ius of SO milM,
,000 people &
a Carolina. f
ress in the "State of Wilkes" For Over 43
Published
Monday. April 24.1950
. ma JL
TvlVH DivWh# Ih
Fish Like Snday
Meal Highway 115
Arthur Byrd Sinks In 12 Feet
Of Water In Lake Sooth
Of This City
Arthur Byrd, 16-year-old student
of Wilkesboro school, drowned
Sunday afternoon In a fish
lake near highway 115, twelve
miles south of North Wilkesboro.
The boy was swimming In the
lake, watchers on the bank told
Coroner L M, Myers, who investigated
the death, when he sank in
IS feet of water and did not eome
jap. Efforts to recover his body
failed until Highway Patrolman
Sidney Carter arrived on the
scene, and dived and brought up
the body.
The drowning victim was a
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Byrd,
Mpef the Rock Creek community.
W Recently he had made his home
with Mr. and Mrs. Lester Beshears
near this city in order to
continue school at Wilkesboro
■ after his parents had moved from
this community.
The fish lake where the accident
occurred was constructed
the past year by Robert Holland
and Lester Beshears. The
lake had not been opened for
fishing and swimming.
Surviving the Byrd youth are
his father and mother, Harvey
and Bvie Sales Byrd, of North
Wilkesboro route two, and two
brothers, Monroe Byrd, of Greensboro,
and Eugene Byrd, of North
Wilkesboro.
Short Story Contest
Will End April 30th
Short story contest sponsored
by the North Wilkesboro Junior
Woman's Club will end April SO.
This contest Is open to all high
school students in Wilkes County.
Prises of five and ten dollars will
be given in two groups: the junior
and senior group and the
freshman and sophomore group.
Entries must be sent to Mrs.
James Ford, North Wilkesboro.
o—■
Attorney and Mrs. J. H. Whick-1
er were business visitors in Ra-|
leiKh Friday.
Wilkesboro Chorus
In Music Festival
Twenty-five members of the
Wilkesboro high school mixed
chorus participated with 45 othei
high school groups in the state
music festival held in Greens bore
Wednesday night. The total chorut
had 500 voices* The Wilkesborc
group, under direction of Mrs. 0.
T. Doughton, gained the privilege
of participating by having received
a rating of "very good" in the
district contests
In addition to chorus memberi
those frpm Wilkesboro attending
Included John Prevette, Mrs. Lacs
Huffman and daughter, Miss Lac;
Huffman, and Mr. and Mrs. Slater
Prevette.
o—;
Smith And Horner
Deliver Speeches
In Wilkes Connty
Candidates Active In Campaigns
Fpr Congress And
Senate Seats
Willis Smith, prominent Raleigh
attorney who is making
a determined bid for the United
States senate seat now held bj
Senator Frank Graham, and W. E.
Horner, Sanford publisher opposing
Represnetatlve C. B. Deanc
in the primary for the Democratic
nomination for congress, were
busy in Wilkes last week.
At noon Friday Candidate
Smith addressed the North Wilkesboro
Kiwanis club and on
Friday night delivered' a campaign
address to an audience at
the Wilkes courthouse, where he
was presented by Attorney W. H.
McKlwee. The candidate was well
received by audiences at both
places. In addition to speaking,
Mr. Smith called on many of his
friends in Wilkes during the day.
He was accompanied by his son,
Willis Smith, Jr.
Candidate Horner spoke on
Wednesday^pight at Ron da school
and on Thursday night at Millers
Creek. In both speeches he attacked
spending policies of ■ the
federal government and the record
of his opponent in congress.
Mr. Horner had with him a complete
string.band, which entertained
the crowds with folk music.
M.-SGT. LONG, PLANE CRASH
SURVIVOR, IS VISITING HERE
M-Sgt. Gwynne A. Long, U. S.
Air Corp:,, has returned to WaahViagton,
D. C., and thence to Ottawa,
Canada, to re-enter a hospital
there for farther treatment after
a visit of several days with relatives
and friends here. M-Sgt.
