AWARD WINNER
In last 3 years Democrat has won
14 State Press Assn, awards. Eight
of them are first place awards.
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication
BOONE WEATHER
1968 Hi Lo Snow Free. '87
Mar. 12
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Snow given to nearest half-inch
VOL. LXXX—NO. 38
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1968
10 CENTS PER COPY
20 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
esmeias
COURTHOLSE CONSTRUCTION—-Work resumed on the court
house with last week’s break in the weather. At the time, a
minimum crew of about 10 men are working, but as soon as the
weather is more definite, a full crew will be called in. Here, two
men lay brick for the interior walls and it won’t be too long before
the sub-contractors begin work on the plumbing and electrical
work. The building is scheduled for completion Sept. 1.
J. W. Norris
Seeking Seat
In N. C. Senate
J. W. Norris of Boone has
filed for the Republican nomina
tion for the 2 5th Senatorial Dis
trict embracing Davie, Watauga,
Wilkes and Yadkin counties.
Reared in Watauga County on
a farm near Boone, he is mar
ried to the former Edith Max
well of Ashe County. Mr. and
Mrs. Norris and their eight
children attended Appalachian
with the exception of a daughter
who graduated from Iowa State
College, The Norris family
has been honored as the “Cen
tennial Family” at the
Century of Progress Edu
cational Day in Raleigh.
Mr. Norris is a member of
Oak Grove Baptist Church where
he served many years as Sunday
School teacher and now as De
partment Superintendent. He has
J. W. NORRIS
been active in the Three Forks
Baptist Association as Brother
hood president, associational
Sunday School superintendent
and a member of the execu
tive committee. He is a mem
ber of Boone Chamber of Com
merce, Junior Order, Ameri
can region uo-getters uiub,
Century Club and a thirty-se
cond degree Scottish Rite Mason
and Shriner.
An overseas war veteran, Mr.
Norris has served as Com
mander, Adjutant, Vice-Dist.
Commander and served two
terms as District Commander
of the Department of North
Carolina American Legion. He
attended 20 state conventions
and four national conventions,
served as national member of
Committee on Civilian Defense,
Membership and Americanism;
also served as vice-president
and state president of Postal
Clerks of North Carolina and
state president of Purebred
Livestock Breeders Asso
ciation. He is also a trustee
of American Legion Park.
Mr. Norris was awarded an
Honorary Recognition Certifi
cate on retirement from Civil
Service and received recogni
tion for outstanding work as
civil service examiner. Since
retiring from Civil Service,
he has worked most of his
(continued on page two)
212 Will Face Trial In
Watauga Superior Court
WILLIAM E„ MILLER
Wm. E. Miller
Is In Race For
Bd. Education
William E. (Bill) Miller of
Blowing Rock has filed as a
candidate for the Watauga Co
unty Board of Education.
On announcing his candidacy,
Miller said “a good educational
system is the main source of
our children’s future. If we as
citizens of Watauga Countygive
to them the best opportunitites
we can offer, we can expect to
see wholesome leaders in our
country as a product of our
school system.”
Graduated from Blowing Rock
High School, he attended Appa
lachian State University and
Clevenger’s Business College,
Lenoir. He is presently em
(continued on page two)
Watauga County Superior
Court will convene Monday for
trial of a variety of criminal
cases and uncontested divorces.
The Hon. W. E. Anglin, Resi
dent Judge of the 24th Judicial
District, will preside for the
week beginning March 2 5 and the
Hon. W. H. Childs, Solicitor of
the 16th Solicitorial District,
will be State prosecutor.
Two hundred, twelve defen
dants are charged with 294
offenses so that 45 will be
tried on more than one charge.
The Court Calendar com
prises 61 charges of driving
under the influence of intoxi
cating liquors or narcotic drugs;
47, speeding, 13, larceny; 8,
assault on a female; and 2,
assault with a deadly weapon
with intent to kill.
Eight persons will be tried
on each of the following charges:
Malicious damage to property,
forgery, breaking and entering
and reckless driving.
Six are charged with driving
while license is revoked or sus
pended; 2, manslaughter; 5, vio
lation of the State prohibition
law; and 7, prison escape or
attempted prison escape.
