the first woman in the bio-
Ms. McGinnis hosts
Thursday Book Club
The Thursday Afternoon
Book Club met at the home of
club member Carolyn McGinnis
on April 27. Club members en-
joyed the social time before the
meeting and also enjoyed the
strawberry dessert that was
served.
Anita Campbell gave a most
interesting program on the lives
of five women who made a def-
inite and distinct contribution
to society during the last centu-
ry
Laura Ingles Wilder, an au-
thor, teacher, and pioneer was
graphic sketch.
Rita Dove, also a teacher and :
author, was discussed. Mrs.
Dove won the 1987 Pulitzer
Prize for her poetry and was al- i
so named as Poet Laureate for
the United States in 1993.
Susan B. Anthony wanted
women to act together and col-
lectively.
Madeline C. Albright was
chosen to be the 64th Secretary
of State in 1997. She was the
first female Secretary of State
and is the highest ranking
woman in the United States
government. Her approach to
politics is hopefully peace and
prosperity.
The last woman to be dis-
‘cussed was Eleanor Roosevelt.
Her role was expanded in polit-
ical affairs to help her husband.
She became a controversial fig- :
ure with many policies and pro-
grams of the times. She was a
writer and speaker with interest
in humanitarian concerns.
It was noted that the May 25
meeting will be hosted by Patsy
Rountree and the program will
be by Maude Patterson.
KELTON STONE
Kelton Stone notes
her fourth birthday
Kelton Stone, daughter of
Larry and Beverly Stone of
Kings Mountain, was four years 2
old April 24. She celebrated
April 15 with family and
friends at a Barbie party at Oak
Grove Baptist Church fellow-
ship building. The tables were
decorated with pink and purple i:
table cloths, balloons and
streamers.
Children attending were
Emily Bell, Alayna Pearson,
Phillip and Andrew Barrett,
Emily and Holly Faulkenberry,
Cassidy Chapman, Mackenzie
Gibson, Haley McDougal,
Hannah Bickley, Summer
Wooten, Haven and Jacob Sipes,
and Savannah Ford. ;
The children enjoyed Barbie
cake, ice cream and chips. Each
girl was given a Pearl Beach
Barbie doll.
Kelton is the granddaughter
of Bill and Sandy Stone and
Larry and Gail Bollinger. Great-
grandparents are Virginia
Stone, Lurene Proctor, Ray and
Sarah Mullinax, and Hester
Bollinger.
Alzheimer’s support
group sets meeting
The Alzheimer’s Support
Group will meet May 8 at the
Kings Mountain Senior Center
on Piedmont Avenue. The pro-
gram will feature a video.
For more information call
734-0447 or 739-8132.
Shelby Senior Center
schedules May classes
Dancercise and Brazilian em-
broidery classes are scheduled
in May at the Shelby Senior
Center, 408 E. Marion St.
Dancercise begins May 25 at 6
See Class, 8B
SR TR RR
Th
FR
Mothers
- Daughters
The tie that binds the generations
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Mothers and daughters that have a close rela-
tionship have something special indeed.
Sometimes that bond is so strong that it holds
tight for the next generations that come along.
EdenGardens in Kings Mountain is one place
where the bonds of love and friendship between
mothers, daughters, and even granddaughters is
alive and well.
Any given day at EdenGardens will find a
mother and daughter sitting together in the living
room catching up on the latest family news.
When the weather is nice, these chats are often
taken outside to rocking chairs and a warm
breeze.
A recent morning at EdenGardens found sever-
al such visits going on. One group included resi-
dent Pearl Horne, daughter Ruby Alexander, and
granddaughter Cindi Wood. In another area,
Mabel Ross was having a talk with her daughters
Eva Nell Crawford and Dorene Ballard. Seated
near the piano, long-time Cherryville citizen Elva
McGinnis was having a nice visit from her
daughter Rita Beam.
“A child is a child as long as they have a moth-
er,” said Ruby Alexander.
