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82.60 A Year In JMadison ft Buncombe Counties
4.00 A Year Outside These Two Counties
MARSHALL, N. C THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1961
10c PER COPY
VOL.60 NO. 19
8 PAGES THIS WEEK
in r
juQl
airs
bud
;'"v..y.':: q n n g . - : , -f" ' 1 r ' ' '
Mi Sides
ifffcrcnees
Dr. Duck Speak For Better
Schools Committee ; 1 S
Are In Attendance
Raleigfc Two sides in Mad
ison County dispute over firing
of Mars Bill Schood prfinxlipal
Ralph E. Neill- Jr., bad a face-to-
face showdown before the State
Board of Education Thursday.
A trrooA led Srr Dr. W. Otis
Duck of .Man Hill leveled a series
of six specific charges jagainst
Madison school . authorities, pro
tested Neill'a fitting was "illegal
and without just cause," and tried
to Mock the state board's approv
al of Madason Sunt. Fred Amder
son .pending an investigation of
the Madison affair.
The board later weighed' the
statements against Anderson
briefly, decided the allegations in
volving him .were "technical trivi
alities," and approved bis election
by the Madison Board of Educa
don.
The second erouD was lev) by
Zeno Ponder, member of itfhe Mad
ison school board and county Dem
ocratic leader, who came to Ra
leigh Wednesday after the pres
ence of Dr. Duck' arrow) became
known. ) (Duck and his companyi-
came luesday, aired It grievance
to a Senate i committee' Wednes-
J V -.V,. . .
. uaiy.f -. . '
; In an hour-long session, the two
' aides put their cases to the state
-' hoards-wad -at- times; to each .-other.
' .
; . At one point. Ponder and Duck
? became treated in , arguing .over
" (Continued to' Page Six)
DAIRY MONTH
ARE ANNOUNCED
Wade Huey has been named
Madison County chairman for
June Dairy Month and Mrs. Zeno
Ponder has been named Woman's
chairman. Their appointment was
announced this week by John F.
Brown of Black Mountain, West
ern North Carolina chairman and
Mrs. Sylvia Carr of Asheville,
area woman's chairman .
June Dairy Month is a nation
wide promotion program to call at
tention to the importance of the
dairy industry and to. point cut
the contribution' of- dairy products
(Continued To Page Eight)
' ' IIMIMWII 111111- r....M ' m gmmammMmmmmmimmmmmmmmimmmmMmmmm mmm mmmmmmmmmm
V S '-fL I , :
flir Their
On Raleigh
ONLY 98 SHOW UP
AT MARS HILL
SCHOOL ON WED.
Omlv 98 of Mars Hill School's
943 pupils showed up for classes
yesterday (Wednesday) morning
as a protest movement against the
firimr of Princinal iRalnh E. Neil
Jr.. continued.
School buses, only two of which
operated Tuesday, followed sched
ule and picked up the students
who were ready for school. The
drivers called off .fiieir one-day
nnikn after Neill asked them to
resume operations.
Mars Bill teachers were on hand
and taught all classes for which
they had students.
J. G. Gardner, Madison County
School Board memSer from the
Mars iHill school district who
named members of the local school
committee, said Wednesday that
he and his family were disturbed
Tuesday night by oars' which drove
back and forth in front of his
'home, on Walker Branch Road.
Occupants of the cars, Gardner
-said, threw " trash and lighted
(Continued To Last Page)
p -,ri
. Ww.ijj L-wi CJl.
few Changes In Rosters)
, Others Lists Available
Soon .
Superintendent Fred W. Ander
son this week announced the prin
cipals and teachers', for Spring
Creek, Hot Springs and Laurel
Schools. Principals and teachers
for other county schools will be
announced later, Mr. Anderson
said.
Those for the three schools are:
SPRING CREEK
HIGH SCHOOL: Owen W.
Fish, principal; Patricia Jamer-
son, Arlene Reese, Howard l rum
ble.
ELEMENTARY: Jack V.
Joyce. iRuby Price, Martha Lou
iFleming, Caney J. Smith, Jessie
Mae Lunsford, Jeanette Meadows,
JL (Continued To Last Page)
iy v. U. : : 'fl
RHODODENDRON
ARE ANNOUNCED
The 15th Annual North 'Caro
lina Rhododendron Festival will
be held this year on June 22, 28,
24, and 25th., according to the
BakersvilQe Lions dub, which has
been sponsoring this event simce
it started.
