BOONE
The educational center of Western Narth
Carolina.
1950 Population 2,973
WATAUGA DEMOC
An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1 888
WATAUGA COUNTY
Farming and tourist region. First in Carolina
in sheep production. ,f *
1*50 Population 18,341
SIXTY-SIXTH YEAR? NO. 38
k
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1954
12 PAGES? TWO SECTIONS
?KING
STREET
BY
ROB R1VE1RS
"SEE YE SATDY"
Saturday is a special day in the
life of the country ... A tiirie
when the cares of the week are
laid aside for a spell and the
folks gather in town or about the
country stores, and take it easy,
and catch up on the visitin' and
the news of the neighborhood
. . . It's a kind of semi-holiday
for the folks ... a day when the
pay check, if any, is passed out,
and when workers are apt to put
on their best bibs and tuckers,
crank up the flivver and go to
town, or to the country, or may
be far away, for a good time . . .
And of course everybody's going
to pay you "come Satdy" . . .
And it is, for a fact, a great day,
and we love it!
BUT THERE ARE GRIPES
No matter how lovely the
w??k and may be . . . And oui
pet Saturday peeve comet from
the disruption of radio and tele
vision service . . . We have
never been able to understand
why a radio news broadcast on
Saturday should be done away
with, and suppanted by some
nonsencial recorded routine,
why some of the better televi
sion features have to give way
to those which leave lots to be
desired, and western movies
prevail all over the country . . .
It could be that in keeping with
Saturday's festive spirit that
the folks who depend on the air
waves for news, don't want to
know what's happening on the
last day, and that the folks who
enjoy quis shows and good
stage shows and variety per
formances on other days, can't
abide anything but string
plunking end cowboys on Sat
urday . , . we don't know, but
have often wondered if good
programming, and sustained ,
news coverage wouldn't be ap
preciated right on through the
week.
AMBLING ALONG
The public telephone booths on
the sidewalks . . . Don't recall
having seen any before, but they [
should be a considerable conven
ience to the people, particularly
transients, who otherwise would
have to search out a pay tele
phone . , . Big possum, being an
noyed by lads on the Street, op
posite the Democrat, while a
couple of hound dogs look On
disdainfully. Marsupial later re
leased up Austin South way, in ?
what Austin generally refers to (
is "Hoot Owl Hollow." . . Speak- j
ing of possums, farmers tell of
in over-supply of the grinning ,
features, plenty of groundhogs
and gangs of foxes, but little
ither game . . . The fox is getting
he blames for the decrease in ?
the cottontail population and the j
scarcity of birds.
WINGED DYNAMITE
Henry Hagaman tells of ?
new sort of stinging insect,
which looks like the sharp- j
tempered yellow Jacket, but
which is several times as large '
. . . They are half-finger length,
bigger than a hornet, and fash
ion a nest in the rocks . . . The '
habitat is large, and has a dome
?hape. with point like a church !
steeple, says Henry, who inci
dentally hasn't found -?ut about
the fir* power of this super
jacket ... If they are doe*
?kin to the little yellow buzxers '
which abound in hayfielda. they ]
might bo expected to deliver a
shock somewhere between a
poisoned arrow and a hollow
pointed bullet.
MOUNTAIN FOLKS AND
PINE TREES J
A visitor to the .county from
ndther section remarks on tHe j
bundancc of evergreens around ,
lost every home in the region ,
. . They add to the attractive- |
ess of the premises, and those ,
nfamiliar with the rigors of
hesc long bleak winters don't (
now just how much solaqe one ?
rts from the greenery which ]
hows through the frosted wind
wi . . . Youngs torn having gay i
nnes experimenting with the
undrcds of old dry cells left by J
ie telephone company, when the
cw telephones were put in . * .
i.iffodils and jonquils in rare ]
hundancc. contribute mightily
> the joy of being alive these
rst spring days . . . We don't <
it a certainty know which ia the
affodil and which is the jonquil
. . We thought one had double
eta Is and the other' single, but
(Continued on page lour)
Appalachian BSU In Favor Of
Campus Leaders Under Fire
DR. WALTER A. STANBURY,
noted Methodist minister, who
died in Asheboro recently, after
an extended illness. Or. Stanbury
was a native of Boone.
