Page 2-MIRROR-HERALD-Tue8day, May 23, 1978
Poet’s
Corner
LIFE
(c)1978
Life Is a mixture of sunshine and rain
love and hate, Joy and pain,
’Offeellngand touching with days short and long
Jesus Is the Life, He gives us a song.
Sowing and reaping with Impulse and restraint
Believing and daring both sinner and saint.
Sharing and caring, we borrow and lend
Life Is much richer when we cherish a friend.
Excitement and bewilderment, praise and complaint
We choose the colors with which we paint.
Good can overcome evil and dispel dismay
No barrier too dense God's power cannot sway.
Life Is a mixture of sunshine and rain
Of tolling and sweating for personal gain.
Dreaming and sighing, living and dying,
The losers quit. and the winners keep trying.
VIVIAN STEWART BILTCLIFPE
GDITORII^L
OPimOh
For County Commissioner
We recommend
LE. (Josh) Hinnant
AWARDS
Something for the iittle theatre to consider
The Gastonia Little Theatre started some
thing last Friday that mkht be well tor the
Kings Mountain Little tneatre officials to
consider.
The GLT presented Its first annual
GRETA’S at a dinner at the Gaston Country
Club. GRETA stands for Gastonia’s
Recognized Entertainer Theatre Award. The
recipients were people Involved In the Just
ended little theatre season.
Over a hundred persons saw the Best
Actor award go to Max Shoaf for "I Do, I
Do”; Best Actress award go to Julie
Chandler for ”I Do, I Do”; Best Supporting
Actor award to to Gunnar Nellsen lor ’’The
Price”; Best Supporting Actress award go
to Betty Blume lor ’’Butterflies Are Free”;
and Best Play Direction go to George Gray
tor ”I Do, I Do.”
Next Tuesday voters will agsiin go to the polls In the Democratic Primary Election
Rumtt. ■■
On'tiH county level three commissioner ca^ffidates will appear on the ballot. There are
two seats available. In the May 2 Democratic Primary there were five candidates vying
tor the two seats.
When the May 2 votes were tallied L. E. (Josh) Hinnant led, followed by C. M. Peeler
and Pete Stamey. Tommy P. Bridges was fourth and J. D. (Doc) Turner was fifth.
Bridges was eligible to seek a runoff next Tuesday, but chose not. Instead he said her
would campaign again in two years.
If you haven’t decided who you will vote for next Tuesday The Mirror-Herald would like
to recommend at least one candidate for your consideration.
L. E. (Josh) Hinnant of Kings Moimtain has served a full term on the county board of
commissioners auid Is filling the unexplred term of the late Pop Simmons. The other
board members thought enough of Hlnnant’s capabilities to ask him to step In and fill
Simmons’ term. He didn’t go begging for the opportunity.
When Hinnant took over the post he said he would do It on his terms. He is not a ”Tes”
man. He took definite Ideas on how county govenunent should be run with him.
While he Is aware it takes a majority of the board members to Initiate action, Hinnant is
also conscious of the fact that each man must have a mind of his own; must have a sense
of what Is correct for not only the countlans In his district, but what Is correct tor all the
citizens.
We like Hlnnant’s Ideas on government and we like Uie fact that when you ask him a
question he will give you the answer straight from the shoulder. He Isn’t afflicted with that
common malady afflicting the majority of elected officials, that disease known as hem
ming smd hawing.
Hinnant Is a hard-headed businessman. It takes that to keep local government from
going overboard.
And Hinnant Is a dreamer. He dreams of things that can make life a bit better for
aeveland Countlans In the days to come, then with that hard-headed business approach
goes about finding a practical method for bringing those dreams to reality.
We could give you a rundown on Hlnnant’s background, but all that proves Is he has
been around In the thick of things for sometime. The main thing Is to understand that
while he’s been In the thick of things he has also managed to help the rest of us out from
time to time.
The territory east of Buffalo Creek needs representation In county government and Josh
Hinnant offers that. He also offers the rest of Cleveland County representation equally as
jant.
