Appalachian State University - Rhododendron Yearbook (Boone, NC)

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Lifestyles In their farm house near the New River this old man and his wife pose for the Rhodo photographer Spring flowers Former English teacher, Mrs. Florence P. Muder sits on the front stoop among spring flowers and sunshine. Mountaineer merchant Boone and the surrounding areas are prime places for stores such as this one where one can purchase apples, honey, and relics of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Takin ' it easy After rising with the sun and a long day of farm chores, this man relaxes in the afternoon sunshine, enjoying the com- panionship of his dog.

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The main house Grandma sweeps the front porch in her ritual of daily chores. In expectation of winter The hard work of splitting fire wood from trees on family acreage will be used throughout the coming winter for heating and cooking. These Valle Crucis girls were proud to show off their horses to Rhodo photo- graphers. The big catch Trout Lake has once again yielded of her stick to give these fishing buddies a chance to exercise their knowledge and skill in the art of angling.

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f Ei Rhodo Ihoto Essays UP CLOSE WITH FACULTY Pensive Prof Photographed as most ASU students see him during an academic day. Dr. Richard A. Humphrey, professor of Philosophy and Religion, takes time out to chat with a student. Family Portrait Seated in their den after a morning of potato digging and farm chores. Dr. Humphrey, his wife Nona, and two boys Allen and Zane, pose for the Rhodo Photographer. THE HUMPHREY ' S The Rhodo photographers visit his family at his home Story by Life on the farm is kinda laid back Ain ' t nothing or no one that you can ' t hack Early to rise and early in the sack Thank God I ' m a country boy. These words (or a close proximity) were grooved and gilded into wax by the ever-grinning, ail-American, paperboy lookalike, John Denver, but they could easily enough apply to the life of Dr. Richard Alan Humphrey. Professor of Philosophy and Religion by morning and Old McDonald by midafternoon, Humphrey is just as adept at plowing through Kant ' s Postulate or the tenets of Zoroastrianism as he is at plowing through a field of gimcrack corn. Whether his problem is ontological or agricultural, whether his rap is about the existence of God or the care and feeding of the domestic chicken, Humphrey is a man who feels at home in this world. THE RHODODENDRON visited Dr. Humphrey and his family zoo of over one hundred heads (wife, Nona; two boys, Zane and Alan; Baby Humphrey; Monty the dog; Betsy the horse; Mildred the cow; sixty chickens and a plethora of fish, rabbits, pigs, and cats) to capture the essence of the kinda laid back philosopher. Originally, to get away from it all, the Humphrey clan staked territorial claims to a farm outside the Boone township, but now Humphrey a dmits that he could possibly turn a profit with Dr. Richard Humphrey and and farm in Tennessee. Jack Dillard from his acreage. Ex-Chairman of the Philosophy and Religion Department (with the rotating chairmanship), Humphrey confides I could make it now. I couldn ' t at first. In a year and a half I ' ll have the place paid off and then I could. I make enough to pay my taxes, or could, off of hay alone. What will he do until the farm is paid off? Grow and air cure a crop of tobacco to be sold at an auction barn; feed and pamper a coup of chickens and rabbits twice a day; milk his psychotherapy cow for his family dairy needs; rub down the sides of pork with salt and hang them in the barn; send quartered beef to Abingdon for butchery and curing; and gather corn, tomatoes, crab apples, broccoli, pota toes, and a host of other vegetable delights from his impressive garden - in short, stay busy. If Humphrey has an obvious philosophy, it might be just that when one is busiest, one is happiest. This philosophy seems to be a household code of life. Nona Humphrey is an elementary school teacher in addition to her roles as wife, mother, and farm hand. A woman dedicated to education, she talks of her little country school and early morning drive through beautiful scenery as if she were fresh from a John Denver song. Even the Humphrey boys, Zane and Alan, participate in this work ethic. Whether they are tending a family pet or working a neighbor ' s tobacco field, these two display a positive attitude towards the rural life, an attitude that is Photographed for the Rhodo by Pot Stout and Leo Story. Photo Essays 16