N.C. Department of Correction--Correction News--December 1997
Longtime Vance Superintendent J.J. Hayes Retires  Oxford - J.J.
Hayes, superintendent of Umstead Correctional Center, retired
Oct. 1. He began his career at Granville Correctional Center
March 1, 1964 as a correctional officer.  "At the time, this was
about as good a job as you could get around here," Hayes said.
He had been a salesman for Pine State Creamery, but wanted a
more stable job.  The job may have been stable, but he met with
several close-calls. One was when he was searching for an Orange
County escapee. At midnight, Major Burnice Turner left Hayes and
another officer to continue the search. As he was driving along,
a bullet hit the windshield where the rear-view mirror was. He
was unhurt even though he wound up with his truck in a ditch. No
one could ever pin down who had fired the shot, but an ex-inmate
who lived in the area was suspected.  Another time, Hayes had
gone to Durham to pick up five inmates, two being felons. Hayes
wanted