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Page 4A-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Wednesday, January 1, 1992
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Thanks, Kyle
Last Tuesday night Kyle Smith called to order the
regular monthly meeting of Kings Mountain City
Council. Moments later, the new Council was sworn
into office and Smith stepped down from the podium,
ending a four-year term as mayor.
Kings Mountain owes a great debt of gratitude to
Kyle Smith. There is no one person in Kings
Mountain who was better suited to lead the city dur-
ing the past four years.
Kyle Smith resigned from the School Board,
which he served very well, to run for mayor. His plat-
form was simple: He wanted the town to change to a
city manager form of government and he wanted to
see all citizens treated equally.
Smith's first goal was realized even before election
day. When the City Board learned that John Henry
Moss, who had been mayor for 22 years, would not
run again it approved the City Manager form of gov-
ernment.
After that business matter was approved, the town
had a lot of work to do. Smith successfully led the
new Council in finding one of the state's best city
managers, George Wood, to accept the role of leader-
ship here. Under Wood's and Smith's guidance the
city reorganized its entire work force and today all
departments are run in a professional manner.
In the midst of reorganization, the city also learned
that its utility systems were in dire straits. Thanks to
the citizens' passage of over $9 million in bonds the
city was able to rebuild a utility system which is sec-
ond to none and will serve the town well into the 21st
century.
All the while, Smith kept an open door policy in
which all citizens were treated fairly and equally. To .
Kyle Smith and his administration, the poor man was
just as important as the richest.
The transition is now over. The hard work of city
employees under the capable leadership of Kyle
Smith and George Wood has paid off. Worker morale
is at an all-time high. Utilities are in excellent shape.
Kings Mountain is ready for growth.
We welcome the new leadership on City Council
~ and wish them well.
As for Kyle Smith, yes, his days as a politician
may be over. But his days as a public servant will
_ never end because he's the type of guy that will al-
ways do what he can for the betterment of Kings
: Mountain.
Your Right To Say It
. Whitey Bridges
| will be missed
To the editor:
Whitey Bridges died over the holidays.
A good man.... STAT Ses
A special man.
His absence is profound.
And his death is a loss for all of us.
I can't speak for everyone, but I think my voice is
typical of his friends and associates. My emotions
reflect the norm which seems to have been ex-
pressed in these days.
There are certain souls you meet in life who are
special.
Whitey Bridges was just such a man.
He made you smile.
He made you laugh.
And he made you reflect.
Now that he is gone, the heavens seem at odds.
In the night-time sky there are many fiery stars.
But now, just as in our lives, there is one less sparkle
in the darkness. There is a cold void where once
there was warmth. And there is a part of us, each
and every one, that will be lacking for the rest of our
. days.
That is the most fitting eulogy one might fashion
for Whitey Bridges.
We loved him.
He will be missed.
Even more so now....
That we are incomplete...
pena
And without him.
: Kevin R. Childers
Allow interest deduction
To the editor:
Since the automobile business is the backbone of
the U.S. economy, let's put the auto industry back on
its feet. In 1986 the U.S. government stopped allow-
ing interest to be deducted on car loans, and the in-
. dustry and the economy have been going downhill |
i since. Rather than reduce interest rates or cut taxes,
- allow interest deduction and stimulate the economy
. by the only viable method, consumer spending.
: Mr. Magic (Dick Howard),
Magic Motors, Shelby
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TT Ourvicn | Cartoonmitorial | Things to do in '92
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277
I've never been onc to make
New Year's resolutions. Like a
wise man once said, I have plenty
left over from last year that I |
haven't kept yet.
But, in 1992, I'm going to try to:
HB Exercise more in hopes of get-
ting some of this gut off me. I like
the suggestion of a doctor in anoth-
er paper the other day: He said to
GARY
@
Editor
STEWART]!
start off with 10 minutes a day and
then gradually add to it. I would
join some of these "mall walkers"
but then I'd end up walking a few
steps and then stopping to browse.
