WATAUGA COUNT?*?
ming and tourist region. First in
in sheep production. iv
ItSO Population U,341
i#50 Population 1,912 An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year I otto
rhe educational center of Western North \^/ I ^ | /% I J ff ^ I ^ Fanning and tourist region. First in Carolina
c?o.in.. Y Y jljL X ii. vJ \J jljl J2^?Ti\^\^XVxTL JL ^ productio?
SIXTY-SIXTH YEAR?NO. 45. BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1?54 11 PAGES?TWO SECTIONS
KING
STREET
I BY
| ROB RIVERS
THE SLOW DOWN
Folks who occasionally travel
down below the mountains are
quick to notice the slow-down in
highway traffic since speeds are
being regulated by electric de
vices, and since speeding has
come to be something that . the
township court can't handle. . . .
The "whammies" are spotted us
ually at points which can't be seen
until the speeding motorist has
been clocked, then farther down
the road he's stopped, and it's too
bad! . . . The fifty-five mile limit
seems slow to the folks who've
been touring down the pavement
at seventy and more ever since
they've had cars and roads that
would stand the pressure, but it's
to be supposed that highway
safety has been promoted. . . . The
Motor Vehicles Department does,
n't say the whammies had any
thing to do with it, but does re
port that fatalities are now run
ning approximately 25 per cent
fewer than last year. ... If the
slow down is the cause for saving
of lives, the folks who're in a
hurry to get there should be con
soled.
NO PROBLEM THERE 1
From Frimd Carl Miller's
Winfield. W. Va.. Democrat. we
learn that Putnam county facet
no major problem as a result of
the action of the Supreme Court
in outlawing segregation in the
schools. . . . The Democrat says
that the county only has one
Negro pupil, who has been
transported at public expense
by bus to another town where
there are high school facilities.
. . . There had been two colored
schools in operation there, it is
noted, prior to the shutdown of
the Plymouth and Raymond
City mines.
BACK TO HER FIRST LOVE!
Mrs. Mary Hill Long, veteran
Statescville news paperwoman,
who worked for many years on
the old Statesville Landmark,
and who was broken-hearted
when the ancient- publication
went by the board due to a
merger, was in town Monday
where she visited with the Demo
crat . . . Mrs. Long is now pub
lishing her own newspaper in
Statesville, the County News, and
says she's supremely happy now
that she's in the environs of the
clanking press and the inky
smell . . . She started out having
the paper printed over in Mocks
ville, but now she has her own
plant, and is getting out a
sprightly weekly which is find
ing favor with the country peo
ple, who had been getting the
Landmark for generations . . .
We haven't known anyone who
has a greater respect for a print
ing press and a newspaper and
a typewriter than Mrs. Long, and
we welcome her back into the
ranks of the non-dailies with all
good wishes and the notion that
she'll enjoy continuing successes
with the News!
,, NO CLOCK1
Ta going back through ihe
I'iM of the Democrat wo find
ihat f if toon years ago than was
a movement on in the com
munity to put a four-faced
clock in tho littia cupola atop
tha poctoffico building, which
waa brand new at tha tima. and
tha pride of the neighbor
hood . . . The Poatoffice Depart
ment. it Hens, had granted per
mission for the clock to be
placed there and the instru
ment waa to be bought for $450.
. . . Only scant interest develop
ed;* in the proposal and the
movement Mled . . . But look
ing again at the poatoffice. we
think a big fin* dock would
look well up there, and at the
same time serve a useful pur
pose . . . We re still for ill"
HERE AND THERE
Roy Blanton gets ready to go
to Indiana U to finish work on his
doctorate . . . Herbert Wey ex
pected back end of next week to
take ovtr as principal of the first
Appalachian High summer term
. . . Dr. Shaffer came over from
the College to the High School
while Wey was on furlough to
Miami U . . . Don't know wheth
er he'll be back at the high school
permanently . . . And that lag in
the local scene when schools are
out and the college kids go borne.
