THE YANCEY JOURNAL
VOL. 2, NO. 50
Bicentennial May Give
Boost To County Projects
Impressive plans being laid
by the N. C. Department of
Cultural Resources for the Bi
centennial celebration in 1976
of the birth of our country ap
pear to offer welcome prospects
of aid to two of Yancey Coun
ty's important development
projects, now in the planning
stage. These are the remodel
ing of the old Northwestern
Bank building for library use,
and the "face-lift" of the Burns
ville town square.
This encouraging prospect of
help for the two projects was
presented by William Grist,
area coordinator for the bicen
tennial celebration, at a meet
ing on Monday with representa
tives of the Yancey County
40 Attend
WNC Awards
Luncheon
About forty people from
Yancey County last Saturday
attended the awards luncheon
of the Western N. C. Communi
ty Development Program at
the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.
At this annual event awards
are presented to winners among
the communities from the 18
counties covered by the prog
ram. This year 79 communi -
ties were in the competition.
Both White Oak Creek and
Burnsville received honorable
mention in the divisions of the
competition in which they were
entered. Both received SSO
awards. White Oak Creek had
previously won first place in
Yancey County in the compe
tition for commuhities with
less than 75 families.
T exana of Cherokee Coun
ty, Ashford of McDowell, and
Little River of Transylvania
were top award winners in the
three divisions set up in .the
competition. Various other
awards were made for youth
programs and to youth groups
for outstanding projects. Also
citations were awarded to 21
individuals in recognition for
outstanding community leader
ship and service.
The featured speaker at the
luncheon was Senator Jesse
Helms, who praised those par
ticipating in the community
development program for their
long and successful record of
"doing things for themselves' 1 .
Some disappointment was
naturally felt by the Yancey
County delegation that our en
tries had not placed higher in
the awards. How ;ver those
who had made the greatest ef
fort in preparing the Yancey
entries were inclined to agree
with Rep. Roy Taylor when
he stated as he announced the
awards! 'This is a program
in which all are winners, be
cause the real award is in a
better community in which to
live."
The handsome "achieve -
ment book" submitted to the
judges of the competition by
the Burnsville Committee will
be on exidbition at the Yan
cey County library. This book
presents in attractive form the
impressive record of progress
achieved by Burnsville and
Yancey County during the
past year.
Chamber of Commerce and
the Burnsville town board.
The bicentennial plans be
ing formulated aim to have the
celebration concentrate on
community improvement pro
jects. Towns and comities will
be encouraged to undertake im
provements of a permanent na
ture, such as parks,recreation
facilities, and libraries, which
will be undertaken and dedica
ted to commemorate the bi
centennial.
This approach will give a
more lasting significance to
'he celebration than a short
time and soon forgotten out
pouring of patriotic and his
toric utterances, writings and
programs. To encourage the
community improvement ap
proach to the bicentennial,
funds are being raised to pro
vide grant aid on a matching
basis for worthwhile projects.
After discussion of the "face
lift" and the library
Grist expressed the view that
both these projects may well
qualify for inclusion in the
program. It was decided that a
preliminary application will be.
submitted to the bicentennial
planneis in Raleigh.
As an essential organizing
step, it was agreed to form a
Yancey Bicentennial Commit
tee to consist of representatives
of the County Commissioners,
the Burnsville Town Board, and
the Yancey Chamber of Com
merce.
Mr. Grist expects to return
to Yancey Covmty of January 9
when he tyill meet with the
newly formed Bicentennial Com
mittee. *
Sink, Deyton Appointed To
Northwestern Bank Board
Hazen Ledford, executive
vice president of The Northwes
tern Bank of Burnsville, announ
ces the appointment of Oscar W.
Deyton and J. Ardell Sink to
the Board of Directors of the
Bank.
Cscar W. Deyton is owner
and operator of Deyton Farm
Supply in Burnsville. He is a
graduate of North Carolina
State University in Raleigh
where he majored in Agricul -
tural Science. He is very ac
tive in civic affairs, a member
of the Board of Directors of
the Yancey County Chamber
of Commerce, and chairman of
the Yancey County Board of
Commissioners. Deyton is a
member of the Burnsville MenV
Club and the American Legion.
He is a veteran of World War II
having served as an officer in
BURNSVILLE, N.C. 28714
Ira M ■ . *r »
Two Yancey 4-H f ers Capture Top Honors
Steve Gortney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Browm Gortney of Rt.
1, Green Mountain, an 18-year-old Yancey County 4-HClub
member was named Monday night as top winner of the 1973
Vestem North Carolina Horticultural Crops Contest. He re
ceived he SIOO first prize for his trellixed tomato project.
