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ATA?A
An Independent Weekly Neumpaper . .
VOLUME LXX1I. ? NO. 35
PRICE: FIVE CENTS
BOONE, WATAUGA
countV,
NORTH CAROLINA,
Mother, Bearing
Food To Family,
Dies In Blizzard
Last Thursday's blizzard claimed one victim in Watauga
county, burying under the swirling snow the mother of five
who perished in an effort to bring food to the children and to
her aged mother.
Mrs. Mannila Davis Walker, 44, a widow, had caught a
ride to Boone with J. O. Cooke, local taxicab operator, late
Thursday afternoon, when it appeared that the storm wasn't
going to letv up, and when the food gave out in the Walker
home two miles from town in the Winkler Creek area.
Mrs. Walker had been warned against starting on the
return trip in the blinding storm by city policeman Carl
Greene, who had suggested that she spend the night in city
hall. But the cupboard was bare in the snowbound house
and she asked Mr. Cooke to drive her home. The trip was
started at about 7 o'clock, but Cooke couldn't make it over
the drifted highways, and turned back after less than a mile
had been covered. Mrs. Walker refused his offer to bring
her back to town, and vanished into the storm with the bag
ol groceries.
Saturday, when the storm had
broken, Sheriff Hodges and depu
ties, along with neighbori of Mri.
Walker inatituted a search. Mr*.
Walker's brother, John Davis,
found her body, covered with snow
a couple of hundred yards from
her home. She had lost her bag
of food a quarter mile back. Mrs.
Walker had taken to a field which
provided a near cut home. A por
tion of her clothing, fanned by
the wind, led searchers to her
body.
No Inquest Held
Coroner Richard Kelley consid
ered an inquest unnecessary and
stated that Mrs. Walker came to
her death from freezing.
Funeral services ware held
Monday at the chapel of Reins
Sturdivant Funeral Home. Rev. E.
0. Gore and Rev. Orson Eggers
conducted the rites and burial
was in the Middle Fork Church
cemetery.
Surviving are the children, Car
los Tester, Douglas Tester, Toula
Fae Tester, by a former marriage;
Dennis Walker and Clara Walker
of the home; the mother, Mrs.
Lorettie Davis; three brothers and
a sister, Montches Davis, Morgan
ton; John Davis, Route 3, Boone;
Ernest Davis, Johnson City, Tenn.;
James Davis, Lenoir; Mrs. Earlene
Gragg, Blowing Rock.
NAIA Playoffs
Will Be Here
The NAIA District 26 playoff
tournament, to determine thil dis
tricts representative in the national
basketball tourney in Kansas City,
will be played in Boone at the
College Tuesday night (March 1),
according to word from Clarence
Stasavich, of Catawba, NAIR dis
trict chairman. The Mountaineers
will be host team.
Appalachian enters the tourna
ment by virtue of her NAIA rec
ord for the season (19-5). Oppon
ent of the Apps has not yet been
determined, but probably will be
Lenoir Rhyne, according to Jim
Jones, Appalachian's sports publi
cist, depending on who mns the
North State Conference' tourna
ment which begins tonight (Wed.)
at Lexington. Lenoir Rhyne has
a 18-6 record in NAIA competition.
The winner of the Tuesday night
game here will play on Wednes
day night, on a neutral court, with
winner of the NAIA game that
will be played Tuesday.
Winner ot the Wednesday game
will go to Kansas City to partici
pate in the national tournament.
Proceeds of the NAIA games
aie used to defray the winning
team's expenses to Kansas.
IN SIGHT ? Coroner Richard E. Kelley itandi near the spot whore the
frozen body of Mr*. Mannila Davis Walker m found Saturday morn
ing. Her home, in the top background, was just 200 yards from where
?be was found by her brother, John Davia.? : Flowers Photo Shop photo.
SNOW SCULPTURE ? Dr. Max Dixon and Kenneth Clawson sculptured this six-foot bust of George Wash
ington from snow in Boone in honor of the first President's birthday Monday, February 22. Dr. Dixon,
right, is ? history professor at Appalachian State Teachers College. Ur. Clawson, son of Ted Clawson
of Boone, is a senior at the college. Posing with the proud sculptors are their wives. ? John Corey photo.
Little Symphony Will Present
Children's Matinee For County
Miss Eula Todd
Dies In Ashe
Weit Jefferson, Feb. 2*-Mi ss
Eula Smith Todd, well-known re
tired high school principal and
college professor, died Thursday
afternoon.
Miss Todd taught at Appalach
and had served before then as
principal of a Greensboro high
school for 14 years.
Funeral services were held Fri
day at the Jefferson Methodist
Church.
She is survived by a sister, Mrs.
Hortense Transou of Greensboro.
John A. Minor
Dies Monday
John A. Minior, father of Joe C.
