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1950 Population 2,?73 An ltdependent Weekly Newspaper? Established in the Year 1 886 , 1950 PopuUU<>" 18,341
SIXTY-SEVEN-ftl YEAB^-NO. 1C. BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1954. 12 PAGES? TWO SECTIONS
/ ?Staff Photos by Joe Minor
INTERESTED VISITORS AT IRC ? In top photo, Foreman Robert Bumbaugh exhibits and explains the
use of one of the precision resistors manufactured in Department 12 to a group of interested visitors
last Saturday as the International Resistance Company held "open house" at its Boone plant. The
young lady who is seated at the winding machine and endeavoring to go on with her work is Mrs.
Genevieve Snyder. In lower photo, another group of sightseers pauses at the refreshment stands pro
vided for the occasion, before proceeding on their tour of the plant.
1200 Attend IRC Open House;
153 People Are Now Employed
KING
STREET
BY
ROB RIVERS
THE CHANGING TIMES
Ram came Friday ... A good
bit of rain, with a sprinkling of
snow, to bring smiles to the faces
of those who had gazed long at
the baked soil and the withering
plants. It was a good rain, and
Saturday night some more came
down and the football crowds
were chilled by the snow-laden
downfall > . . Continued cloudy
skies bring promise of more pre
cipitation, and speaking of rain,
an old timer might be described
as one who lived in the day
when prayer meetings were re
gularly held when the corn leaves
spindled, and the cabbages wilt
ed, and there was no pressure in
the faucets, and the wells and the
springs ran dry ... It used to be
common practice.
AND WE RECALL
a time whan it wn 'specially
dry . . . The product! of tha aoil
had quit growing, tha waiar
coursaa had coma to ba dry
runt, and nary a cloud was
waitad acroai tha wida blua
donw of infinity . . . Tha dirt
road* wara inchas daap in dust,
tha cattla wara nigh to starva
tion. and tha folks had about
raachad tha and of thair ra.
sources . . . Thay had a big
maating down at tha Mathodiat
church, a maating of supplica
tion for rain . . . And wa reckon
tha folk* didn't hare much
more faith than than now. for
next day tha preacher, a devout
soul. came into the Democrat
office and referred to the down
pour which came following the
prayer meeting. ?'You know."
saith the man of tha cloth. "I
woke, up about 2 o'clock and
was *urpri*ed to hear tha rain
dropa hitting tha roof."
BEWARE THE UGLY WORDS
It'* maybe happened to you ?
such things as thii: A group of
fellows were engaged in a sort of
gossiping session, and one fellow
really had the dope. He knew
which one of the neighbors was
"stepping out" on the missus, and
just how late the fellow had been
coming home Saturday night*,
(continued on p*ce four)
The public got its first look at
the inside operation of Watauga's
newest industry last Saturday
when the International Resistance
Company held "open house" at
its plant on the southern out
skirts of Boone.
Aboilt 1200 Watauga County
people responded to the com
pany's invitation to visit the
plant between the hours of 10 a.
m. and 4 p. m., said Fred M.
Gragg of Boone, personnel mana
ger.
The visitors- were taken on
guided tours of the factory by key
personnel of the company, who
explained details in the manufac
ture of five basic lines of electro
nic resistors to the various groups.
The resistors, with many varia
tions within each basic line, are
used in radio and television sets,
all types of electrical appliances
and- electronic devices.
The Boone plant, which began
operations in January of this
year, shipped 1 '/s million resistors
to all parts of- the free world dur
ing the first half of 1954, said
John S. Kane, plant manager.
One hundred and fifty-three
persons are now at work at the
fatcory, only eight of whom, in
cluding Mr. Kane, were sent
down from Philadelphia, head
quarters of the company's far
(continued on page two)
Registration Books To Open
Saturday For Last Time
The registration books will be
open one more day, next Satur
day, for the registration of voters
for the November 2 general elec
tion.
Saturday of next week, October
30, will be observed as challenge
day.
Registrations are reported as
very light throughout the county,
so far. Boone township registrar,
Howard Cottrell, states that there
have been about fifty registra
tions and transfers here since the
books opened.
Those who are not registered
and who are otherwise qualified
to vote, must register next Satur
day in order to participate in the
election.
Sheriff Of
Alleghany
Is Killed
Sharif! Porter Collins, of Al
leghany county, a brother to
Bryan Collins, former Watauga
county farm agent. was shot
and killed early Tuesday morn
ing when he went to the home
of Virgil Richardson to serve
papers.
News reaching Boone is to
the effect thai Richardson was
, wanted for skipping a bond,
and when accosted by the
Sheriff in his home, asked that
he be allowed to go upstairs for
his shoes. The Sheriff ac
quieeced. and followed his pris
oner upstairs. Richardson, it is
related, seised his shotgun ra
ther than the shoes and fired,
the official dying instantly.
