»
Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
The figure for Greater Kings Mountain Is derived from
the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
Limits figure Is from the United States census of 1950.
VOL. 69 No. 42
Established 1899
Pages
Today
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, October 16, 1959
Sixty-Ninth Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
BAND WINS EXCELLENT BATING AT FESTIVAL — Pictured
is the current edition of the Kings Mountain school band, which
participated in the Southeastern Band Festival at Bristol, Vir
ginia-Tennessee, last Saturday. The band won a combined ra
0
ting of 91.4 for marching and playing. Currently underway is a
fund drive to purchase new uniforms for use of the bandsmen.
The uniforms pictured were purchased 20 years ago and most
of them are beyond mending. (Photo by Pennington Studio.)
Local News
Bulletins
OFFICE CLOSED
Dr. L. T. Anderson, chiropra
ctor, said yesterday his offices
will be closed for the remain
der of the week. Dr. Anderson
is on a business trip to Omaha,
Nebraska. He will re-open his
offices on Monday.
DEBATER
Bill Greene, Kings Mountain
student at Gardner-Webb col
lege, is a member of the col
lege debating team, which op
ens competition Thursday a
gainst Mars Hill.
KIWANIS CLUB
Kings Mountain Kiwanians
will view a film on Alaska, the
49th state, at their weekly
meeting Thursday night at
6:45 p. m. at the Woman’s club.
John Smathers has arranged the
program.
CENTRAL P-TA
Central school Parent-Teach
er Association will hold their
regular meeting Monday night
at 7:30 p. m. in the school aud
itorium. Eighth grade pupils
of Mrs. R. S. Lennon will pre
sent the program.
EAST SCHOOL
East school Parent-Teacher
Asociation will meet Tues
day afternoon at 3:30 p. m. in
the school auditorium for the
regular meeting.
NORTH SCHOOL
North School P-TA will hold
its regular meeting Tuesday at 3
p. m. in the school auditorium,
with a parent-teacher conference
in the various classrooms to fea
ture the program. Parents will
be given an overall / picture of
the school year program by the
faculty.
BUILDING PERMITS
Permits were issued this week
to F. Tillman Pearson to make
a room additiotf to his home at
the cost of $700 and to Kelly
Dixon to build a five room
brick and wood house on Brid
ges street at the estimated cost
of $6000.
PRESBYTERIAN
Dr. George Staples, of David
son College, will conduct mor
ning worship services Sunday
at First Presbyterian church.
His sermon topic is ‘‘A Person
to Person Call.”
VETERAN GIFTS
Members of Otis Green Post
155, American Legion Auxili
ary, are urged to bring gifts
for veterans to their Thursday
night meeting at 7:30 p. m. at
the home of Mrs. Paul Maun
ey.
ATTEND CONVENTION
Mayor Glee A. Bridges and
Joe L. McDaniel, Jr., returned
Tuesday from Winston-Salem,
where they attended the an
nual convention of the North
Carolina League of Munici
palities.
Band WinsTrophy At Bristol;
Funds For Uniforms Sought
Uniform Fund
Tops $1200;
Goal $4,000
The Kings Mountain school
band returned from last week
end’s Southeastern Band Festival
at Bristol, Virginia - Tennessee,
on Sunday with a rating of 91.4
and a trophy, in addition to mem
ories of a very busy weekend.
The score of 91.4 was good ra
ting of II or excellent for the
days combined activities of mar
ching contest and performance
contest.
One judge, Forrest McAllister,
editor and publisher of “The
School Musician,” rated the band
95.4, good enough to edge into
the 95-100 “I” or superior brack
et. But Judges Charles Minelli,
Ohio university band director, and
Ernest Lyon, University of Louis
ville band director, gave lower
I ratings to produce the 91.4 aver
| age score.
The band competed in the Class
C division, for high schools with
enrollment of 250 to 499. The
competition was not against oth
er bands but against a standard
of excellence. In the Class C di
vision were 24 bands.
The Festival attracted 60 bands
and 4500 bandsmen who first pa
raded through Bristol, paused for
lunch, then proceeded through
the marching contest and perfor
mance contest. One of the high
lights of the program was a
massed band rendition, which
followed the contest events.
On Sunday morning thte bands
men attended a religious service
sponsored by the Bristol Kiwanis
Club.
Director Ballance remained in
Bristol for the Sunday afternoon
band clinic.
