Better
RING YOUR
URLEY TO
OONE
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
An Independent Newspaper Serving The Northwest Carolina Mountain Area
Boorie Weather
1970 HI Lo Proc. Snow '49
Nov. 17 47 20
NOV. II 39 24
Nov. 19 54 21 Tr. Tr.
Nov. 20 54 40 .04
Nov. 21 55 21 .24
Nov. 22 58 24
Nov. 23 49 15
83rd YEAR—NO. 21
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, N. C. THURSDAY NOVEMBER 26, 1970
10 CENTS
28 PAGES—2 SECTIONS I
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BY RACHEL R. COFFEY
"There’s a four-hour period I
can’t even remember.”
The 19-year-old girl winces.
"The period I remember best
is being afraid, afraid of
everything. I remember I
thought if i don’t ever get
straight of this one, I’m going
to kill myself.
“I decided I’d better get out
of the darkened room. I opened
the door and I looked out add it
was like a camera
flash—everything yellow and
white.”
What she saw was another
girl, studying at a desk in this
-Appalachian State University
residence hall.
The frenzied girl thought “If
she speaks to me, then I will
die. But I don’t want to die
anymore. I went bade into the
room and retreated into a
corner. It seems like I could
see my future”—in a sequence
of apposing scenes—“Passing
before my eyes.”
In one scene she saw herself
locked into the drug culture. In
the other she was living a
“straight” life. Could she but
reach out and ensnare one of
the passing scenes, she felt,
‘That’s the way my life would
be.”
Telling this, she tightens; the
fingers bolding her cigarette
quiver. The frosty smoke
spirals and her down turned
gaze is looking back 13 months
to the night when the LSD she
took at an off-campus drug
party in Boone turned upon
her.
“1 had a freak, I guess is
what you’d call it. I made the
mistake of ‘dropping’ on a
school night.” At the time,
freshman women had to be
back in the dorm by 10 p. m.
There was no way out of it.
Her friends took her back to
campus. In the dorm, “the kids
were afraid of me. They sensed
I was on something. My
roommate that I had at that
time considered me a wild girl
anyway, always running
around.”
Tina was on a bad trip, the
ghost of which is often, if not
usually, in her mind, at times
synchronizing the termolo of
the voice with that of the
hands.
The terror she lived by un
wisely trusting in LSD tran
smitted to those around her.
Says Tina, “No one would
come and be with me at all."
Therapeutic Boone
It was at the age of 17 while a
student at UNC-Chapel Hill
that Tina first smoked
marijuana. Twice more, she
indulged. This, she feels, does
not lead to heavy drugs. “I feel
the company leads to heavy
drugs.”
Still 17, she enrolled at Ap
palachian State University in
Boone, a prospering town, but
smaller than the one she calls
home. "It was kind of a let
down,” she says.
Why not stay at Chapel Hill?
"My dad was afraid that I
would become immersed in the
drug culture. A lot of kids are
sent here because of that, and
kids with radical ideas.”
It turned out that a small,
mountain town failed to dictate
the goings-on at the university
it encompasses.
“I met the drug users here on
campus,"Tina says. “I started
dabbling around with am
phetamines. I dropped a tab of
acid (LSD).” She pinches the
end of her little finger with her
thumb to show the size of a tab.
“It seemed like the world
was just brighter. It seemed
like I understood the people
around me. And the
hallucinations I had were
beautiful things.” On she goes,
detailing the music at this off
campus party. It was called
The House of Four Doors and
iti lyric* seemed to syn
chronize with her trip.
The first door is marijuana,
she says. The third door is add
“ ‘Once you’re in the boose,
you can never come out,’ ’’she
recites. "The fourth door is
seeking yourself. "That’s what :
I’m doing now, I guess, is
seeking myself.’’
The next time she tried her
hick with contraband LSD, her
world turned upsidedown. She
lasted It out in a dormitory
room in the Hub of the Holiday
Highlands. No one informed
her family: “My parents (hdn’t
learn about my bad trip until I
(Continued on page three)
The awarding of the half-million-dollar contract was made by Harold Stanley
(left) to D. E. Dunmyre (right), with Motorola Electronic. Stanley, an Ashe
County Commissioner, is chairman of the Northwest Planning Council for
Crime Deterrence and at center is Kramer Jackson, president of the council.