Long is recuperating from injuries
tWecelved when he Jumped from
*T&e burning plane on which U.
S. Ambassador Laurence A
Steinhardt and four others lost
their Jives, March 29.
With reference to the crash
M-Sgt. Long said:
"I told them to get out of the
plane." said Long, who was crew
chief of the air force C-47 transport.
"But something happened
and they didn't move. I guess there
wasn't time. Everything was happening
so fast. And there was a
terrific noise. I've only a vague
memory of what went on in the
cabin in the few seconds before I
decided to Jump."
Long said the plane's right wing
blew up in "very spontaneous
fire" when the plane was about
3,000 feet in the air and that
flames shot Into the cabin within
45 seconds after the explosion. He
said the pilot, LL Col. W. F.
Trueblood, told him he would fly
. a level course to give passengers
a chance to Jump.
"He told me to go back and get
the others to Jump," Long said, "I
realize there were only si* to
seven seconds left before we would
crash so I balled out. I went
through the door on the left side
of the plane." '
He said he did not remember
to push any of the pasout
the door.
There was no question of arguthem,"
he said. "There
time, any more t^an to tell
_ __ get out of the plane. They
i't say anything at all that I
and sisters of M-Sgt.
Long who reside in North Wilkesboro
are: Mr. and Mrs. Bron
Long, Mr. and Mrs. Herman
Long, Mr. and Mrs. Hobert Long
and Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Hlgglns.
: O
T. S. Myers, Age 65,
Dies Unexpectedly
Tyre Sylvester Myers, 65, member
of a widely known Wilkes
family, died unexpectedly Saturday
at his home near Dockery. ?
Wilkes Coroner I. M. Myers,
who Investigated the death, attributed
death to a sudden heart attack.
Mr. Myers was stricken Just
after he had walked from his
house to his barn.
Born June 29, 1884, Mr. Myers
was a son of the late George
Ellha and Mary Staley Myers. Surviving
are his wife, Mrs. Maude
Bryan Myers: one son, Staley
Myers, a chief machinist mate In
the navy and three daughters,
Mrs. Vaughn Prultt of El kin, Mrs.
Dock Wheeler and Mrs. H. o.
Martin, of North Wilkeeboro.
Funeral will be held Tuesday,
2:80, at Mt. Plsagh church near
Dockery. Rev. L. E. Sparks and
Rev. Mr. Weatherman will conduct
the services.
o
Senior Class Of
Millers Creek To
Give "Spring Fever"
"Spring Fever", the three-act
comedy by Ray Hodges will be
presented at the Millers Greek
auditorium by the senior Class of
Millers Creek high school on Friday
evening, April 28, at 7:45.
Admittance will be 50c for
adults and 25c for children.
[>•' 0
Renew Concert Membership.
" 'y "" -nil ■■
Two Auto* Collide Head-on;
Three Are Critci&lly
Injured Saturday
A six-year-old boy was killed
and three critically injured Saturday
afternoon when two can
collided on highway 421 eight
miles east of here.
Monroe Sparks, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Sparks, who reside
about 1* miles east of this city,
died at six p. m., two hours following
the accident. His mother
sustained multiple injuries and
nay not recover. His father received
severe cuts, bruises and possibly
internal injuries. Lawrence
Call, of North Wilkesboro route
three, received severe cuts and
chest injuries. All persons are
patients at the hospital here.
The car driven by Call was traveling
west on the highway when
it collided head-on with the car
driven by Robert Sparks. Both
vehicles were demolished.
Renew Concert Membership,
* mwwn nv«*w, mwucur r*ui female, 70, oi Amiens, France, pose*
with his wilt and the newest addition to the Demaie family after he
became a father tor the thirty-sixtlr time. His first wife bore him
twenty-four children and the present one, twelve. (International)
SCHOOL BOARDS. AND P.-T. A.
