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Fopnlation
Greater Kings Mountain
City Limits
21.914
8.465
rba Or«ot«r Xlngi Mountain Itguro is derived from tho
bpeciai Untted SiOtes Bureau of the Ceniue report of
lanuary* 1966, ond includes the 14,990 population of
Number 4 Township, and the remoinlng 6,124 from
Number 5 Township, in Cleveland County ond Crowders
Mountain Township In Gaston County.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
VOL. 84 No. 34
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C,, Thursday, August 23, 1973
PRICE TEN CENTS
Eighty-Fourth Year
Davis Challenging
Over 4,100 Students Report
Opening'Smooth';
igCrading Begins
For Junior High
School “officially" began to
day for over 4,100 students in
tne Kings Mountain district.
Orientation was held Wednes
day morning at the district’s five
elementary schools, as well as
Central Junior High, Kings
Mountain High School and the
Early Childhood Education Cen
ter at Comipact.
Slept. Don Jones said that the
, ofjening was "smooth" and that
' he doesn’t foresee any major
, changes due to overcrowded
classrooms, etc.
One addition to the programs
at three schools this year are
state-supported kindergarten pro
grams. I'hose programs are locat
ed at Grover and North elemen
tary schools and the Early Child
hood Education Center with 24
students enrolled in each class,
Jones pointed out that it’s the
aim of the state board of educa
tion to have state-supported kin-
I <lergarten programs tor all five
year olds by 1978.
Jones said that kindergarten
and first grade students w.ill be
released at 12 noon each day un
til after the Labor Day break.
Full school days, he added,
will operate during the follow
ing hours: 8:30 a.m. untM 2:45
pjm. for kindergarten through
« »rade six; 8:30 a.m. until 2:51
».m, for Central Junior High
School: and 8:30 a.m. until 3:o-
p.m. for Kings Mountain High
School.
Meanwhile, grading work has
begun at the site of the new jun
ior high school, which is hoped to
be completed in time for the
start of the 1974-75 si'hool year.
Improvements at several ele
mentary schools and construction
of an auditorium at Kings Moun
tain High School are also on the
building plans for the near fu
ture. .
Steel contracts have been left
but Supt. Jones pointed out at
■Monday's monthly meeting of
the board of education that un-
lt*ss the delivery date is quick
ened, it could delay the start of
actual construction.
Jones pointed out that the
board hopes to let building con
tracts early in September.
In addition to the three state-
supported kindergarten programs,
Kings Mountain will have two
Title I kindergartens and two
yt?ar-round Head Start progralms.
Jones pointed out that all oI
thc’se progralms comibined serve
approximately 50 percent of tfhe
five year olds in the Kings Moun
tain school district.
Ourriculum changes have been
held to a minimum since the
schools in general, and KMHS in
particular, featured many sub-
• ject changes last year.
"We did a lot as far as curricu
lum changes last year," pointed
out Jones, “so this year there
will be very feiw changes. We
may have more team teaching,
but this wii'll be left up to the
individual schools and teachers."
The faculty has been complete
for several weeks.
Eimtr Lumber Co. Closing
After 53 Years In Bunness
By GRACE HAMRICK
Elmer Lumber Company, very
muL*h a part of the economy pic
ture of Kings Mountain for more
than half a century, is going out
oi business.
D. M. Peeler and B. S. Peeler,
Jr., owners oi the company, have
announced that the scarcity of
materials and narrow margin of
profits, plus inflated prices,
orought on the decision to close
down the business. The 15 acres
of property, all buildimgs and
equipment will be offered for
sale with the National Sales Sys
tem of New York, represented by
Leon Shaw, already in Kings
.Mountain to help organize tne
sale. It is expected to take 30
to 60 days to finalize all transac
tions.
Founded in Decembi'r 1920 by
J. B. Thomasson, there were 13
original stockholders, including
Mr. Thomasson. Others were: W.
F. Peterson, J. P. Kiser, E. L,
Campbell, John O. Plonk, J. H.
Lloyd, P. D. Herndon B. D. Rat-
.tiree, M. Elmer Herndon, J. H.