The Baptist Student Union ol
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege issued a statement last week
signed by 52 students which ex
pressed confidence in the three
BSU leaders who are reported tc
have been asked to resign 'theii
positions by a committee of th<
Baptist State Convention.
'The three leaders are the Bev
James Ray, the Rev. J. C. Herr
ing. and the Rev. Max Whicker
Miss Dot Barber, president 01
the. Appalachian BSU, releasee
the student statement which saic
that removal of the men woulc
be detrimental to the Bap t is
student work in the state.
The statement follows:
We, the undersigned raemben
of the Appalachian Baptist Stu
dent Union, wish to express o'u:
complete confidence in and sup
port of Rev. James Ray, Rev. J
C. Herring and Rev. Max Wicker
We feel that the removal of these
three men will' be detrimental t<
[ the Baptist Student work of the
- state (or the following Yeasons:
1. It would undermine the con
? fidence of the students in the
> State Convention.
> 2. The leadership of the three
? men has been of great value to
i the students and could not be
easily replaced.
3. It would threaten the Bap
- tist principles in which we be
. lieve.
f 1. We feel that the students
1 should have been asked to voice
1 iheir opinions on the matter since
1 we will be most directly effected,
t 2. BSU members are full-fledged
members of Baptist churches and
it is our right, as well as our re
s sponsibility to voice our opinions.
3. We feel that the committee's
r reasons for requesting the dis
- missal of the three men mention
? ed above should be made clear
' to the public.
>| Use Easter Seals.
National Foundation Gives
$19,000 To Local Polio Fund
Many Gather For
Public Induction
0. E. S. Officers
On the evening of March 29 in
a beautifully decorated chapter
room, members, friends, and
visitors witnessed the installation
of officers of Snow Chapter No.
220, for 1954-55.
Mrs. Martha D. Watkins was
installing officer. Assisting in the
ceremony were Mrs. Lena A.
Geer, Marshal; Mrs. Amelia C.
Greer, Chaplin; Mrs. CfilnS R.
Lavender,' Conductress; Miss Ber
nice Gragg organist; Mrs. Nina
Martin, associate matron; Mi's.
Faye 6. Hodges, assistant con
ductress; Mrs. Lucy G. Luther,
secretary; Mrs. Olhe E. Greer,
warder.
Mrs. Ruth B. Redmond was in
stalled as Woithy Matron, suc
ceeding Mrs. Ruth W. Coe, and
Mr. Roscoe J. Allen was installed
as Worthy Patron, succeeding Mr.
I\ Milt Greer.
In addition to Mrs. Redmond
and Mr. Allen, other officers in
stalled were: Mrs. Roberta B.
Ray, associate matron; Mr. Clyde
Greene, associate patron; Miss
Helen Underdown, secretary;
Mrs. Honor Dee Winkler, trea
surer; Mrs. Vera N. Richardson,
conductress; Mrs. Kathleen W.
Hodges, assistant conductress;
Miss Mary Helen Neill, chaplin;
Miss Catherine E. Holcomb;e,
marshal; Miss Bernice Gragg, or
ganist; Mrs. Anna Mae Allen,
Adah; Mrs. Eda Mae Andrews,
Ruth; Mrs. J. Lou Carpenter,
Esther; Mrs. Edna Miller, Martha;
Mrs. Ruth C. Greene, Electa;
Mr. Irwin W. Carpenter Jr., war
den; Mrs. Mary F. Holland, sen
tinel.
Following the installation cere
mony the newly installed Worthy
Matron gave a very inspiring
message to her chapter. A Past
Matron's jewel was presented
Mrs. Ruth W. Coe by Mrs. Nina
Martin.
Following the close of the
meeting delicious refreshments
vere served to about 60 members
ind visitors. ?
Fire Warden
List Is Given
Bynum Proffitt. county forest
'ire warden, ctresses the import
mcc of securing burning permits,
ind at the same time announces
he names of the following deputy
v ardent:
Clint Eggers, Zionville; John
3. Potter, Tamarack; Eldreth
rrivette, Reese; Clyde Eggers,
3utch Creek.
