North Carolina Newspapers

o Population Kings Mountoin 21*914 City Limits 8.465 rhf Griat«r Xlngi Mounlain llgur* U derived from the Speclol United Stalei Bureau of the Centug report of January* 1866, and includes the 14,990 population of Number 4 Township, and the remaining 8,184 from Number 5 Township, In Cleveland County and Crowders Mountain Township In Goston County. ■,S*~ Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper Pages Today Plus One 8-Page Tabloid Supplement VOL. 84 No. 50 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, December 13, 1973 PRICE TEN CENTS Eighty-Fourth Year Mayor Pleas With Citizens To Conserve Natural Gas New Commission Defers Hiring Of Police Chief McAbee Motion To Fire Chief Not Seconded f The new city commission de ferred action on reappointment of Chief of Police Thomas lMc- Devitt as its (major action as Mo5s Administration V Monday night. After Magistrate J. L<?e Roberts administered the oath of office to Mayor John H. 'Moss and the six ward cimmissioners, five of whom were seated for thi fir.-t time, first item on the agenda was the appointtment of city em- plcyees, first action of any new administration. To question by Mayor John Henry Moss for motion on ap pointment of the police chief, Ward IV Comm. Don McAlbee made the 'motion that William Roper, Jr., a captain in the de tective division, be hired as chief of police. The motion died for lack of a second. Ward VI Comm, and Mayor Pro Tcm Jim Amos /then made the motion that Chief McDtvitt be appointed on interim basis with the board to consider the appointment and tako action at the next meelting. Mr. Amos withdrew his motion after City Attorney Jack White explained that city employees hold over until a new person is appointe<l by official action. Camm. Aimos then made motaon that action on reappointment ibe deferred until a later date. Ward III Conrym. Cor bet Micholson seconded and the vote was five in ifavor with Mc Abee voting “no”. -No commissioner made further remarks on the matter nor did Chief MoDevitt or Mrs. McDevitt, all {M'esent in council chambers, or Capt. Roper. The board then reappointed all other city employees. MOSS ADMINISTRATION V SWORN — Members of the new city administration are pictured taking the oath of office from Magistrate J. Lee Roberts. From left to right, Mayor John Henry Moss. Ward IV Commissioner Don McAbee. Word HI Commission er Corbet Nicholson. Ward V Commissioner M. C. Pruette. Ward I Comm ssioner Ray Cline. Word II Commissioner Lloyd E. Davis and Ward VI Commissioner James Amos, also elected by his fellow commissioners as mayor pro-tem. With the exception of Mayor Moss and Commissioner Cline, the administration is all-new. (Photo for the Herald by I. G. Alexander) 25-Member Centeniiial Commission, SevenLake Authority MembersNamed .1 3 Optimists Tap lim Littlejohn The Kings 'Mountain Optimist clirb installed James Littlejohn as its new president Tliursday night at the Qptiinist club house. Littlejohn, a long time resident of Kings 'Mountain, is well known for his work with the youth of the community. ‘He has coached foot.all in the midget ranks for over 13 years. Also installed at the regular meeting was Joe Cornwell. He was installed as vice president. Lewis Hovis was installed as sec retary-treasurer. President Littlejohn appointed chairmen to head various activi ties, including flags, Bill Mc Daniel; program and oratorical, Gene Austin, publicity; Joe Corn- well, sergeant-at-arms; Carl Wil son, youth work; Charles Burns, mem bership, “Sleepy” Klem- ming. The Optimist also slated their annual Christmas party for 71 p. . December 20 at the club! house. Board Approves Recommendation Oi Mayor Moss The out-going city administra tion in one of its final actions approved water policy recoan mendations as follows: 1. The City will negotiate to coop(*ratively make water avail able to bu.siness, commerce, and re.sidents in the one-mile perim eter area with agreement clause to cover future incorporation in to City limits. 