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Kings Mount in
By Gary Stewart !
Rev. Oscar Stalcup retires
from KM Foursquare church
Monday was a "downer" for the Rev. Oscar
Stalcup.
After 25 years as a Foursquare Gospel minister
- including the last 18 at Foursquare Gospel
Church in Kings Mountain - the Bessemer City
resident had no office to go to, no sermons to pre-
pare, and no visits to make.
He was retired.
Leaving full-time
church ministry - and
especially the Kings
Mountain church
which he has loved
and served so well
over the years - was a
difficult decision but
one which Rev.
+ Stalcup says he had to
make. The past sever-
al years the stress has
been tremendous, and
more so recently since
his oldest son, Greg,
and his wife, Linda,
are both experiencing
: REV. STALCUP
‘health problems.
: Even though family obligations may keep him
out of the pulpit, Rev. Stalcup is quick to point
out that a minister never really retires and he may
someday accept another church.
told my son, I kind of feel like I am of no benefit,"
he says. "It's kind of sad...a downer position...like
a horse put out to pasture. Even though it's retire-
ment, you still feel like you're not as useful and
effective as you once were. It's not all joy."
Rev. Stalcup said he will help the local church
“through its transition period, continue his book
ministry and maybe even fill-in at other churches
when their pastor is on vacation. But his health
and the health of his family will take priority for
awhile.
Rev. Stalcup's wife, who was an active leader in
the women's and children’s ministries at
Foursquare, has a muscle disorder called "fib-
ramyalgaia" which gives her almost constant pain
and causes distress, and his son, Greg, 32, found
out last October that he has cancer. At first, doc-
tors thought it was in remission but it has ap-
peared again in recent tests.
"A combination of all of that, plus the stress of
the ministry has begun to give me some health
problems, too," Rev. Stalcup said. "I had talked to
the men of the church in July of '96 and told them
if we didn't get a co-pastor or someone in that
could take some of the duties off me that this was
probably going to happen. We never did get any
help or relief, and just feel like under the condi-
tions and personal problems I can't give the
church what it needs."
“". The Kings Mountain church has grown by
leaps and bounds since the Stalcups arrived 18
years ago. He recalled that there were 27 people
in attendance his first day with the congregation,
and the membership is now over 100. Many of
the people who were youngsters then are adult
leaders now and have helped the church grow
tremendously in attendance, programs and facili-
ties. Rev. Stalcup also helped begin a number of
churches in this area and in Africa. He has writ-
ten a number of books and ships Bibles and other
materials all around the world.
He credits his family with helping him be a
successful pastor, not only here but in other
churches he pastored previously in Gastonia, Paw
Creek and Lake Norman.
"My mom and dad (Margie and Howard) really
stood behind us and did whatever it took," he
said. "My mom teaches Sunday School, does yard
work, sings in the choir, and is a back-up pianist
and my dad is a faithful prayer warrior.” The
Stalcup children have also been very active in the
church.
Rev. Stalcup said he had no intention of becom-
ing a minister when he enrolled at UNC-
Charlotte to get a degree in business and eco-
nomics and computers. He worked several years
as a computer programmer while "fighting" the
call to the ministry.
"It was in the early seventies," he recalled. "I
was in my third year at UNCC. I fought the call
for seven years before I finally went to Bible
College. I'was doing ministry but I never would
just give it my all.”
Like any pastor, he said he ran the gamut of
emotions over the years but the greatest joy was
always seeing lives changed through the power
of the gospel.
Councilman
says it’s time for reality
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Thursday, June 4, 1998
Kings Mountain, NC Since 1889 *50¢
Elections Board adamant
on moving KM polling site
by ELIZABETH STEWART
of the Herald Staff
Over objections of three city officials, a former
mayor and a former precinct leader, the’
Cleveland County Board of Elections Tuesday re-
fused to change the No. 2 polling site from the
Kings Mountain Hospital to the Kings Mountain
Community Center.
Ward 4 Councilman Gene White called the
move "arbitrary" and lacking in common cour-
tesy.
"If this change is submitted to the U.S. Justice
Department we will use whatever means of
protest available to us," said White.
"We can dress this up anyway we please but it
has the appearance of trying to appease a very
=
"...it has the appearance of trying to
appease a few people, maybe even one,
at the expense of many."
-Gene White
few people, maybe even one, at the expense of
many."
Kings Mountain City Council signed a letter
last week, recommending that the board of elec-
tions return the polling place to the newly reno-
vated Kings Mountain Community Center.
The two board members - Ruth Wilson, secre-
tary, and Pat Spangler, chairman, and Director of
"But because it was official Sunday, it's like 1 =
Ey
BACKYARD GARDENERS - Wink Russell, left, and his brother, Wayne, have a garden that is the
pride of their community. The Russells have tomato plants growing six feet tall and other vegeta-
bles almost ready to eat.
You'd 'wink' at Russell's garden
How does your garden
grow? Just ask Wink and Wayne
Russell, brothers in the back-
yard gardening business, or
better still take a drive to 910
Henry Street.
Their neighbors chided them
that they planted too early but
even after his tomatoes were
frosted on twice the beautiful
plants now reach a height of six
feet. Wink, 73, can stand in his
garden and his tomato plants
are taller. |
"I've been gardening 27 years
but this year I needed a little
help and my brother Wayne has
been my right hand man and
you can see the results of our
working together,” Wink said
this week as he smiled broadly
and gave visitors samples of
Painting KM brings
Happiness for Kathryn Long
Bolin, 79, is working at her
easel painting Kings Mountain
subjects and producing beauti-
ful art, a talent she has enjoyed
lifelong.
