Population
City Limit*.7.206
Tbs populctlon ti from the V. S. Government
report lor 1950. The Census Bureau estimate! the nation's
population gain since 1950 at 1.7 percent per year, which
-Kings Mountain's 1954 population should approxi
mate 7909. The trading area population In 1945. based
an ration board registrations at the Kings Mountain
15.000.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
U Pages
Today
PRICE FIVE CENTS
VOL 65 NO. 29
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, July 21, 1955
Sixty-Fifth Year
Local News
Bulletins
X-RAY UNIT
Cleveland County mobile X
ray unit will toe in Kings Moun
tain Thursday (today) in front
of Belk’s Department store
from 10 o’clock until 12 noon
and from 1 until 4 jp. m., It has
been announced.
ARP SERVICE
Regular morning church ser
vices at Boyce Memorial ARP
church will he held Sunday
with Dr. W. L. Pressly, the
pastor, to deliver the message
at the 11 o’clock hour. Dr.
Pressly has been attending a
meeting of the Institute of
Theology at Princeton Univer
sity, Princeton, N. J.
UNION SERVICE
Sunday night’s union service
for five city Church congrega
tions will Ibe held at Boyce
Memorial ARP church with
Rev. P. L. Shore, Jr,., pastor of
Central Methodist church, to
deliver the message at 8 o’clock,
LIONS MEETING
Kings Mountain Lions club
will bold their regular meeting
Tuesday night at 6:45 at Ma
sonic Dining hall. A program
entiled “What Lions Can Do In
The Kings Mountain Club to
Better The Community and
City We Live In,” will Ibe pre
sented iby Lions Sam Stallings,
Richard Barnette, and Earl
Marlowe.
Drama Pleases
First - Nighters
By Elizabeth Stewart
Kings Mountain’s historical
outdoor drama, “The Sword of
Gideon”, opened its fourth swwmr
Thursday night to small audien1
ces with first-nighters viewing
a good play. Quality of the "per
formance indicates a successful
1955 season.
Lead roles in the drama are
portrayed quite successfully by
Susan Moss who has the role of
Sally, the young mountain girl,
and Biff Leonard, who takes the
role of Reece MacDermott, the
rugged young man who aroused
the American forces to action a
gainst the British.
Both Miss Moss and Mr. Leo
nard, the latter of Lexington,
gave outstanding performances,
as did Dr. P. G. Padgett and Mrs.
M. A. Ware who play the comic
roltes, Doug Swink, who portray
ed the daring British commander,
Patrick Ferguson, and Meek Car
penter, again in the role of Whit
tacre, the villian who plotted to
kill MacDermott before the A
merican forces could be alerted.
Dr. Padgett gave a good por
trayal of Billy Rover, combina
tion medicine man, good Samari
tan, and horse “borrower”, as
did Mrs. Ware in the role of Wi
dow-Smith.
Dr. R. N. Baker was the Indian
chief, Atta-Culla-Culla; Jimmy
Heavner was the whiskey-measur
ing Indian, His-Mouth-Stretches;
Patsy Curley, of Dallas, was Alice
Murray, MacDermott’s unfaith,
ful sweetheart; and Becky Tudor
had the role of Virginia Paul,
Ferguson’s mistress. Each gave
creditable performances.
Gene Mauney dances an intri
cate Indian hoop dance in an In
dian scene, Dale Dixon has the
role of Charles McDowell, and
Mrs. Ed Tudor plays th<| role of
McDowell’s wife.
Bill Young, of Bess'emer City,
narrates the story in the voice of
a man named King who lived in
a cabin at the foot of - Kings
Mountain, and a number of chil
dren participate in the drama
while a host of other performers
are British and American sol
diers and officers, mountain mien,
and participants in crowd and
dance scenes. Many in the 90
member cast maintain a variety
of off-stage duties.
Staging and lighting are handl
ed adeptly with only brief pauses
taken to make scenery changes.
There was little revision in the
script but more realism than in
previous showings was effected
in several scenes.
