Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
M agm lor Oroator Xing* Mountain U dortrod bom
tbe IKS King* Monntaln city directory con*us. The city
limit* figure I* bom Urn United State* mm ot 1950.
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, September I, I960
IQ Pages
SO Today
VOL 71 No. 35
Established 1889
Seventy-First Year
PRICE TEN CENTS.
Local News
Bulletins
NEAL REUNION
The annual Neal Family Re
union will be held Sunday be
ginning at 10 a. m. at the Byrd
Hut at Patterson Springs. Pic
nic lunch will be served at 1 p.
m. and relatives and friends
are invited.
MEW SCHEDULE
The Driver License Office of
the State Highway Patrol Sta
tion in Shelby will begin new
office hours effective Septem
ber 1. Offices will be open
Monday through Friday from
8:30 a. m. to 5:30 p. m.
LEGION MEETING
Otis D. Green Post 155, the
American Legion, will hold
regular meeting Friday at 8.
p. m. at the Legion Hall, Com
mander J. T. McGinnis, Jr. has
announced.
KIWANIS MEETING
Mass Mary Nolan, Kings
Mountain teacher who taught
in the American Elementary
Schools of Germany last year,
will speak to local Kiwanians
at their Thursday meeting. The
club convenes at 6:45 p. m.
LEGION DANCE
A dance for members and
..guests will be sponsored by
Otis D. Green Post 155, the
American Legion, Saturday
night from 8:30 until 12 p. m.
Music will be furnished by
■“The Tunesters” and ad
mission will be $1 per couple.
LEGION MEETING
Regular monthly meeting of
Otis D. Green Post 155, Amer
ican Legion, will be held Fri
day night at 8 o’clock, accord
ing to announcement of J. T.
McGinnis, Jr., commander.
ATTEND MEETING
George Thomasson, presi
dent of the Kings Mountain
Lions club, and Eugene Glad
den, secretary, were among 90
Lions attending 'the District
31-C cabinet advisory meeting
at Cleveland Country Club at
Shelby Sunday.
RADIO PROGRAM
Sunday morning services
during the month of Septem
ber will be broadcast from
F i ir st Wesleyan Methodist
church via Station WKMT.
Rev. J. W. Phillips, pastor,
will deliver the morning mess
ages at 11 o’clock.
PRAYER MEETING
The Kings Mountain Prayer
Band will conduct a cottage
prayer meeting at the Converse
Hutchins home in Midpines
community Saturday, Septem
ber 3 at 7:30 p. m. Speaker will
be Fred Weaver.
METER RECEIPTS
Parking, meter receipts for
the week ending Wednesday
noon totaled $17442, including
$117.47 from on-street meters,
$14.95 from off-street meters,
and another $42 from over
parking fees, City Clerk Joe
McDaniel reported.
Legion Will Get
76-Millimeter Gun
Otis D. Green Post 155, Amer
ican Legion, will get a 76-milli
f meter cannon as “decoration” for
the exterior of the post building
on East Gold street.
Informed by Congressman Ba
sil L. Wihitener that a 155-milli
meter cannon wasn’t immediate
ly available but that the anti
tank gun was, the Legion Post:
executive committee voted Tues
day night to accept the smaller
|fun, Which, however, is 13 feet
long, six feet wide and six feet
r#»gh.
!'{ While the weapon is a gift, it
* frill still cost the Legion Post
$319. including a $75 demilitari
zation charge and $244 packing
and freight charge from the An
fiston, Ala., Ordnance Depot.
SCHOLARSHIP — Michael Tho
mas. McKee, son of Mr. and Mrs.
T. C. McKee, has been granted a
scholarship to attend the Uni
versity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
McKee Granted
UNC Scholarship
Michael Thomas McKee, .re
cent graduate of Kings Moun
tain high school, has been a
warded a scholarship to attend
the University of North Carolina.
The scholarship is awarded on
a semester basis of $175 and is
renewable for a four-year period
for a total value of $1400.
