Page 14A-KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Wednesday, July 16, 1986 OBITURRIES H.C. HINSON SR. Houston Clyde Hinson Sr., 74, of 604 West Mountain Street, Kings Mountain, died Monday at Cleveland Memorial Hospital. A Gaston County native, he was the son of the late Vernon and Forence Allen Hinson. He was a retired textile employee and a member of First Baptist Church in Bessemer City. Survivors include his wife, Wilma Butler Hinson; two sons, Clyde Hinson Jr. of Matthews and Frank Hinson of Greenwood, S.C.; one step- son, Don Poteat of Albequer- . que, N.M.; three brothers, Fred Hinson, Boyce Hinson Oates Several familiar faces are missing downtown now since many folks are announcing retirement. Blackie Oates, who has been a familiar figure at Oates Shell Station for many years, is one of those folks. Blackie’s station, now located at a busy intersection of service stations and eating places in East Kings Moun- tain, used to be the only sta- tion on that corner during the war years. ‘‘Blackie’’ recalls that when he started his business back in the 30’s that most of his customers stopped by the * station, not only to purchase gasoline and cigarettes, but and Curtis. Hinson, all of Kings Mountain; two sisters, Ethel Hinson and Eunice Meservey of Kings Moun- tain; and six grandchildren. Funeral services were con- ducted Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Harris Funeral Home Chapel by Dr. Joel Jenkins. Burial was in Bessemer City Memorial Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the building fund of First Baptist Church, Kings Moun- tain. MARGARET THOMAS Margaret Ware Thomas, 61, of 104 East King Street, Kings Mountain, died Mon- day at Kings Mountain Hospital. Retires BLACKIE OATES to pick up wine and beer, which was legal in those days in Kings Mountain. Beer and wine sales were voted in, he recall- ed, in 1932 and then voted out again by citizens at end of World War II. Oates sold his station a year ago to Danny Shockley. But most everyday Blackie returns to Oates Shell to chat with customers and friends who drop by. Oates admits that Kings Mountain has changed “lots’’ since his early days in the ser- Yice station business. He says he still wouldn’t live any place else. Syndicated columnist Paul Harvey devoted his popular col- umn several days ago to the subject of small town newspapers. We appreciated what he had to say and are reprinting his comments for readers: : “Frequently you read that ‘‘another big-city newspaper bites the dust.” “There remain only 131 cities in the United States with more than one daily paper. : “Meanwhile, the number of smaller town and suburban newspapers is record high -- 7,711. Circulation of the smaller (weekly) newspapers has doubled since 1960; presently 50 million. “How do they do it? i “I remember how William Allen White did it. He was able to make his compartively tiny Emporia (Kansas) Gazette na- tionall significant by meeting its readers where they lived. “If There is a secret to the success of today’s smaller newspapers, it is that same ‘‘close to homeness’’ which White demanded. “On my desk is a weekly newspaper from somewhere. Where is less significant than what it has to say. “Prominent are pictures of a local school’s graduates; joven, five young ladies and two young men in their motar- ards. “On page four I read that Nora Lee and Andy have had weekend company and that Kayla, on her way to Dell City, stopped in with her darling new baby. “There is a sound editorial discussion about whether the county really wants to be a nuclear waste dump. ‘‘But there is also a recipe for green chili enchiladas. ‘On page 10, the graduates from another school -- 15 from this one. “And many of the advertisers in this issue gave their space to graduation congratulations. Even the County Land and Cattle Company -- and you know they can ill afford it. “The article about the state fair is the next best thing to be- ing there. “Local Chamber of Commerce doings are covered ade- quately and interestingly. ‘And the horseshoe tournament over at Jay’s Shell Station. “It’s registration time for kindergarten and pre- kindergarten. The back-page trading post column includes Bob Carpenter’s ‘81 Opety: “If this implies that the 20 pages are all trivia and no substance, it wasn’t meant to. “They include a highly relative treatment of the subject of drugs, delineates the problem as succinctly as anything I have read on the subject -- and quotes local lawmen on how parents can help deal with it. “I AM properly respectful of the world’s major news wire services which feed newspapers what they consider newswor- thy, but I would consider myself