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VOL. 99 NUMBER 19
VIHOWIN AINAYA
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{51.171
5,
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
BRUCE SCISM
HO Connery Bi
J. OLLIE HARRIS
Kings Mountain voters will
go to the polls Tuesday as
they join their neighbors
from across North Carolina
in May Primary Day.
Polling places will open at
6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30
p.m. and the voting places
are West Kings Mountain at
the Armory; East Kings
Mountain, Kings Mountain
Community Center; Grover,
at the Rescue Squad
Building; and Bethware, at
Bethware School. ~~
~ In the Kings Mountain
‘chief interest is
ce o )
L.E. HINNANT
County board of commis-
sioners race, where Kings
Mountain banker L.E. (Josh)
Hinnant is running for re-
election, and in the 25th
District state senatorial race,
where incumbent J. Ollie
Harris, Kings Mountain mor-
tician, is running for re-
election and the three in-
cumbents Senators Harris,
Marshall Rauch and Helen
Marvin, are challenged by
Democrat Bruce Scism of
Kings Mountain in the
primary.
Pe SI A RAR AP a retin Re ain HAT maa rth avg
nger
~ Hopes To Hit It Big
Through thick and thin, she
kept the faith, and when a
heart true to country music
led Patty Lovelace back to
Nashville, Tenn. last Satur-
day, it was almost as if the ci-
ty had been waiting for her
return.
The 27-year-old Kings
Mountain singer’s story is
every bit as country as the
music Patty loves so well.
She was born one of eight
children, the daughter of the
late coal miner John and
Naomi Ramey, in Pikeville,
Ky. Her fascination with
country music led her to
begin writing songs before
she reached her teens and to
begin singing professionally
at age 12.
When she was 14, older
brother and sometime sing-
ing partner Roger Ramey
brought Patty to Nashville
for the first time. The young
girl had 30 of her own songs
tucked under her arm the day
she met Porter Wagoner. “I
just walked right on into his
office”, she recalled. ‘“Those
were the days when you could
still do that.” Happily,
Wagoner was impressed
enough with Patty to become
a friend and advisor, as did
the other half of Nashville’s
hottest duet team of the day,
Dolly Parton.
Later that same year, Pat-
ty’s singing impressed
another Jopendory country
duo, Doyle and Tedd
Wilburn. The encounter too
place one night when Patty
was on a concert bill with The
Wilburn Brothers, Bill Ander-
son and others in Louisville,
Ky., where her family had
moved from Pikeville. It just
happened that the Wilburns
were looking for a female
vocalist to replace another
coal miner’s daughter, Loret-
ta Lynn, who had recently
left their road show.
For the next three years
while finishing her high
school education, Patty was a
featured singer with The
Wilburn Brothers. She was
also signed to the brothers’
Sure Fire Music as a
songwriter. But as far as a
recording career was con-
‘cerned, Patty recalled, “I
was so young. Doyle really
wanted to work me, but Ted-
dy felt that I needed more
seasoning, more
experience.”
Husband Terry Lovelace,
32, son of Fred and Louise
Lovelace of Oak Grove Com-
munity, takes up the story.
Lovelace, who had started
playing drums as a teenager,
met Patty when he played
backup for The Wilburn
Brothers in 1975 after an offer
to play with the Ameri-
Country Express led to his
trip to Nashville. “It was love
at first sight”’, said Lovelace,
who said the two found they
also shared a love for music.
Lovelace returned to Kings
Turn To Page 6-A
In the race for two seats on
PETE STAMEY
sioners, Coleman Goforth, a
former commissioner, is
challenging Hinnant, a
former chairman of the
board, and the present chair-
man Pete Stamey, all
Democrats. Republicans
have two candidates for the
two seats open in the persons
of Charlie Harry, formerly of
Grover, and Robert Cabaniss
of Shelby. The two top vote
getters in the Democratic
Primary will face Harry and
Cabiness in the November
general election. Yet
a yoters will also be in-
COLEMAN GOFORTH
Primary Elections Tuesday
terested in several statewide
races.
