1969
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
Jn Independent Weekly N eta paper ... Eighty-Second Tear of Continuous Publication
VOL. LXXXII—NO. 29
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 1970
10 CENTS
BOONE WEATHER
1970 Hi Lo Prec. Snow *89
Jan. 13 32 15
Jan. 14 41 11
Jan. 15 48 26
Jan. 16 50 17
Jan. 17 45 27 .16
Jan. 18 44 38 .39
Jan 19 38 28 22 41 31
22 PAGES—2 SECTIONS
The Governor’s Mansion In Raleigh was the site last week for a meeting of volunteers in the
Mothers March and their teenage guests. At left is Miss Jane Cottrell of Boone. Next is Mrs.
Bob Scott, First Lady of North Carolina; then Miss Carol Ann Grant; and Miss Luci Wei born,
a teen volunteer in the Watauga County March of Dimes campaign. Miss Wei born and Mss Grant
will appear on the Telerama (Bristol, Channel 5) Saturday and Sunday.
“Marching Mothers” Are
Guests Governor’s Mansion
s*
More progress has been made
the treatment and prevention
birth defects in the last 10
years than in all history.
This is what 200 “marching
mothers’* and their teenage
guests were told Thursday, Jan*
13, at the Governor’s Mansion
in Raleigh* The coffee was
sponsored by The National
Foundation-March of Dimes,
Speaking on “The Third
Party—The Unborn Child,”
Mrs, J.- Marse Grant of
Raleigh said that the March of
Dimes “is the only organiza
tion which devotes itself ex
clusively to this unmet health
Ski Report
Area ski slopes were re
covering from a warm weekend
Tuesday morning and making
preparations for a snowy week
ahead,
A light snow was falling over
all slopes in the area, giving
promise for a full weekend of
skiing.
It was 23 degrees Tuesday
morning at Appalachian Ski
Mountain, Beginners and inter
mediate slopes were open with
a 21-inch base.
All slopes were open at Beech
Mountain with good skiing con
ditions reported. Base ran from
15 to 18 inches at 22 degrees.
Seven Devils slopes were
closed Tuesday, But weather
JIM OLLIS
Ollis Speaker
For Jaycees’
DSA Banquet
Jim Ollis of Laurinburg,
president of the North Carolina
Jaycees, will be the guest speak
er Monday, Jan, 26, at the an
nual DSA banquet held by the
Boone Jaycees,
The recipient of the club’s
Dlatingulshed Service Award
will be announced atthe banquet
to be held at 7 p^m.atthe Holi
day Inn,
Ollis, 34, is a professor of
physical education and a coach
at St, Andrews Presbyterian
College. He Is a graduate of
Appalachian State University,
class erf 1956, and received his
masters of arts degree at ASU
In 1957.
The DSA award Is presented
each year to a member of the
club who has distinguished him
self In community and club af
fairs. The recipient must be be
tween 21 and 35 years of age.
Last year’s hoooroe was Joe
toiler, a local druggist.
:ondlUons were developing to
issure a full re-opening during
he week*
All slopes at Hound Ears were
n good condition Tuesday with
i 30-inch base. Temperature
*as 24 degrees. The facilities
ire open to members and guests
)nly.
Sugar Mountain, beginning its
second full week of operation,
reported beginners and inter
mediate slopes in fair to good
condition with 25-degree tem
perature. A 10-15 inch base
revered the beginner slope. A
base of 15-20 inches was on
the intermediate slope.
All resorts employ the use of
machines to manufacture a good
skiing base.
Police Arrest
Two In Robbery
Of Drug Store
Boone police arrested two
young Watauga men Friday in
connection with the Thursday
night robbery of the Boone Drug
Company.
Charged with larceny in the
case was Terry Gargis, 19,
of Blowing Rock. William
Everett Sheffield, 18, of Orchard
Street, Boone, was charged with
receiving stolen goods,
Sheffield was an employee of
the drug firm, Boone Police
Chief Clyde Tester said.
Gargis was arrested about
6 p. m, Friday, Tester said.
He was released after post
ing $1,500 bond. Sheffield was
still in jail on Monday, Tester
said the pair will be given
preliminary hearings during the
January 26 term of Watauga
(Continued on oage two)
problem,” The speaker is ex
ecutive secretary of the North
Carolina Federation of Women’s
Clubs and the mother of Carol
Ann (pictured) who was bom
physically handicapped,
“The unborn child has no
lobbyist,” Mrs. Grant said,
“and as a result the federal
government has made drastic
cuts in health research grants.”
