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VOL. 100 NUMBER 14
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1987
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH
Foote
Merger
Announced
Foote Mineral Company to-
day announced the signing of
a letter of intent to enter into
a cash merger with an af-
filiate of U.S. Borax, a wholly
owned subsidiary of The Rio
Tinto-Zinc Corp., PLC, of the
United Kingdom.
The agreement provides
that Foote assets at the time
of acquisition will include on-
ly those of Foote’s lithium
and ferrosilicon operations,
including the Kings Mountain
operation.
Terms and conditions of the
| agreement, including price,
| have not been released
| because they are subject to a
continuing due diligence in-
‘vestigation. It is expected
‘that a definitive merger
agreement will be negotiated
| within six weeks. A merger
will require a vote of Foote
Turn To Page 6-A
The 27 heirs of M.L. Plonk,
‘W.L. Plonk and John O.
Plonk, Sr. of Kings Mountain
‘announced the sale this week
“of Kings Pinnacle to the state
| for inclusion in Crowders
Mountain State Park.
Zeb Plonk, great nephew of
licenses.
Lawyer Says
Board Can’t
Ban Sunday
Beer Sales
_The recent passage of Sunday Blue Laws by the board of
city commissioners will not prohibit the sale of beer and
wine on Sunday by Class A restaurants with brown bagging
This is the opinion of Kings Mountain lawyer, Andy
Neisler, chairman of the newly appointed and first city ABC
Board and also by the N.C. Attorney General’s Office.
Neisler said that N.C. General Statutes 18 B-1004
states... ‘neither a city or a county, however, may prohibit
those sales in establishments having brown bagging or mix-
ed beverage permits.
Neisler said that a recent court case in Gibonsville, N.C.
challenged the constitutionality of Sunday Blue Laws and
CRUSADE OFFICE OPENS—The Clyde Dupin Crusade Office at the Professional Park on
West King Street opened Monday and will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9
a.m. until 1 p.m. until the August crusade. Office space for the crusade workers was donated
by Ruby M. Alexander, who owns the Professional Plaza. From left, crusade chairman Bob
store, won.
McRae, secretary Donna Jenkins and Alexander.
W.L. Plonk, said the three
Kings Mountain families sold
the 182.29 acres, originally
appraised by mineral expert
James Castle of York, S.C. at
$1,544,500.00 for $546,870,
which represented a gift to
Plonk Property Goes To Park
Plonk said the state has
planned an 11 a.m. dedication
service Saturday at the
Crowders Mountain office in
back of the pinnacle to
feature passing of the deed by
the 27 Plonk heirs to the state.
Plonk said the land, which
M.L. Plonk and grandson of
What's the point in having an advisory
board if no one listens to the committee’s
recommendation?
That’s the question the 17-member Kings
Mountain Aging Program Advisory Board
has posed to the board of City commissioners
after giving their collective resignations in a
letter to the board dated March 27.
Jonas Bridges, chairman of the Advisory
board which also includes William Alex-
ander, Dr. Joel Jenkins, Charles Walker,
Helen Hendricks, Lloyd Patterson, Jonas
Bridges, Ruth Gamble, Zeb Plonk, Mary
McMackin, Lydia Mitchell, Gladys Ledbet-
ter, Jeanette Surratte, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil
Pendleton, Gary Whitaker, Vivian Duncan
and Ann Bryant, say their resignations are
effective immediately unless the city board
reverses a recent personnel decision involv-
ing the senior center.
Bridges said the full committee made the
decision to resign because ‘‘the city ignored
the state by the pinnacle
3 adds the pinnacle and a por-
their recent recommendations to hire a
Gastonia woman as administrative assistant
at the senior center.”
After an executive session on March 17, the
city board of commissioners voted 4-3, the
mayor breaking a tie vote, to hire Kellene
Wells of the Dixon Community for the new
position of administrative assistant and book-
keeper at the Senior Center.
In a letter to the mayor and board of com-
missioners, Bridges said a council sub com-
mittee has recommended Barbara Ledford
from 15 applicants for the job. Bridges said
Mrs. Ledford had worked at the Center and
helped set up its bookkeeping system.
Said Bridges in the letter,“Acting on your
directive of Jan. 14, 1987, the Aging Program
Advisory Committee recommended an ex-
perienced, well qualified prospect to the city
administration to fill this very importantposi-
tion.] Subsequently, the City administration
ignored or disregarded the Advisory
WILLIE WILLIAMS
the four plaintiffs, each of whom owned a retail grocery
Neisler said he had been reading up on the ABC laws since
his appointment as chairman of the ABC Board and was
curious about Sunday Blue Laws and called the state at-
torney general’s office for an opinion.
tion of the ridge connecting
Kings and Crowders Moun-
tain pinnacles to the park,
was purchased in 1920 by
M.L. Plonk, William L. Plonk
and John O. Plonk, Sr. Over a
period of years the land has
Sunday.
