BOONE
Home of Anoalachian State Uni
versity, in Boone, Blowing Rock
and Linville Scenic Triangle,
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Eighty-First Year of Continuous Publication
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VOL. LXXXI— NO. 13
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 26, 1968
10 CENTS PER COPY
24 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
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Jim Gardner
To Speak Here
Tuesday Night
Jim Gardner, Republican
candidate for Governor, will
be in Watauga County next
Tuesday night to give a speech.
Wednesday morning, Oct. 2,
he will tour the county and
that afternoon he will be in
Boone to meet and greet vot
ers.
Howard Poindexter, Gardner
chairman here, said he did not
have specific information by
presstime. Further informa
tion can be had from him at
night or by calling Republican
Headquarters in the daytime.
Bob Bingham
In Race For
State YDC Post
H. Pat Taylor Jr., Demo
cratic nominee for Lt. Gov
ernor, will be the Keynote
speaker at the opening of the
Young Democratic State Con
vention in Fayetteville Thurs
day through Saturday.
Approximately 1000 young De
mocrats from western North
Carolina and the rest of the
State will attend. The following
State-wide political leaders
have notified convention of
ficials that they plan to attend
some of the sessions: Former
Gov. Terry Sanford; Lt. Gov.
Bob Scott, Democratic nominee
for Governor; Pat Taylor; Rob
ert Morgan, candidate for At
torney General; Henry Bridges,
State Auditor; Sen. Sam Ervin;
Voit Gilmore, Democratic nom
inee for Congress; Sam Poole,
National Chairman of Young
People for Humphrey; and Spen
cer Oliver, president of the
Young Democratic Clubs of Am
erica. :*-VJW, . ' v/rfi >
This year has a spirited race
for the YDC presidency with
Charles G. Rose in of Faye
tteville and Bob Bingham of
Boone as candidates. Both come
from the same faction of the
YDC that has long dominated
YDC politics.
Area Governor
Of Rotary To
Visit Boone
Charles A. Hunter of Char
lotte, district governor of Ro
tary, will vis it the Boone Rotary
Club Thursday, October 10.
He will address the club at
the regular meeting at 6:30
pjn. at the Cardinal Restaurant.
He will confer with Ralph Be
shears, president, and with oth
er officials of the club to dis
cuss withthem the group’s plans
for its service activities and to
offer suggestions on Rotary ad
ministrative matters.
Mr. Hunter is a member and
past president of the Charlotte
Rotary Club. He is Executive
Vice-President of Hunter Jer
sey Farms, Inc., and is Presi
dent of Registered Funds, Inc.
He was nominated by this Ro
tary district and was officially
elected at the International Ro
tary Convention in Mexico City,
Mexico, and will serve through
June 30, 1969.
Although a seasoned Rotarian
before his election, Mr. Hunter
attended an eight-day Interna
tional Assembly last May at
Lake Placid, N.Y., at which
all upcoming district governors
attended in-depth seminars in
preparation for fulfilling re
sponsibilities of their positions.
One of his biggest jobs will be
to conduct a district conference
of all Rotary Clubs in District
767 next April.
/- CHARLES A. HUNTER
Displaying a nearly whole front page of the Watauga Democrat from 1888 is Mrs. John F.
Greene of Boone. The piece, backed by several layers of wall paper, turned up during the
renovation of an old home in the county. ($taff photo)
Ancient Newspaper Tells
Of Hatfield, McCoy Feuds
The front page of the Wed
nesday, Sept. 26, Watauga Dem
ocrat bore a report of a battle
between the McCoys of W'est
Virginia and the Hatfields of
Kentucky.
That was in 1888 as Mrs.
John F. Greene of Boone learned
when some renovations were be
ing made in the old Alex Greene
home a week ago Saturday. She
started to have a surface under
the staircase paneled over
but had a curiosity as to what
was under the present wall
paper covering.
As she stripped away the pap
er, which was six or seven
layers thick, she noticed a news
print backing. Inspecting it more
closely she found the staircase
area had been lined with news
print and two pieces formed
almost the em.. e front page,
Sept. 26, 18.°° jf the Watauga
Democrat. She also peeled off
other bits of aged journalism.