The bandsmen left Kings
Mountain in private cars between
4 a. m. and 5 a. m. Saturday
morning.
Driving cars to the event were
Mrs. H. M. Broadwater, Mrs. J.
N. McClure, Mrs. Paul Hendricks,
Mrs. Luther Morrison, Mrs. W.
H. Wells, Mrs. R. S. Lennon, B.
N. Barnes, Mrs. Dean Spearman,
Dean Spearman, Charles Ballan
ce and Mrs. C. W. Jones. Harris
Funeral Home furnished a truck
for heavy band equipment.
The bandsmen were over-night
guests in Bristol homes. Director
Ballance^ said lie was pleased by
comments from hosts and offici-j
als on the decorum of the Kings
Mountain delegation.
CAKE SALE
Circle 2 of Central Metho
dist church will hold a cake
sale Saturday morning from 9
until 12 norr jn the building
vacated by Griffin Drug Com
pany.
Freak Of Nature:
Tater Vines Bloom
“Better see if the sweet po
tatoes are ready to dig," Con
rad Hughes remarked to his
six-year-old grandson Connie.
After -a trip to the potato pat
ch, Connie reported, “No,
they’re not ready. They’ve got
blooms on ’em.”
Mr. Hughes said this couldn’t
be. Sweet potato vines don’t
bloom.
But Connie was right. On the
vines are pretty lavender
blooms.
Mr. Hughes says its only the
second time in his life he’s
seen the freak.
Delving into horticulture his
tory, he says sweet potatoes,
imported to this country from
South America, did bloom in
their natural habitat, but lost
the characteristic when domes
ticated.
The potatoes are copperhead
brand., grown from plants pur
chased from Dothia Wright.
“I’m going to tease Dathia
and ask him what kind of po
tato plants he sold me”, Mr.
Hughes laughed.
Church Doctrine
Class Thursday
Dr. W. P. Gerberding will con
duct a class in Christian doctrine
at St. Matthew’s Lutheran chur
ch Thursday night at 8 o’clock.
Dr. Gerberding said the class
is open to anyone who wishes
to attend, regardless of denomi
nation or church affiliation.
“There is a great upsurge of
interest in theology in the whole
Christian church,” Dr. Gerber
ding commented, “not only a
mong clergymen but among lay
men, too."
He said he had received many
requests to conduct the class
and said there would be an open
forum session following.
Band Compiles
Rating Oi II
At Festival
Judges at the Southeastern
Band Festival in Bristol, Virgin
ia-Tennessee, were kind on ap
pearance judging last weekend,
in spite of the dilapidated con
dition of Kings Mountain band
uniforms.
But the marching jobs were
hardly ended, Supt. B. N. Barnes
reported, when one little fellow
saw his knee come through his
pants-leg.
Currently, a citizens committee
of the Band Association is con
ducting a fund drive to obtain
new uniforms for the band.
Director Charles Ballance re
ported Monday that donations
have topped the $1200-mark, lea
ving $2800 needed to re-outfit the
band members.
The current uniforms were
purchased in 1938, when Dr. Paul
Hendricks was band director.
The uniforms have been des
cribed by bandsmen’s mothers as
“rotten”, with patch on patch,
and with mending almost futile.
Band uniform fund drive mem
bers hope to complete their soli
citations by October 27.
Personos desiring to mail
checks should make them pay
able to the Kings Mountain High
School band uniform fund.
GREGORY FUND
A gift from a friend of $5.
has been acknowledged by
Frank Rippy, treasurer for the
fund which benefits Rev. John
Gregory, Kings Mountain min
ister. Mr. Gregory is awaiting
word from Baptist Hospital,
Winston Salem, where he is to
undergo a delicate heart oper
ation.
Missing Men Found Pulling Corn;
Family Had Feared Gray Dead
Thte picture wasn’t completely
serene at the Pierce Gray home
on U. S. 29 last Thursday at noon
when Dewey Gray, 59, who lives
with his brother, failed to appear
for the noontime meal.
By nightfall, when Dewey fail
ed to answer the chow gong, a
gaiq, Pierce and Mrs. Gray were
particularly alarmed and begar
searching for news of his where
abouts.
Before the alarm subsided, Boy
Scouts, Kings Mountain police
department, the Cleveland Coun
ty Life-Saving crew and Gastor
County Life-Saving crew hac
joined the search, as had Alex
Owens and many' others'
A neighbor had reported the
missing man seen in the vicinity
of the city dump.