“Sword of Gideon,” written by
Florette Henri, New York author
and playwrite, is an adaptation
of the book, “Kings Mountain”,
and is directed by Dan Bly, of
Asheville. It is the fifth presenta
tion of a battle drama by Kings
Mountain Little Theatre and by
citizens of surrounding cities, sta
ged in the amphitheatre of Kings
Mountain National Military Park.
The play is a colorful and pro
fessional . appearing production
commemorating the Kings Moun
tain battle of October 7, 1780
which Thomas Jefferson termed
the turning point of victory a
gainst the British in the Revolu
tionary War.
School Group Named To Study Court Ruling
Sword Of Gideon
Season Underway
Larger Crowds
Are Expected
This Weekend
“The Sword of Gideon,” the
outdoor battle drama commemo
rating moves into the second of
five weekend showings Thurs
day night, with officials hoping
for favorable weather and antic
ipating large audiences.
The drama at Kings Mountain
National Military Park' amphi
theatre played to larger crowds
last Friday and Saturday even
ings, after opening Thursday to
one of its smallest audiences in
history. iRains in Kings Moun
tain, York, S. C., and other nei
ghboring towns shortly before
the 8:15 p. m. curtain time cut
the crowd to less than 100 per
sons. As frequently happens, an
official noted, “Not a drop fell at
the amphitheatre.”
This weekend’s showings will
be the fourth, fifth and sixth of
a scheduled 15-performances,
ending on August 13.
Ed Smith, drama publicist, said
viewers last weekend included
heads of the drama departments
of Winthrop College and Wil
liam & Mary college, Iboth of
whom were complimentary in
their comments on the excellen
ce. the production. Also in the
audience and prising in their
comments were Mr. and Mrs.
George Spence, both for eight
years members of the cast of
“The Lost Colony”, now in its
fifteenth season at Manteo.
Noting that county school will
begin six-week summer terms
on Monday, Mr. Smith announc
ed that special admission rates
are available to school and oth
er juveniles who attend in
groups of 20 or more. Advance
arrangements can toe made toy
contacting the Little Theatre of
fice at the Woman's Club.
Regular admission fees are $2
for reserved seats, $1.20 for gen
eral admission, and 60 cents for
children under 12.
“Sword of Gideon” is the dra
matization toy Florette Henri of
the events leading to the Battle
of Kings Mountain, fought on
October 7, 1780, toy the mountain
men against the British forces of
Col. Patrick Ferguson. The moun
tain men defeated the Bfitish,
leading to subsequent victories
toy the colonists and final surren
der toy the British at Yorktown.
KIWANIS MEETING
Members of the Kings Moun
tain Kiwanis chib will hold
their weekly meeting at .Ma
sonic Dining Hall Thursday ev
ening at 6:45. Speaker of the
evening will be Morton R.
Kurtz, executive director North
Carolina Council of churches,
Durham.
Polio Innoculation
Clinic Here Friday
A clinic will bte held at the
Health Department, City Hall,
Friday afternoon from 2 to 4
o’clock for first and second
graders who failed Tuesday to
receive the second innoculation
of Salk polio vaccine.
Dr. Z. P„ Mitchell, Cleveland
County health officer, said over
half of this total receiving the
first innoculation failed to re
ceive the second shot Tuesday.
Date for the third innocula
tion will be announced later,
Dr. Mitchell said.
Bethware School
To Open Monday
Bethwarte school will open Mon
day morning at 8 o’clock with
classes to operate on summer
schedule from 8 until 1 o'clock
beginning Tuesday. School will
be open until 12 noon Monday.
Principal John H. Rudisiii
made the announcement.
Teachers in the elementary de
partment include Mrs. Hal Mor
ris, Mrs. Hugh Ormand, Mrs.
Bryan Hord, all of Kings Moun
tain, Mrs. Katherine Moss, of
Blacksburg, S. C., Miss Kathleen
Wray, Mrs. Hal Dedmon, Mrs.
Ray Tiddy, all of Shelby, Mrs. J.
K. Willis, Kings Mountain, and
Mrs. Randolph Lowery and
Frank Sherrill, both of Shelby.
