AWARD WINNER
In 1966 and 1967 the Democrat won
10 State Press Assn, awards for
Genera] 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.
BOONE WEATHER
1968 Hi Lo Snow Prec. '67 Hi Lo
40 16
40 25
28 21
28 15
28 23
30 16
21 11
1
.05
.31
1.03
tr.
1.68
.80
.03
Snow given to nearest half-inch.
41 35
38 28
31 17
45 12
52 36
48 38
43 32
VOL LXXX— NO. 29
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1968
10 CENTS PER COPY
18 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
Vital Passing Lanes On 321, 421 Included
Governor Acts To Provide $1,250,000
Highway Improvements For This Area
NiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimiiiiiiwiiiiimiiiiiiimmiiiiimuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiHiiiiiiiwmiiiiiiimitiiiiimitiii
A irport Hangar Roof
Crushed By Snow
The large hangar at the Deer-,
field Road Airport collapsed
Saturday night crushing three
planes inside it.
Speaking for the corporation
that owns the facility, build
ing contractor Jack Norris of
Boone said utility poles buried
six feet in the group snapped
“like matchsticks” under the
weight of snow accumulated on
the roof since Wednesday.
Although the hangar roof was
slightly slanted, Norris said
sleet adhered to it and the snow
packed down and did not shed as
it was designed to.
Insurance reports on the
overall loss had not been com
pleted as presstime.
Norris said he worked until
late Sunday shoveling snow off
another building to prevent its
falling in.
First Baby Of Year
Born At Sugar Grove
He was a little ahead of
schedule, but Watauga County
had a New Years baby on New
Year’s Day.
600 New Phones
In Boone Makes
Total Of 5,075
Southern Bell today announced
a record gain in the number
of telephones in service in
Boone during 1967.
B. B. Leazer, the company’s
local manager, said the in
crease of 600 brought Boone’s
total of telephones in service
to 5,075.
B. B. Leazer said, "We at
Southern Bell are happy to
report such a gain, because
it represents one more pro
gressive stride for Boone. And
as Boone continues to keep pace
with the economic growth of
North Carolina and the South,
we are going to continue to pro
vide you the best possible tele
phone service.”
Mr, Leazer pointed out that
Southern Bell spent a record
amount of money in Boone for
construction and development
alone. Among the projects and
construction the company
undertook here in 1967
four cable projects and addi
tional equipment in the Central
Office located on East King
Street.
Vice President and General
Manager John J. Ryan, head ct
the company’s North Carolina
operations, said 1967 was a
milestone year throughout the
state. In November Southern
Bell installed its one millionth
telephone in North Carolina,
Continued on page five
Gregory Todd Hayes was born
on January 1, at 10:19 a. m.,
weighing five pounds 12 1/2
ounces. He is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. William Henry Hayes
of Sugar Grove. The Hayses
have another child, Jeffrey Wil
liam.
Gregory arrived a little ahead
of the planned time, which was
Jan, 20, but Mrs. Hayes said
“As long as he was here and
was healthy, I was happy.** Dr.
Hadley Wilson delivered the
baby.
Being the first baby in the
"ounty for the new year, the
‘amily was honored with gifts
from various merchants through
i promotion sponsored by
WATA.
Gifts were given to the fam
ily from Stone Jewelers, Trail
way Laundry and Dry Cleaners,
Town House Restaurant, Sky
line Bakery, McNeely Furni
ture, Hunt’s and Flowers’Photo
Shop. Other participating mer
chants were First National
Bank, Dixie Music Shop, Crest
Store, Carolina Business Ma
chines, Burgess Furniture
Company and Boone Drug.
WATA presented the family
with a tape recording of Gre- I
gory crying, Mrs. Hayes said i
laughingly, “As good as he is, <
the nurses must have had to 1
pinch him to get him to cry.** •
If Gregory had decided to ]
come as the schedule main- 1
tained he should have, it might ]
have been more than a week
before the county’s first baby
was born. Mrs. Hayes said that 1
to her knowledge there was not <
a baby born for the next week. :
THE WHEELS GRIND, and the motor roars as ASU men help a friend out of his sticky predicament.
