BOONE
1M 90P0LATI0N tm
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1888
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1#53. ~
WATAUGA COUNTY
ltM POPOLATIO* 11MI
YOL. LXV ? NO. 31.
12 PAGES ? 2 SECTIONS
KING
STREET
BY
ROB RIVERS
AMD THE SUM BEAMED DOWN
Monday came alone warm and
sunny and we were (lad to tee
Old Sol putting aside the frost
and warming the air a bit . . .
Even if the ground hog did see
him at the same time! . . . 'Course
everybody in this section knows,
that on February 2nd, the tough
little mountain critter, known
variously as the woodchuck, the
Whistle pig and the groundhog,
pokes his nose out from (ilH bur
row, takes an exploratory step or
so, and' it he sees his shadow,
we're stuck! . . . There'll be forty
two more days of bad weather?
of "uncommon cold''. The pig will
make his odd little whistle, which
probably means "nix on the
whole thing," and retreat into the
innermost recesses of his under
ground habitat and there sleep
away the time until spring time
comes, and there's some grazing
to be had!
VENERABLE PROPHET
The groundhog system of lot
tailing the weather during the
latter part of the winter, loaml
to have originated in Great
Britain and Germany centuries
ago. and the thing came te tMf
country with early -day immi
grants ... At any rate, no man
Can remember in Watauga,
when more or less anxious eye*
failed to observe the weather
on February 2 ? and when there
were none to believe in the
legend of the little wild piggy
. . . Then February 2, is Cand
lemas Day. or the feast of the
Purification of the Bleesed Vir
gin? obeerved by the Roman.
Greek and other Churches, ami
out of this observance come*
down through the centuries
these lines:
"If Candlemas day be dry and
fair.
Winter will have another
flight:
But if it be dark with clouds
and rain.
Winter is gone and will not
come agin."
FUN. HORSES. MULES
Dr. Sawyer, of Appalachian
College, who when he tires of
class room work, takes a walk
about town and gathers up the
latest wise cracks, and jokes, told
us one of the newest over at the
postofficc the other morning, and
then set to wondering about how(
the funny tales happen to be . . .
We've had the notion that some
right lazy guy, reads the news
papers with one eye between
naps, and figures out the quips
bccausc he just don't know of
anything else to do . . . We've had
a considerable admiration for
these folks who can dope out the
ingredients for a smile out of any
sort of situation . . . We mention
ed to Dr. Sawyer that maybe the
shiftless sort of fellows had con
tributed more to the progress of
the country than some of the
ambitious souls . . . For instance
labor-saving machinery was first
coaccived in the mind of the man
who just couldn't abide the ted
ium of hand work? or work of
any sort, maybe . . . The ambiti
ous one, the firebrand of the age
before powered wheels, worked
himself to death? didn't care
whether there was an easy way
or not. /
HOSS SENSE
And frjand Sawyar inierpoi
ed tha "hoas" mom thaory . . .
Folks who trt rathar on lha
"brainy" tida? tha old ub of
tha earth sort of people. ir?
Mid to have bono hom . . .
Which wt war* ramindad is no
sans* hardly . . . Tbosa who
ligura out lha iq's of dumb
antmaU say. says Dr. Sawyar,
that tha harsa ia not an out
standingly cagey baaat . . . he's
without inittottva. a Uttlo slow
on judgment. and will plod
right on down tha road, and
kill himself sating whan occas
ion arisas . . . Not so with iba
mula. wba'U lira at the mooo
tony. aad asaart himself aaw
and again . . . Ha's a n?gg?d in
dividualist. who don't change
his ways raadily and wholl
taka cara of himaali. Hall aat
only a wholesome amount of
food, aa matter haw much is
altered. aad diets himaaif away
from tha colic which lay* sa
many bats a* tow . . . Tha law
(Continued on pace . five)
March Dimes
Sons f est Set
The third annual county-wide
March of Dimes Quartet Singing
will be held at the courthouse
and the Appalachian High School
Baxter Miller
Is Chief Chemist
In Uranium Plant
BAXTER D. MILLER
Baxter D. Mililcr, son of Mr.
and Mrs. I. & Miller, of Boone,
has recently been named Chief
Chemist of the Galligher Co., of
Monticetlo, Utah.