Alexander’s mom, 92-year-old Pearl Horne
says her secret to raising kids was a simple one,
“Make them follow the Golden Rule,” Horne
said. “Also teach your children to treat others as
they would like to be treated.”
Alexander says that she and her mom have al-
ways had a close relationship.
“Mother still calls and checks up to make sure I
wear a coat outside if it’s cold,” Alexander said.
“She’s also interested to know when I build or
sell a house.”
Alexander is head of Alexander Realty in Kings
Mountain. She also credits her mother with in-
stilling the strong work ethic which has helped
make her a successful businesswoman.
“Mother used to get us up at 5:30 a.m. to study
our school lessons,” Alexander said. “We didn’t
have a car, but we got up and walked to school
and church.”
Alexander's daughter, Cindi Wood says she al-
so gained inspiration from her grandmother.
“My mother and grandmother have been won-
derful role models for me,” Wood said. “One of
the lessons I teach in my stress management sem-
inars is the importance of families being togeth-
er.
Long-time Cherryville resident Elva McGinnis
now calls EdenGardens home. When her daugh-
ter Rita Beam comes for one of her frequent visits,
the two often talk about music. Beam even has
her own organ at EdenGardens and has been
known to sit down at the black baby grand in the
living room there and tickle the ivories.
“Mother was music director at First Baptist in
Cherryville for many years,” said Beam. “She was
serious about me learning to play the piano and
would spank me if I didn’t practice.”
Though she might have been strict at times,
McGinnis was never harsh- a lesson she learned
from her own mother who raised nine kids on a
farm near New Prospect Baptist Church.
“I never saw my mother get mad,” said
McGinnis.
Being an only child, Beam and her mom have
spent a lot of time together, and still do.
“We go out shopping and for ice cream,” said
Beam. “Just visiting at EdenGardens is nice too.”
For her part, McGinnis feels like she’s lucky to
have such an attentive daughter.
“She’s real good to me,” McGinnis said. “I'm
glad I have her.”
Memories of the good old days often crop up in
the conversations between mother Mable Ross
and daughters Eva Nell Crawford and Dorene
Ballard. Ross also has a son, Emmett Ross, Sr., of
Wilkesboro.
“Ltry to visit mother every day,” said Ballard.
“She has taught me so many things, including
cooking.”
Ballard is justifiably proud of her mom’s culi-
nary skills. For many years Ross ran a catering
service and was always in demand for her wed-
ding cakes.
“We did so many fun things together growing
up,” Ballard said. “We played games and listened
to the radio in the evening. On Sunday night, the
kids from church would come over and eat up all
the leftovers from dinner. It was good, family
fun.”
Ross is modest about her philosophy for rais-
ing good kids, but the solid sense her style con-
tains has borne fruit.
“Teach your children to do right and treat oth-
ers right,” Ross said. “I raised three kid and none
of them gave me any trouble. Mothers today
should stay at home and raise their families.”
Though their financial means may have been
modest growing up in earlier times, the emotion-
al relationship that these mothers and daughters
share now is rich beyond compare.
a Ry
... May 4,2000 Section B, Page 1
——
ALAN HODGE/THE HERALD
Mother Elva McGinnis (right) enjoys a visit from daughter
Rita Beam at EdenGardens in Kings Mountain. McGinnis was
former director of music at First Baptist Church in Cherryville.
RR
Mable Ross (left) passed on her culinary skills to daughters
Eva Nell Crawford (center) and Dorene Ballard. The trio often
gets together at EdenGardens to recall days when they would
gather around the radio on Sunday evenings.
¥ pi
EdenGardens resident Pearl Horne (center) has a close rela-
tionship with her daughter Ruby Alexander (left) and grand- #
daughter Cindi Wood. Alexander and Wood both credit Horne }
for teaching them the importance of hard work in achieving
success.
: in the making.