Court Postponed, Schools Closed
Watauga Digs Out From Under
Mountainous 22 Inches Snow
From snow shovel to motor
grader, snow was moved by
the thousands of tons, but it
kept coming.
By Monday morning, United
States weather-watcher Joe
Minor had counted 22 inches
fall since the storm started
Jan. 10. That was the Wednes
day that Watauga’s schools re
cessed for a snowy vacation
and by Tuesday, the prospect*
still were dim.
Umbrellas were put up against
Horn Group Accepts
Resignation Wilcox
me Board oi uireciors «
he Southern Appalachian Hist
orical Association Monday ac
epted with regret the resigna
ion of Herman W. Wilcox,gen
xal manager of “Horn in the
Vest,*’ and named Robert Snead,
tichard Barkley and Lewis Gas
on to handle the direction and
iromotion of the drama during
.968.
Dr. C. Ray Lawrence, execu
ive vice-president of theasso
iation, announced that the three
nen will serve this year on an
nterim basis in conducting the
m- i i
i Mrs. Henry Hayes is seen herewith her son Gregory Todd, the first bhby born in Watauga County
inthen&a year. Gregory was born at lfclt a. m. weighing 5 pounds and 13 1/S ounces.
f/'*'* > - •
f. - v. f . . ..... . • ^ • . • ' ,
business and promotional as
pect* of the non-profit organi
zation.
Since Wilcox had earlier an
nounced his intentions to resign,
a committee had been appoin
ted to consult with him for the
purpose erf making a recommen
dation for the engagement of
supervisory personnel to carry
on his work.
Wilcox, who has served as
general manager of the drama
for the past 12 years, recom
mended that the association
name Snead, Barkley and Gas
ton since each has been closely
Continued on page five
Horn Dates For
This Year Set
The performance dates for
the 17th season erf Horn In The
West have been set by the Board
of Directors of the Southern
Appalachian Historical Asso
ciation, the non-profit organi
zation which sponsors the out
door drama.
The story of Daniel Boone
and the western expansion of
America will run June 29
through Aug. 24, nightly except
Mondays in the Daniel Boone
Amphitheater. Last year the
drama played nightly except
Sundays.
Dr. Robert L. Randall, newly
elected president of S. A. H. A.
who succeeds the late Dr. I. G.
Greer, noted that only 49 per
formances of the drama will be
staged this year compared to
last year’s 56. Dr. Randall is
director of placement at Appa
lachian State University.
the dense precipitation which at
first ranged from sleet to snow,
then back again. The sleet base
challenged every form of ve
hicle known to man, lying dan
gerously deceptive under each
new coat of snow.
Tom Winkler, District High
way Engineer, said *‘It*s been
a hard one to handle.” But by
Tuesday, ‘‘Most all the main
roads and most of the secon
dary roads were clear.”
In addition to state equip
ment, Winkler said seven or
eight pieces of locally owned
machinery such as motor grad
ers and dozers also were in
use and ‘‘will continue around
the clock until the thing is
cleared up, regardless of how
long it takes.”
He commented that snow
moving operations were slowed
down right much “because of the
fact that truck plows on our force
have not been able to handle it.
It is a heavy, sleet-type snow
that’s hard to move and takes
heavier equipment than regular
snow plows.*’
At the corner of Hardin and
Howard streets, the accumu
lated snow was higher then the
street sign. Tractor-trailers
maneuvered with considerable
difficulty and in many cases
were stranded awaiting the help
of wrecker services overloaded
with calls.
County court was postponed
along with nearly every other
public function. Court is to con
vene Wednesday morning.
Moore Taps Surplus
To Get Extra Money
Funds totaling $1,250,000 have been allocated
iirough Gov, Dan K. Moore for road improvements in ,
lie immediate area.
Announcement is made to the Democrat by J.
Raymond Smith, Commissioner for the Eleventh High
way Division which embraces Watauga. Money other
than that earmarked by the Governor from the High
way Surplus Fund comes from the Primary Highway
Bond Funds, Smith says.
Thos. Triplett
Named To Ga.