So next Tuesday at the polls why not give the people west of Buffalo the same op
portunity of seeing what Josh Hinnant can do for them. We know what he has done and will
do for the rest of us.
Gray was also presented a Greta for
Meritorious Service to the little theatre.
The program took on all the glamor and
excitement of the Academy or Emmy
Awards and the statuettes these amateur
theater participants won meant as much to
them perhaps as the Oscars and Emmys do
to the professionals. It was their recognition
tor doing their extracurricular Jobs well.
They were paid much earlier In the form of
audience appreciation at the conclusion of
each performance.
The reason I think the Kings Mountain
Little Theatre should consider an annual
{n-esentatlon such as the one in Gastonia last
Friday Is simple. It Is a great stimulus for
creating further interest among the talented
people In the community get Involved In
little theatre.
On the whole the people who are Involved
In presenting plays In the community remain
pretty much the same group. The same
ttilng, generally, applies to the people who
attend the shows. Through an awards
system, which elevates the event Into an
important social function within the com
munity, more Interest Is stirred up.
Something like this could be Just what the
doctor ordered to make those undecided
talents to take the plunge.
There Is no pay Involved In little theatre. It
Is all strictly volunteer and It requires a lot of
evenings to rehearse and perform. The
director and the actors usually get pats on
the back by those who are there to see their
work and, regretfully, that Is as far as It
goes.
TOM
MclMTYRe
Awards presented at a social function let
the public at large know that something
worthwhile has happened In the community.
Elverybody loves a winner. And evetybody
longs to be a winner at something. And even
those who have not won plaudits like to be
shown their efforts have been appreciated.
Carol Fry, current president of the
Gastonia Little Theatre, organized the
awards presentation last Friday and took a
few moments to explain how It came about.
How the nominees were selected and from
that, the winners.
The event Included a dinner and scenes
and songs from each of the past season’s
productions as entertainment before the
winners were announced.
Garland Atkins, Mirror-Herald publisher,
served as master of ceremonies. Garland
has been Involved In little theatre since he
was 17 yeairs old and probably has done as
many. If not more, than anyone else In the
community today.
"We’ve come a long way from the kitchen
of the woman’s club to the Gaston Country
Club,” Garland said. Then Garland called on
Helen Cunningham to say a few words, Mrs.
Cunningham Is the lady who started com
munity theatre In Gastonia and kept It going
tor many years. She presented plays at the
woman’s club. In church basements and
even In the county courthouse until the
theatre built a forum of Its own on Clay St.
Ext.
Taking over and pushing the theatre
forward imtll today were George and Ellen
Gray. Both are still active in the produc
tions, both as directors and performers.
Some of you older KMers may remember
(jeorge and Ellen from ’’Sword of Gideon”
presented In the 1960s at Kings Mountain
National Military Park by the Kings
Mountain Little Theatre.
Your’s truly even got Into the act as a
presenter. I was In one of the shows from
season before last. Mrs. Fry rounded up one
cast member from each show of that season
to serve as presenters.
A group of regular theatre goers were
solicited to help, according to Mrs. Fry.
They saw each show during *he regular
season and compiled a list of nominees for
each category. Each nominator worked
separately and secretly from the others and
all nominations were sent to the GLT board
of directors. There were a lot of duplications,
but enough to give the directors a clear view
of who was In contention and who was the
winner. The results were kept secret until
presenters In each category read the
nominations and opened the sealed en
velopes.
The only thing missing last Friday was a
drumroll before the winners was announced.
Mrs. Fry said next year they even add that to
die program.
She said I mleht have been nominated as
a supporting actor for "Play It Again,”
Sam.” That was kind, but I had different
Ideas. I was neither In a lead role or a sup
porting role. As the ghost of Hunplirey
Bogart I was nothing more than a figment of
Jesse Caldwell’s Imagination. Jesse played'
the lead role of Allen Flex In the Woody
Allen comedy. Garland was the supporting
actor as Jesse’s good friend In the shop.
At any rate everyone had a ball and the
dialogue afterwards about more Interest In
little theatre was very encouraging.
