AWARD WINNER
In 1808 and 1967 the Democrat won
10 State Press Assn, awards far
General Excellence, Excellence in
Typography, Local News, Adver
tising, Columns and Photographs.
VOL. LXXX— NO. 25
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1967
BOONE WEATHKX
US7 HI Lo Saow Free. X
Dec. 12 48 37 .22 |
Dec. 13 95 28
Dec. 14 30 39 M
Dec. 19 40 34
Dec. 16 40 24
Dec. 17 62 25
Dec. 18 56 37 fr.
40 PAGES—4 SECTIONS
10 CENTS PER COPY
KtUtBKtiSr
»
Wm. J. McCormick
NORTH CAROLINA EDUCATION
HE WAS BORN in an animal shelter—a stable, midst the dumb creatures of His Own creation, in an
obscure village, the Child of a young simple peasant Jewish maid—the spouse of a carpenter. His
relations were inconspicuous, uninfluential and had neither training nor education. He grew up in
another village where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty; then for three years He was an
itinerant preacher, but in truth The Messiah, teaching the gospel of love. He never visited a big city nor
travelled two hundred miles from the place of His birth. He never held an office. In infancy He startled a
King; in childhood He puzzled the learned doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature by walking
upon the waves as if pavements and hushed the sea to sleep. He, Himself, had neither wealth or influence,
but possessed dauntless courage, which faltered only once, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then for
only a moment when He cried “Abba, Father, all things are possible to You. Remove this cup from Me;
yet not what I will, but what You will.” His only weakness was human sympathy and, if He ever faltered
again, g was on the side of mercy and pity. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn’t go to col
lege but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students. He never wrote a book, and
yet all the libraries of the country could not hold the books that have been written about Him. He never
wrote a song and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the song-writers combined. He
never practiced medicine but He went around healing the multitudes without medicine and making no
charge for His services, and He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors that ever lived. He
did none of the tilings one usually associates with greatness — He had no credentials but Himself, yet
every seventh day the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes wend their way to wor
shipping and to pay homage and respect to Him. The names of the past proud statesmen of Greece and
Rome have come and gone; but die name of This Man abounds more and more. Time has spread
1900 years between the people of this generation and the scene of His crucifixion; at the time He was
thirty-three years old and the tide of public opinion had tamed against Him because His teachings of
righteousness were contrary to their ideas. He was betrayed by His own disciple. His friends ran away.
He was tamed over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. The thirty shekels for which
Judas sold Him were worth $18.36, but don’t forget, we have often sold Him for less. At the instigation
of the Jews, the Romans nailed Him to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His execution
ers gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead He was laid in a
borrowed grave through pity of a friend, and rose on the third day from the dead, and ascended, as St.
,— ^uke has put on record, from the summit of the Mould of Olives, in adoud into the infinite expanse of
the Heavens. With this Resurrection He has left to us a legacy that we will never have to face tomorrow
alone. This God-Man, He Who died with a spear through a breast bruised with our sins, Whom we honor
today, went through ail this—This Man Whose soul was tempered by a large charity that proceeded from
a Divine understanding and an Infinite power of compassion. Yes, He still lives. Herod could not de
stroy Him and the grave could not hold Him. Nineteen hundred years have come and gone and today He
Is the Central Figure of the human race and the Leader of mankind’s progress. All the armies that ever
marched, all the navies that ever sailed, an the parliaments that ever sat, aU the kings that ever reigned,
put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as That One Solitary Life. He stands
forth, today, upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed by God, acknowledged by Angels,
adored by Saints and feared by devils as the Living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Such, in brief, is the
story of the most Remarkable Personality die world has ever known, our greatest teacher.
Says 1,320 Watauga Citizens
Holding Government Positions
How many Watauga County
residents are holding down gov
ernment jobs at the present
time? How does this compare,
relative to population, with the
number on government payrolls
in other areas?
According to the latest fig
ures, a larger proportion of the
working force is to be found in
public jobs—Federal, state and
local—than in most parts of the
United States.
Approximately 1 out of every
4 who are employed works for a
governmental agency. This is
exclusive of those in the armed
forces.
The occupational data is based
upon national surveys of gov
ernment employment, conducted
by the Tax Foundation, the Bu
reau of Labor Statistics and
others.
They show that the number
of persons so-employed has
risen much faster in recent
years than the working popu
lation as a whole.