Richardson. 22 years old. re
portedly escaped in ? blue
Chevrolet pickup, and the
Stale Highway patrol and coun
ty officers were on the lookout
for him. He is described as (
feet tall, weighs 210 pounds,
and walks with a limp. Both
legs had been broken in an
automobile accident.
Police Chief Richardson of
Boone, a former Sheriff of Al
leghany county, who supplied
the Democrat with information,
says that he had often arrested
the slayer of the Sheriff dur
ing his tenure.
600 Give Aid
To Blood Bank
On Friday and Saturday last
week some 600 persons came by
to have their blood typed and
were given cards showing them to
be official members of the bank,
according to Mrs. Lawrence Ows
ley, blood bank co-ordinator. The
small building next to Stallings
Jewelers was crowded all the
while with people waiting their
turn, she said.
Miss Sue Coffey, medical tech
nologist at Watauga Hospital,
stated that her files revealed that
all blood types known today were
recorded. Of particular interest
was the discovery of several peo
ple having a rare blood type
found in less than 4% of the
population of the United States.
Due to the overwhelming re
sponse given by the people of this
county, Mrs. Owsley said, an ad
ditional typing will be conductcd
all day on November 5 and until
noon November 6. This will bo
done in the same location as be
fore.
The sponsors of the bank wish
to extend appreciation to the fol
lowing for their active support
and interest: Stallings Jewelers,
Radio Station WATA, the Wa
tauga Democrat, the Appalachian
Theatre, Ayers Electric Shop,
and New River Power and Light
Company. The local IRC plant
paid for the cost of typing serum
used on their employees and was
subscribed to 100% by the em
ployees.
The Supreme Court will hear
arguments beginning Dec. fl on
decrees to enforce its ruling
against segregation in the public
schools.
1
IRC CAFETERIA? The modem cafeteria at International Resistance Company was installed and
completely facilitated by the company, and if operated by and for the benefit of the North Carolina
Commission for the Blind. ? Photo Palmer's Photo Shop.
Tennessee Officials Outline
Plans For Construction Of 603
?Staff Photo by Joe Minor
HAZEL WAS HERE? Moderately strong winds from Hurricane Hazel reached over the mountains
into Boone last Friday as the season's worst blow. roared up the eastern seaboard leaving death and
destruction in its WBke. Severest damage here was inilicted upon the new Watauga FCX building
now under construction on South Water Street as the front wall of the uncompleted structure was
blown down. Manager Gales S. Scroggs estimated the damage at $S00 to )1,000. The only other cas
ualties observed here as a result of the storm were several television aerials and a number of trees.
Alexander To Speak At
Blowing Rock Rally
Congressman Hugh Alexander
will be the principal speaker at
a Democratic political rally to be
held at Blowing Rock Thursday
evening, October 21, at 7:30, at
HUGH Q. ALEXANDER
the High School building.
The rally will feature a dinner
meeting to be held at 6:30.
Chairman Frank Baird also an
nounces that county-wide rally
will be held at the courthouse in
Boone at 7:30 p. m. Tuesday Oct
ober 26th, at which time promin
ent speakers will be present
All candidates for county office
will be present at both these
meetings and a full attendance
of all those interested is request
ed.
W. D. Hampton
Dies At Age 86
William David Hampton, of
East King Street, Boone, died Sat
urday, October 18, at the Watauga
Hospital. He was 86 years of ago.
Funeral services were held at
11 a. m. Monday, October 18, at
the Boone Baptist Church, con
ducted by the Rev. L. H. Hollings
worth.
He is survived by his widow,
Mrs. Delphina Hampton; a daugh
ter, Mrs. Charles Rogers, Boone;
two sisters, Mrs. Eliza Triplett,
of Triplett, and Mrs. Mary Brown,
Rural Mail Carriers Are To
Gather In Boone Next June
The North Carolina Rural Mail
Carriers Association will hold its
annual convention in Boone next
June, it is announced by H. W.
Wilcox, Chamber o t Commerce
president.
The organization has 1400 mem
bers in the State, and the con
vention is being held here on in
vitation of Clyde Winebarger of
Boone, secretary-treasurer of the
Association for ten years.
Mr. Winebarger says there will
be at least four hundred in at
tendance with their wives. Hous
ing, program, entertainment and
other details will be announced
later.
Mrs. Clyde Winebarger is pre
sident of the Ladies Auxiliary.
G. 0. P. In Ninth
Asks Federaal
Election Help
Winston-Salem, Oct. 19 ? A
GOP spokesman confirmed re
ports lest night that Republican
forces in the state's Ninth Dis
trict have asked the Justice De
partment to be on th? lookout for
possible Noting irregularities in
the area Nov. 2.