Warden Proffltt's telephone
lumber is AM4-33M. ?
Fire permits are issued at the
following places;
A. O. Miller, Deep Gap.
Mr*. W. S. Collins, Blowing
Hock
Church Store, Potcoe.
Howard Mast Store, Valle Cru
;is.
Victor Ward's, Sugar Grove.
Vilas Service Station. Vilas.
D. E. Church's Store, Mabel.
Ivan Farthing's Store, Bethel
Parkway Co., Boon*
A check for <19,000 has been
received from the National Foun
dation for Infantile Paralysis, to
help provide care for polio pa
tients here, it was announced this
week by R. D. Hodges, Jr., chair
man of the Watauga County
Chapter of the March of Dimes
organization.
"This financial help comes as
part of a general National Foun
dation arrangement to provide
needy chapters with immediate
emergency aid," Mr. Hodges said.
Mr. Hodges explained that
March of Dimes funds raised each
January are shared with national
headquarters. The chapter
spends its portion for patient cm*
and national headquarters finan
ces research, epidemic services,
professional education and emer
gency aid to chapters. This year.
national headquarter! added an
other program, Polio Prevention,
which consists of increased sup
plies of gamma globulin and stu
dies of a trial vaccine against
polio.
"We have in Watauga County,"
Mr. Hodges said, "a good example
of how the local chapter and na
tional headquarters work togeth
er to fight infantile paralysis. If
we run in the red, the National
Foundation will pull us out"
Previous to the cuiTent advance,
the chairman stated, this chapter
has been advanced )7,S00.
Mr. Hodges said it is quite pos
sible the local chapter may re
quite even further aid from na
tional headquarters. The local
chapter at present is providing
funds, in whole or In part, for
the care of five patients stricken
this year.
Three Forks Revival
Gets Under Way 4th
Plans are neairing completion
for the annual Three Forks Bapt
ist Associational Revival, to be
held simultaneously at the Boone
and Oak Grove Baptist Churches
from April 4 to 11 inclusive.
The services vfill begin at both
churches at 11 o'clock Sunday
morning, April 4, and will con
tinue each evening at 7:30, with
morning and evening services
Sunday, April 11.
Mr. Horace Easom of Shelby,
leacler of North Carolina Baptist
men in Brotherhood work, will
be the preacher for the Boone
services, and the Rev. Charles E.
Parker, pastor of First Baptist
Church at New Bern, will bring
the messages at the Oak Grove
Church.
Both Mr. Easom and Mr. Park
er are also on the faculty for the
Preachers' School, which will
hold morning and afternoon ses
sions Monday through Friday at
Boone, beginning .at 9 a. m. All
deacons and preachers in the as
sociation are especially urged to
attend the Preachers' school, said
Rev. L. H. Holiingswofth, pastor
of the Boone Baptist Church.'
The revival is being sponsored
by the men of the church, and
two laymen will be on the ros
trum with Mr. Easom to conduct
the Boone service*. After the first
Sunday morning service, the pas
tor, Mr. Hollingsworth, will sit in
the congregation throughout the
meeting.
Home visitations are being
made this week by 75 laymen in
preparation for the revival, and
23 cottage prayer meetings are
being held in various home* each
evening this week, with laymen
in charge.
The Brotherhood will hold a
supper meeting in the basement
of the church Tuesday evenini? at
8:30, and every member is asked
to bring a "buddy" with him.
Next Thursday evening at 6
o'clock the ladies of the church i
will be hostesses to the men at
a supper in the church basement.
Mr. Hollingsworth said the
Boone Baptist Sunday School is
striving to make next Sunday'*
attendance the higheit in history.
The goal has been- set at 800 per- 1
*oni, he said. 1
With 3 per cent more milk cow*
on United States farm* January <
1 than a year earlier and feed 1
supplies likely to be plentiful, i
barring drought, milk production <
in 1054 probably will rise above |
the 1953 record of 121 billion i
pound*.
