Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
The figure for Greater Kings Mountain Is derived from
tbs 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
limits figure Is from the United States census of 1950.
*| Q Pages
| y Today
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOL. 69 No. 49
Established 1899
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, December 4, 1958
Sixty-Ninth Year
I
Local News
Bulletins
HOTARY MEETING
Kings Mountain Rotary Club
will meet Thursday, December
4 at 12:15 p. m. at La Royal
Restaurant for its regular ses
sion. Grady Howard, Kings
Mountain Hospital administra
tor will speak to the group.
BUILDING PERMIT
City Inspector J. W. Webster
issued a permit Tuesday to
Kelly Dixon to build a 1-story
brick veneer dwelling at 205
N. Sims street. Estimated cost
of the 5-room structure is
$6*500. ,
BAZAAR
Kings Mountain Garden Club
will sell food, decorations, and
novelty items at a bazaar Sat
urday, December 13th, begin
ning at 9 a. m. in the building
formerly occupied by Griffin
Drug company. Items suitable
for Christmas gifts will be a
vailable, a spokeman said.
KIWANIS CLUB
Felix E. Hamrick, business
manager of Gardner Webb
Junior college, will address
Kings Mountain Kiwanians at
their Thursday night meeting
at 6:45 p. m. at the Woman’s
club. „
MEETING
The Kings Mountain group
of Alcoholics Anonymous will
hold an open meeting Friday
night at 8 o'clock p. m. in the
Fellowship Hall of First Pres
byterian church. The public is
invited to attend.
BENEFIT
Kings Mountain Life Saving
Crew will serve barbecue from
4 until 8 p. m. Saturday at the
Legion Building, with a dance
to follow. Plates are $1.50 each
and delivery service may be
obtained by calling the Legion
Hall. Music for the benefit
dance will be furnished by
Gerald Wyatt and the Star
timer Playboys.
CHOIR PROGRAM
The Central Methodist chur
ch choir will present a pro
gram of Christmas music on
Sunday afternoon, December
14th, at 5 o’clock at the church.
MUSIC PROGRAM
The Fine Arts Department of
the Woman’s club is sponsor
ing a program of traditional
Christmas music Sunday after
noon, December 14th, at 3:30
p. m. at the Woman’s club. The
public is invited to participate.
IN LOUISVILLE
Lawson Brown, high school
principal, is in Louisville, Ky„
this week, where he is attend
ing the anual convtntion of
Southern Association of Col
leges and High Schools. Mr.
Brown will return here Satur
day.
IN FASHION SHOW ,
Hallie Ward, of Kings Moun
tain, appeared in a fashion
show at St. Michael’s school,
Gastonia, Tuesday night. Miss
Ward modeled for the Vogue,
Gastonia dress shop. The pro
motion was a school benefit.
LUTHERAN CLASS
Dr. W. P. Gerberding will
conduct a Pastor’s Doctrine
Class at St. Matthew’s Luther
an church Thursday night at
8 o’clock. It will be the last tin
a seven-course series on the
theme, “The Lasi. Things.”
LEGION MEETING
Regular monthly meting of
Otis D. Green Post 155, Amer
ican Legion, will be held at
the Post Building Friday even
ing at 8 o’clock, according to
announcement by Commander
Ray Cline.
REHOSPITALIZED
J. E. Herndon, Kings Moun
tain businessman, is a patient
at Charlotte’s Presbyterian
hospital. Decision of further
surgery was being weighed
Wednesday morning, his office
reported.
PRACTICE TEACHING
Mrs. J. O. Van Dyke, ASTC
senior, is doing her practice
teaching in Miss Margaret Go
forth’s fifth grade at North
school. Mrs. Van Dyke began
her school duties this week.
DINNER-DANCE
A dinner dance will be held
at the Legion building Satur
day night for benefit of the
Cleveland County Life-Saving
Crew. Barbecue dinner will be
served from 4 to 8 p. m. Dan
cing will follow with music by
Gerald Wyatt and his Startime
Boys.