In the high school department,
William Rowell, of Shelby, will
serve as coach and will teach sci
ence, Mrs. Ed Hamrick of Shelby
will teach English and social stu
dies, Mrs. W. R. Craig, Kings
Mountain, will teach English and
French, Miss Nancy McGinnis, of
Ellenboro, will teach Home Eco
nomics, and Myexs Hambright, of
Kings Mountain, will head the
agriculture department.
Mrs. W. K. Crook, Mrs. Made
Souther, and Mrs. Ruth Hallman
will teach in the Patterson Grove
school system.
Moore Holding
Dixon Revival
Rev. Park E. Moore, Jr., ipastor
of Armstrong Memorial Presby
terian church, Gastonia, a form
er pastor of Grover’s Shiloh Pres
byterian church, will conduct a
revival beginning Sunday at
Dixon Presbyterian church.
Services are at 8:15 p. m.
nightly through July 30 with Bi
ble school classes for all ages
to be held at 7 p. m. each even
ing Monday through Friday.
. George Grissom, assistant pas
tor, is serving as superintendent
• of the school.
Thieves, Foiled Here, Get Drugs,
Cash At Bessemer City Pharmacy
No new developments have
been reported concerning the
break-in of Central Drug store in
Bessemer City Sunday night,
Cone C. Carpenter, Bessemer City
police desk sergeant said Tues
day afternoon. A large quantity
of narcotics and between $600
and $700 in cash were stolen from
a safe.
Police theorized the party or
parties who entered the Besse
mer City store could have been
responsible for the attempted
break-in of Kings Mountain Drug
Company Saturday night. The
methods of seeking entry were
said to be similar. C. D. Blanton,
co-owner of Kings Mountain Drug
Company, said the would be in
truders were evidently frightened
away. Entry to Kings Mountain
Drug Store, he said, would have
been a simple matter compared
to that of the Blessemer City
store. The break-in was attempt
ed from the back door of the
store. Efforts had been made by
the would-be robbers to break
the lock and pry the door open.
Entry to the Blessemer City
Drug store was gained through a
back door. A strip from the door
was removed and the door pulled
: outwards. To gain entrance to
! the main quarters, a similar me
1 thod was used to pry open a se
Blood Is Sought
For Leukemia Victim
The Kings Mountain Red
Cross blood committee issued a
call Wednesday for “O” type
negative blood.
Mrs. J. N. Gamble, Red Cross
secretary, asked persons who
could supply this type of blood
to call telephone 247-M morn
ings, or 1278-J afternoons.
Effort is being made to build
a reserve supply for a patibnt
in Kings Mountain hospital,
Mrs. Gamble said. .
cond door inside the building.
The robbery was thought to
have been the work of profes
sionals since the thugs ignored
capsules and tablets containing
only a small amount of codine
and morphine, taking only valu
able and powerful narcotics. The
safe was most likely opened for
narcotics instead of cash, J. C.
Williams, owner of the drug store
I jaid. Since the cash was in the
safe, it was also taken, he said.
Entrance to the safe was gained
by prying open the door with a
chisel. Drugs were also taken
from a small case over the pre
scription counter. '
Coroner's Jury
Rules Ramsey's
Death Accidental
A six-man coroner’s jury ruled
after an inquest last Friday that
Willie A. Ramsey died from a
gunshot wound inflicted acciden
tally.
The verdict, rteturned by Fore
man Hilton Ruth, reversed the
previous finding of Coroner J.
Ollie Harris, who had ruled Ram
sey’s death — which occurred the
afternoon of July 4 — a suicide.
Coroner Harris called the in
quest on request of several mem
bers of Ramsey’s family, who
said they felt iheir father’s death
accidental.
Serving on the coroner’s jury
were Foreman Ruth, D. C. Hugh
es, Menzell Phifer, Charlie Camp
Well, Bright Ratterree, and John
Lewis. Since the jury had to be
sworn in the presence of the body,
which had to be exhumed, Carl
Blanton and Robert Goforth were
sworn as extra jurors, in event
one or two of the group had not
bteen able to serve.
