Vol. 109 No. 42
Thursday, October 16, 1997
By GARY STEWART
Editor of the Herald
Kings Mountain is mourning
the loss of a legend today.
Henry Frazier "Slow"
Robinson, 87, one of the last
Living Legends of the Negro
Baseball League, died Monday
at Kings Mountain Hospital just
one day after the new Life
Enrichment Center at Antioch
Missionary Baptist Church in
Shelby was dedicated in his
honor.
The funeral will be Sunday at
Antioch, with Quiet Hour be-
ginning at 3 p.m. and the ser-
vice beginning at 4.
Robinson, whose health was
deteriorating fast because of a
four-year long battle with can-
.cer, was unable to attend the
dedication ceremony Sunday
but his wife, Winnie, said she
believes God kept him alive to
hear about it. Although he
couldn't talk because of sore-
ness left after a tube was re-
moved from his throat, Mrs.
Robinson said he acknowl-
edged people's conversation by
nodding his head.
"It's a strange thing," she said.
"He told me 'T hope I live to see
that day.’ He was in a coma
when I took him out of here to
the hospital, but his nephew,
entertainer James Ingram and
his wife came down and Ray
and Inez Jones from California
A LEGE
KM's Frazier Robinson, Negro
Satchel Paige's catcher, dies after long bout with cancer
nized every one of them.
"He had called James and
told him not to miss that day,"
she added. "He had a lot of en-
gagements but flew down for
Saturday and Sunday. After the
program was over, I went back
to the hospital and talked to
him about it and shared it with
him, and he acknowledged that
he knew about it. A tear trick-
led down out of his eye. It was
like God saved him to hear
about that day, because the next
day he was gone."
Robinson, who moved here
in 1989 to be closer to his wife's
family, was playing sandlot
baseball in Oklahoma when
Nute Joseph, a third baseman
with the Kansas City Monarchs,
saw him and his brother,
Nathan, playing and offered
them a shot in the pros. Frazier
was assigned to a team in Texas
and Nathan ended up in
Birmingham, Ala. where he was
a teammate of Willie Mays.
Robinson's claim to fame was
that he later became the catcher
of the incomparable Satchel
Paige with the Satchel Paige
All-Stars and Kansas City
Monarchs. The two also became
best friends, and Paige nick-
named Robinson "Slow," not be-
cause of his lack of speed but
because of his slow, Alabama
accent.
Robinson played in the
jw
BRIEFLY
Former pro gridder
arrested here Sunday
Former University of North
Carolina and NFL football play-
er Sean Boyd of Gastonia was
charged with driving while im-
paired and driving while li-
cense suspended Sunday on
Charles Street in Kings
Mountain.
Officer R.S. Costner made the
arrest at 2:16 a.m.
Boyd, 24, was a standout de-
fensive back at the University of
North Carolina and has played
for several professional teams.
He was drafted by the
Minnesota Vikings in 1996 but
was cut before the start of the
season. He played in two games
for the Atlanta Falcons last year,
and was waived by the World
Champion Green Bay Packers
prior to the start of this season.
1/2 million offered
in Loomis Fargo case
The nationwide search for
David Scott Ghantt, 27, a Kings
Mountain man alleged to have
pulled off one of the largest
heists in U. S. history was still
underway this week.
Meantime, Loomis, Fargo &
Company has posted a $500,000
reward for information leading
to Ghantt's arrest and convic-
tion in connection with last
weekend's theft of up to $15
million from its Charlotte ware-
house.
Ghantt, 104 Maggie Dr., is un-
der federal indictment on a
charge of bank larceny.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation said the Persian
Gulf Army veteran should be
considered armed and danger-
ous.
Law enforcement agencies
from across the country have
joined the search for Ghantt
who was reported missing by
his wife when he didn't return
home from work Sunday morn-
ing. A white Ford Econoline
was recovered in Mecklenburg
County last Monday less than
10 miles from the Loomis Fargo
warehouse where the money
was stolen.
MICHELLE WARREN
Miss N.C. to speak
at KM Middle School
Miss North Carolina and first
runner-up in the Miss America
competition, Michelle Warren of
Gastonia, will speak to students
at Kings Mountain Middle
School Monday, Oct. 20 at 2
p-m.
- Miss Warren is being brought
here by the KMMS Healthful
Living Department to talk to
students about "Responsibility,"
which is this month's character
trait in the school system's
Character Education emphasis.
“She will talk about attaining
a goal - that it takes hard work,
that you have to have a dream
and work toward it," said PE.
teacher Candy Albergine who
lined up the program.
"She gave a very uplifting
talk at Ashbrook High School a
couple of weeks ago," Albergine
said. "She was really well re-
ceived by the students there,
and we hope to get the same re-
action. We're really looking for-
ward to this program."
Haunted Trail spooks
Grover October 17-31
Visit the Haunted Trail in
Grover from October 17
through 31, beginning at dusk
and into the night. The trail is
located at Judson Court, across
from Clearview Baptist Church,
just follow signs. Adult admis-
sion is $5, $3 for children.
Concessions will be available.
|»
D GONE
Baseball League star and
\
\'%
Karen’
Karn Bess believes in angels
and that's why her Christmas
wreaths feature them.
"I put a lot of love in each of
them," says the Kings Mountain
woman who said she had a spe-
cial angel watching over after a
life-threatening illness which al-
so turned her life around.
The home of Karen and
Robert Bess is beginning to look
like the holidays this week with
Christmas wreaths, crystal gift
items arid decorations filling ev-
ery room.