Bids Received
For Swimming Pool
Annex At College
Sealed bids are being received
(or construction of the proposed
Swimming Pool Annex tp the
Physical Education Building for
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege, according to an announce
ment by Dr. B. B. Dougherty,
president
Plans for the building call for
a Class A semi-fireproof struc
ture containing approximately
332,180 cubic feet. The framing
will be a combination of rein
forced concrete and structural
steel. Walls and partitions, gen
erally, will be brick and tile. Ex
terior finish will be brick.
Interior floor finishes include
concrete, vinyl tile and ceramic
tile. Inside wall finishes will in
clude plaster, structural facing
tile and ceramic tile. The ceilings
will be plastered with some of
the structure exposed. Steel win
dows and plastic sky domes will
be used, while the door frames
and doors will be steel and solid
core wood.
Bids are to be accepted until
2 p. m. Thursday, April 15, at
which time the bids will be pub
licly opened and read, according
to the president of the college. ,
Ralph Critcher
Hurt In Crash
Ralph Critcher, mechanic of
Greene Buick, Inc., in Boone, is
receiving treatment at Watauga
Hospital for extensive head and
back injuries sustained when the
1993 Oldsmobile he was driving
went out of control and overturn
ed on a sweeping curve about one
and one-half miles east of Boone
Sunday shortly after 6 p. m.
A hospital report Tuesday af
ternoon gave his condition as "ap
parently out of danger," but said
he will be hospitalized ,for an
"undetermined" period.
Patrolman J. R. Chandler,' who
investigated the accident, said !
twelve or thirteen fence posts '
were knocked down when the j
car left the road, and added that
the car is a "total loss."
Paul Younce New
VFW Commander
Paul Younce was dieted com- j
mandcr of Watauga Mountaineer (
Post 7031, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, at the meeting of the or
ganization held Friday evening.
Mr. Younce succeeds Custer
Wallace.
Other officers elected are: j
Senior Vice-Commander, Hort
Bledsoe.
Junior Vice-Commander, Grady
Barnes. I
Quartermaster, Bert Ellis. y
Adjutant, Hort Bledsoe. I
Chaplain, Stanley Houck. i
Many To Attend I
Adlai Stevenson, former Gov- f
crnor of Illinois, and 1952 Dem- c
ocratic Presidential candidate,
will speak at the Armory in Char
lotte Friday evening at 8 o'clock,
and a large number of Watauga f
county Democrats are expected to j
attend.
Mr. W. R. Winkler, .Democratic
county chairman, suggests that
each neighborhood in the county '
make up at least one automobile
of voters to go to Charlotte to
participate in the first Democratic 1
state-wide ralVy of the election '
year.*
Stevenson
?
CinemaScope Screen To Place
Local Theatre With Leaders
Within a few short week* the
people of this area will be able
to enjoy CinemaScope at the Ap
palachian Theatre here, accord
ing to an announcement made by
J. W. Bcach, manager of the Ap
palachian Theater. Contract for
the installation of equipment hat
been let and the first Cinema
Scope attraction let for tHc Boone
house is THE ROBE, to play
soon. ?
CinemaScope is the new di
mensional photographic medium
that docs not require the use of
special glasses, and its advent
was a milestone in the movie In
dustry. equal to the introduction
of sound to film that took place
in 1927 and changed the entire
course of motion pictures*
Recently the Appalachian
Theatre'* Screen was enlarged to
dlmincions equal to any of the
screens in the largest playhouses
in the state, but the new Cinema
scope screen, with its millions of
tiny "lenses" reflecting greater
light, will dwarf the old screen
by comparison. A width of 32
feet, height of 17 feet, will fill
the entire proccnium of the big
Appalachian with curved Cinema
scope screen.
Stereophonic sound, one of the
marvels of Cinemascope, can best
be described as "natural sound,"
coming from the direction in
which the action takes plaee,
whether it be in the upper l>al
cony, a* for th&nder, trotn the
stage, or, u in crowd scencs,
from the audience itself. This
kind of sound, coupled with the
enveloping picture from the curV
ed screen, gives the illusion of
audience participation in the
picture, with action and sound all
around.
