CUZ'S
CORNER
Odds And Ends And Believe It Or Not
Odd and unusual facts
always fascinated me and
maybe youll be interested in
some that I have collected.
One of the most recent
surprising things 1 came across
was found in a cemetery in my
home state, down in South
Alabama. My good friend,
Ottis Gulledge, and I were on
our way to Montgomery and
had stopped at the cemetery
where his father was buried.
While there he told me that
somewhere in that cemetery
was a grave of a man who had
his pciture on the headstone.
We looked around and sure
enough, we found it. A little
more looking revealed another
which bore the picture of a
man and his wife. The pictures
were under glass and were in
excellent condition.
I had never heard of such a
practice. Have you?
The Journal of the American
Medical Association in
December I960 reported a
pretty bad case of compulsive
swallowing. A patient went to
a doctor with swollen ankles.
Upon a thorough examination
it was teamed that the patient
had 258 items in his stomach.
A 3 pound piece of metal, 26
keys, 3 sets of rosary beads, 16
religious medals, a braclet, a
necklace, three pairs of
tweezers, four nail files, three
metal chains and 88 assorted
coins. And other little odds
and ends.
Surely this character could
never have been accused of
having iron-poor tired blood.
Or maybe that was his trouble.
Somebody should have told
him about that gunk that
comes in bottles. , .Jerry Tall.
Back in 1943 there were
some experiments conducted
which determined that the
fastest messages transmitted by
the nervous system travel at
265 m.p.h.
Jack O'Leary of Los Angeles
had the hiccups. Man, did he
ever. It was estimated that he
"hicked" more than
160,000,000 times in an attack
which lasted from June 13,
1948 to June 1, 1956. Folks
sent him about 60,000
suggestions for cures. Only one
apparently worked-a prayer to
St. Jude, the patron saint of
lost causes. I sure hope this
good Saint didn't get demoted
in the recent mass demotion of
saints by our Catholic friends.
1 sure hope that I never have
this trouble: Polydactylism, or
too many fingers. In 1930 a
case was recorded of a
Spaniard with 26 fingers. How
about that? Now this bird
could really get his fingers into
a mighty lotta pies without a
strain.
You ever had a kidney
stone? I betcha ain't every had
one like this: A woman in
London produced one that
weighed in at 13 pounds, 14
ounces.
All our lives we have heard
of folks who could holler loud
enough to be heard a "country
mile." Well, if they can't yell
any louder than that they ain't
nothing but pikers. There is a
recorded case, under freak
acoustic conditions, of the
human voice being heard at a
distance of 10V4 miles across
still water at night.
I can sure remember when a
voice like that would have
come in awful handy when I's
calling hogs.
And 1 know that you have
known a lot of fast talkers in
your time. Very few can speak
articulately at a sustained
speed above 300 words per
minute. One public figure in
our time had a recorded speed
of 327-words-per-minute. See
if you can guess who did it. Ill
tell you at the end of the
column.
I also enjoy Press Boners.
However, typesetters don't.
Here are some dandies:
The pastor will preach and
there will be special SINNING
by the congregation.
lln congregation.
Attorney General urges
closer look at nudest colony
(Headline).
Miss Brown was WINKING
for the third time when the
lifeguard seized her and
dragged her ashore.
The fire caused damage
estimated at $25,000. It was
partially CAUSED by
insurance.
Bull Moose is in the hospital
suffering from head injuries
and a shock caused by coming
in contact with a live WIFE.
A beautiful WIDOW often
will make up for ugly and
cumbersome furniture.
The deceased is survived by
ten children, five of whom are
still living.
Then daffy definitions are
kind cute.
Automation is man's effort
to make work so easy that
women can do it all. I'm for
THAT.
In Parts Pups I found these
whatchamacallems:
The trouble with human
nature is that there's too many
people connected with it.
Contentment is a mental
condition that consists of not
knowing any better.
The only defense against a
new idea is stupidity.
If it weren't for marriage,
husbands and wives would have
to fight with strangers.