This year, visitors .to the Festi
val will see two new events added
to the already .poular mountain
top festival. On Thursday night,
June 22, something new in the
form of A Junior Miss Rhododen
dron Pageant will be featured
with girls eight through eleven
being judged on talent, swin suit,
and evening gown competition. A
Junior Miss Rhododendron Queen
will be chosen and' she will appear
in imany events with the regular
(Continued To Last Fag)
Whitten Confirmed
Acting Postmaster
Hot Springs Official ap
pointment of William T. Whitten
as acting postmaster of Hot
Springs has been confirmed
certificate . of appointment and
correspondence from J. Edward
Day. Postmaster General.
The certificate was presented to
Whitten Monday in Hot Springs
by 'Ralph Green, field service of
fleer, and Willard T. 'Martin, as
'socaate field service officer.
For i
Or
0
WALNUT ALUMNI
BANQUET TO BE
HELD MAY 27
The 14th annual Walnut High
School Alumni Banquet will be
held Saturday night, May 27, at
7:30 o'clock at the school.
A mi interesting program i s
planned.
Plates will be $1.50 each wntn
t!he dues amounting to 60 cents.
Those planning on attending are
asked 'to notify Miss Odessa Hen
derson, Walnut, N. C.
The time to avoid many fatal
accidents is before 'they occur
Afterwards, it is .too late to do the
victims any good.
. , '
County Students
Enter School Bus
Roadeo At Biltmore
The 6th Annual - School Bus
Roadeo for District 29, sponsored
by the Governor's Traffic Safety
Council, will be held at Biltmore
m i onrA Athletic Field. Sat-
(tllg1!
urday, May 13. , .
(Competition ds open to gradua
ting seniors of the 1960-61 school
year. Each comes" ""
driven a school bus one year and
possess an accident iree-vioiaraon
Tecvru. .
Contestants wall be juogea on
the basis of knowledge, sMCi and
attitudes In he safe operation of
hnses. The competition
will be conducted by Oie worm
Carolina Department of Public in
nMn: State Board of Edu
cation and Department of Motor
Vehicles. ;.?.,.,
.nifcrift 29 is composed
Transylvania, Buncombe, Yancey,
Madison amd MutdheU counties..
rvnAntiints from Madison Coun
r Jerrv Ricker, IMarsnan
High School ; Nicky Kofeerts, wai
mm TTuxTi 5 School : Woodv Aim
mone, Mars ISM High. School; and
T. V. Tweed, Laurel HKgh fecnooi
Citizens For
Better Schools
In Raleigh May 4
A.mMarin before the State
Boarit of Education in RaleigTn
nfromi Madison iCounty last Thurs
dav concerning the ouster of
Ralph E. Neill Jr., as Mars Hil
principal, were the fouowmng cav
ixnns : 4
1 1 J. Clyde lrown, Fred Hokombe.
me. anItkrs.lDtirDuck; Judaoi
Edwards, Rex Allen, r. K,v,iam,
Rurlan Boone. Everett 'Robinson
Bobby Robinson, JBruce Murray,
Liston B. Ramsey, Zeno a. ron
der, 'Brown Amnions and Eugene
Reese.
Cdon Hunters'
Club To Sponsor
Fish Fry May 17
The French Broad Coon Hunt-
era' dub will sponsor a fish fry
at Old Mill Wheel Wednesday,
Mav 17. from 6 P. m., to 8 p. m
The proceeds will go to restocK
coons 'in Madison ana wuncomoe
counties.
ATTENTION, FIREMEN
Allen Duckett. Marshall Fire
Chief, announces that a fire drill
will be held on fne Island Friday
night at 7:30. AH firemen
urged to be present.
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MADISON COUNTY
HEALTH DEPT.
CLINIC CALENDAR
Thursday, May 11, 1:00-4:00 p.
i f it I -
m., General Ianrounizauon iiamc,
Mars Hill Town Hall.
Friday, May 12, 9:00-12:00 a.
m., General Lmmurazation 'Uiimc;
1:00-4:00 p. m., Health iCenter.
Monday, May 15, 1:00-8:00 p.
m.. General Imniunizaiaon uunic,
Hot Springs Recreation Building.
Tuesday, Mlay 16, 9:00-02:00 a.
m., 1:00-4:00 p. m., General im
munization Clinic, Health Center.
Thursday, May 18: 1:00-4:00 p.
m., General Iimmunizataon uiimc,
Mars Hill Town Hall.
(Friday. May 19, 9:00-1:00 p.
m.. Chest X-ray dime, iHeaiitn
Center (by appointment only); 9-
il2:00 ta. m.. 1:00-4:00 p. m., Gen
era! Immunization Clonic, Healtn
Center.
