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Rural Carriers-C. Presnell, P. Banks,. L. King, J. Allen, L. Slagle, G. Gardner
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Postal Employees- Bruce Smith, Peggy Shepherd, Mary Pate, And Harold Anglin
Rapids Os Nolichucky River Claim Two lives
As Robber Raft Capsizes In Rain-Swollen Waters
Riding the rapids of the No
lichucky River, an exciting ex
perience which has been enjoy
ed for years by many Yancey
County residents, proved fatal
last Saturday to two young peo
ple from Knoxville.
The rubber raft on which
De>mis Rankin and Jeannette
Grone were "shooting the
with four of their friends, cap
sized in Yancey County about
1/2 mile down the river from
the entry point at Poplar. The
Rankin youth and Miss Grone
were swept downstream by the
powerful cuirent of the swollen
Nolichucky, but the other four,
Larry Bowers of Elizabethton,
Paul Fisher, ’Waverly Cabrera
and Homer Cabrera of Knoxville
were washed ashore and return
ed to Poplar to summon help.
T he bodies of the two young
people were recovered from the
river around 3«00 p. m. by mem
bers of the Erwin Rescue Squad.
A Spruce Pine Rescue Squad
and local citizens were conduc
ting a search when notified the
bodies had been recovered near
Notice
Next week's edition of
The Yancey Journal will
include a list of the profes
sional personnel who have
been re-employed for the
Yancey County School Unit
for the 1973-74 school year.
THE YANCEY JOURNAL
Erwin, Tennessee.
Everyone in the rafting party
had been wearing life jackets,
but they were of little aid be
cause of the rapid current in
the rain-swollen waters.
Members of the Leonard
Hughes family had gathered for
a fish fry at Jones Branch when
they saw the raft go by. Hughes
said his two sons, F'ranklinand
Carol, went to the Chestoa
Bridge after Leonard spotted a
life jacket. Leonard and FVank
lin watched the girl's body whife
Carol summoned the Rescue
Squad.
The- girl's body was removed
from the river about a mile be
low the Asheville- Highway brieve
and the Hughes brothers found
Rankini body lodged under a log
about a quarter of a mile above
the bridge.
Rescue Squad members,using
boats, brought the body to the
bridge.
Sue Cooper of Unaka
said the youths came to her
home Saturday morning and
asked if they could leave a car
there. Then they all got inone
car and went to the Nolichucky
Bowers said they entered thb ri
ver around 2too p. m.
Ffe said they were all stu
dents at the University of Ten
nessee and that Miss Grone,
originally of Erlanger, Ky.,
worked as a physical therapist
at East Tennessee State Hospital.
Assisting at the scene were
trooper Don Cole and Chief
Deputy Leroy Callahan and
members of the Sheriff's De
partment of Erwin. Yancey
County Sheriff, Kermit Banks,
Dr. Sargent Recedes Honor
Certificate From President
Dr. W.A.Y. Sargent of
Burnsville recently received re
cognition for his work with the
selective service system from
the President of the U. S,
A Certificate of Appreciaticn
to Dr. Sargent from the Presi
dent "in grateful recognition of
valuable service contributed to
the Nation and the Selective
Service System in the adminis
tration of the Military Selective
Service Act of 1967". 1
certificate was also signed by
Governor James Holshouser, by
State Director of'the Selective
Service, William McCachren,
and by Acting Director of Se
lective Service, Byron Pepitone.
A Meritorious Service Award
from State Director McCachrai
was also presented to Dr. Sar
gent "In recognition of meritor
ious service of benefit to the
nation and the selective service
system. "
The two awards were pre
sented to Dr. Sargent, who las
served 12 years as Local Board
*?<y%Ht,en(xf 7 &t 'ty&tcey IRec&id
THURSDAY, MAY 3,1973
Yancey Post Office Holds
Postal Week Observance
April 29 - May 5 is being
observed throughout the na
tion as Postal Week. The
Burnsville Postal employees
held their own celebration on
, 4-
Tuesday, May Ist at the post <
office building on the square.
As part of the day's events
Howard Young, the newly ap
pointed Burnsville Postmaster
was presented with his certifi
cate of office by Asheville Sec
tional Center Postmaster, R. E.
Wolfe. Also at the presenta -
tion was John D. Sigman, Su
perintendent of Mails from
Asheville and Burnsville Mayer
lames Anglin.
Young said that Postal Week
is being observed to give cre
dit for the services performed
by rank and file postal em
ployees.
Participating in Tuesday's
observance were the Burnsville
rural carriers, Clarence Pres
nell, Phillip Banks, John Al
len, Gene Gardner, Lawrence
King, and Lee Slagle. Also
participating were Burnsville
post office clerks Peggy Shar.
pherd, Mary Pate, Ekuce Smith
and Harold Anglin, assistant to
the postmaster.
All day Tuesday these em
ployees served refreshments to
and greeted local citizens at
the post office.
On being presented with his
certificate of office, Young
said, '1 am extremely pleased
to be the Postmaster of the
Burnsville office and hope that
and other local residents were
on their way to help with the
search and rescue operation
when word was received that
the bodies had been found.
Medical Advisor, by Phillip
Westall, Chairman of the Local
Board #lOl, and by board mem
bers Clarence Bailey and Paul
Ayers.
