For 67 Yean
The Democrat has (erred Boone and Wa
tauga County. With its Intense coverage in
the local Aopplag area, it's the heat adver
tising medium avails bis.
An Independent Weekly IS en* paper ? Established in the Year Eighteen Eighty-Eight
VOLUME LXVIIL? NO. 13
Ten- Year-Old Boy Fighting
Disease; Money Being Sought
Have you ever been forced to
stand by and watch a loved one
fight what appeared to be a hope
leu battle againct the relentless
force of disease and suddenly be
offered hope if you had the funds
to buy the medication needed?
This la the plight of Mr. and
Mr*. Homer Cornet of Reese, Wa
tauga County. For seven years,
their plucky little son, Orville, now
ten years old, has fought the rav
aging germs of colds, influenza
and otter virus infections which
have led to one attack after an
other of pneumonia.
It all started when Orville was
three years old and his mother
took him to a doctor in Boone to
be treated for whooping cough.
Weeks passed and Orville's
"whooping cough" did not get any
better, so the parents made an
other trip from their home at the
foot of Stone Mountain to the doc
tor. This time the doctor decided
the little fellow should be hospi
talized and so began a series of
hospitalizations that has not end
ed to date.
The first attack o I penumorfia
came in 1948 and he has had
pneumonia three time* since. In
IMS, after scores of testa and
treatments had been done locally,
the family doctor decided to send
eight-year-old Orville down to the
Baptist Hospital in Winston-Sa
lem. The out-patient department
at the hoapital advised that he be
hospitalized and he stayed there
for two weeks. During this time
a blood transfusion seemed to help
a little. His cgugh became less
severe and he gained a little
(Photo by Palmer's Photo Shop)
ORVILLE CORNETT
weight. His parents once more
dared to hope that their child
would grow up into a strong and
healthy boy.
Orville had begged for two years
to -go to school. He was afraid his
younger brother, Dean, would learn
to read before he could. Some
times he worried right much about
this. More than anything in the
whole wide world he wanted to
learn to read. Once in 18S2, one
of the Welfare worker* had ar
ranged for a teacher from Appa
lachian State Teachers College in
Boone, to help Orville'with school
work. The boy's hazel eyes spark
led when the worker told him of
the plans, but just before his
classes were to start, the teacher
went to another state to teach.
(Continued on page eight)
Farmers To Trek To Polls For
Vote On National Farm Issues
On Tuesday, October 18, you
and your neighbors will be elect
ing the ASC farmer-committeemen
who in IBM will be responsible for
the local administration of such
national farm programs as the Ag
ricultural Conservation Program,
Clyde K. Greene, of Boone,
chairman of the State Agrlcul
Jural Stabilization Committee
(ASC), has announced that simi
lar elections will be held
throughout the state on October
IS. -
Price Supports, Acreage Allot
ments, Marketing Quotas and oth
ers.
It is these men who will see to
it that such national programs are
properly adapted to conditions in
Watauga County and to your farm,
and it is the background and ex
perience of these same men that
will be mingled with that of the
135 thousand ASC farmer-commit
teemen in the United States in the
formulation of any new program
that developments in the coming
year may require. This double
barrelled function of your farmer
committee system has kept it vig
orous through the years and has
been largely responsible for the
truly democratic development and
operation of your national farm
programs.
You participate by helping to
elect your committeeman, by keep
I ing them informed of the problems
' fcaig you and your community, by
giving them your full support and
cooperation in their job of pro
' gram formulation and admioiatra
| tion. ?
1 There has been no change In
the list of nominees for each com
munity as announced in last week's
issue. of this paper. Lists of nom
inees are available at the ASC
office and will be posted in pub
lic places in the county. Ballots
will be made up for each Com
munity from this list and will be
available at the polling places.
Get your cboros done early and
drive in to your community poll
ing place. If you don't take part
in the election of your community
committeemen, you cant complain
about who is elected. Remember,
community committeemen can bo
elected this year even though they
might have served during the last
three terms. Polls will open at ?
and clow at I o'clock. Be sure
you vote 1
There are some mighty import
ant decisions to be made in 1996!
Many of them will affect you!
Someone has to make them. Will
joor voice be heard?
