—TRANSYLVANIA
Land of Waterfalls,
Summer Camps, Verdant
Forests, Brevard College,
Brevard Music Center.
THE TRANSYLVANIA TIMES
A State And National Prize-Winning Home Town Newspaper
Vol Xk_ Nn 99 SECOND CLASS P
VO'. 3^. IVO. ii PAIO AT BREVARD, N.C.
SECOND CLASS POSTAGE
ZIP CODE M712
BREVARD, N. C., MARCH 17, 1975
15c COPY PUBLISHED SEMI-WEEKLY
—TRANSYLVANIA
Has Industry, Education,
Tourism, Unsurpassed
Recreation, Excellent
Shops And Stores, And
20,000 Of The Finest People
In The World.
12 PAGES TODAY
Rescue
Clark Grissom atop truck cab and awaiting help as torrent of flood waters races by.
Ranger’s Car
Floats Off
Barclay Rd.
County Forest Ranger Clark
Grissom, attempting to cross
flood waters of the French
Broad River on Friday, really
got into deep water before the
crossing was completed.
The ranger’s pickup truck
was swept downstream from
Barclay for about 75 feet
before taking on enough water
to sink. It stayed upright, so
Mr. Grissom clambered out a
window and got on top to wait
for assistance.
His plight was spotted and
someone called the Brevard
Rescus Squad, plus an am
bularrce.
On arrival Rescue Leader
Charlie Galloway, seeing that
Mr. Grissom was safe and
sound, although the flood
waters were still rising, yelled
to the ranger:
“I see you’re okay. We’ll be
back when the water goes
down.”
Then he turned as if to walk
away.
He was joking. As soon as
the Rescue Squad’s boat
arrived they went to work to
bring Mr. Grissom to shore.
No serious damage, other
than to Mr. Grissom’s truck
was reported from the waters
in the county, although the
Sylvan Valley became one
huge lake when viewed from
adjacent mountain tops.
Break-Ins
Plaguing
Officers
A series of break-ins and
robberies plagued Brevard
Police late last week.
Detective Sgt. Walter
Siniard said that the Sacred
Heart Catholic Church was
broken into, apparently by
persons with vandalism in
mind. “Things were thrown
about and damaged.”
Two break-ins and thefts
occurred early on the morning
of the March 13, he said.
The home of Chris Pidgeon
on Park Avenue was entered
around 4 a.m. on that date,
Sgt. Siniard said, and a $500
plus radio-tape system was
stolen.
Then at 4:30 on that mor
ning, Mr. Zip’s was entered; a
case of beer and $25 in change
was stolen; and extensive
damage was done to the
lighting; a window was
broken, and other vandalism
was found.
A number of incidents of
house and auto paintings have
been reported in the last two
weeks, he said.
The officer said he expects
arrests soon in all of the
trouble areas.
Brevard Rescue Squad boat reaches thoroughly soaked truck
Smiling, relieved forest ranger arrives on shore
Social Services
Hearing March 19
Transylvania County
citizens will have an op
portunity on Wednesday,
March 19, to help decide what
services should be provided by
their Social Services
Department, Director Don
Morrison has announced.
A public hearing will be held
on that date at 12 noon in the
County Courtroom.
Mr. Morrison, says that
every citizen and organization
that is interested in services to
the disabled, elderly, children
and families, and who would
like Federal funding par
ticipation in their programs
should attend this meeting.
All county agencies,
departments, civic
organizations, PTA’s, chur
ches, and interested citizens
are invited to bring proposals
and learn more about Title
XX.
New Federal legislation
enacted by Congress and
signed by President Ford on
January 4, allows states far
more freedom in determining
the kinds of services that are
provided its citizens, Mr.
Morrison said.
In the past most services
offered by county social
services departments
throughout North Carolina
were specified by the Federal
government.
The state could have been
spending upwards of $62
million annually in federal
funds to meet the needs of its
people; but due to past
restrictive federal
regulations, states spent
about half that amount while
service needs went unmet.
