The passing of Fayetteville Fire Department Battalion Chief John Bowen, who died at age 35 on April 16, 2022, six months after being diagnosed with colon cancer, has been ruled a Line-Of-Duty Death by the N.C. Industrial Commission, according to a city news release. Bowen was honored as the Fire Officer of the Year in 2023. Bowen began his firefighting career Jan. 7, 2008, and responded to 4,968 emergency calls, according to the release, with significant occupational exposures during his service to the Fayetteville Fire Department that directly was attributed to his cancer. Firefighter David Sharp was the last line-of-duty-death on March 17, 2000, according to the release. Among other city firefighters who have died of cancer, according to the release, include Roger Baker, 33 years of service; Capt. Archie Cox, 27 years of service; Battalion Chief Ron Lewis, 26 years of service; Lt. Robert Scoggins, 23 years of service; and Lt. Woody Cherry, 13 years of service. A study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, according to the release, found that firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population.
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Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke and Managing Director Ella Wrenn are calling on the Fayetteville Public Works Commission to move exterior power poles and utility lines underground as the Cape Fear Regional Theatre on Haymount Hill proceeds with its renovation of the theater. It would be costly to the tune of millions of dollars, but the request would lead to a more esthetically pleasing view. But don’t hold your breath on this one.
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Gerald Tate, who is executive director of the North Carolina Office of Violence Prevention, will lead a Public Safety summit from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on April 30 at the Fayetteville State University student union as the Fayetteville City Council continues discussion about development of an Office of Community Safety. May be time for the city to stop going back and forth on this issue, cough up the $3 million cost and get the OCS in place.
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It's barbecue with all the fixings at the 40th annual Fayetteville Cumberland Country Crimestoppers BBQ Benefit scheduled from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday in the Harris Teeter parking lot at Highland Centre, 2800 Raeford Road. Plates, according to the Crimestoppers website, are $10 each and include potato salad, cole slaw and dinner roll. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit that pays up to $2,000 for anonymous tips that lead to arrests in community crimes. You’ll like the pork, and particularly the potato salad.
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“Last year was our inaugural event for Fayetteville and was a phenomenal event with over 90 enlistees recognized,” Col. (Ret.) John Gobrick says about the Our Community Salutes recognition of high school graduates who plan to embark on military careers scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 1 at the Crown Coliseum. “The event was the largest inaugural event in OCS’s 15-year history. We are expecting approximately 450 people attending this year.” Among dignitaries expected to attend, Gobrick says, is Robert Wilkie, a Fayetteville native and former Secretary of the Veterans Administration. Our Community Salutes, circa 2009, is a national nonprofit that supports high school seniors who enlist in the military.
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Col. John Wilcox and Command Sg. Maj. Greg Seymour will be on hand at 1 p.m. on May 3 when the Cross Creek-Briarwood Garden Club is scheduled to unveil the Gold Star Memorial at Freedom Memorial Park, according to a Fort Liberty spokeswoman and Sybil West, a garden club member. Wilcox is garrison commander at the military base.
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“Our Springfest event is a combination of a massive yard sale, bake sale, biscuit sale and raffle that raises funds to help schoolchildren in Cumberland County,” says Savanna Samuelian, coordinator of the 40th annual Springfest, scheduled from 7 a.m. to noon on May 4 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2505 Village Drive. “We work with school social workers, nurses and teachers throughout the year to provide assistance with uniforms and clothing, eye exams and eyeglasses, transportation and many other needs. One hundred percent of our proceeds go toward student assistance.” You’ll find everything from household items, furniture, toys, electronics and even Christmas decorations. And word has it the biscuits are quite tasty.
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“His career and notable accomplishments significantly impacted our community, shaping the lives of many through education,” Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. says in a news release about the late Milton Yarboro, who represented Dist. 2 on the Cumberland County board of education from 1988-2003. Milton Jerome Yarboro died at age 95 on April 3 in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
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Helen Farrior is being remembered for her longtime service as a member of the Cumberland County Board of Education. “Her commitment to education and her extensive involvement in community service reflect a legacy of impactful leadership,” Connelly said in a news release. Helen Hooks Farrior was 88 when she died April 8.
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See history through the eyes of the next generation, Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation Executive Director Renee Lane says about “Hidden in Plain View: U.S. Army Special Forces Berlin 1956-1990,’” the latest exhibit at the ASOM created by Jack Britt High School students. The exhibit is scheduled for unveiling from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 7, according to a news release. The exhibit offers artifacts and stories about U.S. Army Special Forces in Berlin during the Cold War Era. It is a part of the ASOM Curatorial Apprenticeship Program.
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Next: E.E. Smith High School’s fate: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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