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KIN OS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA <8008 TUESDAY, JANUARY 88,1878
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Ex-Vice President Dies
Kings Mountain Remembers Rocky
GIFT FOR ROCKY — It WM 1875 and then Vic* Pre*ld*iit Nelson
RockefeUer wm In Kins* Mountain. Here In this aio photo we see Rocky
receiving a commemorative coin from Mr*. Pat Plonk and Howard
Jackson, co-chairmen of the Kings Mountain Centennial Commlsalon.
By TOM McINTYRE -
Editor, Mirror-Herald
Nelson RockefeUer was never
elected President.
It was Ills life's ambition to win
that coveted office, but the closest he
ever got to It was Vice President
under Gerald Ford.
On Oct. 7, 1875 Nelson RockefeUer
paid a heralded visit to Kings
Mountain and spoke to about 8,000
people at John Gamble Stadium.
He was plnchhlttlng for Ford, who
at the last minute decided not to risk
public exposure sesiTi sc- rrjor.
luUowing the attempt on his life In
San Francisco. Of course that
foUowlng weekend Ford appeared at
a public celebration In West
Virginia, so KMers got the feeling
Mr. President didn't feel It would
gain him any points coming here.
So, he sent Rocky.
And Rocky and the crowds who
greeted him here had a ball.
"This Is America at Its best right
here In this stadium," Rocky told the
crowd. ‘"Ihe President sends his
best wishes and he la sincerely
disappointed he could not be here
personally. He’s asked me to ex
press his warmest congratulations
on this imaginative and exciting
e^proach to the Bicentennial. I
absolutely agree with that opinion.”
Rocky was, of course, the
keynoter at the 195th anniversary of
the Battle of Kings Mountain
celebration. He arrived with a flurry
aboard one of three military
choppers and came off waving to the
crowd before he »=« up
among the Secret Service, FBI, SBI,
Highway Patrol and local con
stabulary. But aU of the elaborate
security measures were shot when
Rocky eyed those 8,000 people
gathered Inside the stadium. He
waded into the crowd and woriced
his way halfway around the
perimeter shaking hands and
q>eaklng to the people.
After making his talk. Rocky
received a 200 year old Bible and
powder horn, reUcs from actual
Sen. Oliie Harris
Receives Award
Friday, Sen. OlUe Harrla waa one of two legislators honored cm
men who exemplify the greatest support cmd help to the field of
mental hecdth In North Carolina.
. TTie Kings Mountlw, along with Rep. John Varner, was
Wpresented the Valand Award for 1977-78. The award Is given every
two years.
"TMs award came as a total surprise to me," Harris com
mented. "I deeply appreciate It.”
ITie award, presented during a brecdcfast In Raleigh Friday fOr
General Assembly members and hosted by the N. C. Mentcd
,^Health Association, Is presented following honoree selections
Vmade by MH association volunteers across the state.
Harris has honored a long-time commitment to the mentcd
health field. He Is senate cha.rnu n of the Humcm Resources
Committee and Is a member of the e -te Mental Hecdth Council
and Mental Health Study Commission.
To Attend Hearing
AN Local officials led by Mayor John
^loen are expected to attend a
public hearing on update of the
state’s Transportation Im
provement Program (TIP) In
HickoryTues.,Feb. 6th, at7;80p. m.
In the old council chambers at City
^all.
llie meeting Is open to all
residents In state highway division
12 which Includes Alexander,
Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell
and Lincoln counties.
0 Included in the TIP are aviation,
public transportation and hl^way
projects. The TIP Is the state
department of Transportation’s
basic planning document which
balances anticipated revenues
against estimated future project
costs.
"These hearings are a key
element In planning and Im
plementing a transportation system
In North Carolina for all our
citizens,” said Mayor John Moss.
The Hickory hearing Is one of 14
scheduled throughout the state to
solicit li^>ut from Individual citizens,
local officials and county leaders In
developing short and long range
plans for aviation and public
transportation.
Photo By Gary Stewart
WRE8TLINO ACTION — Kings Mountain’s Sanuny Bell, foreground,
seems to be getting the worst end of the deal in match with Terry Young
of Crest In finals of Southwestern S-A Conference wrestling tournament
Saturday night at foe KMHS gym. Bell, however, won the match to run
his season's record to 18-0. Bell and three of his teammates won In
dividual titles and the Mountaineers finished second in the team stan
dings. More photos and details are on page 8.
