Population
Greater Kings Mountain 21,914
* City Limits 8,256
The Cre.iter Kings Mountain figure Is derived from the
special United States Bureau of the Census report o
January 1966, and includes the 14,990 population o
Number 4 Township, and the remaining 6,124 fron
Number 5 Township, in Cleveland County and Crowder'
Mountain Township in Gaston County.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, October 19, 1967
Pages
Today
VOL. 79 — No. 42
Established 1889
Seventy-Eignth Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
Savings & loan
Taps Thomson
As President
Joe Thomson, assistant treas
urer of Neisler Brothers for more
than 40 years, has been elected
president of Home Savings &
Loan Association succeeding the
late Dr. J. E. Anthony.
The board of directors this week
named Mr. Thomson president
and elevated Secretary - Treas
urer Tom Tate to the position of
executive vice-president.
Mr. Thomson is the associa
tion’s third president. The late
Dr. O. G. Falls was president
from 1923-1930. Dr. Anthony be
came associaion president in
1930, served until his death Sep
tember 20.
A former mayor of Kings
( Mountain, Mr. Thomson has serv
ed as a director of Home Savings
k- Loan for a number of years. A
"native of Union, S. C., he came to
Kings Mountain as a Southern
Railway agent, subsequently
joined Neisler Mills, textile firm.
He is a ruling elder in First Pres
byterian church.
Mrs. Thomson is the former
Irma Willeford of Kings Moun
tain, retired East school principal.
I
PROMOTED — Jim Heavner.
formerly of Kings Mountain,
has been named vice-president
and manage of the Village
Broadcasting company of Chop*
el Hill.
Jim Heavner
Wins Promotion
James A, (Jim) Heavner has
been named Vice-President and
Manager of the Village Broad
casting Company, operator of
Chapel Hill Radio Station WCHL,
ip an announcement by Roland
McClamroch, president of the
corporation.
Mr. Heavner first joined WCHL
in 1957 while a stuednt at the
University of North Carolina.
After working as a staff an
nouncer for Durham television
station WTVD and a public rela
tions manager for a group of
Eastern North Carolina bowling
firms, he returned to WCHL as
Sales Manager and Assistant
General Manager in 1961.
Mr. McClamroch, who has been
the station’s manager since its
beginning in 1953, will continue
to guide the company’s rapidly
expanding developmental opera
tions.
Mr. Heavner is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Plato Heavner of 816
Cleveland Avenue in Kings
Mountain and a 1957 graduate of
Kings Mountain high school. He
|s married to the former Phyllis
Ifcolclough of Durham, and they
are the parents of two girls,
Marylou, 6, and Casey, 2.
Cletus Long's
Rites Contacted
Funeral rites for Cletus Long,
72, were held Monday at 4 p.m.
from East Gold Street Wesleyan
Methodist church, interment fol
lowing in Mountain Rest ceme
tery.
Mr. Long died Saturday at 4:45
p.m. in the Kings Mountain hos
pital after several month’s ill
ness.
A native of union uouniy, nc
was son of the late Mr. and Mrs.
Franklin Long. He was a former
employee of Sadie Cotton Mills
and a veteran of World War 1
army service.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Novella McEntire Long; one son,
James Long of Kings Mountain;
two brothers, Ben F. Long of
Spartanburg, S. C. and Dewitt
Long of Kings Mountain; a
grandson, Donald Long of Kings
Mountain; and a greatgrand
child.
A second Son, S/Sgt. Winfield
Long, was killed in 1943. S/Sgt.
kLong was a tailgunner on a B-24
Fwhich destroyed an airbase at
Polesti, Rumania.
Rev. Edwin Chrisco, assisted
by Rev. Darrell Coble and Rev.
Gene Wall, officiated at the final
rites.
SPEAKER — Lt. Governor Rob
ert W. (Bob) Scott will make
the principal addrecs at the
annual meeting of the Cleve
land County Farm Bureau on
Thursday night, October 26, at
7 p.m. at Brackett's Cedar Park,
according to announcement by
William Lawrence Plonk of
Kings Mountain, a member of
the Farm Bureau.
Scott To Speak
To Faim Bureau
North Carolina Lieutenant Gov
ernor Robert W. (Bob) Scott of
Raleigh will make the principal
address at the annual meeting of
the Cleveland County Farm Bu
reau.
The dinner meeting will be
held on Thursday, October 26, at
7 p.m. at Brackett’s Cedar Park
near Polkville.
