Republicans Suggest Madison County Line Be Moved
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The Madison County Republican
Party has com* up with on vay to
solve the question of what to do about
the proposed withdrawal of Madison
County from its current judicial
district.
The party, during a meeting last
week, offered a compromise asking
the General Assembly to move the
county line so that Democratic party
leader Zeno Ponder s home would be
located in Buncombe County.
Ponder and fellow Madison
Democrats have proposed that
Madison County withdraw from its
carrent Judicial district - the 34th -
and align itself with Buncombe Coun
ty, which, by itself, is the 28th
Judicial District.
Madison County Republicans say
they are opposed to the redistricing
plan, but did arrive at a "com
promise."
Ponder s home and 500-acre ranch
is located on the Madison-Buncombe
county line, and a alight adjustment
of that line would place Ponder in
Buncombe County - and out of the
34th Judicial District, according to
the Republicans' proposal.
Buncombe County officials have
said they are opposed to joining with
Madison County in a new judicial
district.
"In order to please Mr. Ponder and
avoid the problems with the proposal,
the county boundary lines dividing
Madison and Buncombe counties at
Mr. Ponder's property (should) be
withdrawn, such that Mr. Ponder s
property becomes a part of Bun
combe County, thus making Ms coun
ty of residence Buncombe County and
his home Judicial district the S8th
Judicial District," the Republicans'
resolution states.
"Nobody else wants to do this but
Zeno, and some of his property is in
Buncombe County, anyway," said
Roger Swann, Republican Party
chairman. "All they have to do is
redraw the county lines so that all of I
hit property is in Buncombe. That
would and *11 the squabble about
what should be done.'
Some opponents of the redistricting
plan have speculated that Ponder has
proposed the change in judicial
districts because of his indictment in
the 24th district on charges that he
conspired to profit from inside infor
mation he learned while on the N.C.
Board of Transportation. J. Thomas
Rusher, the 24th Judicial District at
torney prosecuting Ponder, is a
"jtm*Baker, assistant district at
torney, drew up the resolution for the
Republicans, but said that did not
represent a conflict of interest
because be -would not participate in
Ponder's trial.
Ponder has denied that his indict
ment has anything to do with the
rodistricting proposal. He has said
Asheville is simply closer to Madison
County than Boone, home of Rusher's
main office.
?
Town Recovers From Festivities
-Continued from Page 1
An old-fashioned sock hop
followed the pageant in the Hot
Springs School gym.
Events continued throughout
Saturday and Sunday as the
weather went out of its way to
cooperate with a weekend of
picture-perfect days.
Up and down Main Street, clubs
and organizations sold food and
crafts while on the river local raf
ting companies gave free raft
rides. For a couple of dollars,
visitors were given the opportuni
ty to view the town from above in a
hot air balloon.
Saturday night, young and old
alike took to the streets to dance to
the sounds of Carolina Misty.
"I saw people dancing I never
knew could dance," said Hot Spr
ings Mayor and Homecoming
Chairman Kenny Ramsey. "As
long as I'm mayor, homecoming
will be an am lal event."
People caim from as far away
as Oregon and 1 xas to take in the
events, Ramsey 4 id.
"I'm very ? *11 pleased.
Everything went smoothly," said
Ramsey.
Funds raised during the
festivities will be enough to cover
the operational costs, with a bit
left over for next year, Champion
said.
"A lot of people did come
home," Champion said. "This
really lifted the town's spirits. I
think we were beginning to lose
some of our southern pride, but a
weekend like this is just what we
all needed."
The weekend ended with a
ceremony honoring the the 50 an
niversary of the Appalachian
Trail, which passes through Hot
Springs.
U.S. Rep. James McClure Clark
was on hand along with George
Olson of the U.S. Forest Service at
the ceremony and reception on the
Jesuit Residence lawn.
"This has been one of the best
things we've done for ourselves
and the town," Champion said.
"I'd like to thank everyone who's
worked hard to see us succeed."
A number of contests were held
in connection to the homecoming
festivities. Here's a list of win
ners:
Beauty Pageant
Wee Miss Hot Springs, Christy
Puryear; Little Miss Hot Springs,
Autumn Church; Junior Miss Hot
Springs, Julie Tino; and, Miss Hot
Springs, Sherri Self.
Pinewood Derby
Dustin Roberts and Chris Sams.
River Raft Race
Roy Whitson, Chuck Gentry,
George Self and Toby Lawson. Hie
team was awarded a $100 first
prize, which team members
donated back to the town.
BILL STUDENC PHOTOS
B*t Springs Homecoming '87
vat a festival of sights and
niii. Above left, area children
listen ta the band Nnthin' Fancy.
Above center, Lions Club Presi
dent Larry Hantsinger flips a
barger. Above right, a hot air
balloon gives residents a birds
eye-view of the festivities. Left,
Margaret Stadeac and Linda
Dodson look at crafts nude by
local artists.
230 Graduate At Mars Hill
-Continued from Page 1
Grayson closed by noting that Mars
Hill College has had only three
presidents in this century, and that
each of them had a profound effect on
the quality of thousands of lives of
students who passed through Mars
Hill's classrooms.
Earlier in the day, the students,
their parents, the faculty and staff of
the college heard Dr. R. Kir by
Godsey, president of Mercer Univer
sity, bring the traditional morning
baccalaureate service. Entitling his
sermon "Lessons on Time," Godsey
urged the seniors to make time their
servant rather than their master.
"We should not delude ourselves in
to thinking that time is an essential
matter. We are not likely to be known
for the number of days we have lived,
but rather by the way we chose to Hve
; those days," Godsey said.
