Vol. 109 No. 35
Strack gets serious with students
by ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Evangelist jay Strack talked
straight to students at Kings
Mountain High School and the
Middle School Monday and
they listened attentively.
Strack, who is preaching a
community-wide crusade
which ends Thursday at 7:30
p-m. at John Gamble Stadium,
used anecdotes to illustrate his
message but when he got to the
bottom line he was serious.
"I started in the seventh grade
trying to fit in with the crowd,
drinking, popping pills and
partying but you don't prove
your manhood or womanhood
that way," he said.
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"Life is tissue paper thin" power of God to 40 countries.
taken his message of the saving
He came to Kings Mountain
this week from Scotland and
England where he led preach-
JAY STRACK
Strack dropped out of school
twice, he said, but guidance
from a teacher and coach and
the experience of seeing his
friends die of alcohol and drug
-abuse changed his life and he
accepted Christ.
"I played every game my
generation said play but I want
to tell you that you are not bul-
let proof and life is tissue paper
thin," he told the crowds.
Strack admitted he was a
teenage alcoholic but he said
ing missions.
Sunday night nearly 2,000
people filled Gamble Stadium
for the opening of the five-
night crusade sponsored by the
Kings Mountain Ministerial
Association. Strack prefaced his
message on a statement by Will
Rogers who said that "we all
don't have to be heroes. We can
sit on the curb and clap when
real heroes go by."
Going into Sunday's crusade,
See Crusade, 2-A
the night he flushed pills and
booze down the toilet he
learned that life can be more
than cheap thrills and life in a
bottle.
Strack said he was turned
down by 13 colleges and Uncle
Sam and finally got into college
on academic probation and by
God's grace earned his diploma
after two years. "It's not how
you start but how you finish,"
said the man who has a doctor-
ate, has written 13 books and
STRACK SPEAKS TO STUDENTS - Evangelist Jay Strack
speaks to about 1,000 students at Kings Mountain High School
Monday on the first day of his evangelistic crusade in Kings
Mountain.
Cancer victim
Steven Canipe
gets gazebo, pier
by ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Most teenagers would proba-
bly jump at the chance to fly to
Disney World or the Grand
Canyon but not Steven Canipe,
12.
The Kings Mountain Middle
School sixth grader said he'd
soon forget a trip but not what
he wanted most from the Make
A Wish Foundation - a gazebo
and pier that overlooks a lake
in front of his home on Ezra
afternoo 1e watc
ide as Ronnie Whet:
and Don
County Builders Association
started the construction.
Saturday the building was al-
most completed as carpenters
and Steven and his family were
treated to hamburgers grilled
by Ken Kriensy of Make A
Wish.
Steven plans to fish from the
pier and the gazebo will be a fa-
vorite spot for him and his par-
ents, Barbara and Roy Davis,
and his black and white dog,
Oreo. Nearby is his paddle
boat. Inside the gazebo he
plans to work on Christmas
card art that he started as a pa-
tient at Charlotte Presbyterian
Hemby Children's Hospital or
just hang out there with his
friends.
River rafting three times this
summer, collecting clay mobile
toys and building model air-
planes and toys kept young
Canipe busy. He also spent a
week at a camp for children
with cancer at Lake Lure and
plans to keep in touch with his
new friends.
tine
Citizens voice concerns at meeting
The 40 people from Ward 2
attending the second town
meeting Thursday were almost
unanimous in targeting the
Community Center and Deal
Street Pool as two areas for
cleanup in 1997.
Mearl Valentine, a former
member of the city recreation
commission, said he was de-
lighted to see candidates get on
the bandwagon for improve-
ments to the Community
Center and support a new
pool.
But Valentine said what both-
ers him is that the city has hired
a consultant to "tell us what we
need and we know what we
need.”
Valentine said that conces-
sions have not been available at
the parks and portajohns are
used for bathrooms.
"We need to address the
recreational needs of our kids
and get a plan going for year-
round recreation,” he said.
‘Baber of Cleveland i
A WISH COME TRUE
GAZEBO FOR STEVEN - Steven Canipe, center, is getting his Make A Wish at his home on Ezra
and Don Baber, right, are building a gazebo and pier for the young
Road. Ronnie Whisnant, left,
cancer patient. :
Diagnosed with Synovial
Sarcoma of the nasal pharnax
by his pediatrician, Dr. Martin
Stallings in Kings Mountain
February 21, 1996, Steven un-
derwent surgery for removal of
a lemon sized tumor, spent
months last year at Charlotte
Presbyterian Hospital and un-
derwent chemotherapy treat-
ments.