Second place winner and recipient of a SSO award was Bobby
Ray Bennett, son es Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bennett of Burns
ville. Darlene Cutshall, Madison County, a 4-H member,
placed third and received a $25 prize. They also grew toma
toes. Gortney, who was an honorable mention winner m the
Yancey County Board 8f Education Outlines
Projects Undertaken And Progress Made In 1973
One year ago in November
the citizens of Yancey County
elected its first Board of Educa
tion by popular vote. The
newly-elected board took of
fice the first Monday of Decern
the United States Air Force.
Mr. Deyton and his wife,
Mary Margaret, have two daugh
ters and attend Deyton Bend
Methodist Church where he is
Sunday School Superintendent
and a member of the Church
Board.
J. Ardell Sink is a graduate
of High Point College with a
B. S. Degree in Business Admin
istration. He is president of
Mark Media, Inc. , and RON
Broadcasting Corporation.
Mr. Sink is a member of
the Board of Trustees of Blue
Ridge Hospital System. He is
also a member of the State and
National Association of Broad
casters and the Burnsville
Men's Club.
Sink and his wife, Remelle,
have three children. Mr. Sink
is a certified Layspeaker of
the Methodist Church and at
tends Higgins Memorial Metho
dist Church.
Christmas
Exhibit Set
The Pensacola Homemak
ers Club will have a Christ
mas Ideas Exhibit at the
Noigetown Laundry in Burns
ville Plaza Shopping Center
on Thursday, Friday and Sa
turday, December 6, 7und 8.
Hours are 9too a. m. to 8 p. m.
Everyone is welcome.
ber, 1972. Following is a re
port by this board for the last
year.
At its initial meetings the
newly-elected Board of Educa
tion outlined broad areas of the
school system and chose those
in which it intended to work.
These areas included long-range
building plans, personnel, cur-->
riculum, finances and general
policies. Two areas the board
chose to concentrate on first
of all were personnel and plans
for a new consolidated high
school in Yancey County.
The new teacher tenure law
which became effective July 1,
1973 necessitated a complete
review of all professional per
sonnel within the school system.
The uncertainty of the continu
ed availability of federal funds
for school construction also re
quired rapid movement on plans
for a new high school.
The school board requested
the superintendent to ask each
principal to submit evaluation
of all teaching personnel at
each of their respective schools.
After this information was ga
thered, each individual was
thoroughly reviewed as to qua
lifications, experience, back
ground and suitability of place
ment in regards to field of
study. The board established
a policy that only professional
teaching personnel with "A"
certificates would be employed
in the county system. Along
with review of professional
personnel, other employees
such as those ip maintenance,
mechanic and administrative
positions were evaluated. A
new maintenance supervisor
was employed along with anew
school bus mechanic supervisor,
in early May the public and all
teachers were informed of their
status of employment within the
school system. By the begin -
ning of the summer new princi-
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6,1973
contest last year, grew two-tenths acre of trellised tomatoes.
This was his fifth year as a tomato grower. He produced over
500 boxes of tomatoes.
During the past 12 years approximately 150 contestants
have taken part in the annual contest sponsored by the Horti
cultural Crops Commission in cooperation with the N.C.Agri
cultural Extension Service and vocational agriculture teachers,
ft is aimed at stimulating interest among youth in producing
various horticultural crops and recognizing those with the
mast outstanding projects.
pals were employed for East
Yancey High School, South Toe
Elementary School and Clear
mont Elementary School.
Newly-created positions of Li
brary Coordinator and county
wide music teacher were also
filled by the beginning of school.
Prior to the current school year
there had been no one responsi
ble for the libraries in each of
the elementary schools nor had
there been an overall organized
music program for the elemen
tary school children.
At its meeting on January
18th, the Yancey Countyßoard
of Education voted to ask the
Board of County Commissioners
to employ the Asheville archi
tectural firm of Padgett and
Freeman to begin the develop -
ment of plans for a consolidated
high school. In late February
the Board of County Com mis -
Civil Air Patrol Search
Discloses Plane Wreckage
The Civil Air Patrol had a
busy week searching for two
missing planes. The first plane
reported missing Sunday, No
vember 25 on a flight from
Chattanooga, Tenn. in route
to Raleigh, N.C. was found
Thursday in Clay County,with
the body of the pilot, Dr. M.S,
Riddle, horn Mississippi.
The second plane was repor
ted missing which departed Ha
gantown, Md. in route to At
lanta, Ga. November 26 with
two adults, two teenagers, and
a 1-year-old child aboard. 1 It
was found Saturday, Dec. 1 at
4 p.m, in the mountainous
community of Kings Creek in
Caldwell County, 16 miles
north of Hickory. The pilot
was identified as John Carbough,
36, an Eastern Airline pilot.
