he Democrat
FOR BEST RESULTS
advertisers Invariably use th? col
umns of the Democrat. With its full
paid circulation, intensely covering
the local shopping area, it is the
beat advertising medium available.
ishes EvervonelA Merr
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Seventy-Fifth Year of Continuous Publication
LH
V.
BOONE WEATHE*
1962 Hi Lo prec. '61 Hi Lo
58 47
93 30
45 28
41 24
Dec. 18 57 39
Dec. 19 53 30
Y\ OA CO A K
Dec. 20 53 45
Dec. 21 47 21 .11
VOLUME LXXV. ? NO. 26
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1962
6 CENTS 20 PAGES? 3 SECTIONS
W. C. Lentz
Dies Thurs.
At B. Rock
William Councill Lentz, Sr.,
S3, former county official and
prominent Blowing Rock busi
ness man, died in the hospital
there Thursday morning.
He had been a hospital patient
for two months, and had been
in failing health for several
months due to a heart condi
tion.
Born in Blowing Rock, Mr.
Lentz was a son of John T.
Lentz and Mrs. Bethsada Can
non Lentz. He was chairman of
the Board of Watauga County
Commissioners until December
3, 1962, had been a member of
the Board of Aldermen and of
the local school board at Blow
ing Rock. He owned the Lentz
Service Station there.
Funeral services were held
Friday at the Rumple Memorial
Presbyterian Church by the Rev.
Blake Brinkerhoff and the Rev.
George Hyler. Burial was in
Blowing Rock cemetery.
Surviving are the widow, the
former Miss Elizabeth Sudderth;
two daughters, Mrs. Everett Cof
fey and Mrs. Thomas Wright,
both of Blowing Rock; a son,
William C. Lentz, Jr., of Blow
ing Rock; three brothers, Ross,
John and Eugene Lentz all of
Blowing Rock. Ther?> are five
grandchildren.
WILLIAM C. LENTZ
Democrat Has
Early Edition
This issue of the Democrat
comes from the press Friday,
December 21st, although It is
actually the edition of Decem
ber 27 and carries that date.
This is done so the staff
may have Monday and Christ
mas Day as a holiday vaca
tion.
BUSY DAYS FOB BOONE STOBES
Two Area Hospitals Among
First To Cite Health Careers
Blowing Rock and Charles A.
Cannon hospitals are two of
the first 100 hospitals in the
State to subscribe to a three
year program to inform young
people about vocational oppor
tunities in the field of health.
The program will be conduct
ed by the North Carolina Hos
pital Education and Research
Foundation, Inc.,. an agency of
the North Carolina Hospital As
sociation. J. Minetree Pyne of
Burlington, president of the
foundation, this week announc
ed that grants tQ sssist the pro
gram have been awarded by
The Duke Endowment ($29,000
annually for three years), the
Mrs. Greene
Dies At 89
Mrs. Theodocia Brown
(Docia) Greene, 89, of Boone,
Rt 4, widow of Tipton Marion
Greene, died early Wednesday
at the home of a daughter, Mrs.
Balph Hartley.
She was born in Wilkes
County to Jesse and Charity
Church Brown. She had lived in
Watauga County for ,82 years.
Surviving in addition to Mrs.
Hartley are two sons, Edward
R. Greene of Milton, Fla. and
Robert T. Greene of Charlotte;
seven grandchildren; and two
great-grandchildren.
The funeral was conduct
ed at 2 p. m. Friday at Perkins
ville Baptist Church by the Rev.
Morris Cooper and the Rev.
Hugh Kincaid. Burial was in
Mount Lawn Memorial Park.
SANTA CLAUS will make a special appearance at the
Blowing Rock Ski Lodge Christina* day at 1 o'clock. Every
one i? invited to see Jolly Saint Nicholas try odt the new
ski slopes. All are invited, but ? spectator charge will be
In effect.? #TowWi photo.
. ? 'v *.>??' |
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
(an equal amount), and R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company ($5,
000 annually for three years).
Subscriptions from hospitals,
11 hospital auxiliaries and the
Hospital Care Assoc. of Durham
Service Industries, Inc., and the
Hospital Savings Assoc. of Cha
pel Hill Service Industries, Inc.,
amount to almost >20,000 an
nually for the three years.
Mr. Pyne said that it now
seems possible to start the pro
gram January 1. The thajor por
tion of the $250,000 budget for
the three years has bee* sub
scribed.