Democrats and
Republicans are fielding a
large number of candidates
in the 10th District N.C.
House race, where Grover
native Les Roark is a con-
tender among Democrats
and in the U.S. Senate race,
where Rep. Jim Broyhill,
David Funderburke and
‘Glenn Miller are candidates.
In addition, the Democratic
Primary in the U.S. Senate
race has a large field of can-
didates, including former
governor Terry Sanford.
Patty Lovelace
...Going To Nashville
Second
Request
To Be Made
A second request by the
Kings Mountain Indoor Pool
Foundation that the City of
Kings Mountain give $15,000
annually for operation of a
proposed indoor swimming
pool at Kings Mountain
Senior High School is on the
agenda for Tuesday night's
7:30 p.m. meeting of the
board of commissioners.
Dr. Scott Mayse, president .
of the Foundation and chair-
man of the Kiwanis Club
steering committee which
started the $750,000 fund
drive several months ago and
has raised over $600,000 to
date, said that because of
‘“‘significant misunderstan-
ding in regards to our recent
proposal’’ he has clarified to
commissioners and will point
out Tuesday night that funds
from the city will not be need-
ed until the Fall of 1988 as
construction of the pool com-
plex is not anticipated to
egin until early 1988. ‘We
realize that it would be dif-
ficult for the city to know
what it’s financial status will
be at that time, but we do
Turn To Page 6A
Gibson
- Conducted
Graveside services for
Eugene William Gibson, 66,
retired Auto Parts Manager
at Wade Ford, were con-
ducted Tuesday morning at
Cemetery by Rev. Richard
Plyler.
Mr. Gibson died Sunday
afternoon at 5 p.m. at his
home at 910 N. Piedmont
Ave. of a self-inflicted gun-
shot wound to the chest, ac-
cording to Assistant
Cleveland County Coroner
Dwight Tessneer. He had
been in seriously ill health for
several months.
A native of Gaston County,
he was son of the late Robert
W. and Georgia Shattles Gib-
son. He was a veteran of
World War II.
Surviving are his wife,
Aileen Blazg Gicson; three
sons, Eugene Gibsow., Barry
Gibson and Shane Gibso. all
of Kings Mountain; fou
grandchildren; and three
sisters, Mrs. Naomi Blanton
of Gastonia, Mrs. Doris
Church and Mrs. Margie
Yancey, both of Kings Moun-
tain.
BYE BYE BiRDIE OPENS MAY 1—The Three dancers, above, rehearse a scene in the
which opens Thursday night, May 1, by KMSHS students at
Barnes Auditorium. From left, Tamara Godwin, Viola Joy and Heather Weich.
upcoming “Bye Bye Birdie”
Services Held Wednesday
For Rev. Fred Wells, 69
Funeral services for Rev.
Fred Wells, 69, of Route 1,
York Road, were conducted
Wednesday afternoon at 3
p.m. from Midview Baptist
Church, of which he was
pastor.
Rev. Curtis Bundy, Rev.
David Kime and Rev. Cline
Borders officiated at the rites
and interment was in Oak
View Baptist Church
Cemetery.
Mr. Wells died suddenly
Monday morning at 4 a.m. at
Kings Mountain Hospital
Emergency Room of a heart
attack. He had been in ill
health for several months but
REV. FRED F. WELLS
Baptist Church. He was also
active in the Kings Mountain
Ministerial Association Help-
ing Hand program and other
community projects and was
chaplain of Travelers Protec-
tive Association of Gastonia.
He was a native of Gaston
County, son of the late James
Hunter and Bessie McClure
Wells. :
Surviving are his wife
Ethel Sistare Wells; three
sons, Steve Wells of Cher-
ryville, Frank Wells of
Clover, S.C. and Jerry Wells
of Indian Trail; and one
daughter, Mrs. Margaret
Brittain of Cherryville; one
sister, Mrs. James Gualtney
of Kings Mountain; 12 grand-
had been active in the day morning and evening children and one great
ministry and had led the Sun- worship services at Midview grandchild.
11 a.m. from Mountain Rest