McKee is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. T. C (Red) McKee. He is an
Eagle Scout and during the sum
mer has been life guard at (Lake
Crawford.
He expects to enroll for cour
ses leading to work in ohemical
research.
Richardson
Property Leased
Tennessee Production Company,
of Houston, Texas, has leased the
Richardson property at the cor
ner of East King and Gaston
streets and expects to erect a
service station on the site in the
near future.
Mrs. Burris Keeter, of Grover,
co-owner of the property with
her mother, Mrs. C. W. Richard
son, said the lease transaction
was completed recently.
The service station will market
Bay gasoline and related pro
ducts.
According to Mrs. Keeter, the
company has major operations in
Florida and other states.
The Tennessee Production Com
pany holds a ten-year lease on the
property and a purchase option
covering 30 years in event the
owners decide to sell the proper
ty.
The site, which two residences
now occupy front 91 1/2 feet on
West King street and is 137 1/2
feet deep.
The site was recently rezoned
for business usage.
Insurance Rates Escalating
For Out-Side City Citizens
Agents To Ask
City To Assure
Fire-Fighting
BY MARTIN HARMON
Owners of outside city limits
property formerly enjoying “pro
tected surbuirban” fire insurance
and extended coverage rates face
a major increase in these insur
ance costs on expiration of pre
sent policies.
Wesley Bush, of the C. E. War
lick (Agency and spokesman for
Kings Mountain agents, aid all
agents were notified last week
end by the North Carolina Fire
Rating Bureau that the “protect
ed surburban” rate is revoked as
far as Kings Mountain is con
cerned as of August 25.
It means that properties in this
category will be covered at the
Class 10 Or “country rate”, a
minimum jump in fire and ex
tended coverage on frame build
ings from $3.50 per $1,000 to $6.20
per $1,000 On a $10,000 policy,
the cost of annual premium
would increase from $35.00 to
$62.00. _
Property adjacent to the cuy,
prior to August 25, date of the
revocation, earned the “protected
suburban” rating when it was
located within 1000 feet of a fire
hydrant ..___ .... __
Kings Mountain insurance a
gents, meantime, are making a
survey of properties in this area
and expect to request that the
City of Kings Mountain give
blanket fire-fighting coverage to
these areas, which, Mr. Bush
said, would result in return of
the '^protected suburban” rate
Under the present city policy,
Mayor Glee A. Bridges said, the
city answers fire alarms outside
the city limits for property own
er who guarantees payment of a
fire-fighting fee for each call.
The city fire department main
tains a list of these properties.
Majority of “protected subur
ban” owners, for a $1.50 annual
fee, effect the fire-fighting fee
guarantee through purchase of a
fee-guaranteeing rider on their
j insurance policies.
Mr. Bush estimated that 95
percent of property owners in the
former “protected suburban”
classification buy the rider.
The agents have been making
a survey of the areas this week
and expected to finish Wednes
day a complete listing of prop
erty owners who hadn’t bought
the rider.
“We hope and expect to be
fContinued on Page Ten)
Number Fun Begins As New Phone
Directories Foretell Dial Arrival
Many Kings Mountain tele
phone subscribers began to di
gest their soon-effective new dial
telephone numbers this week, as
new tel phone directories were
received.
The new seven-digit numbers
will be required beginning 12:01
a. m. September 11.
All Kings Mountain numbers
start with the three digits 739,
followed by a four-digit sequen
ce.
Subscribers with two numbers
in sequence had the option of
NEW DIAUNG AID
Seven Southern Bell telephone
operators will begin calling
subscribers Thursday to ask if
patrons think they’ll need dial
ing instruction before the dial
system .cutover September 11.
If patrons think they need help,
they’ll get a visit from a South
ern Bell representative who’ll
explain how to dial, call long
distance, repair service and
make other calls.
asking for rotary service, where
by the second number rings au
tomatically if the first number
is in use. In this instance, only
one number appears in the new
telephone directory.