In bringing THE ROBE to
Boone, the Appalachian Theatre
is complying with heavy demand
from the movie patrons of this
i area. Further booking bas been
made to bring the best of the
Cinemascope epic* to the Ap
palachian in the succeeding
weeks, one of those scheduled be
ing KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
TA?w:
Annual Drama Festival
Attracts Many Students
CLINIC DIRECTOR ? Dr. D. J. Whitener. above, directed a historical
:linic in Boone last Friday, sponsored by the Western North Carolina
Historical Association, of which he heads. The clinic was atttend^d
by representatives from Avery, Burke, Watauga, Caldwell, Wilkes,
Ashe and Alleghany counties, and was held for the purpose of de
termining ways and means of preserving the history of this section.
Farm Loan Group
Wins District Award
The Boone National Farm Loan
\ssociation won the? Third Farm
Credit District attendance award
offered by the Federal Land
3a nk of Columbia for having the
lighest percentage of members
present at the IMS annual meet
ng of any association in the dis
trict. The district includes the
wo Carolinas, Georgia and Flor
da. This meeting was held last
July in the county courthouse.
The award, a lat-ge electric off
ce clock, was presented to the
>fficers and directors of the asso
:iation at the North Carolina con
erence of directors held in Co
umbia the early part of March.
3. C. Eggers, president, and John
i. Hollar, secretary-treasurer of
he association, received the
award on behalf of the associa
tion. The association has a large
membership of farmers in this
area and over 50 percent of them
attended the meeting.
The Boone association has as
sets totaling approximately $75,
000 of whidl $$0,000 is capital in
vested by the members. Reserves
total approximately $15,000. The
association handles approximately
one and a half million dollars in
loans for the Columbia Land
Bank.
The Boone association makes
and services long term, low inter
est loans to farmers for anly eli
gible purpose such as refinancing,
building, schooling, or hospital
bills.
'Seven Words' Theme
College Double Octet
The Appalachian Mixed Dou
>le Octet, under the direction of
V. Hoyt Safrit, will present
iaydn's "Seven Words of Christ"
ind Mendlcssohn's "Hear My
'rayer" on Sunday at 8 p. m. in
he Boone Methodist Church,
featured soloists will be Amelia
^ardwclti' Billie Ann Wither
poon, Harry Logan Smith, and
Villiam L. Head, outstanding per
ormers with the Greensboro Op- 1
ira Association.
The ensemble, which was or
[anizcd three years ago, fre
luently appears in sacred and
ecular concerts in North Caro
ina and neighboring states.
Members of the T>ctct include:
Sopranos: Beth Eggers, Jacque
inc Snydre, Gaynelle Wilson,
Aarie Vaught.
Altotf: Gloria Gattis, Eleanor
ielms, Rebecca Austin, Jean
loiter. .
Tenors: Jerry Hill, Bill Honey
utt. Jack Issacs, Gene Wilson.
Basses: Robert GiUey, Patrick
ilathews, , Ben Connell, Barry
tuth.
Mrs. Cardwell, soprano and
>ianist of Greensboro, is musical
lirector of the Greensboro Opera
Association, and was musical di
cctor of the Institute of Opera
leld in Boone during the past
ummer. A wall-known concert
inger and aocotnpanist, Mrs.
Cardwell received excellent no
ices for here New York recital in
940, and hat had an extensive
iperatic and concert career. At
>rcscnt she to choirmaster and so
oist at St. Andrew's Episcopal
Church in Greensboro.
Billie Ann Wlthempoon, con
ralto, sings at Grace Methodist
;hurch, Greensboro, and to a
n ember of the Greensboro Opera
^ssociation and the Euterpe Club.
She is a student of Amelia Card
vcfi apd has appeared in Grecns
joto Opera productions oi "01
i Thee I Sing," and "La Traviata."
Mr. Head, bass, has had exper
ience in opera, oratorio, radio, and
television, and . is choirmaiter of
Ebenezer Lutheran Church in
Greensboro. His musical educa
tion was received at the Univer
sity of Arkansas and the Mem
phis College of Music.
Mr. Smith, tenor, is soloist at
West Market Street Methodist
Church, Greensboro.- He also
sings with the Greensboro Opera
Association. He appeared in
Boone last August in the role of
Don Jose in the opera 'Carmen."
