AWARD WINNER
In 1966 and 1967 the Democrat won
10 State Press Assn, awards for
General Excellence, Excellence in
Typography, Local News, Adver
tising, Columns and Photographs.
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication
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BOONE
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VOL. LXXX—NO. 7
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1967
10 CENTS PER COPY
24 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
ManHurtAsAuto
Plunges Off 321
David Odell Bollinger, 25, of
Route 5, Morganton, was taken
to a Blowing Rock hospital late
Thursday suffering from injur
ies he received in a fall down
a roadside cliff on U.S. 321 just
south of Blowing Rock.
State Is Given
Hospital Funds
During the first six months
of this year, $11,969,075.39 in
F ederal funds was approved to
help finance the construction af
hospital, mental retardation,
and mental health facilities in
North Carolina, Dr. Emil E.
Palmquist, Regional Health Di
rector of the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare
says.
Dr. Palmquist said Federal
assistance is provided in com
munities to encourage a wider
distribution of health facilities
and_to improve standards of
care available throughout the
Nation. Since 1948, when the
programs first started, North
Carolina health facilities have
received a total of $149,052,
078.00 in Federal construction
funds.
Blowing Rock Hospital re
ceived $50,000 of this money.
Ernest Roark of Boone, who
witnessed the accident, told
State Trooper Don Wood he was
approaching the scene, about
one-half mile south of the C aid -
well-Watauga county line when
he saw Bollinger’s 1957 Buick
rolling off an overlook parking
space beside the road.
Roark told the officer Bolling
er was running beside the open
left door of the vehicle. Wood
said that the vehicle apparent
ly rolled from a parking space
toward the cliff and Bollinger
was attempting to stop it.
The vehicle and Bollinger both
dropped off the area and the
car plunged from 175 to 200
feet before lodging on an out
crop of rocks. Bollinger was
found about halfway down.
Members of the Boone Rescue
Squad assisted Wood in remov
ing Bollinger from the rocks
on which he was lying.
The automobile received ex
tensive damages to its bottom
and sides from the beating re
ceived by boulders on its way
down, but, Wood pointed out,
neither its windshield nor any
windows were broken. The rocks
on which it was lodged were
all that kept it from an even
longer plunge.
Grandfather Home
Day Nets $10,000
FRED M. COUNCILL
Fred Councill
Heads Heritage
Furniture Co.
Fred M. Councill, son of
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Coun
cill of Boone, will succeed
Charles S. Shaughnessy as Head
at Heritage Furniture Company
November 30.
As Vice-President of Drexel
Enterprises, Inc. and General
Manager of the Heritage Divis
ion, he will be responsible for
all the Division’s Marketing
and Sales activities and for the
implementation erf important
plans for continuing expansion
(Continued on page two)
CHARLIE BOONE
Charles Boone
To Be Awarded
Fellowship
Charles C. Boone, former
resident of Boone and adminis
trator of General Hospital,
Spartanburg, S. C. will be hon
ored next month by the Ameri
can College of Hospital Ad
ministrators.
He also will be advanced to
Fellowship status at the or
ganization’s convocation in
Chicago.
The AC HA has nearly 7,000
members. Fellowship status is
limited and coveted recognition.
He has been at Spartanburg since
September.
Mr. Boone is a son of Mrs.
J. A. Boone of Boone.
The children of Grandfather
Home sang for the 49th consecu
tive performance of Grandfather
Home Day at Rumple Memorial
Church in Blowing Rock.
Started in 1918, The Home Day
has been sponsored by James
I. Vance, Dr, Charles Vardell,
David Ovens and Mr. and Mrs.
Robert G. Hayes. Each year the
gifts from these Grandfather
Home Day program total well
over $20,000.
In announcing the figure for
Sunday's service, Robert G.
Hayes, president of the Board
of Trustees, Grandfather Home,
stated that Grandfather Home
Day had received gifts of $10,000
with the hope that there would
be more checks and donations
received from those who were
unable to attend the program.
The program included “Com
ments on the Story of Grand
father Home", Robert G. Hayes;
“The Present and Future of
Grandfather Home", the Rev. D.
Edward Renegar, executive di
rector of the Home; “Strength
Through Worship”, Grandfather
Home chorus and speakers; the
reading of Psalm 24; the offer
ing; and the closing prayer, the
Rev. J. Richard Holshouser,
minister of Rumple Memorial.