CLEANING UP THE TOWN. ? The Scouts above are shown as they loaded the scrap paper which they
collected in Boone end the county last week In their second scrap paper drive. The paper was hauled
to Charlotte last Thursday by Goodnight Brothers, free of charge, and netted the scouts approxi
mately $58.00, which t|>ey will use in their summer activities. Shown loading are, on the truck, Hilliard
Shackford and Tortmy Owsley; on the ground, 'left to right, Frankie Payne, Jerry McCracken, Johnny
Shackford, Ford King, Sonny Tugmfen, Charles Trivett, Jfce Minor, and Reid Cottreli. ? Staff photo by
Joe Minor.)
CHARLIE JUSTICE, former Uni
versity of North Carolina football
All-American, is shown with his
badge which says "I Flew A Kite
A Mile High." He will be one of
the judges in Grandfather Moun
tain's kite flying contest June
5th. ? (Photo by Hugh Morton)
Memorial Day
Services To Be
Held Next Sunday
A Memorial Day service hon
oring Watauga County war dead
and Gold Star mothers of three
wars will be held at 2 p. m. Sun
day, May 30, in the Daniel Boone
(Horn in ihe Wat) Theatre, con
ducted jointly by the Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the American (
Legion.
An honor guard will be formed I
on* stage, and the principal ad
dress will be delivered by the ,
Rev. L. H. Hollingsworth, pastor !
of the Boone Baptist Church.
Representatives of the VFW and
the Legion will make brief
speeches of welcome.
A salute will be fired by a fir
ing squad of the VFW, and the
colors and color guard will be
furnished by the Boone, flowing
Rock, and Deep Gap American
Legion posts.
The Internatijnal Olympics
Committee, by a 23 to 21 vote,
admitted Communist China as a
Svirticipant in the 1958 Olympic
[ame*.
Scout Paper Drive Is
Outstanding Success
Development
Group Chartered
Raleigh, May 24 ? A certificate
of incorporation was issued yes
terday by the Secretary of State's
office to the Northwest North
Carolina Development Associa
tion, Inc.
The association was formed
several months ago by business,
professional and a g r i c u 1 1 u ral
leaders of a nine-county area to
speed development of all resour
ces in this section of the state.'
There is no stock in the corpora
tion. i -
Counties in the as*ociation are
Forsyth, Alleghany, Ashe, Davie,
Watauga, Wilkes, Surry, Stokes
and Yadkin.
Archie K. Davis of Winston
Salem is president.
To Attend Meet
In Minneapolis
Miss Ruth L. Harris, who has
been spending some time with
her sister, Dr. Mary B. H. Michal,
has left to attend the American
Baptist Convention at Minnea
polis, Minn., for the week of May
24-28, and is making a number
of visits while gone.
Following this meeting she will
be spending several weeks with
relatives in Michigan begore go
ing to the New York office of the
American Baptist Foreign Mis
sions Society under which she
works as treasurer of the Baptist
Missions of the Philippine Islands.
Miss Harris is on a years' fur
lough from her work.
Health Body Meets
At Mt. Mitchell
The Western North Carolina
Public Health Association meet
ing will be held Friday at Mount
Mitchell. The local Health ? De
partment will be closed on that
date as the staff members. Miss
Hazel Holder, Miss Edna Holiday
and Mr. James Brown will attend
this meeting.
Prizes To Be Given ?
- ? . . >
In Plant Bed Project
There has been more than usu
al interest in tobacco plant* this
year and in onder to encourage
better plant beds, the North West
North Carolina Development As
sociation has secured three de
monstration bed* in Watauga
county, prepared and planted by
the boys at Bethel School and
Cove Creek High School. There
are two at 0ethel and one at Cove
Creek.
Mfce counties are working on
this demonstration and the beat
tobacco bed in the niqy counties
will be awarded a pri& of )100,
second best. $90, ^nd the third
beat. $25. These prizes will be
given by the North West North
Carolina Development Associa
tion.
The Northwestern Bank and
the Watauga Building 4c Loan
Association are both especially
interested in encouraging thrift
and industry. In order to make
this project more attractive, these
two organizations have donated
$12.50 each, which will be given
to the boys with the be*.t bed in
Watauga county, whether or not
they win a district prize. These
are projects of the 4-H and the
Future Farmers of America.
The winners from Watauga
county will be invited to Elkin on
June 2, where the prize* will be
given out. Judging is by the State
College Agricultural Department.
