North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 This figure for Greater Kings Mountain Is derleed from the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city limits figure is from the United States census of 1950. VOL 72 No. 16 Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper L_V_j Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, April 27, 1961 Pages Today Established 1889 Seventy-Second Year PRICE TEN CENTS Morgan, Palmer Say “No” To School Secessionists VETERAN TEACHER HONORED_Don Park er, veteran teacher and high school coach. Is receiving from Harry Jaynes, president of the Kings Mountain chapter of the National Edu cation association a certificate attesting to Parker's recent election by the Kings Mountain NEA to life membership in the national as sociation. B. N. Barnes, superintendent of schools and only previous recipient of the honor, looks on. Local News Bulletins •_ _____ LEGION DANCE American Legion Post 155, is sponsoring a dance for mem bers and guests Saturday be ginning at 8:30 p. m. The dan ce will be the filial one sche duled until fall, spokesman for the Legionnaires said. AT SYMPOSIUM Carol Jean Goter and Kay Broadwater, high school jun iors, attended (the Science Sym posium held recently by Duke University, North Carolina State college and UNC. The symposium was held in Dur ham. CLEAN-UP DAY West School P-TA has set Wednesday at “Clean-Up-fix-Up Day” ait West school and mem bers are asked to gather gar den tools and be present at the ground at 2:30. RAINBOW PROGRAM Rainbow Girls will honor their mothers at a special Mo ther's Day program to be held Tuesday evening at 7:30 at Ma sonic Hall. OUTING •Rainbow Girls and their in vited guests will meet at 7:30 p. ml Saturday at Masonic Hall to go on an outing and hay ride, Mrs. D. E. Tate, advisor has announced. Band Concert Re-schednled Due to conflict of other func tions, the Kings Mountain high school band concert, previously scheduled for Thursday night, has been ire-scheduled to Sunday afternoon alt 2:30 p. m. at Central auditorium. Bandmaster Joe Hedden said that a Thursday night Kiwanis ladies night banquet plus dress rehearsal for the senior class play, had necessitated .re-sche duling. The Sunday afternoon concert will be free and (the band will play a varied selection of music, including selections used in the recent district contests at which the band won a II rating. Local Students Win In Forensic Meet Four Kings Mountain high school students participated in the Western North Carolina Activities’ Association Forensic meet held Monday in Lincoln ton. Margaret Smith placed third in the poetry division, Sandy Campbell placed second in the ■ oratory contest and Jimmy Owens placed third in the dec- I tarnation division. | , Parker Elected NEA Life Member Local Teacheis Honor Veteran Teacher, Coach Don Parker, veteran high school teacher and coach, has ■been honored by his teaching cohorts to a life membership in the National Education associa tion. Mr. Parker is (the second Kings Mountain teacher to be honored with a life membership, Superin tendent B. N. Barnes having been elected life member several years ago. _ Mr. Pairker is completing his 21st year as a high school teach er at Fletcher, Mars Hill and, since 1943, at Kings Mountain high school. He teaches social studies and geometry and guid ance. In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Parker is head coach of boys basketball and assistant football and itrack coach. He was graduated from Mary ville college in Tennessee in 1938 and for eight years was a pro fessional- baseball pitcher. ' Mrs. Parker is the former Nelle Steppe. They have two sons, Don Parker, Jr., with the air force at Keesler AFB, Miss., and James (Punch) Parker, high school sen ior. Jaycees Ladies Night Tnesday An entertainment program by a Charlotte dance team will fea ture Tuesday evening’s annual ladies’ night banquet of the Jun ior Chamber of Commerce. Jayoees will also Install new officers during the program to be gin at 7 p. m. at the Woman’s club, i i Mir. and Mrs. William Curtin, associated with the Arthur Mur ray Dance Studio of Charlotte, will exhibit ballroom dancing and invite audience participation in a "contest," Jayoee President Rob ert H. Goforth said. 'The Curtins have presented similar shows in New York and in many cities throughout the two Carolina*. John Brock of Shelby, a na tional Jayoee director, will in stall the new officers, and two district officers will be present: Henry Whitesides of Gastonia, outgoing District 3 vicepresident, and Cliff Reaves of Gastonia, the incoming district officer Other guests, in addition to wives of Jaycees, will be representatives of the various civic dubs. Mr. Brock will install James! Lybrand as president; Bill Allen' as first vicepresident; Herman Sparks as second vice-president; John Lutz as secretary; John War lick as treasurer; Bob Pear son as Jaybird; and David Kin caid, Rev. Thomas Droppers and Raymond E. Goforth as directors. SUCCUMBS _ Wayne L. Ware. El Bethel community farmer, succumbed Friday. Funeral rites were held Sunday in Boiling Springs. Wayne L Ware's Rites Conducted , Final rites for Wayne L. Ware, 72, were held Sunday at 