She questioned spending $350
million for each moon shot when
the government * ‘cannot find a
few millions for health research
... so the burden falls on the
volunteer to give and ask his
neighbor to give,”
The speaker said “one of the
most exciting new developments
is treatment of the baby while
it is still in the uterus,” Blood
transfusions are given if needed
and even surgery is being per
formed, she said.
Birth defects touchonefamily
in 10, Mrs. Grant added. More
than 6,500 babies were born in
North Carolina last year with
major birth defects and more
than 2,488 of these died from a
defect.
Six years ago, the number
climbed higher because of a
German Measles epidemic. De
velopment of a German Measles
vaccine, spearheaded by March
of Dimes research, is a major
contribution in preventing birth
defects. The National Founda
tion-March of Dimes is urg
full utilization of the vac
cine this year in the wake of
an expected German Measles
epidemic.
Education of the public and
of prospective mothers is a
never-ending task “so that guilt,
superstition and ignorance will
not deprive the birth defective
child of the medical advances
that could help him lead a
normal life,” Mrs. Grant said.
Schools Close
Again Tuesday
Watauga public school stu
dents missed another day of
school Tuesday, Jan. 20, the
tenth day they’ve missed this
school year.
School Supt. Dr. Swanson
Richards called off classes
early Tuesday morning after
snow had began falling through
out the county. A number of
county roads were slickened
Monday night by freezing light
rain and snow.
$28,000 Pumper Truck Ordered
Town Acts To Maintain
Fire Insurance Rating
Says Premiums
Would Have
Risen In Boone
BY RACHEL RIVERS
The Town Board of Aldermen
Thursday night ordered a $28,
000 fire truck on approval and
put in an order for 1,500 feet of
two and a half inch hose.
The action was taken to ap
pease the North Carolina Fire
Insurance Rating Bureau, which
had notified Mayor Gordon
Winkler that the Boone Volun
teer Fire Department grading is
NB 10, considering the coverage
required of it outside the city
limits and on the ASU campus as
well as the population growth of
the town itself.
Chief Engineer R, Kenneth
Scott wrote “We feel that im
provements should be made to
justify the present fire defenses
classification of NB 8.“ At
tached were four recommenda
tions the town would have to meet
in order to keep fire insurance
premiums from soaring in
Boone,
Fire Chief R, D, Hodges and
several of the volunteers were
present as the Mayor estimated
what the change in the fire de
partment’s grading would mean.
On a dwelling of $10,000
worth, insurance under the 8
rating would be approximately
$22, the Mayor saii Under the
NB 10 grading, the same insur
ance on the same structure
would cost about $13 more—a
hike of more than 50 per cent,
EQUIPMENT
une reconiiiieiuauun wao iw
have a pumper of at least 750
gallons-per-minute capacity,,
Listed third was that' ‘A mini
mum of 3,000 feet of standard
2 1/2-inch fire department hose
be maintained in serviceable
condition at all times.” The or
der of 1,500 feetflew hose would
meet the required total of foot
age.
But because of the slight dif
ference in cost between a heavy
duty 750-pumper and a 1,000
pumper, the board ordered the
larger of the two.
The sales talk was given hy
Henry Burgess whose Burgess
Fire Department Company in
Lenoir has sold Boone two trucks
in the past. He handles Ward La
France trucks which have Ford
engines.
Burgess told them it is “more
economical to have a 1,000 gal
lon pumper because Boone is
growing.’* He explained that the
truck with the hydraulic com
mand tower can be used by two
men “to do the work of 14 men.’*
He suggested the town con
sider the demonstrator for about
$28,000 since it comes with a
guarantee to 100,000 miles and
the mileage indicator is setback
to zero. It would take 5,000 miles
use to break in the heavy duty
vehicle anyway, he calculated.
New, the truck is worth $32,
000.
“I’ve watched Boone grow a
lot in 10 years,” Burgess said.
**It’s time to consider buying a
(Continued on page two)
200,000 Are Expected
To Visit Ski Resorts
The fantastic growth of North
Carolina’s young ski industry,
which will attract some 200,000
skiers to the five resorts inthe
Blowing Rock - Boone - Banner
Elk triangle this winter, is
causing area ski officials to
make rapid expansions in their
services and facilities,
Appalachian Ski Mountain, for
example, this week expanded its
night skiing schedule from three
to five evenings per week to ac
commodate its overflow crowds.
Skiers are now using Its three
lighted sloped on Tueedsy, Wed
nesday, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday nights. A new double
chair lift and a lengthened in
termediate run were installed
at the beginning of the season
to improve customer service.
