The Littleton Methodist Church will continue their Haiti Relief Disaster collection every Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.  You can drop your contributions off at the Littleton Methodist Church Fellowship Hall (next to the post office).

They are also looking for volunteers to help sort and pack. We never know who will show up to help. If you have some time, 30 min or 3 hours please drop by. If we have a good group of volunteers you are not obligated to stay the 3 hrs.

According to Sherman Merchant all the news shows focus on shelter (tarps and rope) and health kits. New camps are being separated from the city and each other as a stop epidemic measure. They need to keep personally clean (health kits) and have a shelter site which has been planned and built to stop the spread of cholera, dysentery etc. which thrive in crowded areas with poor sanitation. Their rainy, hot, mosquito season is fast approaching.

The need is now focusing on food, shelter and health kits.  Their cooking is basic stuff.  We should provide food to match. For food let's try to gather rice and beans, caned veggies & meats with pull tabs to mix in and make a "stew". Baby food in plastic containers - please no glass.

Please hold off on the fruit, gourmet stuff and snack foods.  Vitamin pills (which are scored to break in half), they will either be thrown in the stew or broken in half for kids. These people are trying to stay alive, not have a party.

If you are planning in bringing clothes, (although the above items are more important) please, only summer clothes. Look in the background of the news show photos. The people are wearing tee shirts, shorts and flip-flops or sneakers for shoes. Keep your donations simple with things they can use right now. Next year is literally a life time away for these people.

Cash or checks are also readily accepted.

If you cannot make the times as shown or want additional information call Sherman Merchant 252-586-7866 or shermanmerchant@gmail.com or Richard Sherman  252-586-4832  or diknsue@centurylink.net.

The church thanks you for your caring, your prayers and the items you have donated to help the Haitian people.

Haiti Relief Disaster Collection
items click here

By Maurice Emery

Funeral services for Mason Hawfield have been announced.  A memorial service for the former Mayor of Littleton will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 11 a.m. at St. Albans Episcopal Church in Littleton with the Committal Service immediately following at Sunset Hills Cemetery in Littleton, N.C.

The Mayors death has taken many people by surprise.  He was active and interested in the town up until the end.  His final days were spent at his and wife, Sally’s, home in Littleton. 

Many people have commented that it was nice that Mason’s retirement reception was held last December.  Town citizens, employees, commissioners, new Mayor Betty Willis, and other state politicians representing the Littleton area gathered to thank him for a job well and his service to the community.    At that time he received several gifts and awards recognizing his 50 years of service to the citizens and the town of Littleton. 

Mason received recognition in several ways.  Mayor Willis, town commissioners and employees of the town thanked him for his leadership and presented him with a plaque.  A formal certificate of acknowledgement and congratulations from the NC House of Representatives was presented by State Representative Lucy Allen and Angela Bryant.

A State Senate Award from Walter Dalton, President of the NC Senate, was presented by State Senator Ed Jones. 

Governor Perdue conferred on Mason Hawfield The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary privileged to enjoy fully all rights granted to members of this exalted order, among which is the special privilege to propose the following North Carolina Toast in selected company anywhere in the free world.  This award that must be earned by providing at least thirty years of outstanding contributions to the state, is never just given. The award is sometimes referred to as the highest honor the Governor is allowed to bestow on a NC citizen.  Other notable recipients of the award were slidesCharles Kuralt, Michael Jordan, Bill Graham, Hugh Morton and other famous North Carolinians.

Last July the Mayor announced that he would not be seeking reelection to his long held office. This opened the door for the election of a new Mayor, Betty Willis.  Betty spent many years with Mason.  Betty stated, “I’m going to miss my Mayor and my friend.”  She also stated, “I worked with him for almost 13 years.  He was a lot of help to me.”

His life started in Washington, DC on September 25, 1932.  He graduated from high school at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1952 and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1955 where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.  While stationed at Virginia Beach, Va., he was married to Lillian “Ann” Robinson Hawfield from 1955 until her death in 1996.

Mason moved to Littleton in early 1957. Later that year he started his political career when he was asked to replace Town Commissioner WW Johnson who resigned because of health issues.

Sally Hawfield stated that Mason was deservedly proud of his work in founding the Lake Gaston Medical Clinic, now part of the Rural Health Group.  He had talked at his retirement party of how the town’s two doctors died in close proximity to one another, leaving a medical void. He felt that Lake Gaston and the town would be well served with a local medical clinic.

Later, the Lake Gaston Medical Clinic Hawfield-Wharton Scholarship fund was established.  He was known for keeping taxes in line and improving life for all the towns’ people. 

At his retirement party he talked about his appreciation and love for his wife Sally and their kids.  He also honored is first wife Ann.  People around Littleton had only good things to say about the man that many have known as the only Mayor of Littleton.