SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
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75th Year No. 14 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C. THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1975 15? Per Copy
ABC Store
Petitioners Want It Closed,
Threaten Recall Election
Hot Springs residents have
petitioned the N. C. Board of
Alcoholic Beverage Control to
close the town's liquor store.
The petition, signed by 190
persons, reportedly was filed
with the board Monday. If the
state does not revoke the
store's license, the petitioners
threatened to work for a
referendum that would force
its closing.
The store was authorized by
a referendum in 1963.
Carol Anderson, the store's
supervisor, this week charged
that the store is being made
the object of a struggle for
control'of Democratic party
machinery in the Hot Springs
voting precinct and that
bootleggers and others
unhappy with the outcome of
the recent municipal election
in the town may be behind the
move.
Mrs. Mattie Rae Ramsey,
chairman of the Hot Springs
ABC board for the past 22
months, could not be reached
for comment immediately
prior to press time.
Anderson told the News
Record Tuesday morning that
tne store has distributed a
total of $144,332 in profits to
county governmental agen
cies from the time the store
was opened Oct. 14,1963, until
June 30,1975.
He said the figures are from
the store's annual audit
report, done by an Asheville
CPA. The money allotted
individual agencies was as
follows: $7,216 for Hot Springs
law enforcement; $45,706.13 to
the Town of Hot Springs;
$48,110.67 to Madison County
government; $38,083 to Hot
Springs school; and $7,216.80
to Spring Creek School.
hi addition, Anderson said,
county government also gets
Ave cents in revenue from
each bottle sold that is not
included in the above figures.
A citizens committee has
been formed to lead the effort
to have the store dosed. One
of its members is F. E. Smith,
who once served on the Hot
Springs ABC Board and who
was succeeded by Mrs.
Ramsey. Smith replaced R.
W. Ponder, a former board
Cancer Society
Talent Show
Is Saturday
The second annual Madison
County Cancer Society Talent
Show will be held this
Saturday night, May 1, in the
Madison High School gym
nasium beginning at 8 p.m.
There will be four separate
cflvisions of music: country
western, bluegrass, old-time
traditional and square dance.
Trophies will be awarded in
all divisions, It was an
nounced.
Bob Caldwell, a native of
Marshall and popular WLOS
TV announcer, will serve as
master of ceremonies.
Admission will be $1.75 for
adults, $i for students,
children, free.
On 'Profile*
Charles Toiley, general
manager of French Broad
EMC, and Mrs Ernestine
Ptammons, Public Relations
director, will be guests of Fred
Brown on "Profile" on radio
station WWNC on May 2 at
6:15 p.m.
?*'* y:.r
chairman.
Mrs. Ramsey's husband is a
member of the Hot Springs
governing board, which ap
points ABC board members.
She said earlier this week that
she had been serving on the
ABC board 18 months when he
was elected to the town boerd.
The store's opponents have
complained about operating
costs and about the fact
employees are related to town
and county officials.
State Convention
May Have To Settle
Democrat Controversy
From latest developments it seems that the
Hot Springs controversy between Democratic
factions over the precinct meeting held prior to
the county convention and the ruling at the con
vention may have to be settled at the state con
vention in Raleigh on June 12.
The Council of Review of the North Carolina
Democratic Executive Committee turned down
an appeal at a meeting in Raleigh last week (ram
the Hot Springs precinct.
Larry Phillips, a school tsackm^who was* x
candidate for Democratic precinct chairman at
Hot Springs, said be {dans to carry the fight on to
the state convention.
Phillips said he was encouraged by members
of the Council of Review to pursue the matter at
the state convention.
. Phillips contends that his side was arbitrarily
denied the victory during the precinct election
when Bobby Ponder ruled that a large number of
his supporters had not been registered Democrats
long enough to take part in the voting.
Ponder, a member of the Madison County
Board of Education, was presiding for Herman
Tino who was out of the state at the time. His
action was upheld at the county Democratic
convention which was held in Marshall.
Marshall Lions Club
Elects New Officers
ROY REEVES
Uon President
The Marshall Lions Club
elected officers for the neat
fiscal year at the meeting at
the club at the Rock Cafo
Monday night.