If you're at the age when
wrestling with your conscience
tires you out, stop wrestling.
You can't get into serious
trouble, anyway.
When the little old lady got
on the bus she tapped the
driver on the shoulder and
politely whispered:
"Young man, let me know
when we reach Greenwood."
"All right, lady," replied the
driver kindly. "Sit down and
111 let you know when we get
there. Just give me your ticket
when you leave."
The bus rolled on and at
each stop she asked,"Is this
Greenwood?" and the driver
shook his head. At last the
driver swung the bus to the
side of the road and walked
back to her seat.
"Greenwood, lady," he
said-then looked at her ticket.
"Why, this isnt for
Greenwood. It's for Poplarville,
two miles from here!"
"I know, said the lady, "but
my daughter told me that
when we got to Greenwood it's
time for me to take my pill."
I dont know if the
following is fact or fiction. I'm
inclined to believe that it's the
truth on account of knowing
the young Miss involved. If It is
true, then my vote for the
MOST CONSCIENTIOUS
STUDENT OF ALL TIME
would most assuredly have to
go to Miss Kathy Fox of
Hiwassee Dam High School.
My daughter, Sharon, told
this story on Kathy:
In Biology class last year
Kathy is said to have raised her
hand. Her teacher asked what
she wanted. She said, "Mr.
Hawkins, I'd like to know how
I can bring my average up in
this subject."
Now I can certainly
understand why she would be
concerned about her "average"
on account of Sharon said it
was only 98 at the time.
I used to worry and wonder
a lot about my own averages in
school. Yeah, I was all the time
fretting over how I could bring
mine up to a respectable F
minus.
In a speech by John F.
Kennedy, then President of the
United States, in December
1961 made this record of 327
words per minute. Did you
guess him?
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IHflfoL
of MURPHY, N.C.
Andrews Hiway
Phone 837-5165
PIANO SALE
AT
Randalls Record
AND
Music Shop
Thursday & Friday, October 23?24
FREE LIVE DEMONSTRATION OF THE QUALITY OF
THE ORGANS & PIANOS
COMPUTE SELECTION OF
..TAPES
All 8 Track Stereo Tapes
REDUCED
See And Hear The Organ That You Can Make
Sound Like Many Different Instruments
SPECIAL PRICES ON ALL THE MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS IN THE STORE
THIS ONCE A YEAR SALE ON PIANOS AND ORGANS
2 DAYS ONLY AT
\andall'4> Record and MuAic
i Street . Murphy, N. C.
Murphy Distributive Education Class |
This year's Distributive Education Club of Murphy posed at the
high school last week for an official portrait, 30 members learning
about business through part-time jobs. Front row (L-R) Cecil
Mashbum, Teacher-Coordinator; Linda Cornwell, Historian; James
Messer, Delegate; Patricia Radford, Parliamentarian; Michael Mauney,
Vice-President; Russell Hensley, President; Shirley Roberson,
Secretary-Treasurer; Steve McDonald, Delegate; Second row - Betty
Ann Morgan, Billy Harbin, Carolyn Carringer, Steve Stiles, Joy
Sudderth, Glenn Bamett, Debbie Waggoner, James English; Third row
Johnny Timpson, Hugh Carder, Linda Kephart, Steve Coleman, Linda
Rowland, Steve Hill, Janice Roberson, Mitchell Sneed, Donr
Frankum, and Bill Crisp. Not pictured are Stella Ann Hughes, Tommy
Palmer, Wallace Panther and Janet Roberts. Members are working for
the following firms: Rimco Manufacturing, American Thread,
Townson Funeral Home, Collins and Crain, Trudy's, Cato's, Lena's,
Mauney Drug Co., Parker's Drug Store, Murphy Textile Mills,
Fambro's, Citizens Bank and Trust, WKRK Radio, Odell's Restaurant,
A & P, Garrett Beauty Shop, Providence Hospital, King Auto Supply,
Cal's Supermarket, Gene Fair's Grocery. (Staff Photo)
Ivie Funeral Home
Murphy-Andrews-Hayesville
MRS' MARY FERGUSON
Mrs. Mary Wright Ferguson,
70 of Rte. 1 died October 16
in an Andrews hospital after a
brief illness.
