Edie Bridges has played an esti-
mated three million notes on the
Church the past 33 years. That's an
estimated 256 days of non-stop
tickling the ivories.
She was honored Sunday night
in "An Evening With Edie." The
congregation honored the veteran
organist who is retiring with a pe-
tite diamond butterfly pin, a "Book
of Memories" signed by friends
and red roses.
Paying tribute to the popular
musician and retired first grade
teacher were Eoline Keeter Hord, a
longtime friend since their college
days at Mars Hill Junior College;
Rev. and Mrs. Bob Collins, Rick
Harwell, and Virginia Crawford.
Anne Hord Gamble, chairman of
the program committee made the
special presentations, assisted by
her mother, Mrs. Hord; Ary and
Edward Covington, Mr. and Mrs.
Greg Tindall, Mrs. Faye Bennett,
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Phifer and Mr.
and Mrs. Harold Crawford Jr., all
members of the committee. Ed
Covington, chairman of the board
of deacons, was master of cere-
tion were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Tate,
Mr. and Mrs. Odell Benton and
KM Baptist
honors Edie
organ at Kings Mountain Baptist
monies. Also assisting at the recep--
Carole Dixon.
Special entertainment was pre-
sented by the Church Choir Mrs.
Bridges directed for a number o
years, and the former Junior Choir
of members now adults. Singing
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children's songs they learned as fii.
children, the concert was a surprise
to Mrs. Bridges. The reunion of |
members of the Junior choir
spanned several decades. Among
members of the original choir were
children of Mr. and Mrs. J. C.
Bridges and Eoline Hord and the
late Dr. D. F. Hord.
Married in 1946 to retired hard-
wareman J. C. Bridges, Edie
Franklin Bridges met her husband
when she came to First Baptist
Church to work as educational sec-
retary to Rev. L. C. Pinnix. J. C.
Bridges was a member ‘of the con-
gregation. A native of Hickory,
Mrs. Bridges graduated from
Lenoir Rhyne College. She joined
the KM School System as a first
grade teacher at West School in
1958 and retired in 1983 after 25
years.
When Kings Mountain Baptist
Church was organized in 1958, she
became organist for the church and
has played at most every Sunday
service since, at many funerals and
EDIE BRIDGES
Retiring as KM Baptist organist
weddings, also directing the two
choirs. She also played the organ
for the church's Sunday School
program conducted at Kings
Mountain Hospital.
Mrs. Bridges says she plans to
sing in the choir with her husband
now that she has retired from the
- organ and will continue her volun-
teer work as a reading tutor, a job
she loves and started when the pro-
gram began at Mauney Memorial
Library. An avid reader, she is en-
thusiastic that her 42-year-old stu-
dent is doing well. Active in a
number of community programs,
See Bridges, 2-A
rpormm——
ANGELA STRICKLAND
Angela
still needs
your help
Kings Mountain's Angela
Strickland will undergo a bone
marrow transplant October 25 in
Minnesota.
A donor has been found for
Angela, who suffers from aplastic
anemia; however, a fund drive to
help cover her family's part of the
$200,000 operation is lagging.
The staff and students at East
School, who are spearheading the
fund drive, urge all citizens to give
to the fund being handled by
Carolina State Bank. All checks
should be made to "COTA for
Angela" and mailed to Carolina
State Bank, P.O. Box 340, Kings
Mountain, 28086.
The Strickland family needs ap-
proximately $75,000. Their insur-
ance company will pay the remain-
ing costs.
Thus far, only $3,000 has been
raised.
The East School staff has set up
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Melect
set Tuesday
Kings Mountain citizens will go
to the polls Tuesday to elect a
mayor and four council members
from a field of 16 candidates.
In an unusual election year due
to redistricting of five wards, the
outcome could seat five new faces
at city hall on an eight member
board with two incumbents whose
seats are not up this year and one
newly-appointed councilman,
Voters in Ward One will choose
their representative from Ward
One, the new minority/majority
ward which will seat a black for
the first time in the city's history.
In Ward Two, voters will also
elect their representative. »
All registered voters may cast
ballots for the two At-Large posi-
tions and the mayor.
