TRANSYLVANIA—
An Industrial, Tourist, Educa
tional, Agricultural and Music
Center. Population, 1960 Census
V6.372. Brevard Commnuity
8.50^ Brevard proper 4,857.
THE TRANSYLVANIA TIMES
A State And National Prize - Winning A.B.C. Newspaper
TRANSYLVANIA—
The Land of Waterfalls, Mecca
for Summer Camps, Entrance t«
Pisgah National Forest and
Home of Brevard College and
Brevard Music Festival.
79—No. 8
SECOND CLASS POSTAGE
PAID AT BREVARD, N. C. ZIP CODE 28712
BREVARD, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1966
PRICE 10c
★ 24 PAGES TODAY ★ PUBLISHED WEEKLY
Du Pont Announces Multi-Million Dollar Expansion Of Local Plant
Site For Expansion At Du Pont Plant Indicated By Arrow
Plans for a multimillion dollar
expansion of production facilities
for “Cronar” polyester photograp
hic film base at Brevard, N. C.,
were announced today by the Du
Pont company.
Today’s move is the first step in a
major Du Pont program to expand
polyester photographic film facilities,
according to Jack Dense, Plant Man
ager of the Brevard Plant. He said
Du Pont is forecasting expenditures
of more than $30 million to increase
the company’s capacity for “Cronar”
over the next few years.
Construction will start in May
with completion expected in early
1968. The expansion announced
today will add about 100 jobs to
the present Brevard work force of
almost 600. About 400 construc
tion workers will be required at
peak activity. The plant will incor
porate new polyester technology
and improved electronic testing
and quality control devices.
Mr. Dense said Du Pont was going
ahead with a major expansion less
than two years from start-up of the
Brevard plant because of the excep
tionally good acceptance of. “Cro
nex” x-rav films bjv the radiologic
profession and demand for other
polyester-based products from other
segments of the photographic film
field. “Cronex” x-ray films utilize a
“Cronar” base.
The Brevard plant, opened in
June 1964, was the first commer
cial unit designed to make medi
cal x-ray films on a polyester base.
It doubled Du Pont’s capacity for
“Cronar” polyester film, a tough,
optically clear film widely used for
graphic arts, engineering reproduc
tion, drafting, photorecording and
motion picture films.
Mr. Dense said use of photo
graphic products based on “Cro
nar” has grown almost fivefold in
the past five years. He said pro
jected expansions over the next
few years again would double the
company’s capacity for “Cronar.’
On March 4th
Brevard Music Center Will
Hold Public Interest Meet
The public is cordially in
vited to attend a “Public In
terest” meeting of the Brevard
Music center on Friday night,
March 4th, at 7:30 o’clock in
the Brevard Senior High school
auditorium.
This is the first of such meet
ings, and it is sponsored by the
trustees of the Brevard Music
center.
m reception will also be held,
and the program will be brief,
interesting and informative.
John D. Eversman will be
t% master of ceremonies, and
slwrt talks will be made by
the following:
Paul Thomas, president of
the Brevard Music center
Wayne Bradburn, superin
tendent of schools
Donald Lee Moore, chairman
of the Transylvania Board of
County Commissioners
Henry Janiec, the artistic
director of the center.
Raymond F. Bennett, mayor
of Brevard, will welcome the
many guests who are expect
ed.
Mr. Eversman has been speak
ing at various civic meetings re
cently, urging the members to
atisnd this special meeting.
Xast year was one of the
best, years in the history of the
Brevard Music center, and
even more elaborate plans are
bj^ng made for the ’66 season.
Announcement Prompts
Expressions Of Confidence
Voiced By BennetC Moore
j 7
A fine sample of public en
thusiasm about the proposed
expansion of the Brevard Du
Pont Photo Products plants
was expressed Wednesday
morning by Raymond F. Ben
nett, mayor of Brevard.
“It is wonderful news.
“This is an expression of
Precipitation totaled just over
2 inches during the past week in
Brevard, as temperatures rang
ed from a low of 19 to a high
mark of 60 degrees.
Afternoon high averaged 53
degrees, while early morning
lows balanced out at 26 degrees.
Day-tc-day readings were as
follows:
High Low Prec.
Wednesday_ 56 44 0.78
Thursday_ 55 33 1.30
Friday__ 42 26 0.00
Saturday- 60 20 0.00
Sunday_— 52 21 0.00
Monday-- 54 21 0.00
Tuesday_ 54 19 0.00
confidence by this great com
pany in the future of Tran
sylvania and the Brevard com
munity.”
Mayor Bennett continued:
“We intend to live up to
this confidence.
‘•Present evidence of this
is our current Sewerage Im
provement project that will
be voted on March 12th.”