School Board
Thomas 0. Triplett, Port
Wentworth, Ga. alderman and
assistant manager of the West
Savannah branch of the Citizens
and Southern National Bank was
appointed to a six year term on
the 12-member Board of Edu
cation by the County Commis
sioners recently.
Triplett succeeds B. U. Doub
las, vice-president of the Board,
whose term expired December
31.
Triplett is vice-president of
the Lions Club of Port Went
worth and is a member of the
West Chatham Hospital Com
mittee. He and his family are
active in the Bonnie Ridge Bap
tist Church where Triplett
serves as deacon, Sunday School
superintendent and choir di
rector.
Continued on page five
Under Highway Surplus, Smith
lists an allocation of $250,000
to Caldwell County “to pro
vide passing lanes at short,
carefully selected sections, on
the mountain portion of U. S.
321 between Lenoir and Blow
ing Rock.” This is a major
artery into Watauga County
from points south.
In Watauga County, the Com
missioner lists $50,000 avail
able for the resurfacing of U.S.
421 from a point near Parkway
School to Deep Gap and from
U. S. 221 from its junction with
U. S. 421 near Deep Gap to the
Ashe County line. The resur
facing will be done with a non
skid type of material, as these
highway links have been deter**
mined aafe in dry w*athe*vbut
cause for several wrecks at
other times.
Smith says the main concern
here is increased public safety.
A third allocation from the
Highway Surplus Funds is $50,
000 to supplement $144,000 al
ready set aside for the pro
posed widening and improving
of Faculty Street. Known as the
Boone Thoroughfare Plan, the
project will traverse the campus
of Appalachian State University
where officials have asked for
underpasses to convey students
from dormitories to class.
It is reported that with the
increased traffic load of Fac
ulty Street, the underpasses
would be urgently required.
Also, the street will be rerouted
at the upper tennis courts so to
involve partial or whole re
placement of them.
From the Primary Highway
Bond Funds, $900,000 has been
earmarked for a joint W'ilkes
Watauga project “for the pro
posed widening and provision of
passing lanes on the mountain
portion of U. S. 421 from a point
Continued on page five
Storied Snows Of 1960 ...
Hopefully They Won't Be Repeated
Whenever it snows in Boone, the people who lived here in 1960
say a little prayer that it will not turn into a winter like the one
then.
Althoi«h the story has grown some with the telling in the
past years, it was bad enough.
With the weather giving a hint of 1960, the Democrat is
doing a little reminescing.
It all started on Feb. 12, 1960. That first weekend, 16
inches of snow fell and temperatures ranged from 9 to 34
degrees. Schools were closed and downtown Boone looked a
little like a ghost town.
The following Thursday, Feb. 18, eight more inches was
dumped on the area, just as folks were beginning to get dug
out. Again schools were closed with drifts ptling up to 8 feet
and some reaching to 30 feet and more.
The first week of March, the temperatures dipped to
minus one degrees adding an ice crust to the melting snow.
Already the mails were being delayed, although not because
the mailmen weren’t trying their best. Oftentimes they would be
able to get through some of the roads but were inable to find
mailboxes.
The week of March 9, an additional 22 1/2 inches of snow
came down bringing the grand total to 70 inches of snow on the
ground.
There had been more snowfall than the 70 inches but be
cause of the warm weather, much of it had melted and refrozon,
packing it down.
On March 10, Gov. Luther Hodges declared the four co
unties of Watauga, Ashe, Avery, and Alleghany as disaster
areas. The Red Cross was called in and set up headquarters in
the Parkway Hardware in Boone.
The National Guard also was called and men came into the
area from Lenoir and Hickory. Many people volunteered from the
town and college and these included Civil Defense forces.
Helicopters from Ft. Bragg flew missions over the disaster
area dropping coal, food and hay to isolated areas. Gov. Hodges
made a trip to Boone in the heart of the rescue operations to
check on the progress and thank the many people who had given
their time and energy to the digging out operations.
The snowfall and weather this year may not equal that of
1960, but for some it is fun now to remember the days without
school for the children and the adventure of inconvenience. For
others, however, there are no fond memories of that winter and
hopes are that the present trend will end before it becomes
a real comparison to 1960.