Mount Holly News
Constructive—If It Will Help Mount Holly And Gaston County The News Is For It—^Progressive
VOL. XXVII.
MOUNT HOLLY, N. C.. FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1950
NUMBER 4
BOY SCOUT DRIVE SUCCESS
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Youth Revival Begins Here Next Sunday
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ • ★ ★
Red Cross Reports Encouraging
Dr. Clark Pleased With
First Results Of Drive
Dr. L .S. Clark, chairman of the,
Red Cross drive in Mount Holly,
reports that the first week of the
drive is bringing in indications of
^ strong effort by Mount Holly
residents to top the quota raised
last year. Dr. Clark said that al
though it is actually too early to
rnake any predictions regarding
the final outcome of the drive
^ich began Wednesday, March
1st, and lasts throughout the
tt^onth, it is already evident that
a powerful effort is being made
and that donations are coming in
Well.
Reports from the industrial
plants are not expected until the
of the drive since the chair-
*hen in charge of each of the dif
ferent plants will wish to include
many paydays as possible in
their drive. Residential district
reports indicate a substancial sum
®^^pected from that source and the
jub-chairmen in charge of the
Pusmess district expect equally
8ood results.
“With the start already made
?y the residents of this community
*** the 1950 drive, it is entirely
Possible that Mount Holly will
Sive more money this year than
®ver before to the Red Cross”, Dr.
^lark told a News reporter this
week.
One particular phase of the Red
'-ross work which is being empha
sized in Mount Holly is the blood
oank. With regular trips of the
“loodmobile to Mount Holly con
stantly reminding the public of
Jhe work being done along that
* 'within this county, local re
sidents will not find it too hard
to give a little more to the funds
Which enable the Red Cross to
carry out such humanitarian pro
jects. Frequently, blood donated
o the blo^ bank by some donor
^^0 pledges his gift of blood to
he Bloodmobile regularily results
h the saving of a life, and point-
hg out the close contact with the
^ood bank that the people of
Holly have always had,
Cross officials stated their
hope that this would encourage
Jhe gift of funds during the Red
^ross Drive.
reports should be avail-
“hie within the next week and re
sidents of this comvmit,^are urged
tv, much as they can to
he drive to swell the tot^ Moimt
nolly will report to county head-
charters March 31.
Stanley Boxer
Trophy Winner
Bob Smith of Stanley won the
•host popular fighter’s trophy at
,^*ckory Golden Gloves last
while Johnny Wike was
ohly local winner in the group
t boys entering the meet. Wike
^presented Mount Holly as an
unattached boxer while Ralph
'^^ck Carpenter, and P.
Black were representatives of
he Stanley boxing team. Black
hst his fight to Fred Biggers of
^ewton, while Wike and Carpen-
®r, both novice light-heavies,
„ put on the card together
With Wike taking the honors.
»ike also won in the light-heavy
hals to take the trophy for that
^cight, while Carpenter won the
hnner-up trophy.
Several of the Stanley boxers
P^8ht enter a Concord match to
held soon at that city, it was
eported, although most of the
oncord bouts will be in the opien
Class which eliminates a large
u^ber of the novice fighters on
^he Stanley team.
Convalescing nicely
Mrs. L. p. Flowers and chil-
fen are better after an illness
‘ their home on the Mountain
island Road.
Cookie Sale Is
To Be Two Weeks
Seven troops of Girl Scouts in
Mount Holly will be conducting
a door to door cookie sale during
the next two weeks at the same
time that the annual cookie sale
will be going on all over the na
tion, troop leaders here announc
ed this week. Starting next Mon
day, the sale will continue for
two weeks and plans include a
house to house campaign to sell
the cookies. Part of the funds de
rived from the sale will be kept
by the local troops and will be
used to meet expenses incurred
in holding a Girl Scout day ^amp
here next summer.
The cookies sell for 35 cents
per box and each box contains
at least 40 cookies, troop leaders
pointed out. The cookies are choc
olate and vanilla, and most of
the housewives are regular pur
chasers of the delicious sweets
during the annual sale.
Celebrating Girl Scout Day,
which is next Sunday, April 12,
the Girl Scouts of the seven
troops here plan to attend church
in a body and in uniform.
(Continued on Back Pag#)
Business Men To PIbQS C&11
Honor Athletes for A Great
Weeks Meet
Beta Club Leaves On
Next Friday for Meeting
Miss Myldred Lipscomb and 23
member of the Beta Club at the
local high school will leave for
Raleigh next Friday, March 17,
to attend the two-day Beta Club
convention being held there. The
students plan to make the trip
by chartered bus and will return
Sunday afternoon. Last year the
local group won honors at the
convention with a skit prepared
especially for the Beta Club con
vention, but Miss Lipscomb said
that no special plans had l^en
made for the trii$ this year.