(Staff photo)
T o Aid D rug U sers
Operation
Providing counseling and
medical services for kids in
trouble with drugs is not a new
concept.
In Winston-Salem they call
their program Together House.
At Chapel Hill it is Swit
chboard. In Miami, the Drug
Store.
In the university town of
Boone, it is Operation Rescue
which is armed with <1,000 it
got through the Association for
Retarded Children’s Boone and
Raleigh chapters, a staff of 24,
and has been holding drug
seminars here through the
Wesley Foundation of the
Boone United Methodist
Buick Bids
Low On Fire
Chassis
Modern Bulck-Pontiac
Company of Boone entered the
low bid last Thursday night to
provide the Town of Boone a
new chassis for a fire depart
ment tanker.
The winning bid of <4,S7S.»
was opened along with bids
from three other dealerships
here. And the board approved
Modern Buick-Pontiac’s entry,
nrovided County Commission
Chairman G. Perry Greene
does not secure a chassis
through Civil Defense and
Army surplus.
It was in August that Fin
Chief Phil Vance told the city
fathers that the truck part of
the department’s large tanker
was beyond repair. The board
subsequently investigated the
matter and asked for bids.
In other business:
On a motion by Howard
Cottrell seconded by Clyd
Winebarger. the board agreed
to pay Building Inspector Ray
Luther SO per cent of all in
spection fees up to <100 and 25
(Continued on page two) '.
Church.
As for the developing
program at Appalachian State
University, “It was my
brainchild, more or less," says
coed Meg Goforth ot
Albemarle. “I had a friend who
tried to commit suicide here on
campus. She tried to do it by an
overdose of amphetamines."
When Meg learned about it,
she and her friends searched
the area. “Her attempt failed,"
says Meg, “And when we
finally did find her, she was
alright.”
Meg decided something had
to be done.
Desk. Telephone
“Right now we’re hunting a
building, a place for a desk and
a telephone."
Meg says Operation Rescue
will be manned 24 hours a day
and a MD will be on call. The
program will provide
education on drugs, abortions,
and counseling on the draft and
alcoholism, if possible.
After her friend’s attempt at
suicide, Meg says she con
sulted Lee McCaskey, then Dr.
Roger Steenland who is head of
the university’s psychological
services and who told her
“about some high school
students here in Boone who
were trying to start the same
thing.”
People from Winston
Salem’s Together House were
to be in Boone Sunday to
discuss with Meg and others
how they set up “and how they
can help us.”
Meg’s capacity is an overall
director of Operation Rescue.
She hopes some people from
Boone will help in the program
and that Dr. Steenland will
agree to chair the board of
directors.
IRC Workers
Still Off Job
Three (acton weighed in the
layoff the last of October of M
employees of IRC, Boone
Division of TRW, Inc.
Carl Smith, manager of the
electronics-producing plant,
says national sales of color and
black and white televisions are
“off about 30 per cent this
year,” so that tv manufac
turers have sharply cut back
their orders to IRC/ TRW and
other such suppliers.
And “when it appeared the
economy might be turning,
around,” Smith said, “the auto
strike hit We sell to the sup
pliers of General Motors so
that had its impact."
Perhaps the major point is
that going into 1070, “people in
the electronics industry had
vary big plans.” Among others,
the television, radio and
computer Industries began
. ~ ' V "r*
buying rapidly and building
inventory for the expected
upturn in the economy.
The downturn, surprising
many economists, stubbornly
continues and Smith says
many companies which used to
buy the Boone plant’s products
are "presently living on their
inventory.”
During the year, Smith says
IRC/TRW ‘‘did
everything”—including work
ing abort weeks—to buy time.
The upturn just didn’t come.”
A company with widely
diversified holdings, TRW is
doing very well overall, he
points out. But as to bow long
the 90 jobs may be vacated,
"we are as uncertain about the
near future as any of the
economists. We’re anticipating
a very modest... very modest
upturn in 1971.”
... !
$500,000 Systems Contract Signed
Area Communications
Aid To Law Enforcers
Personnel
Upgrading
Is Planned
The Northwest Planning
Council foi* Crime Deterrence""
has awarded a $500,000 con
tract to Motorola Electronics
to provide a law enforcement
communications system for
nine Northwest North Carolina
counties.