Ramsey’s sons, Delbert and
Dean, and his daughter, Mrs.
Shirley Ramsey Bell, testified
that their father had no reason
to take his own life. All three ex
pressed thfe opinion the shooting
was accidental. Mrs. Bell and Del
bert Ramsey further stated that
they believed their father, with
the gun on his person, fell over
a broken chair in thie room, acci
dentally causing the gun to dis
charge. Mrs. Bell and Delbert
Ramsey said they were in the kit
chen of the Ramsey home when
the shooting occurred. On hear
ing a shot from thfe bedroom,
they ran to the room and found
their father lying partially on the
broken chair. Mrs. Bell and Del
bert Ramsey stated that they had
never heard their father threaten
suicide. Dfean Ramsey testified
he had heard his father threaten
to take his life, but added “ a lot
of people say that.” Mrs. Bell
and Delbert Ramsey stated their
father was not intoxicated at the
time of the shooting.
Dean Ramsey, who was not at
the home when his father was
shot, stated he was with his fath
er part of the day, and knew
“Dad wasn’t drunk at that time".
Both boys admitted taking the
gun from their father several
times, giving as their rfeason they
were afraid he would accidentally
shoot himself.
Investigating Officer Paul San
ders testified that he was told
by the family that Ramsey had
threatened to kill himself, saying
“his life wasn’t any satisfaction”.
Officter Sanders further testified
the body had been moved when
he arrived on the scene, but add
ed he “saw the broken chair”.
Chief of Police Hugh A. Logan,
Continued On Page Eight
License Purchases
Top $3,000 Mark
City privilege license purchases
by business firms operating in
Kings Mountain reached $3,001.50
this week.
Purchases totaled $337.50 for
the week ending Tuesday.
Privilege licenses for the year
1955-56 are purchasable at par
through August 1. A penalty of
five percent per month applies
for late payment.
Annual City Audit
Workls Underway
J. M. Maness, of A. M. “Pullen
& Company, Charlotte certified
public accountants, arrived here
Monday to conduct the audit of
the city’s financial operations for
1954-55.
Mr. Maness is first auditing the
records of the city natural gas
department.
He will subsequently audit the
general city books.
Square Dance
Series Planned
The Kings Mountain Lions club
and City Recreation commission
will co-sponsor a series of Satur
day night square dances at the
high school gymnasium, begin
ning this week.
J. W. Webster, chairman of the
Lions club committee, said the
sponsors havfe hooked a good1
band for Saturday night's dance,
which will star* at 8 p. m.
Admission will be 50 cents per
person.
Mr. Webster urged Lions, their
wives, and the public to attend
the dances.
Tickets are on sale by mem
bers of the Lions club.
Board Stands Pat On Movie
Issue, Sets Budget, Tax Rate
Final Budget
Up §3,165 Over
First Estimate
The city board of commission
ers adopted finally the 1955-56
budget last Friday morning and
enacted the tax rate ordinance
calling for a gross levy of $1.70
per $100 valuation.
In finally adopting the budget
the commissioners estimated that
revenues and disbursements will
balance at $498,963.33, a slight
increase of $3,165 over the tenta
tive estimate adopted last month.
The whole amount of increased
revenue estimate came from one
source. The city school district
will supply the $3,165 to redeem
the last remaining bonds of a
1925 school building issue. This
issue supplied funds to build the
central auditorium. Though the
bonds are technically obligations
of the city, the school district has
supplied payments for their re
tirement.
Minor departmental budget
shifts plus the $3,165 bond re
fund enabled the city to estab
lish in its new budget a $1,592.52
to take care of emergencies and
mis-estimating, if any.
Among the shifts were: Re
moval of $1100 appropriation for
salary of city court solicitor and
appropriation of $900 for Jacob
S. Mauney Memorial library;
transfer of $400 previously ear
marked "general department,
miscellaneous” to the contingen
cy fund; paring of the $4200 ap
propriation for salary of the pub
lic works superintendent by $350,
made possible by the vacancy in
the position until August 1.
