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Marshall, N.C. 23753 ?"T?
The News Record
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SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY copi,al on Pa9e 2
77th Year, No. 1 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C. THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 1978 ,5' Per C?Py
? 1 Mil J" I
DOWN THE SINK ? 334 16-?unce cans of
beer, confiscated during the past year by
Marshall policemen and the Sheriff's
department, were poured down the sink in
the county jail last Thursday afternoon. 212
of the cans were captured on the Redmon
Road and the other cans in various locations.
Sheriff Ponder is shown holding a boxload of
cans before handing them to Policeman John
Ray who poured the beer down the sink.
(News-Record Photo)
Farmers May Apply
For Grower Quota
Farmers are reminded that
applications for new grower
quotas for burley tobacco
must be filed with the ASCS
office no later than Feb. 15.
To be eligible for con
sideration in obtaining a new
grower quota for burley
tobacco, a farmer must own a
farm, derive at least 50 per
cent of his income from far
ming and hlso have proof of
experience in raising burley
tobacco for two years of the
last five years on a farm
having a current tobacco
quota.
Any farmer who is in
terested in applying for a new
grower quota for burley
tobacco and feels that he may
be eligible, should contact the
ASCS office in Marshall.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Friday
except national holidays. T
Election '78
Veteran Legislators Want To Return To Raleigh
Liston Ramsey
Liston B Ramsey of
Marshall announced today
that he will be a candidate for
re-election to the North
Carolina House of
Representatives. If re-elected
it will be his 10th term in the
Legislature
Rep. Ramsey, along with
Rep. Ernest Messer of Canton,
presently represents
Haywood, Jackson, Madison
and Swain counties in the N. C.
House. During the past few
sessions, Ramsey has served
as chairman of several im
portant committees. In 1969
Ramsey was chairman of the
Local Government Committee
and in 1971 served as chair
man of the Legislative
Redistricting Committee and
was successful in drafting a
bill that re-aligned the House
districts throughout the state.
This was one of the few bills
pertaining to legislative
districts re-alignment in the
entire nation that was never
challenged in court. Rep.
Ramsey served as chairman
of the House Finance Com
mittee during the 1973, 1974
and 1975 sessions
Rep Ramsey is credited
with writing and pushing the
balanced budget amendment
to the constitution which was
overwhelmingly approved by
the voters of the state last
November. He was also leader
in the movement to restore a
formula for funds to the
mountain area for secondary
roads. Efforts to reduce the
funds were being made in the
House when he gathered
enough support to restore the
extra money for the mountain
area.
REP LISTONB RAMSEY
During the years Rep.
Ramsey has been at the
forefront in getting funds for
the area by either sponsoring
or co-sponsoring ap
Continued on Page 7
Ernest Messer
Ernest Messer of Canton,
veteran member of the North
Carolina House of
Representatives, announced
today as a candidate for a
ninth term in the North
Carolina General Assembly.
He will run for one of the two
seats in the 44th House
District composed of
Haywood, Jackson, Madison
and Swain counties. Liston
Ramsey of Marshall is the
other incumbent represen
tative.
During his current term in
the General Assembly,
Messer is serving as chairman
of the first Committee on
Aging ever to be created in the
General Assembly. The
committee, with Messer as
chairman, was appointed by
House Speaker Carl Stewart
during the early days of the
1977 session of thv General
Assembly.
Under Messer's leadership,
the Committee on Aging
developed and sponsored
legislation which established a
permanent Division on Aging
in the Department of Human
Resources.
The committee also spon
sored legislation for an im
proved homestead tax
exemption for the elderly
bills to permit sciiiotf' citiaw
to use school facilities and to
permit municipalities to spend
tax money to supplement
programs for senior citizens, a
bill of rights for patients in
nursing homes and
authorization for persons over
65 years of age to attend
. classes in the community
college system without paying
tuition.
Messer is currently
chairman of an interim House
Senate Study Commission on
Aging
He is also a member of the
Community College Advisory
Council and is chairman of the
council's sub-committee on
Community College Budget
Formulas.
During his eight terms in the
General Assembly, Messer
has been a member of the
House Appropriations
Committee and in 1971 was
chairman of the
Appropriations sub
committee on Health, Welfare
and Institutional Care.
As a member of the
Appropriations Committee, he
has supported the establish
ment of the Western Farmers
Market, research programs
for beef cattle and tomatoes,
funding of the community
college system, expanded
health and mental health
programs and the establish
ment of a sate-wide kin
REP ERNEST MESSER
dergarten program
During all except his first
two terms in the House,
Messer has been chairman of
an important committee.
These include, in addition to
the Committee on Aging and
the sub-committee on
Appropriations, Manufac
turers and Labor, election
laws and insurance.
Messer is currently serving
on the House committees of
insurance. aging, ap
propriations, higher education
, Continued on Page 7
Parker Fi'es For Superior Court Clerk
Samuel E. Parker, of Route
3, Mars Hill, this week an
nounces his candidacy for
Madison County Clerk of
Superior Court in the May 3
Democratic primary.
Parker attended college in
Johnson City, Tenn., where he
oht?!.r"d hi* degree. Aftc*
college he chose to make
Madison County his per
manent home and has resided
in the county for nearly 10
years
Parker worked for three
years with the Madison
County Department of Social
Services where he had the
opportunity to travel
throughout the county. "These
experiences convinced me
that ! wanted t?> meke
Madison County my per
manent home." Parker
stated.
