Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 7,206 n* figure to I Qnatn Klngi Mountain I* derived from the 1055 Kings Mountain dtf directory census. The city Units figure is from the United States census ot I960. Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper VOL 70 No. 21 A. Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, May 28, 1959 U Pages Today PRICE TEN CENTS Established 1889 Seventieth Year Lowery Hasn't Called Meeting, Denies Switch BY MARTIN HARMON MIDI Lowery, chairman of the Btethwiare school committee, said Wednesday he has hot yet called a meeting of the several Number 4 Township school committee chairmten, thle group which has the task of carving la political ar rangement for a merger of the township and' city schools. Mr. Lowery also declined tto say when, he woufM summon: the group together, noting that the Beth ware committee meets this week and that he expeots to see the op ening game of the Legion Junior Basefbaill season here Friday night. Indication was that hfe will call no meeting before next week. Mr. Lowery did ttefll the Herald Wednesday that assumption by some citizens that he had Chang ed position from favoring to op posing the proposed schools mer ger has no basis tot fatot. “I haven’t switched,” Mr. Low ery said. ‘1 never- did say I favor ed a merger without reserva tions.” V 'Several proposals iare 'hieing dis cussed for a political system which will toe suitable to all of the schools (which would foe effec ted toy the mtebger. These Include, in (addition to Mings (Mountain city schools, (Park Grace, Grover, IBethWare aind Compact in the county system. One group favors expansion of the present Mings Mountain board of education to 'seven mem bers, with two tto (be added from the present county school area. Supt. ©. N. iBaimes, of the dty system, Was suggested a sevCn mah. board With two (to toe elected from the present City district, two from the prestent county district, and three to toe elected at large. 3>r. P. G. 'Padgett, member of the idity board of (education, sug gests a sevenjman board, with three from wlhat Is now the Mings Mountain district 'a!nd 'four from what is now in the county district. Eugene Ptaitterson, recently re tired member Of the EBeKhware committee, commented Monday, “I See no need to argue about re presentation. I’m interested in better schools, not rep resen ta Wdn” The merger contemplates even tual construction of a new con solidated townishlilp high school, which school officials say can be bad within three Ito tflour years, provided funds are provided. Hamrick Rites Held Tuesday Funeral services for Leonard L. Hamrick, 41, Cleveland Coun ty deputy sheriff fend former Kings Mountain police ‘officer, were held Wednesday afternoon at Westover Baptist Church. Mr. Hamrick died about 3 p. m. Sunday afternoon at Kings Mountain hospital of gunshot I wounds in the head, which had ' been inflicted about 10 a. m. at the Hamrick home on Phifer Road. Coroner J. Ollie Harris said Wednesday his investigation showed that the wounds were self-inflicted and (that no inquest will be field. Mr. Hiamrick had been ill since Friday and an autopsy showed that he was suffering from pan creartjftis. His physician said the illness causes severe pain, Cor oner Harris .reported. Within the past two years, Mr. Hamrick had undergone a serious stomach op eration. 'A Cleveland County native, Mr. Hamrick was a son of J. Caude Hamrick and the laite Sallie Haw. kins Hamrick. He had served as a deputy sheriff since 1951 and for three years previously was a Kings Mountain city police offi ce.