The Galligher Company oper
ates a plant producing uranium
for the Atomic Energy Commis
sion.
Mr. Miller graduated from Ap
palachian High School, and gra
duated with a B. S. in chemistry
from the University of North Car
olina in June 1990 after attend
ing Appalach'-.n College one year.
After attending graduate school
-for one year h? was employed
Gy the Cetanese torpOi*?tTon of
America. Rock Hill, 6. C. until
March 1952. He has been with
the Galligher Co., since June
1952.
Saturday, 'February 14, at 7 JO p.
m., marking the end of the
March of Dimes campaign in Wa
tauga county. '
The singing was first held on
January 24th, but unfavorable
weather conditions made it neces
sary to set a new date, so that
all those interested may have a
chance to attend.
The occasion, which will dfaw
all the leading quartets in Wa
tauga county, as well as some of
the other mountain counties, is
being arranged by a committee
composed of J. Allen Gragg, John
F. Cook and Richard Hodges. W.
H. Gragg and Alfred T. Adams
will be masters of ceremonies.
John T. King, chairman of the
March of Dimes effort, is anxious
that there be a renewed effort in
these last days of the campaign
to reach Watauga's quota. He in
sists that solicitors redoable their
efforts, and that those who have
concluded their solicitation* make
reports as rapidly as possible.
Mother-Infant
Clinic Monday
The regular mother and infant
clinic will be held Monday after
noon at 2 to 4 o'clock, at the
Health Department in Boone.
T. B. Croup Acts
To Purchase New
Mobile X-Ray Unit
Board members and representa
tives of Alleghany- Ashe- Watauga
Tuberculosis committees met in
West Jefferson last Tuesday, with
William D. Braswell, field secre
tary of the state association in at
tendance.
Mrs. J. E. Holshouser, Boone,
chairman of the association, call
ed for reports from seal sale ac
tivities in each of the counties.
Evaluation of the nine-months
period of the Tri-County Associ
ation indicated satisfactory results
and the board voted to continue
the same arrangement for anoth
er year. A tentative budget for
the year was established and tem
porary arrangements made tor
continuing the services of Mrs.
Carl Francis of Jefferson as ex
ecutive secretary.
A discussion of plans for pur
chasing a transportable x-ray
unit for the three counties was
taken up. It was agreed that at
the earliest date possible when
satisfactory arrangements could
be made the x-ray unit would be
purchased, with payment for the
unit and the use of it to be pro
rated to the three counties on a
population basis. Sufficient funds
are not available for the purchase
of the x-ray, and persons who
have not contributed to the TB
Seal Sale are being asked to send
payment to their local chairman
immediately.
Bids Asked On Nurse
Home Construction
Plans for the new nurses home
at Watauga Hospital have been
approved by the North Carolina
Medical Care Commission, and
construction bids are to be open
ed March 5, after which it is hop
ed that work will start on the
new building.
In spite of the generous gifts of
so many people, the building
fund is still short of the goal and
there are a great many people,
iiic living in
the country, who have not con
tributed. The treasurer of the
fund, Stanley A. Harris, would be
glad to receive additional gifts,
cither in cash or pledges, payable
during the year.
"The nurse*' home," says Mr..
Harris, "belongs to all the peo
ple in Watauga county, and ev
eryone should want to have a
part in it, especially when we
get $3.00 for cach dollar we give."
Spring Parkway Tour
Planned In Charlotte
\
Newspapermen, motor club and
civic leaders from over the coun
try will join in the third annual
spring tour of the Blue Ridge
Parkway, and will visit Boone
and Blowing Rock.
Plans for the lour, which will
give the participants a chancc to
sec the Blue Ridge Mountains in
their spring finery, were made in
Charlotte last Friday.
The group of newsmen to be
invited from the eastern half of
the United States has not been
selected, nor have the motor
clubs who will send representa
tives been named, but the tour
route was set up during the plan
ning session at the Carolina Mo
tor Club.