Rumor Has It
Route 105 Is
To Become 221
A rumor that a petition was
circulating in Boone to change
highway designations was dis
cussed in the Friday night meet
ing of the Blowing Rock C hamber
of Commerce.
Louis H„ Smith, president of
the Chamber, said a “phantom
rumor” had it that a move was
on foot to change Highway 105
from Boone to Linville to UJS.
221 and rename UJS. 221 run
ning from Linville to Blowing
Rock, 221 A.
The present 221 conveys much
traffic from Blowing Rock to
Linville and a renaming plan of
some years ago met opposition
in Blowing Rock as well as
in other parts of the County.
Smith said he had been un
able to pinpoint a sponsor of
the alleged petition.
As a precaution, however,
the Chamber wrote the High
way Commission in Raleigh,
Smith said, to say that before
any action on such a proposal
is taken, “we'd like to talk
with them about it."
White House seeks to add to
art collection.
>■!« i m m uk- ■ ■. <, w
Columns Tumble Down
A workman affixed cables to two remaining columns as the first
phase of demolishing the Watauga County Courthouse reached
completion last Monday. The cables were drawn tight by a power
wheel on a bulldozer to pull down the massive brick and mortar
columns. In the lower picture, the third breaks away, the one
next to it having been loosened by the pressure. Starting with
the second floor, walls which were four bricks thick were jerked
down by cables threaded from window to window. Logs had been
placed under the cables inside the building to exert maximum
pressure on the building. In charge of the wrecking operation
is contractor Joe Williams of Boone. Several tons of debris
are to be hauled away before construction of a $450,000 court
house can be begun on the West King Street site. (Staff photos)
Dr. Hilton Speaker
414 Students Will Get
Degrees At University
Names Of BS
Candidates
In Local Area
A total of 414 students, in
cluding 276 who have com
pleted work on their Master's
degrees, are candidates for de
grees which will be conferred
during summer commencement
exercises Thursday morning at
Appalachian State University.
In addition to those due to
receive M.A. degrees, 127 are
expected to obtain B.S. degrees
and 11 slated to earn B.A.
degrees.
Dr. James H. Hilton, former
president of Iowa State Uni
versity and now Executive Di
rector of the Smith Reynolds
Foundation in Winston-Salem,
will deliver the commencement
address at 10 a.m. in Broome
Kirk Gymnasium.
The graduation program for
Appalachian State University’s
first commencement excercises
has been released by the Dean
of Student Affairs.
The summer school band,
under the direction of Elmer
White, will begin the ceremony
with the processional , Pomp
and Circumstance by Elgar.
After the 414 candidates have
filed to their seats, the audience
will rise for the hymn, O Wor
ship the King.
Dr. William C. Strickland,
professor and department
chairman of philosophy and re
ligion, will deliver the invoca
tion.
Accompanied by Miss Robyn
Lovvorn of the ASU music fa
culty, Dr. Perry Daniels, Bre
vard Music Center, will sing
Brahms' ‘‘Though with Tongues
of Men and Holy Angels.”
After Dr. Hilton's address,
Dr. Paul Sanders, Dean of Aca
demic Affairs, will present the
candidates for the Bachelor's
Degrees. Next, Dr. Cratis Wil
liams will present candidates
for the Master’s Degree and
candidates for the Advanced
Certificate in Administration.
Dr. W. H. Plemmons, presi
dent of the university, will confer
the degrees, and W. Dean Mere
dith, registrar, will present
diplomas.
The benediction will be given
by Methodist campus minister,
(Continued on page two)
Boone Man Is
Named On State
Commission
Gov. Dan Moore Tuesday an
nounced appointment erf Mr. J.
Rooker of Monroe, Sterling
Manning erf Raleigh and James
H. Councill of Boone to the
Board of Trustees, Teachers
and State Employees Retire
ment System, all for terms ex
piring April 5, 1971.
Councill, who succeeds
Withers Davis of Raleigh, is
area maintenance engineer with
the State Highway Commission
and will represent highway em
ployees.
LINDA BURLESON of Rock Hill, S. C. will be one of a dozen contestants in the “Carolinas
Photo Queen” Pageant at Grandfather Mountain, August 19 and 20. Her sponsor is Rock McGee
of Rock Hill, shown taking a picture of Linda in front of Grandfather's majestic peaks. The
Photo Queen Pageant and Camera Clinic are sponsored by the Carolinas Press Photographers
Association.—Picture by Hugh Morton.