He, also, is a student of Mrs.
Cardwell, and has studied in It
aly. Mr. South has been soloist
with the North Carolina Sym
phony* and thp Greensboro Com
munity Chorus.
Organist for the performance
will be James W. Rooker. Boone
Methodist Church organist and
a member of the music faculty at
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege.
Event Said To
Surpass Former
Play Efforts
The fifth annual high school
drama festival, sponsored by the
Playcrafters of Appalachian State
Teachers College Wednesday
through Saturday, was one of the
best in the history of the festival,
according to Miss Audrey Eichel
berger, who directed it.
Represented were the high
school drama groups of Jefferson,
Cranberry, Croasnore, Hudson,
Mountain View, East Mecklen
burg, Cove Creek, Hickory, New
ton-Conover, and Edneyville. Ap
proximately 73 students partici
pated in the playa with many
more attending the performances.
The calibre of the performances
of the various groups was above
the usual level in the opinion of
those who saw the plays, and the
direction was of a high quality.
Following the presentation of
plays on Saturday afternoon, a
reception was held for the parti
cipating groups in the Playcraft
ers Club room, after which the
awards were made in the audi
torium. Harold Bennett, Presi
dent of the Playcrafters, present
ed the awards as follows:
Trophy ? 1st place drama ?
GRAVEYARD DAY presented by
Cove Creek High School and dir
ected by Mrs. S. F. Horton.
Certificate of merit for runner
up play ? SPECIAL GUEST by
Crossnore High School, under the
direction of Mrs. Kate Ranson
Camus.
Best actor medal for acting in
(Continued on page three)
Two Lads Admit
Cafe Robbery
Two teen-age boys, Junior Car
roll and Roy Mast, were in jail
Tuesday after confessing to the
robbery of the Gateway Restaur
ant in Boone Monday night.
C. K. Marion, owner of the
restaurant, said the boys entered
the building by breaking the
glass in a rear door, and took be
tween $150 and $200 from the
cash register and a cigar box un
der the counter.
One of the boys, Carroll, once
worked in the restaurant as a
dishwasher, and knew about the
money that was usually left in
the cigar box, Mr. Marion said.
Sheriff Earl Cook was notified
of the robbery early Tuesday
morning, and had both boys in
custody, and $125.S7 returned to
the restaurant by 2 p. m., Mr.
Marion reported. Deputy Wiley
Day assisted the sheriff in the
inveitigation.
Weather
By DR. ARNOLD VAN PELT
Temperatures this week were
mild. Precipitation occurred dur
ing a major portion of the week.
Max. Min. 6 p. m. Date
52 20 44 March 22
50 35 45 March 23
46 38 42 March 24
74 42 64 March 25
64 44 53 March 26
53 , 42 ? 44 March 27
53 38 47 March 28
Precipitation: March 24 ? 0.24
inch. t
March 25 ? 0.07 inch.
March 26 ? 0.63 in.
March 28 ? 0.20 inch.
Lions Map Plpns For
Gay Carnival Benefit
The Boone Lions Club, wjiich
for the past several years has
been conducting an annual Talent'
Show about this time of the year,
has announced a change in play.
This year the club will stage a
Carnival, complete with clowns.
? "grab bag"?tontalning prizes
valued up to $20, bingo, shooting
gallery, and many other games at
which contestants can try their
skill and win valuable prizes.
The Carnival will be held in the
High School Auditorium two
nights, Friday and Saturday, Ap
ril 9 and 10. beginning at 7:30
o'clock, and general admission is
free. Proceed* derived from the S
games will go to the principal
project of all Lions Club*, aid for
the blind.
The Lion* Club Show Commit
tee i* composed of Boy Blanton,
chairman; J. C. Clinc, Robert
CongAnn, Guy Hunt, Hoyt Sa
frit, John Robinson, I. W. Carp
enter, Jr., and Hoyce McNeill.
An advertisement elsewhere in
this i*s?w urges: "Come and bring
the family for the time of your
life! Everyone win* a prise!"
.'??'-J .';iv
? \ i