Orville H. Foster, Clerk of
Court, says other cases involve
public drunkenness, drunk and
disorderly, worthless checks,
inadequate or non-support of
minor children, driving while
license expired, operating
motor vehicle without complying
with the financial security law,
hit and run, leaving the scene
of an accident and failure to stop
for blue light and siren.
JURORS
Thirty-six jurors drawn for
the March term are John T.
Trivette, Todd; Mrs. John Cor
nett, Vilas; Ralph P. Andrews,
Councill Cook and Mrs. Berlin
J. Greene of Blowing Rock; and
Calvin S. Shore of Route 1,
Blowing Rock.
Mrs. Lucy Grimes Davidson,
217 Church St., Boone; V. C.
Shore, Route 3, Boone; Conley
Eddie Trivette, Sugar Grove;
Chestern Robert Rominger,
Route 3, Boone; Robert D.
(Continued on page two)
Boone Woman
Survives Small
Plane Crash
Mrs. Sarah Barrentine is a
patient at St. James Hospital,
Hornell, N. Y. where she is
recovering from injuries sus
tained in a plane crash near
Harrisburg, Pa. recently.
The small plane in which she
was a passenger belonged tc
a daughter and encountered a
freak ice and snow storm while
they were only 30 minutes from
their destination. They were
en route from Goldsboro to
Hornell, N. Y.
After losing all radio con
tact they were lost in the storm
two hours. Finally a com
mercial DC-6, flying overhead,
found them and led them to
safety—a small air strip at
Indian Town Gap, Pa. By this
time the small plane’s fuel
supply had been used and it
crash landed 500 yards short
of the runway. The plane, a
Cessna 370 was a total loss.
Mrs. Barrentine is a new
comer to Boone, having move
here last April. She has made
many friends in the community
who will be anxious for her
recovery. She is the mother
of Mrs. Dorys Brooks of Vilas.
State To Make Study
School Principals Seek
Dual Bus System In Co.
Say Children
Are Away From
Home 10 Hours
The subject is school bus
transportation:
“At present there are many
children . . . that are gone
from home more than ten hours
in order to attend school. The
state recommended instruc
tional day is six hours. Some
children leave home as early
as 6:30 a. m.”
This is the second paragraph
in a letter last week sent by
principals of Watauga’s seven
rural elementary schools to the
County Board of Education,
Board of Commissioners, can
didates for both boards and par
ents of the children in their
schools.
They suggest separation of the
rural elementary schools from
Watauga High School, saying the
dual bus system would reduce
the length of the school day by
one and one-half hours.
The existing system is harm
ful, they say, because:
“Many children leave home
too early to get an adequate
breakfast.”
“This early schedule does
not permit children to get ade
quate sleep.”
“Children get physically and
mentally tired and about one
and one-half hours of this long
day Is wasted because the. chil
dren are unable to concentrate
and use their time to an advan
tage.”
“We think this long day
causes children to have a poor
attitude toward school and con
tributes to drop-outs/'
“This schedule forces a child
to stay in the classroom about
two hundred and seventy hours
more per year than the state
recommends/’ The letter also
points to teachers' lack of time
for planning and preparation,
“perhaps the number one weak
ness in our program today/'
The principals are Lovill
South of Cove Creek Elemen
tary; Joseph McNeil, Valle Cru
cis; Howard Love, Blowing Rock;
Clyde Greene, Bethel; Earl
Greene, Mabel; E.B. Fox, Green
Valley; and John Marsh, Park
way School.
COMMENT
Asked for comment on the
problem, County Commissioner
Glenn Hodges said the state has
a survey team that will study the
situation at no cost and make a
recommendation.
He said such a survey was
made last year but “left some
questions unanswered.” Hodges
said a full study, arranged with
the state by the County Board
of Education, could be for
(continued on page two)
Trains Again To Labor
Through Doe River Gorge
Narrow guage trains will again huff and puff through
the tunnels and over the bridges in the Doe River Gorge
as a part of the development of a family recreational
park which is to open in May.
This is the word from Ed Stanley, General Manager
of the promotion.
Plans call for the re-creation of the narrow guage
railroad that used to serve Boone along the route of the
abandoned East Tennessee & Western North Carolina
Railroad route and the road is now being reconstructed
through the scenic Doe River Gorge.
