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The Cherokee Scout 10C
and Clay County Progress p c r c ? p y
.-?*?
Volume 80 _ Number 28 ? Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 ? Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina ? Thursday, January 29, 1970
Remember Last Friday?
Another snow blanketed Western
North Carolina last Friday morning,
giving youngsters a long weekend as
schools were closed. The TVA
Hydraulic Data office here, which
serves as a U.S. Weather Bureau station,
measured the snow fall at an even three
inches. The view here is the old
Methodist Church, no longer used for
organized worship but still keeping a
silent watch from one of the highest
hills in town. (Staff Photo)
Herman 'Bull' West
Seeks Re-election
Herman H. "Bull" West,
incumbent State Senator of the
33rd District, announced
Wednesday that he will seek
re-election, subject to the May
primary.
A Republican, he said he
expects to wage a vigorous
campaign in the seven-county
district for re-election. The
33rd includes Cherokee, Clay,
Graham, Macon, Swain,
Jackson and Transylvania
counties.
Presently West has no
competition from members of
his own party for the primary.
A Democrat, Dr. Carl Killian,
retired professor at Western
Carolinai University, has
announced for the seat.
West, 59, served in the
House in the 1961 and 1963
sessions and then last year was a
member of the Senate. He
served on several committees,
including the Alcoholic
Beverage Control Committee,
Conservation and Development;
Committee, Highway Safety,
Public Roads and Public
Welfare committees and the
Appropriations Committee and
the Joint Appropriations
Sub-Committee, considered
most important since this body
allots money for various state
agencies.
During the coming months,
West says he plans to meet and
talk with the people of the
Drive Passes $6,500
Donations for the Murphy
Hospital Authority's
fund-raising drive passed
$6,500 this week.
MHA officials are still
disappointed at the slow pace
ofdonations, their appeal letter
having been mailed out on Dec.
20.
Jack Owens, chairman of the
hospital authority, says at least
$30,000 will be needed to
renovate the interior of
Providence hospital. He noted
that more than 4,800 of the
people who received letters for
donations have not responded.
Bill Christy, assistant vice
president of Wachovia Bank in
Murphy and the treasurer for
the hospital authority, said
Tuesday afternoon of this
week that an additional 75
people have donated to the
campaign since the second
report, three weeks ago.
The total now stands at
$6,580.10, he said. A total of
121 donated to the cause in its
first week, Christy noted, with
an additional 110 contributing
In the next two weeks and
another 60 in the past three
weeks. Donations ate still
avenging about $25 apiece, he
added.
We're proud of all the people
who have made contributions,"
Christy said. "We just need
more of them."
The money will be used to
at and nJi^it the interior
' the hospital, lower ceflinp,
add an emergency generator
and make it more attractive to
patients and to doctors the
MHA is trying to recruit for
who have donated
since the second report was
made are:
Leonard Sneed, M.S.
Causey, B.R. McMahan, Birdie
McMahan, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn
Hendrix, Vance Coffey, Lena
Thompson, Lena Lovingood,
Francis Leatherwood, Virginia
Patton, J.J. McGuire, Mrs. Tom
W. Axley, Arvel and Reba
Woods.
Mrs. Robert H. Stewart, Mr.
and Mrs. Hoke Mashburn, Ruth
L. Forsyth, Mr. and Mrs. J.O.
Palmer, Claude Anderson, Mr.
and Mrs. Ivan P. Walker, Mrs.
Felix Johnson, Kayes Auto
Parts, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon
Meadows, Mr. and Mrs. E.A.
Harshaw, Mr. and Mrs. Sam L.
Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt
E. Dockery, Fess U. Davis, Neil
Sneed, Mrs. Ray Kieet.
Edward Wolz, Hayes
Dockery, Mr. and Mrs. Hayden
Hensley, Frederick H. Herman,
Jo Taylor, W.P. Odom, Mr. and
Mrs. J.H. Russell, Talitha
Goodwin, Clayton Kames, Mr.
and Mrs. Frank Ingram, Sr.,
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Inram, Jr.,
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H.
