Page 2A—MIRROR-HEnAliD—Thursday, August 18, 1977
Three Seats Up For Grabs
Commissioner Filing To Begin
By TOM MCINTYRE
Editor, Mlrror-Heiald
Filing be^s Frl., Aug. 19 at
noixi for candidates for three
seats on the Kings Mountain
Board oiL Commissioners.
Districts two, five and six are
the seats up for grabs In the
October 11 municipal election.
These sea^i are currently held
by Humes Houston, WllUam R.
Grissom and Fred Wright Of
the three, only Houston has said
he intends to seek reelectlon.
Candidate filing for city
commissioner will run from noon
this Friday until noon Frl., Sept.
9. The filing fee Is 86 and can
didates should contact either
Luther Bennett, KM elections
board chairman, or board
secretary Mrs. Betty Mercler,
902 Rhodes Ave., 789-2192.
Two years ago the three
highest vote getters were elected
to four year terms edong with the
mayor. The three lowest
pollsters were given two year
terms. This year, however, the
three commissioners elected will
go on the board for four years.
Prior to the 1978 election the
board voted to change the
I'system to staggered terms.
iHowever, there will be a
jmunlclpal election every two
! ’years. The mayoral seat comes
up for election In 1979.
, Elections board chairman
Luther Bennett said the winner
In each of the three districts In
October will be determined by
the candidate polling a vote
count higher than the combined
vote total of all opponents In each
districts. .
“For example,” Bennett said,
“If one candidate polls 100 votes
and two or three other can
didates In the same district only
poll a combined total of 80 votes,
then the man with 100 votes Is the
winner.”
Election day is Tues., Oct. 11.
If there Is a runoff election that
date Is Tues., Nov. 8.
Registration for new city
voters for the 1977 munldpcd
election will continue until
September 12. Recently ap
pointed registrars and Judges for
Belhware are Alice Connor and
H. A. Goforth; for East Kings
Mountain, Margaret White and
Joyce D. Dye; for West Kings
Mountain, Mrs. Elizabeth Arthur
and Becky Cooke. The registrar
and Judge for Grover have not
been appointed as yet by the
Cleveland County Elections
Board.
Bennett suggests eligible
voters who want to register to
call the registrar in their
precinct to make an ap
pointment.
Filing for Kings Mountain
District Schools Board of
Education candidates will begin
at noon, Frl., Sept. 16 and will
close at noon, Frl., Oct. 9. This
election Is set for Tues., Nov. 8.
Voter registration for the school
board election will close at 5 p.
m. Mon., Oct. 10.
To date, Kyle Smith and Bill
McDaniel have announced their
intention to file for the two seats
available. P. A. Francis of
Grover and Tommy Bridges of
Kings Mountain now hold the
seats.
Elvis^ A Gent
From The South
ByTOMMclNTYRE
Editor, Mirror-Herald
Tbesday afternoon about 8:80 what was loft of The Mirror-
Herald gang went to supper at Griffin’s Drug.
"Have you heard anything about Elvis Presley dying?” Trlcla
Childers asked. “Some lady called here while ago and said she
heard It on the radio, then asked to have her nerve medicine
prescription refilled.”
Wo thought It was a Joke. I promptly forgot about It and went
back to work. At 10 p. m. Tuesday I dropped by General
Publishing's general manager's home In Belmont. On TV during a
station break there flashed a picture of Elvis with the legend:
Elvis Presley: 1988-1977, then the announcer said full details on
the 11 p. m. newscast.
It was as If I had heard It for the first time and after the Inltlsd
shock memories came flooding back.
Like minions a< others I never met Elvis Presley, but like
everyone I knew who he was, what he was and the Impact he had
had on all of us.
During my tenure In Hollywood I met and made friends with
Red West, who was a lifelong friend of Elvis and one of hla
bodyguards. This summer I met and made friends with Ed
Parker, who handled security for Elvis’ concert tours.
West was a regular on Robert Conrad’s “Wild, Wild West” TV
show, although he was usually one of the bad guys being tossed
about by Conrad In the fight scenes. Red was one of the very In
close confidants of Elvis and one of the original “Memphis
Mafia.”
The role Red now plays on Conrad’s “Baa Baa Black Sheep;
that of a cigar chewing, brash, bragging mechanic. Is the com
plete opposite of the Red West I got to know In Hollywood. In
private life Elvis was like that.
Ed Parker was here In Cleveland County this summer making a
movie with the EO Corporation. Ed Is (me of the few caucaslons to
hold a 16th degree In karate. He Is a world champion. For Elvis he
put his strength to work on the national concert tours to ensure'
the entertainer’s safety from overzealous fans.
Before Ed left to return to Loo Angeles we talked about going
along a couple of days on one of Elvis’ concerts to get background
Information. The Informatlan would be translated Into a movie
script which the EO Corporation would produce.
Earl Owensby tellg about It. “The picture we were planning la
titled ’Concert’ and would deal with the craziness that takes place
when a superstar comes to town to do a concert. Ed had already
talked to Blvla about It and he was very Interested.”
Owensby said he was really shocked to learn of Presley’s death
Tuesday. He said “I was a fan and I will miss him.”
Elaine and Tom Brooks, who own and operate the Crossroads
Music Park, made an approach last year to Col. Tom Parker,
Elvis’ careerlong manager, about the posslbUlfty of getting the
entertsdner here for a concert.
