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VOLUME LXXVI NO. a BOONE. WATAUGA COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY. NOVEMBER M, 1M? gifcm PER COPY
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SB 32
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SO PAGES? 3 SECTIONS
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
1917-1963
AN EDITORIAL
By ROB RIVERS
The parade route was lined with
friendly, cheering people as the Presi
dent of the United States, The First
Lady, Governor and Mrs. Connally rode
along a Dallas street. Things appeared
to be going well in the turbulent political
tides which have ebbed and flowed in
the Lone Star state. . . But there was
.the crack of a rifle, the Chief Executive
slumped and the nation was plunged
into deep mourning.
Even those who liked the Presi
dent least found a common ground
with those who loved the Executive,
in their crushed reaction to the
monstrously evil thing, which could
well affect the destinies of the
nation and even of the world.
Youthful, vigorous and imaginative,
Mr. Kennedy had served his country
well during the agonies of the late great
war and during the frenzied and dan
gerous age of the shaky and uneasy
peace. He had served less than three
fourths of his term when an assassian's
bullet struck with its crashing, searing
lethality.
President Kennedy, who was no
stranger to trouble and to sorrow
and to family tragedy, carried into
the nation's top office a wealth of
knowledge and of experience and a
rare concern for the rights and wel
fare of the peoples of the country
and of the world. Articulate, per
sonable and with no apparent qual
ity of fear, he captured the Imagi
ation and esteem of his country
men. He was thick-skinned, im
pervious to criticism and could
make vital decisions without dis
turbing his sleep.
The President was not doing well with
his programs in Congress. Few men of
vision and change are successful right
from the start when they speak freely
for liberalism, and who espouse tlje
rights of the common man, and who've
believed that one race has no moral or
legal right to set itself up as the master
of another race whose skin comes in
darker hues.
In his fight for dvil rights and for
the dignity of the Federal Courts Presi
dent Kennedy was never swerved from
his convictions, even though he was
losing strength in some sections of the
country. In the South, even in North
Carolina, those who've wanted to keep
the status quo have railed out against
the President, who would have fared
badly in some of the states of the old
Confederacy.
Bat, Mi in its silent, strange
i
finality, often conies as a grim
pacifier, as a sort of common de
nominator and those who'd fought t
the President, tooth and nail, in
and out of the Congress are no*
united in a common grief, the ex
tent of which has perhaps never
been equalled in the nation's har- j>
ried history.
The mysterious curtain of death has
brought an amazing degree of charity
and of sadness, even to his former de
tractors. Some of the debatable policies
which he espoused with youthful vigor
and without regard to personal con
sequences, somehow don't seem to be
so tremendously wrong now that heads
are bared and bowed in the stillness
and hush of his tragic leave-taking. So,
in the dispensation of the Father of us
all, it could well be that Mr. Kennedy's
death could be the means of reuniting
our nation more solidly than before in
these days of our tragic sorrows, and of
our common dangers.
President Kennedy was a good
and a great man. He had matured
in his position of power and of pres
tige and had met issues of mons
trous magnitude with firm decisions
and with courage case-hardened in
the cauldrons of world conflict.
It is fitting that the President's body,
smashed by an enemy of our country, is
lying as this is written on the cata
flaque which first held the body of
Abraham Lincoln, who himself met
death as an indirect results of some of
the beliefs which President Kennedy
espoused a hundred years later. While
the Kennedy assassination does not tie
in, so far as we know, with the racial
situation, most of the hatred which the
late President acquired was in his ef
forts to implement and expand the spirit
of the Emancipation proclamation.
The sinews of a great nation are
not weakened when watered by ita
tears, and out of a common grief
should come a more purposeful
perspective and a renewal of our
spiritual and physical might. In our
time of sorrowful reflection, we
should gain strength from the un
changing purposes and high cour
age of our fallen President, and
tranquility from Mrs. Kennedy who
"knelt by the cataflaque which once
held the body of Abraham Lincoln,
kissed the flag which covered the
coffin of her husband", and lead
ing her children, Caroline and John
John, one with each hand, walked
resolutely from the trashed rotunda
of the capitol Into the sunlight
'JUKE THEY_ SHOT ALL OF US"
Wataugans Grieved At
Slaying Of President
Weed Sales
Are Opened
This Week
Tobacco sales in Boone open
ed Tuesday morning at 9
o'clock at the Mountain Burley
Warehouse No. 1, with first re
ports listing sales prices as
good.
