70-668: Soul City is a community in Warren County , North Carolina , United States. It was a planned community first proposed in 1969 by Floyd McKissick , a civil rights leader and director of the Congress of Racial Equality . Funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development , Soul City was one of thirteen model city projects under the Urban Growth and New Community Development Act . It
140-540: A Government Accountability Office audit. Since that time, the city has grown somewhat, but not to the size originally planned. The former Soultech 1 building was purchased by the adjoining Warren County Correctional Institution for expansion. A number of new homes have been constructed. The lawsuits, negative media coverage, and mainly the lack of industries moving into Warren County eventually caused HUD to pull its funding for Soul City in June 1979. Soul City has not reached
210-401: A landfill and birthplace of the environmental justice movement. As of the 2020 census , its population was 18,642. Its county seat is Warrenton . It was a center of tobacco and cotton plantations, education, and later textile mills. The county was established in 1779 from the northern half of Bute County . It was named for Joseph Warren of Massachusetts , a physician and general in
280-443: A "programming service" which primarily carries acquired programming. Pax TV , a venture of Paxson Communications , debuted on August 31, 1998, as an attempted seventh broadcast network to compete against UPN and The WB; although Pax carried a limited schedule of first-run programs in its early years, its schedule otherwise was composed mainly of syndicated reruns. Pax TV later rebranded to i: Independent Television in 2005, before it
350-516: A 1,800 site in Warren County. Named the Circle P Ranch, the land was a cattle and timber farm owned by Leon Perry, who was losing money and eager to sell. Once a tobacco plantation, it contained woods, pastures, creeks, old agricultural buildings, centered around a historic manor house . Warren County was a majority black rural area facing economic downturn. It was the third poorest county in
420-527: A 25-percent stake, split at nominal 12.5-percent stakes for both companies. Under Nexstar, The CW also began to broaden its programming to include national news (primarily via collaborations with Nexstar-owned cable news channel NewsNation ) and sports programming, Fox launched MyNetworkTV at the same time as The CW, with a lineup of English language telenovelas ; it later shifted toward unscripted programs and movies, though its persistent lack of ratings success led News Corporation in 2009 to convert it to
490-410: A Sunday night lineup for all but its first half-season on the air. In 1998, Tribune launched The WB 100+ Station Group in 1998, a programming service primarily intended for smaller markets. Both networks mainly aired only prime time and children's programming. The latter was the only form of weekday daytime programming offered by either one, although UPN discontinued its children's lineup in 2003 at
560-457: A collection of villages oriented around a core area. Soul City was intended to be a new town built from the ground up and open to all races, while placing an emphasis on providing opportunities for minorities and the poor. It was also designed to be a means of reversing out-migration of minorities and the poor to urban areas; the opportunities Soul City provided, such as jobs, education, housing, training, and other social services would help lessen
630-495: A community where all races could live in harmony. McKissick believed the way to improve the economic situation of African Americans at that time was through black capitalism . He said, "Unless the Black Man attains economic independence, any political independence will be an illusion. Richard Nixon supported Black capitalism, and McKissick backed Nixon in his 1972 re-election in efforts to get more funding from HUD . In 1972,
700-536: A company which was supposed to "create and distribute profits to millions of black Americans" by investing in and providing technical advice to black-run businesses. It invested in a variety of projects. Following the promulgation of the New Communities Act , McKissick tasked his staff with drafting a plan for a new city in the South, figuring that new planned community there would attract more interest if it
770-415: A depressed area" and "helping to stem the flood of migrants to the already over-crowded and decaying cities". While insisting that Soul City would "be open to residents of all colors", he emphasized that the town would generate "new careers for black people" and that it would "be an attempt to move into the future, a future where black people welcome white people as equals". McKissick's announcement generated
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#1732772195817840-763: A few local television stations, but they quickly affiliated with other stations to cover almost the entire U.S. by the late 1950s. Several of these stations affiliated with all three major networks and DuMont, or some combination of the four, in markets where only one or two television stations operated in the early years of commercial television; this resulted in several network shows, often those with lower national viewership, receiving scattershot market clearances, since in addition to maintaining limited broadcast schedules early on, affiliates that shoehorned programming from many networks had to also make room for locally produced content. As other stations signed on in larger cities, ABC, NBC, and CBS were eventually able to carry at least