The recent scrap paper cam
paign, conducted by the scouts
of Troop 109, Boone Methodist'
Church, was considered * success,
according to .J B. Robinson,
scoutmaster. Mr. Robinson said
that the paper was carried to
Charlotte last Thursday by a
Goodnight Brothers truck and sold
to a junk deale/ there for $57.54.
More than 9,000 pounds of paper
was picked up by the scouts in
the drive.
Mr. Robinson expressed ipprc
ciation to the people of Boone and
the county who saved their old
newspapers and magazines for
the drive. He stated that the troop
hopes to make periodical pickups
of the scrap paper in town, there
by doing a service to citizens in
keeping fire hazards caused by
old papers in the homes and bus
inesses to a minimum.
Those persons who had paper
for the drive that was not picked
up are asked by the scouts to save
their paper for the next campaign
which will be within the next
two or three months. To mini
mize the( time required to pick
up the paper, householders are
requested to tie the paper in ap
proximately 10 or 15-pound bun
dles, so the boys may handle it
easily, or call one of the scouts
who will be glad to do this service
for them.
Local High School
Spends $9,000 In
Progressive Step
In a determined effort to in
crease the educational outcomes
of its students, Appalachian High
School spent over $9,000 this past
school year on instructional mat
erials and equipment. Principal
John R. Shaffer reports this cost
quality factor had been built up
here by Dr. Herbert Wey during
the past 12 years, and an increas
ed expenditure for testing was
the only improvement in the
1953-54 instructional program.
The faculty of the laboratory
high school worked all year to
increase the educational outcom
es as measured by nationally
standardized tests, The results of
this program were apparent in
the outcome of the senior English
tests, which showed that 18 Ap
palachian High School seniors
were among the best in the na
tion on the Cooperative English
Test. This figure compared with
6 for last year's senior class. The
test of all-round ability in all
subjects proved that 15 seniors
were among the best in the na
tion.
The following funds were used
during the# past school year to
improve the instructional pro
gram in Appalachian High
School: t
$668 State funds, through the
county; $2200 Appalachian State
Teachers College; $800 Audio
visual fund raised by students;
$200 Holoween Carnival; $5090
High school fees; $300 Student
Store Diversion. $9276 total for
464 high school students or (19.99
per student
Dr. Amos Abrams will have a
short feature story on this achie
vement in % fall issue of the
NCEA Journal, and he will urge
that more schools follow the lead
set by Appalachian High School
?
Democrats, Republicans To
Go To Polls On Saturday
Appalachian Hi
Summer School
Starts June 14th
Appalachian High School will
hold its summer term from June
14 through August 13. The Boone
Demonstration School will begin
one week later. The high school
will have bus routes from Shulls
Mills, Stony Fork, Bamboo, Green
Valley, and Cove Creek. Buses
will be picked up Friday, June 11,
at the county garage.
High School courses to be of
fered include 9th, 11th, and 12th
English; algebra and geometry as
needed; biology, chemistry or
physics and general science; mod
ern languages; American history,
civics, and world ? history; and
beginning and advanced type
writing. Registration will begin
'at 9:00 a. m. on June 14, and
classes will begin at 8:30 a. m.
daily on Monday through Friday
of each week.
Dr. Herbert Wey will be princi
pal of the summer school for the
first six weeks. Fees will be $8.50
for tuition, registration, and lib
rary expenses, and additional
typewriting rental fees will be
charged amounting to SOc per
week. Information may be ob
tained by writing to the princi
pal's office or calling AM4-3686
before May 31.
Grandfather
Hill Climb Slated
Grandfather Mountain ? Mick
ey Spillanc, the well known au
thor of the Mike Hammer mys
tery thrillers, will be here for a
mammouth Sports Car Hill Climb
which will climax a big weekend
hare June 5-6.
The hill climb will be held on
Sunday, June 6, starting at 10 a.
m., following Saturday morning's
Mile High Kite Flying contest for
boys and girls.
Spillane is one of the best
known writers of mystery yarns.
Mike Hammer has been followed
by twelve million book buyers in
such classics as "I The Jury",
"One Lonely Night", and "The
Big Kill". Mike Hammer's ad
ventures in "My Gun Is Quick"
is scheduled to be made into a
movie, as was "I The Jury"
(which disappointed Mickey).
"One Lonely Night" is being film
ed now.
