AWARD WINNER
In last 3 years Democrat has won
14 State Press Assn, awards. Eight
of them are first place awards.
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
,A* Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eightieth Year of Continuous Publication
1968
Mar. 26
Mar. 27
Mar. 28
Mar. 29
Mar. 30
Mar. 31
April 1
BOONE WEATHER
— Lo Snow Prec.
64 28
70 31
65 41
65 41
68 43
68 43
55 43
1.52
HI LO
73 41
65 42
60 47
68 45
62 41
67 33
75 36
VOL. LXXX—NO. 40
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1968
10 CENTS PER COPY
22 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
H. C. Moretz
Is W AMY
Director
The board of directors of
WAMY Community Action, Inc.,
March 26 elected H. C. Moretz
Jr. of Boone executive director.
Dr. Lawson Tate, who suc
ceeded Dr. W. H. Plemmons as
chairman of the board in
January, presided as four vice
chairman were nominated by the
county board members and un
animously approved: Joe Hart
ley, Watauga; the Rev. Keith
Tutterow, Avery; Hazen Led
ford, Mitchell; and Mrs. Dorothy
Thomas, Yancey.
Moretz had been interim di
rector of WAMY since the re
signation in September, 1967,
of executive director Ernest
Eppley. Dr. Tate, who was vice
chairman of the board since
WAMY’s inception in 1964, is
medical director of Cannon Me
morial Hospital, Banner Elk.
The former chairman, Dr.
W, H. Plemmons, had been
chairman of the board since
1964 but said he could not
serve another term because of
his increasing responsibilities
as president of Appalachian
State University in Boone.
Prior to becoming acting di
rector of WAMY, Moretz was
Neighborhood Youth Corps pro
ject director for 15 months.
He taught in the public schools
erf Watauga and Yadkin counties
13 years and was managing
director of the Elkin (N. C.)
Business College three years.
When he became NYC director
in June, 1966, he was a busi
ness education teacher and part
time guidance counselor in West
(Continued on page nine)
Reins-Sturdivant personnel who took part in ground-breaking ceremonies are (from left)
Barney Hampton, Dennis Henson, president and manager Richard E. Kelley, Carl Storie,
Council Cooke and Howard Todd. (Weston photo)
Commodious New Mortuary
Being Constructed Here
Reins-Sturdivant of Boone has
begun construction of a brick
and masonry mortuary on the
Blowing Rock Road.
Richard E. Kelley, president
and general manager, says the
completion schedule is Novem
ber. The funeral home has ope
rated in a converted frame home
at 401 East King St., Boone,
for 33 years.
Its new facility is being built
on part of the old Farthing farm
on U. S. 321-221 south. The
three and one-half acre site
will be fronted by a paved park
ing lot and the new structure,
with 12,000 square feet of floor
space, will feature a chapel
with a cathedral ceiling.
There will be three reposing
rooms, a display room, a busi
ness office and an arrangements
office, a lounge, a storage room
and a five-car garage. Kelley
SCOTT HEADQUARTERS—The committee sponsoring the candidacy of Lieut. Governor Bob Scott
for Governor opened headquarters in the Boone Art and Auction building on West Kir« Street Sat
urday. Pictured at the opening are: Paul Tester, Stuart Tinman, Elmo Brinkley, J. C. Goodnight,
Fred Mast, Howard Cottrell, Kenneth Anderson, Mrs. Rob Rivers, Mrs. Finis Wagner, Mrs. Fred
Mast and James Stanley. In the foreground are Kurt Tqgman, busy with a lollypop, and baby
Christie Tugman. (Staff photo)
President Johnson Not To
Seek New White House Term
President Johnson stunned the
nation and the world Sunday
night by announcing, “I shall
not seek—and will not accept
the nomination of my party for
another term as your Presi
dent'*
Gardner Group
Is Named Here
Howard Poindexter, campaign
chairman for Republican Guber
natorial candidate James Gard
ner, has announced additional
precinct chairman for Watauga
County.
