vx AWARD WINNER to last 3 years Democrat has won " ®tate Press Assn, awards. Eight of them are first place awards. WATAUGA DEMOCRAT An Independent Weekly Newspaper Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication BOONE WEATHER _ 19«8 HI Lo Snow Free. '91 HI Lo Feb. 20 40 25 tr. 43 30 Feb. 21 33 12 Vi .07 43 30 Feb. 22 25 3 tr. 30 15 Feb. 23 36 13 30 14 Feb. 24 40 9 30 7 Feb. 25 34 19 tr. 11 -7 Feb. 26 45 13 33 Snow given to nearest half-inch. 220 UNITS GOING UP—With an obvious endorsement for the growth of the town and Watauga County, Larry Maher of Boone is putting up a huge apartment complex adjacent to Appalachian South, his 16-unit apartment house seen at right. This second building project, which will add 220 units to Maher’s holdings, is considered the largest rental business in the County. (Staff photo) Industrial Mediators Hear Good Reports On Factory Relations Watauga Developers and Wa tauga Citizens, Inc., met jointly at noon Friday, Feb. 23, at the Holiday Inn of Boone. The organizations are busi ness mediators for the Ver mont American Corporation on State Farm Road and the Blue Ridge Shoe Company of Green way Road, respectively. Both were provided through the industry committee of the Boone Chamber of Commerce and The Northwestern Bank. As advised in the charters of the two groups, the Boone Cham ber of Commerce appointed their boards of directors for 1968-69. Watauga Developers elected Glenn R. Andrews president, Gordon Taylor vice Sgt. Lowell Smith Dies In Bomb Blast LOWEI L V. SMITH Tech. Sgt. Lowell V. Smith, 34, died in active duty in Viet nam Saturday, Feb. 24, when a barracks he was occupying was •truck by a bomb. .Sgt. Smith wrote a letter which was carried in the Demo crat last week headed: “Sold ier Asks ‘What Price’ For His Love of Country.” Considering the difference in time the letter was likely published the same day its writer was killed in the Vietnam war. (See editorial to day.) Funeral arrangements are incomplete, pending the return of the body to Watauga County. The soldier is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mary Ann Perry Smith, children Kim 4, and Gregory Lowell, 2, and his par ents, Mr. and Mrs. W.C.Smith, all of Route 2, Banner Elk; and eight brothers and sisters, Mrs. Ruth Welch of Banner Elk, Mrs. Velma Dobson of Atlanta, Ga„ Hade Smith of Banner Elk, Mrs. Victoria Yates of Vilas; Byrd Smith and Mrs. Helen Romin ger, both of Route 3, Boone; Hoover Smith of Route 5, Lex ington and Mrs. Doris Bliss of Banner Elk. Mr. Smith attended Cove Creek High School and Appa lachian State University. He was enlisted in the United States Air Force 16 years. Mayor Greene Is Running For N. C. Treasurer Mayor Clyde R. Greene has announced that he will run for state treasurer in the fall e lections. He will oppose the winner of the primary run-off between Rep. Sneed High erf Fayetteville and veteran treas urer Edwin Gill. Mayor Greene has served as secretary of the state’s Re publican party from 1940 to 1952. He was acting State Chair man for the Republican party in 1954, and made unseccessful bids for a seat in Congress in 1946 and 1948. He is present ly serving his first term as Mayor of Boone. This is the first time since 1960 that the Republicans lave offered a full slate for the seven Council erf State positions. Re publican State Chairman Jim Holshouser said, “This is a really significant effort to pre sent a full slate that will pro mote and help the over? 11 fall campaign.” Alvin R. Church Victim Viet War Spec. 4 Alvin R. Church. 22, of Deep Gap, was killed last week in Vietnam. The family was notified Feb. 21. The telegram said Church was killed when a gun acci dentally discharged while being loaded. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Church of Deep Gap. He was a graduate of Beaver Creek High School. Surviving are his parents; a ■later. Mrs. Pansy Bare of Fleetwood; a brother, Alfred Church of Fleetwood; and hia paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Church of West Jefferson, Rt. 2. Dr. Heavrin Goes To Asheville Meeting Dr. L. A. Heavrin, director at student health services at Appalachaln State University, attended a regional workshop on comprehensive health planning in Asheville last week. This workshop was a follow up session to the Governor’s conference on health Chas. Martin Named Rotary Boy Of Month Charles Raymond Martin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde J. Mar tin of Boone, represented Wa tauga High School as Rotary Boy of the Month in February. Charles attended Needham Broughton High School in Ral eigh for two years and is now a senior at Watauga High. School activities over the four-year period include Science Club, Chess Club, German Club, the Ski Club, Art Club, wrestling and swimming. At the time, Charles is a finalist in competition for ad mission to the United States Military Academy. He