Thursday, May 18, 1950
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer McLaughlin, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Galford, Luther Hudson and Robert McLaughlin were among the thousands who attended the Kentucky Derby races at Louisville last week.
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Gus Walton, his wife and their 10 year old son are in the Pocahontas Memorial Hospital with injures received in a three-way wreck near Renick Sunday morning. Mr. Walton received the worst injuries – a compound fracture of his right leg. It was a head on collision of two cars, with a third crashing into the wreck.
Elkwater – Gilbert Jack and Oscar Sharp were here this week and rid the country of one powerful big old sheep killing bear. Within a half hour laying the dogs on the sign, the bear was treed and killed. These experienced hunters put this as one of the largest of its kind; though lean and rangy, the estimated weight was 300 pounds.
BRIDAL SHOWER
A surprise bridal shower was given at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jim McNeill at Buckeye on Friday, May 5th, honoring Mr. and Mrs. George Duncan. Entertainment for the evening was a “mock wedding” in which a bridal party, dressed in costume accompanied the young couple, after which the bride opened her gifts.
SLATY FORK
Plowing and planting is the order of the day; farm work was delayed by bad April weather. Heavy frost on Monday morning.
The Sunday School at Slaty Fork is growing fast. On last Sunday, there was special music by three young ladies from Mingo.
I see they are having ballgames all over the country on Sunday. I hate to see this as it takes people away from church and Sunday School and it is not keeping the day holy as it is commanded. They could well take Saturday for ball playing, as not as many of the people work on Saturday anymore. Too often the past few years, the reply to invitations to attend church and Sunday School has been, “I can’t. I want to go to a ballgame.” Again, I say, have your ballgames on Saturdays.
FIELD NOTES
William Crigger is watchman on the fire tower at White Rocks on the Beaver Lick. This is his 23rd year of service there. It is rattlesnake country, and Mr. Crigger keeps his weather eye trained for rattlers. Particularly so in the spring fire season for to see and to report when rattlesnakes first come out of their winter dens in the rocks. Each season for 23 years he has seen and killed his rattlers. He has never seen them come forth earlier than May 4, nor later than May 7. This year it was the latter date, when two big black rattlers came out in the sun from under the rocks.
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When it comes to reliable signs of spring, depend on the dogwood. The fickle service berry may bloom early in March or late in April, whether the spring be early or late. Plant your corn when the dogwoods come out white the week of May 10, year in and year out. The lilac blooms along about this date.
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Signs of at least two bears was seen on Crooked Fork of Elk River. At least one big bear is killing ewes and lambs for George P. Edgar on the McAllister place. One day last week, rather late in the afternoon, Turk McLaughlin’s bear dogs were turned loose where the bear had killed sheep the night before. The bear was lean and gaunt, big and rangy and he went away from that place. He took those dogs on a long chase clear into the Yew Mountains. The men followed on until dark and never came up with dogs or bear. The dogs made it back in home the next day.
1950 GRADUATES
Marlinton High School
Hale Alderman, Herbert Ardell, Richard Beverage, Clyde Bussard, Harold But-cher, Harper Callison, Dale Curry, Floyd Davis, Exar Dean, Robert Dumire, Eugene Galford, Marvin Galford, Robert Galford, Harold Gibson, Johnny Gibson, Gerald Gordon, Eddie Lightner, Junior Long, Herbert Mace, James Mann, Dan Moore, Jim Moore, Edwin Pennybacker, Eugene Pescosolido, Robert, Pyles, Gordon Ricketts, Wade Sharp, Charles Showalter, Quentin Underwood, Don VanReenen, Roy Ware, Maurice Lang, Lowell A. Sharp, Herold Hannah, Thomas E. Gibson, Quentin Sprouse, Paul Akers, Mayona Astin, Mary Alyce Beard, Betty Bright, Barbara Burns, Bonnie Carpenter, Wanda Clark, Ernestine Cutlip, Wilma Galford, Gilda Gay, Grace Gay, Jewell Hannah, Sue Harper, Virginia Liptrap, Mescal Morrison, Lucy Rose, Shirley Sage, Helen Sharp, Carolyn Thomas, Joyce Thomas, Mary Underwood, Nancy Underwood, Ann Yeager and Velma Burgess.
Hillsboro High School
Marie Allen, Bonita Anderson, Minnie Merle Beard, Homer Cochran, Anita Cutlip, Dottie Dalton, Raus Goodman, Franklin Hamrick, Harry Harah, Harry Jordan, Margaret Kellison, Hu- bert Puffenbarger, Bonnie Pyles, Alice Rose, J. D. Ryder, Henry Lee Scott, Mildred Underwood and Bobby Waugh.
DEATHS
Levi “Tip” Gay, of Eccles, Raleigh County, aged 56 years, died in the Veterans Administration hospital in Richmond Thursday, May 11, 1950. On Sunday, the body was laid in Sunset Memorial Park, the funeral being held from the Beckley Presbyterian church. The deceased was born in Marlinton, a son of the late Col. Levi and Mrs. Lucy Levisay Gay.
