10 years ago
* The Graham County Commission chose to use an official seal – believed to have been created in a contest in the 1990s – which included a replica of the Old Mother Church, a tree and a statement, “Graham County North Carolina, founded in 1872, with a Proud History That Runs As Deep As The Roots of Her Trees.” Juanita Colvard, Graham County Transit Director, said that federal auditors are requiring the county’s official seal to be affixed to all of the transit vehicles.
* Lady Knight Amber Long played for the North Carolina Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) during the summer with the North Carolina Lady Storm. The freshman team competed in the Division 1 AAU National Championships at the Wide World of Sports in Disney World. The team was made up of girls from western North Carolina.
25 years ago
* Sheriff’s deputies surrounded the Santeetlah Lake campsite of murder suspects Kelly Samples and Reginald Nabors, and arrested them at gunpoint. After Samples and Nabors were handcuffed, Samples told deputies the location of his gun. The two suspects drove a Ford pickup truck into Graham County. The truck had belonged to the murder victim. According to local deputies, the body of the victim was discovered by officials in South Carolina, at the same time that Samples was telling Graham County officials of its location.
* With less than one week to go, two more participants completed a “Walk to the Olympics.” The two were Iva Lee Gibbs and Sandy Haney. All together, participants walked more than a total of 1,540 miles. The walk was sponsored by the Graham and Swain County health departments, and participants were given incentive gifts after completing each 35-mile increment. At the end of a 140-mile walk, each received a commemorative Olympic medal pin.
50 years ago
* Three former Graham County brothers were held in Gastonia for the murder of Kenneth Brock. They were bound over to Superior Court. The defendants, Elbert (age 40), Donald (age 43), and Ray Anderson (age 31), sat stoned- faced as their lawyers argued and tried to suppress testimony that would identify the brother that fired the fatal shots that killed Brock. Police found three guns at the Anderson home after the shooting and all three had been fired. It was never established which weapon had caused the death.
* Although in the middle of baseball season, Robbinsville’s All-American Quarterback Mark Manuel left for Greensboro, to prepare for the East-West All-Star Football game. The game was played each summer in conjunction with the Greensboro Daily News Coaches Clinic. Local coaches Bob Colvin, Bergin Edwards, Gary Steppe and Ira Rogers planned to attend the clinic and the game.
– Diane West