Joiirage, Harry Falls, M. L. Plonk
.md L. A. Kiser.
And how did the company get
its name?
B, S. (Sonny) Peeler says the
original stockholders got together
to establish the company and
when the question of what to call
it came about they put Ux?
names of all stockholders in a
.lat, pulled one out, and it be
longed to the late M. Elmer
Herndon . . .thus the firm’s naime
of Elmer Lumber Company was
born.
Charles F. Thomasson joined
the company in 1924, followed in
December 1927 by B. S. Peeler,
Sir. Drace M. Peeler joined his
lather in 1944 and B. S.., Jr. in
1949 with the two brothers be
coming sole owners in 1972.
An integral part of the local
business district, the company
has carried a complete line of
building materials, millwork,
paint and hardware.
Doomed in the 1940’s with World
War II and its biggest cohiiract
came in 1942 when the company
manufactured all window screens
tor Fort Bragg, and Ft. Jackson,
3. C.
Also in the 40’s, the business
Board Votes
Lunch Increase
The Kings Mountain district
board of education J^onday night
voted unanimou-sly * to increase
the price of school ' lunches by
five cents a plate aqd there was
some speculation that another in
crease would be necessai7 by the
first of January.
The increase hiked the price
of elementary student lunches to
45 cents, junior and senior high
lunches to 50 cents and adult
lunches to 55 cents.
Mrs. Martha Wright, director of
school food services, pointed oiit
that an increase was necessary
due to the continuing increase
in food costs. It marked the
second straight year the board
has had to increase lunch prices.
The board also talked about
the possibility of a milk substi
tute should the schooLs be un
able to obtain enough milk, but
no action was taken.
In other action, the board:
^ Continued On Paye bliyht
Betired Foreman
Oi Street Dept.
Dies Thursday
Funeral services for WHlie Lee
Eriwood, 75, of 210 S. Oriental
Avenue, were conducted Saturday
at 2 p.m. at Sisk Funeral Home
with interment following in
Mountain Rest Cemetery,
Son of the late Eklward and
Sphia Harry Brwood, he died at
11:30 a.m. Thursday at Kings
Mountain Hospital. He was re-!
tired foreman of the City of
Kings Mountain Street Depart-
iment.
Survivors include his widow,
Mrs. Gertrude Jones ErwooU;
three daughters, Mrs. Juanita Le-
gan of Greenville, S. C., Mrs. J.
C. Lynn and Mirs. Donald Martin
of Kings Mountain; one stepson,
Carl Cj-eedmore of Gastonia;
three brothers, Jack, Harry and
Livingstone Erwood bf Valdese; !
four sisters, Mrs. Erskine Erwood
Owensby of Grovea*, Mrs. Inez Er
wood a;X .Mrs. Imogene Erwood
of Valdese; lil grandchildren;
and four great-grandchildren.
furnished all materials for all
houses on the Plantation Pipe
Line all the way to Louisiana.
Prosperity continued in the 1950’s
when all priority contracts were
given by the government, which
included a number of small
liouscs.
During the 1940’s and ’50’s,
and into the ’GO’s, around 90
persons were emiployed by tlie
plant when lumber manufactur
ing was at its peak. Of the cur
rent 11 employes, all have been
placed in other businesses or
have something in mind to do.
They have known lor three
months that the close-down was ;
coming. i
Among the equipment is an ,
old steam engine, over 1(X) years I
old. Sonny Peeler says, and was j
used to generate steam for all 1
the plant’s machinery.
The old whistle, distinctly re-
mem'bered by old-timers who
used to set their watches and
clacks by it at 7:30 a.m., 12 noon
1 o’clock and 4:30 p.m., has been
in the possession of Sonny Peeler
since it was stilled a few year.s
ago. That piece of history will be
transformed into a lamp, he says.
A complete planing mill is a
mang the sale items, along with
all acreage and buildings on the
.sprawling site at 204 West Ridge
Street.
Asked for his feelings on clos
ing dewn, Sonny said, ‘Tve en
joyed every minute of it and we
appreciate everything folks have
done- for us."
