Marshall, N.C, 28753' ,1 V OLUME 70 NUMBER 79 MARSHALL, N. C. THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1971 nil PI It rol'V 4v Vi-nx '',:;r Mars Hill Civitans Install I ,. V it'll Harold Jupiter Man Elected To Crafts Board A Buncombe County man was elected to the board of directors of Madison County Crafts, Inc., Tuesday, June 15, in a move by the voluntary group to better represent craftsmen of the area. Harold Garrison of Jupiter, a carpenter and wood-carver, was elected to the 12-member board along with the Rev. Jeff Burton of Hot Springs. They replaced Mrs. Peggy Dotterer of Hot Springs and Mrs. Ruth Woody of Bluff, who resigned their post. Father Burton, was also elected secretary treasurer of the board to suc ceed Mrs. Woody. In addition to Jupiter and Hot Springs, localities having representatives on the board are East Fork, Upper Spring Creek, Spring Creek, Meadow Fork, Grapevine, Mars Hill and Marshall. Miss Diane Brown, director of the crafts program for the Rural Development Project of the Opportunity Corporation of Madison-Buncombe counties, reported on various aspects of M adison -Rural Poverty By PHILIP CLARK Editor, The Tunes All of the programs described so far in this seven-part series on the Opportunity Corporation of Madison-Buncombe counties have dealt almost exclusively with the problems of the urban poor in industrialized and highly urbanized Buncombe County. This article will deal with a radically different subject poverty in almost wholly rural adjoining Madison County and a small rural portion of North Buncombe. Madison is about as rural as a county can get. Farming is almost the only occupation, and the extremely precipitous terrain leaves little good farm land. Manufacturing jobs in the county wouldn't total more than 400 even in good times, and recently there have been layoffs at Burlington Mills and at Hammarlund Manufacturing Co. Madison's 1970 population was 16,003, down from 17.217 in 1960. This cutmigraUon has 1 been going on for decades. ' Mrs. -: Dorothy Arrington, director of Madison County , operations for the Opportunity ' Corporation, can explain this people drain, especially of the younger people. It is, she says," first of all the lack of Jobs good enough to support a family. It '1 is, secondly, a lack of work ' ; skills. Thirdly, ft is an income level too low to provide tran sportation to jobs outside the county. Fourthly, it is the high percentrage of school dropouts which keeps the education level low. Viewing Ce then-t'tlci C ; -t'jrsity CorfcffcUon cf Garrison the program and the store, The Country Boutique. She an nounced that in cooperation with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute there will be free training workshops in inkle weaving, pottery and copper enameling starting this sum mer. Mrs. Dorothy Arnngton, director of the Rural Development Project, told of the enthusiastic response toward Madison County crafts given at a meeting of anti poverty agency people in Hendersonville. Following her report, the board voted to write their Congressional representatives asking them to oppose any federal revenue snaring plan that does away with the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and Community Action Programs. The next general board meeting of the crafts group will be at 7.30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, in the Marshall Community Center. The executive com mittee will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at the center. Asheville and Buncombe County next door, some con cerned civic leaders in Madison County moved to get the Office of Economic Opportunity in Paul Harvey column added Paul Harvey, one of America s great columnists today joins the Marshall News Record. Harvey is the author of .three best-selling books, has been honored by many im portant national organizations and , has , received honorary doctorates from seven leading educational' institutions. , . ! Harvey is the author of three bea-sel!ing books, has 'teen honored by many im-' portant national organizations and has received honorary TLRN TO PACK t "1 j New The Mars Hill Civitan Club held its annual installation of officers and awards night on Tuesday, June 15, in the Gold Room of the Mars Hill College Cafeteria. Forty-seven persons were present including the Swannanoa Pair Held For Lawson John F. Sherlin, 25, and Urenda F. Thomas Sherlin, 21, of Swannanoa are being held in Madison County Jail here on charges of murder in con nection weith the shooting death of Bruce Lawson, 34, of Hot Springs, Rt. 3. Sheriff E. Y. Ponder said that no bond had been set for the Sherlins. He said Mrs. Sherlin is a sister to Lawson 's wife. Ponder said Lawson was shot twice, once with a 20 gauge shotgun and once with a .22 pistol about 10:45 a.m. Thur sday at his home just off U. S. 25-70 near the Tennessee line. Sherlin a former school teacher is now employed at Beacon Mfg. French Broad EMC Announces Rate Adjustment French Broad Electric Membership Corporation has received notification from Carolina Power & Light Company stating on the June billing their wholesale power rate would be drastically in creased