FAVORING SCHOOL MERGER
■ u. m '
At a joint meeting of members
of the Wilkes County and North
Wllkesboro boards of education
held Friday night the proposed
annexation of Wllkeeboro high to
North Wllkesboro high was
discussed at length and certain
recommendations were made.
The meeting recommended that
tba lfcmgjUon property In 1<WHkeeJ»oro
be need a« the site of a central
high school and that a
building be started as soon as possible
with funds available. In (he
event that available tends would
not be sufficient to erect a building
large enough to house the
entire qentral school at present,
that students of Wllkesboro high
school be housed there first, because
of extremely crowded conditions
in Wllkesboro buildings, and
that North Wilkecfboro students
be taken into the school when the
buildnig is large enough.
It was also recommended that
the central school begin - operation
under the North Wllkesboro
special charter With the provision
that Wllkesboro join the district
by voting the supplement tax now
in force in North Wllkesboro.
Meeting with the two schools
boards wdre C. B. filler, £ounty
superintendent of schools, and
M. F. Absher and C. C. Sldden,
members Of the Wilkes county
board of commissioner's. Members
of the county board of commissioners
present, who had already
stated willingness to appropriate
$13,000 as half the cost of
the proposed site in addition
to avalable i funds* stated that
the appropriation over a two
Renew Concert Membership.
year period could possibly be
raised to $26,009, which represents
total cost of t&e site.
North Wllkesboro hig^L school
bund received superior rating in
the state contest held Friday in
Greensboro. t
Superior rating is the highest
(given In the music contest and is
coveted by all participants. \
In addition to receiving the
highest rating possible, the band
was highly complimented by many
members Of the audience for the
superior performance given at the
contest.
Directed by Miss Era Bingham
the band has made wonderful
progress in recent years. The
right to participate in the state
contest was earned by receiving a
superior rating In the recent district
contest.
All who have relatives burled in
Purlear cemetery are asked to be
at the cemetery Wednesday afternoon,
with tools and ready to
work on improving the cemetery.
Cemetery Working
PARADE LAUNCHES
CLEAN-UP EVENT
w V* M A OT_ VIM . m m * — a ■*»«.
viwiu-w^! * Muvvyt jrAA-uy,
event opened in the Wllkeeboros
today with a clean-up parade and
demonstrations by leading citiznes
showing they could. do the
work.
The parade used to open the
campaign and interest people in
the subject of beautlficatkm started
in Wllkesboro at 1:3b and attracted
much Interest as it marched
through streets of both towna.
In the parade were official cars
carrying the leaders of the twoweeks
campaign, which is sponsored
by the Civic Activities committee
Of the Wilkes Chamber of
Commerce, Woman's clubs and the
Garden club.
Student groups from Wilkesboro
school participated in Wilkesboro
and in North Wllkesboro
the parade wau ' joined by
the North Wllkesboro high school
band and student groups. In each
instance these groups carried tools
and materials emphasising the
theme of the event and posters
m»UV UJ OVUWl VliUUIQU. AUIOO
tracks with tools, materials and
workmen emphasised paint-up
clean-up and fix-up.
Following the parade In Wilkeeboro
a croup of citizens headed
by Mayor W. E. Smlthey and Wm.
T. Long, school principal, demonstrated
clean-up on public property.
In £?orth Wilkesboro Jack Swofford,
acted as foreman of a group
of citizens, with Mrs. G. E. Jenkins,
Sr., as supervisor. Mr. Swofford's
helpers were designed as
follows: J. B. "Bull of the Brushles"
Williams, Maurice "Uncle
Sam" Walsh, Charlie "White
Horse" Jenkins, Gilbert "Fair
Deal" Bare, "Beagle" Joe McCoy.
W. G. "Belk" Gabriel, Link
"Macy" Spainhonr, Bill "Spic And
Span" Marlow, "Diamond'' Jim
Carter, "Homes" Robin Wooten.