He also said he and his brother
have no immediate plans for the
future.
Moss Supports Ad
For Cities Grants
Mayor John Henry Moss is sup
porting the Better Communities
Xct now before the Senate Hous
ing and Ufban Affairs sub-com
mittee.
If the bill passes as now writ
ten, the city would receive
$881,000 in the first two years
and $600,000 in the third.
The grants would be used for
majority of services, including
police and fire protection, sani
tary sewer and water service,
youth and senior citizen services
and self-help for citizens needing
training or re-training for em
ployment.
The grants would not replace
the present revenue-sharing pro
gram.
Benefits the Mayor forsees are
development and enhance'ment
of a salety program and assur
ance the city could maintain its
present tax rale. |
“In short," he concluded, j
'Hhese grants would enaole j
Kings Mountain to implement a j
program to benefit all its citi- j
zens." !
'He said he had discussed the i
bill with Representative ^im ^
Broyhill and expects to discuss it j
with him turther. 1
Commission
Invites Bids
Kings Mountain Redevelopment
Cemmission is inviting bids on
three parcels in the central busi
ness district redevelopment plan.
Bids will be accepted until 2
o’clock Monday, Seiptemtoer 24 at
the office of the commission in
the basement of city hall.
1) The 41 X 100 foot lot at the
corner of Mountain street and
Battleground avenue, now va
cant, formerly the property of
R’eyster Oil Company and occu
pied by Gamble’s Gulf Service.
2) and 3) (Offered separately)
the propi'rty fronting and Rail
road avenue and City street for
merly occupied by City Ice and
Coal Company.
Good faith deposits of ton per
cent are required with all bids.
'Plans for development of the
projxjrties must accompany bids.
SERMON TOPIC
"God, Man and Forgive less"
will be the topic of Rev. N. C.
Bush’s sermon Sunday morning
at Grace Methodist Church.
Thirty-'five masons from Fair-
view Lodge in Kings Mountain
and their families were special
guests at Grace last Sun^y.
City Schools
Receives Grant
For $19,743
The Kings Mountain c it y
schools have received a quarterly
grant of $19,743 under Part A of
Title I, Elementary and Second
ary Education Act, according
to State School Sup<'rintondent
Craig Phillips. This grant covers
the period from July 1 to Sep-
the period from July 1 to Septem
ber 30, 1973.
According to Harold Webb,
special assistant for Comixnisa-
tory Education for the Slate Eiu*
cation agency, “Title I jirovides
funds to local edu(*ational agen
cies for use in helping to break
the cycle of poverty through
equalization of educational op
portunity. These funds must be
used to expand and improve edu
cational programs coniriruting
to the special nwds of education-
ly deprived children."
'During the 1972-73 school year
the state received $56,260,998 in
Title I, Part A funds. \X the
present time Title I is being
•funded under a continuing resolu
tion and no final determination
has V:een made by Congress
about the total allocation for the
current scjiool year. The state
will receive a total allocation of
$11,529,653 for this first quar
ter.
WCU Graduates
Four In Summer
Commencement
Four from Kings Mountain were
among tho 340 graduates at the
Western Carolina summer com
mencement last weekend when
Dr. Raymond M. Ainsley, head of
the Department of Ad'ministra-
t.ion and Sc'Ikk)! Personnel, ad-
diessed the group.
Local graduates were: Wanda
Kay Bniige.s, who taught school
in Kings Mountain for two years,
and Sara McGill HuLsey, also a
f(»rmer teacher, both master’s de
gree's; Fred Albertu Clcmimer. Jr.,
hu.s'band of the former Carolyn
Imogene Howard; and Jane W.
Yates, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Hugh W. Yates, 403 E. Parked St.,
both bachelor’s degrees.
Jonas Bridges
t wo Arrested
For Possession
91 Marijuana
Kings Mountain police made
wo marijuana arrests during the
week and both caves are set for
he Sept. 6 session of district
ccurt.
Ptl. Garland Edwards, Ptl. Joe
Cing and Ptl. Jimmy Dickey ar-
csted William Parker, 20, of
'he.stnut Ridge Road, Sunday in
the parking lot of the Otis D.
