—in Vi wd wy ~~ \V J
At a time when the divorce rate is spiraling, Olland
and Iva Lee Pearson stand out as an example of a hap-
pily married couple who have stayed married to each
other for 60 years. And they would do it again.
Olland, a former city commissioner in the Garland
Still administration in 1951-53, teases his wife that 60
years ago he stole his bride and "is still paying for it."
He quickly explains that as an 18 1/2 year-old bride-
groom he carried his 17 1/2 year-old bride over the
state line and they got hitched in York, South Carolina
without the consent of her guardians.
Iva Lee Falls and Olland Pearson had been child-
hood sweethearts since he was 13 and she was 12
They planned their elopement on a Saturday with an-
other couple, Johnny and Florence Stroupe, but told
Iva Lee's folks that they were attending a medicine
show at the location of what is now Phifer Hardware.
Returning to Kings Mountain they spent their wedding
night in the old Bill Hord house, which used to be lo-
cated across the street from the old Herald building
downtown, and Iva Lee, who had not taken additional
clothes from home, wore her wedding dress on
Monday to the Old Dilling Mill where she was a
spooling hand and Olland worked on speeders, the
roving frames. Their first home was a room in the old
Hord boarding house downtown.
Since those early days, the Pearsons reared a family.
Iva Lee has retired three times. She worked 42 years
in the mill, retired and went to work at Kings
Mountain Hospital in the housekeeping department,
retired and then went back to work at the hospital. She
would still be on-the-job but suffered a heart attack.
Olland retired twice: from the mill in 1960 and then
worked 20 years for the late Fred Plonk at
KM Weather
OLLAND AND IVA LEE PEARSON
Battleground Service Station. Two years ago the
Pearsons moved from their Grover Road home and
renovated a home at 211 Fairview Street, across the
street from their daughter.
The Pearson family includes their son, Harold Dea
Pearson, a sportswriter for The Richmond Times-
Mr. And Mrs. Pearson Married For 6
|
"We never went to sleep mad at one
another. Every couple has ups and downs
but we stuck to our vows."
-Iva Lee Pearson
Dispatch in Richmond, Va. and their daughter, Shirley
Mayes of Kings Mountain. Their pride and joy are
their grandchildren, Chris Pearson and Jackie Putnam
and great-grandsons Jason and Brandon Putnam.
Harold Pearson came home on their anniversary
May 18 and took them out for a quiet family supper to
celebrate their anniversary and Mother's Day. Pearson
stops by frequently after covering sports events in the
Piedmont or in Atlanta, Ga.
Mrs. Pearson enjoys piecing quilts and both used to
enjoy fishing. Back in the early days of their marriage
the couple would pack fatback meat biscuits and carry
them to the fishing holes at Crowder's Mountain where
they would spend the day. Iva Lee drives the family
car but credits her husband with being a "back seat
driver” and Pearson shows off his membership card in
the "back seat driving club" every chance he gets.
Olland says he's glad for his wife to do the driving and
has never wanted to get his driver's license although he
helped a number of friends obtain theirs over the
years.
Iva Lee Falls and Olland Pearson are both Kings
Mountain natives. Mrs. Pearson is the great-grand-
daughter of the late Robert Falls, Kings Mountain pio-
neer who sold the city the first 25 acres of land and
gave the Southern Railway a right-of-way when the
:City of Shelby refused. He also gave the first acre of
Wednesday, May 31, 1989-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page 11A
0 Years
land to start Mountain Rest Cemetery. The family's
roots in Kings Mountain probably accounted for
Pearson's popularity as a city commissioner. Pearson
credits the Still administration with cutting the tax rate
five cents, opening up the Linwood section of town for
residential development, and beginning use of Powell
Bill funds for street improvements. He was paid $10 a
month and Still, who functioned at first as a part-time
mayor, earned $50 a month. The five-member board
split on several issues, including the city manager form
of government, fired the then-city manager 3-2 and re-
instituted the mayoral form of government and raised
Mayor Still's pay to $150 a week. Pearson beat veteran
politician Tommy Ellison for the Ward 4 seat that term
and then was defeated the next term by Lloyd Davis.
"Those were the days," said Pearson who laughed and
said he'd never return to politics.
"Our phone rang off the hook all the time, "said Iva
Lee who said after her husband's two year venture in
politics she was glad he got beat the second time
around.
"We never went to sleep mad at one another. Every
couple has ups and downs but we stuck to our vows,"
she said.
The Pearsons are members of First Wesleyan
Church.
Both agreed they wouldn't make any changes in
their lives if they had them to live over and agreed that
their love had been tried and tested over the years.
Married all their lives, they say if two people work
hard at staying married to each other they can succeed.
180-Day Prohibition On Signs Is Recommended By Planning And Zoning
A 180-day prohibition on off-
premises commercial signs was
(Compiled By Kenneth Kitzmiller)
MAY 24-30
Total precipitation - 0
Maximum one day 0
Year to date 19.80
Minimum temp. 57 (28th)
Maximum temp. 92 (26th)
Average temp. 75.5
OFFICE OR RETAIL SHOP
SPAGE AVAILABLE
Approximately 1,100 Sq. Ft. On The Front.
Located In The Distinctively Styled Log
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KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD
E. King Street in
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482-4341
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The City Council will conduct a
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on new billboards.
At the May 22 meeting of City
Council the commissioners voted
to ask the planning and zoning
board to recommend the temporary
ban to allow time to strengthen the
current sign ordinance which City
Manager George Wood said is
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The temporary ban will have no
effect on non-commercial signs or
on commercial signs erected at a
place of business.
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