*. Surviving in addition to his fa. ther, are his wife, Helen Knox Hicks, to whom he was married in 1937, a daughter, Mrs. Lawren ce Lowrance, Kings Mountain, a son, Lawrence E. Hamrick, Kings Mountain, a granddaughter, Don na Gay Lowrance, Kings Moun tain, two sisters, Mrs. Oscar Mat-1 his, Shelby, and Mrs. Boyd San ders, Kings Mountain, (three bro thers, Joe G. Hamrick, Hampton, | Va., Baxter Lee Hamrick, Phila F delphia. Pa., and W. Howard Hamrick, Kings Mountain, six half-sisters, Mrs. Earl Davis, Mrs.: Glenn Hawkins. Mrs. Frances; Hamrick, Miss Sue Hamrick, and Mites Brenda Hamrick, ail of K’ngs Mountain, and Mrs. Lester Ragan, Kings Creek, S. C., apd, o-'p half-brother, J. Y. Hamrick, of New Jersey. Burial was in Mountain Best cemetery. LUTHER BARNES DEAN WESTMORELAND MARTHA ANN BAKER CHRISTINE STILL DEAN BRIDGES RICHARD SPENCER MRS. HILDA GOFORTH DEWITTE BLANTON Local Aiea Students Graduating From Colleges And Universities Kings [Mountain area student* ore among the vast number of graduates of junior and senior colleges and universities this sea son. [For some, the commencement season activities were conducted iast weekend. Many more will graduate this weekend. Among the graduates: Christine Still, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. E, Still, received her bachelor of arts degree from Con verse college at Spartanburg, S. C., In exercises Monday. Mis® SUB majored dh art. Martha Ann Baker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. iBaker, was graduated maigna cum laude Sun day from Appalachian State Tea cher’s college, Boone. She receiv ed a bachelor of science degree in English. Mrs. Hilda iB.'Goforth, wife of H. A. Goforth, received her bach elor'of science degree tn gram mar ■SdhooQ education from ASTC. Dean B. Westmoreland, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Westmoreland of Grover, ailso received Ids de gree in ASTC exercises iasft week end. Both Mrs. Goforth and Mr. Westmoreland did their practice teaching hi Kings Mountain a* e response by Mrs. Tom Trott.; President Haywood E. Lynch •recognized spec-fail guests. The1 group 'sang the Rotary Soing and: closied the program by singing “America.” Officers of the olub, iin addition to Mr. Lynch, are: Tom (L. Trott, vioe-presMent; Jack H. White, •secretary; Richard M. McGinnis, treasurer; amid Charles E. Dixon, Sergeant alt-arms. Union Services To Begin Here Kings Mountain churches will begin thle summer schedule of Sunday night union services on June 7, spokesmen for ithe Minis terial Association have announ ced. As is customary, members of five aity church congregations join in ithe services. One differen I oe in the schedule for this sum. ; mer is that ministers wall preach jfrom their own pulpits. Attend ance will indicate if the schedule will continue throughout .the summer months. “We anticipate , a good deal of .interest in these i special services”, a spokesman 1 said. |. The schedule for the month of June includes: June 7 — at Central Methodist church, Rev. James McLarty to, deliver the sermon, i June 14 — at St, Matthew’s Lu theran church, Dr. W. P. Gerber - | ding to deliver the sermon, j June 21 — at Resurrection Lu theran ohurejj, Rev. George Moore to deliver the sermon. June 28 — at Boyce Memorial ARP church, Dr. W. L. Pressly to 1 deliver the sermon. Summer Band Class To Start June 8 Summer hand sessions are slat ed to start June 8, Charles Ball anoe, band director, announced this week However a minimum of 5 more pupils is needed, he said. Tuition for the summer session will be $10 for an 8% weeks course. The high school unit will meet ■ three nights each week. Mr. Ball. I ance said, while the beginners' and elementary unit will have an ■ hour session five days each week.! OFFICIAL RETURNS City Run Off Election May 26.1959 Ward Ward Ward Ward Ward 1 2 3 4 5 Total WARD 3 COMM. J Luther T. Bennett 82| 96j 123| 148| 275) 724 T.Jj£fi4*m 54| 85] 185| 118) 148| 590 WARD 5 COMM. ' R. Coleman Stroupe_56| 91|180|J97| 167 j 691 Charlie E. Blalock 78| 92| 123j 74| 276j 643 Davidson Schools Name Brown Superintendent E. Dawson IBnown, Central school principal for Che past three years, resigned Wednesday to ac cept the supenlntendency of Da vidson County schools. (Mr. Brown will 'become adminis trative officer of a 340-teaeher school sylstem with 24 plants, in cluding three Negro schools and seven high schools, four of them large consolidated units. Mr. (Brown was unanimously e lected by the Davidson County board of education Tuesday night. Hie will assume the post July 1. He wrote the hoard of educa tion: “As you well know, I have had a. difficult decision