This group really put on a
show. Dressed to the extreme, they
were rery closely supervised ss
,they cleaned parts of Main and
i Tenth streets to prefection.
► '
Without a dissenting rote a
crowd oI about 300 patrons of
North Wilkesboro school at the
Parent-Teacher Association meeting
Thursday night voted in favor
of the North Wilkes bo ro-Wilkeeboro
high school annexation plan
recommended by a surrey panel
appointed by the state department
of public Instruction.
The plan as recommended by
the state panel favored the Doughton
property it Wttkeeboro as site
for the school, which would operate
under the present city charter
here with any areas adjaoent
to North Wilkesboro, including
Wilkes boro and other adjoining
areas, having the right to vote
into the charter district.
Dermont Smith, P.-T. A. president,
presided over the meeting
and devotional was conducted by
Miss Rebecca Raper. Rufus
Church, member of the city board
of education, presented two members
of the survey committee appointed
by Dr. Clyde Erwin, state
superintendent of public instruction,
Claude Griggs, superintendent
of Albemarle schools, and
Jim Slfford, Stanley county
school superintendent. Mr. Sifford
was first'speaker. He explained
that the committee of five made
a survey of the school situation
in North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro,
Pairplains, Mulberry, Moravian
Falls and other adjacent communities.
At Wilkesboro he said crowded
conditions were the second wont
that he had witnessed in Jhe state,
and that the school has 300 more
students than It has room for.
At North Wilkesboro he said conditions
were not as bad but the
school was lacking in facilities,
including adequate room for library,
scinece department, band
and extra curricula activities. He
stated that consolidation of high
schools of the Wilkesboros into a
central high school was the logical
solution. He said the high
school students removed from present
buildings in the two towns
would allow room for elementary
atudents and would make possible
the bringing In of Pairplains and
eliminate the necessity ot a school
building there.
The speakers said they found
that the Wilkesboros are in reality
one community, and that available
building funds for Wilkesboro,
North Wilkesboro and Pairplains
could be pooled to build a
central high school, while neither
place has enough money to do decent
building Jobs individually.
They said that there is a danger
that fuqds will be dissipated by
division instead of building something
to make better educational
advantages.
The speakers described sites
visited, Including the county home
property, Johnston property and
the Doughton property, which they
said being centrally located was
(Continued on Page 6)
nT ,*e *ill hi aod
««3* Ct^«. Tor 7£\
. ^/acert Association
- tue subject of the Lions Club
program Friday craning, which I
had a large attendance of Lions I
present.
Recor dines —ih»
-
- «ui<l
non spoke briel _.
The membership drive tor Community
Concerts will be held in
the near future, but present members
are asked to send their re- i
newals to Miss Scroggs or Mrs. <
W. D. Halfacre and save much 1
work and time on the part of
volunteer workers and members.
Fred Davis and Sam OgilTie j
were In charge of the program.
WHIbtaitiTir
He said our government, jg im- .
portant, next to our home and i
oar church. It is Important in i
our daily life. It Is Important to :
our liberty. He said in the recent i
years there has arisen the idea ;
that the state is supreme. Our <
nation has not grown great
through that idea. Our people
hare been different to the peoples
of the world, and that difference J
has made us the greatest nation i
in the world— True, we have
great resources, but the other i
countries also hare resources, but ]
their means of using them hare
not led to greatness. Our kind of!
government has made the difference.
The prevailing ideas of
great power i» the hands of these
who govern us and their inclination
to spend more on government
than it can collect from the
people is decidedly destructive in
its nature.
Guests Friday were as follows:
Ben Stimson with H. H. Morehouse,
Maurice Walsh with Tom
Jenrette, James M. Anderson with
J. B. WilliMMbriff. Floyd Wood- '
ward with Irfc P*£ne, Charlie Jenkins
with Jobtfgjfalker, Clarence
P. Coffey withxW' B. Ellor, Aveiy
Waddell and Willis Smith, Jr.,
with W. H. McElwee, Roland Potter
with John Cashion.