Lowest number in the new
directory is 739-2000, assigned to:
Mrs. Nancy Brown, 109 Waiter-i
son street Highest number (oth-j
er than service numbers to Sou
thern Bell and pay stations) Is
739-5998, assigned to Bernard L.
Martens, Waco road.
Some numbers — which pa
trons will hope ithey don't have
occasion to use but frequently
need in a hurry when they do—
are in the emergency category
and include: Kings Mountain
hospital 739-3061; Cleveland
County Life-Saving Crew 739
2141; fire department 739-2551;
police department 739-3636; Har
ris Funeral Home 739-2591; and
Sisk Funeral Home 739-3411.
Accidentally, except for the
(telephone of the current Number
1, held by the superintendent .of
Phenix plant, Burlington Indus
tries; other early-digit numbers
■retain a semblance of the same
order they do now. Kings Moun
tain Manufacturing Company,
now Number 2, becomes 739
2111; Mauney Mills, now Num
ber 3, becomes 739-2211; the
fice of l>r. W. L. Ramseur, now
Number 4, becomes 739-2311; and
Belk's Department Store, now
Number 5, will become 739-2411.
Following are some of the
“round-digit” numbers assigned
to Kings Mountain patrons:
Mrs. H. W. Bennett, 22 Bennett
road, 739-2300; Mirs. Clarence Di
xon, Linwood road, 739-2500;:
Harmon’s Store, Shelby road,
739-2800.
Mrs. Alma Sellers, 100 Mar
grace, 739-4000; Billy E. Carpen-j
ter, 526 Cleveland avenue, 739
4300; J. J. Black, 614 Mauney
avenue, 739-4400; R Lee Blan
ton, McGinnis street, 739-5000;
Gillie Falls, Jr., Grover road, 739
5500; and Rev. W. C. Sides, 805
Katherine avenue, 739-5900.
The Kings Mountain Herald’s ,
new number will be 739-5441. >
PRESENTED MASONIC SERVICE AWARD — M. L. Hannon, left, is
pictured receiving from I. C. Davis, master of Fairview Lodge, A. F.
& A. Mu a certificate emblematic of Mr. Harmon's more than 50
years of continuous membership in the Kings Mountain Masonic
lodge. (Pennington photo).
WRECK VICTIM — Donnie N.
Gantt, Kings Mountain service
man, died August 21 in an auto
crash near Munich, Germany.
Wreck Fatal
To Airman Gantt
Donnie N. Gantt, 29-year-old
airman 2/c, was killed Sunday,
Apgust 21 in a two-car automo
bile collision in Germany. Gantt
was a passenger in one of the
cars involved in a wreck near
Munich.
The airman was the son of Mr.
and Mrs. James Edward Gantt
of 620 Phenix Street. He had
been in Germany for a year and
a half.
Gantt formerly lived in Gas
ton county and was a graduate
of Tryon High School.
Survivors, in addition to his
parents, include a brother, Eddie
F. Gantt of ithe home, and his
maternal grandmother, Mrs. An
nie Strickland.
X uneral services will be con
ducted Friday at 4:00 p. m. from
Penley’s Chapel Methodist
church with the reverends L. W.
Huffstetler, W, C. Sides, and
Flaye Payne and an *Air Force
chaplain officiating.
'It will be a full military fun
amal.
' The body will lie in state for
an hour prior to the services.
Burial will be in Mountain
Best Cemetery.
Magazine Features
Courtesy Parking
Kings Mountain’s courtesy
parking system came in for at
tention in the current issue of
‘•Municipal South,” municipal
magazine published at Charlotte
and distributed throughout the
South.
In a half-column feature, a
samplcof a filled-in parking tic
ket was pictured and the cutlin
es detailed the Kings Mountain
operation. Mayor Glee A. Brid
ges was reported as praising the
system for its ease of operation
and the good feeling it had en
gendered among motorists park
ing on metered streets.
