Newspapers / Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) / May 12, 1960, edition 1 / Page 1
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FOR BEST RESULTS advertisers invariably Use the columns of the Democrat. With its full paid circulation. Intensely covering the local shopping area, it Is the best advertising medium avs Jable. VOLUME LXXII? NO. 4? WATAUGA DEM An Independent Weekly Neteapaper . . . Seventy-Second Year of PRICE: FIVE CENTS BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROUNA THURSDAY, Trucking Official Is Speaker "Your tomorrow is what you make it," a trucking industry spokesman told high school stu dents here today. Jeff B. Wilson, Raleigh, direct or of Information and Safety of the North Carolina Motor Carriers Association, spoke to a group of high school students during Career Day at Appalachian High School sponsored by the Beta Club. "No moment in your life has ever been more important as to day's decision sets the course of your thousand tomorrows," Wilson told the teenagers. "Many fields and professions may interest you; yet I challenge you to look clocely at the trucking industry, which has grown so rap idly that it has opened new op portunities and widened horizons for thousands of young people," Wilson stated. Douglai Carson and Jones Oliver introduced Wilson who is also edi tor of the monthly magazine, Tar heel Wheels, president of the Sou thern Safety Conference and for mer Lions International Governor. Career Day chairmen were Alice Greer and Margaret Gragg. Beta Club president is Sue Green, fac ulty advisors were Mrs. Cecyle 0' Bryant and Mrs. Lfra Randall. "Serving the public better, quick er and more economically, the trucking industry has advanced to the forefront of American life. This is especially true here in Watauga County for you depend on truck transportation for every thing you eat, wear, use and sell. In fact," Wilson continued, "the 17 counties of western North Caro lina are truly on the mainline of commerece by truck transports lion." He proved his point by com parison, when he said "this beau tiful 17 county area of yours, which embraces a half million people with income of more than 561 million, is served by 142 mo tor carriers, six railroads, 17 bus lines and three airlines." The trucking industry in the state is not an industry apart to itself, but an important part of every community. It is the basic life-line in the economic and so cial life of North Carolina," he continued. "Day in and day out the truck ing industry workload has in creased, until trucks now trans port, at one time or another, 79% of the nation's freight ... in more than ten million trucks of all sizes, shapes and facilities," he reminded. "Still surging forward, still in creasing its power to serve, the trucking industry stands today as the gateway to a brighter future | for promising young men and women," he concluded, "here is opportunity without parallel ? here is your future? here is your career." Mrs. F. G. Ray Dies In Ashe West Jefferson, Hay 8 ? Mrs. Lessle Phlpps Ray, who with her husband, Fred G. Ray, operated the Black Bear Inn for about 30 years, died at 10:09 a. m. yester day at Ashe Memorial Hospital. She suffered a heart attack 10 days ago and had been seriously ill since. She lived at West Jef ferson, Rt. 1. Mrs. Ray was born In Ashe County, a daughter of Hiram Green Phipps and Eva Goodman Phipps. 1 She is survived by her husband; p son, Ward Ray of West Jeffer son; four sisters, Mrs. L. P. Col vard and Mrs. J. C. Worth of Jef ferson, Mrs. Carl Cowan of Bristol, Tenn., and Mrs. Will Wilson of Mountain City, Tenn.; and a bro ther, Vonley E. Phipps of Balti more, Md. The funeral was conducted at I p. m. Monday at Bethany Meth Ddist Church by the Rev. Ray Ste vens, the Rev. W. E. Fitzgerald ?nd the Rev. Grady Burgen. Bur ial was in the church cemetery. ENJOY -MUD VACATION" Mt. Vernon, Maine. ? Children in HI. Vernon recently enjoyed a tne-week "mud vacation." Town >fficisla cloaed public schools for i week because back country roads vere so muddy that travel was dif icult. OPENS MONDAY.? The above office* of the Boone branch of The Northweatern Bank will open for business Monday morning. The building, started last fall, has just been completed, and is said by bank officers to be the most modern structure of its kind serving Northwestern North Carolina. Northwestern Bank To Open New Building Next Monday C. M. Critcher, Former Sheriff, Dies Monday Columbus Monroe Critcher, 87, former Watauga county sheriff and a leading business man of the county for many years, died Mon day at the home, 305 East King Street after an extended illness, following a paralytic stroke. Funeral services were held Wed nesday at 10 a. m. at the Mount MR. C. M. CRITCHER Vernon Baptist Church. Rev. Wen dall Critcher and Rev. R. C. Sg gers conducted the rites and bur ial was in the Mount Vernon cemetery. A son of the late William J. and Mrs. Critcher, the deceased was born and reared in Watauga coun ty where he spent his entire life. One of the last of the general store merchants, he operated a store near his home in the Bamboo sec tion for a great many years. Later he moved to Boone and he and a son-in-law, Mr. W. O. Robertson were engaged in the retail furni ture business for a number of years. Later he engaged in the fertilizer business here, and re tained farming interests. Mr. Critcher had been a mem ber of the board of directors of the Watauga Savings It Loan As sociation since 1928, and was Vice-President of the corporation for ten years. In his more active years he. was a leading figure in the Republi can party in the county and had held two