Not too long after, they got the news.
The machine gunner had been killed on June 18, 1968, in South Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province — the result of an enemy rocket mortar attack.
And while his death endeared him, forever, to the community that raised him, in his brothers’ eyes, he was always a hero.
John reflected, that day more than 15 years ago, about how surreal it was to see Bud’s casket arrive in Selma.
“You can look at it on TV for a long time, but it’s real when … you go to that train station and you see that flag-covered coffin, and you know it’s your brother,” he said.
And for Ricky, that moment cemented Bud’s legacy.
“I personally think he was a hero,” he said. “People ought to know that when you fight for your country and die for your country, you’re a hero.” n
Thirteen years ago, his sister painted the picture of a recurring dream.
Two uniformed men would approach her family’s home.
They would knock on the door and deliver devastating news.
And after a while, she would wake thinking that it had never, in reality, happened — that Murray Lyman Borden would eventually return from his tour.
But deep down, Sally Worrell knew that the practical jokester who, when she was a young girl, once chained her to the swing set for laughs, was never coming home.
And even in 2012, nearly 46 years after his F-4 went down during a bombing raid over North Vietnam, she admitted that talking about losing him was still painful — that it didn’t feel like nearly five decades had passed since she last saw him.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 40-something years,” she said that day.
“It really doesn’t.”
For one of Borden’s best friends, Joe Latham — a man who, like Murray, was a flight lead on missions similar to the one that claimed the Goldsboro pilot’s life — the pain of losing him was still raw, too.
But he didn’t show it when he talked about how Oct. 13, 1966, was a “pitch black” night.
He kept his composure when he unwrapped how the mission of delivering bombs in a 20-degree dive angle at night was “just dangerous as the dickens.”
Continued on page 16
BORDEN
In fact, it was not until he recalled what Borden’s wingman had reported about the F-4 crash that his emotions got the best of him.
“What I was thinking was, he might have been shot down, he might have hit the ground. I just got this feeling in my stomach. He was my best friend,” Latham said, as his voice broke. “Excuse me. After all these years, it still gets me at times. … I’m pretty sure that they hit the ground.”
But knowing, from the perspective of a military aviator, that his friend was gone, brought with it a responsibility.
He felt he had to tell Borden’s wife that the fact pattern pointed to him being killed and not missing.
So, he wrote to her.
“I told her what I thought had happened,” Latham said. “I just didn’t think she should carry any false hope. If the role was reversed, I would have wanted someone to tell my family.”
And he would have wanted something else, too.
He would have wanted his comrades to remember him for his military skills, yes, but also for the person he was — for the legacy he left behind.
And for Latham, that meant sharing, whenever possible, about the “all-around great guy” who “laughed easily” and put those in his presence at ease.
“That was, let’s see, 46 years ago,” Latham said that day in 2012, again getting emotional. “I still think about him a lot. He was such a wonderful guy.” n
VETERANS DAY: A REFLECTION
HBILL WATKINS REV. WALTER SATTERFIELD
e thought that being a new father was “the coolest thing in the world” — and could not wait to get back to Goldsboro to reunite with his little boy and the daughter his wife was pregnant with when he went downrange.
His comrades even caught him watching a video of a “wobbly” 11-month-old William walking — laughing as the little boy showed off his skills for his mother.
But Bill Watkins never got to meet his daughter, Mary Allison.
Instead, the infant was in her mother’s arms when her father was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
He never again got to hold William — who grew into a young man who favored his father.
And the last time he communicated with his wife, Melissa, it was, she said back in 2013, a “random chat” about “something innocuous.”
The next day, Watkins, a member of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base’s 4th Fighter Wing, was flying a mission near Tikrit, Iraq.
Melissa, who was serving as an Air Force intelligence officer, only knows that they were “dropping bombs” and “being fired at.”
And when his F-15E went down in April 2003, her knowledge of a few other things kept her going through the “low points” and “emotional rollercoaster” that came with losing the love
of her life — and being left to raise two small children without him.
First, Watkins believed in what he was doing, and felt strongly that his participation in the war would prevent his children from living in a nation that would, he feared, one day fall under attack if the U.S. military did not act.
“He knew what was at stake,” Melissa said that day in 2013. “He knew that someday, we were going to have to deal with it on our own soil if we didn’t take care of the problem.”
And she also knew that Bill had died doing what he loved — and rose from the crash as a “guardian angel” for members of his family.
That is why, a decade after his death, she noted that Bill had shown himself in the years since.
Sometimes, he would be revealed in the looks on William’s face — or in the way he would turn a phrase.
And she also noticed that Mary Allison had her father’s eyes.