to make con cerning leaving Kings Mountain. It has rtott been easy, but I feel that an opportunity exists at the present time in the Davidson Couhty Schools Which I should not I bypass. It is with regret I write j this resignation as Principal of I Cenitrcl School. My relationship with you, the school board, and the ipeople, has been a wonderful experience far me. I am grateful for this. You presented me an op portunity to grow educationally, which I hope in turn 'has served a purpose in Central School and the city. I know I will' never work with a finer administrative group. “I appreciate you and the mem bers of the Board of Education suggesting certain financial re munerations for me )to remain in Central School. It is with (regret I decline (this offer. “Thanks again far the many consideraltnions.” Mr. Brown told the Herald, ‘It is with mixed feelings that my family and I make plans to leave Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain citizens have been mOre than kind to us and they have from the first day we arrived here. We all re gret to leave.” Mrs. Brown is part-time secre tary to Dr. Paul Ausdey, pastor of First Presbyterian church. E. COLEMAN STRCUPE T. LUTHER BENNETT Pools Will Open For 1959 Season City swimming pools will op en on Saturday for the season and will be open dialy there after, weather permitting. Already the pools have been open on weekends and City Clerk Joe McDaniel said Wed nesday that 39 adults, 93 stu dents, and 1068 child tickets have been sold this year. It means 1200 persons have used the Deal street pool already in 1959. METER RECEIPTS Parking meter receipts for the week ending Wednesday at noon totaled $143.43, With $20. 30 derived from off-afreet me ters and $123.13 from on-street meters, City Clerk Joe McDan iel reported. Pressly Baccalaureate Speaker; High School VliII Graduate 80 Commencement exercises tor 80 Kings (Mountain high school sen iors will toe conducted on Sunday and Monday evenings. On Sunday, Dr. W. L. Pressly, pastor of Boyce (Memorial ARP ChUrch, will deliver the commen cement sermon. On Monday even ing, members of the graduating class will take major 'parts on the program. Both programs will begin at 8 o’clock. On Sunday evening, Kings Mountain ministers will toe prin cipals on the program. Rev. Geor ge Moore, pastor of Resurrection Lutheran churCh, will say (the in vocation, Dr. Paul Ausley, pastor of First PreSbyteriian Church, will read the scripture, and Rev. J. W. Phillips, pastor of First Wesley an Methodist Church, will pro nounce the benediction. The high school mixed Chorus, under di rection of C. A. Ballartce, will render speCiaS music. Monday night exercises, to be conducted toy the seniors, will in clude the invocation by Peggy Black, the welcome by Philip Padgett, and addresses toy Ger trude Pearson and Linda Mitch em. Dewayne Caldwell, class president, wail present the Class gift to the school, and David Plonk will pronounce the benedic tion. A double quartet Composed of seniors will render special mu sic. Awards will be presented at Monday morning exercises in the aiementary and high schools. Candidates for diplomas are: Betty Jean Allen, Trl'ie Arro wood, Brenda Barnette. Judy Bar rett. James (Bennett, Peggy, Black, Linda Kay Boone, Linda Mitaeal Bowens, Gilbert Brazzeil, Carolyn Ruth Bridges, Mary; Prtamdes Bridges, (Patricia Ann; Brooks, Bliaabeth Ann Brown, N'orman Eugene Bumgardner, DeWayne Caldwell, Carroll Cald well, Kenneth Ray Camp, David Eugene Carroll, Robert Boyde Qarly, Glenn Etters, Douglas Eu (Continued On Page Eight> SPEMCER -^5r. W^^PrSy, pastor ol Boyce Memorial ARP church, will deliver the common, cement sermon to members of the Central high school graduating class Sunday. Bloodmobile To Return Here Thle Red Cross bloodmobile will return to Kings (Mountain June 15 in am effort to meet a heavy quota and erase a 244-pim deficit. (Bob Maner, chairman of the Red Cross Mood program, said the June visit wiil be the final one for the fiscal year- and the only opportunity to make up the necessary quota to fill the need. Kings Mountain citizens are be hind