Loyalty is his Motto

curiosity: Who is he? Why is his face plastered to the wall of this restaurant?

For locals, the recognizable face might generate the answers: He's Sam McCrary, and he's been eating lunch here almost daily since the restaurant opened in 1952.

When patrons of the Maggie Valley restaurant walk in the front door, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, they are welcomed by an oversized photograph, consisting mainly of a older man's face, posted on the wood paneled wall almost directly opposite of the door. For tourists, the unrecognizable man in the 3-foot square poster might create a certain curiosity: Who is he? Why is his face plastered to the wall of this restaurant?

For locals, the recognizable face might generate the answers: He's Sam McCrary, and he's been eating lunch here almost daily since the restaurant opened in 1952.

"It was about the only place to get a hamburger along here," said the 81-year old Haywood county native born in Crab Tree, referring to one reason why he first stopped for some grub 52 years ago at the restaurant at Soco Road, a two-lane road with a few business at the time that is now inundated with restaurants and motels.

But when his stomach ached for a burger, McCrary chose the Maggie Valley Restaurant for another reason - the Carvers.

James and Rich Carver's parents opened the restaurant, which is now owned and operated by the brothers.

"They're a good family and good neighbors, and these boys operate a good ship; it's a good restaurant with good food." McCrary said, as he sat in one of the restaurant's many green booths, sipping on a glass of sweet tea but skipping lunch on a recent Wednesday afternoon.

"I had lunch at the house today," he said, quickly adding that he did eat a roast turkey breast sandwich at the restaurant the day before.

But his favorite, and one he frequently orders, is the vegetable plate: a $7:50 low-cholesterol, low-fat meal with a choice of four vegetables from the menu - mountain fresh applesauce, real mashed potatoes, "cooked from scratch", pinto beans, "our own delicious" cole slaw, fresh corn on the cob, fresh green beans, sliced tomatoes, white rice and greens.

So how much money has McCrary spent at his favorite dining spot throughout the years?

"I have no idea," he said laughing slightly after a momentary pause to think about the figures.

But James Carver appreciates McCrary's patronage for much more that his monetary contributions.

"He's not only a loyal customer." Carver said, "he's known me all my life."

"He's always been involved in the restaurant, and I want to salute Sam for being a customer here since the restaurant opened and to thank him for all he's gone for this valley," he said.

He's always been involved in everything in this valley that was anything," Carver said.

In fact, McCrary served for 19 years as an alderman on the town board.

He was also instrumental, as a key member of the Maggie Valley Kiwanis Club, in getting the town incorporated, creating the town's chamber of commerce, expanding Soco Road to five lanes and forming the Maggie Valley Sanitary District.

Much of those efforts, which helped shape the future of the small town, took place within the Maggie Valley restaurant, where the 30-member Kiwanis Club frequently met, McCrary said.

"The Chamber of Commerce was born right here in this room", he said as he took a quick glance around the crowded restaurant, which he said has been updated for modern use.

After McCrary graduated from North Carolina State, as evidenced by the white baseball cap with red letters, NCSU, stitched across the front, he went to work at a chemical company in Michigan and then to the Ford Motor Company.

McCrary then joined the U.S. Navy and fought in World War II.

After the war, he returned to Haywood County, working in the maintenance department at the Champion International Paper mill in Canton for 36 years.

And McCrary continues to visit the place where many town-altering decisions were made decades ago three to five times every week.

"I go to meet a lot of people here," He said.

" I meet a lot of traveling peopled and a lot of local people as well," McCrary said. "Plus the food's good, and there's quick services."

And those are enough reasons to keep returning.

"As long as I can get here I guess," McCrary said when asked how much longer he plans to order his meals at the Maggie Valley Restaurant.

"After you get up to 81, your time seems limited," he said.

As for the large poster-size photograph that adorns a prominent wall inside the restaurant, McCrary said, "They sneaked that in on me."

Article by Darren Miller at The Mountaineer News. August 16, 2004