Paul Winkler, local insuranceman, surveys
partial damage done by power mower last
week. Mr. Winkler said hit billfold fell
from hU overalls pocket a* he mowed his
lawn, and on the next round was caught
ia the mower blade. Several money bills
(borrowed, he said), were shredded to bits,
along with credit card*. driver'i licence,
Social Security aad identification card*,
u well u picture* and other pepera. He wu
unable to ftxpliin how i small pocket Bible
excerpt and picture of Greenway Baptist
Church were pot damaged in the aecideat.
?Staff photo.
Colorado Newsman Says
Watauga Is On The Move
'(Editor's note: The follow
ing feature was written from
Boone to the Pueblo (Colora
do) Chieftain recently, when
the newipuper man made Ma
first visit to Watauga county.
He is a nephew of Charles
Wilkinson of ZionviUe.)
By BRUCE WILKINSON
This part of the South in the
early 1960 s is full of surprises
for the first-time visitor from
the West.
For one thing, northwestern
North Carolina which includes
Watauga County, is on the
move, economically, socially
and culturally.
Despite a wage scale low by
standards of the highly Indus
trialiied cities of the North,
the people here enjoy prosper
ity.
This is not to say they have
a lot of money or spend waste
fully. But they do live in fine
homes. Even laborers often
have solid red brick homes
that in many other sections of
the U.S. would be associated
with the middle income group.
They eat well, dress well and
live well. Probably the most di
rect explanation for their pros
perity is that the family func
tions on three fronts. The typ
ical head of the home cultivates
a small farm that invariably
includes a prized tobacco patch
varying from a .8 of an acre to
slightly more.
Tobacco Top Crop
Burley tobacco here is tne
leading cash crop; a man can
make $1,000 or more on this
size field but can't plant more
than his allotted acreage be
cause of federal quotas adopted
during the depression when
tobacco became so cheap no
body could make anything on
U A great majority of the busy
small farmers augment their in
come with a parttime or fuU
time job such as carpentering
in Boone, the county seat.
Many of the younger women
hold jobs in one of Boone s
three leading industries -
new or nearly new?the Inter
national Resistance Corp. elec
tronic plant, the Shadowline,
manufacturer of ladi?' under
e^ the Melville shoe
f*With three Incomes, >ne
modest alone, and comfortable
farm living ?nd
average family hare is *?ure
and self-sufficient.
A traditional if not uncom
plicated source of ready cash
io these people descended from
old line English. Scotch. nd
German stock-moonshining -
STJ, I.*?, ?
tnctnv But this is not w*
mainstay. neiBhborin?
tirely the case to netfMa?*
Wilkes County, H o?e
lieve the natives here.
One lean, toilworn hill coun
try tobacco and corn fanner
near Boone allowed. "They'll
make moonshine in Wilkes
County as long as time lasts.
Why, God, they've got to do
sumpin." The legal climate in
both counties is excellent both
from the standpoint of the
bootlegger and his sometime
teammate ia the periodic local
option hassle, the Baptist, who
for quite different reasons sees
no end of evil in open liquor.
This is a land of contrast.
Over the hill from Boone's top
source of revenue and prestige,
mush - rooming Appalachian
State Tteachers College, live
oldtime mountain people who
don't grow enough to eat. Some
depend on surplus foods given
out here to about 1,000 persons
at the rate of $20,000 a month,
and who have cultivated little
ability to read or write.
The traditions of the South,
particularly retention of the
nearly sacred land in one fam
ily generation after generation,
have been altered by the auto
mobile and the integration of
the people here into the mod
ern sceme of urban living but
they die slowly.
It Is not uncommon even to
day for a man to live on and
perhaps work a plot of ground
that contains a little fanjily
cemetery on the hill wbpra the
remains of his parents, grand
parents or even great-grandpar
ents, are buried. He, too,, may
want to be buried there.
Some of these private burial
grounds are kept up by faith
ful children or grandchildren;
others ?re overrun by cattle,
grown 6ver with weeds usually
because no first or second gen
eration descendants are left
Caaw Growing Slackens
Cane sorghum or molasses
was produced extensively here
until ? few years ago by many
farmers but now little cane is
grown despite a continuing de
mand for the oldtime biscuit
sweetener. Tending cane takes
a lot of time and making the
sorghum is arduous and time
consuming.
?This younger generation, J
don't know what's gonna be
come of them. Why, they won't
do nuthin," the owner of one
of the few family cane mills
left, lamented.
Learning I didn't smoke, the
veteran farmer said ia meek
disgust, "We'd be ruernt (ruin
ed) if everybody was like you."
Referring to the popular
boughten plug tobacco and
twist made from leaf tobacco
such as that grown on his own
place, he said. "That's the rea
son I use it."
I could hardly help but agree
ttaia ?n about the only good
nwsen ? man could have for
5" Air Drilled Wells
I
Peerless Jet & Submersible Pumps
Cooke & Cott roll, Dealer
Boone, N. C. PkaM AM 4-KS4 ? AM 4-3073
developing the habit to the high
degree of proficiency demon
strated everywhere here.
Wh*n you tint tee the pro
fusion of tobacco plant* in the
draws and on the sidehills of
this fertile territory you won
der how there could be enough
demand to get rid of it all. Af
ter a visit with some of the
twist users who dominate the
landscape you wonder how
enough can be grown to meet
the needs.
In contrast with the fashion
tread in the Wect, quite a few
of the native women and even
some of those from other areas
who dwell in the palatial sum
mer homes liberally strewn
throughout the densely forest
ed tilting terrain still wear
dresses from time to time.
There are shorts, of course, but
they aren't u universal or gen
erally as economically designed
as in some other places.
News Of Our
Servicemen
COMPLETES TRAINING
Fort Sill, Okla. ? Army Pvt.