This latest federal
legislation known as Title XX
is a part of the new federalism
which allows state and local
government to have more
decision-making authority in
how federal funds are spent.
The law establishes five
—See Social, Page 4A
Satellite,
Not Station
Will Move
A rumor going around that
the N.A.S.A. Tracking Station
is going to be moved from
Balsam Grove to a site in
India, is incorrect, NASA’s
Chief of Operations at the
facility said early Monday.
Jim Jackson explained that
a satellite now under control
of the station, a stationary
satellite called an ATS6, and
now directly overhead, but
many miles in space, is going
to be programmed to drift out
over the Atlantic.
“A temporary tracking
station located near Madrid,
Spain, will take over control
this satellite,” Mr. Jackson
explained. “And a few of our
personnel may be transferred
to the site, but it would be a
very few."
The satellite, not the
tracking station, is going to
move, he explained.
4-Year ScKiol Board
Tenure Bil In House
DeBruhl,
Nesbitt
Signers
A bill which would change
the office tenure of Tran
sylvania Board of Education
members from six years to
four years has been in
troduced in the N. C. General
Assembly by Rep. Claude
DeBruhl and Mary C. Nesbitt,
both of Buncombe County.
The bill was introduced at
the request of the Tran
sylvania Democratic
Executive Committee, which
had voted in favor of the
proposed measure twice, once
at a meeting in Rosman, and
again in a session at Penrose
with Mr. DeBruhl and Mrs.
Nesbitt present.
The purpose of the bill,
according to two of its
strongest backers — Dr.
Marius Wells, and Joe Terry
— is to give the electorate
within the county the power to
elect a majority of the five
board members in some
election years.
As it is set up now, a
maximum of two can be
elected in any one election
year.
Dr. Jerry Cabe and School
Board Chairman Gene Morris
both spoke in opposition to the
bill at the session at which the
second vote was taken. They
told the Democrats in at
tendance that a couple of
years are needed to learn the
job before a member can
become an effective one.
The bill as written, would
not change the tenure of any
person already elected. Only
one term expires in 1976, the
next general election year.
Only one person would be
elected, but would be elected
for a four-year instead of a six
year term.
Two would be elected in
1978. Then in 1980, a majority
of the board would be elected
— the two whose terms would
normally expire that year plus
filling the seat of the person
elected in 1976.
Rep. John S. Stevens and
Rep. Herbert Hyde, who also
represent Transylvania along
with Buncombe County in the
43rd House District, did not
attend either of the local
meetings at which the bill was
discussed.
Mr. Terry told the last
meeting that he had high
respect for the present board
but that he thought the
county’s voters should have
the opportunity to elect a
majority of the board mem
bers when they felt the board
was not acting in the best
interest of the schools.
NEW OFFICERS — These
are the leaders of the Connestee
Property owners group which will
take control of Connestee Falls
development’s amenities within 30
days. From left, they are: Ross
Hutchinson, Mrs. Charlotte Lister,
Ernest D. Bryant, president; Mrs.
Frances Frost, and Anthony
McNally.
Connestee Falls Residents
Take Over Area’s Facilities
Residents and lot owners of
Connestee Falls, on Friday
signed agreements with the
Connestee Falls Development
Corp. which will give them
absolute control of all the
development’s amenities
within 30 days.
In effect the residents and
lot owners are taking over the
ownership and the main
tenance of all roads, the golf
course, swimming pool,
stables, tennis courts, and
community land and parks.
“These are conservatively
valued in excess of $6
million,” said Richard
McIntyre, vice president of
Realtec, Inc. of which
Connestee Falls Development
Corp. is a subsidiary.
Colonel Ernest D. Bryant
was elected president of the
new Connestee Maintenance
Corp. Other officers are Mrs.
Frances Frost, Mrs. Charlotte
Lister, Anthony McNally, and
Ross Hutchinson.
They immediately signed an
employment contract with
Jim Farrer, who will serve as
community manager, to
oversee the maintenance of
the properties.