910-647: A few markets. In the 21st century, the "Big Four" have controlled only a relatively small portion of the broadcasting market in the United States. By 2007, their collective share was estimated at a combined 32%. The Big Three's market share has declined considerably as a result of growing competition from other broadcast networks such as Ion Television, The CW, and MyNetworkTV; Spanish language networks such as Univision , UniMás , and Telemundo ; national cable and satellite channels such as TNT , ESPN , and AMC ; and streaming channels such as Netflix . Each of
980-492: A five-member board of commissioners . County commissioners are elected at-large to staggered four-year terms and represent one of five single-member districts. The commission hires a county manager to serve as the chief administrative officer for county government and who is responsible for executing the commission's policies. Warren County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments . It
1050-427: A household in the county was $ 28,351, and the median income for a family was $ 33,602. Males had a median income of $ 26,928 versus $ 20,787 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 14,716. About 15.70% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line , including 24.90% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over. Warren County has a council-manager government , governed by
1120-499: A mix of programs from both predecessors, as well as some newer shows after the launch. The last surviving series of The CW's predecessors — Supernatural , from The WB — continued until its finale on The CW in 2020. Nexstar Media Group acquired a 75-percent ownership stake in The CW on October 3, 2022; former joint owners Paramount Global ( successor to CBS Corporation) and Warner Bros. Discovery (successor to Time Warner) retained
1190-640: A significant amount of media attention, with the Big Three television networks each covering it on their evening news programs and The Washington Post reporting on it in a front page story. Some outlets, such as The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer , expressed skepticism at the economic viability of the project, while others such as the Greensboro Daily News and journalist Claude Sitton feared that it would manifest itself as an experiment in black separatism and clash with
1260-546: A sizable portion of their programming on one station. Of the four original networks, only DuMont did not have a corresponding radio network. Ironically, the fourth major radio network of the Golden Age of Radio era, the Mutual Broadcasting System , which maintained a long time extensive news reporting unit up to the 1980s, had briefly considered the idea of transitioning with expansion and launching
1330-552: A stake in the Overmyer Network in 1967 (resulting in a branding change to "The United Network"), but other than a single late-night talk show, The Las Vegas Show , which lasted one month, that network never made it to its full launch. For most of the history of television in the United States, the Big Three dominated, controlling the vast majority of television broadcasting. DuMont ceased regular programming in 1955;
1400-629: A television network , with consideration being made to have film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer supply programming talent. In fact the former Bamberger Broadcasting 's local stations WOR-TV (currently in Secaucus, New Jersey , serving metropolitan New York City ) and WOIC (later WTOP-TV, now WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. ) - both stations affiliated with Mutual, the latter with a Washington, D.C. video outlet - maintained stationery letterhead with " Mutual Television " decorating their identifications. It
1470-476: A textile company, is a major manufacturing employer in the county. Education in the area is provided by Warren County Public Schools. Vance-Granville Community College maintains a satellite campus in the county. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 15.2 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education. Warren County townships are: Big Three (American television) History of: From
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#17327721958171540-435: A third hour of prime time , or late-night talk shows . Other networks eventually launched in an attempt to compete with the Big Three as well as Fox, although these "netlets" have been unable to ascend to the same level of success. The WB and UPN launched in 1995; like Fox, they both added nights of prime time programming over the course of a few years, although The WB was the only one that aired any on weekends, carrying
