North Carolina Newspapers

BOONE 1M0 POPULATION 1X11 The educational center of Waetem North Caraluu. Horn* at Appalachian State Teacher* CoUeae. which attraota hundreds of student* annually from all parte of the nation. Modem busl ~?ee district. A good place to live. WATAUGA DEMOCRAT An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1 888 WATAUGA COUNTY 1M0 POPULATION 11.341 Uwllni agricultural and touriat area Uveatock. da try in# and truck farming ra mount importance. Blue Ridga traverses county, and touch#* Rock, one of the principal resorts of Eastern America. VOL. LXTV ? NO. 25. BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY. DECEMBER 20, 1*51. FIVE CENTS PER COPY KING STREET BY ROB RIVERS AND IT CAME TO PASS la M>om days, that there went out a dtcTH from Caeaar Augustus, thai all tha world should ba taxed. (And this taxing wa< first mad* whan Cyr*nius was gov arnor of Syria.) And all want to ba taxad. ov ary on* into his own city. And Josaph also want up from Galili? . out of tha city of Nasaraih. into Judaa. unto" tha city of David, which is called, B*thl*ham; (bacausa ha was of tha housa and lineage of David:) To ba taxad with Mary, his espoused wifa. baing graat with child. And. so it was. that whlla thay wara thara, tha days war* accomplishad that sha should ba delivered. And sha brought forth bar first born son. and wrappad him in swaddling clothas. and laid him in a mang*r; bacausa thara was no room for tham in tha inn. And thara w*r* in th* sama country sh?ph*rds abiding in tha field. kaaping watch orer thair flocks by night. And. lo. tha Ang*l of tha Lord came upon tham. and tha glory of tha Lord shona round about tham: and thay wara son afraid. And th*. angel said unto tham, Faar not: for. behold. I bring you good tidings of groat joy, which shall ba to all peo ple. For unto you is born this day in the city of Dirld, a Saviour, .which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multiiure of the heavenly host praising God. and saying. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. ? From the Gospel according to SL Luke. * ? ? THE DEMOCRAT down through the years has always re printed St. Luke's account of the birth of the Christ child . . . The priceless literature of an age long gone . . . The story which brought hope, and joy, and the beginning of a new concept of human behavior to the peoples of the world, with the promise of salvation for all . . . And Christ mas came about, and the giving of gifts, and the gay decorations, and the feasting and the festivi ties of the holy days . . . and Santa Claus, patron saint of childhood, and the embodiment of the kindliness and the genero sities which should characterize the followers of the Nazarene ... to whom all sorts of requests are directed by the youth of the land, and whose bottomless pack has spilled out goodies and stuff to* the boys and girls all down through the years . . . We never gave up Santa Claus easily . . . Fact is, we still stick by the old gent with the whiskers, and the round tummy and the reindeers and the sleigh, and often think of the crujle little penciled notes we would write at this time of the year to Saint Nick, the bene ficent . . . And thinking, we set ourselves to scrawling again: "DEAR SANTA CLAUS: We hin grown a heap tine* we uMd to partake of your candies and nuts, and fig* and raiains. and i eys . . . Wa are grateful for the many thing* you brought u*. and have long aince quit wanting the shaff you couldn't bring, but at thia time ef the year wa always think of you. and wonder bow you're getting along, and cant forage writing you another little mes sage. (Continued on page tour) Volume Christmas Mail Breaks All Records At City Postoffice 140,000 Cards Are Mailed; 15 Extra Clerks Being Used The volume of Christmas mail handled by the local postoffice this holiday season will probably break all previous records, ac cording to Postmaster J. Edgar Brown. As early as last Saturday post age sales had swelled to a mark that already surpassed last year's receipts, with ten days left to make the total even larger. Mr. Brown estimates that half a million pieces of mail will be handled by the postoffice this week alone, averaging 2 to 3 tons a day with the peak not yet here. This estimate includes the 140,000 cards which have already been sent. Fifteen extra clerks are being kept busy by the unprecedented flow of Christmas parcels and letters, and according to Mr. Brown, several more could be profitably used if it were not for the crowded quarters. In order to better serve the people of Boone, the postoffice will \>e open Saturday afternoon, December 22, and from 4:00 to 5:00 p. m. on Sunday, December 23. There is alao a possibility that a Suaday delivery will ba ?!