All companies were repre
sented at the auctions, with all
expected buyers being present.
After a brief greeting by I.
B. Wilson, Secretary of the
County Commissioners, and a
short devotional period by the
Bev. E. F. Troutman, sales got
immediately under way. One of
the first five baskets which
sold brought a price of 69
cents per pound.
Friday, sales move to Farm
ers Burley Warehouse, on
Bristol Road, at 9 a. m., and
Big Burley Warehouse, on the
Highway 421 Bypass, will open
at 10:30 a. m. Friday, at which
time approximately 200,000
pounds of the leaf is expected
to be auctioned off.
Beginning Monday, sales will
be held each day at both Moun
tain Burley and Big Burley
Warehouses.
Seal Letters
Bringing Good
Local Returns
Early returns in response to
the 1963 Christmas Seal Letters
are most encouraging accord
ing to the Seal Chairman, D.
Grady Moretz, Jr., who has full
confidence that there will be a
great many more responses be
fore the Christmas Seal Cam
paign ends.
Your contributions for the
Christmas Seals will help the
TB Association carry out its
1864 programs against Tubercu
losis and other Respiratory
Diseases. Last year 10,961 free
Chest X-rays were provided
here in our District as a mea
sure of detection, which was in
addition to our programs of
education, treatment, patient
service and research.
Mr. Moretz pointed out that
it was a free choice of giving
for the Christmas Seals by
firms and individuals, as usual
no personal solicitations would
be made. "No one will press
you, but I do urge your early
and generous response to your
Christmas Seal Letter, as 93%
of the Christmas Seal money
stays here in our own commun
ity and State," said Mr. Moretz.
Merchants Act
To Pay Fees
For Customers
Effective Thursday, November
25, the Boone Merchants Associa
tion Committee request from their
members the following:
Anyone living outside the city
limits who parks in Boone, find
that they have overparted, and
receive a ticket Irotn the Poboe
Department, should present the
ticket to a member merchant
from whom they have made or
Mend to make at least ? three
dalkr purchase. The nanchaut is
requested to take the ticket and
pay the fine to the city officials.
TUs rate will be in effect from
Thanksgiving throuah December
24, 1963. The Committee further
requsrt ail business people who
own cars out to park their cars
on King Street, instead leaving
the parking space for their cus
Yule Decorations Appear
Workers in the process of putting up Boone's year, at the west end of King Street,
first decorative Christmas wreaths for this
United Fund Drive
Will Start Monday
Tbe Watauga County United
Fund Drive for 1964 will begin
Monday morning, December 2,
according to United Fund chair
man James P. Marsh of Boone.
Committees for the drive have
already been named for this,
Watauga's 18th year as part of
the United Fund Appeal; and
a budget of $14,320.05 has been
approved.
"We feel that within this
budget every request will have
been taken care of," Marsh said,
referring to the 17 different
funds which together make up
the United Fund.
Some committees have al
ready begun their work in the
fund-raising drive, Marsh said.
The Industry Committee is
sponsoring a Payroll Deduction
Plan for workers in county in
dustries, using the slogan,
"Give one hour a month to the
United Fund."
There will be little house-to
house canvassing, Marsh pointed
out, since most citizens will be
contacted for donations at their
work or through organizations
to which they belong.
Marsh urged, however, that
those people contacted for do
nations should try to make an
immediate decision regarding
the amount they could give,
since asking workers to come
back later could possibly keep
the maximum number of people
from being contacted.
The following budget, pre
pared by the budget committee
under the chairmanship of
Clyde R. Greene, was officially
adopted last Thursday at a noon
meeting at the Daniel Boone
Inn.
Youth Activities Group (in
cluding Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts,
Cub Scouts, and the 4-H Club
Council) ? $3,450.
American Red Cross ? $4,292.
Empty Stocking Fund ? $450.
Emergency Relief Fund ? $1,
500.
Watauga County Rescue
Squad ? $600.
Watauga County Agricultural
Workers Council ? $200.
