1969
1970
watauga Democrat
VOL. LXXXII—NO. 27
An Independent Weekly Nempaper ... Eighty-Second Tear of Continuous Publication
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1970
BOONE WEATHER
1989 Hi Lo Free. Snow‘88 HI Lo
Dec. 30 53 40 41 18
Dec. 31 54 28
Jan. 1 35 25
Jan. 2 38 29
Jan. 3 31 20 tr tr
Dec. 4 29 14 tr. tr
Dec 5 37 17 31 fl
10 CENTS
24 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
FIRST 1970 SNOW—The new year wasn*t a week old before the
first “covering” snow began falling early Tuesday morning in
Watauga County. It arrived from the southeast shortly after
5 a. m. and forced the closing of public schools through the
county. School Supt. Dr. Swanson Richards, noting that three
school holidays already have pushed the end of school to May 19,
said Tuesday’s closing nudges the last day to Wednesday,
May 20. Even if schools miss 10 more days, he said it would
throw the last day of classes to only June 3. (Staff photo)
Banner Ski Weekend Seen
Expected heavy snows Tues
day morning in Watauga area
are giving skiers hopes of a
banner weekend, including the
planned opening Wednesday of
Sugar Mountain near Banner
Elk,
George McRae, vice presi
dent of Sugar Mountain, a 3,000
acre resort halfway between
First Chamber
Meeting Set
The first 1970 meeting of the
Boone Chamber of Commerce
will be held at noon Tuesday,
Jan. 13, at the Cardinal Restau
rant.
Guest speaker will be Gale
Henley of the public relations
department at Seven Devils.
He will speak on cor.unrnity
involvement in leisure time—
resort market and the pnvtir -
pation of resorts in community
affairs.
Dr. Crowley Is
At Blowing Rock
Medical Clinic
Dr. Richard V. Crowley has
joined the medical staff of the
Blowing Rock Medical Clinic, it
was announced by Dr. Charles
Davant Jr., medical director of
the Blowing Rock Hospital, In
corporated.
Dr. Crowley completed his
undergraduate studies at the
University of the South, Se
wanee, Tenn., and is a graduate
of the Emory university School
of Medicine where he received
Ms medical degree in 1965.
He completed Ms internship at
the Medical Center of Columbus,
Ga., in 1966.
For the next two years, he
served as a flight surgeon in
the U. S. Army. During the last
16 months be has been engaged
in the general practice of medi
cine in ReidsvUle.
Dr. Crawley is married to the
former Inez Hare. They have two
children, ages 3 and 4. They
recently purchased a home in
Blowing Rock.
Banner Elk and Linvilie, ex
pects the intermediate and no
vice slopes to be open Wed
nesday.
When fully open, the Sugar
Mountain slopes can handle up to
4,000 skiers an hour. The re
sort had expected to open its
fit taw
H
slopes on December 26 but
mechanical problems caused a
At Beech Mountain, plans are
for a boom week brought on by
falling snow. Last Saturday,
parking lots were filled by
noon. Every slope was open
NEW LICENSE PLATES—William Marsh of Route 1, Banner
Elk purchases his 1970 auto license plates at the Boone
Chamber of Commerce from Mrs. Barbara Ragan, CStaff photo)
New License Plates
Selling Rapidly
Sale of North Carolina license
plates In Boone got off to a
brisk start Friday, Jan. 2, at
the Boone Chamber of Com
merce office.
A total of 835 plates were
sold Friday and a half a day
Saturday.
Chamber Manager Fred Mc
Neil said the sales were speed
ed up because most purchasers
already had their registration
cards filled out when they got
in line. Certain information
about motorist liability is re
quired for the back side erf
registration cards.
‘‘Very few people had to drop
out of line to complete the in
formation,” he said.
The office is open all day Mon
day through Friday and a half
a day on Saturdays.
Sale of city tags also began
Friday at Boone Town Hall. The
city tags are $1 each. A total
of 1,552 tags were sold last
year.
except the Skydiver slope.
Conditions for making snow
have been ideal. Some 12,000
skiers have visited Beech since
it opened December 18.
Snow machines are working
steadily at Seven Devils.
TTiere’s 12-15 inches of man
made snow on the intermediate
slope with machines running
nightly.
Hound Ears slopes went into
the snow with 20 inches of
man-made base and four inches
of powder. Jay Little, head of
the ski shop, said that the
“biggest crowd in history” has
visited the slope this season.
