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.
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BOONE WEATHER
Hi Lo Snow Prec.
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Snow given to nearest hall-inch.
67 Hi Lo
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VOL. LXXX— NO. 28
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1968
10 CENTS PER COPY
24 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
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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)