Included in the planning group
was Sam P. W terns, Roanoke,
superintendent and guiding light
in Parkway development from,
the time construction was begun
on the super-highway in the hills,
to the present, when, it has be
come one of . the top scenic at
tractions in the Country.
Others were T .Ed Pickard, vice
president and general manager of
the Motor Club, who will be re
sponsible for setting up the tour
finally; Charles. Parker, Raleigh,
director of advertising for the N.
$9,557 War Bands
Are Sold Here
Sale of Series E, H, J, and K
United State Defense Bonds in
Watauga County for the month
of December, 1952. totaled
19,537 30. This announcement was
made this week by County De
fense Bond* Chairman A. T. Ad
ams. baaed on the monthly sale*
report from Allison James, State
Director of the U. S. Savings
Bonds Division in Greensboro.
The total figures for North Car
olina's 100 counties were aa fol
lows: Series I and Series H (com
bined) $4,884,420-00; Series J
Bonds llll.orxfoo, and 8erie? K
Bonds t288.300.00; totaling $3,
323,976.30. ,
C. Department of Conservation
and Development; Richard S.
Gillis Jr.. Richmond, Va., direc
tor of public relations for the Vir
ginia State Chamber of Com
merce; Matthews A. Griffith.
Waynesboro, Va., representing the
Blue Ridge Parkway Association;
Bill Lewis, and Draughn Miller,
also of the Motor Club.
This year, the tour will re
verse the direction of past years
and begin in Virginia, concluding
in Asheville. The group will as
semble in Roanoke, Va., on Sun
day, May 24, and the 600-mile
trip will be concluded in Ashe
vitlc on Frida ynight, May 29.
Included in the itinerary will be
visits to Natural Bridge, Monti
cello, and the Univenity of Vir
ginia. After, crossing the North
Carolina line, the group will view
the scenic wonder of the Park
way, and Blue Ridge, including
Grandfather Mountain. Daniel
Boone Theater, Craggy Gardens,
Roaring Gap, Mt. Mitchell, and
Vanderbilt Estate in Ashevillc.
A side trip on the final day of
the tour schedule will take in
Cherokee Indian Reservation, the
theater, Indian village, and Pio
neer Museum.
Sister Mrs. Winebarger
Fatally Hurt In Crash
Mr*. Frank M. Marten. Sr., of
Winston-Salem, a sitter of Mrs.
Clyde Winebargcr of Boone, died
last Tuesday, following injuries
sustained in an automobile acci
dent 36 hours earlier.
The car Mrs. Masten was driv
ing struck a fire hydrant, as she
tried to avoid striking another
car at an intersection. Mr. and
Mrs. Masten were rendered un
conscious by the impact. The car
ran wild on the street and side
walk 350 feet, killing two negro
boys, injuring a third an<t a negro
woman. The vehicle stopped after
hitting the step* and porch of
two houses.
It ia believed that Mrs. Mast
en's body at foot held the accele
rator down after the original Im
pact. She suffered severe shock,
multiple abrasions and facial
lacerations and injuries to the
chest. Mr. Masten, who is now
recovering, suffered a broken
iAc, facial lacerations, concus
sion, and severe shock. He ia ex
pected to recover,
Betides her huaband and Mrs.
Winebarger, Mrs. Masten ia sur
vived by two sons, Frank Masten,
(Continued on page six)
Thirty-Eight High Schools
In State Band Clinic Here
APPALACHIAN HIGH SCHOOL BAND, which is the host organization to the All-State High School
Band Clinic to be held at the College Friday and Saturday.
Wilkes Man Is Fatally
Shot On Highway 421
Annual Meeting
Chamber Commerce
On February 13th
The -annual meeting of the
Boone Chamber of Commerce
will be held on the evening of
Friday, February 13, in the base
ment of the Baptist Church with
Mr. Marvin Krieger, secretary of
the Johnson City Chamber of
Commerce as guest speaker.
Tickets arc now on sale for the
dinner which will be served by
the Worthwhile Woman's Club.
The membership committee of
the Chamber will be in charge
of selling tickets or they may be
obtained in the office of the
Chamber of Commerce.