Dockery, W.H. Rush.
Mr. and Mrs. G.E. Rich,
Mr .and Mrs. Carmel Curtis, Mr.
and Mrs. Meivtn Gentry, Mr.
and Mrs. Edwin Eller, Charles
W. Cavender and family,
WUlard L. Burgess, Nancy
Lunsford, Roy Curtis, Mr. and
Mrs. L.W. Clark, James Richard
Jordan.
Margie N. Witherspoon,
Boyd and Lona Davis, Mr. and
Mrs. Walter W. Radford, James
A. Guthrie, Ronald W. Guthrie,
Mrs. John McMillan, Jr., T.H.
Vanderptaats, Arthur W.
Kadick.
Herman H. West
district, to determine their
ideas on legislative matters. He
plans to emphasize his
experience in both houses of
the Legislature.
"It is my belief that
experience and knowledge of
the legislative procedure are of
great importance to the people
whom one is serving," West
said. "It is my experience that
any legislator who is serving his
first term in the Legislature
lacks the necessary contacts
which are so vital in pushing
through a legislative program."
West is a self-made success,
a native of Andrews who
worked for years as a laborer
and then went into the
land-clearing business for
himself in 1940 with three
crosscut saws, a few bush
hooks and axes. Today he is
President of his own firm,
listed by Dunn and Bradstreet,
and pilots his own plane to
check on land-clearing projects
across the country. His "Bull
of the Woods" trademark is
well-known in one of the
roughest, most hazardous and
financially risky businesses.
He is married to the formei
Margie Bryson of Marble and
they have five sons, all involved
in the family land-clearing
business.
West has the reputation of
being a maverick Republican
who does not hesitate to
follow his consicience and vote
his own convictions, regardless
of the party policy. In 1961 in
the House, the GOP delegation
was firmly opposed to
then-Governor Terry Sanford's
so-called "food tax" to finance
a better school system. West
was convinced that the state
needed the tax for bettei
schools and was the only
Republican to vote for it.
"I don't represent just the
Republicans in this district,'
he said Wednesday morning ir
making the announcement. "1
represent everybody and nc
political party is going to tell
me how to vote."
Citizens Bank Merged Into Wachovia
The merger of Wachovia Bank and
Trust Company, N.A., and the Citizens
Bank and Trust Company of Andrews
became complete Saturday.
That morning Citizens Banks eight
offices, in Andrews, Cashiers, Cullowhee,
Franklin, Hayesville, Murphy,
Robbinsville and Sylva, opened for
business as Wachovia offices.
The merger was proposed in early
June of last year and then approved by
stockholders in both banks and the
Comptroller of the Currency.
W. Frank Forsyth, formerly president
of Citizens Bank, has been elected senior
vice president of Wachovia and will
continue to head the eight offices. These
offices will be operated as a part of the
Asheville region of Wachovia.
Percy B. Ferrebee, chairman of the
board of Citizens, has been elected
chairman of the Andrews regional board
of Wachovia.
"The signs will be changed but the
people are the same," Forsyth said
Saturday morning. "The merger has
taken place without the slightest
interruption in service to customers. We
are pleased that we will now be able to
give our customers the benefits of
additional conveniences and services
because of the merger."
John F. Watlington, Jr., president of
Wachovia Bank and Trust, said: "We are
indeed proud to welcome these offices
to Wachovia Bank. The merger will allow
the combined banks to continue offering
the best in banking services."
Citizens Bank and Trust Co. was
established in 1924. On December 31,
1969, the bank had $30,428,570 in
deposits and $35,694,547 in assets.
Wachovia Bank and Trust, founded in
1879, had average resources of $1.6
billion in 1969 and average deposits of
$1.25 billion during the year. Wachovia
now has 132 offices in 51 North
Carolina cities and towns.
Welfare Checks Restored
F amilies in Cherokee
County receiving welfare
assistance for dependent
children will have their checks
restored to the December levels
next month.
John R. Jordan, Jr.,
Chairman of the State Board of
Social Services, announced last
week in Raleigh that state
funds have been found to
festore the checks, which had
been cut for January, some as
much as $20 per family.