Let me make this perfectly clear,
however. This is not to say that I'm
going on a diet. I love to eat and,
besides, it's my opinion that these
dieters whose weight is forever go-
ing up and down like a yo-yo are
doing themselves more harm than
good.
HM Cut down on my consumption
of "sweetie dopes." Those of you
who know me know that's been my
trademark for years and it won't be
easy. A barber once nicked my ear
and said I bled Pepsi.
B Look for the positive in every
situation. I hope some other folks
around here do the same. I
reviewed all the 1991 papers the
other day for a wrap-up of the
year's activities and it seemed like
at almost every city council and
school board meeting someone was
protesting something. People who
have a legitimate complaint have
every right to make it known to
their elected officials. But, some
people just like to keep things
stirred up. As another wise person
once said, if we are not part of the
solution we are part of the prob-
lem.
HM Try not to criticize other peo-
ple (with the exception of politi-
cians, who are "fair" game, and the
Charlotte Hornets, who expect it).
HM Control my temper. That
would make life much easier for
my wife, children, and co-workers.
HM Make a concentrated effort to
buckle my seat belts and turn on
my headlights any time I have to
use my windshield wipers.
Buckling up may save my life and
turning on my lights may save
someone else's. (And, it would also
make John Weatherly happy. The
former Representative from KM
introduced the bill which became
law).
There's a lot more I need to do -
or try not to do - in '92. But, I'm
out of space and I feel a Pepsi at-
tack coming on.
Some possibilities for the new year
Here we are about to start another year. Pretty soon
you'll begin to see all these pieces in the newspaper
and on the tube about the ten most important stories of
1991.
. Well, here are my top ten headlines from 1991, and
I'm going to buck the trend and start with number one:
1. 233 Pound Baby Born
2. Woman Has Baby With Dog Face
3. There Really Is A Man In The Moon
4. Woman Gets Pregnant In Big Toe
5. Marilyn Monroe Was Really From The Planet
Jupiter
6. Five-year-old is Just 2 Inches Tall
7. Aliens From Quter Space Are Living In Av
Georgia Swamp
8. Talking Dog To Be On Johnny Carson Show
9. Elvis' Grave Robbed
10. Man Explodes On Toledo Street
You may or may not have seen these stories, but
they are all valid headlines. I have a habit of scanning
those super market tabloids while standing in the
check-out lines and I spotied every one of these, and
more. Take a look sometimes. They're always good for
a laugh.
There are several things I'd like to see in the coming
year. In sports, it would be nice if the ACC could re-
tain the NCAA basketball championship. I could stand
another good season from the Atlanta Braves, even if I
am a St. Louis Cardinal fan. I would like to see former
pitcher Jim Kaat considered for the Hall of Fame.
Here's a man who won over 280 games in the big
Heffner
@
Columnist
leagues and I've never heard iim mentioned. for that
signal honor. Wouldn't it be a thrill to see Jack
Nicklaus win another Masters golf tournament at
Augusta? How about another no-hitter from Nolan
Ryan? It would be his eighth. Jeff Mullins is a truly
nice man, and a trip to the final four for his UNCC
49'ers would be a great way to end the college basket-
ball season. ;
Politically I'd like to see someone running for office
say: vote for me because I want to give this job a shot,
instead of making promises that cannot be fulfilled. It
would be nice if the new Russian Commonwealth suc-
ceeded, then maybe holdouts such as Cuba would give
up the totalitarian ghost. Wouldn't it be refreshing if
George Bush, or one of his top people would admit
publicly that we are in the throes of a deep recession,
and that this country has seen the last balanced budget
until a Constitutional Amendment is passed? The fact
is that entitlement programs and interest on the nation-
al debt exceed appropriated funds. The real miracle,
politically, would be that the National Democratic par-
ty nominate a presidential candidate we could vote for.
I'd like to see the stereo industry come up with bet-
ter names for speakers. Woofers and tweeters sound
like dogs and birds. And wouldn't it be terrific if we
could get a good small speaker?
