North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 This figure tor Greater Kings Mountain le derived bom the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city limits figure Is Irom the United Staten census ad I960. Vol. 74 No. 5 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, January 31, i 963 Seventy-Fourth Year PRICE TEN CENTS Saturday Penalty Day On ’62 Taxes GRADUATED — Glenn Grigg, Jr., has graduated with B.S. de g?ee from North Carolina State college. He will begin work with tho State Highway Commission Feb, 1. Glenn Grigg, Ir. Receives Degree Glenn Grigg, Jr, son of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Grigg of Kings Mountain, was graduated this month with bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State College, Raleigh. Mr. Grigg has accepted em ployment with the State High way Commission and he and his Jamily .will move to Winston Salem about February 1st. 'Mrs. Grigg is the former Susan Moss of Kings Mountain. The Griggs have a son, David. They axe visiting here with their parents, Mir. and Mrs. Glenn Grigg and Mr. and Mrs. .George Moss. Local News Bulletins VESPER PROGRAM Luther Leaguers of Resurrec tion Lutheran church, under the direction of President Peggy Plonk, will present a missions program and slustw the film, “Six ty Hours In Hong Kong”, Sun day at 7:30 p. m. vesper services at the church. CRITICALLY ILL Mrs. Lona McGill, Kings Moun tain nonagenarian, is critically ill following a stroke of paralysis. She is a patient in Garrison Me morial hospital, Gastonia. HOSPITALIZED J. R. Davis, Kings Mountain at torney, is a patient in Kings Mountain hospital. He suffered a hip fracture in a fall Sunday morning. 814 TAGS SOLD A total of 814 city tags had been sold through Wednesday morning, Mrs. Houston Wolfe, as sistant city clerk, reported. Dead line for purchase and display of the tags is February 15. Penalty is provided for late purchase or failure to purchase. A total of 1778 were purchased during 1962. KIWANIS PROGRAM Horace Easom, of Shelby, will present the program at Thursday night’s meeting of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis club. Mr. Ea som will describe the Middle East and Holy Land. The club meet3 at the Woman’s Club at 6:45. PERMIT ISSUED City officials Monday issued a building permit to J. Wilson Crawford for the construction of a $23,800, one-story house at 1000 Victoria Circle. LEGION DANCE Legionaires, their wives and guests will dance to music by the Starlighters from 9 until 12 p. m. Saturday night at the Legion Hall, according to announcement made this week. I DANCE CLASSES Classes for both adults and teenagers in wesiem-siyle square i dancing will begin Monday eve ning at 7:30 at the recreation, building of Long Creek Presby-! terian church. Tom Bryant will be the instructor and 16 lessons Will cost $& Friday Final Day to Pay Bills At Pat City and county tax collectors are anticipating a rush of tax payments on 1962 accounts Thursday and Friday. . Penalty on unpaid 1962 taxes applies February 2, the penalty being on percent of the initial bill. Through the close of business on Friday, 1962 taxes are pay able at net. Figures gleaned Wednesday from city and county tax collect ors shohved majority of the 1962 levies paid. Robert M. Gidney, county lax collector, said about 75 percent of the county’s estimated two million dollar levy is in hand. January collections through Wednesday appeared slightlyl lower than the same month last year, but, he added, December collections were up slightly. City collections en the 1962 levy of approximately $178;000 through Monday totaled $114, 874, or about 65 percent of the total due. The city levy is complete, ex cepting for receipt of the valu ation in Kings Mountain of Sou thern Railway Company, which is supplied by the State Board of Assessment. February is merely the first penalty month. Penalty of one haJf of one percent per month applies thereafter. Many citizens and business firms wait to pay their taxes •until late in the net period, cre ating a pre-penalty day rush. Both rity and county collect ors will honor minus penalty tax bills paid by mail and post marked not later than February 1, they stated. ARP Brownies Hear Mrs. Simpson Mrs. J. B. Simpson, West school third grade teacher, pre sented the program on “Good Manners” at Friday’s meeting of Brownies of Boyce Memorial ARP ehurch. The Brownie Scceuts gathered at the home of Mrs. John C. McGill, leader. Mrs. Kenneth McGill is assistant leader. Jane Anthony, Conne Phifer, Donna Alexander, Sara Beth Simpson, Sharon Plonk, Linda Ann and Meredith McGill assist ed Mrs. Simpson in demonstra ting “good” and “bad” manners. Refreshments were served by Connie Phifer. IN NEW POST — Rev. Harley Dixon. Kings Mountain native and Baptist minister, has assum ed new duties as chaplain at Western Baptist hosiptal in Pa ducah, Ky. Harley Dixon In Chaplain