Road Building Report
Made In 11th Division
The State Highway Commission
completed 12.32 miles of road im
provements in the Eleventh High
way Diviston during September,
Commissioner W. Ralph Winkler
of Boone reported today.
Caldwell, Alleghany, Ashe,
Avery, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes,
and Yadkin Counties compose the
Eleventh" Highway Division. Divi
sion headquarters are in North
Wilkesboro. J. H. Councill is divi
sion engineer. J. E. Doughton is
assistant division engineer.
In Ashe, the folowing county
roads and their lengths were grad
ed and graveled by State Highway
forces: Beginning near the inter
section of Ebeneezer Road and
Blue Ridge Parkway extending
northwestward to the intersection
of Bear Creek and Roan Creek
Roads, 0.7 mile; from the Blue
Ridge Parkway to Wilkes County
line, George Lony Road, 0.3 mile;
from end of gravel on Boggs Road
to Boggs School House, 2.2 miles;
and beginning at the top of hill
on West Pine running south, 1.0
mile. The roads are from 10 to 12
feet wide.
(Continued on page two.)
Willie Carroll
Rites Are Held
Willie Carroll, 79 years old, a
reiident at the Triplett neighbor
hood, died September 29, at the
home, following an illneu of sev
eral months.
Funeral services were held
October 1 at the home of a son,
Leonard Carroll. Rev. Marahal
Watson and Rev. Bynum Triplett
conducted the rites. Burial was in
the Hodges cemetery in the home
neighborhood. '
A son of the lat# G. W. and Mrs.
Carroll, deceased was born and
reared at Triplett and spent his
life as a farmer in that section.
He was a member of the Rock
View Baptist Church.
The widow survives, with a son
Leonard Carroll, and a daughter,
Mrs. J. B. Hodges, both of Trip
lett.
Adm. Raeder, Nazi sea chief,
freed from Spandau by Big 4.
Advice Given On Yule
Mailings , Overseas
The period October IS to Nov
ember 15 hai again been designat
ed (or the acceptance of Christmas
parcela for member* of our Arm
ed Forces serving outside the con
tinental United States with the
concurrence of the several depart
ments of the National Military
Establishment.
Patrons should be reminded that
military personnel are well sup
plied with food by the Armed
Service* and that parcels contain
ing foodstuff* subject to spoilage
and breakage in transit are likely
to reach overseas destination un
fit for. use.
The importance of mailing
Christmas parcels during the de
signated period cannot be em
phasized too strongly? the earlier
the better. No anurance can be
given that surface parcels mailed
after November 15, or air parcels
mailed after December 1, will be
delivered in time for Christmas.
Boxes for overseas transmission
mint necessarily be of strong con
struction on account of the great
distance these parcels must be
transported and the handling and i
storage they must undergo. It is
absolutely necessary that all arti
cles for overseas delivery be pack- ;
ed in boxes of metal, wood, solid j
fiber-board, or strong double-faced
corrugated fiberboard testing at
least 279 pounds.
Greeting cards f6r Armed Forc
es personnel overseas may be
mailed at an? time, but patrons
should deposit such cards prepaid |
at the first-class rate prior to Nov
ember IS. IMS; at the airmail rate
prior to December 1, 1090, if they
are to have ? reasonable expecta
tion of delivery prior to Christ
mas.
For further information concern
ing siae and weight, prohibited
articles, portage, addressing, and I
the like, please contact your local i
post office personnel
Child Dies
In Motoring
Accident
Kella Diane 'Wilton, 3-year-oll)
daughter of Mr. and Mr*. William
Engene Wilaon. of Zionville, W1I
fatally injured Tuesday at about
10:30 a. m. when ihe apparently
ran into the aide of a ear driven
by Mrs. D. T. Brown, Jr. ,
Sheriff Ernest Hodges said a
preliminary investigation revealed
that there were aeveral children
playing along the road near the
Brown home in the Silverstone
section as Mrs. Brown drove by at
a moderate rate of speed, and the
Wilaon child apparently ran out
into the road and into the side of
the moving vehicle.
Mrs. Brown, stopped immediate
ly, hailed a passing motorist, who
was not identified, and brought
the victim to Boone. She was pro
nounced dead on arrival at Wata
uga Hospital.
