SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 ISSUE
Groups Form, Citizens Lobby To Get Joshua Watauga Back to Boone
One month has passed since Joshua Watauga, a well-known street peddler and fixture of downtown Boone, collapsed behind a restaurant on Blowing Rock Road and was transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Since High Country Press first attempted to locate Joshua’s next of kin in its August 27th issue, dozens and dozens of concerned citizens have contacted the newspaper offering help, tidbits of information, memories, donations and concern—though Joshua’s next of kin remains a mystery, as well as his real name.
According to Bonnie Davis, spokesperson for Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Joshua Watauga is still in stable condition at the hospital in Winston-Salem and is listed under the name “Joshua Doe.” However, according to Kristen Deese, a friend of Joshua’s who has visited him at the hospital, “he has made it very clear that he wants to be back in Boone.”
As of press time, a Facebook group started by ASU student Sara Sheppard called “Help Joshua Watauga Get Back to Boone” displays 14,293 members and features updates on Joshua and the search for his next of kin. In addition, the Facebook group is mounting an appeal to bring Joshua back to Boone. The Facebook page reads, “According to the people at Wake [Forest University Baptist Medical Center] in charge of his case, [Joshua] will more or less become a ward of the state and there will be no control over what inevitably happens to him. Please do not let Joshua get lost in the system like so many do. Please invite all of your friends so that we can bring awareness to this cause and hopefully get Joshua placed in Boone or somewhere nearby until a place in Boone becomes available. Both Appalachian and the Town of Boone do a great job of creating a sense of solidarity and community. Many of us view Joshua as a very vital member of that community and promoter of that solidarity. Hopefully we can now band together and help out one of our own who is in need.”
Click to www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134485006372&ref=nf to access the Facebook group. You must be a member of Facebook to join.
An update on the Facebook group from Deese said that a group of concerned citizens traveled to Winston-Salem to visit Joshua last week and that he expressed gratitude to the many people who have stepped forward to lend help and pass along well wishes. Deese, who sent an email to media two weeks ago stating that she would volunteer to become Joshua’s legal guardian if no next of kin were found, gave Joshua a 14-page book of compiled emails and comments from the local community during the visit. “He was just thrilled,” Deese said.
Other members of the community have also sent Joshua get-well presents. Ram’s Rack donated clothing, Appalachian Tees donated a t-shirt, 641rpm donated CDs, Deese gave him a Bible, an anonymous citizen gave him a guitar and many residents have sent cards, including the Boone Police Department. “These things are making him very happy,” said Deese.
Deese encourages the local community to send Joshua cards, flowers, music and/or any other items that may make his life better while in the hospital. “We need to bring Boone to him, you know?” said Deese. Items can be sent to: Joshua Doe c/o Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. First and foremost, Deese, Sheppard and other concerned citizens are still trying to find out next of kin for Joshua. Information on Joshua’s next of kin can be sent to sam@highcountrypress.com. If no next of kin can be located, Deese hopes to apply for guardianship over Joshua so that someone will be in a place to make decisions for him if he is unable. “He needs someone to advocate for him,” said Deese. “He’s done so much for me in my life, I feel it’s the least I can do for him.”
Sheppard and Deese have researched the possibility of moving Joshua to Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation in Boone and found that he cannot be moved without someone acting as his guardian—either a next of kin or someone like Deese who takes over the guardianship. Deese said Joshua’s caseworker at Wake Forest said that he would have to stay in Winston-Salem unless someone takes legitimate responsibility for him.
To become a guardian, Deese needs to fill out paperwork and find missing information on Joshua to fill in the blanks. In addition, she hopes community members will draft letters of support and send them to: Kristen Deese, 130 North Depot Street, Boone, NC 28607.
After the Facebook group got off the ground, an anonymous resident created a website—www.joshuawatauga.org—that serves as a forum for sharing stories about Joshua. The site also aims to help bring Joshua back to Boone. The site reads, “This website was created to form a dedicated and permanent place for all who have encountered Joshua to share their stories about him. Whether you've bought a poem from Joshua, assisted him with rides in town, or otherwise helped him out, we'd like to have your story here. Even if you'd only held a brief conversation—he seems to sometimes particularly enjoy discussing topics related to mathematics and Native Americans—your story is welcome here.
“Our goal with this website is to develop a rich understanding of this man that can be shared with the world. We're proud to have such an unconventional, yet valuable citizen in our community, and feel that his story should be known to all,” the site continues. “Please take a moment to share your experiences with Joshua here. We promise to keep them here intact until they can be located in a more permanent location—we're thinking a library eventually.”
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