under an order given them by the Federal Power Commission. An analysis of the rate increase reveals that the power purchased from CP&L will be increased up to 38 per cent. The new cooperative rates effective with the June billing will be equal to, or less than, retail rates of the other retail Washington to provide some help with the problems of a proud mountain folk who were forgotten by the nation at large. OEO came through with a small grant in 1966, and the Rural Development Project came into being. At the beginning there were only six on the staff. They began taking soundings among the poverty line mountain people. Mrs. Arrington, who has been in the program from the beginning, said that the people talked to expressed the greatest interest in jobs, adult education, transportation and a market for mountain crafts. In October of 1967 OEO came through with a larger grant, and more community outreach workers were hired and trained. These were divided into two groups. The women workers concentrated on services to the home, teaching budgeting, cooking, food buying, home management and sewing to the women and girls. These meetings were in small groups in the people's home. The men community workers worked with the men in the neigh borhoods, organizing them into , larger groups focused around issues of things which needed to be done to improve the com- . munities. Such issues and ef-, forts included improvement of roads and bridges and school bus routes. Many of these ef forts were successful. -" This then has been the main, thrust of the Rural Develop ment Program since 1966, although it has brosiewd snj matu-'d " - ' oVvrhH t 1 w. Development Project had been Officers, Present Awards wives of the members. The Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Mrs. Trilby Sams, a retired Mars Hill second grade teacher with 42 years of experience. Her recent accomplishments include an Co., in Swannanoa. Sheriff Ponder stated that a preliminary hearing will be held here Friday. FUNERAL SUNDAY Funeral services for Lawson were held at 2 p.m. Sunday in District Court A one-day term of District Court for the trial of criminal cases is scheduled to begin here Friday morning with Judge J. E. Holshouser, Sr., presiding. Solicitor Clyde M. Roberts and J. Thomas Rusher are prosecutors. power suppliers in the region Jn following the original idea of member service, Mr. Robinson, French Broad EMC's general manager, states "all efforts have been made to keep these rates as low as possible con sistent with sound economy and good management." The board of directors and management knew a rate in crease was coming, which has been caused by the nationwide wave of inflation that for the past few years has devastatedly hit everything the consumer pays for. placed a(lrninistratively under the Opportunity Corporation of Asheville and Buncombe County by the Office of Economic Opportunity because of an OEO ruling that a county of less than 50,000 population could not be funded. Early in 1967 there was a complete consolidation of the two anti poverty projects, with a Joint board of directors and the title Opportunity Corporation of Madison-Buncombe counties. Now in 1971 the Madison County and North Buncombe section of the Opportunity Corporation has made marked progress. There are now 12 community workers and 24 community organizations 21 in Madison and three in North Buncombe. These groups meet regularly to discuss community problems and seek solutions. Each group elects a chairman and vice chairman, and one delegate to the Madison County Rural Development Council. The council fan turn- elects six members to the board of directors of the Opportunity Corporation, giving the Madison mountain folk a very direct hand In the management v of the agency.V, tf ? tvv ' Mountain crafts have not been forgotten, and on March 27 of this year a crafts shop was ; opened at Mara Kill College.. Net receipts In April wen $600 and in May 1900. This U an im portant addition to the Incomes of some 50 mountain families. All of the crafts produced and sold art native mountain crafts. In tJ ' -'on, the Runl T. . 1 3 PAGE 2 active role in helping to establish the Handi-School for retarded children at the Mars Hill Baptist Church. The school now served 16 Madison County children with a paid staff and five full school day sessions a Being Murder Fairview United Methodist Church. The Rev. L. Paul Heafner officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Mr. Lawson was a native of Madison County and was a farmer. Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Helen Thomas Lawson; a son, Bruce E. Lawson Jr. and three daughters, the Misses Louise, Mary and Betty Sue Lawson, all of the home; two brothers, Roscoe of Greenville, S. C, and Curtis Lawson of the U. S. Navy; two sisters, Mrs. Leona Langston of Laurens, S. C. and Mrs. Jeanette Gardin of Hot Springs. Fcer -ith these rising costs as published by the Bureau of Labor statistics, the cost of energies that man depends on has increased as follows during the 10-year period of 1958-1968: Electricity - 3 per cent Natural Gas - 6.3 per cent Fuel Oil -11.8 per cent Bottled Gas - 22.5 per cent The cooperative's cost of doing business has greatly increased due to inflation and meeting the cost of living threefold since 958. Mr. Robinson states: "To connect a new member today costs ap proximately three times what it cost in 1948, and your cooperative has never raised the cost of electric power delivered to the consumer. In fact, during this period we have made four reductions in the cot of power delivered to the con sumer due to the fact that themembers have been in creasing their usage at a compounded rate of ap proximately II per dcent per year." This is the first upward rate adjustment in the history of the cooperative. The charge for a security light will be increased by 50c per month and maintenance and vandalism charges will be assumed by the cooperative for this additional charge. Security lights under contract will will not be raised until the contract has expired. Copies of the new rate schedules are being printed and will soon be availaable upon request at the office of the cooperative. Guthrie Honored Jack Guthrie, of Walnut, who has served two 1-year terms as a member of the Upper French Broad Economic Development Commission, was recently honored by the executive committee at a dinner at Battery Park Hotel. t Officials expressed ap preciation to Guthrie for his ' loyalty and fine service and commended him on his splendid attendance record from 1969 through 1970. . , - -, Guthrie was presented a -certificate and golden plaque with the following inscription , engraved; "The Upper French Broad Economic Development Commission with grateful appreciation and esteem does hereby honor Jack James Guthrie for h's devoted service f s j773 '. ( oededon t .! ' : sie Huey cf! y week. Mrs. Sams who states "she was born to be a teacher" not only teaches in the school, but she volunteers her time to assist in the school in any way she can. The Mars Hill Civitan Club presented club Honor Keys to two of its charter members Ken Anderson and Dean R. M. Lee. These are the first Honor Keys ever given by the club. Jim Cox was presented a district honor key by North Carolina District West during 1970. Both Mr. Anderson and Road Assistant State Highway Administrator Billy Rose an nounced the status of major road projects in Madison County Friday. Rose said draft versions of the environmental reports, now required on all federal-state projects, were sent to Washington, May 21 on N. C. 213 from Marshall to Mars Hill and U. S. 25-70 from Weaverville to Marshall. He said, at this time, the SHC's time table for progress on both projects was about the same design hearings to be held in September, followed by the finalization of the en vironmental statements and SHOWN ABOVE are three Mars Hill citizens who were honored at the Mars Hill Civitan Installation and Awards Banquet. Left to right, Kenneth An derson, recipient of an Honor Key; Mrs. Trilby Sams, who was chosen as the Mars Hill Citizen of the Year; and Dean R. M. Lee, also a recipient of an Honor Key. A (;UT(.(!IN(; AM) lCOV turrd. If ft to i i t. 1 kctri'taiy -iti ai i u , t i presi cr.; 8' .1 i r r ? ( ' Dean Lee have been extremely faithful members of the club since 1949, and both have been honored as Citizen of the Year Mr. Anderson in 1960 and Dean Iee in 1964. Dean Ie is governor-elect of North Carolina District West of Civitan International. In addition to the awards, the following officers were installed by Dean Iee Fred Diercks as president, John Hough as president-elect, and Wayne Roberts as secretary -treasurer. Reports approval from federal agencies on the design; begin acquisition of right-of-way in January, 1972, with approximately 15 months allowed for this; and contracts to be let sometime in the spring of 1973. Rose said no difficulty was expected in connection with the environmental statements based on the commission's experience with these to date; however, the time table is scheduled on the assumption that federal agencies will not delay approval. If approval is held up for some reason, the projects will be delayed. He also said that if it ' 4 , V j Jj 11 ft ' II l- II 'km Hr" n Wf Ah. J2r vir ' 4 Outgoing President Fred Boss and Secretary-Treasurer Vernon Chapman received plaques for the service they gave the club during the past year. Guests of the club included Miss Sue Fitzgerald who ren dered the invocation, Dr. and Mrs Bruce Sams, Mr. and Mrs Harold Wood, Norman Carter who photographed the occasion, and Miss Linda Yandell who is the grand daughter of Iiean Lee. mmmmmmiMftsimssfssm Drawn the right-of-way stage of the projects moves faster than expected, contracts will be let sooner than spring, 1973. N. C. 213 construction is a 7.1 mile, $3.8 million project to run along the existing alignment with a few minor relocations and no control of access. U. S. 25-70 involves an all new location for the road, a four-lane divided facility with full control of access except for a few in tersections. It is an 8.8 mile project estimated at a cost of $8.5 million. The extension of 213 to Spring Creek is still in the planning stage, he said. I

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view