Heading up the precinct cam
paigns are Mrs. Hooper Greene,
Stony Fork; Ben L. Ward, Laurel
Creek; David Binfeham, Cove
Creek; Burlie Cornett, Beaver
Dam; David Ellison, North Fork;
and J. B. Miller, Bald Mountain.
Johnson said he reached this
conclusion because “with
America’s sons in the field
far away. With America’s fu
ture under challenge here at
home, with our hopes—and the
world’s hopes—for peace in
the balance every day, I do
not believe that I should de
vote an hour of my time to
any personal partisan causes
or to any duties other than the
awesome duties of this office.”
This statement, and the warn
ing against division in the coun
try which preceded it, were not
in the President’s prepared text
that was given out by the White
House in advance of his broad
cast. Officials had said, howev
er, that there would be some ad
dition to the prepared remarks.
His announcement came at
the end of a nationally broad
cast speech-and was not part
of the text released in advance.
Noted Lawyer Will
Visit ASU Tuesday
The student Government As
sociation at Appalachian State
University will sponsor F. Lee
Bailey, prominent New Orleans
lawyer, in a visit to campus
Tuesday.
Bailey Is renowned for his
controversial investigation of
the Kennedy Assassination, ms
defense of the mass slayer
George Speck and his network
television show, “In Good Com
pany.”
Bailey will appear at the
Broome-Klrk Gymnasium April
9, at 8 p. m.
In the early part of the 40
minute talk he disclosed that he
is halting nearly all air and sea
action against North Vietnam in
an effort to bring peace talks.
Johnson called this cessation
of bomardments "the first step
to de-escalate the conflict.”
Here are Johnson's historic
words:
"With our hopes and the
world’s hopes for peace in the
world in the balance every day,
I do not believe that I should de
vote an hour or a day of my
(Continued on page two)
1,121 Acres Cora
Land Diverted
According to the records of
Program Clerk Albert Harmon,
413 farmers have signed to di
vert 1,121 acres of land from
corn production to a soil con
serving group.
These ASCS records also
show that advance payments In
excess of $17,000 have been
made to producers during the
signup which ended March 15.
This year, farmers will
measure their own diverted
acreage, corn acreage, and cer
tify these acreages to the ASCS
office by June 30. The ASCS of
fice will assist producers in
computing acreages of fields
which were delineated on county
office photographs.
said the firm has been planning
the expansion for several years.
The interior will be wood
paneled and a private family
area on a raised balcony will
be provided.
Kelley's partner in the firm
and secretary-treasurer is
Council Cooke. Vice-president
is Mrs. Richard Kelley. Reins
Sturdivant has three licensed
embalmers and four licensed
funeral directors.
Hayes Runs For
Commissioner
Boone businessman Gwyn
Hayes has announced his Re
publican candidacy for the Wa
tauga County Board of Com
missioners, subject to the May
primary.
A native of Wilkes County,
Hayes came to Boone 10 years
ago and owns the Cardinal Mo
tel and Restaurant.
He was educated at Wilkes
County Schools. Before coming
here, Hayes was employed as
a farmer and rural mail car
rier. He also owned and oper
ated a grocery store.
A member of the Greenway
Baptist Church, he is a for
mer Sunday School superin
tendent, clerk and member of
the building committee. He is
a charter member of the Boone
Civitan Club, the Northwestern
Development Association and
past president of the Grand
father Mountain Motel Associa
tion. He is also second-vice
president of the Boone Cham
ber of Commerce.
Hayes is married to the for
mer Cleo Killey and they have
two children, Mrs. Willa Gray
Rhodes of North Wilkesboro
and Garvey Hayes, who is serv
ing in Vietnam.
GWYN HAYES
1,287 Plants Are Needed
Jaycees Start Program
Hospital Landscaping
Completion
Of Project
This Summer
The Boone Jaycees are
launching a $2,500 community
landscaping and beautification
project for the grounds of the
Watauga County Hospital.
Planning began 8 months ago
under the supervision of Mrs0
Virginia Groce, hospital admin
istrator, and Ted Pease, Na
tional Park Service landscaper
who donated his work as a pub
lic service.