1610-592: Is land and 14.91 square miles (38.6 km ) (3.36%) is water. It is bordered by the North Carolina counties of Franklin , Halifax , Nash , Northampton , and Vance , and the Virginia counties of Brunswick and Mecklenburg . It sits in the northeastern section of the state's Piedmont region and lies within the Roanoke and Tar-Pamlico river basins. Haliwa-Saponi Native Americans reside primarily in
1680-576: Is located entirely in the North Carolina Senate 's 3rd district , the North Carolina House of Representatives ' 27th district , and North Carolina's 1st congressional district . Warren County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 11th Prosecutorial District, the 9th Superior Court District, and the 9th District Court District. In recent years, Warren County has struggled with poverty and low wages. Glen Raven,
1750-524: Is not considered part of the Big Three. Among Fox's differences with the Big Three is its reduced weekday programming. It lacks national morning and evening news programs; Fox has a news division consisting of cable and radio operations, but does not provide content for the broadcast television network other than a weekly news analysis program , limited special breaking news reports and an affiliate news service for its stations called Fox News Edge. Fox does not feature any daytime programming on weekdays,
1820-510: The 2000 census , there were 19,972 people, 7,708 households, and 5,449 families living in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18 people/km ). There were 10,548 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 54.49% Black or African American , 38.90% White , 4.79% Native American , 0.13% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.79% from other races , and 0.88% from two or more races. 1.59% of
1890-576: The American Revolutionary War who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill . The county seat was designated at Warrenton later that year. In 1786, part of Granville County was moved to Warren. Developed as a tobacco and cotton farming area, Warrenton became a center of commerce and was one of the wealthiest towns in the state from 1840 to 1860. Many planters built fine homes there. Along with its slave population, Warren had one of
1960-528: The NTA Film Network , unusual in that its programming, all pre-recorded, was distributed by mail instead of through communications wires, signed on in 1956 and lasted until 1961. From 1961, and lasting until the early 1990s, there were only three major networks. Every hit series appearing in the Nielsen top 20 television programs and every successful commercial network telecast of a major feature film
2030-501: The North Carolina Anvil , attacked the plan for relying too much on capitalism, which they considered exploitative and predisposed to enrich the project's leaders while unlikely to provide any long term benefit to poor blacks. Response from black newspapers was generally optimistic, and McKissick received some favorable correspondence from blacks around the country. Several black leaders and activists expressed skepticism at
2100-575: The " Big Three ". The three networks' dominance was interrupted with the launch of Fox (the Fox Broadcasting Company, "the Searchlight Network") in 1986, leading it to join them as one of the expanded " Big Four ", while the viewership shares of all the major broadcast networks declined over the following years. The National Broadcasting Company and Columbia Broadcasting System were both founded as radio networks in
2170-521: The 1920s, with NBC eventually encompassing two national radio networks, the prestige Red Network and the lower-profile Blue Network . They gradually began experimental television stations in the 1930s, with commercial broadcasts being allowed by the Federal Communications Commission on July 1, 1941. In 1943, the U.S. government determined that NBC's two-network setup was anticompetitive and forced it to spin off one of
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2240-850: The 1950s to the 1980s, during the network era of American television, there were three commercial broadcast television networks – NBC (the National Broadcasting Company, "the Peacock Network"), CBS (the Columbia Broadcasting System, "the Eye Network"), ABC (the American Broadcasting Company, "the Alphabet Network") – that due to their longevity and ratings success are informally referred to as
2310-479: The 1970s, and this was the first time since the Reconstruction Era . In 1980, 35 housing units, a clinic, a tennis court, and a pool had been developed. About 150 people were employed in the city. Warren County, North Carolina Warren County is a county located in the northeastern Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina , on the northern border with Virginia , made famous for
2380-579: The 20th century. In 1881, parts of Warren County, Franklin County and Granville County were combined to form Vance County . The 1970s recession in the United States severely impacted Warren County. By 1980, it was one of the poorest counties in the state, with unemployment peaking in 1982 at 13.3 percent. The county pushed for industrial development to ameliorate struggles in the agricultural sector without much success. From 1990 to 2016, manufacturing employment rates declined by about two-thirds. Since
