FOR BEST RESVLTS
■rtrartieeci invariably u*e the column* at
the Democrat With ttt full paid cireulaUm,
intenaely covering the local rfvopplac
area, IT* the beet advortlaiac —dtoni
available
An Independent Weekly IV eta paper
Seventieth Year of Continuous Publication
VOLUME LXX_ NO. ti BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1*57 TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES—FOUR SECTIONS
CLOSE DEAL FOR GOLF COURSE PROPERTY.—Shown following transfer of property for golf course
are front row left to right: Vance Keller. Mrs. Keller, Wade E. Brown, Mrs. H. Neil Blair, Mr. Blair;
back row: Dr. L. H. Owsley. E. F. Coe, W. R. Winkler, F. M. P»yne, Estel Wagner, Dr. C. Ray Lawrence,
Mrs. Herbert Rouse, and Richard Morehauser—Photo by Palmer s Photo Shop.
Land Is Bought To Assure
Building Local Golf Course
Another beautiful championship
golf course is assured for western
North Carolina by the purchase of
250 acres of land situated on the
Blowing Rock Highway -between
Boone and Blowing Rock.
Boone Developments. Incorporated
was organized as a stock corporation
recently to acquire the
property and build • golf course
and the first step of the development
has been completed by dosing
the deal for the real estate.
One tract is the ancestral Blair
farm which has been in the Blair
family since the State of North
Carolina made the grant some 190
years ago. The other tract was obtained
from Mr. and Mrs. Vance
Keller and tentative plans are to
locate the club house on a beautiful
knoll on the Keller property
which will overlook the golf
course. Some other small tracts
were obtained which will give the
golf course access to the Blowing
Rock Highway just outside the
town of Boone.
Mr. Ellis Maples, aa outstanding
golf architect, has been engaged
and is hi working on the
layout of the golf coarse, the
site for the clnb house and various
other phases of the project.
The preliminary work is expected
to he done within the next
few weeks and the present plana
call for beginning the actual
work' of the golf coarse early
next spring and completing it
daring the summer in order that
the greens and fairways may be
seeded and ready for opening
in the early summer of IMS.
Overlooking the golf coarse will
be approximately 100 acres of
beautiful upland developed for
a restricted residential area. The
property has many cool mountain
springs and branrhoo. The
sides are enclosed by Middle
Fork of New River and Soath
Fork of New River.
Mrs. Nelson
Funeral Held
Mr*. Morilla Grogsn Nelson. 91,
of Blowing Rock, Route 1. died
Friday night at Blowing Rock
Hospital.
Surviving are two ton*. James
Nelson of Hickory and Lee Nelson
of Blowing Rock; six daughters,
Mrs. Josie Elrod, Mrs. Effie Helton.
Mrs. Lonnie Cannon and Mrs.
Kmma Nelson of Blowing Rock,
Mrs. Julia Dula of Lenoir and
Mrs. Bessie Ashley of Boone;
three brothers, Jacob Grogan of
Todd. Owen Grogan of Three Tapa
and Ison Grogan of West Jefferson;
four sisters, Mrs. Mary Worley,
Mrs. Prania Worley, Mr*.
Lonnie Grubb and Mrs. Maggie
McGuire, all of Todd.
Funeral services will be conducted
at 11 m. Sunday at Cool
Springs Baptist Church by the
Rev. Robert Shores and- the Rev.
Will Cook. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
The corporation was organized
and supported by local businessmen
consisting of Wade E. Brown,
a local attorney as president. Dr.
Lawrence H. Owsley as vice-president.
Dr. C. Ray Lawrence as 2nd
vice-president and Richard Morhouser
as secretary-treasurer. The
other directors consist of G. C.
Rbbblni, Jr., of Blowing Rock who
ha* MMntly-MMtred and Is operating
the famous Tweetsie Railroad
just a shbrt distance from the site
of the proposed golf course. Frank
M. Payne. H. J. Cottrell, W. R.
Winkler, E. F. Coe and Estel Wagner
complete the Board of Directors.
For some IS to 20 years efforts
have been made to secure a golf
course for this area, during the
days of WPA and the late Dr. B.
B. Dougherty along with Wade
'E. Brown and George Blagg of
Blowing Rock and others laid
out a course on the college property
with the plans calling for a
club house to be built on the site
which is now the Appalachian
State Teachers's College President's
home overlooking the town.
The project was approved by the
State division of the WPA just as
World War II progressed to the
(Continued on page six)
Richard Walls
Taken By Death
Richard Joseph Walls. 06, of
Vila*, Route' 1, died Friday night,
November 15, at his home.
