ALERT TEEN HELPS NIP HOUSE FIRE IN THE BUD

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-07-13
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 2C

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Pamela Prince still gets chills thinking about what could have happened if Stephanie Davis had not knocked on her door and told her the house was on fire.

``She delivered a message. It was a godsend - an absolute blessing,'' said Prince, who lives at 5401 Woodcreek Dr. in south Charlotte's Five Knolls neighborhood. She said Wednesday she debated whether to answer her door at 2 p.m. Tuesday. ``I'd never seen her before,'' she said. ``When she showed up I thought, Who is this person?' ``

Stephanie, 16, said Wednesday: ``I'm glad I could help. I hope somebody would do it for me. It wasn't anything special.''

Prince was in her art studio on the second floor when Stephanie rang the bell and told her the cedar siding at the rear of the house was on fire. Prince said a maid was in the house, too, cleaning an upstairs bathroom.

``The flames were about 5 feet high when I went through the back door,'' said Prince. ``All I could think was to grab the garden hose. Thank God it was hooked up.''

Prince sprayed water on the fire until the flames disappeared. Then she called 911. Firefighters at Station 24 on N.C. 51 responded. They checked the exterior siding and the interior walls to make certain the fire was out.

It was ``extremely lucky'' Stephanie happened by, said Capt. Dennis Blanton, because it was an outside fire and smoke detectors inside the house would not have activated until the attic was in flames. ``They would have had no warning,'' he said.

Blanton commended Stephanie for first notifying the occupants that they were in danger. ``That's the most important thing,'' he said.

``A few more minutes and the whole exterior of the back porch area of the house would have been on fire,'' he said, ``So much heat had gotten to the (kitchen) windows . . . they had broken.''

Prince said hot cigarette ashes inadvertently dumped into a plastic trash bag on her deck started the fire. The trash bag was filled with paper products. Damage included charred cedar siding and broken windows. There was no interior damage.

People just don't think about hot ashes from cigarettes, fireplaces or grills starting fires, explained Blanton. Any kind of cinders are likely to start fires, he said, especially if they drop onto wooden decks.

Stephanie was walking down Summergate Street on her way to feed a neighbor's cat when she saw the fire.

A rising senior at Charlotte Country Day, Stephanie works for Kerr Drug Store. Because she was working the 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. shift Tuesday, she was on her way to feed the cat at 2 p.m.

``Last week I fed the cat around 5 p.m.'' she said. 

Staff photo by DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS: Stephanie Davis, 16, holds a screen from the back window. That's as far as the fire got. 

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-07-05
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

PROPRIETOR OF THE PUMP HOUSE PUTS CLOSED' SIGN ON EATERY FOR GOOD

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Folks who frequented north Charlotte's Pump House Restaurant for ``country cookin' the way it was meant to be'' will have to find another place to eat.

The owner and operator, Edith Howell, 77, retired last week after serving food from the plain, concrete-block building on the corner of Statesville Road and Lake Road for more than 30 years. A catering company has leased the building but does not plan now to open a restaurant. 

``I hope I have a happy retirement but I love working,'' Howell said Friday morning.  She had already fried country-style steaks, soaked pinto beans and boiled tea bags; it was business as usual, except for a lack of corn bread.

``I didn't make corn bread today. I buggered out. . . . Too excited, I guess,'' said Howell, plunging her hands into the deep pockets of her red gingham apron.

Flowers from family members and friends filled one end of the soda fountain counter - a tribute to the woman who's nourished north Charlotte's Nevins Community in many ways for many years.

``This neighborhood is going to miss her,'' said Teena Hunt, who was the only other employee at the restaurant in recent years. ``She went out her way to do things for people.''

Some of those things, said Howell's daughter Elaine Bailes, included sending hot meals to homebound neighbors, feeding folks who couldn't afford to pay and providing a gathering place for neighborhood teenagers.

In the mid-1960s - about the time her business began to boom - Howell decided to do something to entertain teenagers in the community. On Saturday nights, tables and chairs were pushed aside and local bands played at the Pump House.

``When (teenagers) came into mother's restaurant they were very respectful or mother would not let them come back,'' said Bailes. ``No cursing, no drinking. She had a very well behaved crowd for a 5-foot-5-inch petite female.''

``I've always talked to my customers just like they were my children or my brothers and sisters. It's been such a joy,'' said Howell. ``Lots of them call me Granny now but they used to call me Mama.''