The cut was necessary
because the Legislature last
year had approved money foi
107,000 recipients in the Aid
to Families with Dependent
Children category and the
number has climbed sharply in
the last few months with
134,000 presently on the rolls.
Two Hit
By Bus
Two employes of Mundy's
Lumber & Veneer Co. at
Marble were injured when they
were struck by a Trail ways bus
as they walked toworkin the
snow last Friday morning.
John Newton, 65, and Fred
Welch, 50, were both admitted
to Providence Hospital in
Murphy and remain
hospitalized this week. A
hospital spokesman said they
both are doing "very well."
Trooper BJ. Ogle of the
State Highway Patrol
inviestigated the accident,
which he termed
"unavoidable." He said the
bus, travelling at a low speed,
apparently went into a skid as
the driver braked to keep from
hitting them. The officer,
however, did find that the bus
driver had begji transferred to
this ^tatc from South Carolina
ahtf had not acquired a valid
North Carolina chauffer's
license. He was given a citation
for not having a proper license.
The state trooper said the
men told him they were
walking to work because the
snow made the highway,
US-19-129, too slippery.
Andrews Teens
Facing Charges
1 Two Andrews teenagers
were arrested and jailed
Wednesday morning on charges
of breaking into a vending
machine at an East Murphy
service station earlier in the
nigh*.
Jack Hook, 17, was charged
with breaking into the machine
and Mitchell Shields, 18, was
charged with aiding and
abetting. They were arrested
by Oierokee County Special
Deputy Sheriff Winston Craig
and charged with opening a
machine at Charles White
Sinclair station.
Late Wednesday rooming
they had not made bond and
were still in the Cherokee
County Jail. Cherokee Sheriff
Claude Anderson said they
probably will be tried in
District Court in Murphy
In February.
Some of the sharp rise has
been attributed to civil rights
drives in the eastern part of the
state resulting in many families
who had been eligible all the
time suddenly signing up for
assistance checks.
"We are indeed happy
that this unfortunate problem
lasted only one month and that
North Carolina has taken this
positive step to come to the aid
of its less fortunate citizens.
The concern and leadership of
Governor Robert W. Scott have
played a vital role in making it
possible for these payments to
be restored. Many other states
have the same problem of a
growing number of welfare
recipients but have elected to
continue reduced payments,"
Jordan said.
In Cherokee County, the
number of AFDC recipients
has increased slightly,
. according to V.O. Ayers, head
of the county Social Services
Department, formerly called
the Welfare Department. He
said there were 91 families,
with 358 family members
listed, receiving AFDC checks
in July of 1969. As of
December, it had risen to 96
families, including 372 family
members qualifying for
assistance.
In other counties, where the
rise in recipients has been large,
the county budget is facing the
same squeeze the state faced
and more money will have to
be found.
In Cherokee, however, Ayers
says his AFDC budget is
running well within bounds
"and unless we have a drastic
increase in the number of
recipients, we should finish the
fiscal year within our budget."
The federal government pays
80 per cent of welfare costs,
the state provides 10 per cent
and the county pays 10 per
cent. The AFDC budget for
Cherokee County, included in
the overall budget adopted by
county commissioners last
summer, provides the county's
share, $17,436.
Jordan also pointed out that
not only will the payments be
restored to their December
level, but this will mean an
increase in money to spend for
basic necessities. The
December allowance included
up to $10.00 for medical
expenditures. The new
Medicaid program now in
effect will cover most of these
expenses.
Medicaid is providing dental
services for AFDC families for
the first time. Recipients do
not have to pay the $1.00 for
each drug prescription they
had to pay in December, and
physician and optometrist bills
will be paid in full with the
recipient not having to pay
part of the bill as he had to do
in many cases in December.
Medicaid will provide other
additional benefits such as
inpatient and outpatient
hospital care, and laboratory
and x-ray fees, nursing home
care, home health care and
Extended benefits of the
Federal food stamp program
administered by the
Department of Social Services,
which will also go into effect
Feb. 1, will almost double the
amount of food purchase
power these recipients have
had in the past.