2. The City will negotiate to cooperatively promote and parti cipate in water distriets in an area best served ’by the Kings Mountain Water System facili ties. 3. The City of Kings Mountain further resolves to develop its water system to its fullest po tential in accordance with an income producing utility in the best interests of the citizens of Kings Mountain. Holidays Set For City Staff The city com/mission set Christ mas holidays for city employees Monday night. City offices will be dosed on December 24 and December 25th and New Year’s holiday January 1. The traditional Christmas par ty for cRy employees and their families will be held at the Community Center on December 21. : * ^ *■% "Not Even A Mouse" Opens Friday; David Bairett Has Leading Role f-'t HAS LEAD ROLE ^ David Bar rett. son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack ie D. Barrett of 202 N. Park Dr., has the leod role in the Litth Theatre play “Not Even A Mouse”. A Christmas play for children “Not Even A Mouse'’ will be pi'e sented on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 and Sunday aft ernoon at 3 p. m. by Kings Moun tain Little Theatre at Park Grace auditorium. Chris Holmes, fres^^an stud ent at Kings 'Mountain high school, will direct the play which stars David Barrett in the lead ing role of “Chappie.” Young Barrett, 12, a seventh grader, is son of City Policeman Jackie D Barrett and Mrs. Barrett. Holmes is son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray rHoI- mes, both active In the Little Theatre. A special performance will be given for children in the Early Childhood Education class on Monday and on Tuesday there •will be a special show for train- able retarded classes from Shel by and Grover kindergarten. Supporting roles in the play will :e portrayed by other area young people, including Sarah 'Manor as Miss Wycherly; Doug Sincox as the butler, “Sparks”; Cuntinued On Puyv Six W TT-.- -,-l-r||r- * V * s PROMOTED — City policeman Tommy King has been promot ed from patrolmen to ser geant. Sgt. King Wins Promotion Tommy King, a patrolman with the city police force the past five years, was promoted to sergeant upon recommendation of Chief Tom McDevitt and approval of the city commission Saturday. Sgt. King is son of Ptl. Ellis King and Mrs. King. His father! is a veteran mem' jer of the city I force. Sgt. King’s brother, Joe^ King, is also a city policeman. ! The city commission Saturday also approved the employment of i two new policemen: Ptl. Gray ton | (Stretch) Bollinger, as dispatch-; er, and Ptl. Billy Gene Benton.’ Bollinger is a former me.mber of I the police department staff and. Benton, w’ho was recently dis-j charged from the army, is son of Deputy Sheriff Wilbur Benton I of Shelby. Both men assumed new! duties Tuesday. ; Sgt. King has received his de- gix>e in police science from Gas ton college and has graduated from a num er of special schools! for police officers. He is a mem-! her of the Piedmont Explosive, Disposal team, having completed! special training at Fort Bragg.' He is married and father of one| child and resides in Fulton St. | Eastside &ts Christmas Play The Christmas play at East- side Baptist church will be pre-! sented Sunday, Dec. 16, at 7 p. m. The play is entitled “The Angel In Blue Overalls.” The cast includes Bob Wc.st, (Charles Lowrance, Dottie Carroll and Kim Collins. Director is Mrs. Tommy King. The public is invited to attend. Celebration Committees i Now Complete Mayor John Henry Moss com- pleted on Wednesday the ap pointment of a 25-m('mber Kings Mountain Centennial celebration commission. Already appointed were gen eral chairmen Charles F. Maunev and Mrs. W. T. Weir and Mrs. F. R. Summers, honorary chainnan. The commission will stage a ' mammoth celebration of the city’s l(X)th birthday February 11, 1974. Serving on the commission will be Mrs. George Hou.^er, Dr. D. F. Ilord, J. C. Bridges, W. S. Ful ton, Jr., Mrs. Ja'^es E. Herndon. Mrs. Aubrey Mauney, Menzell Phifer, Percy Dilling, John O. Plonk, Otis Falls, Jr., Junius Haywood, Ciiarles A. Noisier, Bill Bates, Dr. F. J. Sincox, Thoma.-s A. Tate, Dr P. G. Padgett, Charles T. Carpenter Jr., Hoyle D. Mc Daniel, .M. L. Campbell, Marvin L. Teer, Joseph R. Smith, Charles Dixon, John McGinnis, Larry Hamrick, Charles Blanton. Other members will be added to an “honocree” list. Ex-offido members are County Commissioner L. E. Hinnant, Senator W. K. Mauney, Jr., for mer Senator Ollie Harris, former Senator Jack While, Herald Edit or Martin Harmon, Mirror Editor Tom McIntyre and Radio Station Manager Jonas Bridges. In addi tion, presidents of civic clubs, women's organizations and vet erans organizations will serve as Continued On Pags Six Ausiey Resigns Pastorate He's Retiring From Ministry Due To Health ^ Dr. Paul K. Ausiey, pastor of ^ First Pres yienan churcii, ten* ■ aered his resignaiion to the con- jgrcgation at Sunday morning worship services. Sunday was the 15th anniver- I sary oi the Ausleys in the Kings ! .fountain pastorate. Dr. Ausiey said he wa.s taking an early letirement “for reason