Howell served three meals a day, six days a week for years to customers she says ranged ``from muddy boots to three-piece suits.'' Before I-77 opened, truckers traveling Statesville Road were a big part of her business. ``I fixed 40 to 50 go boxes' a night for the freight-liners,'' she said.

``It's like Mom's second kitchen,'' said Melvin Sanders of Fontaine Transport Equipment Co., a patron of the Pump House for 22 years. ``Even when we had a 30-minute lunch we would run up here, grab some good food and eat it on the way back. It made our day.''

Howell was raised on a 70-acre farm off Idlewild Road. She first baked bread at the age of 5. ``Daddy made a stool because I wasn't tall enough to reach the top of the work table,'' she said.

In 1939, she married Dewey McDonald Howell and they had three children. When her husband was disabled, she went into the restaurant business.

She started humbly enough. She sold snacks from 300 square feet of rented space in the back of the building that became the Pump House Restaurant. Eventually, the restaurant grew to seat 70 people.

She shared that space with Howard Stewart, owner of A&A Pump Service. Howell took phone messages for Stewart's well-drilling business. Hence, the restaurant's name.

``She sold candy out the back door,'' joked Stewart. The Pump House Restaurant was never listed in the phone book. Folks had to call A&A Pump Service to place an order.

The only advertising ever needed was Howell's home cooking, community mindedness and sense of humor. 

Photo by the Associated Press: Calling it quits: Edith Howell (standing, left), 77, talks with some of her last customers on the eve of closing her Pump House Restaurant for retirement. Howell has operated the Charlotte restaurant on Statesville Road for more than 30 years. 

Love or Death - What Are Angels Up To?

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-06-15
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

LOVE OR DEATH - WHAT ARE ANGELS UP TO?

DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Those chubby ``cherubs'' on this year's Love stamps may not be the little darlings they appear to be.

The angelic creatures are the creation of Renaissance painter Raphael. The U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent angel stamp in February and another for 55 cents in May. The idea was to add a little romance to wedding invitations and Valentine's Day cards, said Dick Rosenbeck, manager at the Independence Contract Station. But at least one lover of Renaissance art doesn't believe the angels are the appropriate adornment for the Love stamps.

``They are not cherubs,' but . . . guardian death angels,'' wrote Joseph Scafetta Jr. in a February letter to the editor of The Washington Post. According to Scafetta guardian death angels or ``putti'' escort the dead to heaven or hell.

He claims the two angels in the painting known as ``The Sistine Madonna'' are ``resting their elbows on top of the coffin bearing the body of Pope Julius II.''

Death angels delivering love letters and wedding invitations does seem inappropriate. But whether those angels are death angels is debatable.

``Putti are just little winged guys,'' said David Steel, curator of European art at the N.C. Museum of Art. ``I'm sure the reason the Postal Service picked them is because they are among the most beautiful angels ever painted.''

Steel doesn't believe these angels are leaning on a coffin waiting for the deceased pope's final destination to be determined. ``To say that that's the coffin of Julius II is stretching it a bit,'' he said.

Steele points out that Pope Julius II was a patron of Raphael and probably commissioned the painting before he died. ``You don't commission a painting like this and leave that issue in doubt,'' he said.

Whatever the case, Charlotteans like the stamp, said Rosenbeck. He said people aren't necessarily asking for the stamps. They're asking for something cute, something different, and something other than a flag stamp.

On that cue, postal clerks make angels appear. 

Photo Reprinted from ``Illustrated Dictionary of Art & Artists'' / The controversial cherubs are from a Raphael painting known as ``The Sistine Madonna.'' 

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-06-13
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

MAKING WAY FOR DUCKLINGS

DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Mama mallard and her newly hatched family of ducklings cruised the pond at Marshall Park under cloudy skies Monday.

They spent the weekend settling in after their self-appointed caretaker, Amos Hucks, helped mama and her nine ducklings make the move Friday afternoon. 

A few weeks ago, Hucks, a security supervisor at Old City Hall, discovered the mallard nest under a holly bush near the building and decided to keep an eye on the mama and her 10 eggs. Several times, he saw the mallard wing her way over to the pond at Marshall Park, tucking in her precious eggs with a layer of duck down so they'd stay warm.

When Hucks got to work at 8 a.m. Friday, five ducklings had broken free of their eggshells. By lunchtime, four more had emerged. The tenth never hatched.

