Thursday, April 19, 2001
Vol. 113 No. 16
Since 1889
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{ BY ALAN HODGE
i Staff Writer
: Alegendary figure in both
i athletics and education was
i honored Tuesday night when
i the gymnasium at Kings
i Mountain High School was
i named for former basketball
i coach Donald L. Parker. The 87-
i year-old Parker and his family
i came to town for the event from
i their current residence in
i Tennessee.
: Parker’s illustrious career
: during the 32 years he coached
i and worked for Kings
: Mountain District Schools was
i recalled by former students and
i colleagues during the Sports
i Hall of Fame Banquet.
i Speaking of Parker, former
i student Bob Neill referred to
i him as “a dynamic role model.”
i Neill also said that Parker was
; intent upon seeing his students
i succeed in their endeavors on
: By Alan Hodge
i: Staff Writer
and off the court.
Jack Ruth, a student athlete
during Parker's reign in the late
1940s said he too looked up to
his coach and mentor.
“Don Parker is a hero in the
old style of Tex Ritter and
Hopalong Cassidy,” said Ruth.
“He was a hero then, and he’s a
hero now.”
Speakihg to the large crowd
of well-wishers gathered in B.N.
Barnes Auditorium, Parker
gave an emotional acknowl-
edgement to the honor be-
stowed upon him.
“It was a wonderful 55 years
in Kings Mountain,” said
Parker. “I've had many wonder-
ful moments in my life, and the
day I came to Kings Mountain
was one of them.”
Parker also said that he and
his family often think of their
friends in Kings Mountain and
of those he taught while here.
See Parker, 10A
arker’s Place |
KMHS gym dedicated in honor of retired coach Donald Parker
Supt. of Schools Larry Allen congratulates retired coach
Donald L. Parker at dedication of the Donald L. Parker
Gymnasium Tuesday night at Kings Mountain High School.
Herald editor and sportswriter
Gary Stewart, volunteer sports
former coach and retired super-
intendent of Hendersonville
of Fame at = i
the 14th an-
High School.
3 inducted into Sports Hall of Fame
Parker.
Following introductions,
Ci
md
get toug
on peddlers
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
Peddling anywhere you like
in the city limits of Kings
Mountain may soon be out-
lawed if Mayor Rick Murphrey
is successful in having city ped-
dling codes updated.
So could loud noise, and vi-
cious dogs running loose.
Murphrey said he and City
Staff are reviewing all three or-
dinances with hopes of putting
some enforcement teeth into
them.
Murphrey said peddling in
the downtown area is “not fair
to our established retail busi-
nesses” and he is planning to
i © promote an ordinance that
would require all persons ob-
taining peddler’s licenses to set
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
up their stands at a specific lo- + :
cation such as the old Kings
Mountain Depot farmers mar-
a huge problem now, but with
summer coming on it could be.
Murphrey said an amended
noise ordinance could come be-
fore Council at its meeting next
Tuesday night. He said loud
cars are of particular interest.
“We get a lot of calls in the
summer time as people get out-
side more in residential and
business areas,” he said. “We
need to re-write the ordinance
and put some enforcement into
it.
“We're looking at all sur-
rounding cities and reviewing
seesscncssveenees
eseesssccescne
City 1s
included
in hotel
tax bill
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The City of Kings Mountain
is included in a hotel occupancy
tax bill that was approved by
the State Finance Committee
last week and will now go be-
fore the House and Senate.
The bill is being sponsored by
Senator David Hoyle of Gaston
County. ;
If the 3% occupancy tax is ap-
Gary Ket. proved, it would generate rev-
aware, a “We're looking at the ordi- ne ion he Giry of Kings :
ely Won nances, and maybe we'll desig- a. ii Use tO promoie
A ont nate just one area,” Murphrey RN fe PA thi
to ait said. “The main point is that Hor to hel hi re HH i
were induct: we'se going to look af enforcing bil en To the
ed into the the code that eliminates alotot | 35 00Y SHRUNUY IVE
Kings this peddling on the side of the a rph rey. “You fiber & this
Mountain street.” ! i :
i Murphrey said peddling isn't money to promote tourism, de
velop billboards, use it for
downtown revitalization or mu-
rals, and in other areas to attract
nual ban- “We will be discussing this Ti Win
: : op 2 y to t Sil 11
quet and in- with City Council and City i as Willen
duction : Staff, and may have it on the forte city.” 8
SS1amony Cone] pga atthe May If the bill passes through the
hostay : meeting, Murp hrey said. State Legislature, Kirigs
night o Myuphtey said the ordinance I Cit gi would
ne 7 wa uld p robably not include then adopt a co levyin
ountan Kings Mountain's two-mile ETJ. p ying
a room occupancy tax. It would
also adopt a resolution creating
a City Tourism Development
Authority. One-third of the au-
thority would be persons affili-
ated with businesses that'collect
the tax, and three-fourths of the
{ membership would be individ-
uals currently active in the pro-
motion of travel and tourism in
the city.