TO VISIT THIS WEEKEND
Mfss Betty Jane Stroupe, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Stroupe,
will arrive here tonight to spend
the weekend. Betty Jane is a
freshman at Greensboro College.
Several local residents will
share the honors with American
Yarn ond Processing Company in
playing host to 81 members of
Mount Holly High School football
and basketball teams at a ban
quet to be held next Monday
night. The banquet, which will
honor the athletes at the local
high school, is the first of it’s kind
to be held here in many years.
Guests will be members of the
high school football team and the
members of the boy’s basketball
team and the girl’s basketball
team as well as sponsors and the
cheerleaders.
The banquet will start at 7 p. m.
at the American Dining Hall with
W. G. Alligood serving as Toast
master. Speakers for the evening
will include Douglas Eades, re
presenting the football team; Har
old Helton, representing the boy’s
basketball team; Betty Jordan,
representing the girl’s basketball
team; Louise McManus, represent
ing the cheerleaders; and Ann
Craig, representing the sponsors.
Hosts, who are local sports fans
and merchants interested in the
athletic activities wT tl.;: aigh
school, include: Dr. A. U. Stroupe,
Charley Taylor, A. W. Bell, Her
man Cross, Dr. E. W. Connell,
Paul Derr, W. G. Alligood, Milton
Craig, Charley.Clegg, Kelly Sum-
mey, O. E. Massey, W. O. Barrett,
and Coley Pryor.
Any other boosters interested
in helping to sponsor the banquet
are invited to contact Mr. Alligood
at the Personnel Office, American
Yarn and Processing Company,
before noon Monday.
A large crowd is expected to at
tend the banquet although plates
will be limited to guests and to
hosts.
Last year the football squad was
entertained at a banquet by the
American Yam and Processing
Company and the boy’s basketball
team were guests at a banquet
given by the father of one of the
players.
ILL IN GEORGIA
The condition of Dr. L. R, Cas
teel, father of Mrs. Joe Jones of
this place, was reported slightly
improved this week. Dr. Casteel
has been critically ill for several
weeks in Washington^ Ga.
ILL AT HOME
Mrs. D. S. Beatty, who has been
ill at her home on East Glendale
Ave., for two weeks, is still con
fined to bed.
Coal Situation Here
Has Been Excellent
The coal situation is serious
here now and will be until Mon
day or Tuesday, of next week. The
local company is out of coal. J. B.
Thompson, manager of the Mount
Holly Ice and Fuel Company, has
secured a shipment of coal that is
supposed to roll in to Mount Hol
ly the first of next week. Mr.
Thompson has been in almost con
stant touch with his shippers and
as a result Mount Holly will get
coal among the first towns in the
State.
Several people have been heard
to express appreciation for the
splendid manner in which the coal
company has taken care of the
situation here. They have virtually
rationed coal and on instances
have brought,coal back to the
yard when persons ordering it had
a fair supply on hand. The News
receives papers here from scores
of other communities and it could
not help but be noticed that we
were in far better condition for
coal than many towns and cities
in North Carolina.
All Coal Sold Hara
Excapt Two Tons
Mr. Thompson sold all coal loc
ally during the entire strike ex
cept for two tons of stoker coal,
j The Gaston Memorial Hospital
ran out of coal completely and
were unable to secure any in
Gastonia. The Mount Holly Ice
and Fuel Company answered the
call of this extreme emergency
with two tons of stoker coat Oth
er calls for coal came from Clover,
S. C., Charlotte and Gastonia.
People riding by would see a stock
of coal on hand here and call up
quickly for a supply. However,
the coal was held in reserve and
sold only to those people or firms
who were truly out of fuel.
No Complaints Hara
The manner in which the Mount
Holly Ice and Fuel Company took
care of the coal situation caused
no complaints whatever from the
local people. Aside from reading
of the coal strike in the Charlotte
Observer and hearing it over the
radio very few people would have
even known of a coal shortage
so well was the precious black
gold distributed locally. The short
age brought back to mind the
splendid maner in which local
stores took care of local people
during the war, even though many
have forgotten it now.
REV. J. O. STROUD
“Youth for Christ” will be the
watchword from next Sunday
morning through the following
Sunday in the First Baptist
Church. At this time the first serv
ices of the Youth Revival will be
held, with morning service at 11
a. m.
Sponsored by the Training Un
ion of the church, these eight
days of intensive work will find
young people of the church com
posing the choir, serving as ush
ers, serving on visitation and
evangelistic committees and do
ing numerous other things to pro
mote the interest of young people
in these special services.
Leading in this revival will be
Rev. J. I. Bishop, evangelist, and
Rev. J. O. Stroud, directing the
music for the week.