He learned to talk and walk,
lost from 132 to 72 pounds, and
started back to school last
November. .
Mrs. Davis said Steven's will
to beat cancer, his upbeat atti-
tude and his faith have kept
them strong.
Davis said friends and neigh-
bors, Lincolnton Express where
See Canipe, 2-A
Janie Martin, of Lackey St.,
said she is also concerned about
lots growing up not only in
town but on the state right-of-
ways at the bypass.
"Our side of town continues
.to deteriorate and it just seems
that city officials pay more at-
tention to other areas," she said.
"Who's dropping the ball in
failure to keep those areas
clean, the state or the city?"
asked Peggy Gladden.
Martin said the city should
crack down on code violators.
She said she had written each
commissioner about problems
with high grass and only
Mullinax responded.
Mullinax defended city em-
ployees who he said could not
"come off some jobs" to answer
immediately to a problem.
Elaine Jackson asked what
the city was doing about the
shell left standing by a fire at
the old Pauline Mill and said
the site was an eyesore.
Kings Mountain textile leader
H. Lawrence Patrick, 75, dies
I rere er
Henry Lawrence Patrick, 75,
founder, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Patrick
Yarn Mills Inc., died suddenly
of a massive heart attack
August 20, 1997 at his home at
523 South Battleground
Avenue, Kings Mountain.
Born August 16, 1922 in
Florence, SC, he was the son of
the late Rev. and Mrs. Paul
Dickson Patrick. He was mar-
ried for 51 years to Mary Helen
Hambright Patrick who sur-
vives.
He graduated from
Darlington Prep School and
earned a B.S. degree in Physics
from Davidson College and a
M.S. degree in Industrial
Sor Sl {is membership
After college graduation he = organizations
was employed as a consulting American Yarn Spinners
engineer by Timken Roller
Bearing company in Canton,
Ohio.
During World War II he en-
listed in the Marine Corps. His
scores from Officer's Candidate
School, then the second highest
on record, allowed him to enter
as an officer. His service includ-
ed, along with two other
Marine Officers, the establish-
ment of a school to train
Marines in armored amphibi-
ous landings for use in the
Pacific invasions. He was later
made second in command of
the Second Armored
Amphibian Tank Battalion dur-
ing the Korean Conflict.
After his military service he
returned to Kings Mountain as
president of Kings Mountain
Cotton Oil Company. In the ear-
ly 1960's he foresaw the dimin-
ished role of cotton and cotton
oil in the area's economy and
established Patrick Yarn Mills
Inc. Patrick Yarn began as a
small business built around
equipment Patrick had to modi-
fy himself. Since then it has
Association. Patrick was highly
respected in the textile industry
and the business he founded
holds U.S. and international ph
patents and trademarks.
Among his accomplishments
in local community service was
his role on the board of the
Cleveland County Chapter
American Red Cross, President
of Lake Montonia Club Inc. and
leader of local Boy Scout troops,
himself an Eagle Scout. He was
a deacon and member of First
Presbyterian Church, was
President of the Men's Bible
Class and placed his two cents,
literally two pennies, under the
first bricks laid in the church -
where his father was minister.
"He was a man noted for the
respect he gave people of all
walks of life, and provided op-
portunity and inspiration to in-
dividuals, acting on a personal
level, always positive in his
opinions and convictions, and
made a place in the hearts of
those who knew him, never
See Patrick, 2-A
STEVEN CANIPE
Mullinax said City Attorney
Mickey Corry has written a let-
ter to the owners of the proper-
ty telling them to clean it up.
Mullinax said demolition is ex-
pensive and it's the property
owner's responsibility.
James Self, of Fulton Street, a
candidate for an at-large seat on
the city commission, said weeds
on the state right of-ways are
infested with rats and snakes.
He asked others to join him in
calling the state Department of
Transportation and writing let-
ters to elected officials to help
clean up the mess.
Clarence and Sue Grigg and
other neighbors on Cherokee
Street reiterated their concern
for muddy water.
"My clothes are dingy after
washing them in muddy water
and I plan to take my bills for
more -elothing and for dry
cleaning to the city manager's
office," she said.
standing, raises concerns about more recreation and better
recreation facilities for children at the second town meeting held by Ward 2 residents Thursday.
TOWN MEETING - Mearl Valentine,