BOONE
Home of Appalachian State Uni
TOTSlty, in Boone, Blowing Rock
and Linville Scenic Triangle.
VOL. LXXXI—NO. 17
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
_An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . EightyFirst Year of Continuous Publication
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1968 10 CENTS PER COP\
BOONE WEATHER
1968
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‘Open House9 At The New Courthouse
Open house will be held from 2 to 4 Sunday afternoon in the new
Watauga County Court House, West King Street, Boone. Offices
formerly in the temporary courthouse at Junaluska Heights
will have been opened for business F riday morning in the new
facility and all offices in the new building will be staffed Sunday
so that visitors can tour throughout the building. Brief opening
ceremonies will begin at 2 in the courtroom and the welcome
will be given by Tom Jackson, chairman of the Board of County
Commissioners. Remarks will be made by Bynum Greene,
former chairman of the Commissioners. According to James
Marsh, chairman of the Sunday afternoon program, the architect
and contractor for the $450,000 structure will be on hand, along
with the present Commissioners and those who served during
the borel referendum. Refreshments will be served by the
attorneys of Watauga County and their wives will serve as
hostesses for the function. (Staff photo)
$2 Million Water System For
Appalachian Is Being Planned
A major expansion of the
water system for Appalachian
State University is in the
making, according to Ned Tri
vette, Director of Business Af
fairs for the institution.
Trivette says that the Uni
versity hopes to purchase some
35 acres of land on which to
develop a reservoir lake hold
ing around 300 million gallons.
Accordingly, he said property
owners in the Howard’s Creek
area have been written con
cerning the purchase of their
land.
The new system is calculated
to give ASU a daily supply of
two million gallons, whereas the
school’s present usage is some
500,000 a day.
“Howard’s Creek is the only
reasonable source for the
school’s water,” Trivette said.
Plans call for water to be taken
from Howard’s Creek and rais
ed to the Norris Branch area
where it will be stored in the
lake. The supply then would
flow by gravity to two 500,000
gallon tanks located on the same
level as the town water tanks.
Trivette said that a complete
filtering and purification sys
tem would be included in the new
water system and that the uni
versity’s tanks would be con
nected to the two town tanks
for an interchange of water
supplies were this to become
necessary.
Appalachian will ask the 1969
General Assembly for $2 mil
lion with which to finance the
Sewer Rate
Going Up
Boone's sewer rate has been
increased from 20 per cent of
the water bill to an equal amount
of the water bill.
H. Neel Blair Jr., City Man
ager. says the rate has been in
creased as required by the De
partment of Housing and Urban
Development. HUD stipulated
that in order for the Town of
Boone to get a loan, it would
have to set the sewer rate equal
to the water rate.
“The sewer service charge
will be equal to your water bill,"
Blair explained. “So if the water
bill is $8 and the user is on the
city sewer system he wUl get
a bill for $16."
Those who use only city water
will not be affected, while those
who use only the city sewer
will be charged a per-year rate
of which they will be notified
later.
On the basis of two months
usage city water cost $4.50
for 5,000 gallons, minimum,
and 40 cents per thousand gal
lons thereafter.
project.
Trivette said that the land
needed for the lake would be
purchased at a “reasonable”
rate. He added that the State has
the right of eminent domain and
can condemn and claim any
land which owners will not sell.
Should a case go to court,
the State would have the bur
den of proving that such a pro
ject cannot be carried out else
where, but he noted that such
a case had never come up con
cerning the school.
(Continued on page two)
Blowing Rock
Residents See
Apollo Plunge
Mr. and Mrs. William Ste
phens and son Christopher, 8,
watched the earthward plunge of
the Apollo 7 space craft for
two or three minutes Tuesday
morning.
Mrs. Stephens said the fam
ily had been keeping up with the
television news at their Blowir^
Rock home, which overlooks
the Johns River Gorge. While
her husband had gone inside
to turn iQ) the television, Mrs.
Stephens said she spotted the
landing capsule and the ser
vice module which had broken
away from it when the Apollo
7 re-entered the atmosphere.
She called the family to the
porch where they were able to
watch the spectacle for a couple
of minutes. Had it not been
for cloud strata and treetops,
she said they would have been
able to see it even longer.
As the capsule headed east
ward for its splashdown near
Bermuda, Mrs. Stephens said
her son was especially thrilled
at getting a glimpse of the his
toric space mission. The Ste
phenses had been keeping a look
out for Apollo 7 since early
morning.
Friday Is Named Deadline
For City Yule Decorations ~
The chairman of the Boone Chamber of Com
merce's Christmas Decorations Committee this week
announced “the impending death of the Christmas
decorations project for Boone.”
Mrs. Bev Bussing said ‘‘Three firms in the Town
of Boone have turned in their money for the Christ
mas decorations for the beautification of Boone at
the holiday season.
“Unless ail money is received by Friday, Oct,
25, these three firms will have their money returned
and there will be no decorations this year in Boone.”
Mrs. Russing said numerous efforts to get con
tributions have failed
City Official, Former
Court Clerk Dies Sun.