Area farmers and their guests
should make reservations by
Monday with Mrs. Joe K. Davis,
chairman of the arrangements
committee. T. Z. Hord is Farm
Bureau president.
The dinner meeting will be a
dutch affair at $1.60 per plate. A
program of entertainment is also
planned.
We re Slifl Working
On Plans: Dickey
Massachusetts Mohair Plant
Company officials have been or
dered to appear at a November
17 hearing in Raleigh to deter
mine if they should be ordered
to construct a waste treatment
facility at the Margrace plant.
The hearing will be held before
the N. C. Water and Air Resources
Board.
Jim Dickey, manager of the
plant, said yesterday, "We are
still working on plans and after
next week we expect to have them
complete. They ate not yet ready
to submit to the state board.’’
Under a schedule proposed by
the textile company, the waste
treatment facility was to have
been completed and in operation
by January 1, 1968.
W. E. Knighte of the state
board’s administrative depart
ment said the Kings Mountain
firm has. submitted no plans.
Knight said the hearing will be
held to determine whether the
firm should be ordered to con
struct the required waste treat
ment facility. . ,
LODGE MEETING
Regular communication of
Fairview Lodge 339 AF&AM
will be held Monday night at
7:30 at Masonic Hall, Secre
tary T. D. Tindall has announ
ced.
Nursing Center StockSalesReach$6600
KM Mall Preview On Today’s Agenda
Dr. L P, Baker’s
Rites On Friday
Kings Mountain
Dentist Succumbs
Heze Wednesday
Dr. Luther Philip Baker, 83,
Kings Mountain dentist since
1907, died Wednesday morning at
5:15 a.m. after several months of
declining health.
He had been hospitalized at
Kings Mountain hospital the past
two weeks.
Funeral rites will be held Fri
day morning at 11 a.m. from St.
Matthew’s Lutheran church. The
body will remain at Harris Fun
eral Home until 9 a.m. Friday
when it will lie-in-state at the
home at 608 N. Piedmont avenue.
His pastor, Rev. Charles Easley
will officiate at the final rites
and interment will be in Moun
tain Rest cemetery.
Dr. Baker, a native of Kings
Mountain, began the practice of
dentistry in Kings Mountain in
1907, the second dentist to open
an office here for the practice of
dental medicine. He was educat
ed at Lenoir Rhyne college, Van
derbilt University and the Uni
versity of Maryland.
A life-member of the American
Dental Association, he was also
a member of the North Carolina
Dental Society. He was a director
and vice-president of Kings Moun
tain Savings & Loan Association
which honored him recently for
30-year service as a director
and presented him an emblem
from the North Carolina Savings
League. He was a director of First
Union National Bank and active
in St. Matthew’s Lutheran church.
He was also a member of the
Cleveland County Board of
Health.
Chairman of Kings Mountain
Board of Education for 20 years,
from 1931-51, he was also a Ma
son and a Shriner. He retired from
his dental practice in 1964.
Son of the late Philip S. and
Ellen Patterson Baker of Kings
Mountain, Dr. Baker married Miss
Mayme Polyette in 1912. He is
survived by his wife; one daugh
ter, Mrs. Leonard Fulford of
Knoxville, Tennessee; four sons,
Philip Baker, Jr., Dr. R. N. Baker
and Dr. Thomas P. Baker, all of
Kings Mountain, and Richard
Baker of Rock Hill, S. C.; ia broth
er, Fred Baker of Atianta, Ga.;
and two sisters, Mrs. H. Tom Ful
ton, Sr. of Kings Mountain and
Mrs. Pearl Turner of Charlotte.
Also surviving are 10 grandchil
dren and two great-grandchil-.
dren. v
School Board Is Studying Plans
For New North School Addition
IN WHO'S WHO—Coral Ram
ieur, Kings Mountain senior
student at Queen's college in
Charlotte, has been selected for
inclusion in the 1967-68 edition
of Who’s Who Among Students
In American Colleges and Uni
versities. The volume, issued
annually, lists outstanding sen
iors in colleges and universi
ties throughout the United Stat
es. Miss Ramseur is daughter
of Mrs. W. L. Ramseur and the
late Dr. Ramseur.
Preliminary plans for a pro
posed 12-classroom addition to
North school were being studied
at presstime Wednesday by the
city board of education.
Monday night the education
board labeled as "too high” cost
estimates of Architect Euigene
Warren of Charlotte. Price tag
for the project is estimated to
cost between $415,000 and $425,
000.