The result was two days ol
work by the Kings Mountain
based life-saving organization
which dragged the nearby lake,
and a bull-dozing job by Mr,
Owens wHo was combing the city
dump for the remains of the
missing man.
By the coincidence of a rela
tive calling the Gray family to
determine that a news story on
the event was correct, Dewey
Gray was located.
He was quite safe and quite
active.
He was at the R. C. (Lum)
Gantt farm pulling com.
ITte job not done on Thursday,
Dewey Gray had spent Thursday
night at the Gantt place.
Mr. Gray had gone to the Gantt
farm at Mr. Gantt’s behest while
his brother and sister-in-law were
away from home.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierce Gray said
they were deeply appreciative of
the friend’y help they received
during th:-lr anxiety.
14 Nominated
Foi Directors
Of C. Of C.
A Chamber of Commerce com
mittee nominated 14 members
for seven directorships at a Mon
day night meeting at city hall.
It had been previously an
nounced that the committee
would nominate 30 from which
15 would be elected by the mem
bership. However, Dr. L. T. An
derson, secretary-treasurer, said,
a check of the by-laws showed
that only seven members are I
specified for the board.
The seven will be elected in j
mail balloting.
The nominees are:
J. C. Bridges, Hilton Ruth, K.
E. Morrison, Charles E. Dixon,
Carl P. Finger, B. F. Maner, Odus
Smith, Ben H. Bridges, Grady
Howard, H. D. (Snooks) McDan
iel, Yates Harbison, D. L. Saun
ders, Jonas Bridges, and John
Dilling.
Committee members present j
were Warren Reynolds, chair
man, Dan Weiss, F. R. McCurdy, i
Wilson Crawford, and Dr. Ander- ;
son.
No Developments
In Baptist Fuss
The situation at First Baptist
church remained the same this
week, in the wake of last week's |
Supreme court decision affirming
a Superior court injunction re-;
straining disposal of church real
property or building fund assets. |
Two Sunday morning services
are scheduled, one at 9 a. m. and
another at 11 a. m.
The 9 a. m. service will be con
ducted by Rev. W. P. Bumgard
ner and, like its predecessors, is
arranged by the minority group
of the church which opposes
building a new church on a new
{site.
“No new developments” reports
came from both W. T. Weir, ai
spokesman for the minority |
group, and from Yates Harbison, ]
a member of the majority group;
and former chairman of the
board of deacons. Mr. Harbison
remains non-voting chairman of'
a six-member joint conference
committee appointed to seek a
means to bring the dispute to
conclusion.
This committee has not been
convened in several weeks.
Mr. Harbison said this week he
anticipated the committee will
convene in the near future but
that a date Has not been set.
Students Win
Poster Contest
Winners in the poster contest
sponsored during Fire Prevention!
Week by the Community Affairs
Department of the Woman’s club
were announced this week by
Mrs. J. W. Webster.
Mrs. Webster said a large num
ber of students from the elemen-:
tary schools in the city participa-;
ted in the two divisions of the'
| contest.
Division I winners (grades 1-3)
were Steve Crosby, West school,!
and Donna Crawford, North
school.
Division If winners (grades!
4-7) were Danny Finger, West’
school, and Elaine Dixon, West
school.
Honorable mentions went to
Sandy Stallings and Marsha Bal-;
lance, both of West school.
The posters are on display in
the building vacated by Griffin
Drug Company.
Lennon Named
Bank Director
R. S. Lennon, vice-president j
\ and cashier of First National j
Rank, was elected a director of i
the bank on Monday.
Mr. Lennon was elected to fill!
the vacancy created by the death
of R. L. Mauney. Mr. Lennon will
serve until the annual stock
holders meeting in January.
The board of directors also
adopted a resolution of respect
and regret for Mr. Mauney’s long
services to the bank.
Other directors are P. M. Neis- i
! ler, Sr., W. K. Mauney, Glee A.
Bridges, M. A. Ware, Frank A.
Summers, B. S. Neill, and Dr. L.
P. Baker.
BAPTIST OFFICERS
Dr. Paul Nolan has been e
lected chairman of the board
of deacons of First Baptist
church. He succeeds Yates Har
bison. Other officers of the
board are W. B. Logan, vice
chairman, and James E. White,
secretary.