Asking an older member of
her family about it, Mrs. Greene
was told, “I don’t know. That
was the year I was born.”
Democrat Publisher Rob
Rivers said the newspaper files
include very few issues from the
late 1800’s and the one Mrs.
Greene found was among the 1
missing. What copies were 1
available have been micro- 1
filmed, however, along with is
(Continued on page two)
Dr. Barden Is Clad To
Be Numbered As Student
Dr. John G. Barden, who retired from Appalachian
State University a year ago in July, says “It’s wonderful
to be numbered among the student body.
“I’ve looked forward to the time when I could
ta^e the course and this is the first opportunity I’ve
had.”
Dr. Barden taught education at both the graduate
and undergraduate levels for 23 years at Appalachian.
He says his hobbies now include woodworking and that
he may put a shop in his home.
He and Mrs. Barden also enjoy weaving and flower
and vegetable gardening.
2,185 Steers Sold For $352,000
I he largest number of steer
cattle ever assembled in Wa
auga County was sold Thurs
iay, Sept. 19, at the Watauga
Livestock Market in the first
L968 Boone Yearlir^SteerSale.
A total of 2,185 steers was
old into North Carolina and
iearby states. Some went as
ar as northwest Indiana.
The cattle were graded by
Jie official graders into four
groups and were penned ac
cording to grade, weight and
breed.
The top price paid for a pen
of steers was $27.20 cwt. The
total sale amounted to more
than $352,000. The grades and
number of cattle per grade were
258, choice; 854, good; 780,
medium; and 293, common.
Kickoff Monday Morning
Watauga United Fund
Aiming At $20,541 Goal
Hickory Man
Is Speaker At
Local Breakfast
The Watauga County U
nited Fund campaign for 1968
to raise a record amount of
$20,541 began Monday morn
ing.
A kickoff breakfast was held
at the Gateway Restaurant and
some 20 volunteer workers
were there to get campaign
materials for the drive ex
pected to last about three weeks.
Mark Hodges and Wade Wil
moth are co-chairman of the
campaign and have been pre
paring for some time for the
drive to raise money for some
15 local agencies. The goal
was set in late August by di
rectors of the F und.
Wilmoth, a past president
of the Watauga United Fund,
spoke to the group briefly, po
sing the question, “Why are
you here?” He said “We all
have a common goal to reach
in the next few days,” and
urged campaign workers to
stress the fact that most of
the money collected in the coun
ty is used locally.
Hodges explained the materi
als in the campaign packets
and the procedure for solici
ting contributions and proper
ly recording donations and/or
pledges.
Oscar Anderson of Hickory
spoke on the publicity the Fund
is to receive through national
magazines and television and
radio networks.
A worker with Carolinas U
nited, Anderson presented an
audio-visual program of situ
ations and attitudes found in
solicitation. He said workers
(Continued on page two)
THE REGISTRATION TABLES KEPT HUMMJNG-There was never a dull
the fall quarter registration desks in Varsity Gymn Thursday and Friday when a
of students enrolled at Appalachian.
moment around
record number
Pep Rally Draws 2,000
Gay Air Pervades Start
Classes At University
Students comprising App
alachian’s largest on-campus
enrollment, which had passed
the 5,200 mark early this week,
began fall quarter classes Mon
day.
Harry Golden Will
Speak At University
Harry Golden of Charlotte,
noted author and social critic
who for the past 26 years has
been editor and publisher of
the Carolina Israelite, will
speak next Tuesday at Appa
lachian State University’s Fall
Convocation.
Golden’s topic will be “Only
in America” for the 10 a.m.
address in Broome-Kirk gym,
which will hold only half of the
university’s student body.
A native of New York City,
the 65-year-old writer has pub
lished 13 bQoks, many of which
have been on best-seller lists ,
and have been translated by the . i
U.S. Information Service into
numerous foreign languages for j
distribution throughout the «
(Continued on page two)
The academic year began with
a little more confusion than
usual, mainly because there
were more first year students
frantically running here and
there looking for a classroom
building which was identified
only by initials on their regis
tration cards.
The new modern library,
the recently completed Varsity
Gymnasium, and four new re
sidence halls were put in imm
ediate use; although three of the
dormitories have yet to be 100
per cent occupied.