MOUNTAINEERS IN LONDON — Mrs. Ersten Watterson and daugh
ters Vickie and Linda are pictured in front-of Whitehall in London
on a recent visit to the English capital city. Mrs. Watterson, a na
tive Scot, is visiting her parents in Glasgow, Scotland. Older dau
ghter Linda is attending a Glasgow school. Married in May 1947
to a Kings Mountain citizen, this is Mrs. Watterson's first return to
her native land. She and her daughters will be Kings Mountain
bound in January. The erect guard is a British soldier and the pla
que on the building warns: "The riding of cycles through archway
is forbidden."
Appraisal Group
Begins Its Work
NOMINEE — David Plonk, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Plonk, is
one of three Cleveland Count?
high school seniors nominated
as a candidate for a Morehead
Scholarship to the University of
North Carolina.
Plonk Nominee
For Scholarship
David Plonk, Kings Mountain
high ' school senior, is among
three Cleveland county high
school seniors nominated for a
1959 Morehead Scholarship to
the University of North Carolina.
Also nominated are Joe M.
Craver, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe
M. Craver, of Shelby, and Fred
W. Denton, Jr., son of Mr. and
Mrs. Fred W. Denton, route 1,
Lawndale. Craver attends Shelby
high school and Denton attends
Piedmont high school.
Plonk is a son of Mr. and Mrs.
Fred W. Plonk.
Virgil Weathers, of Shelby, ser
ved as chairman of the county
committee, which considered 14
students for the three nomina
tions.
Mr. Weathers said the commit
tee was especially pleased at the
quality of the 14 applicants and
added he wished it had been
possible to make more than
three nominations.
Effect of the nominations is to
advance the three nominees to
the District V competition. The
three students will go to Char
lotte in January for further in
terviews, second of three rounds
in the competition for 35 to 38
scholarships, regarded as the
most valuable available at the
Chapel Hill branch of the univer
sity.
The scholarships are for $1250
and are granted for one year.
They are renewable, provided a
scholarship winner maintains a
favorable scholastic standing.
Maximum for any nomineee is
$5,000 during four scholastic
years.
Two Cleveland county nomi
nees have been Morehead Scho
larship winners. They are Joe
Hewitt, Jr., and Charles Hunt
singer.
The scholarships are provided
from an endowment established
by John Motley Morehead, weal
(Continued On Page Ten)
Team To Value
Tracts Sought
For West School
'A three-man appraisal team
was at work Wednesday after
noon seeking to value four par
cels of land adjacent to W'est
school. The land is sought by the
board of education to clear the
way for addition of three class
rooms to the West plant.
The committee did not know at
mid-afternoon whether it would
complete its work Wednesday.
The committee is functioning
1 on invitation of the board of edu
! cation. The board said it would
accept thfe value on the four de
sired tracts if the property own
ers agreed. John L. McGill, spok
esman for Mr. and Mrs. J. E’.
Gamble, said this method of es
tablishing value would be accep
table. W. T. and Sam Weir, rep
resenting the S. S. Weir, Estate,
said they would recommend ac
ceptance of the appraisal team’s
value, and W. T. Weir has since
told the Herald the Weir Estate
would accept this value. Luther
Cansler did not commit himself
to acceptance, noting ownership
of the two Cansler tracts is mul
tiple. He did tell title education
board he thought the arrange
ment "fair.”
i The school board appraisal res
olution followed a lengthy discus
sion in which the aggregate ask
ing price for the four tracts was
$9850, against the board’s aggre
gate offering price of $4,000.
Tracts involved are garden
plots of Mr. and Mrs. John E^|
Gamble and Mrs. George Cans
ler, two lots owned by the Weir
Estate fronting on W. King
street and seven Cansler-owned
lots also on W. King.
State school officials have given
the city board of education per
mission to add three classrooms
to the West plant contigent upon
the board’s obtaining vacant ad
jacent property.
The board of education says it
needs the additional classrooms,
both to provide for growing
school population in the West
school area, and to balance this
elementary school, now the small
est in the city system.
