There’s not a kid who came along in the Massey Hill community who didn’t come to know the compassion of Bill Passick in the 1960s and beyond. Where there was a need “on the hill,” Bill Passick was there. “Who knows what life would have been without Bill Passick’s intervention in my life at a critical point,” former Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne said in August of 2024, when Mr. Passick was honored with the prestigious Jack Stickley Fellowship by the North Carolina Lions Foundation in memory of Stickley, who was the first president of Lions Clubs International. “He touched hundreds of young people like that,” Chavonne said. Mr. Passick called Massey Hill home since 1953 and left his fingerprints all over his beloved Massey Hill Lions Club, raising funds for every charitable cause. William “Bill” Michael Passick Jr. died at age 94 on July 19, and you likely will find many of those kids of long ago at a visitation scheduled today from 5 p.m.-6:45 p.m. at the Rogers and Breece Funeral Home chapel followed by a 7 p.m. memorial service in celebration of so many who knew Bill Passick as the honorary “Mayor of Massey Hill.”
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Juvenile crime is a concern in this city or the Fayetteville City Council would not have voted in May to enact a Youth Protection Safety Ordinance restricting young people ages 17 and under to be home and in the supervision of a parent or guardian from 11 a.m. to 6 a.m. with reasonable exceptions. New City Police Chief Roberto Bryan nor any member of the Fayetteville Police Department cannot turn a blind eye or deaf ear when journalists have inquiries pertaining to the safety of this city.
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Look for some triple-digit temperatures this weekend and into next week, according to the National Weather Service. The heat wave is on the way.
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Eric Bracy is wasting no time settling in as superintendent of Cumberland County Schools. The 52-year-old successor to the retired Marvin Connelly Jr. was out visiting opening day of year-round schools on July 16, meeting with faculty and students at Anne Chesnutt Middle, E.E. Miller Elementary and Reid Ross Classical Middle/High School. Bracy is scheduled to take his official oath of office at 5 p.m. on Aug. 5 at the Dr. William “Bill” Harrison Educational Resource Center, 396 Elementary Drive.
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Retired Morganton Road Elementary Principal Charlotte McLaurin is being remembered by Cumberland County Schools for her “genuine care for students and families, and her unwavering belief in the power of learning.” A 1970 graduate of Massey Hill High School, Charlotte Moore McLaurin died at age 73 on July 18. “Her legacy will live on in the lives of the countless students, staff and families she inspired,” Mrs. McLaurin is remembered by the school system.
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Sgt. Jack Stillman will be remembered at 9 a.m. today on Fort Bragg, where the Noncommissioned Officer Academy dedicates its physical training field, according to a news release, in memory of the soldier who left a lasting impression of leadership on the academy while battling stage 4 anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Sgt. Jack Edward Stillman died at age 23 on Jan. 20, 2018.
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“Bill, I was in Wytheville, Va., shortly after reading your story on the ‘big pencil’ in downtown Fayetteville,” Dohn Broadwell writes in an email about my July 9 column referencing whatever happened to the iconic replica of a yellow pencil on the now-defunct Hatcher’s Office Supply along Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville. “Looks like Wytheville decided to keep its nostalgic sign as the building is being renovated and repurposed. Enjoy your local coverage as always.”
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“Bill, I enjoyed your special article about Sally Shutt,” Martha Goetz writes in an email about our July 22 column on Shutt, the 20-plus-year Cumberland County government employee who retired June 30 as assistant county manager. “I taught her at Cape Fear High her senior year, and, as you can imagine, she was a wonderful student.” I have no doubt, Mrs. Goetz, and Sally Shutt carried your lessons throughout her career as a journalist and later with the county.
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If you ever find yourself down Southport way, you may want to have lunch or dinner at Oliver’s on the Cape Fear, where the seafood will strike your fancy. You will not be disappointed in the menu or perusing the quaint streets.
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Excessive speed is one of the more frequent traffic violations on our highways and often leads to fatalities. “Speeding remains one of the leading causes of serious injuries and fatalities on our roads,” Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, says about a weeklong “Speeding Catches Up With You” initiative this week (July 21-27). “This campaign reminds drivers that no destination is worth the cost of a life. Speeding is dangerous. It’s illegal and it will catch up with you.” Drivers are encouraged to obey all posted speed limits, allow extra time to reach destinations, stay alert and avoid distractions, drive sober and buckle that seat belt.
Coming Sunday: About the city mayoral race: “A ‘thrill-a in the ville-a’ for this election cycle.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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