North Carolina Newspapers

r Established 1889 Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper Mountain, N. C., Thursday, April 13, 1961 Thomson* J 46 Seventy-Second Year Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 This figure for Greater Kings Mountain is derived from the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city limits fig xre is irons the United States census of 1960. 4 1*61 1 Pages Today PRICE TEN CENTS ARP Property May Be Sold To Catholics Members of Boyce MJemorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian cWurdh will vote Sunday on a pro posal to sell their church plant to the Roman Catholic church at a congregational meeting to be held following 11 o’clock services. The proposal was discussed at a congregational meeting Sun day. John A. Cheshire, Jr., chairman of the congregation, reported that the Catholic organization had posted a binder together with an offer to purchase the property for $50,000. The property, located at the corner of West King street at North Piedmont avenue, fronts about 275 feet on Wlest King and 158 feet on North Piedmont. It includes a church sanctuary, connecting educational building, and two residences. The proposed transaction was approved by the combined boards of elders and deacons of Boyce Memorial ARP Church on April 2. Sale of the ARP Church plant will advance the date of con struction of a new ARP plant. Aim, of the church had ‘been to launch building of a new plant in 1962. If the sale is consumma ted, construction will begin this year* on an educational building on Edgemont avenue, where the ARP church purchased a 4.7 acre site several months ago. The ARP church launched a continuing building fund cam paign several years ago. At Sun day’s congregational meeting, John L. McGill, flirst chairman of the building fund campaign outlined the Church’s original Ob jectives and current needs foi additional and expanded faciliti es. Committee in Charge of the negotiations for the ARP church included I. G. Patterson, IB. D. Ratterree, N. F. McGill and John Cheshire, Jr. Father Thomas Clement, area Catholic priest, is agent of Bish op Vincent S. Wattres, D. D., of the Raleigh diocese in negotiat ing the transaction. Father Clement said there are 15 Catholic families in Kings Mountain. Local News Bulletins » _____ OPTIMIST MEETING Kings Mountain Optimist club will meet at 7:30 Thurs day night at the American Le gion building. Rev. J. W. Phil lips will address the club. AUXILIARY MEETS The American Legion Auxi liary will meet Thursday night at 7:30 o’clock with Mrs. C. A. Goforth, Sr. LEGION DANCE American Legion Post 155 is sponsoring a dance for mem bers and guests at the Legion Hall Saturday night beginning at 8 p. m. A new band will fur nish music, and an exhibition of western-style square danc ing will be featured. SUPPER Next Sunday, April 16, a co vered dish supper will be held at Saint Matthew’s Lutheran church for new members wfyo were recently received into the church. Prospective members are also invited to join in this fellowship evening with the entire congregation. Arrange ments for the supper are un der direction of Joe Hedden, Mrs. Jacob Cooper and Bob Suber. POSTPONED The Sunday dinner, schedul ed by the Woman’s Club for this Sunday, has been post poned, according to announce ment by Mrs. George Houser, president PRE-SCHOOL CLINIC Pre-school clinic far pupils entering the first grade next year at Bethware school will be held on April 18th begin ning at 9 a. m„ Principal R. G. Franklin has announced. SCHOOL BOARD MEETS Kings Mountain City School Board meets in regular mon thly session Monday night at Central School at 7;30 p. m. Blood Collections Total 202 Pints Mohair. Lithium Employees Gave 17 Pints Each Kings Mountain area donors responded to the call for blood Tuesday by giving 202 pints of blood. The total was second best total for a one-day collection in recent Red Cross blood program history. No less than 240 persons offer-> ed to give blood, but 38 would be donors were rejected for var ious physical reasons. Mrs. O. W. Myers, blood pro gram chairman, reported that 44 persons were first-time donors, while 63 donors gave blood for replacement. Grover citizens honored the call with 30 donors, and indus trial participation was heavy. Employees of Lithium Corpor ation of America and Massachu setss Mohair Plush Company tied for industrial group honoris, with 17 donors each, closely followed by Mauney Mills employees ten donors. Sadie Cotton Mills listed ten donors and Park Yam Mills Company nine. Ten donors are members of Kings Mountain National Guard company. Mrs. Myers and George H. Houser, co-chairman, said they were highly elated by the excell ent collection, which materially cut Kings Mountain’s blood de ficit. They expressed