Monday. May 22. 1:00-3:00 p.
m., General Inununizafeion vunic,
Hot Sorings Recreation iBldg.
Thursday. May 25, 1:00-4:00 p.
m., General Immunization Clinic,
Mars Hill Town Hall.
(Friday. May 26. 6:00-12:00 a.
m., 1:00-4:00 p. m., General im
munization Clinic, Health Center
Monday. May 29. 1:00-3:00 m
m., General Immunization Clonic,
Hot Snrings Recreationi Bldg.
Tuesday. May 30. 9:00-12 :00 a.
m.. 1:00-4:00 id. m., General Im
munization Clinic, Health Center
ars lill Fcculty Declines
Teachers of Mara Hill School
refused to sign a statement to ac
cept further employment when
Fred W. Anderson, superinten
dent of Madison County Schools,
offered it to itSiem at an informal
meeting Monday in the school.
The faculty met with the Coun
ty Board of Education at the
board's request which came after
30 of the teachers' had signed a
statement decdariiur that they
would not .teach at Mars Hill next
year unless the local school com
mittee "reconsiders its action" in
refusing to elect principal Ralph
E. Neill Jr., for the next year.
After two hours of Questions
and answers, the meeting broke up
when Henry Clay Edwards, one
of the teachers, emotionally deft
the room after reading flie state
ment proposed by the board.
TVars In Evea
Although several of the teach
3
o" ; -,
1
600 Fill Courthouse;
Ponder, Anderson Speak
E.B. BAILEY
IS PRINCIPAL
AT MARS HILL
The Mars Hill School Commit
tee Monday night elected Erskine
B. Bailey of Yancey County to
succeed Ralph E. Neill as princi
pal of Mars ;Hill -School.
The committee on April 18 vot
ed against giving Neill a contract
for next year and since that time
had received several applications
for the position.
Committee chairman D. M. Rob-
itiRon .in announcing Bailey s e-
lection, said .the committee care
Mly screened "about six" appli
cations before picking its mam.
All five members of the com
mittee Robinson, B. B. Amnions,
Eugene Reese. Paul Gillis and O
E. Anderson Jr. voted' in favor
of Bailey, who served as principal
of the school for a period of about
five years before leaving some 20
years ago.
ers remained to taut witn cne
Board members, most of them
trickled out in small groups, many
of them with tears in theor eyes.
The teachers were told that the
Mars Hill School Committee was
to meet Monday night to elect a
municipal and that the board
wanted to know if the faculty
would remain at Miars Hill.
Although many of the teachers
indicated they might sign the
document at a different time and
olace. several of tihem bluntly
told the board that if Neill goes
they will go with him.
Many of them particularly ob
jected to the last two ptarajgraphs
of the statement which expressed
a confidence in the Mara Hill
School Committee to choose the
best possible principal and regrett-
(Continue To Page Three)
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i
Tempers Flare And Heated
Words Exchanged At
Protest Meeting
An imnromptu mass meeting in
the Madison County Courthouse
here between school officials ana
inate ratizens of the Mare Hill
ScWol District ended in a stale
mate Tuesday afternoon.
Zeno Pender, a member of ne
County Board of Education, and
Fred W. Anderson, county acnooi
superintendent, faced more than
600 persons who crowded' into the
courtroom.
The wo 'reminded the gathering
that the Mars Hill School Commit
tee had acted within the law last
month when it refused to offer
Ralnh E. Neill Jr., a contract for
next year and later elected Ers
kine Bailey of Yancey County to
succeed Neill as principal.
The meeting was the end re
sult of an early mortiing mothers
anarch on the Miars Hill School.
The mothers, carrying signa and
chanting slogans, began picketing
the school about 8:30 a. m.
By 11 a. mi., a large crowd of
parents, former students and oth
er interested parties had gathered
at the school. A suggestion that
they go to Marshall caught the
crowd's fancy and in short order
about 100 cars were on the way
here.
Arrwin here about 11:30 a-m..
the citizens parked their cars on
(Continued JTo Last rage) v
r:arG:nrc::ic:i
Dus Drivers Go
On Strike Tees.
The Mars Hill school crisis
deepened Tuesday as at least nine
of the school's 13 bus drivers went
on strike to protest itShe fixing of
Principal Ralph E. Now.
Neill said only about 76 of the
383 students were in school Tues
day morning. He said most of
them oame on two buses which did
run. One bus is out of order.
Meanwhile, mothers began ar
riving at the school this morning
and started a protest demonstra
tion . . . .
Neill said the decision . by tiie
bus drivers to go on strike was
(Continued To Page Six)