Grovei Takes
Fourth Honors
In Area Contest
Grover community took fourth
place honors in the Piedmont
Area Development Associ at ion
community development contest,
it was announced at a Charlotte
luncheon Saturday.
Grover took top honors in the
Cleveland County contest and
the Piedmont prize came after
several weeks of judging
throughout .many counties in
piedmont North and South Caro
olina.
Grover claimed fourth place
in the farming division. Top
honors went to Clear Creek in
Mecklenburg county, second
place to Burnsville of Anson
county; and third place to Ange
lus of Chesterfield county, S. C.
John Paul Lucas, vice presi
dent of Duke Power Company,
made the announcement at the
Park Center luncheon and C. A.
McKnight, editor of the Char
lotte Observer, and Stokes King,
of Southern Bell Telephone com
pany, presented the prize checks.
Grover’s accomplishments were
divided into three categories: in
diviudai, group, and community.
Remarkable improvements were
made in all three divisions and
Grover was noted as one of the
outstanding communities in this
entire area.
Last Rites Held
Foi Mis. Tate
Last riites for Mrs. Lizzie Tate,
58, of 208 Grace street were held
Monday at 4 p. m. from Sisk
Funeral Home in Bessemer City.
The Rev. Budd Whitfield offi
ciated. Interment followed in the
Besemer City Memorial Cem
etery.
Mrs. Tate died early Saturday
morning in a Gastonia hospital
after an extended illness.
Surviving are her husband,
Kelly Tate; one son, Jake Robin
son, both of Kings Mountain;
and two sisters, Mrs. Flossie Po
teat and Mrs. Louise Henderson,
both of Gastonia.
Charlotte Choir
To Sing Benefit
The famed Charlotte Boys Choir
will appear at' Ashley high
school in Gastonia Friday even
ing in a benefit performance for
the Gaston Center for Handicap
ped Children.
All proceeds will go to the cen
ter.
The Charlotte Boys Choir has
appeared on coast-to-coast radio
and television shows and has
made recordings for RCA-Victor.
Admission price will be $1 for
adults and a half-dollar for chil
dren. Tickets are on sale here at
Griffin’s Drug Store.
The Gaston Center serves Gas
ton, and portions of Lincoln and
Cleveland counties.
Douglas Play
To Be Presented
The Robe, Lloyd Douglas’ reli
gious play, will be presented
here by the Lenoir-Rhyne Play
makers on December 17, it was
announced this week.
The play will be presented
here under auspices of the Kings
Mountain Kiwanis club.
Tickets for the play at $1 for
adults and fifty cents for stu
dents, will go on sale this week
end.
The play will be presented at
Kings Mountain high school
auditorium.
METER RECEIPTS
Parking meter receipts for
the week ending Wednesday
at noon totaled $130, including
$17.34 from off-street meters
and $112.66 from on-street
meters.
Postmaster Alexander In Appeal;
Mail Early, Insure, Tie Tightly
With Christmas just around the
corner, Postmaster Charles L.
Alexander reminded area citizens
this week to mail early for best1
i possible service.
Mr. Alexander continued:
For your Christmas card mail- j
i i^g the Post Office has on hand
I the latest in commemorative
1 stamps in beautiful colors that
j blend into the Christmas color j
! motif.
j You can help expedite your let- j
I ters and cards by stacking them |
' and facing them the same way. j
| as well as tying the mail into bun
dies and appropriately labeling
“Local” or “Out of town.” To
help you in this, the post office
has on hand printed labels that
are FREE for the asking.
A few more pointers to follow
are these:
1. Print the address on letters
and parcels plainly.
2. Use complete addresses. Do
not abbreviate. Use zone numbers
where applicable. And don’t for-;
get your return address.
3. Plan to use insurance on your j
parcels. (Neither insurance fees
nor parcel post rates were af
fected by recent postal rate chan-!
ges, incidentally.)