Post The Rev. Harley C. Dixon of Bethlehem community near Kings Mountain began working today as a chaplain at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Ky. (He replaces Chaplain George Miller, who resigned to take a similar position at Miami Baptist Hospital in Miami, Fla. Dixon is a son of Mr. and rMs.: Ira Dixon of Bethlehem commun ity and at one time worked as an announcer over Radio Station WKMT in Kings Mountain, as a salesman for Victory Chevrolet' Co., and as a salesman for an insurance concern in Kings Mountain. His new work will Include min-; istry to patients, theiir relatives,! visitors and hospital employes. .As president of the Kentucky Chaplain’s Association, he will also be instructor of a course; in the school of practical nurs-: ing. He will represent the hos pital in denominational relations' work. * .. ■! Service with a naval unit in the Pacific interrupted his high: school education at the end of, the 10th grade. He saw active, combat duty A ship on which he served was sunk and he was among the few survivors. When his enlistment was com pleted, he returned to high school and received his diploma before seeking regular employ ment. Interested in dramatics, Dixon played a role one season in “The Sword of Gideon,” a play which was based on the batte of Kings Mountain. During the pastorate of the Rev. R. E Robbins at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Dixon dedicated himself to .full-time.Christian ser vice and entered Furman Univer sity. Later he graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Since graduation from the seminary, he has been chaplain at the Louisville and Jefferson (Continued On Page Eight) 1963 Is Political Yeai For City But Speculation Talk Is Brief BY MARTIN HARMON Though 1953 is a city and board of education election year, political speculation and conversation has been more limited than in many recent biennial election seasons. Major development to date has been the confirmed possi bility that Ben H. Bridges, vet eran Ward 4 commissioner, may decide to move outside the city and, if so, retire from the board of commissioners at the end of his present term in May. Earliest development, of course, was the filing last Sep tember 4 by Clarence E. Car penter for mayor. He is the lone official candidate to date. In-city viters will elect a mayor and five ward commis sioners for two-year terms. Kings Mountain school district voters will elect two trustees, both from within the Kings Mountain city limits, for s'x year terms. On the board of educrtion, the temas of Chair man Fred W. Plonk and Dr. P. G. Padgett, both completing their twelfth year on the board, are expiring. Mayor Kelly Dixon is expected to seek reflection to a second term, and ex-Mava" Glee A. Bridges, unseated by Mayor Dixon in a run-off election two years ago, has been regarded as a "sure” candidate for months. Ex-Mayor Garland Still is also expected to be a candidate. Names mentioned as likely candidates for Ward 4 commis sioner are Norman King, loser to Comm. Bridges in the 1961 run-cff, ex-Commissfoner Paul Ledford and Clyde Gladden. Incumber,, Ray W. Cline, Ward 1; Eugene Goforth, Ward 9; T. J. (Tommy) Ellison, Ward 3; and J. E. (Zip) Rhea, Ward 5; CHAIRMAN — Grady Howard, Kings Mountain hospital admini strator, is newly - elected chair man of the Kings Mountain American Field Service commit tee. He succeeds Thomas L. Trott. are expected to seek re-election. j Two years ago tnen-Mryor Bridges and now-Comm. F hea were the first candidates to pay their filing fees, officially enter ing the campaign on February 6. Some speculate the board of education election could top the city election in major interest among the voters.' These base their opinions on the fact of the board of education split on selection of the site for the new area high school, and/or on the fact friends have quoted both Mr. Plonk and Mr. Padgett as i indicating they ;nay retire, Armory Will Be Dedicated Sunday School Board Makes Minor Layout Change Another step toward the con struction of the proposed million dollar Kings Mountain high school was completed Tuesday morning in the ofifces of Super intendent B. N. Barnes. Fred Van Wageningen and Tom Cothran of Architects Asso ciated, school architects, present ed <to Barnes, Principal Harry Jaynes and members of the board of education pre-prelimi nary plans for the layout of the facilities of the plant to be erect ed on the Phifer Road site. Barnes, Jaynes and board mem bers made suggestions as to cor rections of the designated facili ties and additions to what the architects termed pre-preliminary sketches. Presently the architects are working on preliminary plans to be presented for local approval before being taken to Raleigh for approval by officials of the Di vision of School Planning. Sketches shown to local offi cials Tuesday had the proposed plant facing South on the knoll