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A (pen bate Garden Club
Bands
JAY wins beautification award
¥/ VOL. 105 NO. 20
Delinquent city utility customers won't have as long
to pay their bill before having services disconnected
under a new policy approved Tuesday night by City
Council.
The city approved going to a 31-day collection
schedule as opposed to the current 41-day schedule
which City Manager George Wood said is "more le-
nient than most cities."
Under the new plan, the city will bill customers on
the last day of the month, and the payment will be the
due the 15th. Customers who do not pay will receive a
Thursday, May 20, 1993
City utility rate
-_r
31-day collection approved
second notice on the 20th of the month and‘a late fee
of $10 will be assessed on the 25th. Services will be
cut-off on the first day of the next month.
Wood noted that last month the city had $400,000 in
utility payments that took from the last day of the
month to the cut-off date (currently the 10th of the
next month) to collect. "Most of our vendors give us
15 to 20 days to pay and we're giving people 41 days,"
he said.
See Bills, 2-A
Spring ( oncert
resent
Mountaineers open
State playoffs Tuesday
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Kings Mountain residents will see an increase in
electric and gas rates, landfill fees, and industrial water
and sewer customers will have water and sewer rate
increases effective with the June and July billings. City
Council approved the new rates in a special meeting
Tuesday night at City Hall.
Gas and electric customers will see a two percent in-
crease effective with the July 31 bills. City Manager
George Wood said the increase is necessary to improve
profit margins. He noted that the city has not had a gas
increase since 1988 and that the electric system has
only passed on rate increases from Duke Power.
"Growth of the customer base has not offset infla-
tion over the last five years, and we must have the two
percent to offset the effects of inflation," he said.
Yet
\
Kings Mou }
me Ley
terruptible customers base A us to the type
of fuel oil used, Wood sait.: rie said that would enable
the city to further improve profit margin while remain-
ing competitive with alternative fuels.
Gas foreman Jimmy Maney said the new rates do
not take into consideration the proposed energy taxes
of President Clinton, which "could cost Kings
Mountain an additional quarter of a million dollars."
Wood said if Clinton's proposal is approved Kings
Mountain would have to "pass that on to the con-
sumer."
The Council increased the landfill rate by $1 for res-
idential and $1 per cubic yard for industrial customers.
Wood said a user fee was preferred over a tax increase
because all citizens do not use landfill services.
| Kings Mountain People
Being friendly
is Luke's wa
By ELIZABETH STEWART ;
of The Herald Staff
By the end of this year Luther "Luke" Caveny will have listened to his
wife read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
It's an early morning habit of Luke
nd hrs bride of 52 years, Parthenia
Metcalf Caveny, to start the day with
he Good Book in their comfortable
ome on Dixon School Road.
Summer mornings find the couple
n their front porch with either the
Bible and Luke's favorite western in
and. A freak fall put Luke in a
wheelchair two years ago but he can
often be seen on the porch or in the
yard waving to passersby.
"Sometimes I don't recognize the
driver but I wave anyway," says Luke
fered a stroke while fishing with fam-
ly at the beach.
Being friendly is a trademark of
| Caveny, who enjoyed a good rapport
: 4488 with his co-workers at Sadie Cotton
LUTHER ODELL CAVENY gy; for 33 years at a job where he
spent most of his adult life. Mrs. Caveny also worked at Sadie and their fa-
vorite former home was on the George Houser farm not far from the mill
where an apartment complex stands today.
Twenty-six years ago the Cavenys burned the midnight oil by construct-
ing their brick home on weekends and after working hours. Luke's wood-
working skills contributed beautiful cedar and yellow pine bedroom suites
for the house. Luke's handiwork is in other places too. He makes bird
houses and feeders and just about every woman in the family has received
a Caveny rolling pin as a wedding present.
Caveny left the cotton field to go to work in the cotton mill at age 17 for
24 cents an hour. After a two-year Army stint in the Philippines in World
War II, he learned cabinet-making and finished his high school education
on the GI Bill in Blacksburg, SC. He had attended school at the old
Antioch School and credits his early training to Miss Lucy Stevenson who
he said was a tough disciplinarian.
Luke tells the tale of how his brother, the late Rob Caveny, whistled at
the teacher one day in school and she lifted him off the floor with a big
switch. In fact, according to Luke, three boys in the class, including him-
self and the late Tolly Shuford, asked the teacher to let them go home to
pick cotton and she finally relented but not before each boy took three licks
of the switch.