4. Be sure your parcels are
wrapped securely, using a good
grade of twine. Also be sure the
contents of parcels are packed I
properly, so that they will be re
ceived at their destination as you1
sent them.
Baptists Adopt Compromise
New Church Being Organized
Compromise
Report Vote
200 To 40
Meeting on Wednesday night,
November 26, members of First
Baptist church voted 200 to 40
to adopt a compromise report
whereby minority members of
the church will receive the First
Baptist church building.
In effect, ithe vote approved
the formation of a new church,
as the minority group, which a
greed to begin a new church on
a new site within a year, retains
the name of First Baptist church.
The new church was named
Kings Mountain Baptist church
Tuesday night.
Adoption of the compromise
report ended a dispute which
broke into the open in October
1957, after First Baptist church
had voted 235 to 153 to accept a
gift site, the gift being contin
gent on launching construction
of a new plant within five years.
By terms of the compromise,
both groups will share what ds
now Kings Mountain Baptist
church until First Baptist church
can occupy its projected new
church at the corner of W. Kings
and Sims streets.
First Baptist church retained
the Gaston street parsonage, the
former Herald building and ad
jacent lot on Piedmont avenue,
a 200 foot lot on Cherokee street,
the $90,000 church building fund,
and the W. King-Sims site.
Fred Weaver, chairman of the
First Baptist board of deacons,
said that First Baptist is seek
ing a minister. The First Bap
tist pulpit has been without a
regular pastor since the resigna
tion last May of Rev. Aubrey
Quakenbush.
Also a result of the compromise
was agreement by the minority
group to non-suit pending civil
litigation in Superior Court
whereby the minority sought to
abiogale the October 1957 elect
ion.
The compromise report had
been recommended for adoption
by a joint committee of six, in
cluding James E. White, Dr. Paul
Nolan and W. A. Williams, rep
resenting the majority, and W. T.
Weir, H. D. Crawford, and O. O.
Walker, representing the minor
ity
Local Singers
In "Messiah"
Fifteen Kings Mountain sing
ers, representing two churches,
will join in the performance of
Handel’s "Messiah” ait First
Methodist church, Gastonia, this
weekend.
The 150-voice chorus, repre
senting 43 church choirs from ar
ea towns, will give performan
ces Saturday evening at 7:30 p.
m. and again on Sunday after
noon at 4 o’clock.
Gastonia Music club is spon
soring the community presenta
tion. Earl Berg, of Charlotte, is
guest conductor, assisted at the
pipe organ by Mrs. Berg.
The group includes Mr. and
Mrs. Delbert Dixon, Mr. and Mrs.
Bill Allen, Mrs. J. N. McClure,
Mrs. Y. F. Throneburg, B. S.
Peeler, Jr., I. B. Goforth, Jr., Ar
thur Walker, Jacob Dixon, Miss
es Winifred Fulton, and Ann
McCluney, all of Central Meth
odist church, and Mrs. E. R. Go
ter and Misses Essie Marie and
Mary Ann Foster, all of Resur
rection Lutheran church.
Hardin Rites
Held Monday
Funeral rites for Charles M. !
Hardin, 86, retired contractor,
and farmer of Grover, were held
Monday afternoon at Shiloh Pres
byterian church.
Mr. Hardin died Sunday mom- !
ing at 5:30 after a three-month 1
illness.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Lula Ham-bright Hardin, a son,
Avery Hardin, of Hickory’, a dau
ghter, Mrs. Donald Hyde, Grover, i
and four grandchildren.
Rev. Trent Howell, Rev. Don
Cabiness, Rev. Wray Barrett and
Rev. Arnold Bell conducted the
funeral services. Burial was in
Grover cemetery.
mum Horn of
TRINITY
emCOPAL CHURCH
NEW CHURCH PROPERTY — Members of Trinity Episcopal church
recently placed a sign upon property they recently acquired from
Neisler Brothers on Phifer road. Appropriate services were conduct
ed by Rev. Claude A. Collins, of Bessemer City, Vicar. Pictured at
the church grounds where a combination church and parish house
are to be erected are Miss Maude Gardner. Mrs. Edward Smith. Mrs.