Following the luncheon several
members went to Millers Creek to
Join in the high school program
there pesenting a charter to the
newly organised Key club.
OrBBftriTj;
To Meet Tiealay
The Optimist Club of North
Wilkeeboro will meet Tuesday,
April 25thP at noon at Hotel
Wilkes.
Mr. J. Floyd Woodward, superintendent
of the eity school, will
address the club.
Frailer Truck Crashes Into
Ditch Near Wade Harris
Bridge Thursday
A Tom&urllle, Georgia, business
Bsn was killed sad his partner
ras Injured Thursday afternoon
rhen a truck got out of control
>n highway 421, 23 miles west of
lere and crashed.
John Mel Gunter, 26, elected
0 jump from the speeding truck
ind was killed. With him was
Jlyde Barnes his partner in the
rucking firm of Gunter and Barles.
Barnes remained in the
ruck and sustained only bruises
ind shock. <He received treatment
it the hospital here.
Wilkes Coroner 1. M. Myers
ind members of the state highway
>atrol Investigated the accidnet
Sarnes told them that he snd
hunter were carrying a load of
nerchandlse by. tractor-trailer
rom Clncinsttl, Ohio, to Georgia,
md that Gunter was driving.
They lacked only one mile of
■caching the bottom of the long
Blue Ridge grade when the
>rakes weakened to such an exent
that they would not hold the
oaded truck In _pheck. They had
ust passed over the 110-foot
tigh Wade Harris bridge when
lunter tried vainly to change the
ruck into a lower gear to slow its
irogress. Barnes said the motor
tad stalled, apparently from carinretor
trouble, and the drtrer
:ould not change the gears. Gutter
chose to jump from the cab
md apparently was run over by
1 wheel Of the heavily laden trail>r.
Barnes said he tried to stop
the truck with the emergency
Mrakes but it sweveted Into the
eft side ditch sad the tractor
>art stopped after partially climb- %
xactor. Merchandise from the
ruck scattered .over a wide area
>f the highway and roadside.
Body of Gunter was taken to
rhomasville, Georgia for buriaL
u
Local People To
Establish Radio
Station In Boone
Tbe Wilkes Broadcasting Com>any
announces that through the
(ffort and cooperation of - the
3oone Chamber of Commerce, the
federal Communications Oomaiasion
has granted them a permit
o establish a 250-watt station at
Soone. The station will be a local
>utlet and will begin operation
iround July 1. The Wilkes Broadlasting
Company operates WKBC,
;he 1,000 Watt station in North
Wilkesboro.
Owners of the Wilkes Broadlasting
company, which will opsrate
both stations, are Mrs. Doris
3. Brown, president and general
nanager; John T. Cashion, rice
(resident; Roland B. Potter, secretary-treasurer.
. I O
Mrs. Godfrey Is
Taken By Death
Mrs. Tennie Mae Godfrey, 60,
rife of L. !>. Godfrey, for many
rears a well known resident of
Wilkesboro, died Saturday morning
following a brief illness.
Funeral service was held Sunlay,
2: SO p. m., at Wilkesboro
Baptist church with the pastor,
Eter. W. N. Brookshlre, In charge
i—toted by Rev. Howard J. Ford,
>f Elkin. Burial was in Monnt
L<awn Memorial Park.
Mrs. Godfrey was born January
18, 1890, a daughter ot the late
3tephen A. and Alice Hardin
Godfrey. Surviving are her husband,
two daughters, Mrs. George
Parlier of Wilkesboro, and Mr*.
W. A. Edens of Washington, D. C.
two sons, L. H. Godfrey of Washington,
D. C., and R. S. Godfrey
of Wilkesboro, and six grand:hildren.
o — ■
Music Recital
Ensemble music recital will be
jlven by the Handel Junior Musio
Club, Tuesday April 2S, 8:00 p.
m. at the North Wilkesboro Woman's
Club..The public Is invited
to attend. " u