Surviving are two sons, Paul
and Clay Walls of Vilas; a daughter,
Mrs Carrie Church oi Vilas;
and a sister, Mrs. Delia Earp of
Vilas.
Funeral services were conducted
at 2 p. m. Sunday at Pleasant
Grove Baptist Church by the Rev.
Ronda Earp *»d the Rev. R. C.
Eggera Burial was in Adams
crmetety, Vilas.
C. D. McNeil, 70,
Dies Wednesday
Clement D. McNeil, 70, prominent
citizen of the Rutberwood
neighborhood, died at his home last
Wednesday from what was said to
have been a heart attack. Mr. McNeil
bad done his usual mornlBf
work about the farm, it is said,
and succumbed shortly after returning
to his home.
A farmer, and former Watauga
County Tax Supervisor, Mr. McNeil
had long been prominent in
Democratic party circles, and had
always manifested an active interest
in public affairs.
Funeral services were held at the
Rutberwood Baptist Church Friday
at 11 o'clock. The Rev. Glenn
Huffman, the Rev. Raymond Hendrix
and the Rev. L. H. Hollingsworth
took part in the services and
burial was in the church cemetery.
Surviving are two brothers and
two sisters: W. C. and Arthur McNeil,
Boone; Mrs. Collis Austin,
Mrs. Fred Carroll, Boone.
Local Man Is
Struck By Car
Charlie Watson, 30 years old,
son of Mrs. Laurie Watson of Moretz
Street, was seriously injured
Saturday night when struck by an
automobile driven by Mr. Roger
Lewis on Wilkesboro Road near
the Dinner Bell Grill.
Sheriff E. M. Hodges says that
his information is that Mr. Watson
had started to cross from the Phillips
66 Station to the Dinner Bell
Grill, when be was struck by the
car. Reports are that Mr. Lewis
was not blamed for the accident.
The sheriff says that Watson suffered
a broken leg, bruises and
lacerations.
Chant Of Auctioneer Will
Open Bur ley Mart Monday
Former Mayor
Of Blowing Rock
Dies On Friday
John Proctor Lyon. 70, former
Mayor of Blowing Rock, died Friday
night at his home from a
heart attack.
Originally from Texas. Mr. Lyon
had been a newspaper man. banker
and merchant before establishing
his home in Blowing Rock
twelve years ago.
Mr. Lyon had been Mayor of
Blowing Rock, president of the
Blowing Rock Rotary Club, a former
member of the Burnsville
town board, secretary-treasurer of
the Blowing Rock Chamber of
Commerce and an elder in the
Rumple Memorial Presbyterian
Church.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs.
Maude W. Lyon of Blowing Rock;
a daughter, Mrs. Clarenc* Berryman,
Kingsport. Tenn.; two sisters.
Mrs. R. E. Burton of Weaverville
and Mrs. W. C. McNew
of Kingsport. and three grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Monday
at 1 o'clock at Rumple Memorial
Presbyterian Church by Dr.
Walter Keys, pastor, and Rev. J.
K. Parker, Jr.
Mrs. Fidler To
Lead Annual
March Of Dimes
Dr. Gene Reese, chairman of the
Watauga County Chapter, the National
Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, announced this week the
appointment of lfrs. Carl Fidler
to lead the 1906 Marc!) of Dimes
campaign for Watauga County.
The campaign open* Id the state
and county on January 2 and continues
through the 31.
In an appeal to the citiaens of
the county to give their usual generous
support to the March of
Dimes, Mrs. Fidler said there are
300,000 persons alive today who
have had paralytic polio. "Many
of these live in Watauga county,"
she said, "and we do not yet know
how many of them can atill benefit
from fruther medical and rehabilitative
assistance. But we believe
there are a surprising number."
"For the** unfortunate ones
among us, survival is not enough,"
she said.
Pointing out that chapters of the
National Foundation for Infantile
; Paralysis are now spending 90 percent
of their funds for post-acute
polio cases and only 10 percent
for new cases, Mrs. Fidler added
that this fact alone is an indication
of the continuing need for
large aums of money if the foundation
is to keep its pledge to the
American people.
Payments Under
i Soil Bank Plan
Reach $6,798
Payments to Watauga County
farmers under the Soil Bank's
1907 Acreage Reserve program
amounted to 16798.62 aa of October
3, 1957. Vaughn Tugman,
Chairman of the Watauga County
Agricultural Stabilization and
Conservation Committee, announced
today. These payments were
received by SB farmers, and covered
24.29 acres of cropland placed
in the Acreage Reserve.
The chairman warns farmers
who have received payments under
the 1997 program that they
should not feel that the 1997
agreement js ended by receipt of
the payment. The 1997 Acreage
Reserve agreement rmaina in effect
until the end of the year.
