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7Qth Year ? No. 51
Franklin, N. C.f Thursday, December 22, 1955
Twenty Pages
? Pr**s Staff Photo
Retired Man At Work
HASNT RETIRED ?
Henry Has Just Changed Jobs
Variety Marks March
Of Temperatures Here
Variety seemed to mark the
up-and-down progress of the
mercury In Maconlan's ther
mometers this past week.
For example:
In Franklin last Wednesday
(14th) the low was 11 and the
high 51; Friday and Saturday
lows of 9 were registered; Sun
day things leveled off with a
low of 33 and a high of 43; and
Tuesday it went down to 22,
then back up to 46.
An expected cold front from
the north did not arrive.
The Weather
The we<-V* u.*nii**ratures and rainfall, a a
p-cordfd in Kmnklin by Manxon Stiles.
?U. S. observer; in Highlands by
rudor N. Hull and W. C. Newton. TV A
observer, and at the Coweet* Hydrolotfir
FRANKLIN
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed, Dec. 14 51 11
Thursday 42 19
Friday 41 09
Saturday 50 09
Sunday v 43 33 .45
Monday 53 25
Tuesday 46 22
COWEETA
Temperatures
Hh?h Low Rain
Wed.. Dec. 14 49 13
Thursday 43 20
Friday 39 8
Saturday 47 12 .41
Sunday 44 31 .19
Monday 55 28
Tuesday 46 24
"He hasn't retired, he's just
changed jobs."
That's what a friend has to
say about 63-year-old Frank
Lee Henry, Sr., retired forest
service mechanic.
And the friend's right ? Mr.
Henry Is still going double-time
at the service station he recent
ly purchased In Franklin.
With 24 years' government
service to his credit, he parted
from the forest service unoffi
cially on October 28. (He will
not be retired officially until
January 1). But, Mr. Henry has
no intention of sitting it out
through the years.
"I've worked too long to just
up and quit," Is the way he ex
plains it.
So now it's day and night at
the service station, filling tanks
and repairing cars and trucks.
Mr Henry's first try at being
a mechanic was at the age of
15. He says a nephew of Henry
Ford ? a Mr. Bryant, who had
an auto dealership In AshevlUe
? had a breakdown at the foot
of Cowee Mountain and he
pitched In and helped him.
"Used dry goods boxes (from
his father's store) to jack it
up." he recalls.
The grateful Mr. Bryant even
offered young Frank a job, but
was turned down.
"Just a lack of good sense,"
Mr. Henry feels today, "If I
had gone on with him there's
no telling where I'd be now."
From this brief encounter
with the mechanic's trade.
SEE NO. 1, PAGE 8
Tag Cards
To Be Sent
Next Week
This Is a reminder to motor
ists to be on the lookout next
week for pocket registration
cards.
You'll need them to purchase
1956 license tags when they go
on sale January 3.
Verlon Swafford, manager of
the local Carolina Motor Club
office, where tags are sold, re
ports the state Is now prepar
ing to mall the registration
cards and that they should be
arriving within a few days.
The '56 license (only one per
vehicle) has black numerals
and letters on a yellow back
ground ? the reverse of the '55
plates.
Starting license sales In Janu
ary is something new this year.
In the past, plates have been
put out December 1.
Teams Beat
Highlands
Franklin's lads and lassies
closed out the '55 portion of the
basketball season Friday night
by registering victories over
Highlands High teams.
Mavis Gibson paced the girls
to a 38 to 25 victory by bucket
ing 19 points. Franklin led 19
to 16 at the half.
The boys chalked up a 69 to 44
win over Highlands. Franklin's
Moore and Highlands' Keener
tied for scoring honors with 19
points each.
The game of the final one of
the year for Franklin. The
teams will move into the 1956
portion of their schedule on
January 10 against Sylva.
COURT GIVES
NICE GIFT
TO SCHOOLS
Fines, Forfeitures,
Fees From Superior
Court $5,897.50
In the vein of Christmas giv
ing, the December term of Su
perior Court has a nice cash
gift for the school fund's stock
ing.
Collections earmarked for the
schools came to $5,897.50, ac
cording to Mrs. Kate M. Wrinn,
clerk of court.
A break down of the total
shows $3,400 in fines; $1,670 in
forfeitures; $480, solicitor fees;
$228, jury tax; and $119.50,
highway patrol fees.
The term closed officially
Saturday midnight. It was one
of the longest sessions in re
cent years.
Wins Soil
Post Here
Edwin J. Bradley, Iotla dairy
farmer, is the new supervisor of
the Macon County Soil Conser
vation District.
He was elected to the three
man board in balloting last
week. The other nominee for
the post was W. W. Sloan, In
cumbent member serving out
the unexpired term of E. J.
Whltmire, resigned.
Mr. Bradley's term Is for
three years. He takes Office
January 1.
Other supervisors are J. S.
Gray, chairman, and Robert
Parker.
NOT 'OUR FRANKLIN'
Correction - No Kin To Ben!
Fifty-two Franklins through
out the United States (cities,
towns, and counties) in 1956
will be celebrating the 250th
birth year of their namesake.
Benjamin Franklin, discloses a
dispatch from the "Poor Rich
ard Club".
Correction, friends, 51 Frank
lins will be whooping it up, be
cause be it here recorded that
Franklin, North Carolina, has
no ties with Benjamin Frank
lin.
And be it further noted that
this Western North Carolina
town probably is the only one
of 28f cities and towns in the
county not named for the
statesman-author.
Fact .is, "our Franklin" is
named for Jesse Franklin, a
state commissioner; who in
1820 helped organize a corps of
surveyors to mark off the plot
of land appropriated by the
state for a town.