Rev. Bishop is Southwide Sec-
retaiy of Royal Ambassadors
(missionary organization for boys)
of the Southern Baptist Conven
tion. He is widely known over
the length and breadth of the
Southern Baptist Convention and
in South America, Cuba and other
mission fields for his work with
boys and young people. Rev.
Bishop is a man of strong Christ
ian personality and appeals to
young people wherever he goes.
He has had wide experience in
working with young people and
helping to guide them in decisions
for Christ and Christian living.
Rev. Stroud is associate pastor
and director of music at First
Baptist Church, Belmont. He is
widely known in Gaston county
and surrounding area for his mu
sical ability and in directing music
in revival services. He, also, has
had wide experience in working
with young people.
Also assisting in these seiwices
and at the organ every night will
be Miss Josephine Eden, director
of music and education at the lo
cal church. Miss Eden will work
(Continued On Back Page)
Lions To Sell
Unique Calendar
Members of the Mount Holly
Lions Club ai'e canvassing Mount
Holly for names and dates to be
published on a “Birthday Calen
dar” which the club will have on
sale in May. Frank Dameron is
chairman of the committee handl
ing the calendar listings and in
a Thursday interview with a
News reporter Mr. Dameron said
that this is the first time that
anything of this nature has been
sponsored in Mount Holly.
The calendar, which is publish
ed by a well known firm of cal
endar specialists, will be dated
from June of this year through
June of next year Mr. Dameron
said. The members of the Lions
Club are attempting to list the
birth date of every resident here
on the proper space in the cal
endar and meeting dates of or
ganizations and clubs here wiU
also be listed. The charge for
listing the name and birth date
of an individual on the calendar
will be 25 cents, Mr. Dameron
said. The calendar will sell for 50
cents in addition to the listing
charge. The meeting dates of any
organization will be listed in the
proper places on the calendar for
a minimum charge of $3.00. Mr.
Dameron said.
Members of the committees as
signed to the canvassing of Mount
Holly are already contacting resi
dents here for their birth dates
and anyone who wishes to be list
ed on the calendar and who has
not been contacted may see Mr.
Dameron or any other member of
the Lions Club to have his name
put on the calendar.
This plan has been extremely
successful in other towns ana cit
ies, Mr. Dameron told the News
reporter, and it is expected that
a large number of names and
dates will be obtained here. These
calendars will be especially valu
able to merchants, Mr. Dameron
pointed out, since the names of
local residents who arc celebrat
ing their birthdays will be in
stantly available at any time.
Bell Announces Quota b
Over-Subscribed LocaUy
Hawks Awarded
Another Trophy
Adding to the honor of having
the first championship team in the
Little Eight Conference at the
local high school. Mount Holly
was named winner of the Sports
manship Trophy following the
end of the girls’ games in the
Little Eight tournament last week.
This is a distinct honor and one
which high school ofiRcials are
greatly appreciative of winning
j whether or not they produce
championship teams.
The award was made after a
casting of votes by both players
and coaches of the teams partici
pating in the tournament. Based
on the sportsmanship shown by
the high school players, voters
also take into consideration the
attitude of the fans at the various
schools as weU as other consid-
:iv»'''ns “Winning this Spor*s-
mansnip'Trophy'for the firtt tKne
in the history of the school is an
honor which Hawk fans can
share,” Principal S. H. Helton
said this week. “Since the con
duct of the fans at games is one
of the considerations involved in
(Continued On Back Page)
ILL WITH FLU
T. M. Abercrombie has been
ill with flu at his home on East
Glendale Avenue.
Five Teachers To Go
To State Convenlion
Five teachers will leave Fri
day for Raleigh where they will
attend the annual convention of
■ the North Carolina Educatioh
Association. The meeting will
continue through Saturday and
the delegates! from Mount Holly
will return Saturday night. Three
thousand teachers are expected
to attend. The ruling is that there
should be one delegate for ten
teachers. Those delegates going
from Mount Holly are: Miss Ruth
Martin, Mrs. T. L. Ware, Jr., Miss
Amarylis Vaughn, Miss Pinky
Patterson, and Mrs. J. L. Daven
port
Negro Was Killed
On Stanley Highway
Labe Rankin, 66-year-old Ne
gro resident of Mount Holly, was
killed when he was struck by a
truck as he walked along High
way 27 Wednesday afternoon at
approximately 5:45 p. m. Investi
gating officers, O. R. McKinney,
F. C. Simmons and R. C. Robin
son, said that Rankin was walk
ing East on Highway 27 when the
truck, en route from Spruce Pine
to Charlotte, crossed the high
way to the wrong side of the road,
striking Rankin after traveling an
estimated 80 feet on the wrong
siioulder of the highway. After
striking Rankin, the truck re
crossed the highway to the right
.side of the road where it ran off
the highway and overturned.
The driver of the truck, James
Clarence Floyd, of Route 1, Bak-
ersville, is being held in the
Mount Holly jail on an open
charge pending the Coroner’s in
quest to be held at the police
station here this aftemooin at
3:30 p. m.