From the moment he began his duck watch, Hucks began to worry about how the babies would safely cross 4th Street, then 3rd, to get to the Marshall Park pond. He'd entertained the idea of relocating theducks to a lake outside the city, but when he saw the ducks Friday, he knew mama mallard was ready to move.

``She'd taken them out of the nest and on to the concrete walk . . . they were heading toward 4th Street,'' said Hucks.

He decided not to let the ducklings risk uptown Charlotte traffic. He gathered them into a cardboard box and carried them to Marshall Park. As Hucks walked across 4th and 3rd, mama mallard waddled behind him.

At the park, Hucks tilted the box and let the ducklings slip into the water. ``Away they went,'' he said. 

Gulp! A wad of gum takes me back to my childhood

by Deborah Parkhill Mullis

I was having a pretty good Monday until I swallowed my chewing gum shortly after lunch.

Here I am, a 37-year-old mother of two, and I've committed one of the biggest no-no's of childhood. Don't talk to strangers. Don't play with matches. And for goodness sake, don't swallow your gum.

How could I swallow my gum? Obviously, I haven't done that in a while - if ever. Surely, I swallowed my gum a few times as a child. Why else would the words "your insides will get stopped up" have popped into my brain?

Such a comforting thought. Why do parents say things like that?

It sure felt funny, like half of my gum agreed to hang on to the back of my throat while the other half bungee-jumped down my esophagus and into my stomach. Should I call a doctor? Nah, little children survive this every day, don't they?

Yes, according to Chris Fitch, a pediatric nurse at Matthews Children's Clinic, they do. "As far as I know, I've never heard of any medical problems from children swallowing gum," said Fitch. "It really doesn't get digested very well but it really doesn't do any harm."

Why, then, do parents perpetuate these terrible tales of intestinal trauma?

"I think parents say those things to kids because they don't want them swallowing their gum," said Steve Deal, a gastroenterologist at Charlotte Clinic for Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease.

Deal's professional opinion regarding the occasional ingestion of one's chewing gum is, "This, too, will pass."

Gum is a nondigestible solid and unless you have a substantial abnormality it should pass without event, he said. "Your intestinal tract is a remarkable organ. It has the ability to digest those things with nutritional value and discard the rest."

"I certainly wouldn't advocate swallowing gum or other indigestible substances," said Deal, but "it doesn't pile up in your colon and turn into a big gum ball." Good. That's just a rumor.

My own children, to my knowledge, have never swallowed their gum. That would be too simple. Instead, when the oldest one was between 3 and 4, he stuffed a well-chewed piece of chewing gum into his belly button. After a few failed attempts at removing it, he came to me fearing the only way to free his "innie" from the sticky filling was an operation. Dabbing at the gum with a cotton swab I'd soaked in alcohol, it was all I could do to keep a straight face as I did my motherly duty: extracting chewing gum from a child-sized navel. Incidentally, he never did that again.

All in all, swallowing my gum was more of psychological upset than a stomach upset. I did have a little indigestion, which I attribute to one of two things: Either the gum didn't agree with the tuna and crackers I'd eaten earlier or no matter your age, swallowing your gum is a major taboo.

(This article was published in the Charlotte Observer Family Section)

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-06-05
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

HUCK'S DUCKS

 DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

In the past few weeks, Amos Hucks has taken on a dozen new responsibilities as security supervisor at Charlotte's Old City Hall - a future family of twelve ducks.

Hucks, 67, saw a female mallard flying two weeks ago. She landed on a concrete embankment near one of several triangular gardens behind the building. The next morning he noticed a male and a female duck on the lawn. A few days later, he found a nest beneath a holly bush. A screen of pampas grass helped hide the 10 duck eggs inside.

Hucks said he is puzzled by the ducks' nesting so far from the pond at Marshall Park a few blocks away.

``Evidently, she feels more secure here,'' said Hucks, who keeps a watchful eye on the eggs whenever the mama mallard feels a need to fly away.

The mother sometimes wings across 4th Street, over the fountains between the Criminal Courts Building and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, across 3rd Street, then to the pond at Marshall Park. But not before covering her eggs with warm duck down.

The incubation period for North American mallard duck eggs is 23 to 29 days, said David Elliott, a veterinarian at the Huntersville Animal Care Hospital.

Said Hucks: ``What in the world am I going to do when they hatch?''