COMPLETE FAIR PLANS — Pictured are three ofticials of the Wo
man's Club and Garden Council as they discuss final plans for the
annual floral fair to be presented Wednesday by these two organiza
tions at the Woman's Club. Left to right are Mrs. HaywoOd E. Lynch,
Woman's club president; Mrs. Henry P. Neisler, Garden Council presi
dent, and Mrs. Charles A. Neisler, publicity chairman for the event.
(Photo by Pennington Studio)
55th Floral Fair
To Be Wednesday
Countryside
In Autumn
Event's Theme
Kings Mountain women were
idding the finishing touches this
■veek to their plans for the an
nual floral fair to be held next
Wednesday at the Woman’s club.
Theme of the flower show is
‘Autumn Comes to the Country
side,” and exhibits in both1 the ar
rangements and horticulture di
visions are expected to attract
large crowds.
Another big feature of this
year's fair will be the bazaar di
vision which will offer a variety
of food and gift items.
Mrs. O. W. Myers, bazaar chair
man, said contributors are invited
to bring their canned goods,
handcraft, and handwork to the
clubhouse on Monday or on the
morning of the fair. The goods
will have to be priced by members
of this committee who will gather
the items in the clubhouse.
"We have a good selection of
many items,” the chairman noted,
“and invite the public to do their
Christmas shopping in October.”
Format of the one-day event
will follow that of former shows,
with dinner to be served both at
noon and in the evening. The
show will be open to the public
from 12 noon until 9:30 p. m.
Lunch will be served in the club
dining room from 11:30 a. m. un
til 1:30 p. m. and the evening
meal will be served from 5:30 un
til 7 o’clock. Admission is 50 cents
for adults and 10 cents for chil
dren under 12.
Awards will be presented in
arrangements, horticulture, and
junior divisions and many prizes
await the winners. A sweepstake
award seal will go to the exhibi
tor winning the most blue rib
bons and tri color seals will be
given the best entries in these di
visions. Two awards will be given
in the junior category.
Autumn Harvest will also in
elude one section of entries by the
six garden clubs in the communi
ty: Kings Mountain, Open Gate,
House and Garden, Azalea, Town
and Country, and Magnolia Gar
den clubs.
Officials of the two sponsor
ing organizations, thfe Woman’s
Club and Garden Council, are pro
dieting this year’s fair will ex
ceed all expectations in quality
and quantity of exhibitions.
“We invite any exhibitor who
Continued On Page Twelve
CHAIRMAN—Wesley Bush, Kings
Mountain insuranceman. will
serve as Kings Mountain area
chairman of the 1959 March of
Dimes fund campaign.
Bush To Head
Polio Campaign
Wesley Bush, Kings Mountain
insurance mjan, will serve as
chairman of the March of Dimes
fund campaign here next Janu
ary.
Announcement was made by
J. Ollie Harris, of Kings Moun
tain, and Chiarlie Harry, of Grov
\ er, co-chairmen of the Cleveland
County chapter of the National
Foundation for Infantile Paral
| ysis.
Mr. Bush is 'associated with th«
i C. E. Warlick Agency.
| A Virginian, Mr. Bush is a 195(
graduate of the University of Vir
I ginia. He is a World War II vet
| eran, having served with the ar
my field artillery in Europe. H<
is a member of Resurrection Lu
theran church.
SPEAKER
Miss Ruth Lee, Baptist miss
ionary to the Orient, will
speak ait Missionary Baptist
church Saturday night at 7:30
and again at Sunday morning
j worship services, Rev. H. S.
j Scruggs, pastor, has announ
| ced. Miss Lee will also show
slides.
Kings Mountain Pleased At News
Of Laige New Industry For Earl
Kings Mountain joined the rest
of Cleveland County Monday in
joy over the decision of Fiber
Industries, Inc., to locate a $50
million polyester fibre plant near
Earl.
Kings Mountain businessmen,
almost to the man, said, “That’s
fine.”
There was immediate specula
tion on the impact here in the
Kings Mountain area that a large
additional industry, requ i ri n g
when complete about 1,500 em
ployees, would have. None doubt
ed that Kings Mountain would
feel the economic benefits of the
addition.
It was speculated that numer
ous area citizens will find em
ployment at the new plant, which,
as the crow flies, won’t be but
about ten miles distant.