M. L Hannon,
50-Year Mason,
Gets Certificate
M. L. Harmon, Sr., retired gro
cer, recently was presented a
certificate and pin emblematic
of more than 50 years of contin
uous membership in Fairview
Lodge A F. & A. M.
The presentation was made by
I. C. Davis, master of the lodge,
in brief ceremonies at Mr. Har
mon’jg home. Attending the cere
monies were Thomas Tindall,
past master, and Manley Hayes.
Mr. Harmon was initiated into
the Fairview lodge on June 4,
1907, and became a master Ma
son on July 9, 1907, and has
maintained continuous member
ship since.
Born near Waco on October 31,
1874, he came to Kings Moun
tain 20 years later and has lived
here since.
He attended Erskine college
and is an elder of Boyce Memor-!
ial ARP church. He onetime op-1
erated the Dilling Mill Store and
later managed the former groc
ery department of Plonk Broth
ers & Company. He retired at the
beginning of 1949 at the age of
74.
Mire. Harmon is the former Eu
nice Plonk.
They have one son, Martin
Harmon.
Two half-sisters of Mr. Har-1
mon are Mrs. Minnie Crawford1
and Mrs T. P. McGill.
Prepayments
Reported Heavy
City and county tax collectors
were getting writer's cramp Wed
nesday after a busy session of
writing tax receipts to taxpayers
beating the deadline on the max
imum two percent discount.
County Cofllector Robert Gidney
laughed that he’s handled about
all the money he could at the
present time as he reported pre
payments on the estimated $l-i
800,000 county levy for 1960 as
more than $700,000.
He noted, "Percentage-wise I
don’t anticipate the payments
will top the 45 percent we have;
collected in some previous years
and would guess it’ll be nearer'
40 percent” He added that, thou-!
gh, the maximum discount peri-1
od ended Wednesday there would1
be some prepayments in Thurs-1
day’s mail Which was posted in'
time to qualify for the discount,
and guessed another $100,0001
would be paid during September
at a discount of one percent
Meantime, M. H. Biser,
city collector, reported late Wed
nesday that City of Kings (Moun
tain prepayments totaled $56,030,;
slightly under last year’s $62,000
paid in time for maximum dis- j
counts.
City prepayments total about
36 percent of the estimated $160,
000 levy.
Compact Only
Township Unit
To Record Gain
Bethware, Grover, and Compact
Township schools in the county
school system enrolled 1555 stu
dents during opening day Wed
nesday.
The township schools showed
an overall decrease of 46 from
last year’s enrollment figures.
(Bethware and Grover schools
showed a decrease in enrollment,
but Compact school gained 22
students.
iPark Grace school, which open,
ed Tuesday, showed a 17 student
decrease in enrollment this year.
Enrollment totaled 157 as com
pared to 174 for the 1959-’60
school term.
The school has steadily de
creased in enrollment for the past
several years. The 174 total for
1959-'60 was four down from the
178 total for 1958-’59, which in
turn was a 16 student drop from
the 1957-’58 total of 194.
R- G. Franklin, Bethware
school principal reported elemen
tary enrollment at 382 and high
school enrollment at 120, totaling
502.
“Our enrollment dropped eight
from last year,’’ Franklin said.
He listed enrollment last year as
391 for elementary grades and
119 for high school, totaling 510.
Franklin reported the two tea
ching vacancies at the school
have 'been filled.
New teacher of eighth grade is
Mrs. Louise B. (Moore of Ellenbo
ro. She came to Bethware from
Mt. Vernon Elementary school ir
Rutherford county.
The seventh grade teaching va
cancy was filled 'by Miles Hamp
ton of Forest City. (Mr. Hamptor
formerly taught at Green Creel
Elementary school in Greer
Creek.
'Mr. Franklin said tentative
plans are being made to offer a
new course, business law, in the
school department, hut coulc
give no definite details.
Enrollment at Grover school
dropped 43 from last year, accor
ding to J. Horace Grigg, County
Schools Superintendent.