: Seagrove also hosts an annual
# Pottery Festival. This event -
# draws thousands of visitors
. town and gives potters a chance
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Carolina pottery is
Since the dawn of time,
North Carolinians have made
pots out of native clay. In addi-
tion to fashioning their jugs,
jars, and plates for practical
purposes, Carolina potters also
create beautiful works of art
from the raw earth.
Perhaps the hottest spot for
potters in our state is the
Seagrove community in south-
ern Randolph County. Once
known as Jugtown, Seagrove is
home to the new $1.7 million
North Carolina Pottery Center.
The Pottery Center was 16 years
In addition to showcasing
modern potters, the center also
gives attention to groups that
laid the foundation for modern
clay works. Some of these
groups include the Native
Americans, Moravians, and the
English potters from
Staffordshire who settled in the
Seagrove vicinity.
Besides the Pottery Center,
and pottery shoppers to the
the most famous potters to
Photo courtesyof NC Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.
Catawba Valley, Piedmont, and
. to show their wares as well as
exchange ideas with other
artists.
Besides the big shows, the
more than 90 potters in the
Seagrove area also sell their
. wares from small shops and
. even their own porches. One of
come out of the Seagrove area
was William H. Chriscoe (1857-
1944), a Moore County potter
whose work was donated to the
Smithsonian Institution.
Not all potters in North
Carolina call Seagrove home,
other strongholds of pottery ac-
tivity in our state are the
mountains. To these places,
add Cleveland County as a spot
where the tradition of pottery is
still alive and well.
There are many active potters
currently practicing their art
and craft in Cleveland County.
‘Perhaps the most active spot for
pottery is in the Lawndale and
Polkville areas. Shelby also has
several good potters.
Serendipity Antiques in
Lawndale is just one place
where things such as face jugs
made by local potters can be
found. In addition to selling
their wares at shops, many
Cleveland County potters also
take part in shows like the one
in February sponsored by the
Cleveland County Arts Council.
Potters in Cleveland County
come from a variety of back-
grounds and disciplines.
Frederick P. Hunt II is one of the
newer pottery businesses in op-
eration. Hunt works out of his
home in Shelby and specializes
in wheel thrown work. A grad-
uate of Western Carolina
University, Hunt gave up a job
teaching school in Charlotte to
pot full time.
Hailing from Mooresboro,
potter Tom Whitaker fires his
ash and slip glazed stoneware
in a traditional, wood-burning
kiln known as the “groundhog”
type. The kiln was made from
6,000 salvaged bricks and con-
sumes three cords of pine slabs
when pots are fired. Whitaker
prefers to call himself a crafts-
man rather than an artist-
though both labels fit nicely.
Another Cleveland County
potter is Kaye Lowery. A long
interest in pottery took off
when she enrolled in clay class-
es at Gaston College under the
tutelage of Doug Knotts. Last
year, Lowery went to the fa-
a work of art
mous Penland School of Crafts
and studied under Ben Owens
III. Lowery is especially fond of
the Japanese style of pottery
called Raku.
After retiring from a 20-year
counseling career in Shelby,
potter June Miller decided she
wanted to get her hands dirty,
so she began throwing pots.
Miller studied her art at Gaston
College, Gardener-Webb
University, and Isothermal
Community College. A cease-
less experimenter, Miller is con-
stantly exploring new tech-
niques in glazes, firing
methods, and pot construction
techniques.
Hal Dedmon and Wanda
Crotts are a Cleveland County
clay duo who are very prolific.
Dedmon’s interest in pottery
came about as a result of his job
as an auctioneer. Crotts, like
many potters, began collecting
pottery first before she took the i
plunge into making it herself.
Widely known, the parr sell
their works at several venues.
Just a few other Cleveland
County area potters active now
include Tracy Price, Doug
Pruett, Connie Rupprecht,
Robert Beam, and Jamie Boyles-
Willis. These and other potters
in the region continue their
endless quest for the “perfect
pot” whether it be in a tradi-
tional or experimental style.
For more information on pot-
tery in this area, contact the
Cleveland Country Arts
Council at 484-2787.