Since 1960, more than three
million people have been added
to public payrolls, bringing the
total this year to 11.5 million.
In Watauga County, the fig
ures, indicate, some 22.6 per
cent of the working force are
public employees.
This is above the proportion
in the rest of the United States,
Mentally Retarded People In
Watauga Should Be Aided
BY BARBARA BARNETT
Menially retarded children
can and should be helped.
Today more than ever, men
tal retardation presents a great
er problem to the nation, state,,
and last, but most important,
the community, because here is
where the problem arises. With
Jobs being increasingly avail
able, the mentally retarded per
son must get help from some
one in order to remain Unpro
ductive community.
Within our County of Wa
tauga, the following statistics
were gathered and received
from the Governor by the N. C.
Council on Mental Retardation
Committee. About two years
ago, Watauga County had the
following number of retarded
people:
Mentally retarded under 6
years, 10; mentally retarded
between 6-21, 176; mentally
retarded over 21, 98.
These figures will give the
citizens of Watauga some gen
eral idea of the need for classes
and programs designed es
pecially for these people. To
day Watauga has only about 3
or 4 such classes. That is cer
tainly not enough to provide
for these people in the right
manner. Services for them must
be made available in order to
make a step forward in a posi
tive direction.
One such class is being of
fered to the retarded “train
able" children on the Appa
lachian State University cam
pus. Here, (aider tbs super
vision of Qualified teachers and
issistants, children are leani
ng to care for themselves,
earn personal hygeine and get
ilong with others their own age.
The mentally retarded “edu
:able” child is also receiving
lome instruction, but at a cer
aln age group classes stop. The
teenage retarded person must
itop his education, and no cour
ses of higher instruction are
jfTered to him. He must there
tore, go off to a neighboring
;ity or stay at home. This can
se Impossible to do, especially
luring the winter months when
jad weather arises, preventing
level. The young teenager can
not go to a regular high school
ind try to learn as students
with normal learning capaci
ties can. He would become frus
(Continued on page three)
where the average if 15.7 pe
cent. In the South Atlantic State
it is 17.9 percent.
It is estimated that there ar
now approximately 1,320 loci
residents in government jobs
as compared with the 997 list
ed in 1960, following a surve
by the Commerce Departmen
Most of the change has bee
in state and local governmei
employment, it is pointed ou
rather than in the Federal sec
tor. They have been expandir
rapidly, with the result thi
their payrolls are now aboi
three times the size cf tl
Federal.
The Tax Foundation finds thi
education has become the mo:
costly function of state-loc:
government, accounting for oro
half of their personal servic
outlays.
The growing emphasis on ed
cation and the increase in tl
number of children call fc
more and more teachers.
It is noted that the numb*
of teachers doubled in the fir
50 years of this century, gt
ing from 430,000 in 1900
913'000 in 1950.
Since then, in only 17 yean
the number has doubled agaii
bringing the number of teach
ers to 1,800,000.
County Offices Will
Be Closed Dec. 23-2
The Watauga County Cour
house will be closed for tl
Christmas holidays on Dei
23 and Dec. 25. The Court
house will also be closed <
New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.
Response Best In Years
I
ft;
- • *, C$' ’
m
Announce WinnersYule
Decorations Contests
1 ’I
:;SV
Watauga Garden
Gub Council
Sponsors Event
The Watauga Council of Gar
den Clubs, in announcing win
ners in the Christmas deco
ration contest, would like to
thank all who entered. The re
sponse was the best in years,
sponsors said. However, due
to lack of adequate lighting,
the judges felt that a great
many decorations were miss
ed.
OUTDOOR
Winners in the outdoor cate
gories were:
Live and Growing Lighted
Trees—large—1. Mrs. Jim
Jones, 2. Mrs. Tom Winkler,
3. Lewis Wilson and 4. Miss
Cynthia Stiles; small—1. Lee
Anderson (twintrees),2, Vaughn
Roten and 3. Kenneth Mathes.
Front Doors—Traditional,
Religious—1. Mrs. Frank Hag*
aman and 2. Mrs. Hoyle Davis;
Secular—Mrs. Norman ben
hour.
Garage Doors—Mrs. W. C.
Richardson.
Entrances—1. Mrs. Johnny
Barnett, 2. Mrs. Eric DeGroat
and 3. Mrs. Fred Mast.