Completion of the job—which
will require purchase of 287
nursery-grown shrubs and trees
and more than 1,000 donated
plants—is slated for mid-sum
mer. Within two weeks Jaycee
work crews will begin digging
beds for the shrubbery.
According to project chair
man Ranny Phillips, the Jay
cees will provide $1,500 of the
total cost. “We felt that other
civic clubs in town would want
to participate and make this a
community-wide, project,"
Phillips said. “Members of the
Jaycees will soon be visiting
the other clubs to appeal for
their financial support." A
Boone store already has donated
$100.
One phase of the project calls
for the grading and leveling of
the hospital’s front lawn. The
elevated end erf the grounds will
be cut away so that approaching
cars may be seen by visitors
leaving the hospital grounds via
the lower exit.
Another phase calls for a
150-foot long Elk Rock wall on
which the name of the hospital
will be fixed in white letters.
Four feet high at the middle, the
rock wall will taper to ground
level at either end and is to be
constructed againsta contoured,
Juniper covered mound in the
back center of the lawn.
Architect Pease has com
pleted a set of blueprints de
signating locations of each of
the 287 shrubs. Donated shrub
bery will be planted in the area
at extreme left in the archi
tect’s rendering.
According to Pease, nine plant
species were selected to blend
in height, color and growth
habit. ‘ ‘All the shrubs are sturdy
varieties," he said. “We had to
select greenery which would
survive the winters in the
northwest exposure of the hos
pital’s front lawn. The ones we
have selected will also require
very little caretaking after the
Jaycees plant them," he added.
George Ragan or Jaycee
president John Austin will be
happy to accept donations of
trees and/or shrubs. And
Phillips says the project will
require more plants than can
be purchased, so these also
would be appreciated.
The plants to be purchased
are 59 Hetzi Hollys, six And
romeda (or Floribunda), 87
Andora Junipers, 37 Pfitzer
Junipers, 45 Carolina Rhodo
dendron, 16 Mountain Laurel
and 10 Buford’s Hollys.
Trees to be purchased in
clude nine Dogwoods, twoSugar
Maples and eight Mugo Pines.
Two ASU Professors Are
Given Research Grants
Two Appalachian State Uni
versity professors have re
ceived a $1,200 grant for three
month's research in micro
biology at N. C. State Univer
sity. King's research on stor
Schools Of County
To Observe Easter
Watauga County Schools will
recess at the end of thfe school
day, Thursday, April 11, for
the Easter holidays.
The schools will reopen Tues
day, the 16th.
age and survival of bacteria will
be applied toward his doctorate
in microbiology. He was one of
32 applicants for the four sum
mer fellowships offered by
NCSU’s department of biology.
Jack C. Martin has won a
similar grant at the University
of Georgia. NSF will sponsor
his ten-week research in human
reproductive physiology. The
Johnson City CTenn.) native will
apply his findings to a doctoral
dissertation. His grant is one of
three offered in biology.
WIXU6A. C.OOMT't rtOJPiTA,!.
A reproduction of a blueprint by landscape architect Ted Pease outlines the beautification pro
ject to be implemented at Watauga County Hospital.
Survey Says Watauga Needs
33 Additional Class Rooms
A study just completed by the
State Department of Public In
struction reveals 10,355 addi
tional classrooms were needed
by January of this year to ade
quately house the State’s 1,200,
000 children in the public
schools and 11,878 more will
be needed by 1978.
In Watauga County, the survey
indicates, 204 classrooms were
available last October. Eigh
teen more rooms were needed
for excessive enrollments and
replacements. Fifteen were
needed to replace obsolete
facilities, bringing the total
local classroom shortage to 33.
The study is an extension of
the annual Fall Survey conduc
ted by the Department each Sep
tember and includes present and
future needs to provide for over
crowded conditions. To elimin
ate unsatisfactory facilities, to
provide for growth and shifting
student populations, and to begin
a kindergarten program for
five -year-old children. It was
conducted by Dr. J. L. Pierce,
director of the Division of
School Planning, and the findings
have been confirmed by superin
tendents in each of the present
160 county and city school
systems of the State. The results
of the study are being shared
with the Governor’s Study Com
mission on the Public School
System of North Carolina.