“It was a wild Idea, but who knows. It might have paid off/*
Elaine said. "But that would have been In the future. Elvis’ was
booked up solid for a long time to come.”
The Brooks travel to Nashville regularly lining up talent for
their shows and Elaine said, "Elvis was highly thought of In
Country and Western music circles. Elvis could do It all. Anyone
who can have flma screaming by singing “Hound Dog” and then
have them crying singing “How Great Thou Art,” now that’s an
artist. He had gone beyond a craze to become an artist.”
(T\im To Page 12A)
WELCOME TO KINGS MOUNTAIN - Larry Billings,
Kings Mountain Director of Business Development,
welcomes R. L. Jordan on the N. Piedmont and W. King St.
site where Jordan plans to build a family type steak house.
Photo By Tom McIntyre
Jordan came to KM after being solicited by Billings and
purchased the former Catholic Church property for his steak
house. Jordan said the steak house will employ 88 local
people and should be ready to open around Chrlk mas.
On Catholic Church Property
KM Will Have Steak House
Kings Mountians will have a
new place to dine around
Christmas. It’s a family type
steak house being built by R. L.
Jordan of Myrtle Beach, S. C.
Larry Billings, director of
business development In Kings
Mountain, made the an
nouncement Wednesday when
Jordan came to town to look over
property.
Jordan has been In the In
dependent gas and oil
distribution business since 1960
and Is the man who Introduced
self-service gas stations In South
Carolina, has two steak houses
currently In operation, has taken
options on property In Camden,
S. C. smd Asheville for two more
and plans to build about 26 In the
next two years.
The new steak house will be
located on the former Catholic
Church property at the comer of
N. Piedmont Ave. and W. King
St The dimensions of the lot are
278 by 166 feet. The steak house
will be 120 feet long and will have
aseatlng capacity of 196 persons.
“I expect the steak house will
be open for business around
Christmas,” Jordan said. “It
normally takes about 90 days
after groundbreaking to com
plete a building. We will have a
construction contract that gives
the contractor 120-160 days to
complete the entire Job.”
In the beginning Jordan said
one of his managers will come to
Kings Mountain and will begin
training some local employe as
manager to take over. AU other
personnel will be hired locally.
“The meat cutters will be hired
about five to six weeks prior to
the opening so they can be sent to
a training center,” Jordan said.
“The rest of the employes, 86 In
the beginning, will be hired
about two to three weeks prior to
the opening.”
Jordan said depending on the
success of the steak house the
number of employes will run
between 86-60 the year round.
“We feature only first class
meats on our menu,*’ Jordan
said. "It is cut fresh dally, which
Is why we hire meatcutters so far
In advance. We will feature a
large salad bar and 16-20 choices
of meat cuts, types and
preparation. And like other
family type steak houses, we will
feature a reasonable price.
Something that won’t cost a
family an arm and a leg.”
Jordan was contacted by
Billings about considering Kings
Mountain as a site for a steak
house several months ago.
Jordan looked at two sites on
York Rd. and the one In the
downtown area before deciding.
Troopers Having TrouUe
As Truckers Protest 55
State Troopers have had their
hands full since Monday In our
area, but not so much with
automobile drivers as with In
dependent truckers.
WATCH FOR SPEEDERS — State Troopers
Roy Beam, Allan Lancaster and Doyle
Christopher take a break this week after chasing
down protesting truckers and speeding motorists
Photo By Tom McIntyre
during the current 66-mph speed limit crackdown.
They say truckers are giving them more trouble
than motorists.
Starting Monday when the
state-wide 66-mph crackdown
began Independent truckers, and
some from large trucking firms,
began protesting the 66 mph
speed limit by driving down 1-88
two abreast at under the 66 mph
limit.
Trooper Doyle Christopher
told The Mirror-Herald, "The
truckers say they aren’t mad at
us, but they are iq>aet about the
speed limit. Since this thing
began Monday we have clocked
trucks driving abreast at 40
I per hour causing traffic to
ub for greid dlatanco.”
Mger Roy BeiLm said he
I ode tru^er on Monday and
while he had the tnidier pulled
over on ths\shouldar several
qther Indep^dent , truckers
pifM thehr tlgi «if aid In-
teiilala, pModealsf the eabs and
came to Mb to gylpe eyt lend
about the speed Madt
TVooper Allen Lancaster aaM.
"We haven’t had much trouble
with motorhts driving above the
speed limit, but we have had a lot
of requests from thsm to check
their speedometers. Some ssdd
they felt they were going faster
than 66 even though that’s the
speed registered.”
Beam said departmental
policy prohibits the troopers
from running speedometer
checks upon request from In
dividuals.
The troopers said the protest la
going on all across the state, not
Just In this direction.
Qirlstopher said there was a
(TVim To Page 8A)
1^,.
ft : r">A '"T
ii lK loin&u
He purchased the property from
the Catholic church for $66,000.
The cost of the building will be
$166,000 and Jordan said he will
spend another $86,000 on
equipment. Landscaping Is
estimated to be $10,000.
Jordan said he has not settled
on a name for the steak house u
yet because he Is still In
negotiatlcm tor control of the
Gfdden Corral franchises. Two
other steak houses. In Albemarle
and Monroe, are named Golden
Corral and are i^rated by
Jordan.