CIRCULATION
LAST WEEK 8717
Year Ago Last Week - 2416
Price 10 Cents
"VOL. LXVU? NO. 13
FRANKLIN, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1952
Scott And Erwin Visit Macon Schools
STORM DAMAGE
BOOSTS OUOTA
OF RED CROSS
Ask People Here To Give
$195 More To Aid
Victims
An additional $195 was added
Monday to Macon County's $2,
826 American Red Cross quota,
following a death-dealing series
of toronadoes which ripped
through six southern states
over the week-end, killing an
estimated 220 and injuring some
1,100.
The A. R. C. raised the
amount of its national quota
in order to give assistance to
homeless referges in the dis
aster area.
To date, approximately $1,
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 8
HONOR STUDENTS
GEORGIA NELL Bh DONALD
Valedictorian
MARTHA ANN STOCKTON
Safutatoifew
Miss McDoaaM, faugfcfcer of
Mr. and Mrs. W. N. AkcB*naLd,
and Miss Stockton, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. J. Horner Stock
ton, have been aamed valedic
torian and salutatorian, re* peet
ively, of the 1992 graOmsimg
class of Franklin High Sctood.
graduation exercises are set (or
May 26 at Macon theatre.
Sunrise Service
On Wayah Bald
Planned Easter
Plans are being worked out
for the program of the fifth
annual Easter sunrise service
on mile-high Wayah Bald
April 13.
The service, as in past years,
will be conducted at "High
Haven", camp of Mr. and Mrs.
Gilmer A. Jones, and timed to
end just as the sun comes
over the rim of the eastern
mountains.
The program will be an
nounced as soon as details are
completed, the committee an
nounced yesterday.
Approximately 200 "persons
attended last year's service.
DEATH CLAIMS
ROBERT STAMEY
Was Macon Magistrate
55 Years; Funeral
Held Tuesday
Robert Stamey, who had
served as a magistrate in this
county for 55 years, died about
midnight Sunday at his home
in the South Skeenah commun
ity, after an illness of a week.
He was 81 years old.
Funeral services were con
ducted Tuesday at 10 a. m. at
the Black Mountain Baptist
church by the Rev. James I.
Vinson and the Rev. Oaude
Ledford. Burial was in the
?Pleasant -Hill Baptist church
cemetery.
Born May 14, 1870, Mr. Stamey
was the son ol Robert R. and
Mrs. Elizabeth Stamey, of
Clarkesvllle, Ga. He spent mast
of his ltfe In this county, and
In 1887 was married to .Miss
Rosette Sanders. He was a
member off the Black Mountain
church.
Survivors include 120 descen
dants; four sons, Ernest Stam
ey, of Franklin, Route 2, and
Charlie, Wiley, and Claude
Stamey, all of Prentiss; o?e
daughter, Mrs. Leona Sanders, at
Franklin, Route 2; one brother,
Jake Stamey, of Clarkesvllle,
.Ga.; ;and 35 grandchildren, 72
great-grandchildren, and eight
.gseat-great-grandchildnen. Also
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 8
scon, ERWIN
ARE HONORED
AT HIGHLANDS
60 Attend Dinner Given
Officials On Eve
Of Tour
Vast progress is ahead for the
people who live in North Caro
lina's villages and country,
Governor W. Ker.r Scott pre
dicted Monday night at a din
ner given at Highlands in hon
or of the governor and Dr.
Clyde A. Erwin, state superin
tendent of public instruction.
The dinner, attended by
about 60 invited guests, was
sponsored by the Highlands
Parent-Teacher association and
the town of Highlands, and
given at Hotel Edwards, where
the governor and superinten
dent and members of thetr
party were overnight guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Edwards,
prior to Tuesday's tour of Ma
con County schools, starting
with the Highlands school Tues
day morning.
Unique Situation
This rural progress will be
brought about, the governor
said, because of the unique way
in which North Carolina's popu
lation is distributed.
One-third of this state's peo
SEE HO. 4, PAGE 8
Drive-In Here
Is Purchased
By Sylva Man
Purchase -of the Franklin
Drive-in theatre, situated on
Phillips street, by two Sylva
men from Duncan .Motor com
pany has been announced.
The new owners ? Richard N.
Morris and James E. Clay, Jr. ?
said the theatre will reopen to
night (Thursday).