Building of the new addition
was tentatively aproved in Sep
tember but cost was expected to
be $100,000 or less. >
Board members were pleased
with the plans, as outlined by
the architectural firm of Wilber,
Kendrick, Workman and Warren,
as was Supt. Donald Jones.
‘There is much merit to a fa
cility like this”, commented the
superintendent. “It could be util
ized for our summer programs
algo and is much more than a 12
room addition. It will bring about
a better Instructional program",
said Supt. Jones.
Labeled as experimental and
a “first” for Kings Mountain dis
trict schools are a projected class
room cluster and a demonstra
tion library.
Drawings of the proposed one
story addition to be built at the
north end of the existing school
structure on Ramseur street en
(Continued on Page 81
SUCCUMBS - Dr. Luther Philip
Baker, 83. Kings Mountain den
tist for 60 years, died Wednes
day morning. Funeral rites will
be held Friday morning at 11
from St Matthew's Lutheran
church.
C Of C Opens
CUnicThnrsday ;
Kings, Mountain Chamber of
Commerce, in cooperation with
Southern Bell Telephone Com
pany, will sponsor a telephone
clinic Thursday and Friday at the
Burlington Yarn general office
on Phenix street.
The clinic is free to the inter
ested public. To be presented in
two identical sessions, beginning
at 2 p.m. each day, the clinic
will feature a two-and-one-half
hour discussion and film showing
telephone courtesy, projecting
pleasantness, the art of handling
complaints, how to improve voice
quality, questions and answers,
and the sound of efficiency.
Reservations are not necessary
for the clinics, Chamber Presi
dent W. S. Fulton, Jr. said in \
making the announcement.
Sisk: No Comment
On City Suit
Frank Sisk, Kings Mountain
Bessemer City funeral director,
said yesterday he does not plan
to meet Tuesday night with the
city board of commissioners to
discuss results of a civil litiga
tion tried in Cleveland Superior
Court last wek in which Mrs. Zeb
Grigg was awarded $10,000 judg
ment against Mr. Sisk.
To a reportorial question, ‘‘Do
you plan to file suit against the
City of Kings Mountain”, Mr. Sisk
said, ‘‘no comment.”
Mr. Sisk said he has appealed
the case to the State Supreme
Court and has been advised the
case will be docketed in the Feb
ruary session.
“I am not guilty of the charg
es. I feel like the Supreme Court
will throw the case out and I
will fight the charges to the ful
lest extent”, Sisk said.
The suit arose over the oues
tion of depth of the grave of Mrs.
Grigg’s husband. After the bur
ial, it was charged, the vault
housing the casket protruded
above the ground. Mrs. Grigg
sought $175,000.
Mr. Sisk told the Herald he felt
-the City of Kings Mountain is li
able for all or part of the dam
ages, if any liability exists.
The city owns Mountain Rest
cemetery, where Mr. Grigg was
interred, sells lots, and digs
graves.
Mr. Sisk contends there is no
ruling on how deep a grave shall
be. He said he questioned why
suit was not filed by the Grigg
family until nearly three years
after the burial.
Meantime, he said he has clos
ed his business here and has
posted a for sale sign at 309 E.
King street. He said he will con
tinue tb operate his business in
Bessemer City.
Mall Officers,
Directors
To View Plans
A representative of Reynolds
Metal Company will meet this
morning (Thursday) at 10 a.m.
with officers and directors of
Kings Mountain Mall, Inc. to in
terpret for them the company’s
idea of how the finished Chero
kee Street Mall will look.
Announcement was made by
Robert Powell, attorney for the
Kings Mountain Mall, Inc., who
invited other interested area citi
zens to attend the meeting in the
conference room of Kings Moun
tain Savings & Loan Association.
Mr. Powell said that represen
tatives of the Reynolds Company,
looking at the site for the pro
posed mall, are impressed with
its natural potential for a shop
ping complex.
Meantime, negotiations were
continuing with property owners
for two remaining options requir
ed for the south side mall on
Cherokee street.
The two remaining options de
sired are from David R. Hamrick
for the 50 x 60 foot lot occupied
by the building housing Saun
ders Cleaners and Stowe Radio
and Television Service 'and from
Mrs. E. C. Cooper for the building
housing Sudie’s Beauty Shop; Mr.
Saunders acquired last month a
five-year lease on the portion of
the building he occupies.