Last weekend was a banner
weekend for Appalachian Ski
Mountain. All winter equipment
was used. A heavy base of man
made snow is giving the center
its best opening season.
Javocees To Receive
Award Nominations
The Boone Jaycees are ac
cepting nominations for the dis
tinguished Service Award which
will go the the young man,
aged 21-35, who made the big
gest contribution to Watai^a
County during 1969.
The award will be present
ed at the annual DSA banquet
to be held Monday, Jan. 26.
Anyone wishing to submit a
nomination may obtain forms
from Boone Drug Company, King
Street Pharmacy, First National
Bank or Northwestern Bank.
Joe Miller, last year's DSA
winner, is chairman of this
year’s award. Deadline for sub
mitting nominations is Thurs
day, Jan. 22. They should be
mailed to Miller at Box 151,
Boone,
Grover Robbins
Hale And Hearty
Weekend rumors that Grover
Robbins Jr„ president of Caro
lina-Caribbean Corporation,
had suffered a heart attack in
Miami, Fla., proved groundless.
Kays Gary, public relations
director erf Carolina Caribbean,
gives the Democrat the happy
news that Grover has had no
attack and is in his usual ex
cellent health.
Closing Of Bastile Not Seen
New Jail Is Proposed
To Watauga Officials
Avery County
Prisoners Not
To Be Taken In
A State jail official told the
Watauga County Commission
ers Monday that a new jail should
be built here, cited the improve
ments which have been mad >
since last March and said he
didn't anticipate State action to
close the local prison.
Woodbum Williams, cliief of
the jail and detention services
of the State Department of Social
Services, told the board that
the department has consistently
recommended a new jail for Wa
tauga County.
Williams and two assistants
appeared before the board in
response to an inquiry the board
had written last month to the
jail inspector’s office. The
board sought counsel on what
can be done to improve the jail
in an effort to meet new state
standards.
The county jail was ruled sub
standard last March by a state
inspection team.
miu mu review oy w imams
and his staff prompted the com
missioners and Sheriff Ward
Carroll to agree that Watauga
should not routinely accept
prisoners from Avery County
where the jail has been ordered
closed by the North Carolina
Department of Social Services.
Williams told the board, “Our
recommendation Is that you
build a new jail.”
He added, “I don’t antici
pate the commissioner taking
any action (to close the Wa
tauga County jail) up here.”
Williams said that Improve
ments made by the board in
the jail since the March 1969
inspection indicated the board
is trying to improve the jail.
Williams’ visit, though re
quested by the Watauga board,
followed closely the order last
week by Social Services Com
missioner Clifton Craig that
closed jails in Avery, Davie
(Continued on page two)
Weather Data
To Be Given
To News Media
A new daily ski and weather
report for news media has been
started by the Boone Chamber
of Commerce, headquarters of
the Snow Carnival of the South
located in the Boone Chamber of
Commerce building.
Information from all local
slopes is compiled by the of
fice and relayed to television
stations WBT-TV in Charlotte
and to VV’SJU-TV. These Sta
tions use the information for
daily broadcasts.
Also, the Snow Carnival
secretary, Mrs. Patsy Brown
compiles a daily operating chart
of skiing conditions and of all
area ski facilities. This infor
mation is supplied news media
and tourists visiting the
chamber office.
sm- aknr
HERB WEY ON SKIS—With the help of the mayors of the county’s two municipalities, an ex
Floridian (turned president) took to the local slopes last week. The picture was snapped Saturday
morning when Blowing Rock Mayor Bob Hardin deft) and Boone Mayor Gordon Winkler instilled
ASU president Herbert Wey with a little advice about skiing. A sports enthusiast, Dr. Wey is very
excited about the impact skiing is having on the region.
Mrs. Templeton Heads
Watauga Co. Heart Unit
Mrs. Pliyllis Templeton of
Stadium Drive, Boone, has been
named president of the Watauga
County Heart Unit.
Mrs. Templeton is the wife
of Phil Templeton and the
mother of two children, Ann
Marie, 6; and Jeffory, 2. Serving
as president of the Watauga
Heart Unit in 1969, she received
the Founders’ Award from the
North Carolina Heart Asso
ciation for outstanding service
to the heart cause forlastyear.