Two trains will carry passengers over 19th century
steel bridges and through acnient hand-carved tunnels
and on the six mile excursion trip visitors will enjoy
scenery once regarded as the most spectacular in this
part of the country.
A gay nineties town is to be constructed at the end
of the line, where life of a generation ago will be re
created. Centered around the revived railroad line will
be a score of family recreational activities. There wil1
7BK
be hiking, swimming, fishing, flume riding, miniature
golfing, putting, golf driving and many other activities
Picknicking and camping areas, now under con
struction, will offer both primitive and modernfacili
ties. There is to be a large picnic pavillion for club,
church and company outings.
Children's playgounds, crafts and curio shops and
continuous entertainment are in the plans.
The Doe River gorge project is spearheaded by the
Doe River Development Corporation of Elizabethton,
Tenn. Construction is under the direction of loestand
Stanley, Inc., Kingsport consulting engineers.
"We’re building at Doe River gorge a family recre
ational complex,” said Stanley, "where a family can
spend the whole day enjoying many or all of the various
recreational activities.
"Doe River gorge, though offering up-to-date
facilities, is a recreation of life a generation or more
ago. It’s the day grandpa enjoyed.”
mangaamnagm
THERE'S HIDDEN TREASURES in the cascades too contrary for the inner tube rider and past
the consideration of the sporting canoe. The rainbow, brown and brook trout—native variety or
stocked by the state—will take a grab at the single-hook lure starting a half hour before sunrise,
April 6. The trout fisherman will have to go at mountain waters from then to a half hour after
sunset, Sept 2. “In designated public mountain trout waters, except power reservoirs and city
water-supply reservoirs so designated, it shall be unlawful for any fisherman to fish with more
than one line.” The rule book continues “It shall be unlawful to use baits or lures in Designated
Public Mountain Trout Streams other than those equipped with one single hook.” (Staff photo)
Engineer Likes 2 Of 7
Possible Airport Sites
An engineer for the Watauga
County Airport Commission and
a State aviation specialist like
two of seven prospective air
port sites they inspected March
13.
William Cox, engineer for
John Talbot Associates, and
aviation specialist John Flour
noy were accompanied by Robert
Bingham, chairman of the Air
port Commission, and Dr. Law
rence Heavrin, the Com
mission's finance chairman. As
engineers for the Airport Com
mission, John Talbot Associates
would oversee construction of
a county facility.
Their tour covered sites in
or near Foscoe, West Jefferson,
Three File For Commissioners
Three men filed Monday with
the Watauga County Board of
Elections for the three-man
Board of County Commis
sioners.
Glenn Hodges and Dr. Len
D. Hagaman, incumbents filing
for their second term, are join
ed by R. Clyde Winebarger
on the Democratic ticket.
Hodges, a production super
visor at IRC, resides in the
Brushy Fork Township.
He and his wife, the former
Betty Ann Hagaman, have three
children and attend the First
Baptist Church of Boone.
After his schooling at Ap
palachian High School and Ap
palachian State Teachers Col
lege (now ASU), Hodges served
two years with the U. S. Army
during the Korean War.
Among many civic and church
achievements, Hodges was given
the, 1968 Distinguished Service
Award by the Boone Jaycees.
R. Clyde Winebarger, a native
of Meat Camp Township, did
one year of high school work
at the Winebarger School and
completed his lower education
by correspondence with Frank
lin Institute, Rochester, N. Y.
(Continued on page two)
Mountain City and locations near
the Blue Ridge Parkway, Ashe
County and Mountain City.
Bingham says a site has not
been named, although a state
ment will be released as soon
as possible.
“There are many things to
take into consideration in the
matter of choosing a site/*
he said. “In this area, it is
not easy to find a suitable
site. We have to consider the
mountains and valleys and the
amount of engineering and fill
it would take to adafrt a site
for the location of the airport.**
Bingham emphasized that
“Contrary to reports, we have
not picked a site at this time.”
He further stated that when
these reports were circulated,
the Commission favored a site,
but further checking showed en
gineering costs would have been
prohibitive.
When the Commission selects
an airport site, he said it would
then negotiate for the land fend
“We will try our best to ob
tain any piece of land we de
(Continued on page two)
GLENN HODGES
DR. LEN D. HAGAMAN
R. CLYDE WINEBARGE*