Mr. Morris, Who has been in
the theatre business at Brevard
for the past three years, will
manage the drive-in here, at
least for the present. He sold
his outdoor theatre at Brevard
about six weeks ago, he said.
Tonight's opening show is s^t
lor '7 p. m.
TURN' PAGES BACK
Old Records, Taken From Iotla
School Cornerstone, Tell Story
Of Educational Progress There
Another page of Macon Coun
ty history turned up in a rusty
Nabisco tin during the .recent
razing of the old Iotla school
taiildtos.
Its contents, remarkably pre
served after nearly 38 years of
?mtombment, give a cursorjr his
tory of the Iptla schools ? from
the first, founded in 1901. to
the second, which bowed to
progress recently as school chil
dren abandoned it in favor of a
new and modern structure.
Inside the tin were money
pledge* signed by Iotla citizens
to rebuild the first structure.
Which burned in January, 1914;
a yeltowed photograph Cnow on
display at The Press office) of
school children and teachers
standing on the porch of the
school before It was destroyed;
a copy the sdDool catalogue
far the year 1913-14; a brief
penciled background of the lirst
school; the cornerstone laying
program for the new school;
and a copy of The Franklin
Press, April 8, 1914, containing;
a story of the planned corner
stone ceremony.
The biscuit tin was sealed in
the cornerstone of the second
school at ceremonies April 10,
SEE NO. 1, PAGE 4
? Staff Photo by J. P. Brady
.GOVERNOR AT HIGHLANDS? Gov. VV. Kerr Sc.tt, (left) who toured Macon County's 11 schools ]
here Tuesday, is shown above speaking at a dinner given in his honor by the Town of Highlands
and the Highlands Parent-Teacher association Monday night at Hotel Edwards. At right is Dr. (
Clyde A. Erwin, state superintendent of public instruction, who accompanied the governor on
Tuesday's tour. Center is Mrs. Thomas C. Harbison, toastmistress at the dinner. The visit by the
state officials here ended in the afternoon at Nanta.hala school, where a county-wide dedication
of the county's seven new schools was held. 1 1
Lock Door? Sure!
SCHOOL TOUR
HAS ITS LIGHT
MOMENTS
The rapid, dust-raising tour
of Macon schools Tuesd*y by
Governor Scott's party had its
light moments!
From the stage at East "Frank
lin school, just minutes after
.receiving a wooden key to the
school, Use governor asked his
youthful audience:
"How many of you m>uld like
for me to take this key and
lock the school so you can't
get in?"
Duplicating the governor's
iranknei?. several pupils, most
ly boys, undoubtedly aware of
the approaching spring, unhesi
tatingly raised their hands, to
the chief executive's amuse
ment.
After a swift descent from
SEE NO. 5, PACE 8
Election
Board Of This County
Appointed
Siler Slagle, Lee Barnard, and
A. R. Higdon are the members
of the newly-appointed Macon
County board of elections. They
weTe appointed last Saturday
by the State Board of Elec
tions.
Mr. Slagle. named jmst prior
to the general election two
years ago to fill a vacancy on
the board, a the present chair
man. Mr. Barnard succeeds
Walter Brysooi as the second
Democratic member. Mr. Hig
don, reappointed, is the Repub
lican member.
The board, wblch wlD be re
sponsible for holding this year's
primary and general elections,
is expected to meet Saturday,
April 12, to organize and ap
point registrars and judges for
tt? primary electkm May 31.
7 New Schools Dedicated
In Ceremony At Nantahala
School Tour Here
Is Unique Event
In N. C. History
Tuesday's tour of Macon
County schools by Got.
Scott and State Supt. Erwin
is believed to have been uni
que in North Carolina historv
? possibly in the history of
the United States.
So far as is known, no gov
ernor ever before had visited
every school in a county in a
single day, and almost cer
tainly never before had a gov
ernor and a ?tate superinten
dent of public instruction
jointedly visited all the 1
schools of a county.
Miss Kelly,
Gray Praised
By Governor
Tribute was paid here Tues
day by Gov. W. Kerr Scott to
two late Macon County citizens
who championed the causes of
education and agriculture.
In several speeches on his
tour of Macon's 11 schools, the
chief executive reminded his
audiences of the "Inspiring
leadership" of Miss Elizabeth
"T" Kelly and the work of
James Miller Gray.
Miss Kelly, of Franklin, was
a state leader in educational
progress earlier in the century,
and in the words of Governor
Scott, "carried the torch of ed
ucation" throughout the state.