He will soon find himself in the same predicament as the police officer in Robert McCloskey's classic children's book, ``Make Way For Ducklings.''

In the book, Officer Michael befriends a family of mallard ducks. One day Michael has to halt Boston motorists as ``Mrs. Mallard'' and her eight ducklings make their way to the pond at the city's public garden.

``I'm going to need some help,'' said Hucks. ``She's got to take them across 4th and across 3rd to get them to the lake. I'm afraid for them with all the traffic. . . . I've got sort of attached.'' 

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-05-25
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 5C

WBTV RELENTS ON INDIAN SHOW

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer 

TV/Radio Writer TIM FUNK contributed to this article

WBTV (channel 3) has reconsidered its plan to preempt parts three and four of Kevin Costner's low-rated ``500 Nations'' - in part because of protests from an area Indian group.

The CBS documentary series will air locally during its regularly scheduled time Saturday and Sunday, WBTV station manager Ron Miller said Wednesday. WBTV's reversal delighted Laurie McKnight, spokesperson for American Indians of Metrolina.

``I'm very happy. I'm glad this didn't come down to ratings,'' she said. ``I think parts three and four are important because they focus on eastern Indians. Most of the things shown on TV are about western Indians. They picture half-naked men riding horses with big headdresses on. That's not the way eastern Indians dressed.''

McKnight and other members of the local association of Native Americans had been angered when they discovered on Monday that WBTV wasn't going to run the segments this weekend because the first two parts - which aired April 20-21 - received low ratings.

WBTV's Miller said reaction to the station's earlier ``500 Nations'' decision caused WBTV to rethink its plan.

``You certainly try to respond,'' he said. ``We also got some calls from teachers who said history lessons were being based on this (movie). We didn't get that many calls, but those who did call had some good reasons for us to reconsider.''

Instead of preempting ``500 Nations,'' WBTV will bump a two-part rerun of the movie ``The Intruders,'' on Tuesday and Thursday. In its place, the station will air a syndicated movie one night and a two-hour ``Matlock'' on the other.

WBTV can sell all the commercials when it airs syndicated fare. CBS, which is making ``The Intruders'' and ``500 Nations'' available to its affiliates, gets most of the revenue from ads that air during network shows and movies. 

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-05-23
Section: METRO
Edition: FOUR
Page: 5C

WBTV ANGERS NATIVE AMERICANS

CHARLOTTE AFFILIATE NOT AIRING LAST TWO PARTS OF CBS SERIES

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer, 

TV/radio writer TIM FUNK contributed to this article.

American Indians of Metrolina are angry over a decision by WBTV (channel 3) to not air the third and fourth parts of Kevin Costner's CBS series on Native Americans.

``This is another example of discrimination against Native Americans,'' said Laurie McKnight, spokesperson for American Indians of Metrolina, an association of American Indians in the Charlotte area. Part three of ``500 Nations'' focuses on Indian tribes of the Eastern United States and is scheduled to run 8 p.m Saturday on CBS stations. Part four is scheduled to run Sunday.

But when McKnight called the Charlotte station she learned that WBTV had decided not to carry the rest of the series, narrated and produced by actor Costner, at the scheduled time.

WBTV Station Manager Ron Miller said the station was not running the latest installments Saturday and Sunday because parts one and two - which aired April 20-21 - ``got extremely low ratings and finished last in its time period.''

Miller said WBTV has asked CBS for permission to air the last two segments at alternate time. Saturday and Sunday WBTV will air two movies, including one featuring Andy Griffith as Matlock.

``Everyone I know - even non-Natives - watched those two nights,'' McKnight said of part one and two of the series.

``I know at least 30 Native Americans have called (WBTV) this morning because the show isn't going to air as scheduled,'' said McKnight, who plans to notify other local Native American groups such as the Metrolina Native American Association.

McKnight said she wants people to be aware of the way local stations decide what the public will see. In the case of ``500 Nations'' she thinks the local station made the wrong decision. There is a large representation of Native Americans in the Charlotte area including Blackfoot, Catawba, Cherokee, Coharie, Creek, Crow, Haliwi Saponi, Lakota Sioux, Lumbee, Meherrin, Navaho, Seminole, Seneca, Tuscarora, and Waccamaw-Siouan, McKnight said.

``Everyone will be sitting down to watch it and it won't be on,'' she said.

A number of networks have broadcast shows about Native Americans in recent months including The Discovery Channel, PBS and Turner Broadcasting Systems, she said.