Action was taken at a six
hour meeting held on ASU
campus last Friday evening.
Seventy representatives from
Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany,
Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin, Avery,
Mitchell and Yancey attended
the session and had a voice in
awarding the contract.
Representatives from
Motorola and General Electric
were given an opportunity to
present their proposals. Three
hours of deliberation were
required before a decision
could be made. A called vote of
the Executive Board showed 26
votes to Motorola, and 4 votes
to General Electric.
The issue of point-to-point
communications created the
most interest among the
county and town officials. The
successful bidder was required
to guarantee that his system
would allow each county
communications with its ad
joining counties.
County Control Centers will
be installed in the counties of
Watauga, Ashe, Surry, Yadkin,
and Wilkes. These centers will
allow all law enforcement
communications to be cen
trally received and dispatched.
Tape recorders will record all
incoming calls to the center
providing an accurate record
of the telephone calls.
Kramer Jackson, Director of
the Planning Council, points
out the awarding of this con
tract to be the result of almost
two years of planning. Funds
for the Communications
System have been awarded
through the federal “Omnibus
Crime and Safe Street Act”
passed in 1968.
Immediately following the
awarding of the contract, the
regular business meeting was
conducted.
The Constitution and Bylaws
of the Northwest Planning
Council were read and adop
ted. Judge J. E. Holshouser
and Judge Ralph Davis were
elected to the Executive Board.
Four persons representing the
general public were elected to
serve a one-year term on the
(Continued on pagf t*o>
Thanksgiving Dinner(s)?
With Thanksgiving nigh, Floyd Thomas looks over
his turkey flock on his farm in the Zionville com
munity. His son David feeds the gobblers to fatten
them for Thanksgiving dinner tables on Thursday.
(Photo—George Flowers)
Bloodmobile Is Coming
The bloodmobile will be in
Boone at the Fellowship Hall of
the First Baptist Church
Friday, December 4th and
Mrs. Goldie Fletcher,
Executive Secretary of the
Watauga Chapter, American
Red Cross has issued a strong
First Day Burley
Average $73.41
Burley auction* started Monday at Big Burley
Warehouse, where the top baskets of the sale fet
ched the growers $78 per hundred and where the
day’s average evened out at $73.41.
Total poundage for the day was 338,522, which
figured at the average price amounted to $248,508.
There was still a lot of tobacco on the floor at
Big Burley when the auctions ended. Farmers
Warehouse, where sales will take place next has
been filled and during the weekend the house near
the bus station was being filled.
Sales are being held Wednesday and Friday,
and thereafter the first four days of each week until
December 17 recess starts.
appeal (or participation in ima
life-sustaining activity.
"Give blood,” Mrs. Fletcher
says, adding "if you are a
person concerned about your
family and the insurance they
have of blood credit or do not
have. Let your concern be
known by going to the blood
mobile and sharing the gift that
can mean a longer life for a
friend or neighbor or perhaps
one of your own family."
Mrs. Fletcher's statement
continues:
“There was, perhaps, a time
when blood donors would
display concern for others
without much coaxing and only
needed the opportunity to
exhibit their willingness
without being personally
recruited to support the blood
program.
'This feeling, no doubt, still
exists today for many regular
donors. But, in our experience,
the first-time donor must be
convinced lust what the blood
program realty means to nim
or his family before he can
become actively involved.
blood, or for the blood-credit
For his own family use . . .
which is a very good reason.
“Blood credit is good in
surance (or blood needs. If you
are a regular donor, perhaps
you can let your next door
neighbor know just what it
means to you to have that
credit. Just knowing the time,
date and place does not con
vince the modern first time
donor of what the program
could really mean to him."
To Observe Holiday
Practically all the stares and
other business places la Beene
are to be closed far the
Thanksgiving observance.
Town and County Offices, the
Pos (office, financial In
ltttattoos, will take the day alt.
Deep Gap Fire
Dept Meeting Set
The Deep Gap Volunteer
Fire Depa-^ment will hold its
annual membership meeting at
7 Saturday night
James Watson, chtaf of the
department says the ammal
report will be given and of
ficer* elected. ,, ,