More Franklins
On the subject of Franklins,
the "Poor Richard" (the pen
name Franklin used as author
of his famous almanac) release
has this to contribute:
From the standpoint of Amer
ica geography, one curious fact
is that more cities and towns
are named for Franklin (but
not ours, we repeat) than are
named for Washington or Jef
ferson. There are 28 Franklins
(cities and towns i compared
with 25 named for George
Washington and 23 for Thomas
Jefferson.
There are 24 Franklin coun
ties, in as many states, one in
Pennsylvania being so named in
1784 soon after Franklin negoti
ated a preliminary treaty of
peace with Great Britain.
There was a state of Frank
lin from 1784 to 1788, although
it was never admitted to the
Union under that name. The
area of the State of Franklin
had been a part of North Car
olina. As Tennessee, however,
that area was admitted to the
Union in 1796
Tax Listers
For County
Are Named
Tax listers for the county's 11
townships have peen appointed
by the Macon Board of County
Commissioners.
They are:
Franklin ? L. B. Liner; Mill
shoal ? Harold Cabe; Ellijay ? P.
N. Moses; Sugarfork ? Raymond
Woods; Highlands ? Tom Potts;
Flats ? Earl Dryman; Smith
bridge ? Tom McDowell; Car
toogechaye ' ? Gilmer Setser;
Nantahala ? Newell Baldwin;
Burnlngtown ? Floyd Ramsey;
and Cowee ? W. R. Gibson.
A schedule for listing '56 taxes
will be announced next week,
according to Lake V. Shope, sec
retary to the board.
TOO EARLY
TO KNOW
Mail Situation About
Same As Last Year
At Franklin Office
Postmaster Zeb Meadows yes
terday said it was too early to
decide If the flow of Christmas
mall was going to break any
record at the Franklin office.
He described the load as
"about the same as this time
last year" and said his staff is
managing to keep up with little
over-time .work.
"I'll be able to tell more by
the last of the week ... It may
start rushing right at the last
. . . and it may not", the post
master declared.
Last year's flood of Yuletide
mail left an all-time high and
some breathless employes In its
wake The office cancelled 131,
200 pieces of out-going first
class mail and sold, among oth
ers, 97,000 two-cent stamps.
Some Rapid
Transactions
The Gulf service station on
the A. W. Reid property, at
the junction of Highways 23
441 and 64, East Franklin, has
been changing hands fast.
Last week the station, which
had been closed, was leased
and opened by Fred Queen.
After a day or two, he sold to
Earl Angel, and Tuesday Mr.
Angel sold the lease to Earl
and Forrest Slagle, brothers,
of Franldin, Route 3.
The Slagle brothers say
they are going to keep it.
GOING TO CONFERENCE
Macon pastors are planning to
attend the W. N C. Baptist
Pastor's Conference on January
9 at the First Baptist Church in
Bryson City, it has been an
nounced. The session is set for
10:30 a. m
? ami I'lwu
ICE SKATING is becoming a popular pastime on the lakes
in Highlands for locals and visitors. The latest cold wave brought
numbers of skaters from Georgia and South Carolina to the re
sort town. On one finger of Lake Sequoyah, lights have been in
stalled for night skating parties. Above, "Bud" Potts and Carlton
Cleaveland show how blades and ice meet.
Maconians Ready
To Celebrate Day
It's just three days now until
the Jolly old bearded gentleman
In the red suit parks his sled
and reindeer over Macon Coun
ty to officially herald Christmas
1955.
And traditionally, Maconians
are celebrating the Yuletide
with a variety of church serv
ices and other events.
Many churches, schools, and
organizations already have held
celebrations. Still others plan
them between now and the
"Day of Days".
Snow Hill Service
Tomorrow (Friday) at 7:30, a
candle lighting service will be
held at the Snow Hill Metho
dist Church.
Community Sing
At Cowee School tonight at
8:30, the public Is Invited to
attend the community's annual
carol sing.
Christmas propui V
Tomorrow (Friday) night at
7:30, a toy or gift of food or
clothing for the needy will be
admission to the third annual
J aycee-sponsored Christmas
program at the First Presby
terian Church. The event was
previously announced for the
Methodist church.
Being directed by the Rev.
Bryan Hatchett, Franklin Jay
cee and pastor of the Presby
terian church, the program will
consist of Christmas selections,
including "Glory To God In
The Highest", "Hallalua Chor
us", "I Wonder As I Wander",
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 8
Bright Lights Of Contests
In County Drawing Hundreds
The bright lights of three
Christmas lighting contests
over the county are drawing
hundreds of motoring specta
tors.
Largest of the three is the
county-wicie event sponsored by
the Nantahala Power and Light
Company for the organized
rural communities
The other two are locally
sponsored contests in Fianklin
and Highlands.
11 Participating
Twelve communities are par
ticipating in the county compe
tion and the top five ? to be
picked by a secret panel of
judges ? are to divide $100
prize money: 1st, $30; 2nd, $25;
3rd, $20; 4th. $15; and 5th, $10.
The community exhibits went
up Saturday night and under
the contest rules must remain
through the evening of the 26th.
Winners will be announced in
The Press on the 29th. accord
ing to W. W (Bill i Sloan, Nan
tahala staffer in charge of the
contest.
Communities participating in
clude Bethel, Carson, Clark's
Chapel. Cowee, Cullasaja, Hig
SEE NO 2, PAGE 8
Press Photographer's Camera Captures Spirit Of Christmas In Toy Department Scenes
Test Run
*
Now Let'? See
Musician
What, No Dolls?
Girl Sailor
Dandy, Ain't It?
(