. Keep Buses Rolling kmhs Mounties
Appear In Movie
According to figures supplied by
the division of transportation,
department of public Instruction, for
1877 • 78, Cleveland County school
^ses traveled an average of 44.7
miles each day.
During these dally trips each of
the 178 county • maintained buses
carried an estimated 86 students.
cneveland County ranks number
fl statewide In the number of
vehicles put on the road dally.
Mecklenburg County tops the list
with 591 smd Tyrrell County Is 100th
with 81 vehicle*.
Statistics Indicate that even
ttough Cleveland County operates
more buses than neighboring Gaston
County, which ranks 18th with 165
vehicles, Gaston County ranks lOth
and Cleveland 18 In the average
number of students transported
dally.
Gaston’s average per day la 18,672
pupils. Cleveland County transpg|M'
a dally average of 11,811 pi^s.
Gaston County transports a dally
1 average of 82.1 pulpUs per vehicle
ranking that coufity number two
statewide just behind Richmond
County with a daUy average of 88.1.
The statewide stats also shows that
Cleveland County school buses rank
47th In the number of miles traveled
dally. Gaston County ranks 76th by
travewUng an average of 40.8 miles
dally.
Statewide during the past school
year 11,810 school buses traveled a
total of M,860,6S0 miles. The average
cost for transporting each student
last year 68.81 up from the
1876-77 school year cost of $58.72. '
An Interesting note, during 1978-77
statewide the buses traveled a total
of 585,000 miles, the equivalent of
driving around the world 21 times.
A benefit showing of "The Last
Game” la scheduled Wed., Jan. 81
only at 7 and 8 p. m. at the Forest
City Cinema In Rutherford County.
Produced by Earl Owensby and
The BO Corp. of Shelby, "The Last
Game” was written by Tom
McIntyre, editor of the Kings
Mountain Mirror-Herald, and
directed by Martin Beck.
The film features actual footage
shot during the 1978 Kings Moun
taineers and Chase High Trojans
1078 football game played In
Rutherford County. In the film the
Mounties portray a college grid
team and are very prominent In the
film because It Is used as "the last
game” In which all of the elements
of the plot come together.
The film stsirs Howard Segal, who
came to Cleveland County from
Hollywood for his role, and Terry
Alden. She Is the former Miss
Tennessee and Is sister of Ginger
Alden, the late Elvis Presley’s
fiance.
ITie soundtrack music, written
and performed for the film by BUI
Deal and The Rhondels, runs the
gamut from disco to a rendition of a
1B50-S rock and roUer to rock ballad.
"The Last Game” la not expected
to be ready for general theatrical
release for six months to a year and
this Wednesday night at the Forest
City Cinema wlU be the only two
area showings unUl that time.
participants In that hour-long battle
on Kings Mountain pinnacle In 1780.
He also received copies of the
special coins minted to com
memorate the celebration.
As Rocky was about to leave the
stadium he said, "I’U give the
President a fuU report tomorrow .I’U
teU him what he's missed. And that’s
a lot.”
As he climbed back aboard the
ch(q>per the Kings Mountain High
band played "Nothing Could Be
Finer Tlian To Be T« Cs.rr.iir~ ij; i 5^
Morning . , .”
Connie Chung phoned Walter
Oonklte back at CBS In New York to
report "there Is nothing special to
this . . .,” but what was routine for
C8S-TV News had turned out to be
quite a day for here. One we won’t
soon forget. And we got the feeling
Rocky thoroughly enjoyed himself,
too.
Rocky died Friday. He was 70
years old.
The more weU-known of the
Rockefellers, Rocky served as
Governor of New York, before being
appointed tn lb- vtss
At 70 he was stUl active. He was
planning an art gaUery to handle
prints of his famous art collection
when a heart attack claimed his life.
In Shooting Incident
Woman Faces
Murder Rap
Betty Jo BeU Ross has been
charged with murder In the Friday
morning shooting death of her
estranged husband.