Fredrick Morris Gragg, 47,
of 125 Orchard Street, person
nel manager erf International
Resistance Company and mem
FREDRICK M. GRAGG
Sam Ervin Day Is
Set For Next Monday
Monday will be Sam Ervin Day
in Watauga County.
According to Ronnie Wilson
at Boone, chairman (or the U.S.
Senator’s visit, Ervin will meet
voters along King Street in
Boone starting about 11 that
morning.
At noon, he will be at Demo
cratic Headquarters,
Thereafter, he will tour
plants and other points in Wa
tauga. About 7:30 Monday night.
Sen, Ervin will present an Am
erican Flag to the Deep Gap
Masonic Lodge.
Ervin will be accompanied by
Wilson and by Rufus Edmisten,
a Watauga native who is now
counsel to Ervin's judiciary
committee.
Edmisten said that Watauga
is the only county in North
Carolina in which Sen. Ervin
will spend a full day prior to
the Nov. 5 election.
ber of the Board of Aldermen
of Boone, died Sunday after
noon at his home after an ap
parent heart attack.
Mr. Gragg had been active in
civic and political affairs of Wa
tauga County since 1946. He
was Clerk of Superior Court for
seven years and was one of the
first employees of IRC when
it opened operation in 1953.
A three-year Navy veteran in
World War II, he was a gradu
ate of Appalachian State College
and Boone public schools.
He was the son of Mrs. Mira
Shook Gragg and the late Wil
liam Roy Gragg, former Watau
ga County Register of Deeds and
a public school teacher and
lumberman.
Surviving in addition to his
mother are the widow, Mrs.
Margaret English Gragg; a
daughter, Miss Margaret Eliza
beth Gragg of Charlotte; six
sisters, Miss Bernice Gragg of
Boone, Mrs. Robert Wilkins
of Asheville, Mrs. Kermit Hin
son of Kannapolis, Mrs. James
Hendricks Jr. of Raeford, Mrs.
Harvey Nickerson of Roseland,
N. J„ and Mrs. Joyce G. Pipes
of Wingate; two brothers, Vic
tor of Jamestown, S. C. and
Hoy Gragg of San Diego, Calif.
The funeral was held at 3
o'clock Tuesday in the First
Baptist Church with the Rev.
J. Boyce Brooks and the Rev.
J. K. Parker officiating. Burial
was in Mt. Lawn Memorial Gar
dens.
A Fred M. Gragg scholarship
fund is being set up at Watauga
High School. Contributions may
be made at the school.
“Reservoir A Beautiful^ Sight ”
Water Supply Back To
Normal After Drought
No Boiling
Now Required;
Can Wash Cars
“The reservoir is a beau
tiful sight. Good, cold crystal
clear water is pouring into it.”
These were the ecstatic com
ments of City Manager H. Neal
Blair, Jr. who Monday an
nounced a return to normalcy
[or users of Boone’s water
supply.
Blair said the water level
“lacks only two feet being up
to the flood gates” and “We're
releasing the water-boiling re
quirement now. Car washing can
resume.”
Boone residents had been ill
affected since the last Satur
day of September when city wa
ter was dangerously low in the
midst of a drought and heavy
algae spoiled it. Boiling was
required for safe consumption
of water until the first of this
week.
Final checks were being made
Monday, but Blair said the
safe-water announcement was
okay'd by Jack Cobb, local
health official.
“We’re going to have to main
tain a chlorine content that’s
a little higher than usual for
the fiext few days/' Biair said.
“Then we'll drop it back down
to normal and we hope to a
point that no one will know
there’s any chlorine at all in
it.”
Also, “There are no algae.”
However, the reservoir was to
be treated with copper sulfate
that afternoon as a preventive
against the recurrence of the
water plant.
“This treatment should take
care of the algae situation un
til next summer” whencitywa
ter will be treated again against
the prospect of another foul
water situation. Blair explained
that algae are “a warm wea
ther situation.”
Blair said City Hall has some
unsung heroes in its water crew
and street crew, members of
which have worked at nights
and on weekends without addi
tional pay to keep the water
system going “best they could
until Mother Nature brought
us some rain.”
Scott Will Be
In Boone Today
Lieut. Governor Bob Scott
was to have arrived in Boone
late Tuesday evening and will
be at Democratic headquarters,
West King Street, this (Wednes
day) morning at 10 o’clock to
meet with the voters of the
county.
A press conference will fea
ture his visit.
PAT TAYLOR, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, makes his address from the
stage of the Watauga High School auditorium. County Democratic Chairman, James Dugger,
is seated just behind him and partially seen at left is Mrs. Bob Scott. (Staff photo)
Democrats Have Caravan,
Dinner And County Rally
BY RACHEL RIVERS
Friday was a four-part cele
bration for county Democrats
who sponsored a caravan, a fund
raising dinner, rally and bake
sale and welcomed a slate of
lignitaries.
At the rally at Watauga High
school, Mrs. Bob Scott rep
resented her husband who is
running for the Governorship,
ind Congressman Basil White
ner and Lt.-Gov. candidate Pat
ray lor joined her on stage with
local candidates and officials.