Something on the same order might be
food for thought for Cliff Whitfield, current
Kings Mountain Little Theatre president,
and his board of directors.
'M..,
GD
SMITH
Hill'?'
Hostilities reached
new highs during May
During May of 1870, the tensions and
hostilities of the Reconstruction Period
reached new heights in North Carolina. For
several years terrorist activities by the Ku
Klux Klan had Increased steadily, keeping
pace with the restrictive actions of the
radical Republican Congress In Washington.
On May 29, 1865, some five years earlier.
President Andrew Johnson had Issued the
first of his proclamations concerning the
future of the former Confederate states.
John’s terms were generous, totally In
keeping with the merciful peace envisioned
by President Lincoln. He had pardoned all
Southerners who had taken part In the war,:
except for the Confederacy’s top leaders and
men of great wealth. His second t
proclamation had applied to North Carolina i
only, appointing William W. Holden as'
provisional Governor until normal govern-1
ment could be resumed. Holden was
required to call a convention to rewrite the
state’s constitution and then see to the
election of new state officers. Similar
ix-oclamatlons for the other Southern states
were soon to follow. Johnson’s Intentions
were that the Southern states would then be
readmitted to the Union.
The Radical (tongress quickly Intervened
In Reconstruction matters, however, and
harsher measures followed, paving the way
for much of the bitterness of that period. The
Southern states were responsible for much of j
the trouble themselves, however, byi
refusing to make concessions on their ownj
side. Leaders like Johnson and Holden,
caught In the middle and trying to minimize
the excesses on both sides, came In for much
trouble.
I By the summer of 1870 the violence and
bitterness In North Carolina reached Itsj
zenith in what some hlstorisuis later called |
the ”Klrk-Holden Wsu-.” Members of the'
KKK lynched a prominent black politician’
named Wyatt Outlaw In Alanisuice County
and murdered a Republican state senator i
named Jo)m W. Stephens In the Yanceyvllle
courthouse. (By then many former Klan,
leaders had disassociated themselves fromj
the organization because of Its Increasing
violence.) Striking back. In an effort to
control the Klan, Governor Holden had
hundreds of Its members arrested by the
state militia, and Ulegsdly refused 1 to allow
their release on bond. It was this action
which paved the way for Holden’s Im
peachment by a now Democrat-controlled
legislature.
-oOo- I
Dr. Hugh Williamson, one of the most
talented and versatile men In the state’s
early history, died on May 22, 1819.
Williamson signed the U. S. Constitution as a
delegate from North Carolina. He was the
author of the first published history of the
state. A noted scientist and physician, he
was a pioneer In the use of Innoculatlon and
served as chief surgeon of North Carolina
troops during the Revolution.
iruiflft-MniiiiTaiai
MinfmkLD
TOM MclNTVm
■4H*r
•LIlAtfTNtTOWAMT
OAKY tTIWANT
OARKILLAUtTIN
CUVOOMILL
AtfvAftUliifl Oirtcfa
MIMtIAOP
mootncaaolima
AtlOCIATIOM
TM Mirror li pubMohod by Otnoroi
f»uOil»hlno Cemppny. P 0 Orowor 7S2. Klnpt
Mduntpm.N C .MM*, tviinottandoditorlpi officot
•rt MCdttd at lowtb Plodmont Avt Phono IP
74N Socond Citaa potfapa pdid at Kintt Mowntam,
N C Sinfia copy tS canto, lubacription ratoo MW
yopriy In itato. t4 IS oik montho. M SO yoarly ovt of
ttatt. IS liR montho. Stvdtnt rata tor nina montho
U74
Forced retirement at age 65
thing of the past for most peopie
lent at age 60 la a thing of 20 persons on the payroll, he cannot be la vacant. A. No. Ai
Forced retirement at age 60 la a thing of
the past for most people now because of a
recent bill passed by the Congress. The
retirement age has been pushed up to 70, and
after September 80 of this yew:, federal
workers csmnot be forced to retire at any
age.