<!, says Mr. Brown, but this is not yet certain. Dr. Perry Goes To Baltimore Jan. 1 DR. H. B. PERRY, JR. Dr. H. B. Perry, Jr. will begin a period of specialized training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore on January 1, 1952. After 18 months he will be fully qualified as a specialist tn this field. For the past five years Dr. Perry has been associated with his father in general practice in Boone. During this time he has been active in several civic pro jects. He is a member of the Boone Lions Club, having served as chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, and on its Board of Directors. Dr. Perry was instrumental in establishing the Watauga County Health Council, and has been ac tive in this organization since its inception. As a result of his in terest in rural health and educa tion, he is a member of that com mittee of State Medical Society. Dr. Perry has been secretary of the County Medical Society for four years. During their residence in Boone, Mrs. Perry has participat ed in many community programs and organizations. She conduct ed the Empty Stocking Fund program for the Wumans' Club in 1M9, has been on the music faculty at Appalachian State Teachers College and assisted with the music at the Boone Methodist Church. Dr. Perry's office will be oc cupied after January 1 by Dr. (Continued on page six! Burley Sales To End Friday; Average $55 Sales on the floors of the Mountain Burley Tobacco Ware houses in Boone remain strong, and the season's average is given today at $55 per hundred, to set an all time record for the market. The pre-Christmas ? sales will end Friday, at which time, offici als say, at least 3,200,000 pounds will have been sold. More than enough weed is now on the bas kets to have full sales until Christmas, and receipts continue strong. Mr. R. C. Coleman, tobacco warehouseman, states that this year's tobacco is of a much high er grade than usual, and that crops are coming to Boone from a widened area. He asks that all who can sell their tobacco this week, and states that there is plenty of room to unload at any time. He predicts continued strong prices after Christmas. Mr. Coleman states that the warehouses will be open through out the Christmas holidays for the receipt of tobacco. The exact date of the opening of the sales after Christmas hasn't been agreed upon. Milk Handlers' School Has Large Attendance The Milk Handlers' School sponsored by the county healln department and Hillside Dairy was very successful. The aver age daily attendance (or the school was 88, including Grade A and Grade C producers, plant employees, and G. I. trainees. Of those attending, 29 received a 100% certificate of attendance -bMauae they were present each session of the three day school. The school was for the pur pose of: (1) Improving the qual ity of the milk with emphasis on the fact thgt pasteurization will kill the pathogenic bacteria, but pasteurization will not make good milk out of poor quality milk. Therefore, extreme care must be taken from the time the cow is milked. (2) Taking care of the cows so that they will produce more milk and will not become short time mHkers. (3) Proper handling of milk and care of equipment to keep the milk of a better quality. (4) Artificial breeding as a means to improving a herd rapidly so that production goes up and cows arc healthier. (5) Dairy herd improvement pro gram as a means of improving the herd, knowing which cowa are making money for the dairy man, and which cows are just (Continued on page six) William Hayes Rites On Friday y Services (or William H. Hayes, 66, of Boone, who died December 13, were held at Middlefork Bap tist Church on Decembeq 14 at 2:00 p. m. Rev. A. C. Moody of ficiated, assisted by Rev. Robert Shores, Rev. Raymond Hendrix, and Rev. E. F. Troutman. Interment was in the Edmisten