Unfortunately, Bolin never
signed her paintings, a dozen
baptisteries including Allen
Memorial Baptist Church's wa-
tercolor she produced 40 years
ago, and one of her proudest
works, the six-by-ten foot oil
painting of the Battle of Kings
Mountain which hangs at City
Hall.
Because she loves her home-
town, Bolin took on the city
project in 1979 as a labor of
love and the mural was hung in
1980 during the 200th celebra-
tion of the Revolutionary War
Battle.
fresh green onions, cucumbers
and squash. Before long the
brothers Russell will have vine-
ripe tomatoes by the bushels,
green beans, beets, lettuce, col-
lards and cabbage. Last year
Wink put up 600 jars of vegeta-
bles and this year he and
Wayne plan to can and freeze
vegetables and give the rest
away.,
That's their secret for. success
in gardening. They give the
vegetables away and that's
what they plan to do this year.
Wayne says they'll probably
load up some of the goodies in
his truck and distribute them at
the Senior Center.
Their 40x40 foot garden in
Wink's back yard is watered by
a sprinkler system coupled with
"I always research my sub-
jects and that particular project
took much research at the li-
brary," said Bolin this week as
she relaxed with her friend,
Frances Green, at her home on
Phifer Road. Green has encour-
aged the artist to start signing
her work.
"I had to figure out what the
weather and terrain was like in
1780, what type of rifles and
uniforms to paint,” said Bolin
who discovered one eyewitness
account which said the sun
came out as the Patriots reached
the battleground around 3 p.m.
It had rained that morning and
the night before.
Because of its large size, the
canvas had to be specially or-
dered from New York. It is wo-
ven of Belgian flax. After sizing
good fertilizer and, of course,
tender loving care .
"There was a time when I
wouldn't let anyone step foot in
this garden, I wouldn't dare let
anyone walk around in it," said
Wink, displaying the wide rows
of green beans which he said he
used a hoe to make a furrow be-
tween the tomatoes and then
just sprinkled the seeds. ;
Wink retired from Reeves
Brothers 10 years ago and
Wayne, 60, retired five years
ago. Wayne and Pat Russell
have two children, Mark and
Nancy Russell and Carla and
Mike Bennett and four grand-
children, Christopher and Katie
Bennett and Tyler and Brittany
See Russell 9A
Elections Debra Blanton listened to concerns also
from Mayor Scott Neisler, Councilman Jerry
Mullinax, Charlie Carpenter and former mayor
Kyle Smith. Near adjournment, both Wilson and
Spangler shook their heads "no" to the question _
posed by Neisler if the board would change the
polling place.
"I think you're going to like it when you get
used to it," said Spangler.
Wilson, longtime member of the board who re-
sides on Scism Farm Road, dismissed accusa-
tions, saying that the board must look at the geo-
graphical area and the needs of the voters.
See Election 9A
City may protest
voting at hospital
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Of The Herald Staff
Challenging the Cleveland County Board of
Elections over its choice of polling places for
Kings Mountain No. 2 voting precinct, the City
Council will seek legal direction from City
Attorney Mickey Corry Tuesday night.
Ward 4 Councilman Gene White has asked that
the report of the dispute over a change in polling
places from the Kings Mountain Community
Center to the Kings Mountain Hospital be on the
agenda along with a report of Monday's Board of
Elections meeting at which the board denied a re-
quest from Kings Mountain to rescind its previ-
ous action. AT
A total of 2,012 citizens are registered to vote at
the KM No. 2 precinct. The biggest vote recorded’
at the site, according to election officials, was in
1996 when 1,999 people went to the polls.
Kings Mountain contracted with the county
last year to run the municipal elections and at the
time was among only two cities in the county that
ran its own elections.
A letter from the Board of Elections to the U. S.
Justice Department requesting the change in
polling places was to go out this week as well as
a letter to Hank Neal, Administrator of the Kings
Mountain Hospital, thanking the hospital for
agreeing to serve as an alternate site for future
elections.
"We are -.community-minded and we could not
say no to the request by the Board of Elections to
use the hospital," said Neal. She said Board
Chairman Pat Spangler and secretary Ruth
Wilson visited the hospital recently looking for
an alternate site for voters and said that the loca-
tion would be ideal.
. "We will just have to work out all the details,
including parking," said Neal, who said that per-
haps adjoining businesses would volunteer use of
their parking lots if that became necessary.
"We were just being good citizens because we
want to help our neighbors and we certainly
don't want to be in the middle of a dispute over
polling places," she said.
White told the elections board Monday that he
hopes Council will petition the U. S. Justice
Department and/or seek an injunction against
the board's action, if necessary.
See Protest 9A
Bolin joy
the canvas with rabbit glue,
Bolin painted the entire canvas
with a titanium white founda-
tion. She painted the most dis-
tant parts of the scene, the sky
and the trees, first. Then she
drew her perspective lines.
Starting from the vanishing
point in the center and moving
outward, she began filling in
the human figures dominated
by Maj. Patrick Ferguson being
shot from his horse. While the
trees are brightly colored
against a blue sky, and the
British uniforms are a bright
red, the flesh tones and rustic
clothing of the Patriots give a
somber impression. Smoke
hangs thickly in the trees.
"The hardest part was the fa-
See Bolin 9A
-
KATHRYN BOLIN
THE HERALD - YOUR BEST SOU
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