Floyd told investigating offi
cers that he had no recollection
of what happened after he saw
Rankin stagger in front of the
truck with his arms upraised.
Floyd suffered bruises and lacera
tions when the .truck overturned,
and had several severe cuts about
the face and head. The truck, a
^t-ton Dodge pick-up, 1949 mod
el, was not damaged seriously.
The window on the driver’s side
was smashed and other small
damage occurred.
The coroner said that the
door handle on the driver’s side
of the truck was torn off by the
impact and that Rankin’s body
had been struck and pierced by
the handle. Officers who arrived
on the scene immediately after
the wreck were in doubt as to
whether or not Rankin was alive
at that time, but he was pro
nounced dead by Doctor A. U.
Stroupe, who was called to the
scene shortly after the accident
occurred.
Relatives said that Rankin had
not lived in Mount Holly for sev-
ex-al years until approximately 10
months ago when he returned. He
was living with his sister, Mrs.
Irene Shipp, here.
Funeral services for Rankin
will be held at the Gold HiU Bap
tist Church near Lowesville Sun
day afternoon at 2 p. m. The
body will be brought to the Shipp
home in Mount Holly Saturday
afternoon at 3 p. m. to remain
until the services.
Surviving are two sisters, Mrs.
Irene Shipp and Ida Rankin of
Mount Holly; and two brothers,
'Pink” Rankin of Mount Holly
and William Rankin of Hickory.
Costner Funeral Home in Gaston
ia is in charge of the arrange
ments.
* The 1950 Boy Scout Drive in
Mount Holly, under the direction
of A. W. Bell, has far surpassed
the $700.00 quota set by drive
leaders and the final total an
nounced by Mr. Bell Thursday
morning was $830.15. This repre
sents a magnificent effort by the
many residents of Mount Holly
who took part in the drive and -
by those who headed the drive
in the various industrial plants
and in the business and residen
tial sections. Contribute!^ to the
Boy Scout drive this year were
especially generous, and Mr. BeU
expressed his appreciation to ev
eryone who took part in the drive'
or contributed to the cause.
A final talley of the donations
to the drive by districts showed
the following reports: Kendrick
Brick and Tile Co.—$50; Globe
Mills Co.—$50; Superior Yam
Mills—$50; Businesses and indi-
viduals^294.40; Duke Power
Steam Plwt—$20.50; Beta Club—
$34.80; and the plants of the
American Yarn and Processing
Co.—$330.45. Total raised in
dri;e—$830.15
Mr. BeU told a News reporter
that he wished to again thank
the sub-chairmen who aided in
putting Mount Holly over the top
in the drive, as well as all don
ors. Included in the list of men
who headed the various phases
of the drive and to whom Mr.
Bell expressed his appreciation
were Charles Clegg, Herman
Cross, Frank Rankin, J. C. Rhyne,
Milton Craig, Morris Friedman,
Fred Thomas, WiUis Holland, De-
Witt Beatty, Andrew Carter, W.
G. Alligood, Earl Bailes, Albert
Baris, James Bramhall, Ed Black
wood, Preston Dunson, John Fa
gan, Horace Doan, and the mem
bers of the Beta Club. Mr. BeU
also stated that he wished to
thank The News for the cooi^ra-
tion extended diiring the drive.
Aged Stanley Man
Buried Tuesday
Funeral services were held at
11 a. m. Tuesday at the Stanley
Methodist church, for R. Lee Mc-
Lurd, one of the oldest citizens
of Stanley and a life long resident
of that community, who died Sun
day morning at 8:30 at his home.
Mr. McLurd was bom March 18»
1865 at the McLurd plantation
near Stanley and would have been
85 years of age March 18. He Was
the son of Elizabeth Sumxnerow
McLurd and Robason Lee McLurd.
He was the second child of seven
children, his father having died
when Mr. McLurd was 15 years of
age. Interment was in the Stanley
cemetery with Masonic Lodge No
544, A. F. and A. M. in charge.
His entire life was spent in
Stanley. Although his schooling
was limited to the local boarding
schools, he schooled himself in the
arts, sciences, philosophies and
histories. Although he did not
participate actively in politics, ho
was vitally interested and was a
(Continued On Back Pag*)
Women’s Civic Clib To
Meet Next Monday Nile
The Woman’s Civic Club will
meet at 7:30 p. m., Monday, March
13, at the Lions Club on South
Main Street. The ediKation de
partment, of which Miss Lillian
G. Dunn is chairman, will have
charge of the program. Miss
Dunn has secured as guest speak
er, Miss Notley Maddox, social
security representative for Gas
ton county. Miss Maddox will dis
cuss operation and benefits of the
social security plan and will con
duct an open forum for any ad
ditional information requested.