``The local station has left us hanging,'' McKnight said. ``If it was another minority group that had a strong representation here in Charlotte . . . they would run it.'' 

A Special Afternoon for Charlotte Students Teamed with Special Athletes

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-04-28
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

It took more than an hour to coax 16-year-old Erica Greene to throw her softball during the Special Olympics competition Thursday.

But Erica and her student buddy Laurie MacMillan had a good time along the way. ``I like to be a buddy because it's one-on-one with the athlete . . . it makes you feel really good,'' said Laurie, a senior at Charlotte Country Day. More than 900 physically and mentally disabled students will compete in the two-day Charlotte-Mecklenburg Special Olympics, which continues today with events including jumping, swimming and track.

Another 2,500 people from various businesses and groups in the community volunteered as buddies, timers and coaches.

Winners go on to state competition. The first N.C. state games were in 1970 with 400 athletes. Now, about 23,000 athletes participate at the local level each year. This is Country Day's 12th year hosting the spring games and Laurie's fourth year as a buddy. ``The first time you're . . . so overwhelmed with the responsibility, but after you've done this for a while you can be personal with them and have fun,'' said Laurie.

At 10 a.m., Laurie and a few friends walked up to buses of athletes arriving from Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Metro School to pair up with students. ``They pick you,'' explained Laurie.

Erica, who's just shy of 5 feet tall with short brown hair and big brown eyes, stepped off the bus and eyed the volunteers. It didn't take long for her to decide on Laurie, who was wearing a white Country Day T-shirt and a big smile.

``Look at Erica's fingernails - they're painted,'' Laurie said to her friends. Erica smiled, held out her hands and wiggled her red fingertips. They hugged.

Erica was scheduled to run a race and throw a softball but she was nervous about competing. She decided instead to talk to the Country Day students posing as clowns. Their painted faces, polka-dot suits, and balloons intrigued Erica, who was determined to meet all 15 of them.

``Let's go to your event,'' said Laurie.  Erica shook her head no.

``It'll be fun,'' said Laurie.

``Only watch,'' said Erica.

``Come on,'' said Laurie, hooking arms with Erica.  The two of them ran down a grassy hill.

``We're going to the softball throw now,'' said Laurie.  She finally got Erica to toss the ball.

``Throw it Erica, throw it as hard as you can!'' said the clown.  

Erica threw the ball a few feet and looked at Laurie. ``I'm so proud of you. You did great!'' Laurie said.

The next time Erica threw the ball a bit farther. She didn't win the contest, but on her final throw she achieved a personal victory. The ball finally crossed the yellow line at the end of the field.

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-04-22
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1D

WIDOWER'S GRAVESIDE TOKENS STOLEN

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

It's a 2-mile trip from Robert Deaton's house to the cemetery where his wife of 47 years, Eleanor McKnight Deaton, was buried last year.

Deaton, 68, visits Eleanor's grave two times every day - once in the morning and once in the afternoon. He often brings tokens of his affection. They often disappear. 

The first thing to vanish was a white ceramic angel, about 6 inches tall. The angel was placed on Eleanor's grave a few days after her Oct. 7 burial at Sharon Memorial Park in Charlotte. By the month's end it was gone.

``I thought maybe some kids took it,'' said Deaton.

So he bought a 10-inch gold angel to take its place. The gold one was weatherproof and attached to a stake. ``I paid $19 for it and it didn't last two days,'' said Deaton, who began bringing fresh flowers to his wife's grave instead.

Diane Kiker, general manager of Sharon Memorial Park on Monroe Road, said theft is ``normally not a problem'' there.

Not a problem, maybe, but police do have logs of complaints of property damage and thefts at Sharon Memorial Park and other Charlotte cemeteries. Police records show two burglaries and six larcenies - three for over $200 - reported at Sharon Memorial Park since 1992. That doesn't include Deaton's thefts; he didn't report them to police.

``You're going to have isolated cases,'' said Kiker, who admitted that ``even if one flower is missing, yes, that's a tragedy.''

Deaton, a retired salesman for Sunbeam bread, was a devoted spouse. He stood by his wife through 30 years of Crohn's Disease, an intestinal disorder, and five years of cancer.

``I still have feelings,'' he said. ``The feelings don't just end.''

He wanted to do something special for Valentine's Day. He made a swinging flowerpot and stand out of wrought iron and spray-painted them gold.