In making the presentations
to Dr. Sargent on behalf of the
President, the Governor and the
Selective Service System, Wes
tall said that the awards were
given in behalf of Sargent's "ut*
selfish services to your commu
nity and nation while serving as
Medical Advisor of Local Board
#101."
Dr. Sargent, who graduated
from the University of Vermont
Medical School in 1930, has
been,a practicing physician in
Yancey County for 20 years,
12 of which he has served as Se
lective Service Medical Advisoa
Before he and his wife, Frederi
ka came to Yancey County, Dr.
Sargent practiced seven years in
Tennessee and Kentucky, five
years as a medical doctor in the
transportation corp. during War Id
War 11, and five years in New
York.
the next 10 years will be as
happy for me as the last six
months. Anytime the people
of Yancey County have a ques
tion or postal problem, I will
be happy to assist them in any
way. 1 want everyone to feel
free to call on me at anytime"
Asa tribute to the nationh
postal employees, 10 stamps
reflecting the services perfornj
ed by postal people are avail
able for purchase this week.
The stamps, all on the same
sheet, are unusual, as there is
a message on the reverse side
of each one.
WNC Community Development Program Underway;
1973 Competitors Indude Two From Yancey County
T he Western North Carolina
Development Association held
a luncheon at the Sheraton Inn
in Asheville on April 25th at
which their theme for this
"Clean Sweep '73" was ex
pounded. The meeting was
attended by Eloise Briggs, Yan
cey County Beautification Co
ordinator, and William
Extension Chairman from Yan
cey County. Discussed at this
meeting also, was the 19 73
Western North Carolina Com -
munity Development Program,
now getting underway for this
v. year's competition.
A total of 31 organized com
munity clubs in 12 counties and
the Cherokee Indian Reservation
have made official entry in the
1973 Western North Carolina
Community Development Pro -
gram to date, according to Mrs.
Dot Grindstaff of Asheville, the
chairman of the improvement
program for the Western North
Carolina Development Associa -
den. A large number of addi
tional areas are expected to en
ter before the May IS deadline.
Two community clubs ir. Yan
cey County have entered the
HLUB Kahiimv
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Yoncey Farmers Receive Recognition
Yancey Farmers working with Extension tobacco experi
mental plots received recognition at a Burley Grower* Lun
cheon at Asheville's Holiday fan Friday, the 27th. Pic
tured above are Luther A yen, Walter Edwards, FumeyTodd,
Extension Tobacco Specialist, N.C. State University; Jim
I
■ - ■■■
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m
John Sigman, Mayor James Anglin, Postmaster Howard Young, And R.E. Wolfe
program at this time. These are
Green Mountain and White Oak
Creek.
The WNC Community Deve
lopment Program, now in its
24th year, is a self-help grass
roots program which encouraga
people to organize and to
gether in community groups on
making their areas better plaoes
to live. A total of 84 commu
nities were involved last year.
Accomplishments of the or
ganized community clubs have
included the erection of com
munity certers, building play
grounds, forming volunteer fire
departments, organizing youth
programs and hundreds of other
i improvement projects.
The program is sponsored by
the agricultural agencies in each
co unty in cooperation with lo -
cal sponsors and the WNC Deve
lopment Association. Area
awards of $6,450 will be awar
ded next f all to those commu -
. nities which make the greatest
progress during the year and an
estimated SIO,OOO in local pri
zes will be presented in the
. counties.
A special feature of the Corn
munity Development Program
is a community beautification
contest. Purpose of this special
competition is to focus atten -
tion on clean up, fix-up pro
jects and stimulate community
effort and pride in improving
the physical appearance of the
communities. Emphasis in
this project includes " clean
sweep" roadside campaigns,junk
Westall Injured In Shooting
Incident Monday Afternoon
According to Ymcey County
Sheriff Kermit Banks, a Monday
afternoon shooting incident at
Mathis Service Station inMica
ville resulted in the injury of
Elmer Paul Westall, 51, of
Route 5, Burnsville by the
operator of the station, Joseph
W. Mathis.
Westall was shot one time
in the stomach with a 38-cali
ber pistol. He was taken to
Spruce Pine Community Hospi
tal where he underwent surgpry
and according to a spokesman
his condition is "stable".
* . 7 ‘.r . ' ,
Adkins, James Westall, and Harold Roes, Tobacco Specia
list, M.C. State University. Not pictured were Ed Hensley,
Britt Holloway, Laurence GMndstaff and Bruce Bailey. The
farmers were accompanied by W.C.Bledsoe,County Extent
Chairman and John Blair, Agricultural Extension Agent,
10 c
car removal, improved land
scaping of homes and of other
buildings, cleaning up streams
and banks, removal of dilapi -
dated building and other
"eyesores".
Special awards are being of
fered in the beautification pro
gram to recognize those com
munities doing outstanding work
Sheriff Banks said that no
charges have been filed pend
ing further investigation.
According to Mathis, Wes
tall entered the station at4:ls
and allegedly attacked him,
knocking him to the floor.
During the scuffle, Mathis said
he was able to get a pistol he
kept in the station. He fired
four shots, one of which struck
Westall.
Sheriff Banks said that he
has not talked with Westall
since the shooting incident
occurred.
i