Robert Bingham emceed the
rally and introduced County
Democratic Chairman James
Dugger, who stressed the par
ty’s action in behalf of the
people.
Of farm benefits under Demo
cratic administration, Dugger
recalled ‘‘In 1952, when Nixon
went into government, our
economy was at an all-time
high. From 1952 - 60 . . . farm
income dropped from just less
than $16 billion to some $12
billion.
“Farm income in the last
eight years is up 30 per cent.
The last time Nixon had a
chance to do anything for the
farmers, farm income fell off
17 per cent.” He pointed out
that the nation suffered three
recessions under Eisenhower,
but “In the last 90-some-odd
months, there has been not one
lapse in the economy.”
Of other Democratic pro
grams, he said “We all know
there are vast multitudes of
elderly citizens who, if it had
not been for Social Security
and Medicare, would be in dire
circumstance." He ended his
comments: "To have good gov
ernment, we have to have good
candidates—from the White
House on down to the Court
"I make no apology for any
of our candidates,” he added.
“I’m for all of them.”
Mrs. Scott jested that the
primary should be changed from
May to September and "any
candidate with nerve enough
to announce before July 25"
should be penalized.
“Robert and I both know that
the really great people never
get to the top of the ladder,"
she said, “because they’re
working so others can get there.
We have this kind of support
all over the state.
"We’re going to win; we’re
going to win big. You can be
lieve it." She closed her re
marks with an invitation to Wa
taugans to go to Raleigh Nov. 5
“to help all Democrats cele
brate."
Tenth District Congressman
Basil L. Whitener told his audi
ence that because of Democratic
leadership North Carolina is the
"Flagship of the South.
“ People from all parts of Am
erica and even from far distant
lands come here to witness de
mocracy in action. Here the
institutions of freedom flou
rish."
Of national concerns the Con
gressman stated "You and I
as Democrats must not close our
eyes to the political difficulties
that are ahead. Our people of
Republican Caravan Will
Cover County Saturday
Republicans erf Watauga
County announce plans to visit
all townships by caravan Sat
urday, Nov. 2.
The route, as set forth by
GOP Chairman F.C. Miller,
will begin at Triplett at 9 a.m.,
travel via UjS. 421 and Brown
wood Road to Todd; thence over
N.C. 194 by Meat Camp Service
Station to Perkinsville; then via
New River Bridge to Bamboo;
then to Aho community house;
then by U.S. 321 to Blowing
Rock City Hall; then return to
105 near Boone, go to Foscoe
and through Banner Qk to Mat
ney community house for lunch.
After lunch, the caravan will
start from Matney about l p.m„
go through Valle Crucis, Vilas,
Guy’s Store at Beech Creek and
up Beaver Dam to Bethel. The
party will travel George’s Gap
Road to Cove Creek, turn up
the old road to Mabel (Bur
kett’s Store), then proceed
through Trade, Term., to Ho
ward Thomas’s Store in North
Fork township.
Returning on Uj5. 421, the
party will come through Sil
verstone and Boone, stopping at
Parkway School about 5 p.m.
B^ief stops will be made en
route so the voters can meet
the candidates and others in
the group. Similar caravans
have toured the county in the
past four elections, Miller said.
A barbecue supper will be
served at Parkway School by
the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire
Department beginning at 5:30
and ending at 8. Adult tickets
will be $5 and children 12 and
under will be admitted for $1.50.
Proceeds from the fund-raising
affair will be used for party
purposes.
Advance tickets are being
sold by various precinct work
ers. More than 200 have been
sold and others may reserve
them through Republican Head
quarters in Boone.
Mrs. Louise Broyhill, wife
of Congressman Broyhill, will
(continued on page two)
all political affiliations are con
cerned about crime in the
streets, riots, the war in Viet
nam and the high cost of gov
ernment. These are problems
to which solutions must be found
if we are to maintain a sound
and healthy nation.”
Reminding his listeners of the
achievements of the Democra
(Continued on page two)
Cattle Sales
Bring $584,281
In Watauga Co.
A total of 764 graded steers
were sold Thursday, Oct. 17
at the Watauga Livestock Mar
ket in the second 1968 Boone
Yearling Steer Sale. This brings
the total number of cattle sold
in the special sales in 1968
to 3,839 head that sold for a
total of $584,281.
The Oct. 17 sale averaged
$25.07 per 100 pounds which
is $1.73 more than the average
price per hundred on the first
sale, according to County Ex
tension Chairman L. E. Tuck
willer.
Boone Students
To Be Included
In Who’s Who
Named in this year’s national
listing of America’s most out
standing university and college
students are four from Boone,
all attending Appalachian State
University.
They are: Jack William Ro
ten, senior; Maria Ernes ton
Reary, senior; Louis Hugh Lane,
junior and Cassandra Lee Prit
chett, senior.
Their names are included in
the 1968 edition of “Who's Who
Among Students in American
Universities and Colleges,*’ a
listing of the campus leaders
from more than 1,000 of the
nation's institutions of higher
learning.
The annual directory of dis
tinguished students has been
published since 1934 and carries
only the names of students whose
academic standing, service to
the community, leadership in
extracurricular activities and
future potential are decidedly
above average.