Art Exhibit Slated
At Student Center
The Fine Arts Committee of
the Student Center is sponsor
ing another Art Exhibit in the
Skylight Lounge of the Student
Center January 5-21.
The public is invited.
The New England inspired
watercolors of Leslie Powell
completely capture the spirit
and excitement of this region
of the United States. Sailboats,
lighthouses, fishermen and their
boats, the docks and coastal
scenes and landscape are his
subjects. The locales range
through the historical and still
picturesque towns along the
coast such as Privincetown,
Gloucester, Boothbay Harbor,
Marblehead and to the rugged
island erf Monhegan.
Mr. Powell studied at Okla
homa University, Chicago
Academy of Fine Arts, Art
Students League and received
his B. A. and M. A. from Co
lumbia University. His prize
winning paintings have been ex
hibited throughout the U. S.
and Canada in group shows and
in over 100one-man exhibitions.
Among the institutions that have
Christmas Mail
Volume Goes Up
Christmas mail volume for
1969 at the Boone Post Office
took a 13 per cent jump over
1968 business.
Postmaster Ralph Beshears
reported a total of 274,000 let
ter cancellations for December,
1969. This is a jump of 33,000
cancellations over the same
period in 1968.
Actual revenues reflect the
same percentage of increase,
Bes hears said. For the account
ing period of the 5 1/2 months
since July 1, 1969, the office's
revenues amourted to $106,
845.78. For the same period of
1968, the total receipts was $99,
750.35.
During the four-week period
from the middle of November to
the middle of December, 1969,
receipts amounted to $21,626.
50. For the same period of
1968, receipts totalled $19,
105.12, Beshears said.
Beshears thanked local pat
rons for their “consideration
during the Christmas rush
period. They mailed early and
prepared their mailings better
than ever,” he said. He said
this resulted in faster dis
patching and better service to
recipients.
shown his work are the Metro
politan Museum of Art, Museum
of Modern Art, Delgado Museum,
New Orleans; Corcoran Gallery,
Washington, D, C. and Legion
of Honor, San Francisco.
Hearing Set
For Tuesday
In Death Case
Preliminary hearing for
Willie McBride Jr., charged
with the murder of Mrs. Pau
line Turner on Saturday night,
Nov. 29, was scheduled for Tues
day afterncoiJan. 6, in Wa
tauga District Court.
McBride has been held in Wa
tauga jail without privilege of
bond since he was arrested on
November 30.
The hearing was scheduled
before District Judge J. Ray
Braswell of Montezuma.
If probable cause is found
McBride will be bound over to
Watauga Superior Court. The
next term of the higher court
begins Monday, Jan. 19.
Mrs. Turner was stabbed to
death sometime during the night
of November 29. Her body was
found in a coal bin behind her
house on North Street.
McBride was arrested a short
time later.
Adult Education
Course Starts Monday
Eight adult education courses
will begin Monday, Jan. 12, at
Watauga High School.
They are: Driver education,
shorthand, typing, woodworking,
brick laying, mechanical draw
ing and drafting, surveying and
auto mechanics.
The classes will meet on Mon
day and Thursday nights. For
further information, phone 264
2407 day or 264-8047 night.
As the local organization of
the North Carolina and Ameri
can Heart Association, the Wa
tauga County Heart Unit pro
vides public information on
heart disease, informs local
doctors, nurses and other health
workers of advances in the
treatment of heart disease and
operates community-wide pro
grams to prevent heart disease
or assist victims and their
families.
The Watauga County Heart
Unit also leads the annual Heart
Fund drive to support local pro
grams and those of the state arxi
national organizations. Mrs.
Templeton reports that plans for
the 1970 campaign to be con
ducted in February are now
being drawn.
A major Heart Association
goal, support of research to
eliminate disease of the heart
and blood vessels will receive
direct benefit from the local
group, President Templeton
Since 1948 the American
Heart Association has spent
more than $135 million on heart
research. The state and national
associations have invested more
than $3 million in research pro
jects at North Carolina’s three
major heart research centers,
UNC, Duke and Bowman Gray
Schools of Medicine.
Forty-four scientists in North
Carolina are now receiving
Heart Association support for
research on cardivascular
disease.
MRS. TEMPLETON
New River Valley
Group Meets Monday
The New River Valley De
velopment Association will
meet Monday, Jan. 12, at 7
p. m. in Alleghany County. It
will be the group’s first meet
ing in 1970. Location of the
meeting will be announced later.