goc
Member
North Carolina Press Association
Vol. 109 No. 07
Public
hearing
in Grover
The third public hearing on
how to spend $6.1 million in
school construction bond mon- -
ey will be held Tuesday at 7
p.m. at Grover School.
The public is invited.
At Thursday's second public
hearing at 9 a.m. at the school
administrative office building
only five people attended be-
sides the board members and
staff. Raeford White, the only
spokesman, said he supported
the grades 5-6 organization
which got wholehearted sup-
port from the nearly 50 people
attending the first hearing last
week.
Chairman Ronnie Hawkins
proposed that the system build
a new school to house all fifth
grades and then expand to a
sixth grade when funds are
available.
Hawkins said a new building
should be of good costruction
and functional but eliminating
some of the frills present in
modern day school plants
would get the price down to a
workable range.
Supt. Dr. Bob McRae said
that building a 5-6 school
would cost about $10 million.
Building of a K-5 plant and
ue} of a 3 grade 5 ho
a e au
and os on at a in
would save money by going
ahead with construction now.
McRae said that the state will
pay the salary of a principal for
a new school. He forsees that
some reshuffling of positions
might be required but no new
employees.
Hawkins said he hopes the
school board will make a deci-
sion soon after the public hear-
ings are completed so that
monies could be made avail-
able.
The school bond money is
spread out over a four-year pe-
riod and Hawkins said Kings
Mountain should get its name
in the pot as soon as possible.
"We have some crowded
schools and no room for expan-
sion," said Hawkins.
Rezoning request
on Board agenda
A rezoning request which
could pave the way for a new
industry on Crocker Road is on
the agenda for Tuesday night's
meeting of the Planning and
Zoning Board at 7 p.m. at City
Hall.
Former Kings Mountain resi-
dent Phillip Elam of Mars Hill
is asking that his property be re-
zoned from residential to light
industry.
See Zoning, 5-A
C.D. "Red" Ware, 89, hopes
his great- grandchildren will fol-
low in his footsteps as a fireman
On his birthday Jan. 28 Ware
enjoyed pizza with his grand-
sons, Brad and Chuck Austin
and their families and remi-
nisced about his firefighting ca-
reer which spanned 34 years.
And he told his five- yecar-
old great-grandson Cody
Austin, and he wasn't kidding,
not to ever chase a fire t ruck to
watch the action, something he
never did as a kid g rowing up
in the Patterson Grove
Community.
Charles Dewitt Ware earned
the nickname "Red" as a little
Balanced bud
learning to give and take.
get iS jus)
Thursday, February 13, 1997
CUPID RIGHT ON TARGET
‘SWEETHEARTS FOR LIFE - Olland and Ilva Lee Pearson have been married nearly 68 years.
Valentine's Day is every day for the well known Kings Mountain couple.
lva Lee, Olland
Pearson have
been sweethearts for 68 years
For 68 happy years Iva Lee and Olland Pearson
have been sweethearts.
The Kings Mountain couple share their love for
gach other every day, not Justo on ) Valentine: s Day.
C ber, cred; the
Ina day when couples i up n more e often them
they remain together, the Pearsons arc a shining
example of a bride and bridegroom who took:
their wedding vows seriously "for better or worse
and until death do us part.”
Pearson likes to goodnaturedly kid his wife but
both admit they have never had a serious argu-
ment and if they ever disagreed they always
made up before they retired for the night.
"I told our Young at Heart group on our 65th
wedding anniversary that [ stole something I nev-
er got rid of and I'm still serving time," laughed
Olland who was referring to their elopement May
18, 1928. Olland Pearson was 18 and his bride, Iva
Lee Falls, was 17 1/2. They had met a couple
months earlier at her aunt's home, started court-
ing, and decided to get married.
Saturday night the Pearsons will be among
those honored at a Valentine banquet at First
Wesleyan Church. They're making plans to at-
tend, although Mrs. Pearson has been in poor
health in recent months and her husband took her
out of the kitchen and is now preparing breakfast
and supper and they are enjoying noon meals on
wheels from the KM Senior Center.