The quarter began on a bright
spirited note as Friday’s com
pletion of registration was met
by the first pep rally which drew
veil over 2,000. The gay air
ontinued into the first of
he week in the wake of perfect
veather and a 55-14 open
rig game victory by the uni ver
ity’s football team.
harry golden
Boone, Blowing Rock Get
$39,133 Powell Bill Funds
Watauga County towns have
been allotted $39,133.35 for
State Street aid under provisions
of the Powell Bill, State High
way CommissionChairman J.M.
Hunt, Jr. announced last week.
Boone gets $27,078.23 based
on the 1960 census of 3,686
and 31.59 miles of non-highway
system streets.
Blowing Rock earned $12,
055.12, on a 1960 population
of 711 and a non-highway sys
tem street mileage of 18.71.
Watauga Installment Debt $4 Million
How much does the average
family in Watauga County owe
in the form of installment debt?
To what extent do local peo
ple use the buy now, pay later
plan in their purchases of auto
mobiles, dishwashers, furniture
and other durable goods?
In recent years, locally and
in most other communities
across the country, there has
been a steady growth in in
stallment debt.
In the first six months of
this year, alone, the overall
increase has been nearly seven
percent, according to Federal
Reserve Board and Commerce
Department figures. It indicates
a pronounced rise in consumer
spending. The two go hand-in
hand. When spending picks up,
so does the use of credit.
As of the middle of this year,
the reports show, installment
credit in the nation reached
$80 billion as compared with
$75 billion on January 1st.
It was equivalent, on the aver
age, to nearly 15 cents out of
every dollar of family income,
after taxes.
In Watauga County, install
ment debt at midyear came
to an estimated $960 per family,
based on the national findings
and on average earnings and
expenditures locally.
That was the average amount.
However, some families have no
debt at all so that, among those
that do, the per family figure
is somewhat higher.
For the local population as
a whole, installment debt total
ed approximately $4,701,000 on
July 1st.
This includes automobile
loans, credit on purchases of
other consumer goods, personal
loans and loans for home re
pair and modernization. Ex
cluded are mortgage debt,
charge accounts and single pay
ment loans.
The amount of debt, it is
noted, varies from family to
family but bears a direct re
lationship to income, in most
cases. Local buying habits and
consumer attitudes are also
factors.
In general, over $1 out of
$7 of net income, after taxes,
is going into repayments of
these installment debts.
In Watauga County, it comes
to approximately $80 per month
per family, on average.
Are credit men worried? Not
at all. They Jtnow that people
are earning more than before
and, therefore, can handle the
bigger debt load.
The year actually began
Tuesday of last week for ASU’s
308 faculty members as they
and their spouses were treat
ed to a dinner in the Univer
sity Cafeteria. On Wednedaay,
at the year’s first general fac
ulty meeting, the address was
presented by William B. Rankin
of Lincolnton, a member of App
alachian’s Board of Trustees
and the institution’s represent
ative on the Board of Higher
Education.
Faculty meetings by colleges
and departmental meetings also
were conducted on Wednesday,
with orientation of new faculty
members taking place Thurs
day morning prior to open house
observances at the library,
gym, Dougherty Administration
Building, the Kerr Scott Indus
trial Arts Building Addition and
new wing of I.G. Greer Hall.
The F riday night pep rally
(Continued on page two)
The checks were mailed in
time to be delivered by Oc
tober 1.
In all $10,415,342.87 was al
lotted to towns and cities. This
represents funds equal to the
amount produced by one-half
cent of the regular six cents
per gallon motor fuel tax levied
by the State which is returned
annually to participating muni
cipalities in proportional shares
based on relative non-State
system street mileage and on the
relative populations of each of
the municipalities.
Towns and cities qualifying
for participation do so by sub
mitting detailed information
each year to the Highway Com
mission concerning ad valorem
taxes, other sources of revenue,
budget ordinances and local
elections. Some legally incor
porated towns do not partici
pate in the Powell BUI Program
simply because they do not per
form the necessary municipal
functions required under the
law.
During the 18-year history of
the Powell BUI Program, a
total of $128,676,160.42 has bean
returned to the municipalities
for use o.n local streets. r