just across Beason’s creek about 250 feet from Phifer Road, with bus entrance at Fulton Road. Architects anticipate complet ing the preliminary drawings for the plant within the next iwo weeks. Meanwhile, local officials are studying the problem of de’st ing some 3,000 square feet from the desired instructional area specifications. Present educational require ments call for 89,250 square feet, which architects say must be re duced to a minimum of 80,000 square feet Local building committee mem bers are presently working on .the problem and Barnes hopes to meet with state officials the latter part of the week to get their assistance on the problem. The problem must be resolved when the preliminary plans are completed in order that the school architects may draw work ing plans for the building — those for letting of contracts for the school’s construction. Other Actions In other actions at the special meeting Tuesday members of the school board: 1. Agreed to purchase a Permo Fax copy machine for Kings Mountain schools. 2. Appointed Supt. Barnes to study the question of an addition al teacher for Bethware school. 3. Voted to put on interest $40, 000 of the system’s capital outlay money. 4. Voted to pay expenses of the guidance counselor to Salisbury for the guidance conference. Ex penses of Principal Jaynes were also okayed if he is able to at tend. 5. Set fee for use of all gym nasiums in the system at $10 each per night. ! Goforth, Gold* Morris Win School Election Friday will mark the end of a week of “palities” at Ki^gs Mountain high school. Installation ceremonies will be held Friday afternoon, at whidn time Warren “BcT Goforth, Rich ard Gold and Judy Morris will be installed as Student Participation Organization officers foe the 1963 64 school year. Goforth, a rising senior, was successful in his bid for ;SPO president in a race with Tprrv Leonard and incumbent Don Freeman Gold, a rising junior, was elect ed as vice-president of the or ganization In contest with Nell McCarter and George Plonk. Miss Morris, opposing Coral Ramseur and Linda Plonk, -was elected secretary-treasurer. All nine candidates were nomi nated at the Delegates Assembly last Thursday. Campaign speeches were made at assembly Tuesday, and elec tion was held Wednesday. Don Freeman, president, and Diane Roberts, secretary-treasur er, are presently the SPO officers. The vice-presidency is vacant. The Student Participation Or ganization serves as the student governing body with representa tion from all homerooms and clubs. RADIO SERVICE Church services during the month of February will be broad est via WKMT Radio from Re surrection Lutheran church. Rev. George Moore, pastor, will deli ver the sermon, ‘The End Of Fear”, at the 11a. m. service Sunday. , Jaycees To Make ’62 DSA Award SPEAKER — John L. Kennedy of Fayetteville, president of the North Carolina Junior Chamber of Commerce, will make the ad dress at the annual Bosses' Night banquet Tuesday of the Kings Mountain Jaycees. Several Plan Gotham Trip Several Kings Mountain citi zens are anticipating an industry hunting expedition to New York in late February. Occasion for the expedition is a “North Carolina Day” luncheon of the New York Sales Execu tive Club, at which Governor Terry Sanford will be the chief speaker. Pat Spangler, chairman of the Shelby Chamber of Commerce in dustrial committee, in outlining plans for the trip here recently, said some 150 firms in New York have indicated to the State De partment of Conservation and Development an interest in locat ing plants in North Carolina. Mr. Spangler, Kings Mountain and Shelby concrete manufac turer, was among a group of North Carolinians who made a similar venture to Europe several weeks ago. Anticipating the New York trip from Kings Mountain are Charles E. Dixon, Drace M. Peeler, John A. Cheshire, L. E. Hinnant, Mayor Kelly Dixon, Glee E. Bridges, and J. Wilson Crawford. Post 15S Tops Quota . Kings Mountain Poet 155 of The American Legion has ex ceeded its membership Incentive Goal for 1963 according to in formation received here from State Headquarters of ’The American Legion in Raleigh. J. E Rheg, Commander of the Post, has received a letter from the Legion State Adjutarb Nash McKee expressing congratula tions and thanks to the member ship chairman, Post Office, and membership workers for their ef fort. 