Green Past 155 American Legion
ind charged him with felonious
lossession ol marijuana with in-
ent to distribute.
According tc police, the three
ofticers stopped Parker on ,a rou-
■ine check and found 12.65 grams
of marijuana under the right
ax>nt floor mat.
Officers said two other persons
were with Parker but they
weren’t charged. Parker's free on
a $500 bond.
Possession of more than five
grams of marijuana is a felony.
In a separate incident, Edwards
and Ptl. B. P. Cook charged Eliza
beth Dye of Meadowbrook Road
with simple possession d mari
juana after they stpotted her car
parked on Jackson Street. A male
subject in the Dye car was not
charged.
Miss Dye is free on a $100 bond
awaiting the Sept. € hearing.
Simple possession tl marijuana
is a misdemeanor.
'XL"
W. SEIMORE BIDDIX
Four luveniles
Are Arrested On
Larceny Charge
Two cases of larcenv' involv
ing juveniles were reported by
police this week.
Pt. Donald Ivey reported that
two young black males stole a
iiackle box and rod and reel from
i garage at a home on Cherokee
street last .Thursday night. The
items were valued at $54.
According to police, the items
vvere recovered at Pine Manor
Apartments and juvenile papers
will pra ably be filed against the
pair.
Officers Joe King and Jim Dick
ey reported six or seven young
black males entered Toney's
Uore on Piedmont at 3:30 p. m.
Monday and stole six or seven
Spanish dagger sets. No value
was listed.
King 'and Dickey also reported
\ Sunday assault on Virginia Mo-
ten of Kings Mountain. She was
iTportcdly assaulted at the cor
ner of Watterson and Parker
streets was treated for min
or eye injuries at Kings Moun-
ain hospital.
^ CARROLI. REUNION
The annual Carroll reunion i
will be held Sunday, Sept. 2
at Penley’s Chapel Church.
SERMON TOPIC
"Work Devotion" w'ill be the j
topic of Dr. Paul Ausley’s ser- |
mon Sunday morning at First
Presbyterian Church.
JONAS R. BRIDGES
Damages Result
In Two Cat Flies
City firemen extinguished a
pair of car fires this week, one
resulting in a near total loss of
a Ford LTD.
Firemen received a call Wed
nesday at 11:50 p.m. to Floyd
Street, where an LTD ow’ne<l by
Robert Witherspoon of Concord
was on fire.
Witherspoon told firemen he
had parked the car on the side
of the road while he walked to
a nearby knitting mill. Wither-
spo:m’s young son was left alone
in tlie car and when W’ithers^xxFn
returned a short time later, the
car was on fire.
Tlie inside of tho vehicle was
completely demolished and most
of the body was burned beyond
repair. The motor, firemen said,
wvis dam-agel only slightly.
Firemen had been called to a
car fire at the corner of Cleve
land and Linw(x)d Tuesday at
2:30 p.m. but the owner of the
vehicle was not li.sted on fire ,
ireports. The only damage w-as
to the wiring.
Winners At Harper
Drawing Are Listed
Prize winners at the grand
opening last weekend at Har
per's Prescription Pharmacy as
announced by Ragan HariH?r
were:
iPhillip Lefevers, Norclco hair
dryer; Mrs. Wiley Blanton, Schick
hair dryer; Frances Wilson, au
tomatic peri'olator; Howard Rco-
erts, portable radio; Richard
Camp, Ncrelco hair dryer;
Charle*? Hamilton, Lady Norelco
hair dr\'er: and Bill Ware, War
ing blender.
First Candidates
Pay Filing Fees
For Coining Vote
A contest developed Tuesday
for c;ty elective effioe Tuesday,
as incumaent Ward 2 Commis-
Slone: W. Seimo.-e Biddix filed
for re-elecli‘cn Tuesday morning
and fcimer Commissioner Lloyd
E. Davis filed Tue."day aftcrncan
Incurntbent Ward o Cemmis-
sioiier Jona.4 R. Bridges filed for
re-eleciron .Monda>.