She was a member of
Peach tree United Methodist
Church, the Murphy Chapter
No. 10, Order of the Eastern
Star, and was the widow of
Homer Ferguson.
Surviving are three sons.
Jack of Murphy, Rt. 1, Roy of
Asheville and Bill Ferguson of
the home; two daughters, Mrs.
Mary Lou Lovingood, of
Buford, Ga. and Mrs. Bill
Lovingood of Chapel Hill; and
20 grandchildren.
Services were held at 2 p.m.
Saturday in Peachtree Baptist
Church.
The Rev. Robert Barker and
the Rev. Lester Stowe
officiated. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
Pallbearers were Neil and
Ralph Sudderth, Bob and Oran
Witt, James Ferguson and
O'Neal Crisp.
Ivie Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
MRS' MINNIE LEDFORD
Mrs. Minnie Matheson
Led ford, 78 of Rt. 1
Hayesville, died Thursday, Oct.
16 in a Hiawassee Ga., hospital
after a long illness.
She was a member of Myers
Chapel United Methodist
Church.
Surviving are the husband,
Robert L. Ledford; three
daughters, Mrs. Rena Matheson
of Hayesville, Mrs. Reba
Rigsby of Titusville, Pre and
Mrs. Martha Merritt of La
Puente, Calif; five sons, Ronda
and Ralph, both of Hayesville,
Robert of Milpitas, Calif., Ray
of Casitas Spring, Calif., and
Reuben Ledford of Canton,
Ohio. 24 grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren.
Services were held at 2:30
p.m. Sunday in Myers Chapel
United Methodist Church.
The Rev. Harry Hawk
officiated and burial was in the
church cemetery.
Pallbearers were: Von
Ledford, Glenn and Neil
Matheson, Ruehand Clay Hall
and Howard Prater.
Ivie Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
FRED JOHNSON
Fred Johnson, 65 die<
Monday in a Barberton, Ohi<
hospital after a long illness.
He was a native of Cheroke
County and had lived ii
Barberton for the past 2:
years.
Surviving are two sisters;
Mrs. Minnie McDvar of Akron,
Ohio and Mrs. Bertha Vaughn
of Lake City, Tenn; a brother
Pearley Johnson of Murphy Rt.
4.
Services were held at 2 p.m.
Friday in Bearpaw Baptist
Church.
The Rev. Jack Palmer
officiated and burial was in the
church cemetery.
Pallbearers were: Garfield
Clark, Clifton Raper, Clifton,
Henry and Creed Reid, Pat
Campbell and Lake.
Ivie Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
MRS' NELLIE P.
ROGERS 74, of the
Sweetwater Community of
Clay County, died Wednesday,
Oct. 15 in a Waynesville
hospital after a long illness.
She was the widow of
Robert L. Rogers.
Surviving are three
daughters, Mis. Hazel Newport
of Akron, Ohio, Mrs. Alice
Hogsed of Hayesville and Mrs.
Mae Franklin of Canton; and
two step- daughters, Fannie
Kuykendail of Canton and Mrs.
Hattie Davis of Blaine, Tenn;
two sons, Jack and Pat, both of
Hayesville and a step-son,
Arthur Rogers of Jacksonville,
Fla. A sister, Mrs. Sallie
Hawkins of South Carolina,
three brothers , Roland of
Sylva, and James and Houston
Parker, both of Columbus, Ga.
21 grandchildren and 28 great
grandchildren.
Services were held at 11
a.m. Friday in New Hope
Baptist Church.
The Rev. Carl Cunningham
and the Rev. Ted Francis
officiated. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
Pallbearers were Jerry and
Phillip Franklin, Bobby
Hogsed, Jim Newport and
Allen and Bill Rogers.