With Spillane on the trip to
Grandfather Mountain will be his
buddy and constant companion,
Marty Kooperman, a neighbor
nearly as famous as Mickey him
self.
Three Wataugans
Enlist In Navy
Another fine group of young
men enliated in the Navy this
week through the local navy re
cruiting office located in the post
office building, Lenoir. It was
announced by the local navy re
cruiter, Cnief R. G. Farthing.
Representing Watauga County
with the latest group of navy
volunteers was Herman Clay
Tester, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clay
Tester of Sugar Grove, Thomas
James Younce, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ivan Younce of Zionvillc,
and Richard Edward Swain. The
latter named volunteer had just
completed the second year of coir
lege at Boone and stated that he
planned to return to the Boone
center of learning after his tour
in the Navy. He is the son of
Mrs. Eva Lane jof Walkertown in
Forsyth county.
Chief Farthing stated that
waiting lists for Navy enlistment
are much reduced at the present
time and that a young man could
enlist within a short time after
apqffcatlon for enlistmen^
In Chapel Hill
For Conference
, ? ?
Dr Mary Michat left today
(Wednesday) for .Chapel Hill
where she will attend a two-day
conference aw handicapped chil
dren. She will be accompanied
by b?r sister. Miss Pearf Harris.
THIS ONE GOT AWAY. ? Tommy Osborne^ local game and wildlife
protector, is shown as he placed one of the 700 brown trout in the
streams of Watauga county last week. The fish was hatched and
raised at Roaring Gap Fish Hatchery, under the restocking program
carried on in the state. This particular fish weighed about four
pounds. The average of those placed in the Watauga streams runs
about 28 pounds to the hundred fish, and the trout averaged abount
nine inches according to Mr. Osborne. ? (Staff photo by Joe Minor.)
Big Brown Trout Are
Liberated In County
Seven hundred brown trout
were placed in two streams of
Watauga County last Thursday
in the restocking program carried
out from the Roaring Gap Fish
Hatchery.
The fish were placed in Wink
ler's Creek and Middlefork Creek
by Tommy Osborne, local game
and wildlife protector, with the
help of several boys who are in
terested in conservation, under
the supervision of Walter F. Ed
misten, Wildlife supervisor over
eleven counties in this section.
This is the second time the
streams have been stocked this
season, Mr. Osborne said.
Next year, when the special
trout fishing license, costing $1.10
takes effect, the streams will be
stocked several more times than
they have been in years past. It
is expected by Mr. Osborne, that
he will place more fish at an
other time this season in Wa
tauga streams.
Several of the trout released
last week were of the four and
flve-pcftind variety, but most of
them ran around 9 inches.
The fish were hatched and
raised at the Roaring Gap Hatch
ery. A story appeared Sunday in
the Charlotte Observer, written
by John D. Wilson, which ex
plains some of the workings at
the hatchery. We reprint jt be
low:
"In a lo( of ways raising fish is
just about like raising crops," said
Leo Roberts, superintendent of
the Roaring Gap Fish Hatchery.
"You've got to have rain for
both."
Last year, according to Mr.
Roberts, the dry weather in this
area hit the hatchery pretty hard,
and the unit had to dispose of a
lot of fish it had planned to use
for stocking streams in this vicin
ity.
"So if the rainfall is as low this
year as it was last year," said
Mr. Roberts, "we'll have to cut.
down again."
But rainfall is only one of the
superintendent's many problems.
Running a fish hatchery is pretty
much of a full time Job in itself,
and following through the spawn
ing, hatching, rearing process of
some 200.000 eggs requires a lot
of time and attention.
The Roaring Gap Hatchery,
which provides stock trout for all
the potential trout streams in six
counties ? Stokes, Surry, Wilkes,
Ashe, Watauga and Alleghany ?
is equipped to turn out each year
some 200,000 trout. This includes
about an equal distribution of
Rainbow, Brown and Brook
species. These are all used in
public streams, said Mr. Roberts,
and no private streams are stock
ed.
"It costs about S7 cents per
fish by the time you've got them
up to a size about seven to 12
inches long," said Mr. Roberts.
He pointed out, however, that
the hatchery is operated on fish
? (Continued on page six)
Watauga Lamb Pool
Weighing Dates Set
The 1954 Watauga Wool Pool
will be weighed at Farmers Bur
ley Warehouse on Bristol Road,
on Wednesday and Thursday,
June 2 and 3. We are asking that
farmers in the western part of
the county bring their wool inr on
Wednesday, June 2, and the ones
in the eastern part come in on
Thursday, June 3.