Staking Oil Line
For Sewer Underway
Engineers were staking off the
sewer line from Phefrix street to
the McGill Treatment Plant this
week.
Construction of the new line is
expected to begin next week, ac
cording to report of City Public
Works Supt. Grady C. Yelton.
Commission Sets
Meeting Tonight
A joint meeting of Cleveland
County commissioners and boards
of education from the three school
systems of the county will be
held Thursday (tonight) at 7:30
in the Cleveland County court
house in Shelby.
The meeting has been called
by the county commission in an
initial step toward merging the
county school systems.
Prospects for consolidation and
what plans should be made
should the systems be merged are
to be discussed the commission
ers, the superintendents of Cleve
land County, Shelby and Kings
Mountain schools and boards of
education members.
One of the major differences
between the three-and possibly a
stumbling block to consolidation,
is a special tax in Shelby and
Kings Mountain for teacher - sal
ary supplements.
Shelby has a 40-cent tax and
Kings Mountain a 25-cent tax.
The county system pays no sup
plement.
Members of the Kings Moun
tain board of education, along
with Supt. Donald Jones, will at
tend Thursday’s meeting.
Crav ford To Head
KM United Fund
Bob Southwell
Fund Chairman
For '68 Appeal
W. Donald Crawford, Kings
Mountain post office employee,
has been elected president of the
1968 Kings Mountain United Fund
and Robert O. (Bob) Southwell,
automobile dealer, will serve as
campaign chairman.
Officers and directors of the
United Fund will meet Friday at
12 noon at Kings Mountain Coun
try Club to adopt a budget and
map the annual campaign.
Members of the budget com
mittee, of which Grady Howard
is chairman, will meet Thursday
(tonight) at 8:30 in the offices
of Home Savings & Loan Associa
tion to hear budget requests from
the various agencies. The budget
committee, which also includes
Tom Tate, John Cheshire and
Charles Mauney, will present rec
ommendations to the board of di
rectors at Friday’s luncheon meet
ing of the group.
New directors include Mr. How
ard, Jay Keeter, Joe Smith, Mrs.
Raymond Holmes, Mrs. Sam Rob
inson, Richard MaXey, Larry
Hamrick, Bill Brown, Mr. Chesh
ire, Charles Blanton, Charles
Mauney and Haroid Coggins.
Kings Mountain JC's
Postpone Barbecue
Jaycee Barbecue Sale Chair
man, Bob Myers, regretfully an
nounces that due to circum
stances beyond our control we
are forced to postpone our bar
becue sale slated for Friday
and Saturday, October 20 and
21.
The new scheduled date will
be November 10 and 11.
School Building
Has "New Look"
The superintendent’s build
ing on E. Ridge street has a
new look.
Charleston - green louvers,
carpeted floors and a renovated
conference room are features of
the renovations.
A long table salvaged from
the old Davidson building has
been refinished with a formica
top with black upholstered
chairs newly-painted chairs.
Gold corduroy drapes are be
ing made to enhance the min
gled bronze, brown and gold
carpet.
The exterior of the building
has been painted white.
Board members voted recent
ly to install central heating in
the building.
Morale 01 Troops In Vietnam
Is Good, Says Sgt. lames House
NEW RECRUITER — Newly
appointed Cleveland - Gaston
Counties Army Recruiter Sgt. :
James House was guest speak- ;
er at Tuesday night's meeting 1
ol Jaycees.
/
Morale of American troops in i
Vietnam is very high, S/SG James
House told Kings Mountain Jay
cees Tuesday night.
The newly-appointed Army re
cruiting sergeant for Gaston and
Cleveland Counties is just back
from a year’s duty in Vietnam'.
Sgt. House, his wife, the former
Faye Carriga/i, and their three
daughters have occupied a home
at 316 Fulton street here.
“We know what we're fighting
for in Vietnam”, said Sgt. House.
He continued, “The American
soldier in Vietnam is well taken
care of with the mostup-to-date
equipment available.”
“What pleases a young man
the most in Vietnam is receiving
a gift package, reading ma
terial, a letter from some club or
individual in the states”, said the
sergeant. “This means a lot to
the boys and they know someone
here at home cares”, Sgt. House1
added.
Sgt. House praised the Ameri-1
can troops in Vietnam. He used:
(Continued on Page Eight)
PRESIDENT—W. Donald Craw
ford will serve as president of
Kings Mountain United Fund
for the coming year.