His early job in the mill was the 12-hour "graveyard shift." He laughed
and told his co-workers that he had worked for 33 years to try to get on the
first shift.
Third shift was really his favorite, he said, although he had been offered
a first shift job on more than one occasion. He learned to doff twisters at
the old Dilling Mill and worked free for nine weeks to learn the ropes.
"Anything to get out of the cotton field," said Luke.
September 6, 1974 is a day that Luke won't forget. He was deepsea fish-
ing on the coast and suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He
had to give up fishing and hunting quail, rabbits and deer but he took up
reading instead. His loves are his family, three daughters, seven grandchil-
dren, and three great-grandchildren. His family includes twin grandsons,
one of whom is his namesake.
Homebound for several years, Luke works on his birdhouses and has
become an avid reader of frontier author Louis L'Amour. He and his wife
read and study the Bible together daily and enjoy discussing favorite pas-
sages as they read it from cover to cover.
The Cavenys never miss a church service at East Side Baptist Church,
where Luke is a former deacon. He likes to tease his wife, who is now his
chauffeur, and tiny in comparison to his six feet tall frame. Parthenia, who
stands five feet in her stocking feet, teases her husband about being a back-
seat driver. :
Luke said it was love at first sight when he caught a glimpse of pretty
16-year-old blonde Parthenia as he passed her home in Kings Mountain
521/2 years ago. He was 19 at the time. Except for three years, from 1943-
46 during World War II, he has lived in Kings Mountain since the mid
1930's. He is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John L. Caveny.
Both Cavenys are products of big, hard-working, close-knit families.
The three daughters are Carolyn Bowman of Landis, Rita Mangum of
Wilson and Kathleen Bryant of McDavid, Florida.
Caveny, 71, says he is grateful for a finc family and church and commu-
nity friends. He counts his blessings for a strong faith that endured when
times became hard.
When older grandsons, twins Luke and Alex,14, come for a visit they
head straight for Grandpa. Who knows, laughs Luke, he may fish again
with one hand.
SIGN OF THE TIMES -"V
The city will quote monthly prices to industrial in-
Heh the weather gets hot, farmers have to head to the fields. Randy
McDaniel of the Dixon Community is pictured above on a hog and muggy day baling hay on the Childers
farm on Farris Road.
See Rates, 2-A
Woman's body
found near KM
The partially decomposed body
found in the woods near Van Dyke
Road south of Kings Mountain
Friday has been positively identi-
fied as that of Linda Black, who
had been missing since May 7.
However, it could be several more
days before autopsy results deter-
mine the cause of death.
Mrs. Black, a former resident of
the Dixon Community, had been
living in Gastonia. She and her
boyfriend reportedly went into the
woods near her ex-husband's home
on Friday, May 7 to look for mari-
juana plants and Mrs. Black did not
return. The boyfriend, Keith
Raymond Whitworth of Gastonia,
told police that they heard a gun-
shot and ran. He reportedly came
out of the woods and waited for
fier, but she did not come out.
See Body, 2-A
KMHS baccalaureate is Sunday night
Commencement exercises will
begin Sunday with baccalaureate
service and culminate on May 28
with graduation for the 249 mem-
bers of the Class of 1993 of Kings
Mountain High School.
Rev. Patricia Stone, pastor of
Grace United Methodist Church,
will deliver the sermon Sunday
night at 7 p.m. in John Gamble
Stadium. Other ministers of the
Kings Mountain Ministerial
Association participating in the
service will be Rev. Larry Dixon,
Rev. Robert Haynes and Rev.
William Thompson. Special music
will feature the service.
Junior marshals are Ginger
Blalock, chief; Jayda Biddix,
James Depew, Janey Ollis,
Chanmanisone Phanthalack,
Siamphone Phanthalack, Jennifer
seniors.
Sloan, Travis Smith, Dee Stewart,
Molly Subler and Anita Whitaker.