Roof and/or Chimney Dis
plays—1. Mrs. Perry Greene,
2. V. A. Stevens and 3. Mrs.
Ben Bos worth.
(Continued on page two)
\ ABC And Police
1 Arrest 3 Men
State ABC officers working
with the Boone Police Depart
ment arrested three men on
charges of illegal sale of tax
paid liquor Saturday night.
I
| Chief of Police Red Lyons
said an ABC officer from Hen
dersonville, Gay T. Lyda Jr.,
r bought liquor from three sus
s pects that night. He identified
those arrested as J. O. Cook,
e working for a business on South
] Depot Street; Friday Teague, lo
cated on the Blowing Rock Road
„ in Boone; and John Winkler, who
y was approached at a firm at the
intersection of Hardin and East
n King, he said,
it
:, They will be tried at the next
- term of Superior Court,
g
it Lyons said that two officers
it with ABC in Hickory joined in
e investigations running for three
weeks prior to the arrests,
it
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS tree put up in Watauga County Hospital, which opened this year, was
furnished and decorated by the Blue Ridge Garden Club. It is found in the main lobby on first
floor. Until last week, a tree on third floor was attracting much interest. Staff members had
cleverly decorated it with syringes, cotton balls, bandaids and other hospital materials. (Staff
photo)
Officers Secure Return Of
Loot From Boone Robbery
nt fho f i r-l
I.vnns wont tn Wilkpfi Tnim.
rt ^ i UU IDin cicvuiv VJ K1
writer, an adding machine val
ued at $300, a corporate seal
and a small electric heater are
amoTC Items returned to Greene
Buick-Pontiac, Inc., at Boone,
Police Chief Red Lyons said
Monday that a suspect has been
charged with the Dec. 8. break
Former NYC Boys Charged
_ With Entering Building
r The Neighborhood Youth
Corps building on West King
r Street was broken into last
** week.
Police Chief Red Lyons said
° he received a tip that “sus
picious looking characters
* drove up close to the building,
* opened the truck of the car and
“ got something out."
Lyons said he went to investi
gate and saw footprints leading
through the soft dirt into the
) creek beside the building.
. He waited until two boys,
e whom he identified as former
Neighborhood Youth Corps en
* rollees, came out.
n They were taken to Watauga
County Jail.
Lyons said he and Deputy
Clyde Tester crawled through
the culvert under West King and
found evidence that entry had
been made from the culvert into
the N. Y. C. building.
The Chief said the boys will
face charges of breaking and
entering in the next Super
ior Court.
Meeting Postponed
The regular monthly meet
ing of the Watauga County Com
missioners will be postponed to
Tuesday, Jan. 2. Normally they
would meet the first Monday,
which la New Year’s Day next
year.
said a parking meter ticket is
sued in Hickory and bearing
the license number and make
of the vehicle owned by the
suspect was found inside the
building at the point of entry.
“A warrant has been issued
for Kenneth D. Phillips, age26,
of Route 1, Parlier,” he said.
Officials in Wilkes County
came in on the case when checks
forged on Greene Buick-Pontiac
began showing up in North
Wilkesboro. Cashed at super
markets there were checks
made out in the amounts of
$91.67 and $91.76.
A personal checkbook belong
ing to the owner, G. C. Greene,
and Mrs. Greene was taken as
well as the company checkbook,
a small stapling machine, a
postage meter rented from the
Post Office Department and ap
proximately $400 in mechanical
tools owned by Bud Cornett.
Lyons said Greene stopped
payment on the checks when be
discovered the book was miss
ing, although the officer said
as many as 10 or 12 could
have been cashed. Seven checks
are known to have been cash
ed.
With The Northwestern Bank
keeping him informed as soon
as the checks began showing
ty for photostatic copies and
visited one of the supermarkets
to get a description of the for
ger. He said Wilkes County
Sheriff Hoke Wiles checked
around for a car and person
fitting the descriptions and al
so found out where the sus
pect lived.
(Continued on page three)
Democrat To
Close Monday
The Watauga Democrat will
be closed next Monday for
Christmas.
The newspaper office will be
open as usual this week up to
noon Saturday.
Boone Stores
To Observe Yule
According to lrformatioo re
ceived from the Boons Cham- A
her of Commerce, most stores %
will be closed only on Christ
mas Day next week.
Most are plaosiiw to napm . ;i;
for busings* on Tussday, Dec, ’ ■
as ■ T f i‘