The new budget provides for
payment of all department heads
at the rate of $350 per month,
an increase of $15 per month
each. It also provides a raise for
paid firemen from $53.20 to $55
per week.
Under the new budget, the va
rious city departments will spend
$415,009.56; dfebt service will re
quire $66,361.25; $13,000 is ear
marked for capital outlay; and
$4,592.52 is earmarked for the
contingency fund.
The tax rate of $1.70 per $100
valuation on real and personal
property is pro-rated: general
purposes, $1.11; debt service, 45
cfents; capital outlay, nine cents;
and recreation, five cents. It is
the first year the city has levied
a tax for recreational purposes.
Authority for the levy was grant
ed in the election of January 1954.
The city again is levying a poll
tax of $2 on mfen between the
ages of 21 and 50.
NCPA Elevates
C. D. Blanton
C. D. Blanton, Sr., Kings Moun
tain pharmacist, has been elected
first vice-president of the North
Carolina Pharmaceutical associa
tion, according to results of mall
balloting announced this week.
Mr. Blanton, currently serving
as second vice-president of the
association, will be elevated at
the convention of the association
next May.
Other officers elected were: J.
W. Tyson, Greensboro, president;
W. Dorsey Welch, Jr., Washing
ton, second vice-president; Sam
McFalls, Jr., Winston - Salem,
third vice-president; W. B. Gur
ley, Windsor, three-year member
of the association executive com
mittee; W. Moss Salley, Jr., Ashe
ville, to a five-year term on the
North Carolina Board of Phar
macy; and W.,A. Ward, Swanna
noa, D. L. Boone,, Durham, W. B.
McDonald, Jr., Hickory, and W.
Moss Salley, Sr., Asheville, di
rectors.
Gantt Tops U. T.
Medical Section
MEMPHIS, TENN. — Charles
Herman Gantt of 13 Waco Road,
Kings Mountain, N. C., placed
first in his section during the
Spring quarter at the University
of Tennessee College of Medi
cine in Memphis, according to
grade averagtes compiled by Miss
Kate Stanley, registrar.
He is continuing his twelfth
quarter course of study which be
gan July 11.
•<
»
Citizens Paying
Assessment Bills
Unusually large payments on
public improvements assess
ments were made by citizens
during the past week, City
Clerk Gene Mitcham rteported.
Payments on the assessments
for the week ending Tuesday
totaled $2,654.08, bringing the
total for the year beginning
July 1 to $4,256.92.
The city is urging citizens
owing assessments to pay them
as quickly as possible, noting
that the accounts bear interest
at the rate of six percent per
year.
Powell Bill
Report Filed
The city has filed its report of
street mileage with the State
Highway commission in support
of its claim for Powell Bill mo
nies, which will be distributed to
municipalities in the fall.
The report shows a total of
33.33 miles of city . maintained
streets within the city limits, an
increase of six-tenths’ mile since
the filing of the 1954 report.
Of the total the city has 19.08
miles of hard-surfaced streets,
11.85 miles of soil, stone, and/or
gravel streets, and 2.4 miles of
unimproved streets. The hard
surfaced street mileage showed
a gain over the 16.97 miles re
ported last year.
On both 1954 and 1955 reports
it was noted that the city has 1.63
miles of streets which are only
16-feet wide and less standard
width for qualifying for Powell
Bill funds.
The highway commission, und
er state law, earmarks receipts
from one cent of the state gaso
line tax for municipalities. The
money is divided on the basis of
population and street mileage.
The city budget estimate lists
$28,000 as anticipated revenue
from this source. The money
must be used for street work.
Grace Methodist
Homecoming Sunday
Grace Methodist church will
observe Homecoming Day at ser
vices Sunday, Rev. W. C. Sides,
Jr., the pastor, has announced.
Sermon topic for the morning
service is “Our Home in the
Church”. Dinner will be served
at 12 noon and during the after
noon the congregation will visit;
the Methodist Home in Char-1
lotte where they will serve a pic- J
nic supper and conduct a Vesper
program.