Mr. McIntyre said that
there are still a number of jobs
the developing corporation
will have to attend to. “These
were things that you just can’t
get done with the kind of
weather we’ve been having.
But we’re obligated to do
them, so we will.”
There’ll also be a sales
office maintained at the
development until the
remaining 10 to 15 per cent of
the development lots are
bought, Mr. McIntyre said.
Early Friday, the
developing corporation
satisfied one of two out
standing liens against it,
which had prevented it from
selling more lots and giving
free titles.
One of the liens was
satisified by bond in the
amount of $203,306.29. The
other lien for $119,072.63 was
to have been cleared Friday
afternoon with cash, ac
cording to the Clerk of Court
office.
Attorney Bill White of
Brevard said that the transfer
of ownership of the
development’s amenities
“came about as the result of a
lot of hard negotiations bet
ween property owners and
developers.
“This is the first time
something like this has
happened in Transylvania
County.”
Some 100 homes of an ex
pected 3,000-plus have been
built in the 3,900-acre
development
The transfer of ownership of
the facilities from developer
to property owners was
toasted with champagne.
Lawrence McCall
Gets New Trial
Lawrence McCall, on death
row at the State Prison in
Raleigh since February of
1974 after conviction of the
slayings of Mr. and Mrs. Bill
Hice of Balsam Grove, has
been granted a new trial by
the State Supreme Court.
The court said it was
granting a new trial because
Transylvania Smokers’
Annual Bill: $1.57 Million
(Special to the Times)
Just about 10 years have
passed since the U. S. Surgeon
General issued the warning
that cigarette smoking was
injurious to health.
Since then there have been a
number of other reports
linking cigarettes with cancer,
heart disease and other
ailments.
To what extent has this
moved Transylvania County
residents to change their
smoking habits? How much
are local people smoking these
days compared with people in
other areas?
Although many of them
have given up the habit
completely or are smoking
less than they did in former
years, according to the
statistics, others have taken
up smoking for the first time.
The newcomers, mostly teen
agers, have offset the gains
that would otherwise have
been achieved.
The facts and figures are
based upon nationwide sur
veys made by the Department
of Agriculture, the Tobacco
Tax Council and others.
In Transylvania County,
according to a breakdown of
these findings, an estimated
4,773,000 packs of cigarettes
were smoked in the past year.
Related to the local
population over age 18, this
was equivalent to 343 packs
per person.
In some sections of the
country the rate of con
sumption was much greater
than this and, in other sec
tions, smaller.
Nationally, the average rate
for the over-18 population was
approximately 214 packs per
capita. In the South Atlantic
States it was 223.
The 214 national rate
represented an increase of
about five packs per person
since 1973. It is the third
consecutive year in which
there has been a rise, states
the Agriculture Department.
We are now within two per
cent of the record 217 packs
per capita consumed 10 years
ago, when the Surgeon
General’s announcement was
made. Since then, after an
initial drop, it has been going
up.
In Transylvania County, an
estimated $1,570,000 was spent
last year for cigarettes. It was
at the rate of $112.80 per
smoker.
of errors made by Judge
Harry C. Martin in admitting
certain testimony and for
failure to instruct the jury
properly.
The double slaying of the
Hices occurred on Sept. 12,
1973, allegedly over a property
dispute.
Also charged originally with
Lawrence McCall were his
brother Lloyd, and Lloyd’s
son, Gary McCall, all of
Balsam Grove. A mistrial in
their cases was declared at
the time of the first trial, and a
judge freed them in November
after the state had presented
its case.
The judge said there was not
enough evidence to allow the
case to go to a jury.
Several witnesses allegedly
changed their testimony
between the first and second
trials, the judge said.
Clerk of Court Marian
McMahon said Friday that she
had not yet received the
Supreme Court order, but that
she expected Mr. McCall to be
brought back from Raleigh for
trial at the next term of
Superior Court which begins
Monday, March 31.
Also scheduled for that term
of Superior Court is the trial of
Elzie McCall in the death of
Brentt McCall. This shooting
occurred in January in the
Frozen Creek section of the
county.