The Health Careers Commit
tee for the North Carolina Hos
pital Education and Research
Foundation, J. G. Brothers, of
Morganton, chairman, will name
an over-all coordinator for the
State.
The program will be admin
istered through six districts. It
is an extension of the successful
project conducted for the past
two and a half years in the
mountain counties. WNC hos
pitals, assisted by the James G.
K. McClure Educational and
Development Fund and the Mary
Reynolds Babcock Foundation,
started the pilot program. Mr.
Brothers has served as its pres
ident since its inception.
"By thorough dissemination
of information about work in
License Office
Will Be Closed
The Drivers License Examin
er's office will be closed Wed
nesr' ?>, December 26, and will
reopep Thursday, December 27.
The regular working hours are
from 8 to 5 on Wednesdays and
Thursdays.
health services, the nursing
schools in the mountain coun
ties have been filled with de
sirable candidates and the num
ber of those going into other
health occupations has been
considerably increased," Mr.
Pyne said. "We are confident
that this same pattern will work
with much greater benefits on
(Continued' on page four)
29 May Die In
N. C. Traffic
Don't take the "Merry" out
of your Christmas by becoming
one of the 29 persons the N. C.
State Motor Club predicts will
be killed on North Carolina's
streets and highways during
the long Yule holiday.
The official fatality count be
gan at 6 p. m. Friday, Dec. 21,
and will extend through Tues
day midnight, Dec. 25, ? per
iod of 102 hours.
During the 1961 Christmas
holiday, which covered a 78
hour period. North Carolina re
corded 22 highway deaths in 20
fatai accidents and 730 injured
in a total of 1,065 accidents. The
largest number of deaths ? 10 ?
occurred on Saturday, with 7
more on Christmas Eve, usual
ly one of the most deadly days
of the year because of tradi
tional festivities and heavy
travel to family gatherings.
Speeding with no regard for
road, weather and traffic con
ditions was the most frequent
driver violation contributing to
holiday accidents last Christ
mas, figuring in 17 of the 22
fatalities.
"For many years," cautioned
(continued on page four)
STORES ARE OPEN AT NIGHT
Christmas T r ade In City
%
Seen Breaking Records
Merchants
Are Hopeful
Of New Year
Merchants in Boone reported
an un-precedented high in pre
Christmas sales despite heavy
snows and low temperatures
during early December, accord
ing to a survey taken by the
Watauga Democrat last week.
One spokesman observed that
sales were "relatively slow" the
first two weeks of December
because of the severe weather
in the Watauga area. "But," he
explained, "trade in the past
week has surpassed anything
we have ever experienced."
Another manager stated that
sales during December usually
net almost 29 per cent of the
year's total sales. "This year,"
he noted, "our sales have been
around 10 per cent higher than
that of any previous Decem
ber."
Local stores have been ob
serving night hours for more
than a week. "I've never seen
| so many people in town," one
customer told a reporter.
Stores were remaining open
until 9 p. m. each night except
Sunday, according to Chamber
of Commerce president Herman
Wilcox.
Looking optimistically to the
new year, one salesman said,
"Business in 1962 has been
good ? real good. I see no rea
son why 1963 should not be
even better."
Hie Merchants Association
and the Chamber of Commerce
are recommending that stores
take only one day off for New
Year's.
Mrs. Church
Rites Held
North Wilkesboro ? The fun
eral for Mrs. Enoch Church,
75, of Deep Gap, Rt. 1, was con
ducted at 2 p. m. Thursday at
Lewis Fork Baptist Church by
the Rev. A. W. Eller, the Rev.
Roscoe Greene, the Rev. Cover
Blankenship and the Rev. J. A.
Icenhour. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
Mrs. Church died Tuesday in
Wilkes General Hospital.
Photo by Paul WMton Studio
JAYCEES TREAT 86 SCHOOL CHILDREN
- . - - rssss- -3 1 * ? -
Dick Horton
Dies In Pa.
William J. (Dick) Horton,
native Wataugan, but for many
years a resident of Farrell, Pa.,
died in a hospital in that city
last Wednesday, December 19,
from a heart attack.
Mr. Horton was 89 years old.
Born in Watauga county, Mr.
Horton was a son of the late
James W. and Mrs. Horton of
Vilas. A jeweler, Mr. Horton
had operated a jewelry store and
watch repairing establishment
in Farrell for a great many
years.
Funeral plans were not com
plete as this was written.