The mayor urges all persons
who are not registered on the
town's books to be sure to reg
ister on Saturday, Feb. 26th, at
the Town hall or at the Ameri
can Legion building.
Another salute to Du Pont
came Wednesday morning from
Donald Lee Moore, chairman of
I he Transylvania County Board
of Commissioners.
“Our industries play a ma
jor role in the growth and de
velopment of Transylvania.
We are indeed happy to see
continued expansion.
‘■Du Pont is a good neighbor,
end vve appreciate the con
fidence they have in our com
munity," Mr. Moore declared.
Background Revealed
History Of Du Pont In This
County Has Been Interesting
By • The Editor
The Brevard Du Pont plant
in Transylvania has been
“good copy” for the Transyl
vania Times since the latter
part of the 1950’s.
And this week’s issue con
tavflf more “good news” from the
Photo Products plant, located
near Cedar Mountain.
Announcements of expan
sion of industries that are al
ready operating in our coun
ty are always well received
because they make the future
even brighter.
It was June, 1964, that The
Times announced the start - up
of the multi - million dollar
plant here to make new medical
and industrial X-ray films based
on “Cronar” polyester film.
From that story we quote:
“The plant is the first com
mercial unit specifically de
signed to make medical x-ray
films based on polyester. It
will double the company’s ca
pacity for “Cronar”, a tough,
optically clear, film now wide
ly used for graphic arts, en
gineering reproduction, draft
ing, photorecording and mo
tion picture films.
“The highly automated
plant, under construction since
February 1962, provides jobs
for approximately 500 per
sons and required about 900
construction workers at peak
of activity.
“Three new medical films,
named “Cronex” x-ray films,
are being produced at Bre
vard. They contain faster and
improved emulsions developed
after more than five years of
research and development at
the company’s Parlin, N. J.,
photographic products labora
tory.
“Products range from a high
speed film, providing reduced
radiation exposure and good
image definition, to moderate
speed films with high contrast
and wide flexibility in expo
sure and processing.”
“Open House” was held that
month at the plant, and hun
dreds of persons had the oppor
tunity of seeing the facilities
which comprised the most mod
ern photographic film manufac
turing plant in the world.
The plant was first put into
—Turn to Page Three
Eatfsiyt
WESTERN
• UNION
»»OWf
ftaceivadal
Raleigh, N. C.
Feb. 23, 1966
Mr. John I. Anderson, Editor
The Transylvania Times
Brevard, N. C.
“I am very pleased at the further indication
of the faith of Du Pont in North Carolina.
“I, of course, share that faith and believe
that we are seeing the earliest beginnings of the
full bloom of economic development in Western
North Carolina.
“We congratulate the company and the
area, and we pledge to continue our efforts for
the total development of the entire state.”
Dan K. Moore
Governor of North Carolina
I
]
From Federal Funds
School Improvement Program
Underway, Grant Received
Survey Reveals
Local Cigarette Sale Up As
Residents Smoke In Big Way
Residents of Transylvania
county have returned to
smoking in a big way.
Despite the steady barrage
of medical reports in recent
years linking cigarettes with
cancer, heart disease and
other ailments, they are puf
fing away at a record rate.
For a time, following the
Surgeon General’s 1964 report
>n the hazards of smoking, there
vas a marked drop in cigarette
•onsumption, locally and else
vhere .
Some people swore off com
iletely, some cut down on the
lumber they smoked and some
urned to cigars or pipes as a
iubstitute.
As a result, cigarette sales
in the United States, which
were at an all • time high of
524 billion packs in 1963, drop
ped to 511 billion in 1964.
During the past year, however,
nost of the converts weakened
n their resolve and took up
vhere they had left off. They
iclped boost cigarette output
:o a new record — 532 billion.
In Transylvania county, an
estimated 1,855,000 packs of
cigarettes were smoked . in
1965, on the basis of regional
—Turn to Page Eight
Under the direction of Mrs.
Hilda Olson, supervisor of
construction, a program of
school improvement has been
developed for Transylvania
►'county. Supt. Wayne Brad
1mm announces.
The Elementary and Second
ary Education Act directs that
the program is to go into effect
immediately.
All contracts have been let
on the projects, and officials
hope that construction will be
completed by September of
1966.
Mrs. Juanita Lavender is act
ing as temporary director, and
Mrs. Olson will continue as pro
gram coordinator.
The program is being paid for
entirely by federal funds.
The purpose of Public Law
89-10, Title I, is to improve tlm
educational opportunities of chil
dren who live in areas of con
—Turn to Page Eight
(Times Staff Photo)
Plant Manager Jack Dense Studying Area For Proposed Expansion