elective offices. In IBIS he was elected Treasurer and s err ed one term. He was elected Sheriff of Watauga county in 1922, and served for one term. Surviving are a son and three daughters: Mrs. A. E. Hamby, Boone; Mrs. Earl Cook, Boone; Mrs. W. 0. Robertson, Baltimore, Md.; Homer Critcher, Boone. There are five grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Breeders Name Slate Officers The Watauga Purebred Here ford Breeders Association held their annual meeting at the Coun ty Agents Office in Boone on Fri day evening. May 6. Officers re elected were: President, B. W. Stallings; vice-president, B. G. Shipley; secretary-treasurer, Coun cil Henson. Directors: Frank Mast, Jay Teems, John Dugger. The breeders were asked to list the cattle they would nominate for a 1960 fall sale. Approximate ly 60 Herefords were listed. Defi nite plans will be started for a sale soon. Bobby Winkler and his band entertained the group with sever al numbers. A motion picture on Hereford cattle was shown, then the group adjourned for refreshments. The new home of the North western Bank, which ii designed to provide expanded banking faci lities for its patrons in Boone and the county, has been completed, and the new quarters will be oc cupied next Monday, it is announc ed by A. T. Adams, cashier. Ground was broken for the new structure early last fall as a re sult of the desire of bank officials to provide better banking facili ties and to keep at a minimum the time ana effort required for pat rons to attend to their business. The new structure at 211 East King solves problems which could not be handled at the old building at King and Depot, where facili ties were fast becoming over loaded, Mr. Adams said. The new office is one of the most modern in design and struc ture to be found in Western North Carolina, Mr. Adams said, and en ables Northwestern to render a better service along with some new services, among them the con venience of two centrally located offices at which banking may be done, plus the provision of a large parking area at the rear of the new office. Either of the offices in Boone will render any service offered by any bank, Mr. Adams said. In announcing the expansion and the opening of the new office, Mr. Adams also said new person nel had joined the Boone Branch of the Northwestern Bank. Mr. Jimmy West has been placed in charge of the office at King and Depot streets, he said, and will be joined there by Mr., Ted Eller as a new teller in that office. "Proud as we are of our new building," Mr. Adams said, "our chief pride still lies in our ability to offer a better banking service, and to provide it at a greater con venience to those who bank with us." "We want everyone to come in and see this new office", he said, ''we want to show it off . . . let people know what we have, and let them know that 'going to the bank' is a relatively simple task in Boone . . . and may be done now at either of two places." HEREFORD OFFICERS ? Reelected officer* of the Watauga Purebred Hereford Association are, left to right: Robert Stanley, vice-president; B. W. Sailings, president; and Coundl Henson, secretary-treasurer. fF ANNIVERSARY^ OBSERVED ? REA Co-Op Has Served Area Twenty-Five Years Report On Operations Is Given Out Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation was organized on Sep tember 19, 1936 and was first known as Caldwell County Electric Membership Corporation. Some of the leaders in the organization were R. R. Corpening, J. M. Hart, R. McC. Jones, A. G. Beach, C. A. Bowman, Mrs. C. A. Bowman, Mrs. Fannie Greer, G. W. Sullivan, J. A. Laxton, and J. W. Looper. These people being the first members of the cooperative. J. M. Hart was elected to be the first president of the Corporation and R. R. Cor pening secretary. The first loan was applied for October 10, 1936. The amount ask ed for was not to exceed >430,000 to construct 394 miles of line to serve 2,160 members in Caldwell County. The organization of the Corporation was completed Janu ary 8, 1037 and the organization was incorporated as Caldwell Mu tual Corporation. The first loan was made January 28, 1937. Hr. G. F. Messick served as chairman of the Finance Commit tee in the early months of the Corporation, and on March 27, 1937 was selected by the Board of Di rectors to be Project Manager. The first construction completed and energized was 108 miles of line out of Zack's Fork into the King's Creek and Oak Hill sec tions of Caldwell County. It was energized on January 24, 1938. Other sections of rural Caldwell were added onto the system as rapidly as possible. On May 28, 1938, Mayor Watt Gragg, County Farm Agent, W. B. Collins and others from Watauga County met with the Board of Di rectors and asked that construction of some 100 miles of line be ex tended Into Watauga County. This request was approved and . lines were extended to Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany Counties in 1939 and 1940. In the beginning there were many problems and battles to be overcome before the rural areas were assured of electric power. The power company discouraged farm people by telling them the Govern ment would take their land if they signed rights-of-way, and that the good farmland 'would be covered with water. Telegrams were sent to REA telling how poor Caldwell County was and that they should be careful in lending money to people who weren't able to repay It. This called for economic sur veys and reports and newspaper appeals to combat the untrue prop aganda. The committee member* who made many trips to Raleigh and Washington during the early days trying to complete the organiza tion and negotiate the first