Photographers To Meet
For Grandfather Clinic
Grandfather Mountain—What
is probably North Carolina's
favorite picture-taking moun
tain is assured of living up to
that role on August 19-20.
That is the date for the annual
Grandfather Mountain Camera
Clinic sponsored by the Caro
linas Press Photographers As
sociation, and it annually at
tracts scores of amateur and
professional photographers for
two days of activities.
Two picture-taking sessions
atop Grandfather Mountain, with
12 beautiful contestants for the
“Carolinas Photo Queen” title
acting as models the first day,
and the new queen as model
for the second day are among
several significant highlights
for the clinic.
On these two days, the 6,000
foot peak of Grandfather Moun
tain will become the “picture
takingest” spot in the Blue
Ridge. Hank Daniel president
of the Association and a staff
photographer on the Charlotte
Observer also describes the
occasion as a “combination rec
reational and educational out
ing.”
Daniel said contestants for
the “Carolinas Photo Queen”
are all queens themselves from
other festivals and contests in
the two Carolinas and were
chosen by press photographers
from the two states to take part
in this year’s Camera Clinic
pageant.
The pageant to choose the
winner will have Bill Currie
of WSOC-TV in Charlotte as
the master erf ceremonies.
Currie ranks as one of the Caro
linas most personable and hum
orous personalities.
The pageant chairman is Fred
Burgess of Clinton, N. C., and
he has included two special
guests. They are Rhododendron
Queen Ann Bailey, and theC ran
berry Championship Square
Dance Team from Cranberry,
N. C., nestling in the shadow of
Grandfather Mountain.
Preceding the opening night
pageant there will be a “bring
your own picnic supper” for
photographers and families, in
honor of the queen contestants.
The second day opens with
a morning shooting session with
the new “Carolinas Photo
Queen,” and is followed by two
speaking sessions and a lunch
eon and business meeting.
The two speakers are Dick
Hance, nationally known speaker
on the use erf stilled photos in
television news, and Bill Strode
a former national press photo
grapher of the year.
Hance, director of news at
WFLD-TV in Chicago, will
speak on “Why Not Be TV
Mavericks?*’ Strode, staff pho
tographer erf the Louisville
Courier-Journal, will speak on
“Wars, Riots, and Dull Feat
ures.*’
Daniel will preside over the
Association’s business session.
National Banks
Buy Co. Bonds
C harlotte—F i r s t National
Bank of Eastern NorthCarolina
and First Union National Bank
of North Carolina in a joint
syndicate submitted the low bid
for $450,000 Watauga County
Courthouse bonds. The winning
syndicate presented the county
an attractive 4.12% net interest
cost. This contrasted to the
next low bid of 4.20%.
The sealed bids were opened
August 8th in the Local Govern
ment Commission office in Ra
leigh.
Shepherd Named President
New Farm Group Formed
The State's newest agri
cultural organization, the N. C.
Association of Farmer Elected
Committeemen, has a current
membership of more than2,500
and a potential membership
10,000.
M. L. Shepherd is president
of the Watauga County organi
zation; Ned Glenn, vice
president; J. N. Wilson, treas
urer; J. C. Winebarger, secre
tary; and Jack Henson, director.
President of the state-wide
organization is crop and pork
producer Charles R. Reeves,
who says "any person who is
a present or past member or
alternate of a farmer elected
county or commiiity AAA,
PMA, CSS or ASC committee is
eligible for membership.**
The Sampson C ounty man adds
that any ASCS county of State
office employee who has been
a member of a committee
“is eligible for membership,
but will not be eligible to hold
office in the new association.’*
ECONOMIC HEALTH
Associations of farmer com
mitteemen have organized in
several states, chiefly the Mid
west, and the preambles to the
State and national association
agree:
“All segments of our national
economy must be healthy and
prosperous if a vigorous
forward thrust in the economy is
to be maintained. If our farm
economy is permitted to lag
for any extended period, the
entire national economy will
suffer.
“History proves that eco
nomic depressions are farm led
and farm fed.”
The constitution of the North
Carolina group specifies that it
shall "promote, strengthen and
improve the farmer elected
committee system for local
administration of farm pro
grams.”
Its membership is to "In
increase and improve farm
income until it reaches parity
with non-farm income, promote
and preserve the family-type
farm, eradicate rural poverty,
build and conserve the soil,
water and forestry resources
of the nation, promote new uses
of agricultural products.’4
all through maintalnance of
(Continued on page two)