%
sioners, along with the chair
man of the school board and the
superintendent, went to Raleigh
to discuss plans for a consolida
ted high school with officials of
the School Planning Division
of the North Carolina Depart -
ment of Public Instruction and
Local Government Commission.
Receiving a favorable review in
Raleigh, the board began plans
to hold a bond referendum to
put the vote for the issuance of
bonds to the people of Yancey
County.
This referendum was held
May 22, 1973, and was over
whelmingly approved by a mar
gin of mare than three to one.
Later in the summer the one
hundred,'twenty-five acreT.K.
Riddle farm, one-half mile East
of Riverside on U.S. Highway
19E, was acquired by the Board
(Cont'd on page 2)
The identities of the other four
were not immediately known.
The Mountain Wilderness
Civil Air Patrol Squadron search
ing this area for the missing
planes was hampered, as in
other areas, by bad weather
and high winds that kept their
planes on the ground for two
days. Clearing skies was wel
come and the air search con
tinued in force.
Mountain Wilderness CAP
was chartered May, 1971 and
since has found 4 missing air
craft in our area and with the'
aid of the Radio Patrol, Sheriff
Department and Rescue Squad,
removed 11 bodies from the
wreckages, all in rugged ter
rain. Thanks to all the mem
i ben and those who so willingly
helped.
Regional Health Council
Asks fuel Priority In Crisis
The Regional Health Coun
cil of Eastern Appalachia un
animously voted on Wednesday
evening, November 28,1973,
urging the Nixon Administra -
tion and the U. S. Congress to
insure priority fuel availability
for hospitals and vital health
related facilities. Mr. Harold
Stanley, Chairman of the
Regional Health Council, re
ported that there is a growing
concern among hospital ad
ministrators and health author
ities that the impending fuel
shortage will result in a serious
health care crisis because most
of the hospitals in the 14
county region have received
allocation cutbacks which li
mit the availability of fuel to
heat their facilities. He said,
"Most of the hospitals expect
to have difficulty, particular
ly if the shortage becomes
acute because of Federal Con
trol Regulations which will es
tablish priority and limit awiik
ability of required fuels. " Dr.
Williarii Derrick of the Watau
ga County Hospital in Boone,
reported to the Council that he
was concerned about the fuel
crisis in terms of one more
barrier being placed between
citizens and adequate health
care. He commented, "with
the limiting of available gaso
line either thru rationing or
taxation many people will in
creasingly hesitate seeking
appropriate jnedical care be
cause of the lack of gasoline
and therefore, the result will
be more serious illness becaise
the patient waited until his
condition became serious be
fore seeking needed medical
care. " He also noted that un
fortunately fuel taxing will
hurt the people who can least
afford it. This will be espe
cially true in the rural areas'
and the mountains where peo
ple must travel considerable
distance to seek adequate
health care.
Mr. Hugh Stetlcr, Admin
Wins Shopping Spree
Ga~y Pate, of Route 3, Burnsville was the lucky winner
of the Yancey County Jaycee Shopping Spree held Novem*
ber 24, 1973, at Burnsville Super Market. Gary collected
over $200.00 in groceries. The Jaycee* would like to ex
press their appreciation to David Peterson, owner of Burns
ville Supermarket for allowing them to hold this shopoing
spree. Proceeds from the Shopping Spree will be used to
ward a Christmas Party for the newly children in Yancey
POSTAL PATRON
10^
istrator of the North Wilkes
Hospital, noted that as homes
are kept lower temperatures or
run out of heating fuels many
citizens, especially the elder
ly, will have increased respir
atory problems. He said "un
less hospitals are adequately
heated and maintained at full
operational capacity we will
certainly have a crisis situa -
tion to deal with". He added
that hospitals cannot reduce
to any great degree the tem
perature setting because most
patients wear less clothes and
the sick need warmer temper
atures for their protection.
Mr. Stanley noted that
since pending legislation will
establish fuel priorities the
Regional Health Council is
urging that health facilities be
given full consideration to
protect the health and welfare
of our citizens.
Free Firewood
Is Available
l DelW. Thorsen, Forest Su
pervisor of the National Forests
in North Carolina announced
that a change in Forest Service
policy makes free firewood on
the National Forests available
to all citizens.
The present energy shortage
has caused this change and foils
who are interested in firewood
for cooking, heating, or fire -
place logs may contact their
local Forest Ranger's office for
a free permit.
Thorsen said that these per
mits are issued for special areas
and are for personal use only.
Free use permits are not made
for commercial purposes. Cfaly
wood as designated in the per
mit will be removed from the
Forest and the permittee is re
sponsible for the gathering and
hauling of his wood. Permits
(Cont'd on page 2)