Minor of Boone, died at his home
in Winston-Salem Monday after
noon, following a lengthy illness
Funeral details were meagre at
press time ' Tuesday, but It was
expected the deceased would be
buried Wednesday afternoon at
Fork Church cemetery in Davie
county.
Survivors besides his son in
Boone include his widow, three
sons and three daughter*.
Music School
I? Arranged
The Home Demonstration Clubs
are sponsoring a music school
which is to be conducted Thurs
day, March 3in the First Baptist
Church In Boone, beginning at
10:00 o'clock. The school is for the
purpose of assisting leaders who
are in charge 6f music in their or
ganiiation or groups. The training
will include music reading and
group ?inglng leadership.
All interested persons are in
vited to attend. Non-club members
are invited, as well as club mem
bers.
Miss -Bobbie Pritchaid, State
Music Consultant, Department of
Public Instruction, will conduct
the training school.
BANDIT TAKES ADVICE
Detroit ? A would-be holdup
man, Joseph J. Vranesich, entered
a Detroit bakery and demanded:
"Give me the money or I'll shoot,"
Mr*. Dorothy Weiner, ? clerk,
suggested: "Why dos t you go next
door to the meat market? They
have a lot more money."
He did just that. The woman
then called the police, who arrest
ed Vranesich as be came out of
the meat market with $79.00.
Pre|/3r?'uons are in full swing
in the Watauga schools for the
children's matinee of the North
Carolina Little Symphony, to be
offered for the first time to the
children of the county on March 14.
The matinae, to be given at the
new gymnasium auditorium on the
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege campus, will add the schools
of Watauga county to the sixty
othuv groups in the state which
have seen this combination con
cert and lecture-demonstration by
North Carolina's own state-sup
ported symphony. The children's
DR. SWALIN
concert* last year were attended
by 110,818 listeners.
Preparations in Watauga are un
der the direction of Mrs. Hae Ed
misten, county supervisor. They
began when a workshop was con
ducted in November in Morgan
ton by Mrs. Adeline McCall of Cha
pel Hill, who outlined the pro
gram and methods of preparing
the students for it. Several We
tauga tcachcrs attended the work
shop, including Mrs. Laura Church
and Mrs. Mary Mast of Valle Cru
cis, Mrs. Jimmy Mast and Mrs.
Agnes Shipley of Cove Creek Ele
mentary,' Mis. Imogene Robinson
of Bethel, Mrs. Susie Buchanan of
Green Valley, and Mrs Reba Mor
el* of Parkway.
All students in the county, from
the fourth grade through high
school, will attend the matinee ?
about 2800 in all. They have been
preparing by the use of study
booklets, discussions of opera and
symphony, and phenograph rec
ords. At Cove Creek Elementary
School a film strip will be used
in assembly and elaborate bulletin
boards and posters are already on
display.
The children's matinees are the
idea originally of Benjamin Swa
lin.'the director ?f the symphony
and the man who brought it to
the status of ? state institution.
The symphony has been used a*
an example of the educational ad
vantages of North Carolina in ?f
forts to show to new industrialists
that the sta (e is educationally
awake and progressive.
The public school matibee has
been added to the advantages ot
Watauga students through the Wa
tauga County United Fund, which
is supporting the program. A spec
ial low rate was arranged for the
schools through the cooperation ot
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege, which has brought the Little
Symphony to Boone for an even
ing performance for several years.
CHIME AKT1CLE STOLEN
St. Louis ? Two boys robbed Mrs.
Anna Frager of her purse, con
taining $9 and an article on crime
she had just written.
Eggers To Run For
Lt. Governorship
Mrs. King, 79,
Dies In Idaho
Southwich, Idaho ? Mrs. Emma
Augusta King, 79, a Soutbwick re
sident since 1928, died here Satur
day at 12:10 a. m. She had been
ill for about two years, and her
death was attributed to a blood
clot.
She was the widow of Thomas
C. King, who died No. 14, 1983.
Mrs. King was born at Vilas, N. C.,
Aug. 6, 1880, and was married at
Mast, N. C- Aug. 17, 1918. She
and her husband moved to Seattle,
Washington, and remained there
until moving to South wick in
1928.
She was a member of the Meth
odist Church here.
Her survivors include a son,
Thomas E. King, at Southwick;
two stepsons, Otis King and Earl
King, both of Seattle; two step
daughters, Mrs. Grace Smerud of
Seattle and Mrs. Miriam Stanley
of Orofino; two brothers, John
Combs and Harvey Combs, in
North Carolina; four sisters, Mrs.
Spencer Miller, Mrs. Mae Camp
bell, Mrs. Margaret McSwain and
Mrs. Lillie Seagraves, all in North
Carolina; and 14 grandchildren
and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at
Brower-Wann Chapel at Lewlston
Monday with the Rev. William
Strance of the Orofino Methodist
Church officiating. Burial was at
Normal Hill Cemetery.