Roy Reeves, Marshall In
surance agent and member ef
the Madison High School
faculty, was elected president.
He succeeds Lion Jerry
pires July l. Other officen
elected are: John Corhett,
first vice president; Page
president; SteveWallin, third
vies president; David Cald
well. secretary; Ralph Rica,
treasurer; Marvin Bag, tail
twister; Ed List, Hon tamer.
iNewiy erectea ai rectors are
Prior to the business
treated to a program at la
THE LITTLE Ivy Baptist Church youth
group is presently engaged in building a
recreational area for their church. The
property was donated by J. C. Young, and is
located on Walker Branch Road near Mars
Hill. Work is being done on the property by
some of the members of Little Ivy Baptist
Church.
College To Graduate Record Class
Mara Hill College will
graduate its largest class in
the Baptist-related school's
130-year history and seniors
will receive degrees and
diplomas during the college's
commencement exercises
May 16.
Between 310 and 317
students are expected to meet
graduation requirements,
according to registrar Robert
Chapman. The largest
previous class was 1974, when
96 students were graduated.
The formal graduation
exercises are slated for 3 p.m.
in Moore Auditorium, with an
organ recital scheduled for 30
minutes beforehand.
Baccalaureate services for
the graduates and their
Grose, Russell
Get New
College Posts
Two new department
chairmen have been an
nounced at Mara Hill. They
ate Dr. Jack N. Grose of the
Department of Business
Administration and Dr.
Donald R. Russell of the
Mathematics and Physics
Department.
Dr. Russell is a native of
Natick, Mass., and has been a
member of the mathematics
department since 1973. He
received his bachelor's,
master's, and Ph.D. from
Oemson University. While a
graduate student at the South
Carolina campus, Russell
researched the development
of a campus-wide survey
system.
He is a member of the
American Statistical
Association, Biometeriv
Society, and the Institute at
Mathematical 'Statistics He
replaces Dr. David J. Devries,
who will remain In the
department to research new
Dr. Grose is an alumnus of
Mara nil and a native of
Wlnston-SUem and holds
degrees froin Wake Forest
University and the University
of South Carolina He earned
Ms Ph.D. from Mississippi
State University Dr. Grose
year teaching at Waalsrn
Carolina University Prior to
Dopa rt ment of Bus in#* s
siACMlVra ? -
families will also be held in the
1,800 seat auditorium at 10:46
a.m. with the congregation of
the Mars Hill Baptist Church.
The Honorable Jo Graham
Foster of Charlotte, a member
of the North Carolina General
Assembly will deliver the
address Mrs. Foster is a
member of the House of
Representatives and serves on
the powerful Joint sub
appropriations committee as
well as seven other important
legislative committees.
The address by Mrs. Foster
will mark the first time a
woman has been invited to
deliver the principle com
mencement address at Mars
Hill. Her address is entitled
"Upon What Do You Base
Your Values?". A native of
South Carolina and the
daughter of a Methodist
minister, Mrs. Foster is a
graduate of Columbia College,
Columbia, S. C. She taught
school in Sumter, S. C., Ft.
Meade, Md., and at
Thomasboro High School. She
has served as assistant
principal at West Mecklen
burg High School and
currently an assistant in the
Department of Management
for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
school system.
She has served as president
and also secretary of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg unit of
the N. C. Educators
Association. She is also a
member of Delta Kappa
Gamma, an international
honorary teachers'society, \Vrl
Mrs. Foster is active in the
Dilworth Methodist Church,
where she serves on the board
of stewards, is a lay speaker,
and teaches an adult Sunday
school class During the 1*72
FHA convention, Mrs. Foster
was cited as one of the three
most outstanding educators in
North Carolina
May IS will be Alumni Day
with several hundred former
students expected for a full
Republican
? Convention
Held Here
chairman of inn wmKj
prattled. . _
agenda of events. The Alumni
Association, which lists 18,000
members, will hold its annual
business session at 3:30 p.m.
in Belk Auditorium.
Immediately following the
business session class
reunions will be held in Wren
College Union. Those holding
fifth-year get-togethers are
the classes of 1811,1M8, etc.