'Leslie R. Brady, Sr„ of New ton, iN. C. Department Com mander of The America* Legion, issued a statement of high praise for the local Post Commander Brady said, “1 am proud to congratulate the officers and members of Post 155 upon this notable achieve ment. All of the programs and services of the Legion are made possible through dues paid tor membership, and we appreciate the great part played by Post No. 155 of Kings Mountain. Sin cere thanks to every member of the Post who had a part in the membership work” The Inceptive Goal of Post 155 is 361, and the membership for 1963 to date is 361. Incentive Goals are assigned each Ameri can Legion Post by the State Headquarters and are baaed on last year’s membership of the Post plus 2 per rent, “We do not Intend to stop our membership drive now that we have reached our Incentive Goal,” Post Commander Rhea said. ‘‘There are many more eli gible veterans who have not yet joined our Post, ar.d we invite them all to become members.” State President Bosses' Night Banquet Speaker Kings Mountain’s Young Man of the Year for 1962 will be an nounced at Tuesday night’s Ban quet of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. John L. Kennedy of Fayette ville^ state president of the North Carolina Jaycees, will make the principal address anr announce the winner of the an nual distinguished service award. Nominations were accepted from the general public. The winner, to be selected by a sec ret committee of citizens over 35, will be the ninth recipient of the award here. The Jaycee award is presented to a young man, age 21 to 35, who has made outstanding contributions to the general community wel fare, has shown evidence of leadership ability and evidence of personal and business prog ress. Foirmer winners have been B. S. Peeler, Jr., Grady K. How ard, Everette L. Carlton, Bob Maner, Charles E. Dixon, Sam Stallings, Charles Blanton and Otis Falls, Jr. Jaycee President Kennedy, head of the Number One Jay cee state in the nation, is also president of the Fayetteville Board of Realtors. He has serv ed as past president of the Mus ical Arts Guild of Fayetteville, chairman of the Cumberland County American Red Cross chapter, and director of the Fay ettevile Chamber of Commerce. On a local, state, and national Jaycee level, he has served in many capacitiee, having set a record in membership increase as president of the Fayetteville Jaycees. Kennedy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina, was an enlisted man in the U. S. Army during the Korean conflict. He is mar ried and a deacon in the First Baptist church in Fayetteville. During the remainder of the Jaycee year, Kennedy will direct the more than 9500 Jaycees ac ross North Carolina towards their goal of being recognized the best Jaycee state in the U. S. for the second consecutive year. Tuesday night’s program be gins at 7 p. m. at the Woman’s cldn. Employers of Jaycees will be special guests. TO ATTEND DINNER Mayor Kelly Dixon will attend the Burke Coumy Lincoln Day dinner, to be held by Burke Re publicans at Morganton on Feb ruary 23. Congressman Frank Bow, of Ohio, will make the key note address. SPEAKER — Congressman Basil L Whitener will deliver the prin cipal address at Sunday after noon ceremonies dedicating the Kings Mountain Army National Guard Armory. Ice Causes Death, Injuries Partially ice-glazed roads, sidewalks and walkways proved perilous to many and injurious to some Saturday night and Sunday morning. A wreck, credited to ice, cost the life of a Gastonia citizen, George Lambert, on 1-85, near the N. C. 216 intersection, Sat urday night. Several other auto accidents resulted. J. Ft. Davis, Kings Mountain attorney, suffered hip fractures in a fall Sunday morning. Marvin Goforth, well-known farmer, suffered two cracked ribs in a Sunday morning fall. Miss Lillian Plonk, of Ashe ville, suffered a broken arm in a fall following the wedding of a niece shortly after noon Sat urday. Grady Howard, hospital ad ministrator, said several week end admislons were attributed to falls on the ice and that X-ray technicians were kept busy checking for possible in juries to several citizens. Many suffered falls, by their own testimony, had no injuries and could laugh about it. Water Plant Operation Good A recent State Board of Health inspection of Kings Mountain’s water filtering plant showed operations good in all categories. Several recommendations were made for comparatively minor plant improvements. The report recommended: 1) Overhauling of valves; 2) sand-blasting and painting of wash troughs to eliminate rust; 3) removal of a brick wall to eliminate flow problems in filt ers; 4) consideration of lower ing of the effluent' wire to per mit lowering of water level in basins to stop trapping of leaves and other debris in each settling basin. GOSPEL SINGING The Melody Quartet, the Wes leyaneers and other gospel sing ing groups will participate in a gospel sing Sunday afternoon be ginning at 2 o’clock at E. Gold Street Wesleyan Methodist church, the pastor. Rev. C.. R. Goodson, has announced. Truitte In Custody In Kentucky, Charged With Many Felonies TTiere [ Jimmy Truitte, charged with armed robbery of East King Es so station here on January 9, is in the custody of law enforce ment officers of Harlan County, Ky., titty police have been noti fied. Chief Paul Sanders, who had forwarded warrants for Truitte’s arrest to Harlan and two other Kentucky counties, said he was informed that Truitte was appre hended and arrested prior to ar rival of the Kings Mountain war rants. Truitte was an escapee from a Harlan prison. Chief Sanders said he was al so informed: Truitte fi.