All candidates have conducted
vigorous but quiet campaigns with
no apparent controversy, distribut-
ing campaign literature and knock-
ing on doors in the final weeks of
the campaign. All said at a recent
candidate forum they support the
city manager form of government.
The candidates include three in-
cumbent commissioners.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close
at 7:30 p.m, Voting places are the
Community Center (East Kings
Mountain mreeinct) and the
Armory (West Kings Mountain
precinct). Election officials will be
in the lobby of city hall to take
changes of addresses and residents
with changes of addresses will cast
ballots at city hall.
Vote totals will be posted in the
lobby of city hall after 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday night.
Election Board chairman Becky
Cook said if questions arise about
the correct addresses of voters that
voters will be asked to supply
proper identification. Cook will be
assisted by Tim Miller and Chuck
Gordon at city hall. Registrars are
Hilda Moss at the Armory and
Connie Putnam at the Community
Center. Judges are Joyce Dye and
Louise Dover at the Community
Center and Betty Spears and
Mercedes Humphries at the
Armory. :
Former commissioners Jim
Childers and Scott Neisler and
Gilbert Hamrick are in a three-way
race for mayor. Childers says his
business and council experience
will be needed to push for annexa-
tion, extension of utilities, and in
pursuing economic development in’
the next four years. He said he
would form an active redevelop-
See Election, Page 3-A
Miles Scism KM's 'body man’ for 33 years
Patterson Grove body shop own-
er Miles Scism practices what he
preaches to his students in auto
body repair at Cleveland
Community College.
"I tell them to do the best job
they can," he says.
The philosophy has been highly
successful for Scism, who has been
fixing cars for 33 years. His cus-
tomers return time after time to
have body work and car repairs
done on their vehicles by a profes-
sional who takes pride in every car
he turns out in his busy shop.
Scism has owned and operated
his own business off the Highway
74 West Bypass at Patterson Grove
for eight years, now a partnership
with his brother, Gene Scism.
Before that he worked for a num-
ber of years at Wade Ford and got
into the business with Lewis
Motors, a Ford dealership in
Gastonia where he served as assis-
tant body shop manager in the mid
1950's.
Scism said he always liked tin-
kering with cars but his mainte-
nance job in the Army whetted his
appetite. He came home from the
Army after the Korean Conflict
and went to Howard Business
College but missed his work in
heavy duty auto mechanics and
when a job came open at a Ford
dealership he jumped at the chance
to work on cars again.
When he isn't putting in long
days at his shop he stays busy
restoring a 1966 Ford Comet con-
vertible which has just a little over
50,000 miles on the odometer and
is a beauty. His wife, Dora, and
their daughter, Brenda Hayes, nev-
er worry about cars breaking down
and repair bills because Miles
keeps the Scism cars and truck in
top shape.
Five weeks ago Miles underwent
major heart surgery at Carolinas
Medical Center but is back home
recuperating. "It was good to get
back at work this week but the
Doctor (Mayse) has told me I can't
work but half days for a while," he
said. Scism said he appreciates his
brother and part time helper,
MILES SCISM
Sherman Jenkins, but is ready to
get back to his regular routines.
Sitting at home in front of the tele-
vision set is not one of his favorite
pastimes. He had rather weed the
garden or flower beds and mow the
yards at his beautiful country home
he built on 26 acres of farmland 15
years ago and a short distance from
his garage.
Scism teaches aspiring mechan-
ics two nights a week, illustrating
the lessons with films on how to
estimate costs of repair jobs and
supervising the students as they ac-
tually make repairs on their own
vehicles. "I tell them they need pa-
tience and practice and they need
not expect to be professionals over
night. It takes work," he said.
Scism also goes to school, at-
tending repair courses on a regular
basis and recently earned a plaque
from the National Institute for
Automotive Service Excellence in
body repair, painting and refinish-
ing, a school he completes every
four years and is certified. He also
completed recently a Unibody re-
pair course in identifying and ana-
lyzing damage, welding and colli-
sion repairs.