Ivie Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements.
Methodist Circle
Circle Number Three of the
United Methodist Church,
Murphy , met at the home o 1
hostess Mrs. Arvil Woods
Thursday evening. Mrs. Harold
Shook, chairman, presided
during the business session and
also presented the program.
The circle made plans to have a
luncheon In appreciation for
elderly people of the United
Methodist Church, to be held
in November.
Social Services
Adoption Available Through County Agencies
(This is the ninth in a
series of articles on social
welfare programs in
Cherokee County as
available through the
Department of Social
Services, presented by V.
O. Ayers, agency director.
This county, like all of the
100 county social services,
departments provides child
adoption services. Today's
article explains this service
and bow it functions.)
In 1968, county
departments of social services
placed 818 children in adoptive
homes. The Cherokee County
Department of Social Services
placed eight children. These
figures represent a great deal of
hard work and a real service to
the children involved and to
the families who wanted them.
There are many more children
across the state who are
waiting to be adopted. The
efforts of county agencies to
bring together the families and
children who need each other
ate frequently frustrated by
shortage of staff and heavy
caseloads in other areas of
service. However, adoption is
an important and rewarding
part of the agency's program
and every effort is made to give
service as promptly as possible.
" ... To preside for the placing
and supervision of dependent .
. . children." "To investigate
cases for adoption and
supervise placements for
adoption."
These words of the General
Statutes of North Carolina
make each of the 100 county
department of social services
an adoption agency, and
adoption services department
to the residents of Cherokee
County. As might be expected,
this is a popular service and
one for which there is an ever
increasing demand as more
children become available for
placement and more families
seek to adopt them.
Adoption itself is a legal
procedure which establishes
the relationship of parent and
child between persons who are
not so related by birth.
Adoption services is the
method by which authorized
agencies seek to help these
children who must be
permanently separated from
their natural parents to become
a part of a new family. The
primary goals of a good
adoption service are to
promote the best interest of
children and to protect the
rights of the natural and the
adoptive parents, and this is
the kind of responsibility that
the legislature gave to the
Department of Social Services
when it framed the adoption
statutes.
There are three kinds of
adoptions agency,
independent, and relative
adoptions. An agency
placement is one in which the
cfaBd has been ptaced by an
authorized chic-placing agency
after a social study of both the
adoptive family and the child.
An independent or direct
placement is one in which the
parents place the child directly
with the adoptive family
without help or prior study by
an agency. Relative adoptions
are those in which the child is
adopted by members of his
own family in order to give
him greater legal protection
and security.
When a petition is Tiled for
the adoption of a relative child
or for a child who has been
placed independently, the
court must order the county
director of social services to
make an investigation as to the
suitability of the child and the
family, and report back all
information of which the court
should have knowledge. This is
the procedure prescribed by
law for providing the court
with the kind of information it
needs in order to make a sound
judgment about whether the
adoption should be granted. In
the case of adoptions by
certain dose relatives, the
court may grant the final order
immediately after receiving a
report which indicates that the
adoption is a suitable one. An
independent placements, an
interlocutory decree must be
issued and the family
supervised for at least a year
except in certain instances
specified by law. When an
interlocutory decree is issued,
the county department of
social services has
responability for providing the
supervisory service and making
another report to the court
before the final order may be
granted.
These responsibilities of
the departments in relative and
independent adoptions are in
addition to those involved in
receiving and placing children
in agency placements. The
children available for adoption
are those who parents, for a
variety of reasons, are unable
to care for them. The parents
may be unmarried, divorced,
deserted, or simple unable to
carry the responsibility of the
parental role. The parents may
ask help from the agency in
planning for their children
through voluntary release for
adoption or, at times, the
agency may find it necessary to
seek legal clearance of the
children through court action.
Unfortunately, there are many
children in agency custody for
whom there is little proepect
of a return to their natural
families but who cannot be
cleared for adoption under our
present laws.
