North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 7,206 The figure tor Greater Kings Mountain is derived from tfce 19S5 Kings Mountain city directory census. Tbe city limits figure is from tbe United States census ef 1950. VOL 69 No. 12 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, March 20, 1958 Sixty-Ninth Year PRICE TEN CENTS PERFORMERS — Thursday night (tonight) is when all the above pictured local talent will perform in the senior play, "Once In Every Family". Grouped in the Brooks' family rumpus room where the action takes place are bottom row left, Gerald Thomasson and Tony Goins. Standing in the far left background is Jean Hicks beside Tom my Smith with Franklin Lail and Phyllis Dean seated in front of them. Reuben Bridges (foreground, striped shirt) is seated in front of Sherry Kelley, then Gail Hampton and at the back Polly Page. Standing in far right from front is Faye Robbs, Becky Thornburg, Wayne Mayhue. and Ervin Houser. Cast members absent for the pic ture were Ruth McCurdy and Jerry Wilson. Local News Bulletins TO SALISBURY The Kings Mountain high school mixed chorus traveled to Catawba college in Salisbury Saturday to receive their dis trict rating. iA score of three phis was earned by the choral group after the presentation of several numbers. SUPPER Women of the Church of Dix on Presbyterian church will sell hamburgers and hotdogs at the church Saturday evening be ginning at 6 o’clock. Mrs. Wayne Wells is president of the church women’s group. SUNDAY DINNER international Affairs depart ment of the Woman’s club is serving dinner Sunday at the Woman’s club beginning at 12 noon with proceeds to be used to send two boys to open air camps this summer. The menu includes chicken pie, ham, turkey with choice of vegeta bles, salad, and dessert. Plates are $1.25 for adults and 75 cents lor children and tickets are a vailable by telephoning 990. TYPING CLASS Adult typing classes will be held each Thursday and Mon day (beginning today) from 4 to6p. n. in the commercial de partment at Central school, ac cording to Mrs. Grady Howard, who will teach the course. The fee for the course of $15. in cludes supplies. P-TA MEETING Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Thor bum will discuss the program for handicapped children at Gaston School for Handicapped Children Monday night at the regular meeting of Park Grace school P-TA. The group meets at the school auditorium at 7 p. m. KIWANIS CLUB Carl B. Hyatt, Jr., of Ashe ville, Lt. Gov. of Division 1, Carolinas District of Kiwanis international, will pay an of ficial visit to the Kings Moun tain club at the Kiwanis meet ing Thursday night at 6:45 p. m. at the Woman’s club. P-TA MEETING Annual spring festival and election of officers will feature the program March 28th at the regular meeting of Central P-TA at 7:30 p. m. in the school auditorium. DAFFODIL SHOW •Kings Mountain Garden club is sponsoring a spring daffodil exhibit Wednesday at First Na tional Bank. Entries are invited from the public and will be received from 4 to 6 p. m. Tues day afternoon at the bank. The show will 'be open Wednesday from 9 a. m. until 4 p. m. Mrs. John Cheshire and Mrs. W. L. Mauney are general chairmen of the show. Senior Class Will Present Play Thursday Last minute details are under way 'as the senior class play “Once In Every Family", nears curtain time at eight o’clock Thrusday night in the high school auditorium. ! Wednesday a full dress rehear j sal with costumes, make-up, sets and properties in use was con ducted. Programs have been made and advance tickets are be ing sold by senior class members and door sales will also be held for non-ticket holders. Admission price for adults is sixty cents and students, fifty cents. Posters, radio broadcasts, news paper articles, circulars, and the school inter-communication sys tem are medias in use to inform the public of the three-act comedy which revolves around the Brooks family. Tuesday afternoon a skit from the play was presented to the Fine Arts Department of the Wo man’s club. Cash Assumes Agent Position J. C. Cash, Blacksburg native, has assumed duties as Southern Railway agent in Kings Moun tain. The post was vacated on the retirement of L. L. Benson after a 52 year tenure with the company. Cash, age 51, has served 34 years with Southern Railway, starting in 1924 as a laborer. He married the former Cynthia Sapoch of Blackburg and is the proud papa of one daughter, a sophomore at Limestone Col I _ge in Gaffney. Mr. Cash said he and his fam ily are presently living outside Blacksburg but plan to locate in Kings Mountain in the near fu ture. CITY BOARD MEETING The city board of commis sioners will meet in special ses sion Thursday night at 8 o’ clock at City Hall. Commissioners Sarratt, White Also Announce Carl P. Finger, District II county commissioner, announced Wednesday he would be a