A Kings Mountain native, he is
the son of Mrs. Gettys Scism and
the late Mr. Scism, and graduated
from Bethware High School in
1951. He grew up on a farm and
helped his father at the old Scism
Cotton Gin. His wife works at
Hamrick Industries and their
daughter, Brenda Hayes, works in
thé accounting department of
Kings Mountain Hospital. Brenda
and Richard Hayes have an 11-
year-old son, O'Brien, a KM
Middle School student and the
Scism's only grandchild. Miles has
one brother, Gene; and one sister,
Sue Hughes of Cleveland,
Tennessee.
Before building their home, the
Scisms lived on Shelby Road and
were active in Bethlehem Baptist
Church. They are active in
Patterson Grove Baptist Church,
where Scism is an assistant Sunday
School teacher of young men and
assistant adult director.
Even after working long hours
on a customer's car, Scism relaxes
at home working on his own car.
He also finds gardening the perfect
place to unwind.
New $733,000 water tank
dedicated by KM Tuesday
City officials dedicated the new five million gallon
$733,000 water storage tank Tuesday morning,
Mayor Kyle Smith marking the site with a plaque.
The 40.5 feet high tank has a circumference of
455.3 feet and elevation of 1,111 feet. Constructed
with water bonds and finished during the past seven
months, it increases the city's water storage capacity
to nine million gallons.
City Manager Ralph Messera, Bessemer City mayor
John Clark, Bessemer City i Roy Bullard,
Shelby councilman Bill Weaver, County Economic
Development Director Joe Fendrick and his assis-
tant, Barbara Danner; Billy I
man, and Dr. Jane King, rep
tem; county commission¢
planning and zoning board
1g, school board chair-
senting the school sys-
Joyce Cashion; city
‘airman Wilson Griffin;
iretz, chairman of the
«tem Elvin Green, Fred
city manager George
; Knitwear, representing
a booth at the Cleveland County
Fair, sponsored by General Tire
Company of Charlotte, Angela's fa-
ther's employer. Donations will be
accepted at the fair booth and there
will be a drawing Saturday for a set
of tires and other prizes. Donors do
not have to be present to win,
The staff of East School urges
all industries, churches, civic orga-
nizations, and individuals to give
to the fund so Angela will have a
chance to live a normal life.
"FToday Angela needs your
help," said a school spokesman.
"Tomorrow, it could be one of your
loved ones. May God bless you for
giving."
The mayor pointed to the adjacent two million gal-
lon tank built on North Picdmont Avenue in 1967
and in the distance the two million gallon tank on
Grace Street built in 1982. Now that the new tank is
in operation, Smith said the city can shut down the
24-year-old adjacent tank for sandblasting, painting
and nceded repairs.
W. K. Dickson Company of Charlotte was project
engineer, Hickory Construction Co. was gencral
contractor and Anderson Brothers was clectrical sub-
contractor. Chuck Neelis, building a 24 million gal-
lon tank in Columbia, S.C., was foreman for the pro-
ject of which Alex Burkley and David Pond were
project designers and Eddie Taylor was field inspec-
tor. Mike Beard was superintendent of the project for
Hickory Construction, assisted by Curt Eckard.
Also present for the brief ceremonies, followed by
the cutting of a tank-decorated cake, were Bessemer
city council members Al ’
utility committee; mayor pi
Finger, Norma Bridges ar
Wood; Erncst Rome, of Ar
local industry, city pe “ancl director Charles
Webber, fire chief Frank ns, and utilitics depart-
ment heads Karl Moss, public works superintendent;
Walt Ollis, water and sewer; and Jim Maney, gas and
clectric; and other candidates for city office, includ-
ing Scott Neisler, Gilbert Hamrick, and Jerry
Mullinax.
The mayor said the public is invited to attend the
dedication October 15 of the expanded water plant
facilities and on October 29 of Pilot Creek improve-
ments, all paid for from bond monies. Smith said the
last bond project to be completed will be substations
and electrical improvements and dedication of those
facilities will be in the "very near future."
i: Gaskr i os
TANK DEDICATION - Community Services Director Tom
Howard, his secretary Ashley Chambers and Mayor Kyle Smith,
right, hold up a decorated cake which was cut and served to visitors
following the dedication Tuesday of the city's new water storage
tank on North Piedmont Avenue.