VOL. 108 NO. 1
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That gift started a collec-
tion that has grown over the
years to include albums of pic-
trips to Graceland in Memphis,
TN, tapes of all Elvis' movies,
wall hangings, doll look-a-likes,
‘Christmas ornaments, tags,
stamps, and a day bed decorated
with an Elvis coverlet and pillow
shams, to name a few of the
items in the collection.
Her newest item will be the
just-released set of Elvis Presley postage stamps. She will receive the
first set of stamps issued at Kings Mountain Post Office Friday. The
United States is issuing only one Elvis stamp--the younger Elvis, based
on the outcome of the national vote taken by the postal service. More
than 300 million U. S. stamps have been printed.
sure to want a set of nine different stamps showing Elvis in every stage
of his career and just issued by the tiny island nation of St. Vincent,
British West Indies. Cloninger says that each of the nine stamps is about
four times the size of the proposed U. S. stamp, and each stamp has a
However, fans are
"They are really quite stunning with all the colorful images printed to-
gether on the same commemorative sheets," added Cloninger.
She says she is excited about adding the new U.S. stamps and the St.
Vincent limited edition to her collection.
See Elvis, 8-A
tures Juanita took during three
Thursday, January Zz 1993
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lvis stamp
Fifteen years after the death of Elvis Presley the legend remains very:
much alive for fans like Kings Mountain banker Juanita Cloninger.
Cloninger readily admits that she has been an Elvis "nut" since ‘she
watched the super star perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 in a
show which launched his career to stardom.
Cloninger's grandmother, the late Bessie Dellinger, contributed the
first piece of memorabilia, Elvis bookends, to the Elvis Room at the.
home of Mrs. Cloninger on Ellenwood Drive. :
Juanita Cloniner, an Elvis Brosley fan, has filled an Elvis Room
The new minister in the pulpit at
First Presbyterian Church is a for-
mer college president, educator,
and former missionary teacher.
Dr, Donald Mitchell, who be-
came the church's interim pastor
last month, finds his role challeng-
ing.
In fact, the 65 years of his life
have been rewarding and never
dull.
Although he has served only
two interim pastorates, here and at
Carmel Presbyterian in Charlotte
19 months, the retired educator
finds the ministry a calling that he
wishes could have come earlier in
life.
One of the joys of his new job is
visiting the shut-ins of his congre-
gation. They are priorities, he says.
He says they give him a blessing
every time he sees them.
Mitchell's versatility as a speak-
er enhances his sermon delivery
and he brings some of the joys/re-
flections of his long academic ca-
reer and his experiences in Peru as
a teacher to his listeners.
A native of South Ireland, New
Zealand, Mitchell retired from
King College, Bristol, TN, in 1989
after a 10-year tenure. Twenty-two
years of college teaching also in-
cluded Academic Dean at Montreat
Anderson College for six years and
six years as Academic Vice
President at Wheaton University,
KM School Board to
How Kings Mountain Schools
rate on the state report card may be
on the agenda for Monday night's
Board of Education meeting at 7
p.m. in'the School Administration
Building.
"We've been told we may get
those results on Monday from the
Illinois.
It was in Lema, Peru that he met
and married his wife, Grace
Spradling. She taught at a
Methodist Girls School and he ©
taught at a Scottish Presbyterian
Boys School. From Peru, they
moved to Princeton Seminary and
he earned his Bachelor of Divinity
Degree and later his Doctorate in
Theology. Mrs. Mitchell has taught
36 years and is currently Spanish
teacher at East and West
Elementary Schools.
The couple's love of the Spanish
language has taken them to South
American countries. They have
traveled in Spain three times and to
See New Pastor, 8-A
DR. DONALD MITCHELL
meet Monday night
State Department of Public
Instruction," said Supt. Dr. Bob
McRae.
McRae said other business of the
Schools to look for additional
No school building projects are
"in the works for new year 1993 but
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said that offi-
cials will be looking at ways to get
additional resources.
He cited the increases in man-
dated programs as the reason that
systems will be looking for more
money to reach goals.
"I see no dramatic improvements
in the local economy," he said. " I
hope that things will improve but I
think it will be slow."
McRae said that the school staff
is currently doing the paper work
to ask the Justice Department and
New Economic Director
ready to promote county
Cleveland County's new
Economic Development Director
Steven Nye toured Kings Mountain
on his second day on the job
Tuesday and liked what he saw.
He was accompanied by Larry
Hamrick Sr. and City Councilman
Al Moretz, both members of the
nine-member EDC board.
Nye says he plans to be highly
visible to the people of Cleveland
County and is excited about work-
ing with local people.
"We plan to give him a fast-track
introduction to Cleveland County
during his first week on the job,"
said Hamrick, who introduced the
former High Point resident to a
wide section of the community.
Before moving to Shelby, Nye
was associated for four years with
the High Point Economic
Development Corporation and be-
fore that worked in Florence, SC
with the EDC.
His wife, Linda Nye, is alloca-
tions director of High Point United
Way and will join him in Shelby at
the end of February.
Nye said he will be meeting with
the EDC board in January to firm
up the group's direction for the new
year. The EDC will host a drop-in
at which Cleveland County resi-
dents are invited to meet the new
director on January 26 from 4:30-
6:30 p.m. at the Cleveland County
Office Building on Marion Street
in Shelby.