appreciation to all donors, to the many citizens aiding the Bloodmobile staff, and to Kings Mountain Baptist church, where the Bloodmobile was set up. Donors included: Hazel L. Gill, Verlee Roberts, James L. Bennett, Luther P. Ware, Roy F. Ho ward, James Rosebaro, Pauline Williams, Sybil Peterson, W. D. Morrison, Haskel L. Boheler, Dar vin Mass, Kenneth Metcalf, Bos sie G. Martin, W. D. Bowles, Hel en H. Jennings, Lucille Randall, William Jackson, Bob Hines, Lloyd Peterson, Walter Lynn and Raymond Cox, Tillman Pearson, John F. Ledford, Lester C. Eaker, Joe Wyte, Eunice Smith, Larry D. Anderson, Fred S. Pritchard, Mrs. Peggy Wells, Joyce Howell, George H. Mauney, Ray W. Cline, Fred A. Bradley, Samuel Adams, Charles E. Wilson, Hetsehel L. Wright, Betty A. Bowen, John Cheshire, Bertha Guffey, Walter McKinney. Also, Yates Harbison, William A. Pryor, Martin L. Wilson, Eu gene Patterson, Dorie Camp. Dr. D. F. Hord, Elsie Dixon, Robert A. Hul'lender, Martha 'Essary, Myr (Continued On Page Eight) SPEAKER — Dr. J. M. Lesesne, president of Erskine college, will address members of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis club Thurs day night . Dr. Lesesne Kiwanis Speaker Dr. J. M. Lesesne, president of Erskine college, will address members of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis club at their Thursday night 'meeting. iDr. Lesesne, an historian, will discuss events leading to the War Between the States, which began with the firing on Fort Sumter a century ago yesterday. Until he was elected president, Dr. (Lesesne was head of the Ers kine college history department. He was educated at Wofford col lege and the University of South Carolina and has done graduate work at Peabody college and Co lumbia university. He is a farm er teacher at Rock Hill and Greenville, S. C., public schools. Currently, Dr. Lesesne is pres ident of the South Carolina As sociation of Colleges and chair man of the South Carolina Foun dation of Independent colleges. He is a past president of the South Carolina Historical asso ciation. Bids For Armory Will Be Invited Advertisements asking bids for construction of the Kings Moun tain National Guard armory, will be placed in about ten days, a state National Guard official said here Wednesday.. (Meantime, the federal National Guard bureau has released $104, 000 in federal funds for the Kings Mountain project, Congressman Basil L. Whitener reported last weekend. Optimist Club Formally Organized; Charter To Be Given At Banquet The Kings Mountain Optimist club was organized formally last week. The charter by Optimist Inter national is scheduled to be con veyed at the cluib’s initial ladies night banquet, tentatively set for May 27 at the American Legion building. Here last week for the organi zation meeting were Leonard Laye, lietenant-governor of Dis trict 18, Optimist International, and Ed Stowe, president of the Gaistonia club, which sponsored the Kings Mountain organization. Dean Payne is the newly-elec ted president. Mir. Payne said this week the clulb is meeting temporarily at the American Legion building but will soon hold regular meet ings at the Grace Methodist church fellowship hall. The club is especially active in the field of boys work. Last week, it voted to sponsor a team in the Kings Mountain Little League program. Charter members, in addition to Mr. Payne, are Lawrence H. Allen, Lawrence E. Bennett, Lu ther Bennett, William D. Ben nett, Bobby Bridges, Kenneth D. Bunkowski, W. D. Byers, John Dllling, Fred A. Dixon, Jake W. Early, H. Dean Fleming, Robert) E. Fleming, Curtis V. Gaffney,! Dewitt T. Guyton, James L. Guy-j ton, Ernest F. Hayes, Warren R.' Herndon, Robert W. Hurlbut, William N. King, Lawton W. London, Jack R. Mercier, William PRESIDENT — Dean Payne is the president of the newly-organ ized Kings Mountain Optimist dub. C. Parsley, Bobby L. Pearson, Shuford K. Peeler, Rev. J. W. Phillips, Harold Phillips, Char les R. Porter, Jay W. Powell, War ren E. Reynolds, Kenneth M. Ro berts,Jerry A. Ross, WinWord A. Russell, D. L. Saunders, Jack N. Seism, Charles T. Smith, Vernon E. Smith, H. Dean Spears, Donald E. Stone, Eugene Tignor, Gerald Valentine, Mearl D. Valentine, Carl Weisner, Carl F. Wilson and Furman Wilson. Mayor Seekers Discuss Issues On WKMT Quiz Three mayoral candidates — Glee A. Bridges, Kelly Dixon and Garland E, Still discussed a wide range of municipal issues Mon day, as th^y answered questions on the first of a series of five WKMT radio programs entitled the "Race for Mayor”. MONDAY PROGRAM Second in the series of the “Race for Mayor” programs will be broadcast over WKMT j Monday afternoon, beginning at 6 o’clock, with the coming week’s panel of questioners to include Dr. Nathan H. Reed, Kings Mountain optometrist, Haywood E. Lynch, realtor and former Herald