Class officers will lead the grad-
uation exercises at 7 p.m. on May
28 in Gamble Stadium. Vice-
President Tyrus Ross will lead the
pledge of allegiance, SPO presi-
dent Tony Ray Davis will give the
welcome, Clayward Corry, senior
class president, will present the
class of 1993 and Monika Diane
McBee, secretary, will recognize
honor graduates. Melanie Dixon,
treasurer, will presejit the clash gift
and School of Chaifman
Ronnie Hawkins will accept the
gift. The Choral Union will sing
"Reach for A Star" and "Maybe
Someday" and the Ninth Grade
Band will play "America the
Binh Davis, left, dreamed of coming to America. Now, the soon-
to-be American citizen will graduate from high school. He and his
sister, Shannon Davis, right, are among the 249 KMHS graduating
Beautiful." Principal Jackie
Lavender, assisted by Supt. Dr.
Bob McRae and chief marshal
Ginger Blalock, will present diplo-
mas.
Members of the Senior Class of
1993 are:
Wendy Adair, Chaddrick
Adams, Myron Adams, Jan
Anderson, Virginia Baity, Jeremie
Barber, Terri Barrow, Michael Bell,
Thomas Lee Bell, Belinda Bess,
Darrick Bess, Jerry Black, Michael
Black, Christopher Blanton,
Jennifer Blanton, Donnie Brackett,
Christie Bridges, Michael Bridges
Jr., William Bridges Jr., Twana
Brooks, Antwaine Brown, Jason
Brown, Kevin Brown, Johnny
Bunch, Kenneth Bunch, William
Burns, Shawn Burton, Dremeil
Vietnam refugee Davis
living American dream
For Binh Davis, 18, a former
Vietnam refugee, the American
dream is coming true.
Next week, Binh and his sister,
Shannon, are among the 249 grad-
uating seniors at Kings Mountain
High School.
Binh, who ranks No. 3 scholasti-
cally in the senior class and will
study next year on a $20,000
National Merit college scholarship
at Belmont Abbey, plans to follow
in his father Mike Davis' footsteps
as a chemical engineer. His big
dream is to help underprivileged
people to repay what his American
family gave him as a young boy
coming to America with the "Boat
People."
Another dream comes true this
summer for Binh. He will become
aU. S. citizen.
He plans to share graduation
through pictures and the U. S. Mail
to his biological parents in Saigon
and one day he hopes to visit there
but America and Center Street will
always be home.
Michael and Marsha Davis be-
came Binh's parents in 1988.
Charlie Chapman, Jerry Wilson,
B.J. Carono and Tommy Morgan
also call them mom and dad.
Shannon, a pretty honor student
and 17, is their biological daughter.
Binh has three brothers and three
. parents are Dung and Hau Nguyen.
Byers, Eric Byers, Phillip Caldwell
and Amy Camp.
Michael Camp, Sandra Camp,
Randi Carroll, Hongthong
Chanthapheang, Lisa Christopher,
Timothy Clack, Shad Clark, Tonya
Cole, Candy Cook, William Cook,
Clayward Corry, Misty Curry, Lisa
Dalton, Binh Davis, Breia Davis,
Charles Davis, Jennene Davis,
Shannon Davis, Tony Davis, Karen
Dawson, Holly Denton, Angela
Dills, Melanie Dixon, Tyreace
Dixon, Penny Dobbins, Ashlie
Dye, Paula Eckard, Brian
Edmonson, Michael Ellis, Philip
Ellison, Carolyn Ernst.
Andrea Falls, Rhonda Falls,
Chad Farris, Lakeitha Feemster,
Stephen Fisher, Frankie Fletcher,
Crystal Ford, Kimberly Fowler,
See Commencement, 12-A
sisters in Saigon and his biological
As their first child, Binh said he
was called a son of the government
and thus came to America with 56
others in 1982. They were the Boat
People. He stayed in Indonesia for
two years before coming to
America at age 9. He lived in
Charlotte for several years but in
1988 he found his home with the
Davis family.
"I love them," he said of his
American family. "They are my
mom and dad."
Shannon, who plans to major in
social work at Appalachian State
University, says the whole family
will be at graduation ceremonies to
see their brother and sister receive
their diplomas.
Binh is an avid and talented
wrestler and soccer player and is
active in Beta Club, French Club,
Lettermen's club and FCA. He
likes to play ping pong with his sis-
ter and loves to draw. His favorite
art subjects arc new friends. He is a
popular student at KMHS and the
family is active in Temple Baptist
Church.
Freedom is a gift Binh thought
he might never have as a little boy
dreaming only of coming to
Amcrica. "Don't waste it," is his
sound advice.
Tae Te