of health.” His retii'cment will be eiieclive June 30th. A native of Gi'eensboro, Dr. j Ausiey was educated at l-lorula 1 Southern college and Hai’tford Theological seminary, receiving' his B.D. and M.A. degrees from ; Duke university and his doctor-1 ate degree from Columbia uni-' versily, New York, and Union* seminary. He has done graduate’ work in clinical psycnoiogy. Dr. Ausiey came to Kings I Mountain from Elizabeth City i C a n n Memorial presoyterian church where he served for 15 years following completion ofj Hambright Jr., 53, were graduate school. For wo yeais \vc.1m.s<ia> afternoon ne was a chaplain for the Naval RETIRING Dr. Paul Ausiey, pastor of First Presbyterian church, is retiring, he announc ed to h s congregation Sunday. Hambright's Rites Conducted Funeral riles for Robert Do- j CONTEST WINNER — Margo t Greene won the VFW oratori- I cal Voice of Democracy Wed- I nesday night. I Margo Greene V Of D Winner Margo Greene, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bud Greene and a sophomore student at Kings Mountain high school, is winner I of the Voice of Democracy oratori cal contest sponsored 'by Frank B. I Glass Post 9811 Post and Auxili- I Miss Greene, 16, competed with j seven other students to win first I place for her speech, “My Respon- * sibility As A Citizen”, ! The contestants taped the fiv'e- I minute speeches for presentation j at a steak supper hosted by the t Continued On Page Six Air Station and Coast Guard in Elizabeth City. •He is a former moderator of Kings Mountain Presbytery and served lor 11 ,years as chairman of the commission on the minis ter and his work on ooih Pres Dytery and Synodical levels. Ho at 3 p. m. from Dixon Pros')yter- ian church of which he was a nember. Rev. Ro})ert Wilson officiated at the final rites, and interment was in Mountain Rest lometery. Mr. Hambright, in ill health a number of years, succum .ed Monday at Cralt-Farrovv slate served two terms r.s pre.sidenl of . •, i • i u- u . . ... • . • 1 . hosDital in Columbia, C., where Kings Mountain Ministerial asso • u r i u . r t r P he had been a patient for several ciation. 4u«*y<‘ai’s. He was a native of York Mrs Ausiey, who ctirecl at the, ^ end of las sehool leim as head „ambnght Sr. of the Dixon h- ‘h h 1 I i in '' oomniunity and the late .Alda Kings Mountain high schoo), JO Hambright. He was a di ed the KMHS faculty 1-1 yea.s .jescenden, of Colonel Fred- ago. She IS a native of Tupelo. ^ Hambright, the llevolulion- Mi^., was educated at Mississip- ^ pi state college, the Lniversity Mountain. In addition to his lather, he is survived by his sister, .Mis. Mississippi and Yale University. She has done graduate work at North Carolina University and New York University. Dr. and Mrs. Ausiey have occu pied a new home at 406 Down ing Drive. lohn Blanton. 25. Dies In Freak Occident; Rites Friday At 2 GRADUATE — Clarence Ash of Kings Mountain will receive his degree Sunday morning from Gardner Webb college. John A. (Rabbit) Blanton, 25, died shortly after midnight Tues day night from injuries he sus tained in a fall from the roof of a house earlier that evening. Mr. Blanton was rushed by Rescue Squad ambulance to Kings Mountain 'hospital at 7 p. m. He was reportedly installing a television antennae at the home of Larry Carroll, Blanton street, when the freak accident occurred. He was transferred from Kings Mountain hospital to Charlotte Memorial hospital with severe head injuries and possible broken neck. He was employed by Bennett Dimensions of Kings Mountain. He was single. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Buren Blanton of Kings Mountain, he attendcYi Kings Mountain high .school and is a veteran of serv ice in Vietnam. In addition to his parents, .sur viving are one brother, James Edward Blanton of Kings Moun ConLinutd On Payv Six Choirs To Sing At Oak Grove The youth choirs of Oak Grove Baptist church of Kings Mountain and Rolling Road Baptist church of Greensboro, have arranged a reciprocal exchange to sing the Christmas cantata “The Joyous News of Christmas” by Joe E. Parks. The iRoIling Road Y'outh choii will be guests of Oak Grove church this coming weekend, De cember 15 and 16. The group will present the musical program on this coming Sunday at the 111 o’clock worship hour. The Oak Grove Youth choir will travel toj Greensboro on Dt'cembor 19th for a performance at the Rolling Road Baptist church. Ralph Cline, and brother-in-law. Ralph Cline, of Charlotte. Active pallbearers were James Childers, John B. Barber, Tony Barrett, Clyde Huffman, L. ii. Stevvart and Tom Humphries. Servicemen's Addresses Sought Mayor John H. Mass will send annual Christmas greetings from the city to area .servicemen. Kings .Mountain citizens with servicemen • 'relatives stationed overseas are asked to call the mayor's office, 7.39-2.5(>.3—and give their names and addresses for inclusion on the Christmas mail ing. Fie Asks Ban Oi Gas Use For Decorations The city i.s a-king citizens to make a .