Under the Acreage Reserve
agreement, land specifically designated
by a fanner for the program
may not be cropped or grated
by livestock during the year
the land is In the Reserve. „
GETTING.READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.—Conrad Yates, William Yates, and Leroy Wilson,
of Ayers Electric Shop, string Christmas lights about the Town of Boone from atop a town truck. Nearly
six thousand colored bulbs were used to give the to An • holiday appearance —Staff Photo by Joe Minor
Glittering Lights To Usher
In Gay Yule Shopping Era
By V. G. ROLLINS
With Christmas little more than
a month away, Boone stores are
officially launching the 1997 Yule
(hopping aeaaon thii week by offering
the moat varied and comprehensive
collection of gift itema
ever aaaembled here.
This issue of the Democrat pre;
sents a preview of what it in store
for gift shoppers, so that they may
get a head start on the pleasant
task ahead. Advertisers aay there
are many more gift itema in addition
to those listed for the diacriminating
Christmas shopper to inspect
in all of the stores.
The Merchants Committee of
the Chamber of Commerce, headed
by R. D. Hodgea, Jr., has planned
to launch the (hopping seaaon
to coincide with the opening of the
Boone burley tobacco market.
Immediately prior to the opening
sale on the floor of Mountain
Burley Warehouse No. 1, Joe Coleman,
manager of the local market,
ia scheduled to simulate an auction
of several baskets of tobacco from
a truck on the King and Depot
Streets square, and say a few
words relative to the market and
Christmas promotion.
The varicolored Christmas lights
have been installed along and over
the main business thoroughfares,
and the switch is tentatively scheduled
to be thrown at dusk Saturday
evening, tranaforming the
business district, with the aid of
individual store lights and decorations,
into a veritable Santa Claus
land.
Santa To Appear
Word has been received 'that
Santa Claus will make his appear
a nee in Boone on Saturday, December
7, lo distribute candy and
other goodies to the children along
(Continued on page six)
Used Toys Are
BeiCig Sought
Girl Scout* of troop No. 0 are
currently collecting usable toys
which they will clean and paint
(or distribution to nee^ly Watauga
county children at Christmas.
Anyone having toys that they
would like to donate to this cause
may leave them at the Daniel
Boone Hotel. Troop members will
be on duty Friday and Saturday
afternoons in the lobby of the
hotel, but toys may be left at any
time.
Tobacco. Men
Say Quality
Of Leaf Good
The Boone hurley tobacco market
will open the 1937-98 selling
season on Monday, November 25.
Warehousemen, buyers, graders,
and other personnel are a.uembling
this week, and all will be in
readiness when the rhythmic
chant of the auctioneer signals the
start of bidding ton the first basket
at Mountain Burley Warehouse
No. 1 at Queen and Depot
Streets.
Sales are scheduled the same as
last year, on a 3Vi hour daily schedule,
Monday through Friday.
The market, again operated by
Mr. R. C. Coleman and his associates,
will observe Thanksgiving
Day (Thursday, November 28)
as a holiday, but auctions will be
held on Friday.
The Christmas recess will begin
at the close of sales on Friday.
December 20, and the market will
resume sales on Monday, January
6.
Tobacco is coming in at a fairly
brisk pace, said Joe Coleman,
market manager, and so far the
quality of the leaf has been good
considering the somewhat adverse
effect of heavy rains in late August
and September, with the quantity
and poundage in this area
about on a par with last year.
There is still plenty of room on
the warehouse floor for the opennog
sale, he added.
A complete set 01 Duyers, representing
all cigarette and export
companies, will again he on the
Boone market this season, assuring
growers o( plenty of competition,
resulting in the highest
prices obtainable for their tobacco.
"Boone is the oldest market in
this section," said Mr. Coleman,
"and last year we sold tobacco for
the highest average in history of
any market in Northwest North
Carolina. Help us to keep It the
best. Why haul your tobacco to
distant markets and add to your
expense when you will get fully a*
mufh, and possibly more, on the
Boone market? We grow tobacco,
know tobacco, and know how to
sell it.".
He also stressed that grading
will be an important factor this
year. "Be sure that any tobacco
that has been weather-beaten and
is showing black spots and burnt
ends, is cleaned off so that it will
look as good as possible. Grade it
carefully find bring it to Boone."
The world will set production
records this year for hogs, soybeans
and sugar beets, and a near
record for corn. Below-record
crops were indicated for cotton,
cotton seed, wheat, barley, and
oats. The United States is in front
in hog production, with an estimate
of 84,000,000 head, compared
with 18,700,000 for Western
Germany, which is second. ,