Mllll III IIMIIMUISII* 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 Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. BOONE WEATHER Hi Lo Snow Prec. 37 25 42 28 tr. tr. .31 tr. Snow given to nearest hall-inch. 67 Hi Lo 46 25 50 25 48 26 26 21 35 15 45 25 47 36 VOL. LXXX— NO. 28 BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1968 10 CENTS PER COPY 24 PAGES—2 SECTIONS Hiimiimiiiiimmiimimiiiimimmimmmiiimtimimmimimiiimii Manager Wilcox Says He Will Resign Changes In “Horn In West” Script Discussed v/oiuptrouers oi me Horn in the West Monday discussed changes in the drama’s script, shortened the coming season, scheduled Sunday evenings as play dates and heard Herman Wilcox announce that his resi gnation is forthcoming. Speaking for the production committee, H. R. Eggers said Ward Haarbauer, director of the Horn, wants to effect changes in the script to improve the production. Eggers says he proposes to strengthen the character Judge Henderson, provide action on the left stage to draw attention while the turntable changes the scenery on stage right and put in a new dance. Eggers says the committee has asked him to be in touch with Dr. Her mit Hunter, author, toward these ends. Eggers also conveyed to the board Haarbauer’s wish to have Sunday be a play night instead of Monday. The drama is pre sented six days a week. An appeal last year from the Rev. Richard Crowder, former pas tor of the Boone Methodist Church, resulted in a board de cision to play on Monday nights with Sunday off. Eggers explained that the di rector said the cast would pre fer having “a free day when they can go more places and see more things.*’ He said the pro duction committee offers no recommendation but that the board consider the issue and settle it once and for all. To stimulate discussion, Grady Farthing opined that'‘No man has ever jeen the Horn in the West but that he was a better man for it.” The vet eran SAHA board member said there are many things available on Sunday evenings during the summer that do not convey as much good. Miss Jane Smitn entered a successful motion that the pla^ be changed to Sunday night with Mondays off because the drama has “a strong religious mes sage as well as a patriotic one,” she said. She also said that she feels the wishes of the cast should be considered, since the Southern Appalachian Historical Association is unable to pay them in line with other dramas. The Rev. Boyce Brooks sug gested that a brief, devotional program be given prior to the drama on Sunday evenings. The number of performances was cut from 57 to 49 for the 1968 season, June 29 to Aug. 24. One of the reasons given for abandoning the last week in August were because some of the key people in the cast are teachers who must go back to work that week or soon there after. In the past, as many as four productions were given with understudies in leading roles, it was reported. After the board meeting at Holiday Inn, the executive com mittee went into session to dis cuss rehiring its promotion staff and manager Herman Wil cox. Dick Barley and Lewis Gaston were rehired. The manager, however, asked that his re-employment be tabled until the next regular meeting. He said that his resignation will be forthcom ing, giving as a reason the rapid growth of his private business interests. Mrs. Constance Stallings of fered a motion that Wilcox be rehired at $4,000 and if attend ance this year warrents, be paid $5,000. The latter was Wilcox's salary last year. A motion passed that Wilcox's tabling suggestion be accepted and his salary 'continued for a month on the basis of what was paid last year in the same period. THE LOG CABIN in the Daniel Boone Botanical Gardens appears to be an oldtimey homestead, hibernating until spring. Tobacco Market Closes Season With Average Of $69.71 Cwt. The Watauga Tobacco Market closed Monday, having sold all tobacco delivered to the ware houses, then the Tobacco Board of Trade reported a successful season “in spite of tobacco being unusually light." The average per hundred pounds was $69.71. Stanley A. Harris Sr., sales supervisor, said the price was $3 per hundred pounds higher than the former best price was about $1.50 per hundred more than a neighboring market. “The sad part,”Harris com mented, “is that almost 100 acres alloted were not planted Gay Heart Fund Ball To Be Held At Hound Ears Hound Ears Lodge & Club will supply its dining and danc ing facilities for the First An nual Heart Ball of Watauga County scheduled for Valen tine’s Day, Feb. 14. Tickets will be $15 