Nye says he looks forward to
helping the local board build the
program and to compete region-
wide for economic development
across the United States.
N.C. General Assembly to desig-
nate Priscilla Mauney's inside city
seat as an at-large seat effective
with the November school board
election in which terms of Mauney,
Ronnie Hawkins and Billy Houze
are expiring.
The Board of Education went to
January meeting will be routine.
The board will probably set a
See School Board, 8-A
revenues
a three inside city, two outside city
arrangement after school consoli-
dation went into effect in the fall of
1961. In recent months, the board
has discussed how to better reflect
the population of the school system
in its seating arrangement. The
board approved the at-large seat at
the December meeting.
ANVEdIl TYTHOWAR AANAVR
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 «35¢
City eyes
good
No major increases for city ser-
vices are projected in 1993 by city
officials but utility customers could
see an inflationary increase of two
percent in water and sewer costs in
July.
City Manager George Wood said
that City Council will take a hard
look at the overall financial picture
at the third annual retreat to be held
in March at Cleveland Community
College.
Council had indicated that a two
percent increase in water/sewer
rates may be necessary by July
1993.
“The major increases are behind
us," said Wood, who said that the
new year will find the city still
making improvements in the utility
systems and doing street repaving
but the major work will be in get-
ting easements and overseeing the
construction of the big
Bridgestone/Firestone Plant in
Kings Mountain Business Park.
Gaston County is paying the cost
of the water/sewer lines that Kings
Mountain is constructing and
Kings Mountain is also running
natural gas extensions in the area.
All bond projects were complet
ed a year ago and all have been
dedicated, "Modest improvements
year
will continue,” said Wood.
"It's that time of year to talk
about budgets and the city staff
will begin preparation for present-
ing budget requests to Council,"
said Wood, who said the budget
will be ready for Council's adop-
tion by June 1.
Wood said the city has been re-
ceiving more requests from devel-
opers interested in building in the
city and he hopes that is an indica-
tion that the economy is on the up-
swing.
He said the addition of the new
Firestone plant, expected to crank
up in May; the new DyeTech firm
in West Kings Mountain which be-
gins operations next month; and
the new Burke Narrow Fabrics
opening in the old Sadie Mill this
month will boost the economy.
Hardee's Restaurant is building a
new - restaurant on Cleveland
Avenue and a new laundromat is
under construction off Ridge at
161. Little Dan's No. 4 has exten-
sively renovated the former
Caveny Fabric building on York
Road to house a modern conve-
nience store, washerette and restau-
rant. Danny and Roger Goforth
‘have opened the business and plan
later this month
Business leaders
see better 1993
Will the euphoria after the elec-
tion wear off or will it sustain
Kings Mountain and the country
during a sluggish economy?
"A good question," say local
business people who say they are
hopeful that new year 1993 will be
better for Kings Mountain.
John McGinnis, partner in
McGinnis Department Store,
thinks the change in U.S. adminis-
tration will have a positive affect
on the economy nationwide and
business will be better. "I've seen
an attitude change that is good and
I see no reason why business won't
be better because of that attitude,”
he said.
"Leaders nationwide are antici-
pating a stronger business climate
and customer attitude is great. I
don't hear negative talk in Kings
Mountain."
McGinnis said that local people
can't expect to see the terrific busi-
ness activity that the community
received in the 1980s. "That won't
return soon," he said.
City Manager George Wood
says the city has seen some posi-
tive signals in the last several
months that the economy may be
on the upswing. "We've had more
requests from developers about
Al Moretz, left, and Larry Hamrick Sr., right, welcome Steven Nye, the new director of the Cleveland
County Economic Development Commission to Kings Mountain.
city services and that means there
is more interest," he said.
Larry Hamrick Jr., past president
of the Kings Mountain Association
of Realtors, thinks Kings Mountain
citizens will see a turnaround in the
economy. "We have a positive out-
look and think things will
progress.”
Steven Nye, the new director of
the Cleveland County Economic
Development Corporation, looks
forward to many more good things
happening in Cleveland County in
1993. On his second day in the
new job, he said he wants to be
highly visible to every citizen of
the county and is excited about
working with the nine-member
board of directors in charting the
county's future.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae says he is
also hopeful that the economy will
turn around in 1993 but he doesn't
predict a pronounced change and
he thinks it will "take a while." He
said that the costs of state mandat-
ed programs have sent school
boards scurrying for funds to meet
goals and increased insurance costs
worry many citizens of the com-
munity. ~
"I hope that 1993 will be a better
year for everyone," he said.
Trees will stay
GROVER - Parking won't be
permitted along the tree-lined side
of Main Street but the memorial
trees still stand, in spite of pleas by
property owners on Main Street
that the trees pose a danger to
shoppers at night and should be
moved and replaced by more
lights.
Council voted Monday night to
trim the trees and to paint lines on
the street outside the shops so that
big trucks would not block en-
frances and pose a traffic problem.
C of C banquet set
The annual Kings Mountain
Chamber of Commerce banquet is
scheduled for January 25 at Kings
Mountain Middle School.
The social time will begin at
6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served
at 7 p.m.
Tickets will go on sale soon at
the Chamber of Commerce office.
a grand opening and. Hobon Suing ;
SRR ei