’’Some people look forward to retirement
at age 66,” said Nathan H. Yeltwi, Assistant
Secretary of Aging, Department of Human
Resources. ”On the other hand, a great
many people have been resentful that this
has been mandatory. People who are
healthy, active and Interested In their work
take a dim view of retiring on a low fixed
Income when they are productive workers.”
According to Yelton, more older persons
are being employed now and more em
ployers are realizing that older adults are
among their best prospects for employment.
’’The prevalent Image of doddering,
senile, fragile senior citizens Is being
dlspelied every dsiy by the accomplishments
of vigorous, active, productive men and
women over the age of 66,” he added.
Here la a brief explanation of the recent
legislation on retirement;
q. What would the legislation do?
A. Beginning In 1978, If a person Is em
ployed In a private business that has at least
20 persona on the payroll, he cannot be
forced to retire before hls-her 70th blrtrhday.
Federsd workers cannot be forced to retire at
any age after September 80, 1978.
Is vacant.
Q. Will a person’s Social Security
payments be affected If he-she remains on
the Job after reaching the age of 66?
A. No. Age 66 Is the age for full payments
under Social Security, and nothing In the bill
ctianges that.
Q. Can an employer, either alone or
through a new union contract, make an
employe work until age 70 before collecting
retirement benefits?
A. No. Pension laws require 100 percent
vesting of the pensions not later than age 66
unless the employe has less than 10 years of
service at that time. The employe hsM the
choice M to whether he-she will retire at the
age 66 or 70..
Q. Csin an employer fire a person between
66 and 70 (or any reason?
A. Yes, but not as a result of this bill. Any
earnings over $4,000 In 1978 will reduce one’s
Social Security benefits 80 cents for each
dollar over that celling until age 62. After
that there Is no limit to the amount of money
a person may earn.
A. Yes. The law explicitly permits a
person’s discharge from fthe Job (or cause,
aich as Incompetency. The whole point of the
bill Is to require that employment decisions
be made on the basis of merit, not arbitrary
age.
Q. If a private sector employe reaches the
age of 66 on December 81, 1978, does he-she
nave to retire?
A. Yes. A person reaching the age of 66 this
year gets little help from the bill, but the
overall Age Discrimination In Employment
Act of 1967 protects against discrimination In
hiring as well. A person who la forcibly
retired In these months before the Increase
to age 70 takes effect could reapply (or hls-
her old Job Immediately after January 1,
1979. Presumably the employe Is qualified to
Oil hls-her old Job, or a comparable one. If It
Q. Do workers who remain on the job past
age 66 If they so choose, the bill will permit
them to earn a bonus once they start
receiving Social Security. The bonus will be 1
percent (or each year they work beyond age
66. For example. If a person works until age
67, hls-her check would be 2 percent higher
than It would have been at age 66, with the
same earnings history. Beginning In 1981,
the bonus Is Increased from 1 percent to 8
percent (or each year of work under the new
Social Security bill.
Q. What would be the effect of the bill on
pension contracts? Could a person continue
working beyond age 66 and still draw pension
benefits?
Q. Will the bill change 66 as the age when
workers can retire and receive full Social
Security payments?
Mar
of Mi
Ekikei
has gt
laude
Una
QiUo\
A. The wording of most plans requires that
a worker retire before being eligible (or a
pension. Nothing In the bill changes that. If
there are plans that require payment of a
pension at a specified age, rather than on
retirement, those plans could be changed
without violating the law. To encourage the
hiring of older workers, present law does not
force an employer to pay a fuU pension at
age 68 or 70, to a person hired, tor example,
at age 62.
Th«
man i
8.66 q
4.0 sc
semei
cours
one I
caree
in
minis
AtV
tain I
Ids T
CbacI
tlon
1977,
murt
bask«
(
»i
I
Roi
one
Coun
uatin,
of b
Greei
Hai
mAJo
HatU
St.. I
kins I
arts (
gradi
Elg
.v(t rritjiiliitvi
Bel
cum
ble 1
Man
Ubn
Po
Newi
Worl
Spoi
^ Soutl
Revl
. Heel
.J Hera
■ Guld
; Bett<
and,
1 Sa
> Houi
Horn
Dlge
i grap
The]