On a misty Valentine's Day morning, Deaton drove the stand more than a foot into the dirt at Sharon Memorial Park. ``I tried to pull it up myself and couldn't,'' he said. He placed five roses in the flowerpot and tied a red velvet heart with the words ``I love you'' on the stand.

His heartfelt memorial vanished just like the angels in two weeks' time. ``It's someone who has no respect,'' he said.

Deaton reported the thefts to the memorial park. He said he thinks they should put a fence around the cemetery.

It's sad people will take things from a cemetery, said Kiker, ``but if we put up a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, I don't think the families would appreciate it.''

Kiker speculated that Eleanor Deaton's grave may be more vulnerable to thefts because it is close to the road - about 30 to 40 feet away from north Sharon Amity.

Deaton said he's not the only one having problems. In December a woman taped a note to a marker near Eleanor's, which read: ``Please do not remove this Christmas tree from this grave.''

``I don't have enough money to offer a reward,'' said Deaton. ``I could replace the angels but not this stand that I made especially for her . . . if they could just bring it back I would appreciate it.'' 

Staff photo by GARY O'BRIEN: Grief sharpened: Robert Deaton, still mourning the loss of his wife last October to lung cancer, is hurting again because of the theft of items from her grave in Sharon Memorial Park at Monroe and Sharon Amity Roads. 

Attention, Dog Owners

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-04-21
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

Vets see surge in parvovirus

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Veterinarians are warning pet owners - particularly those with puppies - to beware of canine parvovirus.

Parvo is a highly contagious virus that is transmitted from dog to dog through feces. It attacks the lining of the intestines and initial symptoms include listlessness, diarrhea and lack of appetite. Young adult dogs and puppies are most susceptible to the disease, which can be prevented by vaccinations. 

Veterinarians at Animal Medical Hospital on Monroe Road said they have seen more than the expected number of parvo cases in the past two months. The hospital has six puppies, all of which have the disease, in isolation.

``It is uncommon to see so many cases so early,'' said Dr. Richard Coe of Animal Medical Hospital. He said he was sad to see a puppy with a preventable disease die in his examination room Sunday. The owner didn't get treatment soon enough, he said.

``It seems we are seeing an epidemic right now,'' Coe said.

Dr. Bob Messenger, a veterinarian at Emergency Veterinary Clinic on Elizabeth Avenue, said the clinic ran out of test kits after seeing 10 dogs with parvo symptoms over the weekend. It's normal to see a seasonal increase in the disease, he said.

``I'm of the opinion . . . it's pandemic,'' said Messenger. There are more cases of parvo because of the ``spring crop of puppies,'' he said.

``We have seen a few more cases than usual,'' said Lori Bond, office manager for Dr. K.T. Armstrong of Monroe Animal Hospital in Monroe. ``Recently, we had an older dog come in with parvo, which is very unusual,'' she said.

If owners know what to watch for, they may save some puppies' lives.

A pet's reluctance to eat is one of the first symptoms. ``Dogs may not want to eat much and may start drooling,'' said Coe. Later they become listless and develop diarrhea. Pet owners may mistake these signs to mean a puppy simply has an upset stomach. But if your pet has these symptoms and has not been protected, putting off a visit to the vet isn't a good idea.

``A lot can happen in 12 to 48 hours,'' said Coe. If it's parvo, vomiting and foul-smelling bloody diarrhea will follow the initial symptoms. Infected dogs are in danger of dehydration and need to be hospitalized.

``If the owner brings them in fast enough and we start treatment . . . we're able to save 85 percent to 90 percent,'' Coe said.

Parvo is an expensive disease to treat - $350 to $700, Coe said. Hospital stays typically last five to seven days and patients must be isolated. Dogs must be fed intravenously 24 hours a day, given antibiotics for infection and injections to stop the vomiting and diarrhea.

Muriel Williams didn't pay attention to the recommendations of veterinarians and ended up paying $610 to save the life of Hershey, her Labrador retriever.

``They tell you your dog needs this, your dog needs that, but the only thing I gave a lot of credence to was the rabies shot,'' Williams said.

Williams did have Hershey vaccinated against parvo. What she didn't do was keep Hershey out of public places until she was fully vaccinated.

``I took her to the park. I let her play with other dogs. . . . We had even started obedience school,'' she said.