MayoiTo Atlanta
For Conference
Mayor John Henry Moss will be
I in Atlanta, Ga. Thursday (today)
conferring with officials of- the
Department of Housing and Ur
1 ban Development (HUD) on four
community projects.
To be reviewed are the $3 mil
lion Kings Mountain Buffalo
Creek Water Project plans; the
plans for upgrading of the pro
jected downtown business dis
trict; the proposed Kings Moun
tain Neighborhood Facility; and
Urban Renewal projects.
CITY COMMISSION
Regular meeting of the city
board of commissioners will be
held Tuseday at 6:30 p.m. at
City Hall courtroom. Business of
the agenda will include receiv
ing of bids for several pieces of
equipment, a front end loader
and a city police car.
Chif Of Nunes
Says Facility
Plan Looks Good
Sale of stock in Kings Moun
tain Convalescent Center and
Nursing Center, Inc. reached
$6600 Wednesday afternoon as
Attorney Robert Powell reported
additional stock subscriotion of
$1,000.
Members of the board of direc
tors conferred with Gordon Poole,
chief of the nursing home section
of the N. C. Board of Health, on
preliminary sketches of the pro
posed facility yesterday and were
offered his assistance in finaliz
ing architectural drawings.
“It looks good", Mr. Poole told
the directors assembled at First
Union National Bank conference
room.
Mr. Powell said next step after
securing operating capital is to
pay for the building site and
hire an architect.
“Since stock sales are going
real well", said Powell," we
hope to be able to employ an
architect by the end of Decem
ber.
“It is the aim of the corpora
tion", said Powell, “to provide
Kings Mountain with a privately
owned, financed and operated
nursing facility available to all.”
Joe R. Smith is corporation
president.
Hites Thursday
For W. D. Werner
Funeral rites for Willard D.
Werner, 57, of 507 Crescent Hill
Drive, will be held Thursday (to
day) at 4 p.m. from Central
Methodist church.
The rites will be conducted by
the D. B. Alderman. The body
will lie in state from 3:30 until
4:00, after which burial will be
in Mountain Rest Cemetery.
Mr. Werner died at Kings Moun
tain hospital at 12:15 a.m. Tues
day morning after an illness of
several years. He was a native
of Minnesota, formerly employed
by Bridges Auto Parts, and was
a member of Central Methodist
church.
Surviving are his wife, Geral
dine Kramer Werner; his mother,
Mrs. Jacob Werner of Leesburg,
Florida; one son, Glenn Werner
of Miami, Florida; one daughter,
Mrs. Ronald Hegdahl of Green
Bay, Wisconsin; and one sister,
Mrs. Robert McCullers of Lees
burg, Florida. Also, surviving are
three grandchildren.
EDITORIAL COMMENT
County Water Role
Years ago the Herald viewed with some alarm the coun
ty’s going into the water line business.
Did the county commission realize that once in the water
line business the county was/is morally required to serve all?
After reading the Herald editorial, the late Commissioner
Hazel Bumgardner paid call and assured he and his confreres
well understood what they were doing.
The move was dictated by the need for jobs for Cleveland
County citizens. No less than 700 persons were leaving Shelby
daily for employment elsewhere. Claims for unemployment
compensation in the Kings Mountain area alone were averaging
700-800 per week.
Later boards sought to escape the moral debt by declaring
the county “out of the water business.”
With Shelby and Kings Mountain serving about 10,500
water customers today and the county serving none, it would
seem the county’s role in water distribution in the immediate
future should be limited to line laying.
There have been arguments during the years over question
of which agency, county or water seller, should maintain coun
ty owned lines.
Our memory is that the county has paid the bills for
maintenance which may not be fair since the county receives
no revenue from water sales.
Again, We Can Pay
In a feature in Saturday’s Shelby Daily Star labeled a
“news analysis”, Reporter Bill Dover again cast doubts on Kings
Mountain’s ability to pay for the proposed water system expan
sions. t
The “how" hasn’t been detailed, Mr. Dover charges.
It’s been detailed to many folk.
The economic feasibility study projects paying for the
system via increased water rates and imposition of a sewage
fee.
As Mr. Dover notes, general obligation bonds are being
issued because the sell at cheap interest cost is important since
the projection is a 30-year issue.
Reporter Dover may not understand the repayment but
W. E. Easterling, the secretary, and other members of the Local
Government Commission do.
There are folk who count on issuing bonds.
Again, we can repay.
Martin Harmon