10 years ago
* A federal grand jury indicted three former Town of Robbinsville maintenance workers for dumping 4,000 gallons of sludge in Long Creek. The sludge from the town’s water plant was dumped into Long Creek by Bobby Silvers, John Carver III and Joseph Orr, according to court documents. The illegal dump was reported to the State Department of Environment and Natural Resources, after hundreds of fish were found floating in Long Creek.
* A Stecoah woman competed in a World Freestyle event at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Rowan Stuart’s favorite maneuver was the “Phoenix Monkey,” which involved spinning the kayak on its bow for a full 360 degrees, then flipping the boat end-over-end. Combining college academics and kayak training, according to the 17-year-old, requires a lot of time management. Stuart qualified for world championship by placing among three women for the U.S. team.
* Robbinsville running back Cruz Galaviz made headlines in a 48-26 win over East Henderson. The athlete jumped, sprinted and ran for 374 yards – with 13 carries and six touchdowns – giving him an average of 28.7 yards each time he touched the ball. Galaviz was noted for putting up the most rushing yards ever by a Black Knight in a single game.
25 years ago
* Good friends Bobby Steward and James “Bo” Gritz re-connected in the mountains of western North Carolina, as the search continued for Eric Rudolph. Steward was
an intelligence officer doing Gritz’ Operation “CROSS” (Convey Rudolph Obligingly and Safely into the System), a week-long effort encouraging Rudolph to safely surrender. About 80 volunteers joined in this operation. Although Rudolph did not accept Gritz’ invitation, Steward believes “CROSS” was a learning process.
* Stanley Furniture Company began phasing out upholstered products, since the anticipated sales growth and product line continued to operate at a loss. According to chairman, president and CEO Albert Prillamon, Stanley planned to take advantage of the growth in wood-furniture sales, which were up 20 percent for the year. About 70 employees were affected by this change. “We will offer as much outplacement assistance as possible,” explained Prillman.
* The Black Knights suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 20-7 to the Andrews Wildcats. After a scoreless first, Andrews scored in the second quarter, followed quickly by the Knights with seven points of their own. But the “Cats” came on strong during the fourth quarter, adding two more touchdowns – aided by three Robbinsville fumbles.
50 years ago
* American Components, Inc. – a subsidiary of Insilco – was in process of adding a second expansion to the Robbinsville plant. The new expansion would triple the size of the original plant, built in 1966. The plant manufactures resistors and capacitors. Phillip Monteith moved to Robbinsville to assume duties of plant manager, and was a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.
* State School Superintendent Craig Phillips announced that 54 schools in North Carolina would receive $1,239,100 in Impact Aid, to separate schools during the 1973-74 school year. Of that, Graham County schools would receive $4,305. Impact Aid is allocated to schools with concentration on military dependents – children with military parents.
* The Black Knights hosted Franklin and defeated the Panthers, 16-8. Eddie Phillips started the scoring in the first quarter on a 3-yard run, also scoring again with 40 seconds left in the second quarter on a 9-yard run, which put Robbinsville ahead to stay. Quarterback Scott Perkins then ran for a two-point conversion.
-Compiled by Diane West