was nominated by Congressman James T. Broyhill as one of six candidates to participate in final examinations for the appointment. If he is not se lected, he will attend North Carolina State University’s school of engineering. CHARLES MARTIN president and Stanley Harris Sr secretary-treasurer. Watauga Citizens named Boone Mayor Clyde R. Greene to the presidency; Kenneth Wil cox as vice-president; and Stan ley Harris Sr. as secretary treasurer. As Watauga Developers own the building rented to Vermont American, Alfred Adams re ported that monthly rent of $2 , 535.18 is paid regularly and credited to the note of The Northwestern Bank. Jack Cronin nd, manager of th$ corporation, reported total employment of 140 and said work is going full steam. He ex pressed satisfaction with the building and relations with Wa tauga Developers. The board of directors are Glenn Andrews, Mack Brown, Harris Sr., D. L. Wilcox, Neil Faries, Adams, Mayor Greene, Paul Smith, E. F. Coe, B. W. Stallings, Stan Harris Jr., Gor don Taylor, Michael Abram and Jimmy Holshouser. Watauga Citizens, owners erf the building the Blue Ridge Shoe Company occupies, heard a financial report by Alfred Adams which reflected a rental last year of $55,005.50 paid to the bond holders and to a note of The Northwestern Bank. Michael Ahern, managing di rector of Blue Ridge Shoe, re ported employment of 400 and an annual payroll in excess of $1^00,000. He expressed satis faction with Watauga Citizens, Inc. The board voiced delight with the progress of the Blue Ridge Shoe Company, but regret at the result of last week’s Union vote, which if it stands up will effec tively block any additional industry in this community, ac cording to the businessmen. By a vote of company per sonnel Monday, Feb. 19, the Teamsters Union was voted in 188 to 154. Directors of Watauga Citizens are Mayor Greene, Ralph Winkler, G. R. Andrews, O. K. Richardson, D. L. Wilcox, Alf red Adams, E. F. Coe, Neil Faries, James Marsh, Kenneth Wilcox, James E. Rhoades, Col. Clyde C. Miller, Stanley A. Har ris, Sr., Jack Cronland and J. E. Holshouser, Sr. Current Ski Report Ski reports for the weekend are excellent. Blowing Rock reports that conditions are excellent on all slopes. They have 2 to 5 feet of snow made and had a capacity crowd for the weekend. Hound Ears reports excel lent conditions on the begin ners and intermediate slopes with a 42-inch base of packed powder and 2 inches new snow. At Beech Mountain skiing is good to excellent. The beginners slope records 0 to 40 inch base with one inch of powder, the intermediate slope has the same base as the beginner slope with two inches of powder. The advanced slope ranges from good to excellent skiing with packed hard snow and no new snow. Conditions at Seven Devils are excellent. They have a packed base with good powder on the beginner and intermed iate slopes. There is no new snow on the advanced slopes. At Blowing^ Rock, Boone PortsExpansion InN.C. SaidToAffectThisArea Imports Vital To Boone And Blowing Rock L. C. Bruce, Public Re lations Director of the N. C. State Ports Authority, will be the featured speaker at a Mon day night meeting of the Blow ing Rock Rotary Club and at a Boone Chamber of Commerce meeting next Tuesday. His first address will be given at a 6:30 p. m. meet ing at the Carriage House in Blowing Rock. All members of the Boone Chamber of Commerce have been invited to attend the noon luncheon meeting at the Holi day Inn Tuesday. Also invited have been representatives of all men’s and women’s civic clubs of Boone, officials of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, Boone Mayor Clyde R. Greene and other public officials and special guests from Appalachian State University. Bruce, a native of Winston Salem, will speak on “ports expansion and its effect on the mountain area of North Caro lina’’ at each of the meetings. He will use slides to illus trate portions of his talk. “Contr ary to popular opinion, ihmrtt Mr a. nanny industries in the Boone-Blcwing Rock area which are directly affected by imports and exports,*’ Bruce said con cerning his visit here next week. “And consequently, the daily lives of many individuals are involved with the activities of the state’s ports.’’ Harold Rice is program chairman for the meeting of the Boone Chamber of Com merce, of which Stanley H. Harris Jr. is president. Louis H. Smith is serving as pro gram chairman of the Blowing Rock Rotary Club, of which Walton C. Allen is president. Bruce earlier this month was the recipient of a top award for Public Relations excellence during 1967. He earned the first place award, presented by the Raleigh Public Relations So ciety, for a special tour of members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation of the state’s port terminals in Wil mington and Morehead City. A 1935 graduate of the Uni versity of North Carolina, Bruce attended Law School at the Chapel Hill institution in 1936. Prior to joining the State Ports Authority in 1960 as Director of Public Relations, he was secretary and general manager of Chatham Broadcasting Com pany. Bruce is a member of the Ral eigh Rotary Club, the Raleigh Public Relations Society, the Twin City Club of Winston Salem, the U. S. Rivers & Har bors Congress, the N. C. Coas tal Historyland Association and the Public Relations Society of America. He also is a director of the N. C. Travel Council. Married to the former Mary Miller of Winston-Salem, Bruce is the father of four sons and a daughter. He is a member of the Hayes Barton Methodist Church of Raleigh. L. C. BRUCE LEAD ASU SINGERS—The four officers of the AppalachianState University Singers, who will give six performances on a 500-mile tour during the first week of March, are: Standing (1-r)Sandra K. Bullington of Pilot Mountain, secretary-treasurer; Glenn Wall of Raleigh, business manager; and Paula Joyce of Kernersville, vice-president; and seated, Bob Phillips of Graham, president! The ASU Singers will launch their 1968 spring tour March 3 with two performances in Raleigh. ASU Singers, Symphony To Appear In Concert March 8 PATRICIA ROTEN Career Girl Of Month Named At Watauga Hi Patricia Ann Roten, daughter of Mrs. Mollie Roten, was elec ted Career Girl of the Month for February at Watauga High School. Both were guests of the Boone Business and Profes sional Women's Club Feb. 27. An honor student at Watauga High School, Pat is a member of the National Beta Club. She is a member of the High school chorus, the Spanish Honor Society, the Future Teachers of America and has served three years on the student council. After graduation, Pat will at tend Appalachian State Uni versity to prepare for a car eer of teaching in elementary school. Firemen Have A Busy Week The Boone Volunteer Fire Department was kept busy the past week with various brush fires. Saturday they answered calls with brush fires, one near Tate’s Motel on the bank across from the motel. The second was at the Beaver Dam Baptist Church and was also a brush fire. Monday they answered a call on a brush fire at Rich Mountain. With the weather having been so dry lately '■esidents d the area are warned to be extre mely careful with flammable materials. The University Singers of Appalachian State University will return from a state tour March 3-5 to appear in I. G. Greer Auditorium in a joint concert with the Appalachian State Symphony Orchestra on March 8 at 8 P. M. The 77-voice choir will com bine with the orchestra to per form the Harry Simeone arran gement of Tchaikovsky's Nut cracker Suite. Other compositions to be per formed by the University Sing ers include: The Island, Rach maininoff; Laudate Dominum, Mozart; Ave Maria, Bruckner; Five Songs, Opus 104, Brahms; Two Negro Spirituals arranged by Fela Sowande; and Hush-a bye, an arrangement by Georgie Henson, graduate student from Waynesville. Miss Henson will conduct her arrangement. Other students conducting will be Landa Collins and Mary Mc Gregor. Dr. Joseph C. Logan is di rector of the University Sing ers, assisted by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Norris, accompan ist. Dr. Nicholas Erneston is director of the UniversitySym Hollar Files In Primary For Bd. Education John H. Hollar erf Poplar Hill, Boone, has filed for the -Vatauga County Board of Ed jeation, subject to the May arimary. He is married to the former Theresa Payseur and they have two children, John Jr, and Terry, A former professional foot ball player for the Washington Redskins, Hollar says he be lieves in a full program of athletics in all Watauga schools and adds “I want the best pos sible application at the lowest cost for education.” He also says he believes in “fair play in all matters concerning the public.” Manager-appraiser of the Federal Land Bank of B^onefor 13 years, Hollar served on the school board in 1964, JOHN HERMAN John Herman Files For Co. School Board John R. Herman of Route 3, Boone, has filed for the Watauga County Board of Education. He says Watauga County is entitled to the best educational program possible and the peo ple of Watauga have the right to expect the highest standard erf educational systems that can be achieved for their children. Herman said “This requires much thought and study to bet ter the educational needs in our school system. I will endeavor to see this is made possible for our children.” He, his wife and three chil dren reside in the Brushy Fork community. He attends Moun tain View Baptist Church where he serves as treasurer on the building committee. He has been employed by the Blue Ridge Electric Member ship Corporation for 20 years and is construction supervisor for the Watauga District. Herman attended Valle Cru ets and Cove Creek schools. He also studied electrical en gineering at I.CJS. School In Scranton, Pa.