Blind Work (sponsorship of
Club) ? $600.
Watauga County's share of
the State United Fund Package
?$778.55.
Crippled Children (for the
benefit of about 35 youngsters
(Continued on page two*
Horn Board To
Meet Monday
The Horn in the West Board
meeting scheduled for Monday
was cancelled due to the death
of the President, reported Her
man W. Wilcox, Executive Vice
President of Horn in the West.
The meeting has been re
scheduled for next Monday, De
cember 2, at 12 noon at the
Daniel Boone Hotel.
This is a most important
meeting and it is hoped that
every director will attend. Dr.
and Mrs. I. G. Greer will be
present.
Business Slows
When News Of
Death Comes
By CLARK COX
Democrat Staff Writer
Watauga County people took
the news of President Ken
nedy's assassination much as it
was taken throughout the coun
try ? with shocked disbelief at
first, then with anger, finally
with immense grief.
Citizens clustered, wearing
stunned expressions, to hear
radio or TV reports after hav
ing learned that President Ken
nedy had been shot. Occasion
REVIEW OF TRAGIC NEWS
ON PAGE 2, SECTION B
Watauga's Oldest Citizen To
Have 100th Birthday Sunday
Watauga County's oldest cit
izen, Mrs. Rhoda Teague Greer,
will celebrate her hundredth
birthday Saturday.
Mrs. Greer, who lives with
her daughter, Mrs. Margie Mi
chael, 'at 1601 Daniel Boone
Drive, Perkinsville, was born
in Ashe County November 30,
1963. Married September 23,
1882, to Larkin Greer, she came
to Watauga County with him in
1896. Mr. Greer died in 1940.
Mrs. Greer is still mentally
alert, and still gets around the
house and yard with very little
assistance. "I have to sort of
feel my way around, though,"
she says, because of failing eye
sight.
Her poor vision has taken her
chief pleasure, from her; but
she derives great enjoyment
from entertaining visitors and
from traveling. At the age of
(Continued on page two)
MRS. RHODA TEAGUE GREER
ally the announcer's voice was
interrupted by exclamations
from listeners, echoing emo
tions throughout the country:
"Why?" ... "I can't believe
it" . . . "How could this happen
in a civilized country?" . . .
"It must have been a madman."
Business in Boone was practi
cally at a standstill. Many
people closed up shop and
went home to await further
, new*. Those who remained in
Stoi-ea tod offices waited on
their few customers in semi
shock, barely saying a word.
Phone calls poured into the
radio station and the Demo
crat office, from stunned peo
ple who had just heard the
news, hoping against hope that
the reports had been wrong.
Phones all over town were
tied up as the official news of
the President's death was
broadcast. One customer at a
Boone shop asked to use the
phone, dialed a number, and
said, "Mother? He's dead now.
They just announced it Yes,
mother."
A Democrat reporter, alone
in the outer office, moved his
car from the rear parking lot
to the street, where he could
hear radio reports and still
keep one eye on the office.
Workers all over town were do
ing the same thing, and soon
sizeable crowds were gathered
on the sidewalks around the
open doors of automobiles.
Upon hearing of the Chief
Executive's death, postmaster
Ralph Beshears of Boone order
ed that the American flag on
the post office lawn be flown
at half staff for a thirty day
period of mourning. Similarly,
all flags, both public and pri
vate, in the country were low
ered to half staff.
The news reached county
schools shortly before classes
were to be over for the day.
All classes came to an abrupt
end as students, dazed and
shocked, endeavored to find
radios where they could hear
reports of the tragedy.
Near-panic struck the work
ers in various factories in Wa
tauga County. Work came al
most to a halt, many women
employees and a few men broke
into tears, and some, unable to
work, asked to be allowed to go
home.
Panic was never far away as
rumors spread rapidly that as
many as five or six people
were critically injured in the
shooting, that the stock market
had crashed, that Vice-Pres
dent Johnson had been serious
ly wounded. Many voiced fears
that Russia, its leaders taking
advantage of the national
shock and upset, would attempt
to launch a bomb attack.
People walked the streets
aimlessly, a few brushing tears
from their eyes. The highway*
were crowded as many citixens
took to their automobiles for
(Continued oa two)
'?* i i M