C. Of C. Directors
To Meet Next Tuesday
The Board of Directors of the
Boone Chamber of Commerce will
hold their regular meeting Tues
day, March 1, at Daniel Boone Ho
tel, at noon, according to an an
nouncement by Herman W. Wilcox,
president.
Mr. S. C. Eggers, Boone
realtor and political leader
told the Democrat Tuesday
that he is a candidate for the
Republican nomination for
Lieutenant Governor, subject
S. C. EGGERS
to the action of the State Con
vention which will be held
next Saturday.
If there is more than one aspir
ant (or the position, of course the
nominee will be determined by
the vote in the Republican State
primary in May,
Mr. Eggers, who has represent
ed Watauga County in the State
House of Representatives for four
sessions, is a former Chairman of
the Watauga county board of com
missioners, has been county Re
publican chairman for four years,
district chairman for four years,
and has been the Republican
condidate for State Treasurer.
Mr. Eggers has been in the real
estate business in Boone for more
than thirty years.
Tobacco is the South's second
largest crop.
Weatherman Spills More Snow;
Schools May Reopen Today
More than eight inches of snow
was added Thursday to already
snow - stricken Boone, causing
schools which had just ope nod
that morning after a forced three
day recess, to close down again at
10:30 a. m. The snow began at
8 o'clock and by noon more than
three inches had fallen.
The temperature was in the
30s during the early part of Thurs
day and the snow was wet and
slushy. By mid-afternoon the ther
mometer began to drop rapidly
and the winds blew with gale-like
T
intensity. At 6 p. in. the thermo
meter stood at 26 degrees, and dur
ing the night it dropped as low
as 11 degrees.
The wind continued to blow all
day Friday and Friday night, and
the temperature dropped to 8 de
grees. However, even though the
wind continued Saturday the tem
perature warmed to 29 degrees.
Sunday was warmer with a high
of 34 being reported. Three-quart
ers of an inch of snow fell Sun
day afternoon, causing the streets
to become slick and hazardous
again.
Highway . maintenance crews
were on the job around the clock,
over the week end, opening and re
opening roada and highwaya. Drift*
up to eight or more feet were re
ported in some place*, and high
ways were blocked at times by
vehicles which had turned side
ways on the road.
W. Guy Angell, superintendent
of schools, announced Tuesday
that schools were to open Wed
nesday morning.
Civic Leader
Takes Place
Dr. Whitener
Grady Moretz, Jr., promi
nent young Boone business
man and dvic leader, was ap
pointed to membership on the
Watauga County Board of Ed
ucation by the Democratic
Executive Committee last Sat
urday, and took the oath of
office on Monday.
Mr. Moretz succeeds Dr. D.
J. Whitener, who resigned
from the board January 29.
A son of Mr. *nd Mrs. Grady
Moretz of Boone, Mr. Moretz wu
educated at Appalachian Elemen
tary and High Schooli and at the
Univeraity of North Carolina. He ,
spent four yeara in the Navy dur
ing the time of the Korean war,
and since then has been in the
lumber business with his father. t
He has been prominent in the
Watauga County Young Democra
tic Club and haa been vice-presi
dent since its reorganizaUon. He
la a member of the Boone Junior
Chamber of Commerce, and haa
held a number of offices in that
GRADY MORETZ, JR.
organization. He wa? chairman of
the Jaycee beauty contest last
year and received the Jaycee dis
tinguished service award (or 1958,
as the outstanding young man of
the year.
Mr. Moretx is a member of the
Grace Lutheran Church and a
member of the Church Cuimcil.
He is President of the Watauga
County United Fund, member of
the Board of Trustees of Watauga
Hospital, and a director of the
Southern Appalachian Historical
Association.
Commenting on Mr. Moretz's ap
pointment to the Board, Mr. Guy
Angell, County Superintendent of
Schools, said: "We are very fortu
nate in having a man of his edu
cational background and commun
ity activities to fill the unexpired
term of Dr. Whitener."
Mr. Moretz is married to the
former Miss Reba Smith and they
reside on Poplar Hill Drive.
LANDSLIDE ? Nearly 1*00 yard* of dirt and rock alid from a
mountainside onto U. S. Highway 321, 10 milea south of Boone early
Monday morning and created ? road block. Hi|kway Maintenance
Supervisor T. W. McCracktt ? (aid hi* office waa notified of the
tlide about 8:90 a. and two tractor loader*, ooe working oa each
?Me of the slide, were put on the job of removing the dirt from the
highway. One-way traffic was opened about 4 p. m., Monday, and
workmen were atUl on the job Tuesday morning. Dirt was piied
three feet high agalnut 11m opposite bank of the slide, Mr Mc
Cracken said.? Staff photo.