At Beech Mountain near Ban
ner Elk, the ski explosion de
manded more room to grow, and
the result Is a new beginners'
slope with a J-Bar lift and rope
tow. In addition all other slopes
at Beech were widened before the
beginning of the 1969-70 season.
The story is much the same
at Seven Devils between Boone
and Unville where an additional
slope has been opened this sea
son and a new double chair lift
installed to accommodate the in
creased traffic.
Hound Ears Club near Boone
also operates a modern skiing
facility, but its membership is
closed and no literal expansions
have been needed. At Banner
Elk's Sugar Mountain, slopes
were opened for the first time
in early January, but acreage
tor expansion is available when
needed*
FALLING TRUCK—This Is the resting place for a tractor
trailer loaded with fire-fighting equipment that skidded off
US 321 In froiU of the entrance to Boone Golf Club early Satur
day morning, Jan. 17. The truck, along with the falling rock
sign, landed in the New River. (Flowers photo)
(Story on page two)
‘‘‘South’s Improbable Event”
Snow Carnival Of South
The South’8 most improbable
event, a week-long festival
commemorating the sport of
skiing and the winter season,
will be held in and around Boone
Feb. 9-16.
Launched last year as the
North Carolina Snow Carnival,
the event has been extended to
a full week of activities and re
named the Snow Carnival of the
South.
“Because of its wide regional
appeal, we felt the Carnival
should be more closely identifi
ed with the growing number of
people who ski in the southern
states,” explained Robert Bing
ham of Boone, president of the
sponsoring North Carolina Win
ter Sports Association, Inc.
Co-sponsors of the Carnival
are the Boone, Blowing Rock,
and Avery County Chambers of
Commerce.
In addition to apres-ski
events, a parade, ice sculpture
contest and annual Snow Ball,
reduced rates for skiing and
equipment rental will be
fered Monday through Thursday,
Feb. 9-12, at the area’s five
sld resorts. Paintings by noted
southeastern artists will also
be on display during the week
at the Regional Gallery of Art
in Boone.
Participating resorts are Ap
palachian Ski Mountain, Beech
Mountain, Hound Ears Lodge and
Club, Seven Devils and Sugar
Mountain, newest of the major
ski resorts in Western North
Carolina, Apres-ski events will
be scheduled at one or more of
the resorts each weeknightdur
ii^ the Carnival,
Highlights of the Carnival
will be a parade through down
town Boone at 5 p. m„ Friday,
Feb. 13, and the annual Snow
Ball Saturday night. Competing
for the Snow Queen crown now
worn by Miss Pat Mozingo of
Charlotte will be contestants
from area colleges and ski
clubs.
Special services for skiers
will be held at area churches
at 9 a. m. Sunday, Feb. 15.
Half-price skiing and equip
ment rental will also be offered
Monday, Feb. 16, and plans are
being developed for the first
annual Southern Clog Dancing
Championship on Monday night.
Two major ski meets are
scheduled in conjunction with
the Carnival—the Southern
Intercollegiate Ski Meet Feb.
9-10 and the National Junior
College Atheletic Association
Ski Championship Feb. 16-17,
Both meets will be held at
(Continued on page two)
Republicans Meet 31 st
The Watauga County Republi
can Convention will be held at
2 Saturday afternoon, Jan. 31,
in the county courthouse in
Boone,
Announcement comes from F.
Cecil Miller, chairman of the
county's Republican Executive
Committee, A county chairman,
vice-chairman and secretary
will be elected at the conven
tion, an executive committee
will be appointed and delegates
to the Congressional and State
conventions selected.
Miller explains that the 18
townships will convene at 7 the
night before the convention.
Each township will set up an
organization and recommend to
the County Convention a man and
a woman for membership on the
County Executive Committee.
The towns hip conventions will
be held at the voting places with
the exception of Bald Mountain,
which will meet at the Lesley
Norris residence, and Boone
No. 2, planned for the Ralph
Greeoe residence.
The township conventions will
elect delegates to the Jan, 31
Convention according to this
schedule;
Bald Mountain, three; Beaver
Dam, five; Blowing Rock, nine;
Blue Ridge, eight; Boone No,
1, seven; Boone No, 2, three;
Brushy Fork, seven; Cove
Creek, ten; Elk, four; Laurel
Creek, six; Meat Camp No, 1,
seven; Meat Camp No, 2, two;
New River No, 1, twelve; New
River No, 2, six; North Fork,
three; Shawneehaw, four; Stony
Fork, nine; and Watauga, ten.