Iva Lee, who has always been the chauffeur in
the family, also had to give up driving and sold
her car. She fell and broke a bone two years ago,
apparently after a light stroke, and suffered a
heart problem on Christmas day.
But they never miss a Sunday in church and
the couple attend senior citizens group pro-
grams at First Wesleyan Church.
Neighbors on Fairview Street, including their
daughter and son-in-law, Shirley and Gene
Mayes, keep a watchful eye on the personable
couple who enjoy company.
Iva Lee, daughter of Jay and Minnie Mozell
Hoyle Falls, went to work in the Dillon Mill at
the age of 17 and retired after 42 years. She
spooled, ran a twister, creeled warpers and
worked in the packing department. Olland
~ worked at the same plant for some time but re-
tired from Battleground Service Station where he
Si gas and’ operat
i can remember pum ing gas for 15 cents a
gallon during a gas war and when there were
three busy grocery stores on that street,” he said.
Pearson also was active in politics during the
Garland Still administration in 1951-53. He beat
his friend and grocer Tommy Ellison for a ward
scat and the next time around Ellison beat
Pearson. He also likes to tell the story of how all
of East Kings Mountain was Gaston County, a
bustling community with four mills and an elect-
ed mayor. Of course Pearson, now 86, was only
four years old when that part of history hap-
pened and when West Kings Mountain in
Cleveland County on the other side of the tracks
also had a mayor. In 1915 East Kings Mountain
residents voted to join Cleveland County.
The Pearson family also includes one son,
Harold Dean Pearson and his wife, Diane, of
Richmond, Va. and their son, Chris, and grand-
son, Jackie Putnam and two great-grandchildren,
Jason and Brandon Putnam. Olland Pearson
was one of 11 children of the late Bobjand Emma
Hawkins Pearson. He dropped out of school at
age 14 to go to work in the Dillon mill to help
support his family. His brothers are Everette,
Arthur, Roy and Flay Pearson, all of Kings
Mountain, and sister, Roberta Cobb of Detroit.
The Pearsons enjoy television. Mrs. Pearson
likes mysteries, particularly Perry Mason and
Matlock, and Mr. Pearson enjoys westerns and
playing solitaire. Neither care for the soaps.
"We used to spend a lot of time visiting the
shut-in and sick and taking some of my home
canned vegetables and freshly baked cakes but
now Olland insists I stay away from the stove
and my good neighbors are bringing those nice
things to us," smiles Mrs. Pearson.
The Pearsons don't plan anything special
Friday on Valentine's Day. Maybe Olland will
give Iva Lee a valentine heart but more than like-
ly he'll just tell her he loves her.
ed the grocery store. for :
A lh ge
Mountaineers defeat
gh Shelby, tied for first
place in SWC
Since 1889
i eR PTI Rs
Students rank high
in math and reading
Kings Mountain students in
grades 3-8 rank significantly
higher on reading and math
scores than other North
Carolina students and in grade
7 on writing, according to the
recently released state report
card which shows local stu-
dents above the state average.
"We are below the state aver-
age in fourth grade writing but
the work being done at the
Middle School to improve read-
ing and writing accounts for the
big growth in that area,” said
Assistant Supt. for Instruction
Dr. Jane King.
Jean Thrift, Director of
Student Services, reviewed the
report card results for the Kings
Mountain District Schools at
Monday night's board of edu-
cation meeting.
Thrift said the system ranks
No. 10 among 100 systems in
the state in writing, No. 13 in
math and No. 33 in reading.
The report card also showed
that the system reduced the
drop-out rate, that all high
school graduates received
diplomas with no certificates
presented in 1996 and that se-
niors met all requirements for
admission to the UNC College
system, 52.6 percent in 1996
Sompared to 45.9 petcant; in
up but there are always arcas to
work on in the schools and I
think teachers should be com-
mended for the big growth we
are seeing in reading, writing
and arithmetic,” said King.
