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FHEEEERRERETE
; Youngsters champ down on watermelon during Fourth of July cele-
bration Monday at the Kings Mountain Parks and Recreation
.— —
Department. More photos on page 4-A.
Big turnout for 4th celebration
By GARY STEWART
Editor of the Herald
The word around town was that
the City's Fourth of July celebra-
tion would be scaled down this
yeat because of the city's financial
crunch - and until just two weeks
ago there was even hint that it
would be cancelled altogether.
But, it would be hard to con-
vince the hundreds of citizens in
attendance that the" event - and es-
pecially the 10 p.m. fireworks dis-
play - was anything less than spec-
tacular.
Parks and Recreation
Department officials did an excel-
lent job preparing for and carrying
out the event, which not only didn't
lose any money but made a little
‘thanks to an excellent financial day
at the swimming pool and conces-
sion stands.
Swimming and field events -
such as watermelon eating con-
tests, balloon tosses, horseshoe
Grover Board
to hear Sides
GROVER - A closed bearing in-
to the recent firing of policeman
Robbie Sides will be conducted by
the Town Board Monday at 7 p.m.
Sides is also serving his first
term as councilman. j
Mayor Ronald Queen said the
hearing is closed to the public. He
said the hearing will determine if
Sides' termination as a police offi-
cer will be overturned, as Sides re-
quests.
Sides was fired by Chief Paul
Cash after what Cash called an in-
ternal investigation into his role in
a March high speed chase of a man
suspected of robbing and assault-
ing a cab driver at Cleveland Mall
parking lot. The chase ended in a
wreck that sent both men to the
* hospital and totaled Grover's po-
lice car.
Both Cash and Sides are expect
ed to give details of the incident in
the presence of attorneys and full
Council.
Chamber branch
open at City Hall
The Kings Mountain branch of
the Cleveland Chamber has opened
new offices on the second floor of
Kings Mountain City Hall.
The office is open Monday
through Friday from 9 am-1 p.m.
and is staffed by a representative of
the Shelby office of the Chamber
of Commerce.
Officials plan an open house in
the near future.
tournaments and a home run derby
- drew excellent participation and
fan support, and the fireworks dis-
play which cost the city $4,500
compared to about $8,000 in past
Jyears wag just as 200d, if not bet-
ter, than the past. Many observers
said the only fireworks display
they can remember "outdoing" this
year's was several years ago when
the grand climax of the show was a
colorful display in the form of the
American flag.
Bruce Clark, the new Recreation
Director, praised his hard-working
staff and the citizens for making
the day a big success.
"I think it ‘went over
tremendously well," he said. "We
had a good turnout all day long.
~The swimming events were just
cram-packed, and we stayed busy
all day. The home run derby was a
tremendous success and I thought
the fireworks show was as good as
ever.
"IT was just real happy with the
way things went. I want to thank
everybody who helped, the Fox
Distributing Company out of
Shelby for helping sponsor the fire-
works show, and we owe a special
thanks to Monty Deaton and the
=atire maintenance crew of th
Recreation Department ror cn Lae
they did in’ getting the place ready
and maintained during the day."
Clark said the event, which be-
gan at 11 a.m., had few hitches, but
he sees room for improvement.
"The only thing that really con-
cerned me was that during the day
there was something going on all
the time, but after we got through
with the home run derby about
7:30 there was a dead time be-
tween then and the fireworks show.
I felt like the time could have been
used a little better, so what our
plans are for next year will be to
have a full day.and a full night as
well. We hope we- can add some
things. We have some ideas to fill
that gap."
Surprisingly, Clark said two of
the most popular events were the
horseshoe tournament and home
run derby. Twenty people entered
the horseshoes singles tournament,
and 24 entered the doubles event.
Eighteen of the area's top softball
Hegeoses ogiipeted in the home run
deroy. "Wediwere really surprisea
andipleased with the number that
came for the horseshoe tournament
and home run derby, as well as the
swim activities," he said.
People came from all around for
the 10 p.m. fireworks extravagan-
za, and police had to move mo-
torists along busy Highway 74 by-
pass after they stopped to watch.
All of the Recreation Department
parking spaces were filled, and al-
most every . street between
Highway 74 bypass and Business
74 were filled with cars:and specta-
tors who either brought lawn chairs
or sat on their vehicles or on the
See Fourth, 14-A
NAACP, county
agree on seating
The Cleveland County Chapter
of NAACP has accepted an offer
by the Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners to settle a redis-
tricting lawsuit out of court, ac-
cording to Rev. John Osborne Jr.,
president.
Osborne said the consent agree-
ment, if signed as expected July 19
at a 11 a.m. meeting of the county
board, would mark the end of a
seven year battle over minority
representation on the county board
of commissioners.
"The proposed plan would mean
that two minority members would
be appointed by the board of com-
missioners in December, expand-
ing the county board from five to
seven members," said Osborne.
Osborne said the new plan gives
. minorities new voting possibilities
and also preserves the at-large sys-
tem in which elected commission-
ers represent the whole county.
Commissioners would still be
elected at large, rather than by dis-
tricts, as the NAACP had hoped.
The plan would not affect the
scheduled: November election of
two county commissioners.
Both Osborne and Kings
Mountain commissioner Joyce
Cashion said the new limited vot-
ing plan, a part of the compromise
offer, is new to Cleveland County.