candi date for nomination subject to the May Democratic primary. Mr. Finger, who was recently appointed to the board succeed ing the late Hazel B. Bumgard ner, has served on the commis sion since February. He repre sents Townships 4 and 5. Two other county commission incumbents have also announced they would seek re-nomination. They are Vice-Chairman Knox Sarratt, who represents District V, and John P. White, who rep resents District IV. Both paid their filing fees Monday to Coun ty Elections Board Chairman Joe F. Mull. Previously filing was Chairman Fitzhugh Rollins, District in. On. ly Mai A. Spangler, Sr., District I, of the present incumbents has not filed for re-nomination. Like Mr. Finger, Mr. Spangler serves on the board by appointment. He succeeded Zeb V. Cline, who re signed due to ill health. Mr. Finger, Kings Mountain laundryman, seeks nomination to public office for the first time. A Kings Mountain native, he is a son of Mrs. Belle M. Finger and the late Fred Finger. He is a World War II veteran and mem ber of St. Matthew’s Lutheran church. Otherwise, county political ac tivity was negligivle negligible, in spite of the fact that virtually all county township offices are to be filled this year. Thus far no contests have de veloped for any elective office. Filing deadline is at noon on Saturday, April 19. The primary voting will be con ducted on May 31. Lions To Fete Fanners Tuesday Ralph Clontz, Jr., Charlotte law yer and former FBI undercover agent, will address Kings Moun tain area farmers Tuesday night at the annual Farmer’s Night banquet of the Kings Mountain Lions club. Mr. Clontz was a key witness in the conviction of Julius Scales on charges of conspiring, as a member of the Communist party, to overthrow the government. The conviction was appealed and the verdict of the court was re cently sustained. Arrangements for the meeting were announced by Edwin Moore, chairman of the committee, which also includes Dick Barnette and Gwyn Whisnant. Mr. Moore said more than 100 area farmers are being invited to attend. George Thomasson will present Mr. Clontz, who is the son of a retired Presbyterian minister and a graduate of Davidson and Duke University law school. ACCOUNTS AUCTION Accounts totaled $28,026.66 of Ward’s Seed & Feed Store, Inc., now in receivership, will be of fered for sale at public auction Saturday morning at 10 o’clock at City Hall. Logan Says Radio Receiver Gift; Motorola Rills City For S134 Tab A radio receiver at the home of former Chief of Police Hugh A. OLogan, Jr., got attention of the city commission last week. At the March 12 meeting, May or Glee A. Bridges said Motorola, Inc., from whom the city bought a radio communication system last year, had subsequently billed the city for $540 and that the city couldn't find covering Invoices. He said he wrote for an itemized statement and had a corrected statement in the amout of $173.38, including some radio crystals, which the city had received, and a radio receiver which it hadn’t. A check-up revealed the radio at the home of former Chief Lo gan, who told the Mayor, Mr. Bridges said, that the salesman, Dick Maraible, had promised him the receiver as a gift for help ing to consummate the sale. Motorola, on the other hand, said that the order for the re ceiver was placed by V. L. Bee chum, former gas system super intendent, via telephone. Mr. Beechum, who has since resigned to take a position in South Carolina, was contacted by telephone and denied ordering the receiver, Mayor Bridges added. Mr. Logan invited the city to take possession of the radio if the radio, after all, wasn’t a gift Harold Hunnicutt, assistant civ il defense director, told the com mission the receiver is needed and recommended its retention and purchase. The board didn’t act, nor had Motorola been paid as of Wed nesday afternoon, City Clerk Joe McDaniel said. State Pane! Approves Davidson Gymtorium Finger Is Seeking Board Nomination CANDIDATE — Carl P. Finger, appointed to the county commis sion in February, announced Wednesday he would seek Dem ocratic nomination to the office at the May primary. Coralee Service To Cost §8775 Increased power service to Co ralee Fabrics, Inc., will cost the city about $8775, a representa tive of a Charlotte engineering firm told the city board at its March 12 meeting. The firm, located on Childers street, has requested a power step-up. The engineer, Mr. Lemp ke, told the board the installation would improve city power service for residents on the Piedmont avenue and Morris street area and that the city would be able to salvage for re-use present pow er installations serving Coralee valued at about $2,000. Mr. Lempke also presented a proposal from his company to make a survey of the city elec trical distribution system for $4, 200. He showed the board a graph type projection of city power re quirements ten years hence