By Miles Layton
Editor
Random thoughts…
Mayor Crystal Davis sent me a trio of good news tips that I’ll see if I can develop into stories in the weeks ahead.
First, community members are invited to attend the All in the Family Day Event on Saturday, August 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on East Water Street in Plymouth, North Carolina.
The event is presented by Shadid Temple No. 233 and Shadid Court No. 212 in partnership with Queen Esther Jewel No. 32 OES-PHA, Carthagena Masonic Lodge No. 38, and local community organizations.
According to the event flyer, the family-friendly celebration will include music, a cake walk, bingo, a water slide, bounce houses, clowns and entertainment, free food, school supplies, and more. Organizers describe the event as a day of fun and fellowship aimed at building stronger families and stronger communities.
The event is open to everyone, with organizers encouraging families and friends to attend and help make a difference together.
Next, cyclists of all ages are invited to take part in the 3K Ride for Life on August 1, at Flowers Park in Plymouth, North Carolina. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the ride scheduled to start at 9 a.m.
According to the event flyer, the ride welcomes all bikes and participants of all ages. Organizers are encouraging attendees to stay hydrated, ride safely, and enjoy the journey while promoting health, unity, and community.
The event is sponsored by the Carolina Cruisers Bicycle Unit and Shadid Temple #233. The flyer describes the ride as an opportunity to bring people together, stay active, and build a stronger community under the theme, "Ride Together. Stay Active. Build Community."
Lastly, The community is invited to attend Kobe's Fun Day on August 8, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Flowers Park in downtown Plymouth, North Carolina, near the restrooms. The event is being held in honor of Kobe's 12th birthday in heaven.
According to the event flyer, the outdoor celebration will feature music, food, snacks, bounce houses, a foam pit, fire truck activities provided by the Plymouth Fire Department, and more. Parents are asked to stay and monitor their children, and families are encouraged to bring towels, as children may get wet during the fire truck activities.
The event is free to attend, with organizers stating that all kids are welcome and everything is free.
Mayor Davis, thanks for the tips.
On that note, anyone with story ideas or news tips can send them to mileslayton1969@gmail.com
Per Staff Writer Dale Heberlig, Washington County Commissioners meet with Washington County School Board members in a joint session scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 14, in the auxiliary gym at Washington County’s consolidated school on U.S. Hwy 64 East. A specific meeting agenda was not established as of last week, but discussion is likely to address a potential state budget and ongoing development of consolidated school facilities.
In other news, after Cole Phelps was appointed as District Court Judge, I got to thinking and searching for the last person from Washington County to preside over the court. Phelps said that judge was W. Ronald Gaylord – a longtime judge who presided over the bench probably into the 1960s.
That name rang a bell — Gaylord was a prominent attorney and judge, presiding over the Plymouth/Washington County Recorder’s Court. According to the Beacon’s archives, Gaylord graduated from Plymouth High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest and a law degree from Cumberland University in Tennessee before practicing law in his hometown starting in 1933. Three years later, the county commission appointed him prosecuting attorney. He was elected two years later. When Gaylord’s term ended, he ran for judge in 1938 – elected at age 32 “one of the youngest men ever elected to such an important position.”
In the summer of 1942, Judge Gaylord, though probably entitled to some exemption because of his position, was placed in a higher selective service at his own request for service in the US Army, according to the Beacon.
When Gaylord was inducted with about four months remaining in his two-year term as judge, the county commission rejected his resignation, instead opting to place him on leave for the duration of his duties during World War II until he could return home.
Gaylord was the third person of his family to be elected judge. His father had been a deputy sheriff in Martin County.
According to the Beacon, Young Gaylord was also Chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee; a member of the North Carolina Bar Association Executive Board; and Chairman of the Registrants’ Advisory Board of his county. In his present duties in the Insurance and Travel Office, Sgt. “Judge” Gaylord uses his legal background to good advantage for the soldiers and the service.
“The work is interesting and I like it fine,” he said. “It gives me the opportunity to keep in touch with my profession and at the same time perform a service for my country. Capt Earl Colburn, wing Insurance and travel officer, and Lieutenant Lane Yingling, base insurance and travel officer, are good men to work for and with, and they are well acquainted with their duties.”
Gaylord continued, “The work here consists mostly of checking insurance allotments, allowances, advising the men concerning wills, powers of attorney, and other necessary matters of legal nature and substance. It is the function of this office to see that the soldier and his family are fully protected in a legal sense in any eventuality, and that their personal and financial affairs are completely processed. I am happy to be able to contribute my part in this essential work.”
Sergeant Gaylord freely admits that this was the biggest "case” he has ever tackled, and he, like every soldier, looks forward to the apprehension, trial and sentencing of the arch criminals of modern-day history, according to the Beacon. During the war years, Mr: and Mrs. Gaylord, the former Miss Leona Satterthwaite, also of Plymouth, are making their home at 1705 Georgia Ave., West Palm Beach, Fla.
After the war, Gaylord had a successful legal practice and served as judge for many years. He died in 1979.
Why publish all this information about a long ago judge? Well, that’s why local newspapers are important, as a chronicle of local history. Obituaries, birth announcements, the comings and goings of local government – all sorts of stuff – gets reported each week in the Roanoke Beacon.
Support your local newspaper!