She was a sister of Miss Lmssie
Kelly, tsf Franklin.
Mr. Gray, a native of this j
county who rose to high posi- i
tion in the U. S. Department 1
of Agriculture, headed the gov
ernment agency, during the j
early part of World War II, '
SEE SO. 6, PAGE 8
Scott, Erwin, Ramsey
And Sloan Speak
At Program
North Carolina's strength lies J
in its working class, and if the
peoples of all communities will i
join hands to develop the moral
fibre and character of its
youth, the state can rise to new
heights. Gov. W. Kerr Scott told
an estimated 500 school chil
dren and patrons attending a 1
county-wide school dedication
ceremony Tuesday afternoon at
the new Nantahala school.
Climaxing a whirl-wind tour
of this county's l'l schools by
the governor and Dr. Clyde A.
Erwin, state superintendent of
public instruction, the dedica
tion served as official approval
of the seven new schools re
cently completed under a mil
lion dollar building program.
In addition to Governor Scott,
brief addresses were delivered
by Dr. Erwin, D. Hiden Ramsey,
vice-chairman of the state board
of education, and Macon School
Board Chairman Bob S. Sloan,
who accepted the new schools
on behalf of the county.
Calling attention to the pio
neer spirit that made this coun
try great. Governor Scott em
phasized that "this is no time
for retrenching", and he urged
his audience to give support
to t^e schools and the churches
by teaching the need far moral
fibre and character in young
men and women.
The chief (executive expressed
the hope that the citizens of
the state will not 'be satisfied
with all that has been accom
plished in the past three or
four years, but will work hand
in-hand to make North Caro
lina even greater.
"She pioneer spirit goes on
SEE NO. 7, PAGE 8
COOPERATION
RESULTS CITED
BY GOVERNOR
10-Mile Tour In 8 Hours
Contrasts With Scott
Visit In 1917
In 1917 a horse and buggy
jrought a North Carolina citi
:en, W. Kerr Scott, here for a
risit.
Thirty-five years later the
lame citizen returned in a
Lmousine. this time as gover
nor of his state.
By way of contrast . Tuesday's
;our of Macon County .schools
Jy Gov. W. Kerr Scott and Dir.
-lyde A. terwin. state superin
tendent of public instruction,
tvas indicat. e of the state's
progress.
The two state officials cover
ed more than SO miles on the
tour in about eight hours, mak
ing brief speeches at each of
11 schools. This most assuredly
couldn't have been done in the
horse and buggy days!
North Carolina's progress in
schools, roads, and hospitals is
the result of its cooperative
people, the governor empha
sized at each school, and he
requested that eSfch school
SEE NO. 8, PAGE 8
NAMED PRESIDENT
E. W. RENSHAW
Mr. Renshaw, supervisor of"
the Nantahala National Forest, .
was elected president of the ?
Franklin Chamber of Commerce *
at a meeting of the new board"
of directors last Wednesday
night. He succeeds J. C. Jacob*.
Frank B. Duncan was namril
vice-president, and Oscar Led
ford was reelected treasurer.
The new directors, chosen in a
mail ballot of members, are Mr.
Renshaw and Mr. LedYord, nam
ed for two years each, and Lee
Wood, W. W. Reeves, and W. C.
Burrell, for one-year each: Cod
pletlng the board are Mr. Dna
can and Claude Borton, who
presided at Wednesday's session^
whose terms extend for another
year. Mr. Renshaw. Mr. Dancu,
and Mr. Reeves were named ?
committee to prepare a tenta
tive 1952 budget.
WHERE NEW COWEE MOUNTAIN ROAD WILL
GO ? Shown above is a sketch of the route of the proposed
Cowee Gap-Franklin highway. Contract for the new nine
mile stretch, which in general will follow the roadbed of
the old highway, is expected tfo be let in the spring, ac
cording to highway officials. The dotted line in the sketch
designates the route of the present highway, the solid line,
the proposed route. At points where the two roads merge
into a solid line, the proposed highway follows the path
of the present one. Several curves in the above drawing
have been exaggerated for the sake of clarifying the posi
tions of both roads. When completed, the proposed high
way, a 22-footer with 10-foot shoulders on each side, will
chop about one mile from the present distance from Frank
klin to Cowee Gap, highway officials said, adding that the
project will involve the excavation of an estimated million
yards of dirty.