The system/state comparison
revealed that Kings Mountain
students were 72.3 percent pro-
ficient in writing compared
with a state average of 59.7 in
grade 7; 71.5 percent proficient
in reading in grades 3-8 com-
pared with a state average of 68
percent; 80.4 percent proficient
in math in grades 3-8 compared
with 69-6 percent in the state;
and below the state average in
grade 4 writing, 46.1 percent to
the state's average of 51.7 per-
cent. Kings Mountain was also
below the state average, 35.4
percent to 42.3 percent, for Core
courses and on the scale score
in the SAT test Kings Mountain
was only one point below the
state, 949 to 950.
Core courses are English I,
Algebra, US History, Biology
and Civics.
The drop-out rate decreased
from 3.30 percent in 1995 to 2.76
percent in 1996. The ratio of stu-
dents carning five or more cred-
its went up from 80.9 percent in
1995 to 88 percent in 1996.
Participation in the NC Scholars :
Program decreased slightly, :
from 25.2 percent in 1995 to 24.2 ©
percent in 1996.
Student performance in read- ©
“ing and math showed a big gain
from 1993-96 and King credited ~~
these Sagisties to the increased
in tending for grades 3-8 was
59.3 percent in 1993, 66. 4 per-
cent in 1994, 69.8 percent in
1995 and 71.5 percent in read-
ing, grades 3-8; and in math for:
these same students 59.3 per-
cent in 1993; 70.01 percent in
1994; 76.6 percent in 1995; and:
80.4 percent in 1996. ©
GIFT TO SCHOOLS - Supt. Dr. Bob McRae accepts a check for
$350 from Margaret Wilkins, Education Coordinator for Time
Warner Cable of Gaston, Cleveland and York Counties from pro-
ceeds of an education campaign last fall in which $5 of each in-
stallation fee went to area schools for media related purchases.
Time Warner Cable also provides free cable service to each
school in the KM School District.
C.D. 'Red’ Ware's blood is fire engine red
boy because of his carrot col-
ored hair. His immediate family
always called him "Dewitt" but
his fire-fighting buddies and
friends all know him as "Red."
Ware's son Bud followed his
father in the fire-fighting busi-
ness and is the veteran
Assistant Fire Chicf at the Kings
Mountain Fire Department.
After serving as a volunteer
for 10 years, Red became a full-
time employee of the Kings
Mountain Fire Department in
1951 at the urging of Chief
Grady King. Red was the driver
pump operator, the man on the
hose and captain for 10 years.
He retired at the age of 67 but
kept working part time for the
late J. Ollie Harris at Harris
Funeral Home where he drove
the ambulance for 30 years.
“I could just about name the
many, many people that I
brought home to their final rest-
ing place,''said Ware about his
travels all over the country, He
lost his devoted partner and
wife of 62 1/2 years, Estelle
Ware, in 1990.
Ware suffered a stroke in 1991
which paralyzed his left side
and he has been homebound
since. His good humor and
keen memory belic his age.
Son-in-law Gene Austin,
Mayor Scott Neisler and local
Radio WKMT disc jockey Jim
Arp flew Red in Neisler's air-
plane to the Grand Ole Opry a
few years back-and Red said he
had the time of his life. A big
Nashville Network fan, Red
said he met Roy Acuff and
Charlic Walker sang his favorite
song, " San Antonio Rose" from
the stage of the Grand Ole
Opry.
Red says he hopes he can re-
turn someday to Nashville but
going that distance would be a
challenge for him and his
friends. He's about to make
country music fans of his
neighbors, Home Health nurs-
es and his family.
Dad listens to the radio and
watches the Nashville network
but Gene and I can't get him
hooked on soap operas,” says
daughter Phyllis Austin.
Red recalls that he helped
neighbor, loma McClain, move
from the country in a two-horse
wagon many years ago. loma's
country cooking is on his table
at least once a week. Neighbor
Edith Crow helps him exercise
his arm. Granddaughter Karen
Melton supplies baskets of
homebaked goodies and Red
also enjoys other grandchil-
dren, Chuck and Brad Austin
See Ware, 5-A
C.D. WARE