4 p. m. from Boiling Springs Baptist church, interment following in Cleveland Memorial Park at Shelby. Mr. Ware, prominent farmer and owner and operator of Mountain View Farms in the El Bethel community, suffered a heart attack on his farm Thurs day and died Friday night at Kings Mountain hospital. A native of Cleveland County, he was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Ware. Through the years, he had established (Continued On Page Eight) / 23 Seek City Posts; McAbee Out For Mayor; Filing Over 17 Challenge Six City Hall Incumbents Twenty-three candidates ahe seeking the six City Hall elective positions. The four-man mayor’s race sud dely expanded to five Monday af ternoon, as Brooks McAbee used the last filing day to enter his candidacy. The new and fourth challenger, a resident of 825 Second street, | is a Kings Mountain native and an employed of General Miss Corporation, Charlotte. (Mr. MsAbee was the lone addi tion of the past week to the can didate list. With rhces now set, all candi dates are expected to increase their politicking pase in the ef fort to secure enough votes to win on May 9. At least three can didates seek every postion. The ace finds all six incumb ents seeking re-election. Mayor Glee A. Bridges is seeking a firth consecutive term,* while Commis sioners Ross Alexander, Boyce Gault, Luther Bennett, Ben H. 'Bridges and R. Coleman Stroupe are seeking re-election to ttiipd consecutive terms. Two registration days, remaij. The full list of candidates Ur IFtor Mayor — Glee A. Bridges, incumbent, Garland E. Still, Ken ly Daxin, David Saunders, and Brooks McAbee. For Ward 1 Commissioner — Ross Alexander, incumbent, Ray Cline and C. H. (Oat) Houser. 'For Ward 2 Commissioner — Boyce H. Gault, incumbent, Eu gene Goforth and John W. Glad den. For Ward 3 Commissioner — Luther T. Bennett, incumbent, T. J. Ellison, Olavon Kelly and Cor bett Nicholson. For Ward 4 Commissioner — iBen H. Bridges, incumbent, Paul W. Ledford, Willis Bagwell, Nor man King and Clinton wood. 'For Ward 5 Commissioner — R. Coleman Stroupe, incumbent, J. Elmer Rhean and Hazel L. Gill. For school trustee (two posi tions open) — H. O. (Toby) Wil liams and Holmes Harry. laws: Cancer Fund Drive Progress Reported Kings Mountain’s annual fund campaign for the American Can cer society is progressing well, Mrs. Hunter Neisler, chairman, said this week. The fund campaign, which sup plies money for the care of in digent cancer patients and for research, will continue through April. . Mirs. Neisler said that memor ials to cancer victims have swell ed society receipts considerably. Last year, Kings Mlountain area citizens gave a record $2600 for the cancer care-cure program.. No Opponents For Williams, Harry; Finish Determines Length Of Term H. O. (Toby) Williams, Patter son Grove farmer, and Holmes Harry, Grover textile man, were virtually assured of election as Kings Mountain board of educa tion members Monday. No other citizens of the school district areas adjacent to the city limits became candidates for the two positions to be filled by the filing deadline at 4:30 Mon day afernoon. Results of the election, how ever, will be minor, if not major important. Amendments* to the city elec tion laws, recently enacted, pro vide that the candidate seeking greatest number of votes will be elected to a six-year term as school trustee, with the second runner being elected to a four year term. Failure of opposition to deve lope came as a surprise in some quarterns, in view of the long and sometimes bitter dispute over consolidating the adjacent school areas with the Kings Mountain administrative district. Both Mr. Williams and Mir. Harry, cur rently chairman of the Grover district committee in the county system, had been heavy sup porters of the merger. Retiring from the board of ed ucation at the end of their cur rent terms are Trustees J. W. Webster and Arnold W. Kincaid. While the election law amend ment prevented their seeking re-1 election, both had supported both | the consolidation and the elec-! tion law amendment. Both had pledged, prior to last year’s con-1 solidation election, that they; would resign from the board! should consolidation be approv ed. Mr. Kincaid did, but was re appointed when dissidents were successful in delaying the phy sical consolidation for the cur rent sshool term. CANDIDATE __ J. Elmer (Zip) Rhea is among the candidates for Ward 5 commissioner. He op poses the incumbent, R. Coleman Stroupe, and Hazel Lee Gill. Two More Days Foi Registering Two moire Saturdays remain foi citizens to register few the Maj 9 city and school trustee elec tions. ■ A rO-chetdt of the state''and [ city statutes Wednesday by City ! Clerk .Joe McDaniel and the Her ald showed that registration books aire .to be open for four consecutive Saturdays preceding the election. The books will be open for re gistering voters on Saturday and again on Saturday, May 6. The final Saturday, May 6, will also be challenge day when interested citizens may examine the poll books. Registration activity was slow again last Saturday. In-city registering increased slightly over the previous Satur day, with 62 new voters being recorded. Greatest activity was in Ward