BHCK
Thursday, February 26, 1981, Volume 28. Number 70
Second ctass postage paid at Btack Mountain, NC 28711
Black Ilou^tpln Library
105 !?.
Black Mountain, ,.C. 28711
Book controversy draws crowd
An orderly crowd of well over 1,000
pocked the auditorium at BUtmore
School last Thursday evening to hear
spokesmen for both aides of a contro
veray over book selection in the schools
at a meeting of the County School
Bonn!
Any action by the school board could
take up to two months to determuie. Dr
Roger Jamas. chairman, said
Each side was given 30 minutes to
make a presentation
Those speaking for the group of Owen
School District residents protesting
current book selection policy were a
parent, Joyce Ammons, and three
ministers including Wendell Bunion,
Asheville minister and leader of the
group, Byron Boyle of the Swannanoa
Heights Missionary Baptist Church and
Randy Stone, Calvary Free W ill Baptist
Church
Mrs. Ananons said her daughter
"Catcher in the Rye, assigned in an
English dass "I don't believe Tve ever
rend a book any dirtier." she said "I
couldn't believe this sort of book was in
the school. "
She suggested that books "like
Catcher in the Rye' "be confined to the
library and asked for a new policy
restricting such materials from the
classroom."
The Rev. Wendell Runion stated.
a
Ammons
"We fee! we are in !ega! bounds in
asking fora stronger policy" that would
"eliminate loopholes which promote
immorality "
The community. Runion said, has the
right to set standards for moral decency
according & a 1973 court decision
(Miller vs. California).
Displaying a paperback copy of "A
Star is Bom, " Runion asked the crowd,
"Please tell me what literary value it
Wendet!
Runion
has It was an Rrrated movie; a 13-year
old can read it in the school library."
Randy Stone said that the group did
not seek to control the reading of adults.
"We re not talking about the general
public," he explained, "we re talking
about children in the school system.''
Stone said that teachers are ' employ
ees of the public." and that the final
responsibility for their children lies with
the parents. We urge the board to
protect students and the educational
quality of our school system," he
concluded
Wearing tags saying, "Right to
Read," eight people representing
several groups spoke against changing
the current policy for book selection.
Christine Miller, supervisor of educa
tional media in the Buncombe County
Schools, said that any parent who
disagrees with a book choice can
Ruthann
Albright
register a compiaint, which is then
"studied with respect" by a committee
at the school involved.
Calling the schools "the only institu
tion that seeks to free minds." Loretta
Toby
tves
Martin, president of the N jrth Carolina
Association of Educators, represented
the teaching profession.
A father of two Owen students, also
religion teacher and pastor of the
W arren W ilson College United Presby
terian Church. Fred Ohler received the
loudest applause of the evening. If the
Bible was read as "The Grapes of
Wrath" is being read, he said, with its
"murder, incest, sin, the Song of
Solomon," the Bible would be
expurgated.
Ruthann Albright, an Owen student,
told the crowd, I am quite capable of
dosing a book that offends me."
Toby Ives, head of a group called
"Books," and member of the Owen
School District Advisory Council, pre
sented the school board with 850
signatures on a petition opposing book
censorship in the schools.
A resolution from the Western North
Carolina Library Association in support
of present book selection policy was
read
Those opposed to changing current
policy appeared to outnumber those
wishing to change the policy at the
meeting, although applause was enthu
siastic from both sides.
Friendship exchange announced
Wanted: 254 dtiien ambassadors
^ from Wen am North Cardina wiihng to
8y anywiere in the wortd and stay in
family horkes for eight days in an effort
to make f ^nds for the United States.
An announcement of the second
Friendship Force trip, to be held Oct.
M-M, was made last week by Dr.
William EL Highsmith, chancellor of
UNC-Asheville. Lynn Winkel, execu
tive director of the Ptsgah Girl Scout
Council, has been appointed exchange
dhector for this year's trip.
The destination for the trip will not be
announced until June 6, Mias Winkel
said. "This is a cultural exchange, "
she explained. "We don't want folks
signing up Just to go to a particular city
or country. " It has been announced,
however, that the destination is a
Western European city.