Randolph Ross, 27, of Rt. 4, Kings
Mountain, was pronounced dead on
arrival at Kings Mountain Hospital
about 8 a. m. Friday.
The shootln. Incident occurred
about 7:46 a. m. Friday In the
Ebenezer Community where Mrs.
Ross resides with two chUdren.
Coroner Beimett Masters said
Roes had been shot twice, once In the
chest aitd In the shoulder.
Detective C. A. (Gus) Huffstetler
of the sheriff’s department said Mrs.
Ross and her husband had been
separated since last November.
HuffsteUer said Mrs. Ross stated
that her estranged husband came to
her home Thursday about U p. m.
and broke open a door. She said she
caUed the sheriff’s department, but
that her husband left before the
deputy arrived.
Huffstetler said Roes was under a
court order not to go onto the
propwty where his wife lived. The
order was Issued eariler last week.
Early Friday morning Ross
allegedly returned to his wife’s
home and broke open the door again.
The couple reportedly quarreled and
fought for several hours. Mrs. Roes
told police at about 7:48 a. m. Friday
her husband knocked her to the floor
In the bedroom, then began choking
her. She told police at that point she
reached under the mattress of the
bed, pulled out a {dstol and fired
twice.
Huffstetler said the we^>on was a
.22 caliber pistol. Mrs. Ross said she
then called the sheriff’s office and
reported the Incident.
Dayne Ross 6, and Rosha Ross,
2, the couple’s children, reponeoiy
witnessed the fight and the fatal
thooUng.
Mrs. Ross was charged with
murder aju] jail. Bond was set at
$5,000.
Randolph Ross was the son of
Dorenla Ross of Shelby and was a
member of Grover’s Shiloh
Methodist Church.
Survivors also Include four
brofoers, J. P., BlUy, Bobby and
Robert Ross of Shelby; five sisters,
Mrs. Sally McLean of Kings
Mountain, Mrs. Doris McLean, Mrs.
Margaret Ann Starnes, Mrs. Minnie
Mae Montgomery and Mrs. Annie
Mae Roach of Shelby.
Funeral services were conducted
Monday at 8 p. m. from Shiloh
Methodlat Church at Grover by Rev.
M. B. Robinson, Interment foUowlng
in the church cemetery.
P&Z Board Has
Four Zoning Items
TTie Kings Mountain Planning and
Zoning Board met last Thursday to
consider four Items — tabling one,
denying one and approving two.
Tlie board voted to recommend to
the city commissioners the request
trom C. J. Potts of 608 Phenlx St. be
denied. Potts requested the Phenlx
St. property be resoned from R-6 to
R-20 for the purpose of placing two
more mobUe homes.
PAZ Board Secretary Alvin
Morets said the alee of the property
would not leave enough space for
two additional mobUe homes to meet
the city’s traUer ordinance.
The board voted to table a request
from William S. Stinnett ot,
Bessemer City. Stinnett, a real
estate broker and developer,
requested reaonlng from R-8 to R-8
property at the i^ter St. and
Second St. Ext. Intersection, 9.088$
acres, for the construction of
apartments.
Board membsM agreed they
would like to have Stinnett appear at
the Febniary meeting to give more
Information on the type of i^art-
ments he plana for the property.
Recommended to the city com
missioners for approval were
resonlng requests from James and
William Herndon and the Herald
Publishing House.
The Herndon request Is to resime
ftnm R-6 to R-lO pnqrerty located TOO
feet along the south side of Waco
Rd., beginning 858 feet west of
Carpet Lane, running 600 feet deep.
Adjacent property la already aoned
R-10.
The Herald Publishing House
request la for resonlng six acres at
the Intersection of E. King St. and
Canterbury Rd. from K-t to U for
construction of new general otflcea
and publishing faculties.
The Potts, Herndon and Herald
Publishing House requests wlU go
before the city eommlsakmere for a
pubUc hearing on Mon., Feb. U, the
regular p. m. board meeting..
Grover PTO
Meets Tonlglit
Grover Parent-Teacher
Organisation wlU meet Tuesday
evening (tonight) at 7 p. m. at
Grover School.
Brunswleh stew wlU be on sale
after the meeting, said a
spokesman.
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