The annual alumni banquet
is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in
the college cafeteria. It will be
the occasion for honoring
outstanding alumni and
making 25-year service
awards to members of the
college faculty and staff.
Following the banquet, the
Music Department will
present a pops concert in
Moore Auditorium for the
benefit of all campus visitors.
There will be several other
events associated with the
annual commencement
celebration this year. An art
exhibit in the gallery of the
Fine Arts Building will of
ficially begin at 4 p.ro on .
Friday. Hie semi-annual
business meeting of the board
of trustees will be held at 10
a.m. Saturday with Cecil
Porter (class of '4S), an at
torney from North
Wilkes bo ro, and chairman,
presiding.
The board's agenda will
include consideration of a
proposal to build additional
housing for 72 students which
will replace Treat Dormitory,
which will be razed this
summer to make way for the
Blackwell Administration
Building; adoption of the 1976
77 college budget (in excess of
$5 million); appointment of
pew faculty members,
promotions, and similar
personnel matters; and the
election of officers of the
board for 1970-77.
Anyone requiring further
information should call the
Office of Public Information
at 689-1217.
Bruce B. Briggs of Mars
Hill, Madison County's
resident superior court judge,
is trying to decide whether to
run for election to the bench or
to try for Congressman Roy A.
Taylor's U. S. House seat.
Speculation this week has
been that Briggs will give up
the judgeship to enter the race
for Congress. Briggs, himself,
has made no public con
firmation of his plans.
He could not be reached for
comment Tuesday.
"I am thinking about it," he
said of the House race earlier
this week. But he emphasized
then that he has reached no
decision.
Briggs was appointed to the
judgeship to fill the vacancy
created by the retirement of
W. E. Anglin of Burnsville. If
he wants to continue on the
bench, he will have to run for
the remainder of the unex
pired term in the November
general election.
There has been considerable
speculation that he is
withholding announcement of
his plans until he can dear his
court calendar, expected to
Judge Considers Switch ?
To Congressional Race
take about two more weeks.
Briggs has been widely
active in political and
governmental affairs. in
recent years, having served as
chairman of the Republican
Party in Madison, as assistant
U. S. attorney for the Western
District of N. C., and in the N.
C. Senate.
Two Republicans are
already in the congressional
race ? Walter R. Sheppard
Jr. and Ralph Ledford, both of
Hendersonville.
Briggs and former state
Sen. Charles Taylor of
Brevard are two of the party's
most powerful figures in the
West who are being en
couraged to run for Taylor's
11th Congressional District
seat.
Ronald Howell, a Marshall
lawyer and a Democrat, has
already announced that he
will seek his party's
nomination for the Mth
Judicial District judgeship
held by Briggs.
There are already four
Democrats in the race for
Taylor's seat, all seeking their
party's nomination. They are
? 7
Asheville attorney Michael E.
Vaughn, Henderson ville
produce distributor Royce
"Bo" Thomas, state Sen.
Lamar Gudger of Asheville,
and Glenn W. Brown of
Waynesville, an attorney and
former superior court
solicitor.
BRUCE BRIOGS
WMU Honors Mrs. Robinson
SO years of service as French
recognition came
Robinson at the 7fctd annual
hcl< It Ptoey M??2.n
Unuron
?nie regular ^order^rf the
aag* on Mr* ud
tribute* to h*r w*r* delivered
by Mn. David B. Robert* and
the Rev E. M. JMldm.
?ft** eee/vioti^
' ~
m 1 -k ! *?*>?'.
Mrs Robinson. Miss Laura
Navy, secretary-treasurer of
the organisation, presented a
aback for UN la home
missions in Mrs. Robinson's
Mrs Roy Wall proasnted a
manorial plaque to Mrs.
rv>oin*ort in i?r nv
three decades of service The
Rav William Lynch, s former
pastor of Mrs RuMaaim's, led
Mrs. Robinson is fbs second
-
director of the French Broad
Baptist Woman'i Missionary
Union. She succeeded Mrs. R.
L. Moore tn IMS. Mrs. Moore
hne tsd Mm organisation since
its formation in 1S04.
the missionary speaker for
the \m soaaian was the Rev.
Chart* Bucknr r who, with Ms