2450-480: The Big Four (to Five) networks is now owned by a media conglomerate , providing corporate synergy with various cable channels, a major film studio , a companion streaming service, and other sibling media assets. NBC is owned by NBCUniversal , a Comcast company (whose assets include Universal Pictures , Peacock , Universal Destinations & Experiences , E! , MSNBC , and Golf Channel ), since 2004, CBS and
2520-580: The Raleigh News & Observer falsely accused McKissick of fraud and corruption and a congressional audit of the development stalled progress for nine months, only to clear Soul City of the charges leveled against it. By 1974, pioneering families moved to Soul City and steady progress was apparent in the laying of water and sewer lines, construction of roads, a day care center, a health care center, and early construction of "Soul Tech I" (with 52,000 square feet of industrial space). Soul City's decline
2590-434: The ambitions McKissick planned for. However, there are still some positive outcomes from the project. Soul City brought the first health care facility to the residents of Warren County, a three-county water system, and a sewage disposal system. There was significant out-migration of African Americans from the south to northern cities. However, after Soul City was created, more African Americans moved to North Carolina than out in
2660-494: The business community, negatively portrayed McKissick as a lawyer with a lavish lifestyle. The Journal damaged McKissick's name and identity, which negatively impacted his efforts in bringing in new industry. The city failed to reach its initial ambitions. Lawsuits and investigations into the use of funds by the Soul City Company, the city's developers, resulted in foreclosure in 1979 despite eventually being cleared by
2730-407: The city received a grant of $ 14 million from HUD based on plans of attracting industry as well as developing residential housing and by the late 1970s, the city had received more than $ 19 million federal funds with an additional $ 8 million from state and local sources. The U.S. Senator Jesse Helms , repeatedly attacked the project as a boondoggle and a waste of taxpayer money. A series of articles in
2800-459: The conclusion of a content deal with Disney, and UPN aired sports programming via the short-lived XFL , as well as WWF SmackDown! . While The WB and UPN each had a few popular series during their existences, they struggled for overall viewership and financial losses. This led their respective parent companies, Time Warner and CBS Corporation , to shut them down and jointly launch The CW and The CW Plus in 2006. The CW initially featured
2870-446: The construction of the disposal site. While the demonstrations did not halt the creation of the landfill, the site was eventually detoxified, and a significant amount of historiographic literature attributes the start of the modern environmental justice movement to the protests. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 444.30 square miles (1,150.7 km ), of which 429.39 square miles (1,112.1 km )
Soul City, North Carolina - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-408: The economic uncertainty of the country. The HUD's new town programs were signed and launched during the country's economic downturn. Some argue that Soul City as well as other new town programs would have succeeded if there had not been an economic recession. Michael Spear, the former general manager of the new town of Columbia, Maryland , commented that "launching a new towns program in the early 1970s
3010-471: The financing necessary to purchase Perry's ranch. After making unsuccessful entreaties to several institutions, he met with executives of Chase Bank and asked them to lend him $ 390,000. They eventually agreed to loan him $ 200,000 out of an affiliated bank in Lumberton . Unable to secure an additional bank loan, McKissick agreed to purchase the land with a loan from Perry for the remainder of the balance with
3080-408: The integrationist goals of the civil rights movement. McKissick, though continuing to emphasize the role blacks would play in the project, was incensed by the characterization of his project as separatist, telling one newspaper, "This is neither integration nor segregation, but letting black people do what ever they damn please, and go where they please." Some progressives, such as Elizabeth Tornquist of
3150-538: The largest free black populations in antebellum North Carolina. The county's economy declined after the American Civil War , though its large black population briefly exercised significant political influence during the Reconstruction era. Warren's economy, like those of its neighboring counties in northeastern North Carolina, continued to struggle until it gained some manufacturing businesses in
3220-623: The late 20th century, county residents have worked to attract other industrial and business development. Soul City , a " planned community " development, was funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It has not been successful in attracting business and industry, and has not developed as much housing as intended. In 1978, a transformer manufacturer contracted a trucking company to illegally dump polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alongside roads in North Carolina. The state of North Carolina assumed responsibility for cleaning up