Sheriff Hodges and Coroner
Richard E. Kelley said the investi
gation had not been completed,
but information obtained thus far
tends to show that the accident
was unavoidable. ,
Funeral serviced will be held at
2:30 p. m. Thursday, October 13,
at the Pleasant Grove Baptist
church, conducted by the Rev. E.
0. Gore, who will be assisted by
the Rev. Rex West and the Rev.
Victor Trivette. Burial will be in
the Zionville cemetery.
Surviving besides the parents is
a brother, Tim, of the home.
Polio Program
Is Shifted To
Federal Phase
Dr. Mary Michal, health officer,
has Just received word that the
National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis program of polio vaccine
closes October loth and the pro
gram financed by the Federal gov
ernment will begin.
North Carolina has appointed a
special poliomyelitis vaccine advi
sory committee for the supervi
sion of the distribution of vaccine
in North Carolina. The State
Board of Health was designated by
Governor Hodges as the agency re
sponsible for this distribution. In
the recent session of Congress an
appropriation was made, under a
special act (S2901), of <34,900,000
of which North Carolina's share is
11,419,307 for a poliomyelitis vac
cination program, to reach a part
of the population through each
local health department. This will
only take care of a small part of
the vaccine being produced, the
largest part of which will go to
the private physician for use in
his private practice. Careful week- ,
ly check is being kept of the num
ber of persons immunized so that
we will know, at any time, what
per cent of the population of cer
tain age groups has been given 1,
2, or the full 3 doses of the polio
myelitis vaccine. If you come to
the health department with your
child be sure to come on any Mon
day afternoon between 3:00 and
5:00 p. m.
Until further notice this vaccine
is available only to children age
9 through 9 yefirs. There will
therefore be no more vaccine
available at the health department
for any age group than 9 through
9 years of age. /
Drug Firm Has
Fire Damage
Fire originating in the store
rooms of the Wilcox Drug Cy.
building Wednesday night, inflict
ed a Ion of *ome (1,900 to <2,000,
it if said by C. C. Wilcox, owner
of the root and herb establish
ment.
Mr. Wilcox Hid that the fire
originated in i bale of pulverized
catnip, and that the herb evidently
contained a piece of metal, which
waa heated red hot in the grinder.
The sprinkler system had the fire
under control, he said, but (mould
ering flames existed when the
firemen arrlveA
Loss to the big warehouse and
contents was confined to water
and smoke damage, Mr. Wilcox
said.
Raleigh ? The next time Frank
Snow thumbs a ride hell be more
careful. Snow, an eacaped prisoner
from a Halifax county prison caiAp
road gang, flagged a ear. The driv
er happened to be a deputy sheriff,
who gaVe him a ride? back to the
i camp.
$625,000 Allotted By
Rural Telephone Lines In Area
A LOT OF SPUDS? Hugh Hampton of Deerfield road, Boone, has Just finished digging 926 bushels of the
new Boone potato from one and three-quarters acres ? or potatoes at the rate of 029 bushels per acre
?from his field ot certified seed. Shown examining the smooth oblong tubers, are: standing, R. V. Brown;
left, squatting. Coy Hartley; and bending, Austin Norman. Mr. Hampton has ralaod certified aeed potatoes
for some time, but this is the first time he has planted the Boone variety, which is expected to grow popular
with producers in this section because of its apparent blight resistance.
Annual Homecoming Program
Is Scheduled At Appalachian
Says County Schools
Need Two Millions
By VIRGIL ROLLINS
The Boone Chamber of Com
merce wai told Tuesday that more
than $2 million will be needed to
carry out the building program in
Watauga County Schools in the
next five years.
W. Guy Angell, new county
school superintendent, addressed
the monthly luncheon meeting of
the Chamber, and complimented
the county and his predecessor,
W. H. Walker, on the outstanding
consolidation job that has been
done in the past 23 years. There
were S2 schools in the county in
1910, he said, compared to only
eight today.
Taking as his subject, "Watauga
County Schools as They Are and
What They Need," the speaker
cited a preaent county school en
rollment of 449 in the first grade,
but only 196 in the 12th, and de
clared, "We must do something
to keep these children in school."
The biggest drop in enrollment
occurs after the seventh grade, he
said, but pointed out that the same
situation exists at the state and
national level.
Mr. Angell said Watauga County
can well be proud of the standard
maintained by its teachers. He
displayed a chart showing that
there are 81 teachers in the county
schools with graduate certificates,
58 with "A" certificates, and only
three with sub-standard certifi
cates.