Survivors Include two sons,
Howard Horton of the home and
Dick Horton, Jr., of Silvep
Spring, Md.; a daughter, Mrs.
Lloyd McCudy of California; the
widow, a sister and a brother,
Mrs. Watt Henson of Sherwood
and Don J. Horton of Vilas.
Reactor for nuclear rocket
tested in Nevada.
NOTED ECONOMIST ISSUES PREDICTIONS
Babson Sees Continued Good Times;
i
No War Is Expected During New Year
By KUUC.K BABSUN
The business situation will
vary with different industries,
and hence with different cities.
Some defense centers will
boom; steel cities will still find
the going tough ... but better
than a year ago. Considering
the high level of the past ten
years it will not be surprising
for 1963 to show ? moderate de
cline in business. If so it should
come in the second or third
quarter, with recovery ia the
fourth quarter, followed by a
good 1964.
Disposable personal income
will remain high. With increas
ed savings deposits and little
change in the cost-of-living, the
public should continue ?o spend
freely, especially if merchants
maintain their advertising out
lays. ?
Inventories will remain about
the same during 1963. But gov
ernment spending will increase
over $3 billion ? largely on de
fense ? and $2 billion on new
roads. Whether manufacturers
will hike their expenditures for
new machinery in 1963 in view
of the depreciation tax credit,
1 would not now forecast.
All this means that business
and employment for your city in
1963 will depend largely upon
the attitude of its leading busi
nessmen. If they will be optimis
tic and spend more on new
plants, advertising, and sales
manship, we should have qpth
ing to fear.
Stocks And B*n*
My father used to tell me,
"It la okay, Roger, for you to
make forecasts ... but never
put date* on theml" I forecast
that the Dow-Jones Industrial
Avenge will register lowar
sometimes during 1963 and
stocks will show an average
yield of about 4%. Either divi
dends must be increased or
prices of stocks must go lower.
Both cannot continue forever
so poorly adjusted.
The above comment refers
primarily to industrial stocks.
1 forecast that both the gross
and net earnings of utility
stocks will advance during
1863 and for some years there
after. The utility cumulative
preferred* have reached a
point whereby they will closely
follow interest, rates as deter
mined by the Federal Reserve
Banks. The utility common
stocks should slowly rise in
price provided they are not un
justly limited by legislation or
by state and federal regulatory
commissions
As for the railroad stocks, 1
generally feel bearish. A war
with Cuba or a world nuclear
war breaking out anywhere
could cause the stocks of all
our transcontinental railroads
to go up sharply in price; but
down they would come again.
We are today in an electronic
age and no longer in a railroad
age. Those who desire' to invest
in common stocks should stick
to the oils, chemicals, and elec
tronics. Even then keep in
mind Newton'* Law of Action
and Reaction which will al
ways determine the t>we to
buy and sell common stocks.
Regarding bonds I am not
pessimistic for 1863. Certainly,
the non-taxable bonds will sell
higher during 1863. Also, good
short-term corporation and gov
ernment bonds will be safest to
hold. Long-term corporation
(Continued on page l, sec. B)
Jaycees Hosts To Children
The Boone Jaycees selected
four children from each of the
nine Watauga county schools
last week and treated the group
to a shopping tour, according
to Ned Trivett, club member.
The school children selected
clothes and toys amounting to
$12 per child. Funds for the
service were provided by the
proceeds from the Christmas
tree sale.
After the shopping tour, the
children were entertained by
the Jaycettes at a luncheon in
the basement of the First Bap
tist Church of Boone. Santa
Claus was a special guest at the
occasion.
MISS AGNES GRAY SHIPLEY
<i?/<
Miss Shipley Wins Second
Prize In Baking Contest
Richmond, V?., Dec. 15 ?
Agnes Shipley, 18, a local stu
dent of Vilas, North Carolina,
won 2nd prize today in a teen
age baking contest scponaored
by Pyrofax Gas Company. The
competition took place here in
the William Byrd Hotel.
The contest, now in its second
year, commenced early in Sept
ember with the writing of es
says on the subject "Why I
Want to Go to College." A to
tal of 964 essays wen selected,
and their hopeful authors went
on to one of 36 preliminary
baking contest* scheduled at
key locations throughout 27
eastern states.
The first prize winner receiv
ed, along with the scholarship 2
$2000 fund, a $500 gas range
for home use, and another just
like it for the home economics
department of her home.
Second prize winners won
gas ranges, and third prize win
ners won 8mm cameras.