3290-405: The longer-established networks, becoming the second most-watched network behind CBS during the 2000s. During the 2007–08 season, Fox was the highest-rated of the major broadcast networks, as well as the first non-Big Three network to reach first place, but it lost the spot in the 2008–09 season and dropped to a close second. From 2004 to 2012 and 2020 to 2021, Fox also dominated American television in
3360-443: The lucrative and viewer-rich 18–49 age demographics, in large part due to the success of its NFL coverage and its top rated prime time program, American Idol . Given the network's success in its prime time and sports offerings, it has been occasionally included with the Big Three, in which case the phrase "Big Four" is used. Although Fox has firmly established itself as the nation's fourth major network with its ratings success, it
3430-498: The migration. The city was planned to contain three villages housing 18,000 people by 1989. Soul City was projected to have 24,000 jobs and 44,000 inhabitants by 2004. It was intended to include industry and retail development for jobs, as well as residential housing and services. The plan was for residents to work, get schooling, shop, receive health care, and worship in town. Soul City was the first new town to be organized by African-American businesses. McKissick envisioned Soul City as
3500-542: The networks; NBC chose to sell the Blue Network operations, which eventually became the American Broadcasting Company. All three networks began regular, commercial television broadcasts in the 1940s. NBC and CBS began commercial operations in 1941, followed by ABC in 1948. A smaller fourth network, the DuMont Television Network , launched in 1944. The three networks originally controlled only
3570-420: The option interest to McKissick Enterprises. On January 13, McKissick held a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman to announce his intent to build a planned community called "Soul City" in Warren County. McKissick argued that the project would help ameliorate issues of black outmigration from the South and urban decay in major American cities by "helping to put new life into
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#17327721958173640-648: The pollution, and in December 1978, the state government purchased land in the Warren County community of Afton to establish a landfill to dispose of the chemical waste. Local residents began organizing to protest the planned disposal site, arguing better disposal options existed and that a hazardous waste facility would undercut the county's ability to attracted new industry. National civil rights organizations and politicians became involved, and about 500 protestors were arrested in September 1982 for attempting to obstruct
3710-442: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 7,708 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
3780-415: The promise that he would pay it off within a year. He officially received the deed for the property on February 21, 1969. Securing some additional funding from Rhode Island businessman Irving Fain, McKissick then reluctantly sought out grants from the federal government. A few months later the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development granted $ 243,000 to the state of North Carolina which, with
3850-540: The property's potential owing to low regional labor costs—which were beneficial to attracting industry, its geographic centrality relative to major urban centers within 500 miles, and its proximity to U.S. Route 1 and the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . There were also adjacent tracts amounting to—in Clayton's estimation—5,000 acres which could be further acquired. Kerr Lake , several miles away,
3920-481: The proposal, such as National Urban League director Whitney Young . Reactions in Warren County were mixed, with many locals surprised by McKissick's announcement. Perry received death threats for offering the sale to McKissick and briefly fled to Florida. In the weeks following his press conference, McKissick retained architecture firm Ifill Johnson Hanchard to design Soul City and a consulting firm to provide economic analysis. He focused most of his efforts on securing
3990-431: The quiet support of Governor Bob Scott , forwarded over half of the money to McKissick's newly-established Warren Regional Planning Corporation. Chase Bank also extended McKissick $ 200,000 in additional credit. Confronted with Ifill Johnson Hanchard's lack of expertise in urban planning, McKissick hired Harvey Gantt to plan Soul City. Heavily influenced by the layout of Columbia, Maryland , Gantt envision Soul City to be
4060-399: The rest of the decade, the country went through " stagflation ", "the simultaneous burden of inflation and unemployment." The state of the national economy made many industrial companies cautious of expanding. The Soul City Company (SCC) reported that CC Grander, a utility company and Burlington Industries , a textile company both had plans to move to Soul City but halted their expansion during