Members are reminded that this
is ladies' night and the moat im
portant meeting of the year. A
record attendance is expected.
Hereford Bull
Sale May Be Held
The Watauga County Purebred
Hereford breeders decided to told
a spring Hereford "Bull Sale" in
Watauga County if enough good
bulls can be found.
The purpose of the proposed
sale would be to give the bull
buyers a chance to buy their bulls
at auction without making time
consuming trips to one or more
farms. It would also save the
breeder time as he could show
his bull to a large number of peo
ple at one time.
The sale will be held the latter
part of April, if present plans are
worked out. Any purebred breed
er that has bulls for sale shduld
notify the County Agent. The
number of bulls available will de
termine whether or not a sale will
be held.
RAYMOND FARTHING. CGM, right, being welcomed by Chief Petty
Officer Walter Hardester, as he takes over recruiting duties at the
Beckley, W. Va? station. A native of Watauga County, Mr. Farth
ing is a son of B. W. Farthing, and the late Mrs. Farthing of ValLe
Crucia and has had eighteen yeara of active sea duty, visiting every
continent on the globe. Raymond said the Farthing family is well
represented in the Navy, three brothers, Baxter, Benjy and Lewis,
now seeing service with the sailor boys.
Richard Hardin McGuire, 30, of~
Summitt, was fatally shot and
James Gilbert, 28, of Ferguson,
was charged with the shooting in
an altercation which took place
at a roadside cafe at Wade Harris
Bridge, on highway 421, fifteen
miles from Boone.
James Gilbert, a son of Wade
Gilbert of Ferguson, former Wil
kes deputy, surrendered to Wil
kes officers at the Wilkes jail. He
was quoted as saying that he was
trying to stop an altercation at
the cafe when McGuire advanced
on him with a knife. He admitted
that ha fired the bullet, a 38
calibrc, which entered McGuire'*
I
forehead just above the left eye.
Wilkes Coroner T. M. Myers
and a physician removed the bul
let, which thoy said went through
McGuire's brain and lodged on
the inside of the back of his skull.
Apparently he died instantly but
someone at the cafe carried him
to the hospital in Boone.
McGuire, who worked at saw
mills, was born March 11, 1922.
and was a son of Julius and
Cynthia Greene McGuire of Sum
mit.
Funeral services ? were held
Tuesday at 2 p. m. at Greene
Cemetery near Summit.
Gilbert nw held In jail an a
charge of murder.
Winkler Introduces
Bills To Tax Drinks,
Enforce School Law
Representative W. L. Winkler
of Watauga on Monday introduc
ed in the Legislature a bill which
would impose a one-cent tax on
all soft drinks sold in the State,
and another designed to enforce
the compulsory school law in
Watauga county.
The State-wide bill, involving
the tux on soft drinks, would pro
duce one and a half million dol
lars in new revenue, in the opin
ion of its sponsor.
The Winkler school bill would
authorize the Sheriff of Watauga
county to enforce the compulsory
school attendance law. The
Sheriff would be declared a spec
Dr. John Martin
At Raleigh Meet
Dr. John G. Martin of Boone
attended the 19th Annual con
ference of the North Carolina
State Veterinarian Medical Asso
ciation held last week at State
College, Raleigh. The conference
Is sponsored by the State Veter
inarian Association in cooperation
with State College.
Dr. Martin heard Asa Winter,
chairman for the Bureau of
Planning and Coordinating com
mit)** for emergency activities of
the United States Department of
Agriculture, outline the Import
ant role veterinarians should play
in civilian defense in opposing
the threat of biological warfare.
H. Grady Farthing
Attends Meeting
Mr. )l- Grady Farthing, a mem
ber of the State {Stream Sanita
tion Committee, la in Raleigh this
week, attending the sessions of
the Committee.
The Sanitation Committee Is
now mapping proposed legisla
tion after conducting intensive
stream pollution surveys since Its
establishment.
ial attendance officcr and be
authorized to employ a deputy to
handle attendance enforcement
duties.
The Watauga Sheriff would al
so be authorized to check and
supervise 'the speed and the load
ing of school buses in the county.