Ambassadors will be selected to moke
the trip through Interviews to be held
March 6-ApriI 14. The October trip will
indade two days of travel, a fouiMlay
borne viait with a host family, and a
second borne visit with another family
or four days of independent traveL
Cost of the trip is approximately ($35
per person, exdusive of any indepen
dent traveL A (2 application fee will be
charged at the interview.
The plane carrying Western North
Carolina ambassadors to a foreign city
wQl return here with ambassadors from
thatdty. Each ambassador who is
Warhorses
p!ay for
championship
Owen High Warhorses continued
iheir red hot winning streak Friday
oight with a win over third-aeeded
Madison in the championahip round of
the conference tournament at Roberson
High. The unbeaten Warhorses down
ad Madison 70-M.
Junior center Hksd Daugherty scored
M points for a 17-H first-quarter iead
and a 33-71 haiMms advantage for the
Warhoraes. The aoore was 53-35 going
into the Bnai quarter.
Mike Rich contributed 13 points.
On Tuesday night Owen wiD play
Erwin High School at Owen. The
winner of that game wiR piay the winner
of a game between Madison and Ptagah
High Schools on Feb. 27. The District
AAA dnanpionabip game wmhspMyed
March 3 at T.C. Roberson High ScbooL
selected to travel will be expected to
recruit two host families here to take
care of their foreign counterparts for the
visit.
Counties included in the exchange
are Buncombe, Jackson, Haywood,
Transylvania, Madison and McDowell.
Miss Winkel said that any person from
any WNC county would be welcome.
The ambassadors will include a cross
section of citizens, reflective of the
demographics of this area
Last year, Friendship t oyce ambas
sadors from this area travelled to West
Berlin, Germany, and citizens of West
Berlin visited this area.
Miss Winke! said Friendship Force
has available a program explaining the
purpose and specifics, which includes
slides from last year's exchange. Clubs
or groups wishing a Friendship Force
volunteer to present a program can call
255-8021.
Ir ^erviews will be conducted at the
Moun^ur! Ubnuy on March 19
from 11 am to 2 p.m and at Warren
Wilson College, Room 205 Jensen
Building, March 22 from 2-4 JO p.m.
For more information, contact the
Friendship Force office from 10 a m. - 4
p.m Monday through Friday by calling
255-0021.
February is a disgrace to the caiendar
by Cynthia Reimer
Over the years, a valiant effort has
been made to take the endless gray out
of February. We celebrate two Presi
dential birthdays, Valentine's Day and
of course, Groundhog Day.
It hasn't helped. February is still the
pits.
Take Groundhog Day. If I were going
to get vital information about the
weather from one of God's creatures, I
would not choose a ridiculous waddling
woodchuck in Podunk, Pennsylvania. I
would at least choose a local critter.
It's all a hoax anyway. Who ever
heard of winter ending early?
Washington's birthday means that
the Post Office gets a day off. . . and I
don't get any mail. I have eloquent
correspondents all over the world and
one of the highlights of my day is
reading my mail
No, Washington's birthday-with all
respect to a fine President-doesn't do a
thing for February. -
When I lived on the Dlinois
Wisconsin border, Lincoln's birthday
was a real pain. All my over-the-border
friends got the day off while I trudged to
work through the slush and mush of a
Wisconsin February 12th.
Valentine's Day deserves a little
credit for sprucing up February with
chocolates, lots of red and pink and
those little candy hearts with sayings
stamped on them.
When I was a kid it was the one time a
year we got something from everybody
in the class in our little shoebox
-mailboxes, the one time of year the
teacher demanded absolute equality for
all. The rest of the year Runny-nose
Hhoda could be ignored by the entire
class, but let anyone neglect to give her
a Valentine and Ms. Teacher became
livid.
Cabin fever, second notice for Christ
mas bills, overdue county taxes, rain,
mud, gloom, aching sinuses, car
trouble, endless license tag lines,
teasing days when you think maybe
spring really will come this year-that's
February.
In fact, the only good thing I can say
about those short-sighted folks who
brought us February is that they had the
good sense to allow it only 28 days.
Usually.