In presenting the findings,
State Superintendent Charles F.
Queen Mozingo To Be A
Guest At Azalea Event
The North Carolina Apple
Queen, Patricia Ann Mozingo,
will be among the special guests
this year at the North Carolina
Azalea Festival at Wilmington
on April 18-21.
Miss Mozingo is a 21-year
Broughton Is
In City Tuesday
Hon. Melville Broughton,
Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor, stopped in Boone Tuesday
afternoon on a campaign bus
tour in Wilkes, Watauga, Ashe
and Alleghany Counties.
Mr. Broughton met with mem
bers of his local campaign com
mittee and visited business
places along the Street as time
permitted.
Wednesday the Broughton bus
will tour Caldwell, McDowell
and Burke Counties.
Mr. J. D. Shoemake is Mr.
Broughton's Watauga County
campaign manager.
Assn. For Retarded
Meeting On April 9
The scheduled meeting of the
North Carolina Association for
Retarded Children to be held
April 11 has been backdated to
Tuesday, April 9.
The meeting will be held at
the Edwin Duncan Home on the
ASU campus at 7:30 p. m.
old senior at Appalachian State
University, and the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh L. Mozingo
of Charlotte.
As a special guest of the
Azalea Festival, she will par
ticipate in many of the activities
during the four days.
In addition to her selection
as Apple Queen, Miss Mozingo
is the current “Carolinas’ Photo
Queen,” and last year she was
“Miss Watauga County” and
Homecoming Queen at Appa
lachian State.
She is majoring in elemen
tary education. Her interests
include snow skiing, water ski
ing, tennis, swimming, sewing,
and modeling. She plans to teach
in elementary schools.
Easter Sunrise
Service Is Set
The Rev. Fritz Hemphill of
the Oak Grove Baptist Church
will deliver the Easter message
at the annual Watauga County
Ministerial Associations East
er sunrise service.
Beginning at 6 a. m„ the wor
ship service will be held in
Boone’s First Presbyterian
Church.
The Rev. Donald L. Wilson,
Three Forks Associational Mis
sionary, will read the Scripture.
The Rev. J. Boyce Brooks of the
First Baptist Church will select
the music for the occasion.
The public is invited to attend
this service.
Carroll said as of Last Jan
uary, 5,483 classrooms, in addi
tion to those now under con
struction, were needed to pro
vide for excess enrollment and
to replace unsatisfactory class
rooms (trailers, mobile units,
other temporary quarters, etc.);
4,872 were needed to provide for
reorganizations and consolida
By 1978 an additional 5,932
classrooms will be needed to
replace those that become obso
lete; 5,946 will be needed to pro
vide for increased and shifting
student populations. When this
11,878 is added to the current
needs, the total becomes 22,233
classrooms needed within 10
Dr. Carroll also pointed out
that a considerable number of
additional classrooms will be
needed when the State initi
ates a kindergarten program for
five-year-old students. In pro
jecting the facilities needed for
this program, he said several
factors and variables must be
kept in mind. “The most impor
tant of these is the fact that the
number of live births in North
Carolina has declined steadily
from a high of 116,274 in 1956
to 107,364 in 1963 (five years
ago) and to 92,000 in 1967.
“Assuming that (1) the num
ber of live births will contin
(Continued on page two)
Bulletin
Former Sheriff E. M. Hodges
of Boone died in Watauga Hos
pital, following a long illness.
At Democrat presstime Tuesday
funeral details and other in
formation was not available.
This will be carried in our
next edition.
Gty Gets Check
From Cable TV
United Antenna Service at
Boone has made its first pay
ment to the city, for a mutual
agreement for the franchise
to operate cable television here.
Cablevision agreed to pay the
town either a percentage at
their first year’s profits or
$1,000, whichever was larger*
The sum that has been turn
ed over to the town is $1,200*
This money has been designated
for the Parks and Recreation
Commission for use in their
programs.