"Without us. time has no character,
no color, no beginning, no end. It is
you and I who have character. We
have meaning," he said. "My lesson
\ on time is that we can live with in
tegrity only if we live beyond the
"Human problems, pain and values
are larger than time. The times
<dMOge. The enduring issues do not,"
Csordis, a continuing education stu
dent from Valdese who received a
bachelor of science degree in
business administration, and
Rochelle Hanenburg Owens. Mrs.
Owens is a native of Orlando, Fla.,
and received a bachelor of science
degree also in an interdisciplinary
major in physical education and exer
cise science.
Other members of the Class of 1987
include the following from Madison
County:
Marshall
Sandra Darlene Keller, (BA)
religion, cum laude; Jamie Lynn
List, (BS) veterinary medical
technology; Lesa Renee Taylor
Coates, (BA) elementary education;
Wendell Steven Wallin, (BA) elemen
tary education; Cheryl Parkman
Ezell, (BA) elementary education;
Donna douse Garrison, (BS) nurs
ing, august graduate; and, Linda Nell
Moore, (BS) business administration.
Mart Hill
Ho Yvonne Hughes Hardin, (BS)
chemistry; Michael Todd Kirkland,
(BA) psychology ; Pamela K. Allison,
(BS) accounting; Gary William
Jamison, (BS) business administra
tion; Deborah K. Leininger, (BA)
theater arts and speech ; Roy Carroll
McGinnis, (BA) English, cum laude;
Gerald H. Spaulding (BA)
pyschology; Trina Derby Hollister,
(BA) studio art, cum laude; Dolores
Buckner Wyatt, (BA) elementary
education, magna cum laude;
Deborah Dianne Bicker, (BS)
biology, cum laude; James Larry
Thomas, (BA) religion; Rodney Lee
Honeycutt, (BS) recreation; Lisa
Long Taylor, (BA) elementary
education; Geraldine Gardner
Girard, (BA) elementary education;
Bette Anne Hardin English, (BA)
elementary education; Mary Marie
Dickson, (BA) English/French,
magna cum laude; Betty Jean
Hensley, (BS) business administra
tion; Shannon Noel Ward, (BSW)
social work; Gina Allen Terry, (BM)
music education (piano), cum laude;
Kimberly Annette Thomas, (BM)
music education, (clarinet); and,
Pamela Kish Brown, (BA) English,
cum laude.
Rochelle Hanenburg Owens and Andrew Csordis, winners rf
the Mars Hill College Scholarship-Character Award, talk to Dr.
Donald 8chmeltekopf, academic vice president of the college.
Both Owens and Csordis maintained a grade-point average of
4.9 at Mars Hill.
NC State
Graduates
3,650
An estimated 3,650 men and women
received degrees from North
Carolina State University during the
university's special centennial com
mencement Saturday in Carter -
Finley Stadium.
Chancellor Bruce R. Poulton con
ferred some 3,195 baccalaureate, 672
master's, 201 doctoral and 67 doctor
of veterinary medicine degrees. He
delivered the commencement ad
dress "Promises To Keep."
The following graduates are from
Madison County:
Mars Hill
Master - Monica M. Sprehe, civil
engineering, daughter of Mrs. and
Mrs. D J. Sprehe of Route 2.
Bachelor - Ronald E. Weathers, in
dustrial engineering, son of Mr. and
Mrs. R.E. Weathers Sr.
Marshall
Bachelor - Stephen B. Halula, com
puter science, son of Mr. and Mrs. .
J.N. Halula of Route!
Madison Students Among Graduates At Western Carolina
Western Carolina University
Chancellor Myron L. Coulter confer
red degrees on 868 students Saturday,
at the imivenity's 1987 spring corn
Former U.S. Secretary of Educa
tion Terrel H. Bell delivered the com
mencement address in the
ceremonies in WCU's Liston B.
Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
Receiving diplomas were can
didates from Western's six school*
There were 180 graduates from the
School of Arts and Sciences, 117 from
the School of Badness, 156 from the
School of Education and Psychology,
MJL^m iW- Q-S s .f ?
UV' n fiOOI '->1 iNUrsiHg AJ\0.
Health Sciences, 118 from the School
of Technology and Applied Science
and 156 from the Graduate School
A total of 206 students graduated
with academic honors. Fifty-six
students graduated summa cum
iaude (highest honors) based on four
year grade averages of 3.7S or higher
on a 4.0 scale Of these, 21 were
darifMlad University Scholars for
camphUnj all of their work at WCU.
Sixty-five students graduated magna
cum laude (high honors, 3.30 to 3.74)
and 85 graduated cum laude
(honors).
Listed are area students in the
graduating class, dwwtaf each stu
dent's Baid of study All received
gradoato4evelS?Msiaranoted. Ap
Area students graduating were:
? Hot Springs - Cheryl Lynn Plem
mons, Route 1, master's degree, mid
dle grades education; Donna Lucinda
Fowler, Route 1, chemistry; and,
Judith Lynn Price, Route 1, finance,
cum laude.
? Mars Hill -- Gail Porter Sawyer,
certificate of advanced study, com
munity agency counseling; Doyle
Willard Amnions, education
specialist degree, educational ad
ministration, public school. Master's
degrees: Prances Lee Ramsey,
Woodland Drive, secondary educa
tion, social sciences; Richard M
Thomason, business administratkm;
and, Donald Thomas, Route S,
medical technology, magna cum
laude.
N. Buncombe Students Compete In Academics
Student* from North Buncombe
High School competed in the
According to school officials, "All
students were winners, their
behavior was superb, their coopers
tier flawless and their courage
magnificent since the majority of the
students had no idea what the com
'
The daylong testing session held
lot month probrt how wail the en