Clock dedicated to Hal Plonk
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on April 21, 2005 1:49 PM
A 16-foot high, four-faced "street clock" was dedicated to the memory of the late Hal Plonk and his wife, Madeline, during a ceremony Wednes-day at Wayne Community College.
Plonk was mayor of Goldsboro for 22 years, serving until his death in December 2001. Mrs. Plonk died in 2003. Both were long-time educators.
At one time, Plonk was the director of the Goldsboro Industrial Education Center, which eventually became Wayne Community College.
News-Argus/Mitch Loeber
Goldsboro City Councilman Bob Waller unveils a plaque honoring the late Hal Plonk.
Plonk loved clocks, said family and friends. His father and grandfather were clock-makers.
The clock is a fitting tribute to two people who served their community for so many years, said Dan Krautheim, the senior vice president of the college.
About 100 people attended the dedication ceremony. The clock, which has a carillon and emergency siren, is located in the center of campus.
Former city manager Richard Slozak called the late mayor "a public servant in the true meaning of the word."
Warren Plonk said his parents would have been proud of the clock and the honors bestowed upon them. The elder Plonk could not have received a better birthday gift, he said. Wednesday would have been his father's birthday.
The younger Plonk said his parents were a team. His mother supported his father's political career, he said, and kept a close eye on her husband while he presided over City Council meetings.
"Often, I'd hear Mom tell Dad on a Sunday night when he was preparing for a council meeting, 'Hal, don't you lose your temper. I'll be watching.' He'd come back and say, 'Did I say it all right?'"