-nccial effort ta conserve natural gas and Mayor John Moss said no gas is available to advl nctv customer.s to the sys tem. The may)r was commenting on tile city gas pronlcm created latst week wiicn t!ie ci!y s chief sup- jjlier of oil-energy products noti- tied the city it:; cjnsumption would be cut 20 percent. Tin? mayor said that citizens are asked to restrirt Ihem.selves by lining gas only for water heating and fuel and, in effect, bans u-e of gas for Christmas .lec.rative purj/oscs. He told the boar^l of commis sioners Monday night that the city had begun paring do\vn on use of gas in eveiy department and that dejiartment heads were "making remarkable efforts” in initiating the mm'e to decrease ga.s usage to meet allocations which wore cut. Mavor Mo-s .said a meeting is set for ?'rkiay at 1:30 with all department heads to “re-exam ine how well we have operated over the past week.” He told the board, “I have .spevken with the citys gas sup plier and since allotment.s are on a montivto-month basis we will be on top cf it at all times.” “By end of D(‘cembc*r we hope we can be where we can live with our all*x*ation", the mayor added. Public Works Supt. Roscoe WiKuten told llie board the city wa> able to “cut out 120 gallons of diesel fuel weekly by using the county landfill wliich is 12 miles from the city. The differ ence, he said, in usage of ga.so- line and the reduction of diesel fuel totaled 42 galP»ns per week. The mayor addc\i that the s.'tnitation department is cnc'our- aging citizens who need t> use the leaf pick-up machine to make their reque.-;ts no later than Dt\. 31. “Thi.s piece of equipment is a big gas-user too”, .«aid the mayor. Hvnt To Speak Tc Botarians N. C. Representative Jack Hunt of Lattimoro will give “im- pre.ssions of a fresliman legis lator in the House of Repres entatives” as the program for Thursday’s meeting of the Kings Mountain Rotary club. Dr. Hunt will speak at the 12:15 meeting of The civic club at the Country club. Rotarian in Trott will introduce Dr. Hunt. A Lattimore farmer and Cliff- side dentist. Dr. Hunt was edu cated at Lattimore high school. Wake Forest University and ‘cnoiv I'niversity. He served in (lie army during World War II and the Korean conflict. He is married and the father of three daughters. Di’. Hunt is serving his first term in the state house repres enting Cleveland, Rutherford and Polk countie.s. He is a pa^t president of the Cleveland County Democratic party. John Plonk, Hogue, Bell, Putnam Are Honored In Lions Club Fete Bus Strike Won't Effect Service Here A Carolina Trailways bus strike which went into effect .Sunday night, disrupting ))iis service in five eastern stat<*s. should not effect the bus service in Kings Mountain. A spokesman at the Kings Mountain bus station on West King street said Carolina Trail- ways do not use this terminal and the strike should not affect their service. j All bus:es entering and leav- ( ing Kings Mountain are driven 'oy Continental Trailways driv ers and Greyhound drivers. SERMON TOPIC “Center of Chri.sfma^’' will be the .sernnn topic of Dr. Paul .Ausiey Sunday at th(* F'irst Presbyterian ehurch at the 11 O wiOtiv vvuiwiiip scivicC. SPEAKER Rep. Jack Hunt will cdd^233 Kings Mountain Rotariens at their luncheon meet ng today at the Counhy cluh. By TONY TOMPKINS The Kings Mountain Lions Club held their annual football oanquer at the cafeteria of the Kings Mountain High School this past Tuesday night. A capacity crowd turned out . to hear the gue.st speaker, head I e^ach Danny Williams of Lenoir- Khyne ('ollcge, and the event ' : was wt'll prepare<i. Coach Williams is a very tal ented and humorous s]x>aker and he captured the hearts of the entire crowd. The highlight of the evening was the awarding of the trophies that wore presented to the Kings Mountain hxrtball players. Coach Bobby Jones presided over this affair. Coach Jones awarded ov’ery player on his team loiters this . year aiul that is quite « com^ memi.'iblo feat in itself. ^ Th(* first tr>;)hy presented was the John Gamble S.’holastic Tro- ^ piiy and it was presenlivi by Jn Piiyc Six