John R. Hodges, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank C. Hodges, Route
1, Boone, N. C? completed ad
vanced artillery training aa a
cannoneer at the Artillery and
Missile Center, Fort Sill, Owla.,
Aug. 17.
The 23-year-oM soldier enter
ed the Army in March 1968 aad
completed basic training at
Fort Gordon, Ga.
Hodges is a IBM graduate of
Appalachian High School.
LETTER TO EDITOR
Makes Appeal For
Vets Of First War
The feneral public U entitled
to the plaia facta of bow the
Vetecaos g f World War I tae
been forgotten. The* old soldi
ers, many thousands of them,
and the widows of the veterans
of 1017-1918, are living under
the handicap of not being able
to supply their meager wants
and needs, these veterans have
reached an average afe et TO
years, many are unable to get
medical care, or hospital treat
ment, here in the richest na
tion on earth. This is a disgrace
to say the least
Millions of our tax dollars
are being used to feed and
?are for the unfortunate citi
zens of foreign lands, while
these needy veterans and their
dependants are being forgotten,
it seems that charity should be
gin at home, but alas this is
not the case with these needy,
aged veteraas.
Our Representatives should
be contacted by letters from
our citizens, asking them to
provide a decent pension for
these men who served their na
tion honorably during World
War I. All veteMM of prrvious
wars were granted pensons
with no strings attached, why
discriminate against the World
War I veterans and their de
pendants? Something should be
done to relieve this national
wrong. So write your Represen
tatives asking them to support
the pension Bill H. R. 2332 in
this session at Congress, in a
small way show our desire for
help to the needy veterans in
their last lew years a t life.
Sincerely yours.
Jack Dun woody,
Junior Vice Commander
Itft ef North Carolina,
Veterans of World War I,
U. S. A_, Inc.,
r. O. Box S83,
Lenoir, N. C.
Dotson At
Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tenn.? Robert G.
Ditasii, wIiimi teacher at
Winecoff School in Concord, i$
participating in a special ten
week training course adminis
tared by the University Rela
tions Division of Ike Oak Rodge
Institute of Nuclear Studies.
Dotson is one of 33 specially
selected teachers from schools
in 20 states and Montevideo,
Uruguay, enrolled in the fif
teenth session of the Oak
Ridge Science Lecture Demon
stration Program.
This program is designed to
provide apecialiaed training to
selected groups high school
science instructors aa part of
the Atomic Energy Commis
sion's effort k> stimulate the
intereat of students in science
and science teaching careers.
Mr. Dotson ia the aon of Mr.
a ad Mrs. A. W. Dotaon of Rt.
3, Boone. He ia a graduate af
Appalachian High School and
Appalachian State Teachers
Callage.
Those who have bean waiting
[far cooler weather will soon
get it and pay for it, in the
form of heating bills.
A
One iU*]il Service
WE WRITE ALL LINES
OF INSURANCE
\f On Your Automobile
]/ On Your Home
}/ On Your Business
]/ On Your Life
y/ On Your Farm
LET US MAKE A SURVEY OF YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS.
IT SAVES YOU MONEY
TO PUT YOUR INSURANCE UNDER THE
New Package Plans
CM or Write
Coe Insurance &
Realty Company
AM 4-ag56 ? BOONE, N. C
Alumni Day Program
Is Enjoyed At AHS
Appalachian High School held
its annual Alumni Day celebra
tion Friday. August *. Upper
classemen and last year's seniors
attended a short program in the
school auditorium.
Student body president Phil
Hampton opened the program.
Then to lWMt cheerleader* led
the students in several cheers.
Bill Bingham, previous editor
of THE LAUREL, announced that
the yearbook was dedicated this
year bo Miss Doris Jones, a for
mer sophomore English teacher
at Appalachian High. Miss Jones
has since left the high school to
te*ch at Wesleyan College in
Dr. Blanton addressed several
ramarki to the students and then
diamisaed them by classes to re
ceive copies of the IMS LAUREL.
The Student Council capped the
celebration by sponsoring the an
nual. Alumni Dance, an informal
affair held from S to 11 p.nt. in
the high school auditorium.
Several graduated classes were
represented as well as the pres
ent students. Music was pro
vided by recordings.
Many teachers were in attend
ance at the dance, acting at
chape rones and giving auto
graph*. Miss Doris Jones was the
guest of honor.
The dance was a rather sad
affair in that some of those at
tending were inside the dear and
familiar walls of AHS for per
haps the last timq. Yet everyone
seemed to enjoy the "last meet
tag." f
i ? ^
Gel Tkt Be* ? For Less ? Proa A
BARNEY S. HAMPTO
At Relns-Sturdivant
Phone 264-8866 or M4-2328 ? Boone, N. C.
Special Factory Representative of
Salisbury Marble & Granite Co.
INCOKPOKATED
Since 1111, Builders of Memorials That
"Last "111 Everlasting" ' i
, GRANITE - MARBLE - BRONZE
Largest Manufacturer In the Carolina*
Salisbury, N. C. ' j
See the Patented SIEGLER new at
Burgess Furniture Store
' W. KING ST. BbONE, N. C.
' i ?? ?
Nit/! SYNCHRONIZED AIR-OIL CONTROL GIVES
SIKIRMIIEM
at the turn of a dial!
Imagine! Turn just one dial to the heat
you Wftnt and your new Sieger delivers
it automatically. Turning the dial feeds
the fxact amount of oil into the burner,
leedp thjb flame the exact amount of air
then regulates the blower speed to give
you perfect SUPER Floor Heat! And
the eablusfve Heat-Line control is right
up faint for real convenience. The new
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tem means even greater fuel savings by
assuring the most economical fire pos
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FREE INSTALLATION
From Heater It Tank
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J