Weighing will start at 7:00 a.
m. or as soon thereafter as the
buyer and grader arrives, and will
continue until 4:30 p. m. each
day. The farmer will put hl< wdol
on the scales and after it is
weighed and graded, will take It
off the scales arid to the truck or
stock pile.
, Farmers are asked to bring
wool around to the back of the
warehouse and come in from the
Hodges Cap road. Please do not
try to enter from the main high
way.
Wool bags were ordered on
May 17 and should be here any
day now. Since the buyer made
a# a provision of the sale contract
that he would not buy wool in
small bags unless he be allowed
to deduct "double tare," we hope
that farmers will use the large
bags. In case of only one or two
fleeces the farmer can bring the
tied fleeces In without a bag and
after they are weighed, can pack
them in a bag with other wool.
Keep the wool dry, as wit wool
will be turned down.
Scant Interest
In State, County
Political Races
Watauga countians, both De
mocrats and Republicans will go
to the polls Saturday to cast their
ballots for nominees for State
and county officers, but as this is
written it would appear that pre
primary activity is light in this
area, where ordinarly politics is
entered into so enthusiastically.
Democrats are talking some of
the race between former Gover
nor Scott and Senator Lennon,
but there is no evidence of the
bang-up campaigns of other
years. The Democrat has been
unable to discern any great
amount of organization activity,
and several party leaders have
expressed the belief that no more
than a thousand voters are apt to
participate. Opinion seems to be
that the county is fairly evenly
divided as to Lennon and Scott
sentiment.
Both Senator Lennon and Gov
ernor Scott made brief trips to
Watauga before the campaign
really got under w?y, and A. E.
Turner, also a candidate for the
Senatorial nomination toured the
county recently. The other can
didates, Alia Ray Boyd, W. M.
Bostick, Henry L. Sprinkle and
Alvin Wingfield, Jr., have no ap
parent following here.
Democrats will also choose be
tween incumbent Edwin Gill and
Joshua James for the post of
State treasurer, and Charles F.
Gold and John F. Fletcher are
out for Commissioner of Insur
ance.
O. O. P. County Contest
The Republicans of Watauga
county are participating in the
primary, and have a slate out for
county pffices. They had 'former
ly nominated by convention, but
are in the primary this time as a
result of legislation passed by
Representative W. L. Winkler.
As in the Democratic races,
Republicans do not seem to be
carrying on enthusiastic cam
paigns, and some have predicted
a rather light vote.
For Sheriff G. M. Watson and
Clarence Watson are on the tick
et. Sheriff E. D. Cook did not file
in the primary.
Truman Critcher of Blowing
Rock is the Republican candidate
for Clerk bf the Superior Oourt,
since he was the only man filing
for the nomination.
For Surveyor: Joe J. Miller,
and Jack L. Stone.
For County Commissioners,
three of the following group will
be nominated:
Leslie E. Norris, Paul A. Cof
fey, B. F. Bolick, W. R. Holman,
J W. Harmon, L. M. Hodges, L.
E. Wilson.
Insurance Men To
Gather At Rock
Raleigh ? The North Carolina
Assn. o? Mutual Insurance Ag
ents will mark its 20th anniver
sary at its annual convention at
Blowing Rock June 17-19, it was
announced last week by W. A.
Stringfellow, executive secretary
of the group. t
Approximately 300 Mutual ag
ents and company men are ex
pected to attend. Motor Vehicles
Commissioner Ed Schedit and In
surance Commissioner Charles F.
Gold head a list of speakers for
the three-day session. H, J. Carr
of Clinton, association president,
will preside.
Weather
By DR. ARNOLD VAN PELT
Thu week remained coot, with
temperatures remaining in the
50's and AO's, and with froct at
the end of the week. Precipita
tion. although considerably less
than last week, measured 0.1)0
inches.
Max. Min. 6 p.m. Date
71 SI 67 May 17
76 St M May IS
65 45 S? May 19
56 40 40 - . May 20
56 40 54 May 21
62 37 fa 59 May 22
66 tl (1 K May 23
?it.