loan were given the run-around by the Governor, Utilities Commissioner, and the head of the North- Caro lina Rural Electrification Authority as they sought a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity. Later, Congressman R. L. Doughton ad vised forming a Farmer Coopera tive under a law passed in 1617 by N. C. Legislature, which per mitted farmers to form coopera tives for the purpose of selling fertilizer, building telephone or electric power lines. This was when Caldwell Mutual was formed and the cooperative began to op erate. In August, 1940,- permission was received to reorganize and operate as an Electric Member ship Corporation. We then became know as Blue Ridge Electric Mem bership Corporation. Average kwh consumption per (arm account in 1938 was 24.6 as compared to 296.0 in March, 1960. The number of farm accounts bill ed in December 1988 was 834, and in March of 1980 was 1I4>. This is indicative of the 29 years of progress. The first loan from REA to Blue (Continued oa page 4, See. C) SILVER JUBILEE? Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation Join* in celebrating the 29th anni versary of the founding of Rural Electrification Systems in America. This la the Watauga office build ing on Blowing Rock Road which serves members of this area. KirkmanTo Be Speaker As 367 Collegians Receive Degrees Rev. Mr. Brooks Is New Pastor THE REV. J. BOYCE BROOKS, who began his ministry to the First Baptist Church in Boone Sun day. Mr. Brooks came to Boone from Greensboro, and succeeds Dr. L. H. Hollingsworth, who was call ed to the chaplaincy of Wake For est College in Winston-Salem last summer. Children Have Same Birthdays Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Fox, Jr, have what may or may not be a distinction. At least it is a unique situation. All three of the chil dren born to them were born on their birthdays. According to Mr. Fox, he was born March 19, 1927. A daughter, Martha, deceased, was born March 19, 1093. Then a son, Everette, III, was born March IS, 10S6. Last week, on May 4, another son, Charles William, was born at Watauga hospital. May 4 is Mrs. Fox' birthday. She was born May 4, 1920. Stout Is New IRC Engineer Philadelphia ? International Re sistance Co, here, baa appointed James 8. Stout aa a sales engineer in its Boom, N. C., division. Mr. Stout, who was formerly a field service engineer for the Aero division of Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co, resides in Boone. ? , '-V ' $ \&J 7 Brother Of Bill Rush Dies Theodore Ruth, 48, of Dayton* Beach, Fla, brother of W. E. Bush of Boone, died Friday afternoon at Columbia, 8. C., after suffering a heart attack while passing through that city. He wai born June 30, 1011, in Wilkes County, ton of the late Er nest Rush and Mrs. Fannie Rush Harris of North Wilkesbcro Route 4. He operated a floor finishing business in Daytona. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Daytona. Surviving are his mother; two brothers, Bill Rush of Boone and Arthur Rush of California; and a half sister, Mrs. Evelyn Griffith of Charlotte. Funeral was conducted at 11 a. m. Monday at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church In Wilkes County by the Rev. J. C. McQueen Jr. and the Rev. Clate Brown. Burial was in the church cemetery. Has Flags For Memorial Day Lionel Ward, Watauga County Veteran*' Service Officer, atates that he ha* flag* for all Veterans' graves in Watauga County at his office. He will appreciate if cemetery caretakers will drop by his office between now and Memorial Day and pick up enough flags to take care of their respective cemetaries. Also family cemetaries that do not have a caretaker, the family should pick up flags for those cemetaries. According to regulations the flags are to be placed on the graves on Saturday before Memor ial Day and taken up the day af ter and saved for the coining year. Legion Officers Are Elected The Blowing Bock American Le gion poet No. 380 recently elect ed the following officer*: George M. Suddcrth, Jr., com mander; Hardin B. Coffey, vice commander; John D. Clawion, ad jutant; Robert L. S. Snyder, fi nance officer; Carton C. Eggert, Chaplain; Max R. Moody, aergeant atarme; and Rowleigb Edgar Youag> service office and historian. 0. Arthur Kirkman, executive vice preiident and general mana ger of High Point Thomaiville and Denton Railroad Company, will ad dreaa 387 Appalachian State Teacher* College itudenta sche O. ARTHUR KIRKMAN duled to be graduated at com mencement exercise* Sunday, May 29. All 367 will receive teaching de gree*? 371 the Bachelor of Sci ence and 46 the Matter of Arts. Dr. W. H. Pltn-.mons, Appalach ian'* president, will confer the de grees and award the diplomat. The exercises begin at 3 p. m. in the health and physical educa tion building. A native of Guilford County, Kirkman was graduated from Unl versity of Virginia and studied law at Oxford University in Eng land. His background includes expert ences in many professions from journalism to business. Kirkman has been news editor of the High Point Enterprise, a lawyer, councilman and mayor of High Point, state representative, state senator, teacher at Univer sity of Virginia and High Point and a soldier in the U. S. Army. He has been a regular lecturer at the American University trans portation Institute In Washington since IMS. He has served on many econom ic advisory committees with as signments taking him to Chile and Puerto Rico. Convair'l MO tkm teat*.
Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.)
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May 12, 1960, edition 1
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