-st dedioed to waive extradition to North Carolina, then confessed to breakink, en tering and robbery “all over Har lan county”, implicated seven or eight others in the several rob beries, agreed to sign extradition papers, then declined against a gree to extradition. (Latest word from the Kentuc ky officers, Chief Sanders said, is that Truitte is again indicating a willingness to return for trial here. “If not,’’ Chief Sanders added, ‘‘we’ll start legal procedures to obtain his extradition this week end.” Partner in the East King early morning hold-up was Jimmy Eugene Hopper, who gave h.m self up to Rutherfo.dton police, was returned here and hanged himself with his small belt in ci ty Jail. Hopper had implicated Truitte and said Truitte left him near Shelby when the car stalled. Rutherford police, Chief San ders said, have a different ver sion. The car was wrecked near Rutherfordton. Two sets of foot prints we e found at the scene of the wrecked car, indicating the pair remaied together util the ac cident. Police theorize that Hop wanted to give up, Truitte not a gseeing. Truitte, it is theorized, gave Hopper five dollars of the 5110 stolen from East King Es so, keeping the balance and the 32-caliber pistol. The five dollars was Jh Hop per’s wallet when he gave him self up. i Basil Whitener To Give Address; Public Invited Kings Mountain’s lArmy Na tional Guard Armory will bo dedicated at formal public cere monies Sunday afternoon begin ning at 2 o’clock. Basil L. Whitener, of Gastonia, veteran United States Congre ss man, will deliver the dedicatory address. Other details of the dedicatory ceremony announced this week by First Lieutenant Ronald Da vid Kincaid, commanding officer of the Kings Mountain unit, Com pany D, 105th Engineer Battalion include: Porting of the colors by the company. Invocation by Captain J. E. Weyland, Jr., chaplain of tiie 105th Engineer Battalion. Presentation <5f State Sen ator Robert F. Morgan by Major Samuel Humes Houston, batta lion training officer and for ma ny years cammanding officer of the Kings Mountain company. Presentation of Congressman Whitener by Senator Morgan. Presentation of distinguished guests by Lt. Kincaid. After retiring of colors. Mayor Kelly Dixon will present a flag to the company, which will raise it. Chaplain Weyland will say a benediction. The dedicatory ceremony is scheduled for one hour, and the National Guard company will hold open house from 3 to 5 p. m. Prior to the dedication cere mony the Kings Mountain high school band, directed by Joe Hedden, will present a concert starting at 1:30. Work has been underway for the past several weeks on the program details and in decorat ing the new armory, completed las: year. Located at the coiner of West Mountain street and Phifer Hoad, the building represents an invest ment or about $140,000, built with federal, state, city and coun ty funds. “Kings Mountain's National Guard company extends a cordi al invitation to all citizens to at tend the dedicatory ceremonies and to inspect the armory, of which the company is quite proud,” Lt. Kincaid stated. Rites Thursday For Quinn Wells Funeral rites Jor Quinn Wells'* 63, will be held Thursday after noon at 3:30 p. m. from Dixon ! Presbyterian church. | The body will remain at Harris I Funeral Home unLil 2:30 and will lie-in-state at the church 30 min iutes before the rites Rev. James :S. Mann will officiate, and ma ! sonic burial will be made in An I tioch cemetery. Mir. Wells, Dixon community farmer, died suddenly Tuesday morning about 3 o’clock of a heart attack. He had been in de clining health the past several years. A native of Cleveland | County, he was a son of the late Aaron and Jane McCarter Wells. He was a member of Antioch Baptist church and of Grover Ma sonic Lodge, Stateline Lodge No. 379 AF&AM. Twice married, his first wife, Made Byars Wells, died in 1936. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Hattie Vienna Slaughter Wells; two sons, Harold Wells of Kings MIountain and A. L. Wells of San Francisco, Calif ; one daughter, Mrs. Paul Dudas of Charleroi, Pa., six brothers, Whitney Wells, Earl Wells, Wayne Wells and Hunter Wells, all of K ngs Moun tain, Harley Wells of Washing ton, D. C., and Dailey Wells of Virginia; one sister, Mrs. Basil Francis of Blacksburg, S. C., nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. Tax Listing D-Day Is Thursday, 31st Thursday is the final day to list taxes — minus penalty for late-listing. City and county tax listing officials, who worked over-time Wednesday, said they felt the big annual chore was near complete, though they expect ed a very busy final day cn Thursday. All persons are required to list properties for ad valorem taxes in January.