Someone at the Country Food Store on Montreat Road has a
sense o/ humor. A/ter a hoie ie/t by a hit-and-run driver was
repaired, this red and yeiiow target appeared on the new
cement biochs.
Weather Review
Feb. 13-high 44, iow 10 degrees.
Feb. 14-high 57, low 20 degrees.
Feb. 15-high 50, iow 22 degrees.
Feb. 16-high 50, low 31 degrees;
trace of precipitation.
Feb. 17-high 54, iow 44 degrees; .15
inches precipitation.
Feb. 10-high 52, iow 47 degrees; .09
inches precipitation.
Feb. 19-high 55, iow 47 degrees; .42
inches precipitation.
Thunder storms were reported on
CMngman's Peak.
Courtesy of WPGW Radio National
Weather Service Station, Biadc
Mountain.
—!nside . . .
Scout fashion show,
page 6
Louise Price Robinson pauses on State Street.
State Street, 1945
by Cynthia Reimer
A reader, Mrs. Edith Jackson,
brought us a photo of State Street taken
about 1945. It sent us to the dusty
depths of our closet to dig out the oldest
issues of the News to find out what was
happening here at the time the photo
graph was taken.
*****
It was the year the war ended, W odd
Warn, 1945.
It was also the year that the Black
Mountain News came into being, leav
ing a weekly record of events in Black
Mountain, in the Valley and in the
world. J.C. Cornelius was editor; L.J.
Barrel, assistant editor. Carl Smith was
chief of police
Gains Dog Meal was 46 cents for five
pounds. A broom cost (1.05, wool
fabric (1.19 to (3.79 a yard, and a
subscription to the Black Mountain
News was (2.50, "strictly in advance."
War events were reported with
headlines such as, "Japs agree to all
terms of Potsdam Declaration; Mac—
Arthur gets high post." Evelyn
Cordell, Black Mountain, secretary to
Assistant Attorney General T. Lamar
Caudle, was scheduled to leave on Dec.
2 for the trial of Japanese war criminals.
Perhaps the most important national
news to Valley residents was the return
of servicemen, and the News reported
reunions of hundreds separated by the
war.
A chicken dinner at the Friendly Cafe
in Swannanoa, with dessert, cost 45
cents. The 1946 Chevy and Ford models
were unveiled at Staffords and
McMurrays
Mr. Nichols' flying service opened at
the Black Mountain airport and made
the front page of nearly every issue with
such exhortations as, "You don't have
to be a superman to fly one of his light
ships, they can be flown by any person
in average good health."
Features included "The Wartime
Homemaker, " a serial entitled "Over
night Guest" by Ben Ames Williams
and a story about Pat the performing
dog. The dog, it seems, "takes
requisitions from one piace to another
and waits for a repiy at Moore Genera!
Hospital." He aiso turned off the light
before retiring for the evening.
!n local news, (3,000 damage was
caused by a fire at the Black Mountain
Laundry.
The Black Mountain Schools reported
record attendance with S80 elementary
school students and 150 high school
students. A P.T.A. met for the first
time on Sept. 20.
Lee A. Hiltz, owner of the New
Theatre, died on Sept. 9, 1945. Sgt.
William F. Hope, 22, disappeared on
the eve of his wedding to Miss Melba
Cole two hours before the ceremony.
He was last seen at an Asheville service
station, filling his gas tank. Friends
reported he was very excited about the
wedding.
Miss I.A.R. Wiley, well-known serial
writer for the "Saturday Evening
Post," visited Black Mountain College.
Beacon Manufacturing had all of the
"village houses" painted gray and
white and it was reported that they
looked "quite well."
Grovestone company added (100,000
of new equipment. The police depart
ment installed an "up-to-date Identi
fication and Finger Print System in our
city. It is said to be one of the best in
W.N.C."
The Baptist Church purchased
Cragmont Sanitorium.
W ant ads listed positions for a paper
delivery boy, a Linotype operator and
pressman-and little else. The housing
shortage in the Valley was deemed
critical.
In the last issue of that year, a bank
ad read: "Welcome 1946. Around the
comer of the street, who can say what
waits for us?'-James Whitcomb
Riley."
State Street, Black Mountain, 1945.