and said demand should be about 8000 | kilowatts. Current demand is 3300 kilowatts. It was 1250 kilowatts in December 1948. The board took no action on either proposal. Fleete McCurdy, chairman of the city recreation commission, asked the city board to budget parking meter funds in 1958-59 for public recreation. “I contend recreation is a part of city gov ernment rather than a stepchild to be put off to the side,” Mr. McCurdy said. He also said he felt the five - member commission should be expanded, but Mayor Glee A. Bridges replied that a larger commission had proved un wieldly. The matter was tabled when B. F. Maner, of the recreation commission, suggested that the recreation commission prepare a tentative budget for city board consideration. The board approved several paving, curb-and-gutter and side walk projects, subject to receipt of properly signed petitions. A (Contmued on Page Eight) Three Win Top Piano Ratings Three Kings Mountain pianists won top ratings at district con tests in Catawba college Friday. Judged superior in their per formances were Linda Walker, West school, Sarah Rose Lennon, Central school, and Jerry Patter son, Bethware high school. Winning ratings of excellent were Vinelle Phillips, North school, Robert Plonk, Sara Hend ricks and Pattie Howard, all of West school. Jimmy Plonk, Central high school won a rating of good. Plonk and Patterson played in the senior division. By winning a superior rating, Patterson won the right to enter the state con tests at Greensboro next month. All are pupils of Mrs. Martin Harmon with exception of Miss Phillips, who is a pupil of Mrs. Musa Marto. On Saturday, the Central high school mixed chorus, directed by Charles Ballance, won a rating of good in the district choral con tests, also held at Catawba col lege. First Baptist Dissidents Raise $800 Legal Fund News was virtually almost non existant this week on the First Baptist church membership dif ferences. Some 40 of the dissident group —which opposes rebuilding of the church on a new site — met at City Hall Tuesday night and do nated money to pay its legal bat tery for legal actions already j taken or in process. Glee A. Brid-! ges, who called the meeting, said the collection approximated $800. Yates Harbison, chairman of the board of deacons and a mem ber of the majority group which wants to rebuild on a new site, said Wednesday that there had been no further developments in the past week. However, the board of deacons was to meet at 8:10 Wednesday night for its reg ular monthly session. Mr. Harbi son did not know whether the building differences would be air ed, commented he “doubted it”, i Last week the deacons did not I act on a formal compromise offer , from the dissident group. On March 24, Judge Dan K. Moore is scheduled to re-convene j a hearing on a petition by the1 dissidents for a permanent in-! junction against the church of-, ficers which would restrain dis j posal of building fund assets or: j any of the church real estate. A temporary injunction is cur-' I rently in effect. Houser Heads Open-Out Club William F. (Billy) Houser, of Kings Mountain, has been elected i president of the Cleveland Coun | ty Open-Out club. Elections were conducted at a meeting at tHfe home of O. Max Gardner, Jr., in Shelby Tuesday. Other officers elected were Mrs. James Phillips, of Shelby, vice-president and program chair man; Mrs. W. C. Willis, Shelby, re-elected recording secretary; Mrs. Sallie Mauney, Shelby, re elected corresponding secretary; and Mrs. Lewis Dobbins, Shelby, membership vice-president. Retiring officers, who were thanked for their service, are Charles Harry III, Grover, presi dent, and W. F. Harris, member ship vice-president. The program was given by Mrs. Warren Gamble and Mrs. John Crawford. Mrs. Gamble was in charge of the devotional and Mrs. Crawford made a most interest ing talk on the making of paper flowers, telling the club that she learned while a polio patient in 1948. As she talked she made a rose and a carnation and show ed wreaths and arrangements which she had brought with her. The meeting rooms were attract ively decorated with arrange ments of yellow and white carna tions and yellow and white roses which Mrs. Crawford had made. At the end of the program Mrs. Crawford was invited to join the club, which invitation she ac cepted. Country Club Meeting Held j Annual meeting of stockhold ers of Kings Mountain Country Club, Inc., was held Tuesday night, as stockholders heard re ports on the year’s work anl e lected directors for the coming year. Elected to the 12-member board were W. Bruce Thorburn, Bruce McDaniel, Joe A. Neisler, J. E. Rhea, Jack Arnette, G. C. Kelly, j W. K. Mauney, Jr., Dr. Nathan H. j Reed. J. C. McKinney, J. Wilson Crawford, Jon N. McClure and Charles E. Dixon. Mr. Thorburn, current presi dent, said the directors would meet early next week to