editor, and Herald Editor Martin Harmon, lone regular member of the pa nel. WKMT Manager Jonas Bridges moderates the pro gram. Listeners are invited to telephone questions they wish to ask to WKMT. Questions posed by City Judge Jack White, Coroner J. Ollie Har ris and Herald Editor Martin Harmon, as well as three tele phoned by listeners, covered a wide spectrum of city affairs, in cluding taxes, blue laws, city limits extension, public recre ation and otther subjects. The candidates gave these views on the Monday program : On Taxes — Mr. Still said he favored cutting taxes and utili ties by six percent r.nd believed the cut h!e instituted. Mayor Brid ges said he favored cuts, if pos sible, but doubted they could be made. He also noted that a pro posed state tax bill would im pose a ten percent^tax on utility sales. On city limits extension—Ma yor Bridges and Mr. Still said they oppose city limits extension and Mr. Dixon said he hadn’t studied the question sufficiently to State an. opinion. On blue laws — Mr. Dixon said the question Is quite a many-sided one, as did Mayor Bridges, who said he favored an informational referendum on the subject "if it can be properly phrased”. Mr. Still said he felt the present ordinance should be enforced or wiped off the books and added he regarded the pre sent blue law as obsolete. On the city manager proposal —A11 gave equivocal approval, though Mr. Dixon said he sus pected the city was somewhat small for manager-type opera tion. Mayor Bridges said it’s a problem to get many qualified citizens to offer for a full-time job for a period of only two years, and Mr. Still suggested that the city’s prior experience with city managers had not been (Continued On Page Eight J Saunders Says Quiz "Unfair" David L. Saunders, lone Kings Mountain mayoral candidate to decline an invitation to appear on the “Race for Mayor” inter view program .series toeing broad cast by Station WKMT, said this week he felt his appearing on the program would be “unfair to the voter as well as myself.” Mr. Saunders stated, “I felt program and attempt to answer questions asked me in a min ute’s time is unfair to the voter as well as myself. If I am going to answer questions, I think that the individual asking the ques tion expects me to put some thought into the question in or der to give him a complete and honest answer and I did not feel that being on this program would enable me to do so." He added, “May I say that I feel 1 am running a clean race and have nothing to hide ...” He said he would be willing to answer any question any vo ter might like to put and Invited telephone calls, both at his place of business and art his home, and added he would be glad to visit the home of anyone desiring his views. Station Manager Jonas Bridges said on Monday’s broadcast that Mr. Saunders has a standing in vitation to appear on subsequent programs which are scheduled to continue weekly through election eve, May 8. Mr. Bridges had an nounced previously that Mr. Saunders had inclined the invi taition due to the impromptu program formart, in which candi dates are not given questions in advance of the live broadcast Gault Files For Re-Election As Commissioner In Ward 2 RITES HELD — Funeral services for E. K. Whitener, who died suddenly Monday, were held Wednesday afternoon. Kail Whitener's Rites Conducted Funeral rites for Ernest Karl Wlhitener, 71, were held Wednes day at 3 p. m, from Resurrection Lutheran church,, interment fol lowing in Mountain Rest ceme tery. (Mr. Whitener succumbed of a cerebral foemorWage Monday after suddenly 'becoming ill a bout 5:30. He was rushed to Kings Mountain hospital and died about 6:30. A native of Hickory, he was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. James A. Whitener. Until his re tirement in 1954, he had served for 41 years as general superin tendent and purchasing agent at Cocker Machine & Foundry Com pany of Gastonia. He was a mem ber and benevolence treasurer of Resurrection Lutheran church, a member of the Kings Mountain Lions club, a Mason and Shriner. (He is survived 'by his wife, the j former Dollie Cornwell; one son, E. K. Whitener, Jr., of Madison, N. J.; one daughter, Mrs. W. H. Jumey of Golden, Colo.; a bro ther, Dr. Edgar Whitener of High Point and a sister, Mrs. L. W. Latta of Williamsport, Md. Also surviving are nine grand children and one great-grand child. The final j-ites were conducted ; by Rev. George Moore. Active pallbearers were Char i les E. Dixon, Wesley Bush, Paul ■ McGinnis, Sherman Perry, John Caveny and Carl Goforth. Honorary pallbearers were members of the council of Res, urrection Lutheran church. Band Wins II Bating The Kings Mountain high school band won a rating of II or excellent in the Western area state band contests at Marion Saturday. As the smallest