MOOSE MEETING
The regular meeting of
Moose Lodge No. 1748 will toe
held Thursday night at the
lodge on Bessemer City road.
Ellison Motion
Foi Blue Law
Vote Unseconded
The city board of commission
ers declined last Friday morning
to alter its action on amending
the blue laws to permit showing
of Sunday movies.
A motion by Commissionfer T.
J. Eilison td put the movie ques
tion and also the question of ope
ration of the city swimming pools
to public vote failed to obtain a
second.
Rev. P. L. Shore, Jr.. Central
Methodist pastor, and Rev. Ar
chie Argo, pastor of First Wesle
yan church, attended the meeting
and had presented to the commis
sioners the July 11 ministerial
association resolution in which a
vote was requested.
During the discussion, which
was friendly in spite of the con
flicting views, Commissioner O.
T. Hayes, Sr., made the state
ment he would support a public
vote on the question of closing
all establishments which operate
Management of Joy and
Dixie Theatres reported atten
dance at their theatres on Sun
day as “fair". The Imperial
Theatre did not operate. It was
the second Sunday motion pic
ture theatres had operated in
the city since the board of com
missioners amended the city
ordinance to permit Sunday
showings.
on Sunday, but would not single
out the motion picture issue for
a vote. He also noted that the
vote could be merely “informa
tional” and that the board would
still have to act.
Rev. Mr. Shore had made the
point that there was no particu
lar evidence of public sentiment
in favor of Sunday movies and
that the ministers felt an Expres
sion of the full citizenship was
needed on changing a law that
had been on the books for many
years.
Commissioner Sam Collins said
he had received two volunteer
comments on the movie question,
one favorable, one opposed.
Both Mayor Glee Bridges and
Mr. Collins expressed the opinion
that it was commissioner respon
sibility to handle the question,
and Mr. Collins said calling elec
tions on all questions at issue
would eliminate the need for a
board. *■
Mr. Shore rejoined that he did
not question the authority of the
commissioners, and repeated his
contention concerning the broad
scope of the Sunday picture issue.
Indicating he did not intend to
make a 1959 political battle on
the matter. Mr. Shore said he
felt the people should have some
recourse on public questions oth
er than waiting until the next
Continued On Page Eight
Three Police Personnel Dismissed;
Duty Schedule Is Set On 3-0 Vote
As had been predicted, the city
board of commissioners dismiss
ed its three most recently em
ployed police personnel — Offi
cers Laymon Cornwell and Bill
Bell and Mrs. Juanita Falls, desk
sergeant — at a special meeting
last Friday morning. The action
was credited to budget limita
tions.
Subsequently, the board ap
proved by 3-0 vote, on motion of
Commissioner T. J. Ellison and
Commissioner Sam Collins’ se
cond, to retain the eight-hour day
and six-day week for police de
partment personnel, to remove all
ratings in the department and to
rotate the desk sergeant duty
schedule. Commissioner O. T.
Hayes, Sr., supported. Commis
sioners Patterson and Grantham
abstained.
The text of the Ellison motion,
typewritten previously and. hand
ed to Mayor Glee A. Bridges for
reading was: “I make a motion
to keep the men on eight-hour
shifts and give them their day
off each week. Rotate the men
on desk each month like the pa
trolmen. Take the stripes and
bars off the mten that has them.
Put them on equal basis and use
no partiality. Pay the men for
the rest of their vacation that
has not got it.”
Mr. Collins then submitted a
duty schedule to implement the
Ellison motion. It provided that
Chief Logan would do regular
“beat” duty on the 6 a. m. to 2
p. m. shift, provided a man for
parking meter duty, regular
shifts of a desk sergeant and two
men, with one officer as super
numerary.
The dismissal action was unan
imously adopted on motion of!
Commissioner Patterson, with
Commissioner W. G. Grantham
seconding, and provided that the
trio be relieved on July 15, with
pay to August 1. The three were
also to be paid for any vacation
time due.