organ ize for the coming year. The nominating committee re port was made by John C. Smath ers, chairman, and was unani mously acepted. Other members were George Houser and Harry Page. Report of Treasurer George Thomasson showed receipts for the year at $14,012, expenditures of $14,858, and cash on hand at March 15 of $2,079. The club owed the Kings Mountain Savings & Loan association $11,368 and list ed accounts payable of $164.64. Secretary Sam Stallings report ed 116 active members in the fol lowing categories: 70 full mem bers, 31 house members, 10 golf ing members, and five lady rnem (Continued on Page Sight) SPEAKER — Dr. Harry M. Moff- i ett, Jr., Gastonia minister, will begin a series of special services Sunday night at First Presbyter ian church. Moffett To Lead Special Services Dr. Harry M. Moffett, Jr., Gas tonia minister, will begin a week of special services Sunday night; at First Presbyterian church, the pastor, Rev. P. D. Patrick, has announced. Services will be held nightly through March 23 at 7:30 p. m. Dr. Moffett will also conduct on Monday a study course on the theme “Meet Dr. Luke’’ during the hours of 10 and 11:30 a. m. and 1 to 2:30 p. m. Dr. Moffett, a native of Fred ericksburg, Va., was graduated from Davidson edllege and Union Theological Seminary. He receiv ed his doctor of divinity degree from Davidson and Austin col leges and prior to accepting the Gastonia pastorate held pastor ates in Jefferson City, Tenn., Li berty, Mo., Columbia, Mo., and Austin, Texas. He is a member of the General Assembly’s Board of World Missions, the Council of Christian Relations, Synod’s Campus Christian Life, and of the board of trustees of the new Pres byterian Consolidated college. “All the communities Dr. Mof fett h'as served have been college communities,” Mr. Patrick said. “Dr. Moffett is well liked by col lege students and his messages shall be particularly interesting to the youth of our town,” he added. Fund Drive Has Goal Of $5,625 Contributions are still being invited in the Red Cross fund campaign in Kings Mountain which seeks a goal of $5,625 in the 1958 appeal. Paul Walker, chairman of the drive, said Wednesday that fi nal reports had not been tabu lated but that workers are urg ed to report their solicitations "as quickly as possible.” Campaign headquarters are open from 1 to 5 p. m. daily Monday through Saturday in the Haywood E. Lynch building between Baird Furniture cam pany and Helen’s Beauty shop. “The campaign goal is badly needed”, Mr. Walker said, “and it should be met by citizens of the community.” In this area, the Red Cross aids many needy families plus its help to the suffering and displaced person, assistance to servicemen, and the blood program. Principals Are Elected For 1958-59 Kings Mountain board of educa tion Monday night advanced plans for building of a gymtorium for Davidson school. The board, on motion of J. R. Davis, and Dr. P. G. Padgett’s second, voted unanimously to em ploy an architect to draw plans for the plant addition which it is estimated will cost about $75, 000. The action came after discus sion of approval from the state review panel to build the gym torium and contingent approval to add three classrooms at West elementary school. The state re view panel authorized expendi ture of $30,000 for the building of: the West school addition, if the schools acquires undeveloped property adjacent to the school. School board members have have been seeking to acquire un developed property adjacent to West school and Chairman Fred! W. Plonk said he felt sure it would be purchasable. Mr. Plonk and Superintendent B. N. Barnes are to confer with J. L. Beam, Jr., architect, con cerning the Davidson addition. Mr. Beam served as architect for the six-room Davidson elemen tary plant. The board of education also elected all principals for the 1958 59 term. They are: E. Lawson Brown, Central; William George, North; Robert Kennedy, East; I. Ben Goforth, Jr., West; and J. A. Gibson, Davidson. The board also: 1) Authorized expenditure of an amout up to $500 to add heat ing capacity to the North School auditorium. 2) Authorized reimbursement of travel expenses to three princi pals who attended the recent Dis trict IV meeting of the state school board association. 3) Authorized reimbursement of expenses in the amount of $38.43 of Mrs. Wanza Y. Davis to the recent Raleigh meeting of the Association of School Secretaries.! 4) Heard Supt. Barnes report; to the hoard that he had employed Daniel H. Norris as high school teacher of physics and chemistry. The employment of a science teacher had been authorized at the January meeting. 5) Mr. Davis told the board he' had completed the property trans action between the city schools and George White. 6) Authorized Mrs. Grady How ard to teach an adult non-credit typing class. Supt Barnes was instructed to approve the details, including tuition and salary. 