Arno Haas. Mrs. Luther Cansler, and Graham and David Collins.
Groundbreaking services are to be held after the first of the year with
the Rt. Rev. Matthew George Henry, D. D., Bishop of Western North
Carolina, to appoint a fulltime Vicar for the Kings Mountain
mission.
Employment
Constant Here
In November
Kings Mountain area employ
ment remained steady during No
! vember.
Employment service figures for
I the month showed a slight drop
in unemployment compensation
I claims to 1324, a drop of 53. The
weekly average of claims was
I 331.
During the month the office
. handled 104 new job applications,
| same figure recorded in October.
The office placed in employ
j ment 59 persons, up six from the
prior month. Job orders from em
i ployers totaled 77, up one from
I October.
Mrs. Jim Gibson, a member of
i the staff, the job orders are pre
! dominantly from textile employ
| ers.
Unemployment claims at the
high point this year averaged a
i bout 900 per week.
Yule Buying
Is Undeiway
Kings Mountain took on a
Christmas season appearance
this week as retailers put inter
ior and window decorations at
the top of the work list.
The business section Christmas
lights were turned on for the first
time last Friday, day after
Thanksgiving, and their appear
ance adds a festive note in the ev
enings.
Merchants this year spent a
large sum to improve the busi
ness section lights and expect to
add to the system next year.
Meantime, the buying pace
quickened as early Christmas
shopping began. Merchants re
ported sales at a brisker pace, a
pace expected to quicken from
now until Christmas Eve.
Inventories are good and re
tailers think they’re in good
shape to handle demand of all
customers.
Merchants have suspended the
mid-week half-holiday and will
be open six days each week to ac
commodate Yule shoppers.
LeRicheux Observes
95th Birthday
W. L. LeRicheux, well-known
Kings Mountain citizen, obser
ved his 95th birthday anniver
sary on November 23.
Mr. LeRicheux, a retired
teamster, has lived in Kings
Mountain for the past 65 years,
and in Cleveland County since
he was 11.
He was born in upstate New
York.
Mr. LeRicheux lives with Mrs.
Frank Price, a granddaughter.
Band Boosters
To Meet Monday
The Kings Mountain Band as
sociation, school band booster or
ganization, will meet Monday ev
ening at 7:30 in the band room,
Director Charles Ballance an
nounced this week.
Mr. Ballance wrote members
that two principal items of bus
iness will be on the agenda:
1) Proceeding to purchase band
uniforms, and
2) Decision on an invitation to
attend a week’s band camp at
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Mr. Ballance said sufficient
monies are in hand from the re.
cent band uniform fund cam
paign to purchase new uniforms,
though the $4,000 goal has not
been met.
Cash in hand totals $3,221.70,
exclusive of proceeds from re
cent band fund benefits, one by
the Kiwanis club and the other
by the Lions club. It is estimated
that the cash total wtill be about
$3,400.
Mr. Ballance urged all band
association members to be pre
sent for the Monday meeting.
Luke Hoyle Buys
K. M. Motor Court
Kings Mountain Motor Court,
formerly operated by Mr. and
Mrs. Dan Huffstetler, has been
purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Luke
Hoyle of Cherryville.
Tht motor court will begin op
eration Friday, December 5, ac
cording to Kings Mountain re
altor, Warren Reynolds, who
handled the transaction.
Jaycees Launch Charity Project;
Bush Says List Of Needy Bigger
Kings Mountain Jaycees this
week launched their annual Buy
A-Can, Leave-A-Can project for
the needy.
Format of the project, design
ed to bring Christmas cheer to
indigents, is the same as in for
mer years.
Citizens are asked to buy food
stuffs when doing their own gro
cery shopping and deposit the
cans, or other articles, in baskets
which will be located in all gro
ceries of the city.
