In this photograph published in the Salisbury Post Nov. 9, 1969, Eloise Pethel, left, walks with two children on the grounds of the Rowan County Receiving Home, which served as a temporary oasis for neglected or abused children through the Department of Social Services. The Old Concord Road home was later named for Lucille Donnelly, director of Social Services. Eloise Pethel and her husband, Ira, lived at the home. They looked after children and provided a safe place for them until the youngsters could be placed in foster homes or elsewhere. The Rowan County Receiving Home was the second of its kind in the state and was looked on as a supplement to the county’s foster care program, which started in 1947. Prior to serving as the Rowan County Receiving Home, this house was headquarters for the county’s Civil Air Patrol.