7) Authorized purchase of a filing cabinet for the school band, j 8) Authorized Mrs. Musa Marto, I special teacher of piano, to use; school facilities for summer teach-! ing. 9) Approved teaching of a class in '“job relations”. 10) Authorized the chairman to sign a petition for paving of; Woodside Drive from Church { street to Cleveland avenue. A. W. Kincaid inquired about possibility of obtaining a teacher for trainable handicapped chil dren for the 1958-59 term, and suggested, “We should obtain a teacher if we possibly can.” Supt Barnes replied that avail able teachers in this field are very few but added he was seeking a teacher and hoped he would be successful in obtaining one. Large Crowd At Retailer Banquet; Barnette Installed As President State Senator Robert Morgan of Shelby predicted Monday night that the future of Kings Moun tain and Cleveland County is “as equally bright” as any section of the United States. In the principal address at the annual banquet of Kings Moun tain Merchants association, Mr. Morgan told over 150 guests that ‘the initiative shown by people of a town is its greatest strength when the people recognize mutual lependence, pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and meet responsibility to industry and agriculture.” He philisophlized that “the cure for any ailment comes when em ployees and employers come to gether in fellowship and mutual admiration” and challenged the ?roup that “ A Community can be no stronger than its individual dtizen.” The address and installation of officers toy Morgan highlighted (Continued on Page Sight) HEADS MERCHANTS — Richard Barnette was installed Monday night as president of the Kings Mountain Merchants association | ! succeeding Charles Dixon. mm. • i ELECTED — Mrs. Wanza Y. Davis, city schools secretary, has been elected president of the North Carolina Association of Educational secretaries. Mrs. Davis was elected at the annual convention in Raleigh last week. Secretary Group Names Mrs. Davis Mrs. Wanza Y. Davis, secre tary-treasurer of Kings Mountain city schools, has been elected president of the North Carolina Association of Educational Sec retaries for the coming year. Mrs. Davis was installed, along with other new officers, by City Schools Supt. B. N. Barnes at the annual meeting of the association Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Raleigh. Other officers include Harold Hewitt, of Hickory city schools, first vice-president; Mrs. lone Whitehead, of New Hanover County schools, second vicepresi dent; Mrs. Nina Tenuta, of New Hanover schools, recording see retary; Miss Mary Hesta Lewis, of Tarbora city schools, eorresp ing secretary; Mrs. Berta Piland, of Winston-Salem city schools, treasurer, and Miss Grace Led better, of Henderson county schools, parlimentarian. Participating in the panel pro gram on the discussion topic, “Ac tion and Reaction of Model See retaries” were Lawson Brown, principal of Central school here; Dr. Brank Proffitt, of Western Carolina college; Hugh Randall, superintendent of Hendersonville city schools and formerly of Kings Mountain, Mrs. Iona White head, of New Hanover schools, and Miss RutH Holton, of Wins ton-Salem schools. The meeting also included a banquet on Friday night with the principal address delivered by Sam D. Bundy, Farmville school man. A tour of the State Depart ment of Public Instruction also featured the three-day conven tion. Mrs. Davis, wife of 1. C. Davis of Kings Mountain, is serving her sixth year as secretary in the city schools here. She resigned recently as president of the South western district of the Education al Secretaries to accept the state post, a department of the Norttt Carolina Education Association. laycees Elect Thomasson George Thomasson was elect ed president of Kings Mountain Junior Chamber of Commerce at the group’s Tuesday night meet ing. Mr. Thomasson succeeds Del bert Dixon as president of the civic club. Other officers are Bob Maner, first vice-president; Robert Go forth, second vice-president; O tis Falls, Jr., secretary; Rudy Frazier, treasurer; Bill Allen, R. G. Plonk, Jr., Raymond Goforth, and Ralph Flow, directors, and Joe Cornwell, Jaybird. President Dixon, who presided, recognized two visitors, Stover Dunagan, of Rutherfordton, na tional director, and Tuck Grud ger, of Charlotte, candidate for president of the North Carolina Junior Chamber of Commerce. Heart Fund Drive Quota Exceeded Contributions to the heart fund appeal in Kings Mountain totaled $1,684.57, according to report of officials in the fund drive. “We are very pleased with the result of the February drive”, Chairman Charles Nois ier said. He added “The record amount far exceeded our ex pectations.” Mrs. Hugh Neisler, treasurer for the drive here, had report ed collections of the $510 in Kings Mountain received on Heart Fund Sunday recently.