It took a while for Hershey's personality to return. ``She came home really mad and really scared,'' said Williams. ``She was in a cage; she had needles in her constantly. I thought she'd be happy to see me, but you can't explain to a dog we're doing this in your best interest.

``You feel so sorry for the dog. . . . We should have been a little more careful.''   

***********************************************************************

Canine parvovirus

The virus, which is highly contagious, attacks the lining of a dog's intestines. Young adult dogs and puppies are most susceptible to the disease, which can be prevented by vaccinations.

Symptoms as the virus progresses:

* Lack of appetite

* Listlessness

* Diarrhea

* Vomiting

* Severe bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea

How to prevent canine parvovirus

* Have your puppy vaccinated about every three weeks beginning at 6 weeks old and ending at 16 weeks old.

* Don't take your puppy to the park or places frequented by dogs who may not be vaccinated until your puppy is fully vaccinated.

* Treatment for canine parvovirus includes: hospitalization, isolation from other animals, antibiotics, injections to stop vomiting and diarrhea, and intravenous feeding.

- Compiled by Deborah Parkhill Mullis  

Staff photo by MARK B. SLUDER: IV treatment: Little Boy, a 6-month-old pit bull mix, receives an intravenous feeding as part of treatment for canine parvovirus at the veterinarian's office. Little Boy is Steve 

Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-04-03
Section: MAIN NEWS
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 4A

COURT BUFF SENDS JUDGE LANCE ITO A LITTLE MEMENTO

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

Michael Earnhardt is an admitted ``trial-o-holic.'' So obsessed is he with the O.J. Simpson trial that he's taken seven vacation days to see the testimony of principal witnesses.

``I've taken two days of vacation to watch Mark Fuhrman,'' he said of the Los Angeles police detective who withstood a grilling by the defense. 

While engrossed in the coverage, something caught Earnhardt's eye - the hourglass collection Judge Lance Ito displays in court.

The 52-year-old Charlottean said he decided to send Ito an hourglass to add to his collection in recognition of the work he's doing.

``Judge Ito has been the subject of a good bit of criticism,'' he said. ``There seems to be an awful lot of armchair judges. If these critics would have been given the chance to do his job, I don't think they would have done as well.''

Earnhardt, who works for the Interstate/Johnson Lane Inc. brokerage firm, is something of an armchair attorney himself.

``I'd love to be a courtroom attorney sitting third chair,'' he said, ``the one who sits back and studies the witnesses' strained expressions, raised eyebrows and contradictions in tonality. I'd do the research and give advice to the first chair.''

Watching for those details on TV in his Yorkmont Road living room, he spotted the hourglasses.

``I've noticed perhaps 20 he's displayed. He's rotated them around a little bit . . . keeping three to four sitting out on his side bar,'' he said.

A spokeswoman for Ito said he keeps them there for no special reason. He just likes them.

After scrutinizing the collection on TV, Earnhardt set out to find the perfect addition.

It wasn't easy finding one in Charlotte. ``There's really no demand for them,'' he said.

Earnhardt finally bought an hourglass through an antiques dealer. It cost $36.

``The gift is a small recognition of the excellent results which you are achieving in such an extremely difficult courtroom situation,'' Earnhardt wrote in a March 8 letter to Ito. Earnhardt said the antiques dealer assured him it was an antique, but there was no certificate of authenticity. ``Therefore, you be the judge,'' he wrote Ito.

On March 15, Earnhardt saw the hourglass on Ito's side bar on television and videotaped it.

``I was absolutely thrilled. That day it was the new one that had never been on TV before and it seemed to have the place of honor nearest to the American flag,'' he said.

Soon afterward, a letter of thanks arrived.

Earnhardt said he admires Ito because he is presiding over one of the nation's most famous murder trials while it's being televised around the world.

``He is doing something that has never been done in the history of the world,'' Earnhardt said.

Judge Ito's letter

March 13, 1995

Dear Mr. Earnhardt,

I was both touched and encouraged to receive the beautiful hour-glass and kind note. It will make a wonderful addition to my collection of hour-glasses and I look forward to displaying it along with the others. Your exceptional thoughtfulness in purchasing this lovely antique for me is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Lance A. Ito 

1.Earnhardt. 2.CNN photo: Gift from a Charlottean: The antique hourglass sent to Judge Lance Ito by Michael Earnhardt of Charlotte was displayed on Ito's side bar March 15. It's the one closest to the American flag.