"What this means is that voters
will be voting for four of seven
people in 1998 when all seats
would come up for election," said
Osborne. "Voters would place four
votes for the seven seats."
Cashion said she had some
reservations about limited voting
but she is a longtime proponent of
redistricting and voted for it when
the NAACP first asked the com-
missioners to adopt a district sys-
tem in 1987 and again when com-
missioners approved such a system
in 1992. The present board rejected
the plan in 1993 before redistrict-
ing could be implemented.
Osborne said the limited voting
scheme is not new in the courts
which have prescribed the plan as a
remedy all over the country in sit-
uations of alleged violations of the
federal Voting Rights Act.
Osborne said the limited voting
aspect of the plan would improve
the chances of minority candidates
keeping their seats on boards such
as the county commission.
Cashion said the plan proposes
that the current system of staggered
elections would continue until
1996 when three seats come up for
election. The winners in that elec-
tion would serve two-year terms.
The proposed plan is the result
of several meetings of both groups
since May with a court appointed
mediator from Washington, DC
and after a federal judge ordered
the two parties to enter mediation.
"I want to see all of us get this
work behind us and move forward
in the county," said Osbome.
Cashion said the county com-
missioners took no action after a
brief meeting Tuesday night. She
said county attorney Julian Wray is
still drawing up the legal docu-
ments for their signatures.
Conduct code on Board agenda
The Kings Mountain Board of
Education will hear first reading of
a revised policy of code of student
conduct at its regular monthly
meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at the
Superintendent's Office.
The revisions to the lengthy pol-
icy include recommendations from
the Task Force Against School
Violence concerning suspensions
for students who take weapons on
school grounds.
The committee is recommending
that students in grades K-12 who
take or possess a firearm on cam-
pus be suspended for the remainder
of the school year; students in
grades 6-12 who take or possess
any legally defined weapon on a
school campus be suspended for
the remainder of the year; and stu-
dents in grades K-5 who take or
possess a legally defined weapon
other than a firearm on campus be
disciplined as determined by the
administration.
Weapons prohibited include
loaded or unloaded firearm, includ-
See School Board, 14-A
: Ver fi ah vi oat td 4 " i . |
Raymond Gregory, center, holds the framed shadow box containing
his many World War II medals for heroism.
pd ti Mind -
Kings Mountain People
| War hero finally honored
During the counter attack after he expended his
grenades, he hurled rocks and rubble from the shelled
ruins of an ancient castle at the advancing Jerries.
Gregory said he turned down the Congressional
Medal of Honor, asking that it be given posthumously
to a friend killed next to him in battle,
"My friend paid the ultimate price of freedom with
By Elizabeth Stewart
of The Herald Staff
Raymond Odell Gregory, 71, turned down the
Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II
but Sunday his family and the congregation of First
Nazarene Church surprised him with the hero's honor
he deserves.
As his wife, Geraldine, their six children and over
35 relatives looked on with the large congregation,
Gregory was presented a framed shadow box by his
granddaughter and her husband, Michelle and Chris
Cranton, containing his two Silver medals, Bronze
Star, two Purple Hearts, the Good Conduct medal,
American campaign medal, European African Middle
Eastern Campaign Victory medal and combat infantry
badge.
Mrs. Cranton said she and her husband had been
working on the beautifully framed gift for two years
and brought it with them when they came from
Mobile, Ala. for a holiday visit.
The family decided to make the presentation during
the 50th anniversary year of the Invasion of Normandy
and near the Independence Day holiday, both events
which marked a time when Americans chose to protect
our way of life from tyranny and religious persecution.
Gregory, a retired textile supervisor at Burlington
Mills and a Kings Mountain native, served in a rifle
company of the 350th Battle Mountain Regiment, 88th
Blue Devil Division.
He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in ac-
tion on Mount Battaglia when he knocked out a ma-
chine gun nest singlehanded with two well placed
hand grenades. As the machine gun fire pinned down
the platoon, he crawled toward the enemy position, re-
turning fire with his rifle. After felling two Nazis with
grenades, he crawled back to his original position.
————
his life," he said.
Purple Hearts.
been a hero."
"My late brother Rev. John Gregory,a former
Nazarene minister, prayed for me at a certain time ev-
ery day that I was on the battle field and I could feel
the presence of God surrounding me," said Gregory.
Gregory was wounded twice and received two
"My life was spared and I was able to return home
and raise a wonderful family," said Gregory.
Gregory was drafted January 29, 1943 and dis-
charged as a T/Sergeant October 13, 1945.
Raymond and Geraldine Holcomb Gregory recently
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They
moved from Kings Mountain 17 years ago to the
Antioch Community near Grover. The family includes
six children, Gloria Dean Huffman, Ronald W.
Gregory, Randy Gregory and Gina Sanders, all of
Kings Mountain, Donald Gregory of Augusta, Ga. and
Wanda Butler of Kinston; 14 grandchildren; and five
great-grandchildren.
"Dad never told us any War stories and has always
been very modest about his participation in World War
II but we kept copies of The Herald stories of the
awards and decided to let our local congregation know
about someone we love and are proud of his service to
his country,” said Ron Gregory.
"It may be said that the US Army and World War 11
made this man a hero but to his family he has always