band (36 mem bers) in Group HI, the Kings Mountain band was judged along with the Bessemer City, Dallas, and Clyde A. Irvin high school groups. Bessemer City’s band won a superior rating, while ra tings of III (good) went to the other two bands in that division. Kings Mountain’s band, under the direction of J. C. Hedden, played “New Colonial March” by R. B. Hall, “An Occasional Suite” by Handel and “Huldlgungsmar sch” by Handel. Bands had been instructed to be prepared to play four overtures and one march with the judges to select the par ticular contest piece. Dr. Earl Slocum, head of the UNC music department, Dr. Car ter, band director a* Eastern Carolina college, and Frank West, head of the Davidson col lege music department, were the judges. Kings Mountain’s band, under direction of C. A. Ballance, won; a rating of II in the district con test in 1959 and the same year won a rating of HI in state com petition. i live Incumbents Among 21 In Race For City Posts (Boyce H. Gault, Ward 2 city commissioner, is seeking re-elec tion to a third terms. (Mr. Gault, Kings Mountain grocer, filed notice of candidacy early Wednesday afternoon. Incumlbent since 1957, Mr. Gault is 'being challenged for the Ward 2 position by Eugene Go forth and John W. Gladden. ■He is the fifth of six elected city officials to seek re-election. Only Ben H. Bridges, Ward 4 commissioner, has not filed, and his entry is anticipated. Mr. Gault was the only addi tional candidacy of the past week and brings to 21 the number of candidates seeking six city hall elective positions. Two candidates, H. O. (Toby) Williams and Holmes Harry, have filed for the two school trustee positions to be filled May 9, from Kings Mountain school district areas-outside the Kings Mountain city limits. Deadline for filing for city and school elective offices is April 24, at 4;3C p. m. Candidates ate re quired to file in person. The candidate list to date: For Mayor — Glee A. Bridges, incumbent, Garland E. Still, Kel ly Dixon and David !L. Saunders. For Ward 1 Commissioner — Ross Alexander, incumbent, Ray Cline and C. H. (Cat) Houser. For Ward 2 Commissioner — Boyce H. Gault, incumlbent, Eu gene Goforth and John W. Glad den.. (For Ward 3 Commissioner — Luther T. iBennett, incumbent, T. J. Ellison, Ola von Kelly and Cor bett Nicholson. For Ward 4 Commissioner — Paul W. Ledford, Willis Bagwell, Norman King and Clinton Wood. For Ward 5 Commissioner — R. Coleman Stroupe, incumlbent, J. Elmer Rhea and Hazel L. Gill. For school trustee (two posi tions open) — H. O. (Toby) Wil liams and Holmes Harry. Lions Conducting Annual Broom Sale Members of the Kings Moun tain Lions club are conducting their annual sale of brooms for benefit of the blind. In the Lions club inventory are residential-type brooms, at $1.50, industrial-type brooms, at $2, and whisk brooms at 75 cents. Profits on the sale will be used by the Lions club for ben efit of blind citizens and for other work in sight conserva tion. The brooms are made by blind persons at North Caroli na Industries for the Blind in Greensboro. Grady Yelton is chairman of this year’s broom sale commit tee. CANDIDATES — Boyce H. Gault, above, filed Wednesday for re election as Ward 2 commission er. H. O. (Toby) Williams, below, is a candidate for school trustee. Lutherans Plan Special Service Resurrection Lutheran church will celebrate Sunday another highlight in the life of the con gregation, Rev. George Moore has announced. A special service of Blessing will mark the com pletion of the new steeple. The Reverend F. L. Conrad, Sr., D. D., President of the United Evange lical Lutheran Synod of North Carolina will be present. He will preach Sunday morning and will participate in the Service of Blessing which will come at the conclusion of the regular Ser vice. The new steeple adds a beau tiful example of Colonial archi tect ore to the skyline of Kings Mountain, rising almost -100 feet above the ground. Topped by a gold-leafed Celtic cross, it is vi sible for quite -a distance. Light ing will make it visible at night. The steeple is another step a long the way in the plans for future expansion of the facili ties at Resurrection according to (Continued On Page Eight) Home Savings & Loan Association Honors Veteran Executive Officer A. H. Patterson, recently re tired as chief executive officer of Home Savings & Loan asso ciation, was honored by the as sociation directors at a testimon ial dinner last Friday night. IMr. Patterson was secretary treasurer of the association on its organization in 1923 ar>d was its chief executive officer until his recent retirement. He remains with the associa tion as vice-president and direc tor. J. R. Davis, longtime associa tion attorney, reviewed the hist ory of the association and re counted its progress, which he credited