poorly informed on the facts of life and living if I were unable, every day, to peruse an assortment of smaller town newspapers. ; “They mirror America the Beautiful as nothing impersonal can.” A native of Cleveland Coun- ty, she was the daughter of Mrs. Della George Ware and the late Boyce Ware. In addition to her mother, she is survived by two sons, Tony Stone and Barry Thomas, both of Baltimore, Md.; and two grandchildren. She was a member of First Baptist Church, Kings Moun- tain, where memorial ser- vices were conducted Tues- day at 3 p.m. by Dr. Joel Jenkins and the Rev. Allen Jolley. C.K. WATTERSON CHARLOTTE - Charles Kilgo Watterson, 78, of 1312 Bevis Drive, died Sunday at Charlotte Memorial Hospital. A native of Kings Moun- tain, he was the son of the late Frank and Emma Goforth Watterson and the widower of the late Jessie Voltz Watter- son. He was a retired accoun- tant, having worked 43 years for the Exxon Corporation. ‘He attended Cleveland Coun- ty schools and Rutherford College in Valdese. He was a charter member of Westminister Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. He is survived by his wife, Mildred Watterson; two step- sons, William Archer of Myr- tle Beach, S.C., and Richard Archer of Charlotte; two daughters, Patricia Treadaway of Charlotte and Ramalle Morrison of Monu- ment, Colo.; one step- daughter, Susan Stewart of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; five grandchildren; and five step- grandchildren. Funeral services were con- ducted Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Westminister Presbyterian Church by Dr. I. Howard Chadwick. Burial was in Sharon Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to Westminister Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 220654, Charlotte, N.C. 28222. HAROLD UPTON BELMONT - R. Harold Up- ton, 77, of 106 Davidson Street, died Monday at Presbyterian "Hospital ‘in ‘Charlotte. "A native of Mitchell Coun- ty, he was the son of the late Thaddeus and Ella Webb Up- ton and a retired dye house overseer of Piedmont Pro- cessing Company. He was a charter member of Unity Baptist Church. He is survived by hiw wife, Moriszella Sherrill Upton; one son, Rev. Harold Boyd Upton Sr. of Kings Mountain; one daughter, Mrs. Joyce Up- ton Young of Charlotte; one brother, Claude Upton of Bakersville; seven grand- children; and seven great- grandchildren. Funeral services were held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Uni- ty Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Melvin Greene. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery. : Memorials may be made to Unity Baptist Church Building Fund, 1005 East Catawba Street, Belmont, N.C. 28012. Sgt. Payne Gets Medal Sgt. Robert H. Payne, son . of Betty C. Payne of Route 2, Bessemer City has been decorated with the second award of the Army Achieve- ment Medal at Fort Bragg, The Achievement Medal is awarded to soldiers for meritorious service, acts of - courage, or other ac- complishments. Payne is an infantryman Yih the 508th Airborne Infan- ry. FAMILY REUNION The families of James and Martha Crawford and John and Isabella Whitesides will gather for their annual reu- nion Sunday at First ARP Church, 317 Chester St., Gastonia. The meal will be at 1p.m. McGILL REUNION The descendants of Thomas Porter McGill will have their annual reunion Sun., July 27, at 1 p.m. in the fellowship hall of First Bap- tist Church in Kings Moun- tain. Family members are in-' vited to bring a picnic lunch. TREE FARM - Connie Bell looks over some of the White Pine Christmas trees which she and her family grows on their farm between Kings Mountain and Grover. Bells Are Thinking Christmas In July When Kings Mountain school teacher Con- nie Bell wants to beat the summer heat, she | thinks of Christmas. Mrs. Bell, her husband Mickey, and sons Matt and Michael, have spent most of this month shearing about four acres of White Pine and Virginia Pine Christmas trees on their farm between Kings Mountain and Grover. Mrs. Bell, a city resident all of her life, will be moving to the country in about two weeks when construction is completed on the fami- ly’s new home on a large farm once owned by her grandfather, Curt Dixon. “After 10 months in the classroom, you need to get outside in the summer time,” says the North Elementary School teacher. The Bells decided to get into the Christmas tree business in 1980. They planted 500 White Pines that year and about 115 of them will be ready for market this Christmas. They will sell them on a “cut your own” basis. Since ’80, they’ve planted 1,000 each March, but lost all of their 1983 planting because of dry weather. ::