Cemetery. * He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Francis L. Hayes; three daughters, Mrs. Claude Johnson of Lenoir, Mrs. Tame? Austin of Boone and Mrs. Dean Bowles of Hudson; three sisters, one broth er and eight grandchildren. Holiday Trade in Boone Is Brisk The holiday shopping season goes into its final stages with every indication that retail trade in Boone this year will reach an all-time high. Most merchants report business well ahead of that enjoyed a year ago, while others state that the turnover is . "about the same." lines are still complete in spite of the heavy demands of the past few days, and trade is expected to be unusually heavy between now and the end of the waek Bad weather has slowed the traffic on a day or two, but merchants expect this to be made up during the last days Democrat To Be Issued Saturday ?i ? Th* edition of the Democrat which vould normally be pub lished Wednesday, or tha day after Christ ma*, is to coma from tha press Saturday, Dec ember 22. Advertisers. contributors and othari who have copy for this early edition, should hare it in the hands of tha printer! no later than Thursday afternoon. Although this edition will car ry a 27th dateline. It may still be used lor Christmas greeting advertising. The Democrat office will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week for the annual Christmas vacation period, and activities will be resumed at the newspaper of fice Thursday December 27th. "Messiah" Again To Be Broadcast The Appalachian College Choir, under the direction of Mrs. Virginia Linney, has again been invited by the Mutual Broad casting System to give a nation wide broadcast of the Christmas section of Handel's "Messiah." Originating through the facili ties of station WATA in Boone, the broadcast may be heard Sun day, December 23 from 12 noon to 12:, 30 p. m. A capacity crowd heard the rendition of the "Messiah" at Col lege auditorium Sunday evening. Drunken Driving Raleigh ? The Department of Motor Vehicles said today that drunken driving conviction! in November lead its monthly sum mary of traffic violations requir ing revocation of driver's licens es. The Department reported 805 convictions for drunk driving, a slight decrease from October's record high of 817. William Todd, 86, City's Oldest, Dies; Funeral Sunday William G. Todd, 86 years old, Boone's oldest native-Vjrn citi zen, and a retired lumberman, died at the home in suburban PerkinSville last Friday, follow ing a long period of illness. Funeral services were conduct ed at the Three Forks Baptist Church Sunday at 2 o'clock. Rev. Mr. Holbrook was assisted in the rites by Rev.' Raymond Hendrix. Interment was in the family plot in the community cemetery. Mr. Todd is survived by the widow, and three sons: Joe Todd, Boenc; Claude Todd, Newport News, Va.; Carl Todd, of the Yadkin Valley. Mr. Todd was a son of the late Col. Joe B Todd, and was born on the principal street of Boone, where he had resided for the greater part of his life. A mem ber of one of the leading fami lies of the 'area, his father was a soldier in both the Mexican and Civil Wars, and. was Clerk of the Superior Court of Watauga coun ty during the days of Reconstruc tion. Deceased had been in the lumber business most of his life, ip Watauga, Caldwell counties, and in the State of Tennessee. He had been engaged in whole sale lumbering in Boone con stantly since 1913 until his re tiicment a few years ago. He was a member of Three Forks Bap tist Church, and was possibly the oldest Mason in this community. He had Joined the old "Watauga Lodge, sixty-three years ago, and at the time of his death was af filiated with Snow Lodge of this city. James Taylor To Go To Air Force Mr. Jim Taylor, for the past few yean an attorney in Boone, has recently received a commis sion in the United States Air Force and expects to leave Boone shortly after Christmas. Mr. Taylor, who came here after finishing his work at the University of North Carolina, has taken an active part in local civic affairs, among them being chair man of the Watauga March of Dimes campaign for the years 1950 and 1951, he was a member of the Lions Club, a teacher of the Young Adult class at the Methodist Church. Commissioned in the Air Force Judge Advocatc Generals De partment as a 1st lieutenant, Mr. Taylor was