Now that Ted Turner and Jane Fonda have become
Mr. and Mrs., maybe they could move to Ted's ranch
in Montana and stay there. They'd be doing us all a big
favor if they'd take Donald Trump and Marla Maples
along with them. FontT
Maybe 1992 will be the year when we go back to
square one where public health is concerned. The fact
is hospitals charge too much, sometime as much as
three dollars for an aspirin, and they of it because they
know insurance companies will pay without question-
ing the charge. The end result of this outrageous prac-
tice is that companies are forcing employees to bear
more and more of the health cost burden. Pretty soon
your group insurance cost will out pace you salary.
Doctors need to take another look at their fee sched-
ules as well. Insurance companies are setting limits on
major medical benefits these days, and when you file
your doctors bills you may find your insurance compa-
ny will pay 80 per cent of forty dollars instead of 80
per cent of the fifty dollars your doctor charged you.
Anyway, we have a brand new year ahead of us, and
I hope 1992 will be you best year yet.
Truth sometimes stranger than fiction
It seems that coincidences have played a big role
in my life.
There are two that I especially like to chuckle
about. The first happens to be that I have always
wanted to live in a log cabin. That is my dream
house.
Well, it seems that I just about have my wish, be-
cause I work at the Herald, and if you drive out
Canterberry Road, you'll see our office building,
which is, lo and behold, a huge log cabin.
The other wish that has come true -- in a fashion -
- is that I've always wanted to live in the mountains.
Some people like the beach; I like the mountains.
Well, guess where I work now? You got it. Kings
Mountain.
Ever heard the saying, "Be careful what you wish
for, for you will surely get your wish?"
Another coincidence that seems almost eerie is
that my room numbers in the dormitories in under-
graduate and graduate schools were the same, 251.
Who planned that?
I'm not superstitious. I am just convinced that
somebody up there has a really good sense of humor
and likes to fake us out.
Dr. Patrick Roche of Cherryville gave me a book
on the beginnings of Habitat for Humanity in which
there is a chapter devoted to coincidences. You
might be interested to hear about some of the
strange, but good, incidents that occurred in the
lives of the people who work with Habitat.
It seems that in 1978, Pat Clark from New Jersey,
a friend of Millard Fuller who started Habitat for
Humanity, had read a book about the organization
and wanted to travel to Zaire to participate in some
houses being built there. She told Fuller that she
could not underwrite the trip, being a college student
on full scholarship and working, also.
Another friend, Diane Scott, began looking into
travel expenses and places of funding for Pat. The
trip would cost $1,566. Funding from many sources,
some as small as 75 cents, came in to Diane. By the
time Pat was ready to leave for Zaire, Diane had
raised exactly $1,567.05.
Sidewalk Survey
At the airport, though, Pat discovered she needed
an additional $5 for an unanticipated charge. The
next day, the last check to come in had a $5 dona-
tion enclosed.
The way Millard Fuller met his wife was an un-
usual story, too. During his college days, Fuller was
sort of an entrepreneur. He sold advertising, as one
of his many jobs, and was selling at a movie theatre
one day when he met the girl at the ticket window.
He liked her and asked her for her name but didn't
have time to ask for her phone number. By the time
he got out of the manager's office, she was finished
with her shift and gone.
Fuller asked around for her phone number, but no
one would give out that information. He decided he
would go home and phone every Caldwell in the
book until he found Joan Caldwell. He called two
Caldwells with no luck. On the third try, he got a
girl, but she was not his Joan. But he talked with her
anyway and explained his situation. After a lengthy
and friendly conversation, Fuller forgot about his
mission and began to wonder about the girl to whom
he was talking. He asked if he could come over to
her house and meet her, and, thus, a romance and
eventual marriage was begun.
I've always heard, truth is stranger than fiction.
Pam Mathis
| don't make them
because | don't want to
break them.
Tony Nguyen
Say no fo drugs.
Do you make New Year's resolutions? What is yours?
Alan Rutherford Tom Waters
No, because | never Trying to get rid of this
keep them. ham and turkey.
Louise West
Not usually.
Steven Jones
No. | don't.