II, where Mrs. H. R. Parton reported 16 new voters. Mrs. Paul .Cole listed 15 in Ward IV. Reports on ouitsiide-city regis tering for the school trustee e lection were incomplete, but, considering the fact a new regis tration had been ordered, few citizens had bothered to record their names. Mrs. Frank Ware, at Bethware added 75 names to the pollbook, while Mrs. James Clonimger, at Park Grace, added 36. Mrs. J. B. Ellis, at Grover, re ported registration of 45 voters last Saturday bringing the total at Grover to 90. Kiwanis Ladies Night Thursday L. Alex Clark, Charlotte area sales manager tor Armour & Company, will make the feature address at the annual ladies’ night banquet Thursday of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis club. Mr. Clark, who is a brother of Mrs. Carl Mayes, is making a "return” speaking engagement to the club. He first addressed the civic dub last year and is re turning due to "popular de mand”, B. N. Barnes, chairman of the ladies’ night committee, said. Mr. Clark has been associa ted with the Charlotte company for 25 years. B. S. Peeler, Jr. will be toast master for the evening program, James Amos will welcome guests and Mrs. Charles Alexander will make .the response. Dr. W. V. Pressly will present Mir. Clark and Rev. H. D. Garmon will give the invocation. President Charles Neisler will provide, and Pattie Howard will furnish dinner mu sic. Mrs. I. B. Goforth, Sr. will ser ve the meal at 7 p. m. Members of the ladies' night committee in addition to Mr. Barnes are George H. Mauney, John L. McGill, J. C. Smathers, and B. S. Peeler, Jr. The banquet annually attracts a large cnxwd. Kings Mountain Entry Top Speller Glynda Lynn Wins Area Spelling Bee 'For the second year running, a Kings Mountain student has won the regional spelling bee sponsored by the Charlotte Ob server. Glynda Lynn, 13-year-old East school seventh grader, will go to Washington, D. C. on May 28th to compete in the national contest which was last year attended by another Kings Mountain student, Jan Williams. Kings Mountain Was thus far furnished three winners in Tire Observer Bee, the first winner jin the person of 'Bobby Early, : then an eighth grader at West school and now a sophomore at ‘ Belmont Abbey. j - Glynda outspelled 20 either con | testants in the hour and 45-min ute bee Friday in what Char lotte officials termed “the hottest bee we can remember.” Not one student was eliminated in the first 35 minutes of the contest. Jane Morrison, second place winner from Charlotte’s Mecklen burg County Schools, missed the word ^impellent,” which Glynda spelled correctly. Glynda went on to spell “eider” and was the champion. Third place winner was Joy Yates of Hamlet and fourth place was taken hy Gladys Frazier of Monroe. Besides her trip to Washington May 29-June 3, the spelling cham pion won a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. The young spelling champ says she’s continued her “spelling” | since last spring when she lost in the schools’ contest here. She also likes to “take pictures” and to read. SWe’s the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. Lynn, 805 Cleveland avenue. METER RECEIPTS Parking meter receipts for the week ending Wednesday totaled $110.63, including $92.35 ftom on -street meters, $5 from over-piarking fees, and $13.28 from off-street meters, City Clerk Joe McDaniel reported. CHAMPION SPELLER_Glynda Lynn, East school seventh gra der .won the regional spelling bee in Charlotte Friday and goes on to the national contest in Wash ington, D. C. in May. lions Hold Ladies Night Charles El ledge, Marion high school principal, entertained Lions, their wives and guests Tuesday night at the club’s 23rd annual ladies night banquet. Mr. Elledge, veteran member of the casit of “Horn in the West”, | spun Jokes, read samples of fav l orite poetry, and did a mono I logue parody of an old-time melodrama. President George Thomasson served as toastmaster and Wes ley Bush presented special guests, Martin Harmon presented the speaker, and Paul Walker Ollde Harris, Sr., was chairman superintendented distribution of favors to the ladies, of the committee on arrange ments. ---- OPTIMISTS MEET Kings Mountain’s Optimists Club wil hold its regular meet ing Thursday at 7:30 p. m. in Grace Methodist Church Fel lowship hall. President Dean Payne said the session would be an inter-club visitation with the Gastonia Optimists and the Gastonia group would have charge of the program. Dixon: Morals Of City Involved; "Race For Mayor" Waxes Warmer Mayoral Candidate Kelly Dix on charged “some city employees and employers” with excessive use of intoxicating drinks, dur ing the “Race for Mayor” pro gram broadcast by WKMT Mon day. Mr. Dixon had previously stat ed he would “seek better moral in city affairs and expected his principal vote support from “hon est and civic-minded citizens and MONDAY PROGRAM Fourth in a series of five question-and-answer programs on "The Race for Mayor” will be broadcast by Station WKMT Monday at 6 p. m. Panel mem bers will be Charles Blanton, Chamber of Commerce presi dent, Eugene Timms, mer chant, and Martin Harmon, Herald editor. Moderator will be Jonas Bridges. Listeners are invited to telephone