chiefly to the work of Mr. Patterson. IMr. Davis noted that the asso ciation with 475 shares of stock with assets totaling $4750. By the end of three months, assets had increased to $14,141. Only during the depression did the as sociation assets show a drop. A gainst $300,000 in 1930, the asso ciation listed only $262,000 in as sets in 190b. The association topped a mil lion dollars in assets in 1950, reached three millions in mid 1968, and topped four millions at the end of 1960. First president of the associa tion was Dr. O. G. Falls. Other directors were J. B. Thomasson, Mr. Patterson, W. S. Dilltng, H. T. Fulton, Sr., Dr. J. E. Antho ny (now president), and J. O. Plonk. As of March 31, assets totaled $4,269,974, with a 11.78 liquidity factor. The association’s first loan was made to G. G. Rollins, the sec ond to R. N. Parrish. Tributes to Mr. Patterson were paid by Ed Goodlow, of Charlotte, representative of Security Life & Trust Company, ami by Carl Carpenter, president of First State Bank & Trust Company, of Bessemer City. Jack White, toastmaster at the dinner, presented Mr. Patterson a watoh on behalf of the associ ation. s Attending Were directors, their wives, members of Mr. Patter son’s families, association em ployees and other guests. Saturday Hist Of Three Days ( For Registering Registration books for the May 9 city election and school trus tee elections will be open for the first time at all precincts on Sat urday. - 11 jt* & new registration for all citizens of the Bethware, Grover, Compact and Park Grace county school districts, who are ?I‘£*ble to '^ister for the school trustee voting. No new registration has been called within the city limits. City Clerk Joe McDaniel an weok that Mjarvin Wright will serve as a judge at the Bethware precinct, filling a vacancy. s Under terms of a recent state statute amending the election laws, new voting precincts have been created at Park Grace and 'Bethware schools and at Grover fer purpose of school district vo ting. Citizens who live within the •bounds of the Grover county vo ting precinct wild register and vote at Graver fire station. Park Grace-Compact area citizens will register and vote at Park Grace school. Bethware citizens and those formerly in the Kings Mountain school district, but outside the city limits, will reg ister and vote at Bethware school. All registered voters will he el igible to vote for two school trustee candidates. The Grover town election will be held the same day. Another change effects Ward 5 voters. Location of this pre cinct has been moved to West elementary school from Victory Chevrolet Company. Registration books will be o pen three consecutive Saturdays at the several precincts. Satur~ day, May 6, is challenge day. Following are precincts, loca tion of precincts and registrars: Ward 1 — City Hall, C. L. Black. Ward 2 — City Hall, Mrs. H< R. Parton. Ward 3 — Phenix Store, Mrs. Ruth Bowers. Ward 4 — Kings Mountain Manufacturing Company club room, Mrs. Paul Cole. Wand 5 — West school, Mrs. J. T. MbGinnis, Jr. Grover — Grover fire station, Mrs. J. B. Ellis. Park Grace — Park Grace school, Mrs. James Cloninger. Bethware — Bethware school, Mrs. Frank Ware. City Manager - Vote Unlikely Mayor Glee A. Bridges said Wednesday he doubted that the board of commissioners will call an election on adopting the city manager form of government for the May 9 voting. The General Assembly passed an enabling act in June 1959 to empower the city commission to order a city manager election at a time of its own choosing. Previous discussion by board members indicated the referem dum might be called for the reg. ular biennial May 9 election. Under terms of the act the ci tizens would vote for or against a modified Plan D city manager system. If, approved, the com mission would have the power to employ a city manager, who would be the city's Chief adminis trative officer, or to name the elected mayor as mayor-mana ger. The commission would retain authority to name the city judge, attorney, clerk, treasurer and certain other officers. Other wise, the hiring and firing au thority would be in the hands of the city manager or city manag er-mayor. Mayor Bridges said Wednes-' day he isn’t sure sufficient time remains to meet the legal re quirements of advertising the city manager election. 'Library Week' Begins On Monday Kings Mountain citizens win Join in the nationwide obser vance of National Library Week beginning Monday. Oakling attention to the ob servance, Mrs. Charles Dilling, librarian at Jacob S. Mauney Memorial library, invited the interested public to visit the library during the week. Purpose of the observance is to “make the community more library-minded”, Mrs. Dilling noted. “The Freedom to Know —America’s Greatest Weapon'* —te the theme of the promo tion.