From Page 1-A ABC store.
{
Council’s recommendation and instead pro-
ceeded to hire a person who is inexperienced
in the more important functions involved in
the position of administration assistant
bookkeeper.
“This person was hired by the city ad-
ministration without consulting with the Ag-
ing Director or extending him (Monty Thorn-
burg) the courtesy and opportunity to inter-
view the applicant before she was hired.
“Almost every recommendation the Ad-
visory Council has submitted to the city ad-
ministration since the Advisory Council was
appointed in June 1986 has been ignored or
disregarded in a manner similar to the
recommendation concerning the position of
administrative assistant-bookkeeper. The
council is rapidly coming the conclusion that
there is no valid reason for the Advisory
Council’s continued existance under the con-
ditions it believes now exists.”
- Bridges said this week that the Aging Ad-
Neisler said that local restaurants, such as Holiday Inn,
Mountaineer Restaurant and Pizza Hut, among businesses
issued ABC permits recently, can sell beer and wine on Sun-
day if they hold brownbagging licenses, in his opinion and
that of the state attorney general’s office. Neisler said that
if those Class A restaurants obtain off-premise license, they
may also legally sell beer by the case on Sunday.
State law prohibits sale of beer and wine until 1 p.m. on
Neisler said that members of the ABC Committee, which
also includes Van Birmingham and Roosevelt Ingram, are
continuing to look at suitable sites for construction of an
visory committee ‘‘has nothing against Miss
Wells and does not want to see her fired and
hopes she can be hired for some other posi-
tion in the city. We recommended the person
we thought best for the job and regret that
petty politics is playing the role that it is.”
Bridges said the resignation of the 17
member board is effective immediately
unless the city council rescinds its action and
“the mayor and city commissioners are will-
ing henceforth to give due consideration to
sound and reasonable recommendations
made by the Advisory Council for the opera-
tion of the KM Aging Program that are in the
best interest of the program and those served
by the program.”
Bridges said no additional meetings of the
Aging Advisory council are planned.
Mayor John Moss acknowledged receipt of
the resignations Monday afternoon. He said
the board did not discuss the matter at an ex-
ecutive session Monday evening.
Willie Williams Retires
Kings Mountain jeweler Marion Loy
(Willie) Williams, 66, retired Saturday from
the business he has operated downtown for 25
years.
Mr. Williams, who started fixing watches
at the age of 14, says he plans to enjoy his
woodworking hobby at home, repair some
clocks and continue his beekeeping and
photography hobbies as well.
Now he plans to devote more time to his
grandchildren, finish the clocks and cases he
has been working and and finish construction
of his first waterbed.
“I’m still going to be busy but I won’t have
to punch a clock. I can just work at my
leisure,” he laughed. ;
Ethel Mae Stewart Williams, his wife of 46
years, agrees that her husband has never
been idle. Williams has five beehives at
home, too, and a number of woodworking
projects to claim his attention.
The Williams are packing up left-over
stock from a recent sale at Willie’s Jewelry
but officially closed the business Saturday at
5:30 p.m.
A native of Lincoln County, Mr. Williams is
son of Mrs. Mary Leola Hull Williams and the
late Marvin Leroy Williams. He moved to
Kings Mountain in 1961 from Sylva where he
operated a jewelry business from 1954-60 and
' before that started his business in Murphy in
. January of 1946. His first job in Kings Moun-
tain was as a watchmaker for Lewis Dell-
| inger at Dellinger’s Jewel Shop. After a little
* over a year there, he opened his own business
in the downtown area, where he was
manager, salesman, watch repairman and
repaired diamonds and other jewelry. He
served in the USAF during World War II.
While working as a truck driver in 1938 he
got the nickname, Willie. “My boss liked to
shorten names and so instead of calling me
Williams he dubbed me Willie. It stuck and
I've been called Willie ever since’, he laugh-
ed.
Williams recalled that he met his wife in
York, S.C. in 1939 at a community carnival.
The family also includes two children;
Richard Williams, of San Jose, California,
and Brenda Williams of Kings Mountain.
There are five grandchildren: Derek and
Trip Morrow of Kings Mountain and George,
Elaine and Wendy Williams of San Joes.
After-retirement plans of the Williams in-
clude a trip this summer to California to visit
their grandchildren. Williams also plans a
fishing trip with his two Kings Mountain
grandsons in the near future.
The Williams, who reside at 508 S. Cansler
St., are active in Kings Mountain Baptist
Church where Mr. Williams is a deacon and
director of the Adult Sunday School Depart-
ment. He is a past master of Fairview Lodge
339 AF&AM and active in Gideon Society.
A jeweler for 43 years and a Kings Moun-
tain merchant for 25 year Mr. Williams says
he appreciates the patronage of Kings Moun-
tain citizens over the years. He said it was
with mixed emotions he closed up shop Satur-
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