4130-407: The rules allowed Fox affiliates to force their way onto cable lineups, and the network's affiliation deal with New World Communications , which it later purchased in 1996, and the acquisition of National Football League broadcast rights brought a wave of new Fox affiliates. Since its founding, Fox has surpassed ABC and NBC in the ratings during the early primetime hours in which it competes against
4200-500: The southeastern portions of the county. As of the 2020 census , there were 18,642 people, 7,786 households, and 4,589 families residing in the county. The county's population declined between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. At the 2010 census , there were 20,972 people living in the county. 52.3% were Black or African American , 38.8% White , 5.0% Native American , 0.2% Asian , 2.0% of some other race and 1.6% of two or more races . 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). At
4270-408: The state and was experiencing the largest population decline in the state. Educational attainment rates were low. Services and utilities in the area near the ranch were minimal. The house was serviced by electricity and the site had several wells and septic tanks, but there was no centralized water or sewage access and only one proximate paved road. Despite these problems, McKissick felt optimistic about
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#17327721958174340-400: Was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for
4410-601: Was aired by one of the Big Three networks. A viable fourth television network in the commercial sense would not again become competitive with the Big Three until Fox was founded in October 1986 from some of the assets and remnants of the DuMont network, which had become Metromedia after DuMont folded, and were acquired by News Corporation earlier in 1986. Fox, which began as a distant fourth network, rose to major network status in 1994 after must-carry rules took effect;
4480-405: Was caused by several factors, such as the local economy of Warren County, the national economy, and negative press coverage. Warren County had over 40% of people not graduating high school. The shortage of skilled laborers and lack of industrial experience deterred some industries from moving to Soul City. The US economy had a major downturn in 1974 as inflation hit double digits in 1973 and 1974. For
4550-458: Was even speculated at the time that WOR & WOIC were being considered by Mutual as possible flagship stations for a Mutual-branded TV network if one were ever launched. Beyond this, there is no confirmation, however, that a cooperative video service was ever seriously considered by the radio service, although Mutual's individual component stations themselves launched television outlets in their home cities. Some of Mutual's component stations bought
4620-481: Was like asking the Wright brothers to test their airplane in a hurricane and then concluding, when it crashed, that the invention did not work." The negative press coverage of some media companies deterred not just industries but also white homeowners. The press covered Soul City as a "new black town", which made it unappealing for white residents to move in. The Wall Street Journal , which had significant credence in
4690-534: Was located on 5,000 acres (20 km) in Warren County near Manson-Axtell Road and Soul City Boulevard in Norlina . After the 1968 Civil Rights bill was passed, many civil rights activists focused on the economic development in black communities so African Americans could take advantage of the resources they had recently won. Following his departure from CORE, McKissick founded McKissick Enterprises in August 1968,
4760-527: Was located there rather than elsewhere. Wanting to improve conditions in his home state and feeling that it was more politically and economically progressive than its other Southern contemporaries, McKissick settled on locating the community in North Carolina. He tasked former legal colleague T. T. Clayton with discreetly searching for potential sites. After rejecting a property in Halifax County as too small for his ambitions, McKissick took interest in
4830-616: Was renamed to Ion Television in 2007. Likewise, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which has existed since 1970, is not considered to be a "Big" network. PBS operates as a noncommercial service with a very different distribution form compared to the major networks; its member stations basically own the network instead of the traditional mode of a network owning some of its stations and affiliating with additional stations owned by other broadcasters, and it maintains memberships with more than one educational station in
4900-441: Was well placed to serve as a reservoir for a city. He also felt that establishing a planned community to help blacks on a former plantation once owned a by a segregationist legislator would have symbolic resonance. Clayton negotiated with Perry to purchase the land for $ 390,000. On December 19, 1968, Clayton paid Perry $ 4,000 for a 60-day option to purchase his ranch. Clayton and McKissick, with Perry's assent, subsequently assigned
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