“I am excited about this
: news,” Mayor Murphrey said.
i “This will help us with the par-
ET Ay RTE LE
city schools Bill Bates. Ron
Wilson of Kings Mountain
District Schools acted as MC of
the event.
time clock keeper Delbert
Dixon, and 1950s standout bas-
ketball star Judy Medlin
~ Champion.
Frady paid tribute to Stewart's
long career as a writer and sup- i
porter of Kings Mountain :
sports.
: tieular programs we have in,
i downtown revitalization and
i the gateway to the parks. It’s
i going to be a real progressive
their ordinances and discussing
it will Council.”
He said loud cars are always
i Hundreds of friends, fans,
i and relatives gathered Tuesday
i evening at B.N. Barnes
i Auditorium to induct three
: new members into the Kings
: Mountain Sports Hall of Fame.
Inductees included veteran
The candidates were induct-
ed by longtime sportswriter
Dwight Frady, former KMHS
football coach Ron Massey, and
Also included in Tuesday's
ceremony was a tribute to spe-
cial guest legendary KMHS bas-
ketball coach and mentor Don
Gone but not forgotten
Falls Exxon was downtown gathering spot since 1928
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
To some Kings Mountain
folks it was a landmark. To oth-
ers it was an eyesore and had to
come down.
The old Otis Falls Esso
Station at the corner of Business
74 and Battleground Avenue
met the same fate as most of the
old filling stations Thursday
when Ken Bumgardner
Excavating leveled it and
hauled the old brick and ce-
ment away.
About the only things sal-
vageable from the inside of the
building were a stack of Kings
Mountain Heralds tracing back
to 1970 and a case of soft drink
bottles commemorating Dale
Earnhardt’s first Winston Cup
championship.
While Mayor Rick Murphrey,
City Manager Jimmy Maney
and Codes Inspector Scott
Layton stood by with smiles on
their faces to be rid of another
dilapidated building, the occa-
sion brought back some happy
memories for some folks.
Retired Fire Chief Gene
Tignor, who helped current
Chief Frank Burns salvage an
old 1930's light and globe for
the Fire Museum, recalled being
a mechanic at Fred Plonk’s Ford
dealership, which was located
directly behind the station.
“I was working for Fred
when Don Larsen of the
Yankees pitched his perfect
game in the 1956 World Series,”
Tignor recalled. “I'd go into
Otis’s every few minutes to
check on the score, and as the
game went on we just quit
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celetrating 127 Years
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
working and watched the ball
game.”
It also brought back memo-
ries for Otis Falls Jr., who began
helping his dad at the station
before he was legally old
enough to work. Otis Jr. ran the
station for several years after
his father died, and sold it in
1983.
“We rented the building from |
M.L. Harmon Sr., and then
Martin Harmon Jr.,” Falls re-
called. “Martin had promised
me if he ever sold it I would get [7
first shot at it. But after he died
I found out the building was
going to be sold. I hurriedly ap-
plied for a loan and the bank
told me they'd give me the
money but did not recommend
that I buy the station.”
See Station, 3A
704-739-4782
“Gary comes from a simpler
time,” said Frady. “He has long
See Hall, 10A
a problem, and sometimes out-
side neighborhood activities be-
come very noisy.
See Peddler, 10A
i step toward expediting the pro-
i grams of promoting tourism for
the city of Kings Mountain.”
529 New Hope Road
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Ken Bumgardner Excavating of Kings Mountain demolishes the old Otis Falls Service Station at
the intersection of Business 74/Battleground Avenue Thursday morning.
Gastonia
704-865-1233
106 S. Lafayette St.
Shelby
704-484-6200
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
Member FDIC