Those moments, more so than the many tributes and ceremonies that have unfolded since his death to honor his sacrifice, reassured her that he would live on.
And her belief in God reaffirmed that, until they meet again, he will be smiling down from a better place.
“I know he’s in Heaven,” Melissa said. “And the kids know he’s watching them.” n
Most who knew him saw him, exclusively, as a man of God. And the truth is, the Rev. Walter Satterfield preferred it that way. He had little interest in talking about being among the soldiers who helped liberate a concentration camp during World War II — how the images from that experience “hang on me” but were not, in his words, “the worst of it.”
Reliving the “dark as pitch” night he was told to fix his bayonet as he and his brothers in arms crossed the Rhine was not a pleasant feeling.
Talking about the assignments where he was responsible for counting the dead — there ended up being 21 “the first time” — brought him to tears.
And there were other moments that unfolded during World War II as a member of the Army’s 63rd Infantry Division he would not even discuss.
But when, by happenstance, more than 60 years later, Satterfield’s home was flooded during Hurricane Floyd, two of his neighbors discovered that their hero had earned a Bronze Star he had never received, and more of his story began to surface.
The reverend, though, remained steadfast in his belief that he was not particularly special.
“If I deserve it, OK, I guess,” he said back in 2011. “But it don’t make me great-
er than anyone else. I’m no hero. I’m just an American.”
Talking to him all those years ago, it was clear that he considered himself to be just another simple man.
In fact, he spent much of our time together talking about others — the “great men” he said he had the honor of serving alongside.
For Satterfield, medals and other decorations did not determine one’s status. But it was his humility — and his reluctance to see himself as special — that made him stand out to those who revered his service.
And for those of us fortunate to spend time with him, it was the fact that every harrowing tale always ended up with credit given to someone else.
That’s why it came as no surprise when, at the end of the interview, he, from his seat in a wheelchair, looked at the Bronze Star he had received decades later and implored us to acknowledge the men from the “Greatest Generation” that he believed were the ones deserving of a front-page feature in the local newspaper.
“It’ll say it again,” he said, as tears formed in, and fell from, his eyes. “I’m no hero. We left all of them over there. That’s just the way it is. (They should be recognized) and I believe it will happen. Yeah. There’s coming a reckoning day.” n
the SPECTATOR
Heroes honored
Hundreds of Wayne County residents attended the annual Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition's annual Veterans Day Parade in downtown Goldsboro Tuesday.
PHOTOS B Y KEN FINE
NOTICES
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Barbara B. Hughey, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
John Danny Davis III, Administrator of the Estate of Barbara B. Hughey 157 Landis Road Stantonsburg, NC 27883
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ROBERT JOSEPH MANISCALCO
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Robert Joseph Maniscalco, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Jessica Pounds Executor of the Estate of Robert Joseph Maniscalco 142 Bennett Farm Lane Goldsboro, NC 27530
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Charles Mercer, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Kimberly Mercer Boswell, Administrator of the Estate of Charles Mercer 4064 Nahunta Road Pikeville, NC 27863
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF LILLIAN COLEEN DAVIS BEST
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Lillian Coleen Davis Best, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 26th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 26th day of October, 2025.
Karen Best Hobbs, Executor of the Estate of Lillian Coleen Davis Best c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C.
Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916
Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919) 735-7275
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF PEGGY JOYCE CRISP GURLEY
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Peggy Joyce Crisp Gurley, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 26th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 26th day of October, 2025.
Sharon Gurley Jeans and Carolyn Gurley Rathbone, Co-Executors of the Estate of Peggy Joyce Crisp Gurley c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C.
Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916
Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919) 735-7275
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Bettye Jean Boone Lewis, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Kim Lewis Howard, Administrator of the Estate of Bettye Jean Boone Lewis 10114 Sunnifa Aly Orlando, Florida 32832
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF GARY RALPH EMERY
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Gary Ralph Emery, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before February 2, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 2nd day of November, 2025.
Kimberly Harper Executor of the Estate of Gary Ralph Emery 129 Charlie Braswell Road Goldsboro, NC 27530
Published November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025, and November 23, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ERNEST C. KELLY
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Ernest C. Kelly, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before February 9, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 9th day of November, 2025.
Maurice A. Kelly, Executorof the Estate of Ernest C. Kelly P.O. Box 1503 Demorest, GA 30535
November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025, November 23, 2025, and November 30, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF STEPHEN S. GRADY, SR.
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Stephen S. Grady, Sr., late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before February 9, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 5th day of November, 2025.
Geraldine Kornegay Grady, Executor of the Estate of Stephen S. Grady, Sr. c/o L. E. (Trey) Taylor III, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616
November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025, November 23, 2025, and November 30, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Linda Mae Corbett Beasley, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before February 16, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 16th day of November, 2025.