Comim. Biddix is completing his
ourlh term on the commission.
Mr. Davi.s held the petition from
19,51-.03 and has just retired rll—
11 years as a city water plant
operaio;.
Cimm. Bridges seens a second
term on the commission. He is
manager of Radio Station W’K.\1T.
He delealed ex-Mayor Kelly Dix-
cn in a run-ofl, iifter leading the
iirst race o\’er Mr. Dixon, Howard
Shipp and jake Sipe. He was an
army public information officer
in the Korean War and is a past
president of the Kings Mountain
Chamber of Commerce, Lions
club and Merchants association.
He is a member of First Baptist
church. Mrs. Bridges is the for-
mci Deris Summerlin. They have
twu children.
C4)mm. Biddix Is a representa
tive Ol Sturdivant Life In.surance
Company, a Mason, Legionnaire,
and Air Force veteran of World
War II. He is a member of East
Gold Street Wesleyan Methodist
church. Mrs. Biddix is the former
Marie Howe. They have five
daughters.
Mr. Davis said he feels his ex
pcrience in the city’s water opera-
Hon will qualify him "to do a
better jcb."
He is married to the former
Mary Bennett. They have a son.
Kenneth Davis, a daughter, Mrs.
Patricia Ann Russell, and three
grandchildren.
Filing deadline for the October
9 election is noon September 11.
Boad - Debt Merger Vote Set
Tommy Shirley
Receives Grant
ATLANTA. Thomas F- Shir
ley Jr., a member of the gradu
ating class at Kings Mountain
high school. Kings Mountain, has
hern awarded a four-year Gen-j
real Motors c<illege scholarship'
by the North Carolina State Uni-|
vorsity.
Thomas is the .son of Mr. and'
Mrs. Thomas V. Shirley Sr., 611
Gantt street, Kings Mountain. He
plans to pursue a course in elec
trical eigineering.
Thomas’ demonstrated leader
ship qualities and scholastic
Contintied On Page Eight
The ccunty board of edmmis-
sioner.s has ordered, as expected,
the conjunctiivc electiou for (!>cto-
ber 6 on the joint questions of
is-uing $4.05<X000 for county dis
trict con.struction of schools and
whether the county shall assume
the currency combined $9,084,900
debt of the threi? local districts,
county, Shelby and Kings Moun
tain. ,
Officials of the three districts
requested the referendum.
Until January 1 Cleveland
County was one of ten in the
state with permission to vote
construction bonds either county-
wide or be districts. The election
act of the 1971 (General Assem
bly repealed the law under
which Cleveland and the other
ten counties had been operating.
The three school boards think
the change will help to equalize
educational opportunity of all
the grade school children in the
county.
The county board plan.s to
build two junior high schoolsr^
' if it can get the money which
I the bond issue would provide—
i and, in turn, as.'iumption of dis-
I trict debts would etiualize the
debt load.
Registration books will be open
at the county elections board
office at the co'irtliausi: through
triday, September 7.
Edmisten To Accompany Sen. Ervin
To Democratic Unitl Rally Tonight
G-W President's
Father Succumbs
Summie A. Poston, 83, father
of Dr. Eugene Poston, ipresident
of Gardner-Webb College, died
Friday at Beam’s Nursing Home
in Shelby following a three-
months' illness.
Native of Cleveland County,
he was the son of the late Sam
uel and Laney Blanton Poston
and hiL-band of the l|ite Minnie
Commor Poston, He was a mem
ber of .New Bethel .Misionary
.Methodist Church.
Funeral service.s were conduct
ed in the Lutz-Au.stell Chapel
Sunviay at 2 p.m, by Dr. Poston
and another son, Rev. Carl E.'
Poston of Jacksonville. Burial was i
in Cleveland Memorial Park.
In addition to Dr. Poston and ,
Re\. Poston, survivors include
three other son.s. C. B. Poston of
Ruthorfordton, Ben L. Poston and
Bcbby L. Poston of Shelby; two
daughters, Mrs. Fore.st Bridges
and Mns. Annie Sisk, both of
Shelby: 1.5 grandchildren and
fc ur great-gramlchildren.