each, according to Mrs. Beverly In 4 Counties Schools were closed in Wa tauga, Avery, Ashe and Wilkes counties Tuesday when the day dawned in a moderately heavy snowfall, which at mid-morning had failed to accumulate more than about an inch but which made highways very hazardous. As this is written the snow had ceased but a heavy cloud cover foretold additional precipi tation. It was 17 degrees Tuesday morning, a light snow had fallen Sunday and Monday morning mercury dipped to 5 degrees, making for good ski weather and bringing lots of people to the four local slopes, where there was heavy activity the end of the Tuesday Snow Closes Schools Russing, who is chairman of the Ball. A drawing for a mink stole will be held that evening and in addition to a local Queen of Hearts who is to be announced later, a former Mir '-*wa will make an appearance. Mrs. Russing says Mis* Marie Mushro, who was Miss Iowa of 1965 and Miss Congen iality of the Miss America Pag eant that year, received a medal from President Johnson last February for her volunteer work in support of the Heart Association. Miss Mushro, a senior at the University of South Dakota, has undergone open heart surgery and spends much of her time traveling throughout the United States to emphasize the importance of heart re search. Her life story appeared in the August, 1967, issue of Mademoiselle magazine. Spon soring her trip to North Caro lina is Col. Mercer Lee Price, president of the Price Foun dation in Ormond Beach, Fla. The arrangements were made by Mrs. Wade Wilmoth of Boone who underwent open heart sur gery l*st year. Col. Price was on the panel of judges for the Miss Watauga Pageant in No vember. Mrs. Russing says reser vations will be made on a first come, first served basis for 150 persons. Beginning this week, checks can be sent to Mrs. Russing at Box 64 in Boone and she will return the number of tickets desired. “Turned Out To Grass” To Be Film At Rotary A film recording of "Turn ed Out to Grass’ as given by Leon F. Montague before a large New York City meeting will be the program at the Boone Rotary Club Thursday evening) Jan, 11, at the Cha let Restaurant. “Turned Out to Grass” is an address designed to stimu late the thinking of people as to the importance of discover ing and developing their special Interests and talents prior to retirement so they will be pre pared to retire “to something" not "from something.” Montague, a past officer at Rotary International, is an old Kansas cowhand who began his education in a one-room school. This led to his M. A. degree from Kansas State University, graduate work at Harvard and membership in the Phi Kappa Phi national honorary scholas tic society. and these farmers failed to get the $150,000 to $200,000 this tobacco would have sold for if planted. It is hoped that the farmers who work at our plants will next year use the four or five hours daylight time to culti vate all of their allotment or rent it to a nearby farmer who will put out the entire allotment.” Plans are being made to pro duce plants of the most succes sful varieties for all farmers. “If they will advise us in time of the number of plants they would buy,” Harris said, “and we will contract for plants. But we need to know how many plants will be needed" before' March 1.” He asks growers to contact the County Agent, any member of the Board of Trade or A. T. Adams, who is chairman of the Industry Committee in Watauga before the deadline. For the $69.71 average this year, 3,034,380 pounds sold for $2,115,580.73. In 1963-34, which Harris said is the best year to date, 6,758,626 pounds brought $3,450,750.17. The average, however, was $51.06. Length Of Jobs Target Census Bureau In Area During the week erf January 15, the Bureau of the Census will obtain information from working people in this area on the length of time they have been on their current jobs, ac cording to Director Joeeph R. Norwood of the Census Bur eau's Regional Office in Char lotte. This job tenure information is being obtained for tlie U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau (Continued on page two) Quiet Neighborhood Disturbed Dog Poisoning Is Again W oodland Dr. Problem Dr. Randall Named Head Of SAHA Twenty-five of the Southern Appalachian Historical Asso ciation’s 32-member board met Monday to elect Dr. Robert Randall of Boone to suceed the Association’s late president, Dr. I. G. Greer of Chapel Hill, A $100 check from the mem bership fund had been acknow ledged by the I. G. Greer Home and Dr. Greer’s widow, accord ing to the