The compensation to the Sheriff
his deputy for these additional
duties would be fixed by the
county commissioners.
James Farthing
Promoted By Bank
James Farthing, for several
years assistant cashier of the
Northwestern Bank in Boone, left
Saturday for Taylorsvillc, where
he is cashie/ of the Northwestern
Bank there, succeeding Solon Lit
tle. deceased.
Mr. Farthing has been employ
ed by the local bank for seven
years, and his promotion comes
from long and efficient service to
the institution.
The Oriental moth seldom caus
es over 10 per cent wormy, fruit
in the Sandhills area of North
Carolina.
Annual Event
To Be Held
This Week End
Preparations have now been
completed for the All-State High
School Band Clinc (Western Divi
sion) which will be held in the
Music and Arts building on the
campus of Appalachian State
Teachers College, Friday and
Saturday, February 6 and 7. This
is the third successive year the
Band Clinic has been held in
Boone. This year the clinic band
is the largest one that has been
organized in the western district.
The one hundred twenty-five stu
dents will represent the following
thirty-eight high schools:
Forest City, Rutherfordton, Tri
High, Cliffside, Harris, Reynolds,
Gray, Hanes, Walkertown. Ker
nersville, Valdcse, Brevard, Len
oir, North Wilkesboro, Moores
ville, Marion. Waynesville, Hick
ory, Scotts, Newton-C onovcr,
Canton, Mineral Springs, Lexing
ton, Greensboro, Asheville, Hil
debran, Drexel. Swain County,
Granite Falls. Ode II, Glen Al
pine, Morganton, Jamestown,
High Point, Mount Airy, Elkin,
Hendersonville, and Appalachian.
Serving as conductor for the
clinic band will be Mr. AUen
Bone, of the Department of Mus
ic of Duke University, Durham.
Mr. Bone is widely recognized as
being not only an outstanding
band and orchestra conductor,
but also is much in demand for
judging contests and directing
clinics throughout this section of
the country.
Mr. Roy Blanton, chairman of
the affair, ha? announced the pro
grjh for the concert on Saturday
evening as , follows: Amparita
Roca ? Curzon! Ariane Overture ?
Boyer; Farandole from L'Arlcs
sienne Suite ? Bizet; Prelude from
(Continued on page six)
High Spots In
State Of Union
Message Are Given
Here in brief are the salient
points of President Elsenhower's
State of the Union message, deli
vered Monday:
The U. S. must spurn any pasi,
secret deals which let aggressive
communism enslave free peo
ples.
The Seventh Fleet no longer
will "shield Communist China"
by preventing Chiang Kai-shek's
Nationalists on Formosa from at
tacking mainland.
Western Europe should take
further steps toward practical
unity."
Tax cuts must wait until "we
show we can succeed in bringing
the budget under control."
Price- wage controls should die
April 30.
Old age insurance should be
extended to millions now uncov
ered.
A new commission will study
ways of getting farmers "full
parity of income."
All government agencies are
being ordered to weed out any
disloyal, unreliable employees.
Present Government Reorgan
ization Act should be extended.
"Corrective" amendments to
Taft-Hartley Act ought to be
speeded.
Hi School Wrestlers
Meet First Test Here*
wrcnucrB wi n^fwwv-iuiii tug"
School meet their first test of the
year when they play host to the
Concord Recreation Center wrest
ling team February 5. at 11:00 in
the high school gymnasium.
This meet, the first for the
Blue Devil Grapplcrs, will show
what the charges of Steve Gab
riel, former A. S. T. C. mat ace,
have accomplished in their three
weeks of strenous workouts.
Here is the 19S3 roster of the
Appalachian High School mat
squad:
93 lbs., Phil McGuire
103 lb*., J. W. Wellborn
112 lb*., Don Cordero
120 lb*., Joe Mast
127 lb*., Muck Wellborn, Bill
133 lb*. Co-Cap?. Kcrmit Ash
ley. Bill ^bcrt
138 lbs., John E. Brawn W fig .
MS lb*., Jim Brown
1M lb*., Co-Capt. Charles
Winkler
1?6 lb*.. Charles Taylor
Heavy weight. Milton Barden.