an estimated net consump tion of 244 pints and it is antici paitbd donations will be enough to erase the deficit by June 30. Red Cross officials are asking that reetpierets of blood who have not replaced their donations in the blood bank ask friends and relatives to make up the deficit, i The regional blood coUectntg i unit will set up at the Woman’s chib. Donors will be processed i from 11 a. m. until 5 p.m. 1242 Citizens Brave Rain To Cast Ballots BY MARTIN HARMON Kings Mountain citizens Tues day re-elected T. Luther Bennett and R. Coleman Stroupe, return ing ito Oily Halil all incumbents far the first time Since 1945. The other incumbents had been re-elected in the May 12 city e lecttion. Mr. Stroupe, the Piedmont ave nue barber, scored a “first” in city political history by bouncing off the ropes as a first election second . runner for the. second time. In 1957, Mr. Stroupe trail ed W. Gurney Grantham, but overtook him in the run-off elec tion. It was a repeat performance Tuesday. Charles E. Blalock had led Mr. Stroupe on May 12 by 56 votes. Tuesday’s ,totals showed Stroupe the winner by 48 votes. The count for Ward 5 Commis sioner was Stroupe 691, Blalock 643. Mr. Blalock led in Ward 1, 2 and 5, but his margin in three wards was too thin to overcome the heavy vote bulge Mr. Stroupe gained in Wards 3 and 4. ivir. Bennett, retaining his Ward 3 seait against T. J. (Tom my) Ellison, had led ithe May 12 voting by 151 votes. Mr. Ellison whittled the Bennett margin sli ghtly on Tuesday buit not enough as Bennett repeate3 his May 12 performance by leading in four of the five wards. Mr. Ellison led in his home Ward 3, as he did May 12. The margin of the Ben nett victory was 132 votes. The count was: Bennett 724, Ellison 59 J. In spite of ithe rain that persist-’ ed throughout ithe voting day, a total of 1242 persons sVent to the polls, slightly more tibwi tu£f the 2176 who voted on May 12. The election was conducted without untoward incident and the tallying was complete 45 minutes after the polls closed at 6:30. City Election Sidelights Tuesday’s rain forced a chan ge In location for the Ward 1 precinct. It was cold and C. L. Black, Mrs. Nelle Cranford and Miss Margaret Kendrick moved into the City Hall lobby from the more exposed fine station. Mrs. Annie Roberts Barrett, vo ting about 5:30 ait Ward 4 pre cinct, remarked that she hadn’t voted in a City Election since Tom Fulton ran. That would have been ten years ago, when Mr. Fulton was seeking re-elec ition as Mayor. She further said she had voted for President Ei. senhower in 1952 and before that hadn’t cast a presidential ballot since she had voted for Woodrow Wilson. She also answered the “why” question: She doesn’t be lieve in women’s suffrage. That makes at least two Kings Moun tain lady citizens of the same mind. The other is Miss Ruby Burrage, of the Belk’s Staff. Charlie Blalock, who lost in a squeezy vote to R. Coleman Stroupe, had a rough day other wise. His wife underwent an op eration at Kings Mountain Hos pital election morning. Many folk underestimated or under-guessed Tuesday's total vote and it cost them coin. Mrs. Ruth Thomasson, a Ward 2 jud ge, had wagered with a friend that the total would be closer to 600 than 800. The Herald editor is to collect a six-cent soft drink from Otis Fails, Sr., Who also thought no more than 600 would go to the polls. As it frequently happens, the Lions Club’s ladies night ban quet came on election day. The Herald provided the returns at 7:25. Tail Twister W. K. Mauney, Jr., read them to the assemblage. This time the Herald’s count was right. It was in 1951 when .the Herald adding machines disgorg ed a wrong total and, momentari ly, had the late C. C. (Shorty) Edens elected commissioner. The recheck showed he’d been edged by Lloyd Davis by seven votes. ‘Twas quite embarrassing. Mrs. Paul Patterson, a Ward 5 judge, was doing double duty Tuesday. She was handling her election chore, also vending 60 cent battles of vanilla for her church circle. She remarked the extract is good, that she would n't sell anything she wouldn’t (Continued On Page Eight) 4