Total first day enrollment this
year is 556, 423 in the elementary
department and 133 in the high
school department.
Enrollment figures for the 1959
’60 term totaled 599, 467 in the
elementary school and 132 in the
high school.
“Of course, this doesn’t mear
the figure will remain such,” Mr,
Grigg said. Wednesday was not a
full school day, therefore, some
children did not come. (He said
the same remains true every
year.
Compact school gained 22 stu
dents overall, although the high
school enrollment dropped four.
Principal L. L. Adams reported
enrollment of 101 in 'high school
and 396 in the elementary de
partment, totaling 497.
Last year the school had en
rolled 105 in high school and 39C
in elementary school. .
HOSPITALIZED
Haywood E. Lynch, Kings
Mountain businessman, is a
patient in Kings Mountain
hospital. Mr. Lynch suffered a
fractured right ankle in a fall
at his home Monday night.
; HEADS FUND — B. F. Mcmer has
been elected president of Kings
Mountain United Fund. Inc., and
will direct its 1960 fund drive.
Maner To Head
United Fund
B F. Maner, Kings Mountain
insurance agency owner, was e
leoted president of Kings Moun
tain United Fund, Inc., at the
annual membership meeting
! last week.
i He succeeds Sam Stalling in
| becoming the fund-iraising or
ganization’s second president,
: and, ex officio, its fund cam
! paign chairman.
Other officers were ire-elected,
| including J. C. Bridges, vice-pre
; sident; Wesley Bush, secretary;
j and R. S. Lennon, treasurer.
| In addition to the officers, oth
er directors elected include Rev.
; H. D. Garmon, J. Ollie Han is, Joe
Austin and W. S. Fulton, Jr.
! Retiring directors are Grady
Howard, J. A. Gibson, Sam Stall
: ings, George H Mauney, and W.
3. Grimes.
Treasurer Lennon informed the
group that checks to nine parti
cipating organizations have
been mailed representing 75 peri
cent of the initially approved
budget. Incoming President Ma
nor said about $600 in pledges i
are expected to be paid and will
bring the budget to 78 percent
met.
President Manor announced
that the directors will convene
at First Union National Bank on j
September 8 for a budget sess-1
ion. Organizations participating |
; in last year’s campaign have1
been notified to present budgets
j and Mr. Manor said other charit
able and eleemosynary groups
desiring to be included in 1060
J should present requests at the
September 8 session.
Mr. Maner was instrumental
in organizing Kings Mountain
United Fund, Inc., which seeks
to consolidate various fund ap
peals of local organizations.
He, with the Junior Chamber
of Commerce, conducted a sur
vey of business and industry to
determine whether thp United
Fund idea had support in Kings
Mountain. He was an active!
member of last year’s fund-rai-!
sing team.
Mir. Maner is a member of
First Presbyterian church and a
past president of the Junior;
Chamber of Commerce and a re
cipient: of (the Jaycee “Young
i Man of the Year’’ award.
Education Plant To Be Dedicated
At Bethlehem Homecoming Sunday
(Dedication of the new educa
tional building of Bethlehem Bap
tist church will feature Home
coming Day services on Sunday.
Two former pastors, the Rev.
Rhonda E. Robbins and the Rev.
W. G. Camip, will deliver the ad
dresses at the 10:55 a. m. service.
Picnic dinner will be served aft
er the morning services, and for
mer members and visitors are in
vited to attend.
(Open house in the afternoon
will give visitors an opportunity
to visit the education building
and newly renovated basement
and auditorium. Church members
will assist in tours of the plant.
The Rev. Norman F. Brown is
pastor of the church.
ROSS REUNION
i The Ross clan of this area
will hold its annual reunion at
New Prospect church near
Shelby September 3. Lunch
will be at 1:00 p m. A cordial
invitation was extended to all
(relatives and friends by pub
licity chairman Mins. Joe P.
Camp.