This chart is practically re
versed in many North Carolina
counties, he stated.
Returning to finances, he said
salaries, building, maintenance,
lunchroom, transportation, etc..
call for an annual expenditure of
nearly a million dollars in the
. county. Of the total, 88.3% come*
from the state, 6.9% from the
county, and 4.8% from the Fed
eral government.
He cited further figures show
lng that the atate of North Caro
Una annually ipenda $143 for each
school child, compared to $324 by
New York State, and a national
average of $217. North Carolina
ranka 41*t in thia respect, he aaid.
Referring back to the {ive-year
program, he said approximately
$2,140,000 will be needed by I860
for construction, $300,000 for ren
ovation, and $147,000 for equip
ment.
"It ia an ambitioua program that
calla for the cooperation of all,"
he concluded.
R. C. Coleman, operator of the
burley tobacco market here, at
tended the meeting, and predicted
a "big 1089-80 season for the bur
ley growera of thia aection."
President Stanley A. Harris an
nounced that the annual Ladies'
Night and election of officera meet
ing has been tentatively act for the
first week in December.
Corn Contest
Plans Are Made
, Farmers who wi?h to inter the
1088 Watauga County Corn grow
ing contest should notify the coun
ty agent by Saturday, October IS.
, For a farmer to be eligible to
compete in the conteat, he must
have a field of corn of at least 1
acre, and the corn must not be cut.
The Watauga County record
yield ao far was approximately 134
buahela per acre. Who has better
corn in 18587
Contracts Are Let
For Health Center
Contracts for the new Watauga
County Health Center were let
Thursday by the county commia
sioners, subject to approval by the
State Medical Care Commission
Bids accepted totaled $27,000.
Low bidder (or the general eon
tract wac Penned and Haigler of
Lenoir. The bid was *22470
The beating contract was award
ed to Miller-Brooks Roofing Com
pany of Hickory. *1.007. J. B.
Winkler numbing and Heating
Company of Boon* won the plumb
ing contract with a bid of $2,479.
The electric contract went to
Ralph Duncan of North WUkea
boro, $1,048.
Officials taid construction la ex
pected to (tart within 30 days. The
site is on the old county home
property.
The total project is to cost $33.
390, with the federal government
paying $10,000 and the state and j
ctfuaty each paying a fourth.
By EARLEEN G. PRITCHETT
Plan* for the annual Homecom
ing at Appalachian State Teachers
College, which wilt tafee place OB
Friday and Saturday, October 21
and 22, have been completed, ac
cording to an announcement from
Mri. Daisy Eggers of Boone, sec
retary-treasurer of }he Alumni
Association.
The festivities will begin an
Friday evening at six o'clock,
when the members of the first
four football teams at Appalach
ian, and their families, will have a
reunion at the Ranch Motel be
tween Boone and Blowing Rock.
At eight o'clock the same day, the
Playcrafters will present a pro
gram of three one-act plays, "The
Intruder", "The Valiant" and
"Dearie, You're a Dream".
On Saturday, October 22, a pro
gram has been planned which will
fill almost every hour of the day.
Visitors 'arriving on the campus
will be tagged and identified by
members of the Pep Club. Regis
tration, from nine to twelve, will
take place in the College Admini
stration Building under the direc
tion of the International Relations
Club. At nine o'clock there will
begin conducted tours through the
newly-completed Physical Educa
tion Building, and from nine to
twelve o'clock other new buildings
on the campus may he visited and
the various projects arranged by
the college organizations will be
on display.
Frqm 10:10 to 11:00 a. m. the
annual "Old-Timeiy Reunion" for
Appalachian graduates from 1899
to 1929, will be held in the Col
lege Auditorium. Mrs. Wilson
Norris of Boone, the chairman,
will preside. She will be assisted
by Mrs. Hattie Lewis of Sherwood,
and Paul Winkler of Boone. Dr.
J. R. Shaffer of the college audio
Visual laboratory will present a
movie of Appalachian activities.