Two increased benefits that
were implemented this past
July have already raised the
income of AFDC families who
have either a part time or full
time working adult member.
Prior to July, when they
worked, almost dollar for
dollar earned was subtracted
from their public assistance
check. Since that date the first
$30 and one-third of the
remainder of gross earned
income is disregarded. This
means they have that much
additional money allowed in
their checks.
Since July, the Department
of Social Services will also pay
for the day care of the children
when the mother becomes
employed.
Townlift Project
Scout Photographer Hugh Carringer
hung by his heels to get this picture of
a hardy pokeweed, growing out of a
crack in the masonry above the
third-story windows of the old Regal
Hotel building. That's the square in the
background. The Townlift Project for
Peach tree Street, which does not
include the planting of any pokeweeds,
will be the subject of a special meeting
Monday night at 7:30 at the Power
Board Building, involving Town Board
members, TVA planners and Peachtree
Street merchants.
Roy Taylor Will Campaign
To Keep Seat In Congress
Congressman Roy A. Taylor
of Black Mountain has
announced his candidacy for
re-election as 11th District
Representative in Congress. He
has forwarded his filing fee to
the State Board of Elections in
Raleigh.
He will seek nomination in
the May Democratic primary.
The 59-year-old lawmaker
has represented the 11th
District in Congress since 1960.
He is a member of the House
Interior Committee and
chairman of the Subcommittee
on National Parks and
Recreation. He also serves as a
member of the House Science
and Astronautics Committee.
Recently-approved projects
which he has sponsored include
a 180-mile extension of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, the
Cradle of Forestry visitors'
center in Pisgah National
Forest, National Park Sevice
acquisition of the Carl
Sandburg estate for
preservation as a national
historical site, a ZPS roadway
into the Cataloochee region of
the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park and radar at
Plant Delayed
By Weather
Engineers making a
topographical survey, before
starting construction on the
new Harriett-Henderson carpet
yam plant in Clay County,
have been delayed by extreme
winter weather. Tom Day,
Chairman of the Clay
Corporation, the local
building-leasing agency says
excavation should get under
way by mid-February.
The initial building will be
600 feet long and located 75
feet from the paved road,
locally known aa Old US 64
and near the east boundary line
of the 64-acre tract of land
recently purchased for the
manufacturing firm.
Asheville Airport.
Earlier, he was instrumental
in securing a new Veterans
Administration Hopsita! at
Oteen and 24-hour weather
service for the mountain
counties.
Most rating organizations
place Taylor among the
conservatives of Congress.
While voting against funds for
most new domestic social
programs, he has been a
consistent supporter of federal
aid to education, conservation
and law enforcement
measurers.
Taylor formerly served eight
years in the North Carolina
House of Representatives, as
attorney for Buncombe
County, and District Governor
of Uons Clubs in Western
North Carolina. He is a Navy
combat veteran of World War
II; a past president of the Black
Mountain Chamber of
Commerce; a deacon and
former Sunday School
superintendent of )Hack
Mountain First Baptist Church;
and a former trustee of the
University of North CaroHha at
He Is a graduate of Guto^
High School, UNC at AaheviOe
and Maryvflle (Tenn.) College,
lb studied law under the late
N.C. Amhtan
General Claude L. Low
Asheville and wi
the bar in 19S6. He I
to the former Evelyn ]
Leicester. They
School Set Saturday
Blood Donors
Alden Coward, left, and the Rev.
Woodrow Flynn both received their
Seven Gallon pint at the Red Cross
Bloodmobile made a visit to Murphy on
Monday afternoon. Boyce McLeymore
was recognized for giving two gallons of
blood and Earl Ramsey reached the
one-gallon mark Monday.
There were 72 potential donor*, but
18 of them were rejected because of
colds or recent flu shots or other
reasons and 54 pints were collected.
(Staff Photo)
Cherokee County School Superintendent m
Jordan announces that all school in the system
operate Saturday ? unless it
The buses will run and the
regular schedule, he said, to
recently during bad
attend school as usual