questions to the station before and dur ing the broadcast. women interested in improve ment of the city’s morals.” The five mayoral candidates were interviewed in the third of a five program series of broad casts by Dr. W. P. Gerberding, St. Matthew’s -pastor, Harold Phillips, yarn salesman, and Mar tin Harmon, Herald editor. Jo nas Bridges was moderator. Candidate David L. Saunders, asked to identity the "Citizens for Better Government” endors ing his candidacy replied, "That you’ll never know!” Otherwise, the candidates a greed that polling of 700 to 800 votes on May 9 should assure a candidate of the right to call a run-off election. Mayor Glee A. Bridges said he hoped to win a clear majority on May 9. The five candidates, Mayor Bridges, Messers. Dixon and Saunders, Garland E. Still and latecomer Brooks McAbee, a greed on two questions. All said they _ felt Southern Railway should provide better safety pre cautions at road crossings and all said they had no objections to a Negro s candidacy for commis sioner. Former Mayor Still, stating he had been asked whether he would raid private clubs, declared he would not. Mayor Bridges ,sai*d he felt eight years of experience invalu able to managing the city and Mr. Dixon said he would favor tape-recorded city commission (Cwtinued On Page Eight) | County Board Re-iterates Prior Action Legislative efforts to circum vent the May I960 township school consolidation decision have failed. , Senator Robert Morgan and Representative Jack Palmer, in a joint statement following a meet ing with the county board of ed ucation, said they would not in troduce in the General Assembly legislation which would provide legal machinery Whereby a por tion of the residents of the con solidated Kings Mountain dis trict could secede. The legislation had been sought by losers in the consolidation c loction, Who, through, the courts and otherwise, have sought to abrogate the May 1960 election. The legislative delegation based their decision, they said, on: i i > Aavica or me attorney-gen eral, who had offered the opinion that local "secession” legislation would 'be illegal; 2) Advice of the state superin tendent of public instruction that the consolidation election was properly conducted and legally bind; 3) Refusal of any elected board of education or the board of coun ty commissioners to endorse the dissidents’ request; and 4) Determination (by the legis tors, after (hearings conducted to hear views of both groups, that the legislative effort was merely another to defeat the will of the majority. Prior to the statement of the legislators, the county board of education reiterated a prior de cision declining to aid the dissi dent by adopting a formal state ment noting requests by She dis sidents arid declaring the board j had no jurisdiction in the matter. The attorney-general had infor med the board that the territory on in question is now a part of the Kings Miountain school ad ministrative unit. Some 175 citizens favoring the consolidation from the adjacent areas and Kings Mountain atten ded a hearing at the County courthouse last Saturday on in vitation by the legislative dele gation. James Mullen, Gastonia lawyer, reviewed the history of the con solidation movement and denied categorically allegations of A. i A. Powell, attorney for the dissl | dents, that defendants in litiga tion seeking to abrogate the e lec ion result had agreed not to oppose another election on the matter. (Mullen also noted, in his opin ion, on a legal point under argu ment, that he feels the customary procedure allowing plaintiffs to re-enter complaints within a year after taking a voluntary non suit, does not apply to election situations. (Mullen characterized the dissi dent effort as continuing "beat ing an old dead horse.” Mullen also produced state ments from Bethware, Park Grace and Grover school com mittee mien that coercion was not involved in their initial petition i for the consolidation election, as the dissidents had charged. Several individuals commented. Hill Lowery, (Bethware com mittee chairman, said the diss dents reminded him of some chur ch groups, saying, "If they can’t run it, they try to tear it up.’’ John Cheshire, Jr., asked, "Where is the rule of majority?” Dr. W. P. Gerberding suggested that many citizens didn’t sup port the election of President Kennedy but support and pray for him. He further suggested (Continued on Page BigM) I » _ i Two Hiqh Schools f To Replace Five * Two high schools are expect ed to replace five in Number 4 Township for the school year 1 beginning next September. • Superintendent B. N. Barnes, of the expanded Kings Moun tain district, said Wednesday the current board’s general plan for immediate high school con solidation is to combine the student bodies of Grover, Beth ware and Kings Mountain high school into one unit and the student bodies of Davidson and Compact high schools into an other. He anticipates no final de cisions on other consolidation details prior to seating of two new members of the board of education from areas adjacent to the city limits. Meantime, student residence data is being compiled and studied by county and state school transportation officials, Mr. .Barnes said.