At eleven o'clock the tradition
al parade of Homecoming floats
sponsored by the various campus
organizations will tour the town
and the campus. In charge of Bob
by Harre of Tampa, Florida, pres
ident of Chi Lambda Chi, the par
ade will form at the Farmers Co
operative Exchange on Water
Street, to Green Buick Co., east to
Hardin Street, south to Watauga
Hospital, and west to the College
Administration Building.,
At twelve o'clock the Alumni
Luncheon and business meeting
will be held in the new Appala
chian Elementary School Cafe
teria on College Street. In the ab
sence of Ben Horton, president of
the Alumni Association, who is
studying toward the doctorate at
Florida State University this year,
Mrs. Eggers will preside. The ad
dress of welcome will be given by
Dr. W. H. Plemmons, proiirtrot of
Appalachian State Teachers Col'
(Continued on page two.) - p,
' J**,*
Watauga, Ashe
To Get Service
Under Proposal
Ksnna polls ? Congressman Hugh
Alexander stated this week that
he has been advised by the Rural
Electrification Authority of the re
lease of (825,000 to construct tele
phone exchanges and wire cable
linae for the communities of Cres
ton, Lansing and Baldwin in Ashe
county, and Sugar Grove in Wa
tauga county, to serve 1313 sub
scribers. (Parts of Ashe and Wa
tauga counties, along with part of
Alleghany county, have been or
ganized as The Skyline Member
ship Corporation, under one beard
of directors.)
"It has previously been announc
ed," Congressman Alexander said,
"that on September 22 bids were
opened on contract for outside
poles, lines, etc., in Watauga coun
ty, to the lowest bidder, being T.
L. Dysart and Son of Statesville,
North Carolina, at 107,420.40 to
build 00 miles of line in Watauga
county, and the tentative date has
been set for October 27 to open
bids for the automatic dial equip
ment for both Ashe and Watauga
counties."
"On account of my sincere in
terest in the welfare and progress
of our people, and realizing their
urgent need for telephone service,"
Congressman Alexander said, "I
have, from time to time, been in
contact with Mr. Gwyn B. Price,
Chairman, Rural Electrification
Authority, and Mr. Walter E. Pull
er, Director of Rural Telephone
Service, REA, for North Carolina.
Both of these gentlemen have al
ways shown a keen interest and
desire to be helpful in working out
this problem, and I am pleased to
state that the goal of rural tele
phone service now appears to be
in sight."
"Negotiations have been under
way for four or five years," he
explained, "and the large number
of subscribers, or sponsors, who
advanced $10.00 each and agreed
to advance approximately $20.00
additional to constitute their mem
bership and equity in a Coopera
tive and to create a fund to be
used as the sponsor's part of the
rural telephone program, have
been patient and hopeful. In the
near future these people will be
contacted by Mr. Puller to re
confirm their interest in and de
sire for telephone service. It now
appears that rural telephone serv
ice will he a certainty in tlje near
future, providing, of course, the
people are still interested and
want to form the Cooperative and1
carry out its objectives and pur
poses."
'Congressman Alexander stated
that he felt sure the people under
stood that the authorities have la
bored undfr tremendous obstacles
in obtaining agreements with ex
isting companies, but he is now
advised that a proposal has been
made which is acceptable to Fed
eral and State authorities, whereby
(Continue# on page two)
Chas. Critcher
Funeral Sunday
Charles Edward Critcher, retir
ed farmer and carpenter of Boone,
Route 2, died of a heart attack
Saturday, October 8, while hunt
ing on hi* 80th birthday with two
grandsons.
Mr. Critcher was stricken about
4:30 p. m while he and Norman
and James Coffey, both of Boone,
Route 2, were hunting about three
miles from Blowing Rock on the
Yonahlossee Road.
Funeral services were held at
2 p. m. Monday, October 10, at the
Mount Vernon Baptist Church,
with the Rev. R. C. Eggers, the
Rev. Barney Oliver, and the Rev.
Will Cook officiating at the rites.
Burial was in the Mountlawn
Memorial Park.
He is survived by Ms widow,
Mrs. Maggie Critcher, two tons.
Ralph, of Boone, Monroe, ot Zlon
ville; three daughters, Mr*. Nell
Coffey. Boone. Mrs J. C. Fletcher,
Zionville, and Mrs. Max Campbell.
Cleveland, Ohio; a brother, A. N.
Critcher, of Blowing Reck; a ti?
ter, Mrs. Ida Simmons, of 1
10 grandchildren and 14
(Vv. dlL-Hm