Ivan O. Harrah, the district di
rector of organization, disclosed
that the request had been sent di
rectly to Attorney General Her
bert Brownell, with copies to
District Attorneys E. M. Stanley
of the Middle District and James
M. Balry of the Western District.
He said the request was based
on the fact that candidates for
federal as well as county and
state officers will be on the bal
lot.
Questioned on the report, a
Justice Department spokesman in
Washington said he had, not yet
seen the letter but that it would
probably come to his attention as
a member of the federal civil
rights branch of the department.
He said the department could
act only on the basis of a formal
complaint that a crime has been
committed.
Harrah pointed out that a
"school of politics" is already
being conducted by GOP State
Secretary Clyde R. Grene of
Boone in each district county
to acquaint ail precinct and
election officials of legal re
. quiremenls and privileges.
The school was started last
week and will wind up late this
week.
IRC OFFICE ? Shown above U a portion of the spacious offices of the International Resistance Com
pany's Boone plant. Private offices (not shown) are occupied by Plant Manager John S. Kane, Per
sonnel Manager Fred M. Gragg, and other key jwraoonel.? Photo Palmer * Photo Shop.
\i fe >. ' ^ ffi'i v/. ..- ??_? *
Highways 421, 19E
Also In Plans Of
Tenn. Leaders
Tt nnessee Highway officials
meeting last Wednesday with
North Carolina officials, and oth
er interested citizens, outlined
long-range plans for future im
provement of three highway
routes crossing the Carolina
Tennessee State line in this sec
tion.
Highway Commissioner W. M.
Leach of Nashville laid the pro
posal before a two-state meeting
at the Gateway Cafe called to
discuss the development of bet
ter tourist routes in the area.
He said Highways 603, 421 and
19E are all slated for future im
provements on the Tennessee side
of the state line as rapidly as
money becomes available for the
projects.
North Carolina highway auth
orities in turn outlined plans now
in the making for improving U.
S. 421 on the Tar Heel side of the
line.
As outlined, the Tennessee plan
would : ,
1. Develop a new and more di
rect route between the end of
NC 603 at the state line and Eli
zabethton and Johnson City.
2. Improve Highway 421, par
ticularly between the state bor
der and Mountain City, Tenn., en
route to the Bristol area.
3. Improve sections, of Highway
19E between Elizabethton, Term.,
and the state line near Elk Park,
N. C. and provide for a new four
iane brige over Doe River on that
route.
"We realize," Mr. Leach said,
"?hat we can't build a wall around
Tennessee. We must have more
and better roads to handle the in
creased interstate traffic."
He said he hadn't realized until
today's trip "how abruptly" High
way 603 ends at the state line.
James Councill of North Wil
kesboro. Eleventh Division en
gineer, outlined what North Car
olina has already done and is
planning on its side of the border.
He reported that Highway 603
has already been improved
through Vilas and Sugar Grove to
the state line and pointed to plan
ned improvement of an 11-mile
stretch on Highway 421 between
North Wilkesboro and Deep Gap
which will cut the distance by
four miles or more. A contract
for six miles of that road was let
Tuesday and the other five miles
will be let soon, he said.
Division Commission Ralph
Winkler of Boone, who introduc
ed Mr. Leach, also discussed long
range plans for improvement of
Highway 421 cast of North Wil
kesboro as an attracive tourist
route.
The Tennessee delegation in
cluded Highway Engineer W. ?.
Dunlap of K n o x v i 1 1 e, Marvin
Krciger, president of the Johnson
City Chamber of Commerce, and
u number of road contractors and
other businessmen.
Herman Wilcox, Boone Cham
ber of Commerce president, Stan
ley Harris, manager of the Mer
chants Association, City Aftorney
Wade Brown and several ohters
spoke briefly in stressing the im
portance of the future interstate
highway system.
Robt. Williams
Dies In Allendale
Special to the Democrat
Allendale. S. C. ? Robert Wilson
Williams, 75, died at his home in
Allendale Monday at 3 p. m. af
ter a long illness. Funreal service?
werq^scheduled to be held Wed
nesday afternoon at 4 o'clock in
the Swallow Savannah Cemetery
with the Rev. R C Johnson, pas
tor of the Allendale Baptist
Church, officiating
Survivors include three sons,
Warren Wilson Williams of
Boone. N. C., Robert McDonald
Williams of Charleston. S. C~. and
Bernard Eugene Williams of At
lanta, Ga., a daughter. Mn. J.
G. Hagaman of Lenoir, N. C., two
sisters. Mrs. W. W. Priestcr and
Mm. Vascoe Whatley of AUen
dak, and ten grandchildren.