MIKE M15ENHEIMER
Misenheimer
loins Foote As
Ass't. Engineer
NIichael W. Misenheimer has
joined the Kings Mountain staff
of Foote .Mineral company in the
capacity of assistant plant engi
neer and maintenance superin
tendent as announced by J. C.
Walker, operations manager.
Mike attended the Kannapolis
schools and received his B. S. in
'ngineering from tho North Car
olina State University at Raleigh
in 1970. Prior to coming to Foote,
he worked \\ith Cannon Mills
Com,pany in Kannapolis. His
work there include d special
project work, installation o f
machinery, electrical work, pip
ing, mechanical construction and
waste and air pollution control.
His wife, Phyllis, has accepted
a position with the Kings Moun
tain school system. They have al
ready moved to Kings Mountain
and live at 503 Cresecent Hill
Drive.
"We are happy," says Mr.
Walker, "to welcome Mike and
his wife to our company and to
our community."
Arthur H. Wilson
Funeral Rites
Heard Tuesday
Arthur Howard Wilson. 59, of
CTevel-and Avenue in Grover died
Sunday evening at his home.
Funeral rites were conducted
Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Sisk Ea.st
Chapel in Br.vsomer C\*y hv the
Rev. Paul Millwood with burial
foil owing in Be.ssemer City Mem
orial Cemetery.
Native of Kings Mountain, he
was the son of the late Arthur
and Besrie Smith Wilson and
was a retired merchant.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs.
Velonia Allmond Wilson; three
ns, Arthur H. Wilson, Jr. of
Jacksonville, Fla., Wayne Wilson
of Gasmnia and Paul Wilson of
Gnner; three daughters, .Mrs.
Karl Hill of Sanford. Mrs. Mich
ael Fitch of Blacksburg, S. C., and
Miss (5ail Wilson of the home;
four breathers. Sid Wil»)n of
Hcme.stead. Fla., diaries Wilson
•»f Dallas. James Wils<m of Bes-
'omer City and Bill Wilstin of
Gastonia; and three risters. Mrs.
Ruth Dill cf Gastonia, Mrs. Law
rence Barber and Mrs. Claude
Straupe ol Kings Mountain.
Kings Mountain city officials
are expected to join all countj
office holders, from the legisla
tive delegation to county c(nn-
missioners and local office hold
ers, at the Cleveland (^ounty
Democratic unity rally this eve
ning at 7 o’clock when V. S. Sen
ator Sam Ervin will make the
featured address.
Accompanying the famed Wat
ergate chairman to Shel y City
Park for the free harlM'eue sup
per will be Rufus L- FMmiston
of Boone, chief counsel and staff
director of Sen. Ervin who has
appeared recently on the nation
al network of news and in Time
magazine. Edmiston's historical
claim to fame is that ho deliver-
el the recent supoenas to the
White House to secure tape re
cordings and documents consider
ed vital to the Senate Watergate
■ committee, the first lime in his
tory for such action.
I Senator Ervin and Edmiston
Avill meet in special session with
the pix'ss between 3 and 4 o'clock
this afternoon at the Holiday
j Inn in Shelby. '
i Several hundred Democrats are;
I expected to bo on hand for to
night's event which will include
, organ music by which will include
i (Continued On Page Eight J I
Herald Football
Contest Starting
The Herald's first football
contest of the 1973 season is in
today’s edition.
A contest will be held each
week throughout the ll-week
high sehcK>l oami>aign with
fans picking the winners of 13
conto.st.s in hopes of winning
the $15 first prize.
Today’s contest shows only
nine games since some prep
teams do not begin play until
the first week of September.
Today’s contest is for game.s
of August 31 and entries must
bo received by the Herald no
later than noon on .-Vugust 31.
As previously noted, first prize
is $15. Second prize is $10 and
third $5. In case of ties, a tie
breaker game will be used to
determine the winner.
The games on tap are listed
in advertisements ajipearing
on the ftx>tball contest 'page.
Contestants are urged to read
the (X)ntest rules to avoid any
possible mix-ups.
. \