Commissioner Patterson made
his motion after Chief of Police
Hugh A. Logan, Jr„ had declined
to give a dismissal recommenda
tion. The Chief said he felt it
useless to make a recommenda
tion without prior indication
from board members that his
recommendation would be ac
cepted.
The board action followed con
siderable discussion, in which
Mayor Glee A. Bridges, Recor
der’s Court Judge Jack White
and a delegation of Negro citi
Continued On Page Eight
Kings Mountain
School Opening
To Be August 30
The Kings Mountain board of
school trustees voted to set up a
committee to study the Supreme
Court ruling on segregation in
the public schools and set August
30 as the opening date for city
schools for the fall semester at
the regular monthly meeting held
at Central school Monday at 7:30
p. m.
The board agreed that Chair
man A. W. Kincaid, Vice Chair
man Fred W. Plonk and Secre
tary B. N. Barnes compose the
committee to study and recom
mend steps to be taken in re
gards to the Supreme Court rul
ing.
Mr. Plonk presided at the meet
ing in the absence of Chairman
Kincaid. Trustee J. W. Webster
was present for the entire meet
ing and Trustees J. R. Davis and
P. G. Padgett attended parts of
the meeting.
In a major action, the board
voted to invest the full amount of
bond funds now available, a total
of $120,400, in short-term notes
along with the county schools.
The board also authorized a
survey by Trustee Webster and
Secretary Barnes for additional
insurance on school buildings arid
equipment and voted to continue
school pupil’s accident insurance
with Pilot Life Insurance Co., at
$1.50 per student, for the school
year, an increase of 25 cents over
last year.
The board elected three ele
mentary teachers to the faculty
and declined the request of two
teachers to commute while teach
ing here next year.
Elected to the faculty were
Mrs. Willie Plonk Patterson and
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Kiser, of Route
2, Newton. Mr, Kiser has some
25 years experience as a princi
pal, many of them at Balls Creek
school in Catawba County where
the couple taught last year.
Two elementary teachers are
needed at Davidson school and
another white elementary teach
er is needed to complete the facul
ty, Mr. Barnes reported.
The board also authorized con
tinued membership in the state
school board association and ap
proved minutes of two previous
meetings.
T. W. Cothran, Shelby archi
tect retained by the board for
the North school project, was
present and showed the board his
final preliminary plans for the
building.
Rites Thursday
For Dr. Fressly
Funeral services for Dr. James
Hearst Pressly, 89, father of Dr.
W. L. Pressly, of Kings Moun
tain, will be held in Statesville
First ARP church Thursday mor
ning at 11 o’clock.
The minister, pastor emeritus
of the Statesville First ARP
church, died Tuesday afternoon
at his home. He had been in de-,
dining health for several years.
The father of the Kings Moun
tain minister was well-known
here and made one of his later ac
tive appearances in a pulpit, when
he took part in services installing
his son as pastor of Boyce Me
morial ARP church here.
Dr. James Hearst Pressley was
born in Abbeville, S. C., a son of
the late Dr. William Laurens
Pressly. He was educated at Ers
kine college and Erskine Theolo
gical seminary, went to States
ville immediately after his gra
duation in 1892, and served as
pastor of First ARP church there
for 54 years. It was the only pas
torate he ever held. He retired in
1946.
He tnarried Miss Mabel Lowry,
of Harrels, Ala., in 1895. She died
in 1942. Dr. Pressly’s grandfather
was founder of Erskine college
and served as its president for 25
years. His father once served as
president of Erskine Theological
seminary.
Surviving, in addition to his
son here, are ten other children:
Dr. James L. Pressly and Dr.
David Pressly, Statesville, Dr.
Henry Pressly and Dr. Lowry
Pressly, both of Charlotte, Mrs.
Paul Ashbum, Statesville, Mrs. B.
L. Hamilton, Sharon, S. C., Mrs.
Walter Graham, Winnsboro, S.
C., Mrs. Fred Baird, Shelby, Mrs.
Edward Holland, Winston-Salem,
and Mrs. James Moses, Deland,
Fla.
Burial will bfe in the family
plot of Oakwood cemetery, States
j ville.