Most of .the children placed
by agencies are
"norm ^"infants under two
years of age. However, there
are increasing numbers of older
children who need adoptive
homes. There are also children
of various racial and
nationality backgrounds, and
those with varying degress of
handicaps. Fortunately, then
are families who can love and
accept these children and who
find special satirfactioa In
being parents to a "hard to
place" child.
Requirements in regard to
age and income are generally
very flexible. Many coupler,
already have natural children
when they adopt, and others
have two or more adopted
children when they apply
again. The "adoption study" is
not so much an investigation
aimed at finding perfect
parents, but rather is a pr
of thinking through wit
applicants what is involved i
adoption and whether it
what they are really wantir
and expecting. If they can fin
happiness and satisfaction
adoptive parenthood with 1
special differences, theirs
be a "good home" for a chil?
and this is what they and th
agency must try to deck
together.
First Feeder
Pig Sale Held
The first Upper Hiwaseee
Feeder Pig Sale was held last
Thursday at the fairgrounds in
Blue Ridge, Ga., another
example of cooperation by the
farmers of Western North
Carolina and North Georgia.
Jack Early, Cherokee
County Extension Chairman
said the sale will have a definite
upward effect on feeder
prices in this area.
"Before the sale, pigs of
size were selling off the C
around here for $10 a he
he said. "The pigs at the ?
brought an average of $17.65
head."
The feeder pigs, ranging 1
weight from 30 to 100 pound
are purchased in large lots b
feedlot operators, who the
feed out the animals to prim
market weight, 200 to 22
pounds.
There were 595 pigs for
first sale last week and
weighed an average of
pounds apiece. They
brought in by 19 hog
and there were eight buyers,
feedlot operators.
Farmers from both _
already get together for
annual feeder calf sale
Murphy and also sell
tomatoes here. 1?
Carolina's present hog chv
quarantine prevents Geo;
hogs from coming into
state and helped to locate
third mutual mar
operation Ir Georgia.
Work toward the feeder
sale began about two years
Cherokee County
represented on the sale's ^
of directors by Giles Lu
and Jimmy Rowland.
Future feeder pig sales -
be held regularly at the Bl
Ridge Fairgrounds on the
Thursday of each m<
Producers interested
participating should
one of the county
the Agricultural F.vi
office or Vocation
Agriculture teacher.
The cooperative sale was
up primarily for fanners
Cherokee, CUy, Fannin, T<
and Union counties but
first sale also drew pip ^
Macon and Rabun counties. *
Ceramics
Tri County Tech will offer I
ceramics class at ~ 1
Qamantary School
Tuaeday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 i
The daas wtn be condi
by Mrs. Sua Huff from
RM?b, Oa. Ureas win
for the dae
Social Service
Meeting Held
At Brasstown
Cherokee County
Department of Social Services
hosted the Fall Meeting of the
Southwestern District of the
North C arolina Public Welfare
Association at the John C.
Campbell Folk School,
Brasstown, on Oct. 15.
The Southwestern District
includes the following
counties: Buncombe, Madison,
Henderson, Transylvania,
Jackson, Macon, Swain,
Graham, Clay, Haywood, and
Cherokee. Nine of the 11
counties included in the
district were represented, with
50 members of the association
in attendance. Mrs. Sandy
Furey, District Chairman,
presided over the meeting at
which James W. Kirkpatrick,
Chief, Staff Development
Section, State Department of
Social Services was guest
speaker.
During the business session
officers for 1970 were elected
as follows: Chairman-Mrs.
Willie Story, Madison County;
Vice-Chainnan- Mrs. Eleanor
Travis, Cherokee County;
Secretary-Treasurer Mrs.
Elaine Stewart, Haywood
County.
With the completion of the
business meeting, the group
was conducted on a tour of the
folk school facilities by
members of the school staff
after which Dr. John Ramsay,
Director of the Folk School
and Robert McArthur, Director
of the intern Program,
discussed with the group the
history, purpose, and
objectives of the school.