Wesley Bush, chairman of the.
project, said Wednesday, ’‘The 1
need is great.” He said there are
already some requests for help,
which he considers worthy, and
he added that the list of needy
is longer this year than in the
past.
Persons who wish to give toys
will find a considerable need for
these items and those who prefer
to make cash donations should
give them to Mr. Bush.
The Jaycees collect the gifts
immediately prior to Christmas
and deliver them to needy famili
es.
“Kings Mountain citizens gen
erously have supported this pro- j
ject in the past and we urge them
to participate again,” Mr. Bush I
continued. “I have been amazed I
at the number of needy families
in the area and we Jaycees hope
we’ll be able to brighten Christ
mas for as many of these families
as possible.”
Name Chosen;
Organization
Set For Sunday
Kings Mountain Baptist chur
ch, largely made up of members
of the First Baptist church min
ority group, held an organiza
tional meeting Sunday afternoon
at 2:30.
The name — Kings Mountain
Baptist church — was adopted
at a meeting Tuesday night fol
\ lowing a session Tuesday after
: noon between a committee of
! eight, representing the new
church, and a five-member com
mittee of the Kings Mountain
Baptist association.
Temporary officers of the
church at Sunday's meeting will
be Rev. Oscar Funderburke, mod
erator of the Kings Mountain
I Baptist association, who will pre
! side, and Rev. Lawrence Roberts,
! association clerk, who will act
| as clerk.
W. T. Weir, a spokesman for
the group, said Wednesday that
139 persons have signed mem
bership cards in the new Baptist
church and that First Baptist
church was to act Wednesday
night to give members leaving
that church letters of transfer.
Other Baptist ministers to par
ticipate in Sunday’s organiza
tional meeting will be Rev. W.
B. Tarleton, chairman of the as
sociation’s organization commit
tee, who will read recommended
by-laws, Rev. T. W. Bray, who
will read the Scripture and lead
in prayer, and Rev. John Law
rence, who Will deliver the ser
mon. Mr. Lawrence is chairman
of the association’s activities
committee.
Election of church officers will
follow Mr. Lawrence’s sermon.
Meeting Tuesday afternoon
with the associational commit
tee were Mr. Weir, Glee A. Brid
ges, H. D. Crawford. O. O. Walk
er, Mrs. Charlie Cash, Mrs. J. E.
Lipford, Gene Austin and Bryan
Hord.
AA Schedules
Open Meeting
Kings Mountain chapter of Al
j coholies Anonymous will hold an
open meeting at First Presbyter
ian church fellowship hall Friday
evening at 8 o’clock.
It is the first open meeting for
the local chapter in several years,
though closed meetings (open on
ly to alcoholics) have been held
j regularly.
The public is invited to Aleo
: holies Anonymous open meetings.
A spokesman for the group
said a special program has been
planned, with an out-of-town mar
| ried couple, both arrested dlcohol
I ies, to speak.
Refreshments will be served
following the meeting.
Tree Project
Now Underway
Kings Mountain Jaycees will
conduct a house-to-house can
vass Friday night in connection
with their Christmas tree pro
ject.
Jaycees will be offering advan
i ce sale of tickets for one dollar
each toward the purchase of any
Canadian Balsam tree from their
lot across from Fulton’s Depart
ment Store.
The trees will be arriving soon
and may be picked up at the lot
which will be manned daily, De
cember 11-24, from 4 until 9 p.
m.
Trees vary in price, according
to height, and George Thomas
son, president, noted that pur
chasers not pleased with the
trees may have their advance
ticket refunded.
Proceeds from the tree sales
will support charity projects of
it he Jaycees in the community.
Jaycees Conclude
Year’s Paper Drive
Kings Mountain Jaycees will
finish up their paper drive with
the last collection of the year,
December 7.
Collection will be from 2:00 to
5:00 p. m.
Jaycees request bundles be
left in front of the house where
they are easily accessible.
Wilson Griffin, spokesman,
said the Jaycees will meet at
Dean Buick Company at 2:00 p.
m. to begin the collection Sun
day.