Karen's husband cuts the logs
and she fashions beautiful fire-
place holders using natural pine
cones andl velvet bows. Crystal
sleighs with gold runners and
transparent gold ribbon and
gold fiddles over the mantel are
just a few of the ideas she incor-
porates and shares with the
public. She took some of her
crafts to last Saturday's
Mountainger Day festivities and
will start displaying them at
Kings Mountain Used Furniture
downtown.
One of those crafts that took
her 48 hours to complete is a
BABEBALL LEGEND DIES - Frazier Robinson of Kings
Mountain, who was Satchel Paige
Ss catcher in
"JE
Schools okay
record
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education officially approved a
$24,765,256 budget at its month-
ly meeting Monday night at the
Central Office.
Supt. Bob McRae told the
Board that the budget is essen-
tially the same one that has
been discussed since April and
as recently as last week's Board
Advance in Boone.
The general fund includes
$4,866,743 from local sources,
including $2,055,746 in county
commissioners’ appropriations
and $1,690,000 from the 19-
cents Kings Mountain District
supplemental tax.
McRae said the budget allows
the system to implement its
classified salary plan and in-
cludes $2 per child for instruc-
tional supplies.
The budget includes $781,551
in the capital outlay fund which
includes $281,551 in local allot-
ment, which McRae said is
about the same as it has been
for years. With the system con-
sidering building another ele-
mentary school, he said those
figures will have to improve in
the future.
"Hopefully we can see im-
provement in future years," he
said. "If we're going to keep up
facilities like we've been doing
we'll need a little bit more.
The budget includes
in the State Publi
ANGEL WREATHS - Karen Bess fashions her Christmas angel -
wreaths "with love." Angels have special meaning for the Kings
Mountain woman.
Christmas Carrousel, a horse
she found in an attic, sculpted
it, sanded and polished it with
about 30 coats of ivory, set the
stones and painted every detail
of the beauty which won for her
a blue ribbon at both the
Bethware
County Fairs.
"I became so engrossed in
that project that I got a bronical
infection by smelling all the
paints," she said. Bess has ad-
vertised her Carrousel for sale
and Cleveland
budget
$1,543,892 in
Nutrition Fund.
In another matter Monday,
Jean Thrift, Director of Student
Support Services, reviewed the
state report card results for each
of the schools in the system.
Grover and Kings Mountain
Middle were the only schools
not to meet expected growth
and East and West schools met
exemplary growth.
Thrift said 79.9 percent of the
students tested in grades 3-8
(reading and math) and grades
four and seven (writing) were
proficient (at or above grade
level), and in all areas Kings
Mountain students were ahead
of the state average.
In other action, the Board:
BM Accepted four students
from Cleveland County
Schools: Tyrone and Nataisha
Cannedy, children of Mr. and
Mrs. Ralph Cannedy; Douglas
Kuhn, son of Mr. and Mrs.
David Kuhn; and DeAngela
Ruffin, daughter of Ms. Delores
Littlejohn.
BW Accepted four students
from Gaston County Schools:
Elizabeth Griffin, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Robin Griffin;
Duane Blanton, son of Mr. and .
Mrs. Roxie Parker; Shannon
Dotson, daughter of Mrs. Robin
Gunter; and Joshua Penley, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Penley.
the Child
for $350 but she says it's worth
much more.
A multi-talented homemaker,
Karen is well known for cake
baking. When she bakes a wed-
ding or anniversary cake or a
birthday cake she personalizes,
decorates with an item that can
be kept as a memento of the oc-
casion. For a child, that might
be a block or train. For a
grownup that might be an angel
holding a song book, a musical
note or something that would
pertain to the person's hobby.
Battery-operated lights are
used in her wreaths as well as
music boxes and some of her
prettiest handiwork are white
frosted poinsettias.
Karen's mother, the late
Nellie Hall, used to tell her
daughter that she could make
something pretty out of the
ugliest item.
"Just tell me what you want
and I try to do it," said Karen,
who says her lighted wreaths
are the most popular.
"God let me see the beauty in
making these wreaths and I
See Angel, 5-A
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
MOUNTAINEER FAN - Major Loftin's heyday on the gridiron is
over but he's always at home in the stands where he cheers ev-
ery Mountaineer victory. He's also a winner at woodworking.
Major loves Mountaineers,
creating cedar masterpieces
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Family comes first with
Major Loftin, 66, but his love of
football for a half century ranks
a close second.
The Kings Mountain man is
in the stands for every Kings
Mountain High football game
and he's the No. 1 cheerleader
for the home team for American
Legion baseball or for kid
sports his grandchildren play.
"I guess I haven't missed a
football game in 50 years, no
kidding," said Loftin, taking a
chew of tobacco and reminisc-
ing of his football playing days
when he was a 127-pound run-
ning back for the Mountaineers
in 1947-48.
"We didn't win many games
but they called us running
backs and wing backs then and
I played for John Rudisill in
1947, Shu Carlton in 1948 and
for Max Beam in Mount Holly
in 1949," he recalled.
"Back then you didn't have
to have top grades to play foot-
ball and I loved it but I dropped
out of school at least eight
times, then returned to play
sports and finally got my GED
diploma in 1980," said the re-
tired 25 year employee of PPG.
Drafted by Uncle Sam's Army
in World War II, Major got a
medical discharge because of a
knee injury he sustained play-
ing football.
See Loftin, 5-A