GEOLOGIST — Eddie Simmons
has accepted a position as a geo
logist with the U. S Government
and he and his family are mov
ing to Tipton, Go. A recent grad
uate of State College, Mr. Sim
mons has been employed this
summer by the City of Gastonia.
Mrs. Simmons is the former Fa-,
trlcia Foster. 1
City Schools
Opening Day
Drop Is 14
Kings Mountain city schools
opened for the 1960-61 term
Tuesday and surprisingly
to school officials, with a slight
enrollment drop from last year’s
opening day.
The drop of 14 to 2278 pupils
compared with 2292 enrolling on
opening day in 1959.
The loss occurred in the high
schools, where Central high
school recorded Tuesday only 499
pupils, off 25 from last year, and
Davidson high school registered
65 pupils, off five.
Concurrently, elementary
school enrollment gained by 16,
including 1506 pupils at Central,
North, East and West schools, up
12, and 209 at Davidson elemen
tary, up four from last year.
City Superintendent B. N. Bar
nes said he and Harry Jaynes,
high school principal, were at a
loss to understand the drop in
high school enrollment. Only
last week, Principal Jaynes had
anticipated an increase in high
school population.
"I don’t know what happened,”
Mr. Barnes said. “Either they’ve
moved out-of-town or didn’t
come opening day.”
Enrollment frequently Increas
es during the first few days of a
school term.
By grades. Grade 8, as previ
ously indicated, takes top en
rollment honors in the city sys
tem, with 262 students. Second
most populated grade Is the
first, with 228 youngsters at
tending school for the first time
Tuesday.
In the high school, freshman
classes are most populated with
187 students. The junior class is
smallest with 113 pupiLs. There
are 137 sophomores and 122 sen
iors.
Supt Barnes said the potential
overload in East school fourth
grades has been alleviated. Ini
tially, it Was anticipated that 78
Children would register for the
fourth grade for an atverage of
39 pupils each, nine over the de
sired maximum. Through trans
fers to other schools, the East
fourth grade populations had al
ready been lowered to 35 and 36.
“We hope to alleviate this situ
ation a bit more,” Mr. Bairnes
added.
Wednesday was the first full
class day. The school cafeterias
opened and Supt. Barnes termed
the opening satisfactory and
smoothe.
Two Polio Cases
In One Family
By DAVID BAITY
“Cleveland County has not of
ficially been declared a polio ep
idemic area,” but if it helps mat
ters, let’s call it that,” said Dr.
Z. P. Mitchell, county (health offi
cial Wednesday afternoon.
'"We have had 26 cases of polio
reported in Cleveland County this
year, which amounts to two-thirds
of the cases reported in the state
of North Carolina. This compares
to only one case of paralytic po
lio reported in Cleveland County
last year,” he said.
But, Dr. Mitchell pointed out,
this is not an all-time high. In
1948 some 102 cases were report
ed. That year was an epidemic
period, he said, and was so severe
in Cleveland and adjoining coun
ties that a special emergency hos.
pital was established in Hickory.
‘Dr. Mitchell does not feel tWe
number of cases here reflects
a negligence in the vaccination
program. The Salk vaccine is ad
ministered through the Cleveland
bounty Health Department and
by private physicians, he said.
The health department has
aeen diligent in acquainting Cle
velanders with the vaccine and
conducting vaccination cam
paigns.
Of the 25 cases reported, ten
?ases had not had polio vaccine,
Or. .Mitchell reported. Another
five had been administered the
full series of shots. The other ten
:ases had had one or two shots or
the full series, but not in order.
Kings Mountain Cases
Dr. Mitchell said Kings Moun
tain has reported two cases of
polio, both last week.
The children are a brother and
sister, Richard Keith Dellinger,
ige 9, and Kathy Yvonne Delling
;r, age 2.
They are a son and daughter
>f Mr. and Mrs. Croyton Dellin
ger of route 1.
Both are hospitalized at Kings
Mountain Hospital.
Dr. T. G. Durham, associate of
ittending physician Dr. Paul
(Continued On Page Ten)