Some few citizens have report
ed 'that motorists who are famil
*
iar with county roads between
here and Earl can expend only
ten or eleven miles in navigating
the distance to the new plant’s
site, but the best beaten-path
j routes are about 18 miles distant
-either via Grover or by U. S. 74
and the Post road south. *
The Fiber Industries plant will
be the second - and largest—large
industrial addition to the county
in the past ten months. The new
Carolina Fibre Glass plant is now
; a-building northwest of Shelby
and will employ from 800 to 1,00C
' persons when in full production.
Fiber Industries, Inc., is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Cel
anese Corporation of America
and Imperial Chemical Industries,
j Ltd., of Great Britain,
i The trade name of the product
will be Teron. a chemical fibre
(Continued on Page Twelve)
City Adding
More Streets
For Re-Topping
The city board of commission
ers voted additional street re
surfacing at 'the regular October
meeting.
Added to the re-surfacing list
were City street, from Walker to
Waco road, Wells street, Pine
street, Oak street and Sims
street, from King to north end
of street.
Also approved was petition for
curb-and-gutter and paving of
the West side of Crescent Circle.
Another paving action was ap
proval for paving Stroupe Alley,
if and when legally valid peti
tions are presented.
Comm. Ben H. Bridges called
attention to need for paving the
entrance to City Stadum, but no
action was taken.
The street paving and re-sur
facing was contracted to Neal
Hawkins Company, of Gastonia,
at $7.75 per ton.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges noted
that a representative of Blythe
Brothers, of Charlotte, who had
expressed interest in doing the
work, had complained that the
Hawkins paving material does
not meet state specifications.
Mayor Bridges said he was hav
ing the "hot mix" tested regu
larly by an inspector for the
State Highway & Public Works
commission.
"It meets specification,” the
Mayor told the commission.
The board heard an explan
ation from Horace Bullington, of
Liberty Life Insurance Company,
on reason for a rate increase in
the city’s employee hospital in
surance. Mr. Bullington said the
loss ratio on the city policy was
85.7 percent, due to large num
ber of claims, during the past
year. The insurance contract ex
pired last month, and is being
continued on a 30-day basis un
til the city awards contract for
the year.
The board formally accepted
the resignation of Policeman B.
P. Cooke and voted to employ
John Robbs as a replacement.
Robbs was to report to work
Monday.
In other actions the board
; 1) Charged off $1,844.67 in
utility bills owed the city by the
recreation commission.
2) Instructed the city clerk to
j renew all insurance policies of the
i city, other than hospitalization in
[ surance, as they expire. The board
re stated its intention to cancel
! these policies after March 2, in
I order that city policies will have
I the same expiration date.
Rites Conducted
For Mrs. Welch
Funeral rites for Mrs. Carrie
Proctor Welch, 73, who died Mon
! day morning, were held Tuesday
| at 3 p, m. from Harris Funeral
Home, interment following in
Gastonia’s Hollywood Cemetery.
Mrs. Welch and her husband
had made their home with a
daughter, Mrs. David Cash. She
had been seriously 111 for the
past ten days.
A native of Proctor, Mrs. Welch
was the daughter of the late'
William and Frankie Davis Far
ley. She was a Baptist.
Surviving in addition to her
husband, Orville Welch, and
daughter, Mrs. Gash, are four1
sons, Hardie, S. L., Burlin, and
Warren Welch, all of Paw Creek,
a daughter, Mrs. Virgie Knight,
of Newberry, S. C., 14 grandchil
dren, and two great-grandchil
j dren.
The final rites were conducted
by Rev. J. B. McLarty, Central
Methodist pastor.
David Neill
FPRA Officer
David M. Neill, trust officer of
American Commercial Bank,
Charlotte, recently was elected
chairman of the trust section of
the Financial Public Relations
I association at the annual con
' vention in Philadelphia.
Mr. Neill is the first banker
: from the Southeast to be named
to the position since 1945.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. B. S. Neill,
of Kings Mountain, Mr. Neill was
graduated from Kings Mountain
high school and from Davidson
college, class of 1948. He is also
a graduate of Hanover Trust
school, New York, and of the Fi
nancial Public Relations school
Northwestern University.
He is a member of Charlotte
Elstate Planning council and My
ers Park Civitan club. He and hk
family live at 1242 Chan diet
Place. Charlotte. They atterw
Providence Methodist church.
KIWAN1S MEMBER
Charles L. Alexander, post
master, joined the Kiwanis
club at the civic club’s regu
j lar Thursday night meeting at
the Woman’s club.