Tammy B. Wingard Administrator of the Estate of Linda Mae Corbett Beasley 2502 D Pikeville-Princeton Road Pikeville, NC 27863
November 16, 2025, November 23, 2025, and November 30, 2025, and December 7, 2025
GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 23CVD001120-950
WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs. MARSHALL COLEMAN, EMMA LOIS COLEMAN, Defendants
Under and by virtue of an Order of the Clerk of Superior Court of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. MARSHALL COLEMAN, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 19th day of November, 2025, offer for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction, at the courthouse door in Wayne County, North Carolina, in Goldsboro at 10:00 a.m. the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid and more particularly described as follows:
209 NEIL STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3600139151)
BEING all of Lot 88 as shown on a map entitled City of Goldsboro North End Community Redevelopment Area No. 2 Subdivision, a plat of which is recorded in Plat Cabinet H, Slide 134, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Wayne County.
The sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvements assessments against the above-described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A deposit of 5 percent (5%) of the successful bid will be required or $750.00, whichever is greater, in the form of cash, certified check or money order.
This the 13th day of October, 2025.
Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713
Published November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 25CV002015-950
WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs. CASEY’S TRAILER LODGE, INC.; LONNIE CASEY, JR.; LONNIE CASEY, JR., IN HIS CAPACITY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE LONNIE CASEY, JR. REVOCABLE FAMILY TRUST, Defendants
Under and by virtue of an Order of the District Court Judge of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. CASEY’S TRAILER LODGE, INC., ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 19th day of November, 2025, offer for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction, at the courthouse door in Wayne County, North Carolina, in Goldsboro at 10:00 a.m. the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid and more particularly described as follows:
TRACT ONE –
1700 S. SLOCUMB STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3508175377)
Beginning at the fork of a ditch, Ashe Edwards and Jane Hodges’ corner, and runs thence with the said Jane Hodges’ line along the center of the ditch South 63-1/2 W. 273 feet to the head of the ditch; then the same course South 63-1/2 West 79 feet to a stake in W.A. Collins line; thence with said Collins line South 17 East 72 feet to an iron stake, said Collins corner; thence his line 73 West 714 feet to a stake; thence South 18-1/2 East 54 feet to a stake; thence South 73 West 105 feet to the Goldsboro and White Hall Road; thence with said road South 18-1/2 E. 156 to a stake I. J. Harrell corner; thence with the ditch North 37 W. 65 feet; thence North 56 West 366 feet to the beginning, containing 8 acres, more or less; and being
the same land conveyed to Sam H. Casey (now deceased) and wife, Addie Casey, by Mrs. J. A. Summerlin and husband, David E. Summerlin, by deed dated November 9, 1940, and recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds of Wayne County, North Carolina, in Book 267, Page 505, to which reference is herepy made. And being the same property described in the deed dated September 25, 1954, from Addie Casey (widow) to Lonnie Casey and wife, Hazel Marie Casey, which is recorded in Book 417, Page 151 of the Wayne County, North Carolina, Registry.
TRACT TWO – HARRIS STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3508270215)
BEGINNING at a point on the Eastern edge of a ditch, said point being the Southwest corner of Casey’s Trailer Lodge as described in a deed recorded in Book 843 at Page 595 of the Wayne County Registry, and being a common corner with David Littleton et al, and runs thence along and with said ditch S. 32° 8’ 0” E. 276.50 feet to a stake in the Western edge of the water line easement; thence with the line of said easement S. 28° 24’ 01” W. 37.65 feet to a stake; thence S. 74° 32’ 06” W. 519.13 feet to the center of a ditch, a corner with Evangeline Austine and Doris Wynn property (Deed Book 729, Page 219), thence along and with said ditch N. 86° 57’ 24” W. 8.80 feet and N. 82° 26’ 10” W. 126.08 feet to a stake in the line of Goldie Williams (Deed Book 464, Page 260); thence with the Williams line N. 14° 41’ 54” W. 270.93 feet to an iron stake, a corner between Williams, Casey, and Smith; thence with the Casey line N. 74° 43’ 48” E. 588.53 feet to an iron stake and 6.97 feet to the point of beginning, containing 4.24 acres, more or less. Being the same land conveyed to Lonnie Casey, Jr. by deed recorded in Book 2590, Page 762, Wayne County Registry.
The sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvements assessments against the above-described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A
deposit of 5 percent (5%) of the successful bid will be required or $750.00, whichever is greater, in the form of cash, certified check or money order. This the 13th day of October, 2025.
Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919) 705-1713
Published November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Willo Whitfield Jordan, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before February 9, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 9th day of November, 2025.
Alphonso Llewellyn Jordan Jr., Administratorof the Estate of Willo Whitfield Jordan 109 South George Street Goldsboro, NC 27530
November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025, November 23, 2025, and November 30, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE —AUCTION SALE OF COUNTY PROPERTY
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners, at its meeting of November 4, 2025, pursuant to NCGS §160A-270 and NCGS §153A-176, authorized the sale by public auction of the following personal property:
• 8 filing cabinets
• 1 commercial stainless steel (SS) dishwasher
• 1 SS L-shaped counter with sink
• 1 SS 6-foot counter
• 1 SS 3-compartment sink
• Electric warming cabinet
• 2 SS handwash sinks
• 1 SS 6-foot counter with sink
• 1 SS 5 compartment warming table
• 1 SS 12-foot rolling counter
• 1 SS refrigerated counter
• 1 SS 6-foot wall shelf
• 1 SS 4-foot wall shelf
• 3 6-foot metal clothes rack
• 1 3-door Commercial refrigerator
• 1 2-door commercial refrigerator
• 1 meat slicer
• 1 SS 12-foot counter
• 1 SS 5-compartment warming table
• 1 SS 6-foot counter
• 1 SS 2 compartment sink
• 1 SS 2 door warming cabinet
• 1 SS Triple sink and tray wash
• 1 SS 9-foot table with sink
• 1 SS 6-foot table
• 2 SS rolling carts
• 1 tilt skillet
• 1 SS kettle
• 2 SS double ovens
• 1 plastic warming cabinet
• Various shelving units
• Pots and pans
• 2 commercial floor mixers
• 1 commercial dishwasher
• 1 SS L-shaped counter,
• 1 SS L-shaped counter with sink
The auction will be held at 8:30 a.m. on December 13, 2025, at RDD Auction Company, LLC located at 1260 Raynor Mill Road, Mt. Olive, NC 28365. All property will be sold in its current condition, as is, and the County gives no warranty with respect to usability of the property. Buyers will be required to pay the full amount of his or her bid before the conclusion of the auction to RDD Auction Company LLC in a manner of payment satisfactory to the auctioneer. The County reserves the right to withdraw any listed property from the auction at any time before the auction sale of that property. Further information may be obtained by contacting RDD Auction Company, LLC at (919) 6899440 or (919) 222-3215 or by visiting www.rddauction.com
November 16, 2025, and November 23, 2025
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Goldsboro will conduct public hearings during the course of their open meeting which starts at 5:30 P.M. on Monday, December 1, 2025, in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 214 North Center Street to consider the following requests.
RZ-3-25 Paul T. Williams (Residential-16 to General Business). The applicant is requesting to rezone from Residential-16 (R-16) Zoning District to the General Business (GB) Zoning District. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the West side of US 117N between Carolina Commerce Drive and Tommy’s Road. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#: 3600483976 (Portion of).
RZ-4-25 Mark Richie 1409-1411 W Grantham Street (General Industry to General Business): The applicant is requesting to rezone from the General Industry Zoning District to the General Business Zoning District (portion of). The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the North side of West Grantham Street between Claridge Nursery Road and Nevels Street. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#: 269023208 .
ANNEX-04-25 Eagles Reach:
The applicant is requesting to annex into the corporate limits of the City of Goldsboro approximately 36.90 acres of land. The property considered for annexation is located on the South-West side of US Hwy 70 W, North side of Westbrook Ave, and on both sides of Isaac Smith Road. The property is further identified as NCPIN# 2617-13-0043.
ANNEX-05-25 Joe Lionelli:
The applicant is requesting to annex into the corporate limits of the City of Goldsboro approximately 2.19 acres of land. The property considered for annexation is located at 1810 West New Hope Road, between Catherine Street and Twin Oaks Place. The property is further identified as a portion of Wayne Co. Pin# 3600-97-4622
ANNEX-06-25 Tucker Trace:
The applicant is requesting to annex into the corporate limits
of the City of Goldsboro approximately 57.30 acres of land. The property considered for annexation is located on the south side of Tommy’s Road, between US Hwy 117 N and Deans Lane. The property is further identified as a portion of Wayne Co. Pin# 3601-50-3388
All interested persons are encouraged to attend. To accommodate disabilities and to comply with ADA regulations, please contact City Hall if further assistance is needed. All inquiries regarding this matter may be directed to the City of Goldsboro Planning Department at (919) 580-4313 or online at www.goldsboronc.gov.
Mark E. Helmer Planning Services Manager
Published November 16, 2025, and November 23, 2025
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