sworn in by Fred Gragg, Watauga Clerk *of Court, on December 11 here in Boone. He plans to close his office on December 31, though no definite date had been set for reporting to active duty. Slide Goses 603 At Laurel Creek A large slide on highway 603 near Laurel Creek almost block ed the road, last week. The highway force worked two days before the road was cleared for traffic. A large amount of stone remain* on the road. Dwight Cable Is PMA Head; Others Elected Mails Tied Up As Ice ? Follows Zero Gales The coldcst weather of the sea son hit this area last week with considerable snowfall and an ap prorimate low on Saturday of 3 degrees above zero. Coming close on its heels, sleet and ice suc ceeded in tying up bus schedules and mails. Bus schedules out of Winston Salem and Charlotte wire can celled on Tuesday with a result ing tie-up in schedules leaving from Boone. Two busses succeed ed in coming from Bristol and Johnson City, and only one left on schedule for Winston-Salem on Tuesday. The mills, too, cf me in for their share of difficulty. The Highway Poatoffice coming from Greensboro, failed to make con nections i4 North Wilkesboro on Tuesday, with reaultant lateness for Christmas packages and mail coming from below the moun tain. Local traffic ia moving along satisfactorily, despite the ice which threatened for awhile to keep would-be Christmas shop pers close to homq. W atauga Cattle Bring An Average Price Of $709 Dr. William Smith To Practice Here DR. WILLIAM SMITH Dr. William M. Smith will be gin practicing medicinc in Boone the first of the year, occupying the office of Dr. H. B. Perry, Jr., who is taking special training in Baltimore, Md. Dr. Smith will be associated with Dr. H. B. Perry, Sr. Dr. Smith, a native of Bedford, Ohio, received his A. B. degree from Oberlin College, his M. D. degree from the University of Michigan and interned at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich. He and Mrs. Smith come from Lenoir, where he has. been en gaged in general practice. Mrs. Smith is a native of Col umbus, Ohio, and it a graduate of Ohio State University. Co. Offices Close The county offices of Clerk' Superior Court, Register of Deeds. County Accountant, Tax Collector, and County Tax Supervisor will close Monday December 24th, Tuesday, Decem ber 25th and Wednesday, Dec ember 26th in observance of Christmas . Band Planning Busy schedule The Appalachian High School Band under the direction of R. R. Blanton. Jr. hai had a varied pre-Christmas schedule of con cert*, including visits to near-by schools and local presentations. A series of exchange assembly programs under the sponsorship of the Appalachian High School Assembly Club, led 'the season's activities for the band. The first of these was a concert on Dec ember & at Cove Creek High School. This concert featured the Overture "Mountain Majesty" by Paul Yoder. On December 14 two concerts were scheduler! for Weat Jcffcr son High School and Miller* Creek High School but cancelled due to inclement weather. Theac two program! will be played af ter the holiday*. A special group of novelties waa played by the recently or ganized combo a* an added at traction of each program. Thi* organization composed of Jimmy Hotahouser, clarinet: Martha Council, cornet; Guy Hunt, Trombone; Ed Culler, drum; and Beth Eggers. piano; played two sclectioru: "Dixieland'' by Har old Walter* and "Blue D*vil Blue*" composed and arranged by Louie Diviney, former stud ent teacher with the Appalachian High School Band. The band prevented an inform al concert, mpoMored by the Wo man'* Miuionary Union, at the Watauga Pruton Camp on Sun day. December 9. After the con cert rrfrcahmenta were aerved to mrmberi of the band. A* .1 fitting climax to thU bu?y ?