executive vice-presi dent Dr. C. Ray Lawrence. The Board voted to issue a letter of resolution to be sent to Mrs. Greer. Dr. Randall’s name was sub mitted by Stanley Harris Sr., chairman of the nominating committee. Associate professor of edu cation and director of place ment at Appalachian State Uni versity, he was born in Madi son County on July 4, 1915, He earned his B. S. degree at East Tennessee State Uni versity; his M. A. degree at the University of North Caro lina; and his Ed. D. degree at Harvard University. From 1938 until he came to Appalachian in 1960, he was a teacher and coach in the state’s public schools, except for service in the U. S. Navy from 1941 to 1945. Dr. Randall, a past presi dent of the North Carolina Institutional Teacher Place ment Association, recently served as National Membership Chairman of the Association for School, College and University Staffing. He is very active in the Demo cratic Party, having been a can didate for the State Senate in the 25th District election. He has been a Boone town commis Dr. Randall is married to the former Elizabeth Mercer of Lumberton. They have two sons and a daighter. DR. ROBERT RANDALL ?> Whose playful pooch will get the next lethal dose of poison? (Staff photo) Building Change Again Rejected The state Advisory Budget Commission has again turned down a bid by Appalachian State University to have the uni versity's new administration building, now under construc tion, air conditioned. The General Assembly, in 1963, approved a $575,000 ap propriation for construction of the administration building. Air conditioning was not included in the original plans. After a change in state policy in 1965, under which all such build ings at state universities would be air conditioned, the univer sity asked for an additional $65,000 for air conditioning. The Advisory Budget Com mission turned down the re quest, saying it did not want to amend the action of a pre vious General Assembly. The university received a $150,000 appropriation for air conditioning a new library which is nearing completion. When it was found that the library conditioning would cost only $50,000, university trustees asked the Advisory Budget Commission if the university could use the re maining $100,000 for air condi tioning the administration building. (Continued on page two) Strychnine Is Being Used To Destroy Pets BY RACHEL RIVERS The day after Christmas, the Walton Coles of 119 Woodland Drive watched their Collie die after an hour of convulsions. The cause was strychnine. In 1966, it was a few days before Christmas that the same family lost another dog. Again, strychnine was the cause. Last week, the Eugene Droz dowskis of 117 Woodland Drive lost a large red Setter to the same deadly poison. Strychnine often is discussed in this quiet, neatly groomed community in Boone where it seems that malicious poison ing would be the last topic available. Dr. John G. Martin, DVM, is familiar with the pro blem and with considerable dis gust estimates that the dogs poisoned there since the mid 50’s number 30. He has treated numerous other pets for poisoning. “Some have been saved, some were poisoned more than one time and saved ... or finally got ten,’* he says. Other pets have just disappeared. CHILDREN Companions or guardians of the home, dogs are many things to many people. To someone with access to strychnine, dogs are to be exterminated. But owners of these dogs are parents, too. In a four-house area, there are eight small children, who can be expected to play in their yards or in the wooded coves separating the homes. One or more of them could come upon some form of the poison and ingest it. Strychnine is made from the ripe seeds of a small tree in the East Indes. Dr. Martin says it usually can be purchased in the strychnine-sulfate powder form to be pressed into tab lets or dissolved in water. In small amounts, it has a medi cinal application, serving to stimulate the circulatory and respiratory systems. To cause death, “It takes such a small quantity,*’ the vet says, that tablets could be diluted or used whole to destroy pets. And while it is one thing to destroy old strays, “Most of these are little pet dogs hardly out of the house. I wish that someway this person could be exposed.** Strychnine is issued only to people qualified to handle dn«s. After extensive checking by aroused pet owners and medi cal people, the verdict seems to be that the source of the strychnine is away from Boone. (Continued on page two)

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