He says he is proud to be a
Democrat and is going into
this election with every in
tention of winning. "Should I
be defeated by a fellow
Democrat in the primary, I
will be the first to
congratulate him. He stresses
party unity was essential for a
^.wv^-ntip victory . ??:
Parker's formal an
nouncement is published
elsewhere in this issue.
Her Dream Comes True:
Church Education Help
New ways of helping
churches, an idea which Sue
Fitzgerald nurtured for
several years while serving as
director of Christian
education at the Mars Hill
Baptist Church, has become
an encouraging reality
through the Center for
Christian Educational
Ministries at Mars Hill
College.
A native of Gretna, Va.,
Miss Fitzberald conceived her
plan not long after she came to
Mars Hill in 1963. She began
edging it toward redlity by
compiling a small resource
facility for local ministers
while she served the Mars Hill
church.
Then, in 1975, officials at the
Baptist-related college were
searching for new and ef
fective ways in which the
college could be of assistance
to area churches. The
college's president, Dr. Fred
B. Bentley, convinced Miss
Fitzgerald that she should join
the college staff and expand
the modest program she had
begun into a Center for
Christian Educational
Ministries
That fall she moved her
collection of books, pam
phlets, slides, recordings and
similar materials into space
formerly occupied by the
college bookstore and of
ficially began operating the
center. It was unique; no other
college was doing anything
similiar, and there were few
helpful guides on how to
proceed. The Meredith
College educated. Andover
Newton Seminary trained
woman, herself an ordained
Baptist minister, had to rely
heavily on her own ex
periences as a director of
Christian education and on her
instincts as to what would be
helpful to pastors, deacons,
Sunday school teachers and
other workers in local chur
ches
During the first year the
center provided direct
assistance ot over 150 area
churches. In the second year
that figure doubled. Now in
the third year of her "dream
operation," Miss Fitzgerald is
continuing to push her
ministry to still other chur
ches. Eventually she hopes
that the center can reach all of
(Continued on Page 2A)
W. J. PERRIGO, Area "F"
Coordinator, Division of Civil
Preparedness, is shown (left)
presenting a check for $9,700 to
Mayor Lawrence Ponder, center,
and Alderman James Penland,
right, at City Hall last Thursday
morning. This check is a partial
payment from the President's
Disaster Relief Fund and is an
out-and-out grant for the relief in
Utilities, Streets and Public
Buildings damaged by the recent
flood. (News-Record Photo)
The Rock Cafe Changes Hands .
?' " ? i
mr. and rr*s r s brigman
L *
ByJIM STORY
Page and Pricey Brigman,
owners and operators of the
Rock Cafe on Main Street here
for the past 30 years, recently
decided that the time had
come for them to retire. Last
Saturday marked the end of a
successful and long ex
perience in the cafe business
located in the rock building
next to the courthouse.
The cafe has been sold to
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Davis of
Marshall, who plan to reopen
the familiar eating establish
ment in a few days after doing
some remodeling, painting
and rearranging the cafe
which has been the favorite
eating place for thousands of
residents and tourists
The present structure was
built in 1M7 on the site of the
residence of Mr and Mrs WU1
Morrow and family On March
33.1M7, the Brtgmans opened
the cafe and have operated the
cafe ever since.
Mrs. Brigman, the former
Pricey Reed, known af
fectionately as "Pricey,"
graduated from Woodfin High
School in 1935 and was em
ployed as a, waitress at the
Pisgah Grill in Marshall.
Page, who graduate in 1931
from Marshall High School
and who was president of the
senior class, worked at
Holcombe Grocery Store in
Marshall. Page and Pricey
were married in 1938 and
started in the cafe business in
its present location. Hie cafe
was first named Rock Tavern,
but Page and Pricey decided
that the name should be
changed to the Rock Cafe
since they were both opposed
to the selling of beer, which
the word tavern suggests.
Not only did the Brigmans
operate the cafe but they were
alao agents for Greyhound and
Trailways buses and the catt
was also known as the Bus
Station.
Page and Pricey have lived
in the former Morrow
residence adjacent to the cafe
since 1947. Although they have
retired from the cafe business,
they intend to continue to live
in the same location.
One of the most unique
records during the past 30
years is
that for 20 of the 30 years, the
cafe was open 365 days a
year, including Sundays and
holidays.
In recent years, Page and
Pricey have been closing on
certain holidays and have
been the organizers of and
participants in various tours
by chartered buses which
have been enjoyed by hun
dreds of county citizens.
For the past few years the
Brigmans have closed the cafe
on Sundays, making it
possible for them to attend the
Marshall Baptist Church and
also be able to have a "day
off" from the cafe.
Page, a charter member of
the Marshall Lions Gub and
for years chairman of the
White Cane Drive, has "fed"
the members of the Marshall
Lions Club for 24 consecutive
years, twice a month. Local ?*'
and District Lions have
always enjoyed the delicious
meals, which always included
hot biscuits and gravy, and
often remark that there's no
place like the Rock Cafe fo}
Lions to meet and eat.
"We love Marshall and its
people and will miss serving
them, as well as all ottMrs who
have eaten with us throughout ?
the years, but after M years
we have decided to retire and
take things a little easier," the
devoted couple said last
Saturday. t
i . L: An
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