>ai<on, the hand nnd chflrua will preaent a Chriatmaa program lor the Appalachian High School Aatembly, Friday, December 21 at 10:00 a. m. The public it cordi ally invited to attend thia pro Messrs Jim Council and H. M. Hamilton, Jr., of Boone, sold 39 purebred Hereford* in their Statesvllle sale last Friday for an average of $709, and believe that but for the desperately sold weather, an even higher return would hav? been shown. ? A ten month* old son of UW Prince Larry 10th, Council! and Hamilton's herd bull, sola t at $1500 to Mr. J. H. Shu ford of Elmwood, N. C. This is perhaps ? i the highest price ever received! for a Watauga-bred bull calf. The top cow, sold to S. M. Cozart of Wilson, N. C., likewise brought $1,500. A number of the Hcrefords were returned to Watauga. Among the local breeders buying were, Dr. R. H. Harmon, Prank M. Payne, Martin Yates, B. W. Stallings. Miss Eleanor Geer Has Leading Role Miss Eleanor G?r of Boone, a sophomore at Wake Forest Col lege, appeared in the leading role of Maggie Cutler in the play, "The Man Who Came To Din ner," p relented by the College Theater of Wake Forest on Nov ember 26 and 27. "Old Gold and Black," the col lege paper, calls Mis* Geer "one of the moit promising young actresses on the campus." The revue cited Miss Geer's able playing of the part, her "notice able familiarity with the lines and lack of strain while on the stage." Xmas Pageant At Lutheran Church A Christmas pageant, "The Prophecy Fulfilled," will be pre sented at Grace Lutheran Church on Sunday evening, December 23, at f :00 p. m. The Luther league and Junior Sunday School assisted by the church choir will portray the "Prophecy of the Christ-Child." You arc cordially invited to at tend. Stores Of City Close Two Davs The mcrehanla of the city will close their door both Tuoaday and Wednesday of next week, in observance of the Christmas holidays. I It la also announced by the dry goods atom that they will re main open both * Saturday and Monday evenings until 7:30 to take care' of the needs of the late Christmas shoppers j Results Given On Farm Election In Watauga Dec. 14th The Production and Marketing Administration county commit tee for Watauga county in the coming yea'r will be Dwight Cable, chairman, Vaughn Tug man, vice chairman and A. C. Moretz, regular member, it was announced here today. Dwight Cable, chairman of the PMA committee operates a to bacco and stock farm in Laurel Creek community; Vaughn Tug man, vice chairman operate a tobacco and stock farm in Meat Camp community; and A. C. Moretz, regular member is en gaged in general farming in the Stony Fork community. Mr. Cable has served three years as chairman of the county PMA committee. Mr. Tugman and Mr. Moretz have each serv ed as community committeemen for their communities for a num ber of years. They were elected at the coun ty PMA convention which met Friday, December 14 at Boone. Delegates to the convention were elected Thursday, December 13 in Watauga county's 14 PMA communities. The coii"entlon also eloctcd Sanford Creed and M. O. Coffey as first and second alternate committee members, respective (Continued on page six) Union Christmas Services Slated Following the program of Christmas music at the Presby terian Church Wednesday night (Dec. 19), the final program of public Christmas celebration will be held in the form of a union carol service of all Boone chur ches at the Methodist Church Sunday at 7:30 p. m. Familiar Christmas carols will be sung by the congregation, and special se lections will be presented by the Baptist Youth Choir under the direction of Miss Nell Norris. A new film-strip, released for the first time this year, "Christ mas around the World," will be shown picturing the customs of Christmas observance in many lands, and presenting recordings of familiar carols of other peo ples. Everyone is urged by Pastor J. T. Shackiord to participate in this service. Attention also is called by the Hev. Mr. Shackford to the entire community to the series of radio broadcasts of Christmas music which will be heard over station WATA each day, December 19 23, except Suriday, at 9:45 a. m. These programs are produced by the Upper Room Radio Parish as a community service and will carry some of the loveliest music to be heard during the season. Campbell House Razed Bv Flame The two-iitory frame home of Mr. and Mr*. Max Campbell of Mabel wag totally destroyed by fire on December 8, a portion of the furniture from three room* being nalvaged. The mid-day blaze originated in the upstairi portion of the houie, and although Mr*. Camp bell was on the first floor. *he did not know of the fire until it had gained con* id era bit head way. The fire was believed to have come from an electric rhort ctrcuit. The loa* was conservatively ' placed at $4,000. The family has moved back to Lenoir, where Mr. Campbell Im M"