Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Oct. 24, 2002, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
A en A 5 I SL ot Bian October 24, 2002 MCDANIEL From 1A the military, that I needed to be between 5 feet three and 5 feet four inches tall. So I missed the Vietnam War service but decided I could do my part serving my com- munity and country as a fireman. And, true to his word, McDaniel has done just that. The nickname "Stub" Stuck and McDaniel, who ran unsuccessfully for the Kings Mountain Board of Education, and if his name had been listed on the ballot as Stub McDaniel instead of Vernon Lawrence McDaniel he would probably have received more votes. McDaniel's firefighting career began as a junior fire- man in 1963 with the Grover Volunteer Fire Department. As a young boy McDaniel had two heroes, his father, Dennis McDaniel, and Fain Hambright, both of whom were Grover firemen. McDaniel joined the Kings Mountain Fire Department in 1968 and served until January 1975 when he joined the Bethlehem department. "I have had the best of two worlds," said McDaniel, explaining that as a teenager he became interested in fighting fire and doing res- cue work and also in work- ing as a welder. Older peo- ple took him under their wings. A welder for many years at Foote Mineral Company, McDaniel trans- ferred five years ago to Chemtall Foote as lead tech- nician in the lithium battery department. He has been associated with Foote for 27 years. He was active on both the Grover Fire and Rescue Departments in the Fall of 1965 when firemen answered a call on Compact School Road to a burning house. The incident sticks out in his memory because a nine year old boy died in the fire despite efforts of Grover, Bethlehem and. 4-0) Kings Mountain, disgmen, to, save him....,:1- TT After that fatality, McDaniel decided he would stick with the fire depart- ment, although he also loved rescue work. He said he never regretted his deci- sion. Another fire fatality occurred when a couple of high school students camp- ing out in a barn built a fire on a piece of tin, went to sleep and burned to death despite the efforts of fire- men and rescue squads. The Parkdale Mill fire was another big fire that McDaniel won't forget. Firemen from several departments fought the blaze for hours before bring- ing it under control. McDaniel credits "the Igrace of God" for bringing firemen and rescue respon- . ders safely out of harms way on several occasions when they risked their lives - for others. But he says that firefight- - ing is one of the greatest character builders in the world. "It gives you a responsibility you don't get anywhere else and a respon- sibility not only to your fel- low firefighters but to the community. "It takes a different type of dedicated person to be a" . fireman, it's a demandng ! job." McDaniel recalled that i when the Eastern Seaboard i was flooded by Hurricane : Fran that firemen left their ! homes to help others. : "When duty calls, we : respond and leave our own ! families to the mercy of the : storm to fend for them- t selves. "It takes a special family to : love a public servant,” And McDaniel's close-knit : family is his priority. He is : married to the former Ann : Putnam, Kings Mountain ! beautician, and they have : three children, Lee and Janet ¢ Putnam and sons, Ryan, 11, i and Derek, 8, of Crestview, { FL; Cale and Jada McDaniel * and six months old Bryson ¢ of Kings Mountain and Kimberly McDaniel, a senior at Appalachian State University who is majoring in applied communications and wants to go into mis- sion work. They are active in ~ Patterson Grove Baptist Church and enjoy golfing and with Ann's brother, David and wife, Deborah Putnam, enjoy visiting fairs in the area, including Bethware, Cleveland County and N. C. State Fair. Larry says there's so much to learn about fairs and the state and the whole family loves to walk the midway and visit the exhibit halls. Larry and his brothers-in- law, Charles and David Putnam, also deer hunt together and this hobby gives them an opportunity to appeciate each other even more. Larry is the son of the late Dennis and Dot McDaniel and has three sis- ters, Vivian Alley of Port Charlotte, Fla., Ellen Gaffney of Kings Mountain and Polly Bresina of Merritt Island, Fla. McDaniel has observed what he calls even more respect for firemen since the 9/11 tragedy in which 346 firefighters were killed in the World Trade Center dis- aster in New York City. He disagrees with the hero title, "We are not heroes, just : doing our job. " "Our King Mountain folks used their heads during the drought and there was no unnecessary burning," said McDaniel, referring to the forest fires that ravaged western states. At Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Department volunteers like Jim Yarbro, Fred Tate and the first chief Charlie Blalock, and many more set a legacy for others to follow, and a standard of excellence that firemen have main- tained over the years. Firemen sponsor barbecue chicken suppers to buy equipment and in recent years the department pur- chased an automatic defribulator, a rescue tool she Jaws of Life. They use, tax money, £F fro the co unity, to operate the department | and for payment on a new truck. Because of a mutual aid agreement with other departments firemen can go anywhere in the county to fight fire. During McDaniel's tenure the fire department was also completely reno- vated and the department bought two pumpers, one tanker, one light truck and two brush trucks. Would he recommend fire- fighting for young people wanting to serve the com- munity? "You bet," he says. Firemen meet at the department on the seond Monday of each month and training sessions are on fourth and each fireman volunteers up to 200 hours a year. McDaniel, 54, may retire next year as Chief and move to reserve status but his heart will always be in the fire department. Is it any wonder he stands tall in the eyes of his volun- teers and co-workers? The Kings Mountain Herald FORUM From 1A made during the most recent budget sessions and that one department, the Sheriff's Department, went looking for and obtained grants. "It's a cooperative effort," he said. - Ledford, a former 20 year member of the county board of education, said that the county needs diversified industry such as automo- tives and he said infrastruc- ture will addrsss these needs. Dr. Self, a retired medical doctor, said the county's future is in knowledge based industry, a more effi- cient government with lower taxes. McBrayer gave the exam- ple of neighboring South Carolina who has landed industry and jobs by offer- ing incentives and he said the county could copy them by laying out a plan and by visiting other states and countries to seek out indus- try. All candidates support the open meetings law. "I don't feel good about closed sessions, We should not hold back anything from people who put you in office," said McBrayer. McIntosh said that person- nel and recruitment of industry are topics that OFFICE From 1A also done a number of in- house jobs saving the city a considerable amount of money. Murphrey said the only cost to the city was materials. The new building will feature a reception room, the superintendent's office with adjoining bathroom and shower, and a confer- ence room with adjoining bathroom. The mayor said the conference room will allow privacy for families making final arrangements. A computerized filing sys- tem now in place is a "real asset," according to Bennett who has old books and records and maps originally Gopigd on sheepskin and | paper. "I plan to keep all ‘the old records but the comput- erized records will help us to get information quickly on available lots.” Bennett said the oldest monument in the cemetery dates back to 1835. For many years the late Sam Suber was cemetery super- intendent. Bennett, who was formerly associated with Bennett Brick & Tile, succeeded the late Kenneth Jenkins who worked for the city of Kings Mountain for 20 years. Among improvements to the cemetery is a columbari- um in the No. 7 section of the cemetery. In addition, the city crews have repaired old markers, some of which were leaning and filled in graves. Bennett said crews are proud of the good job that staff does in keeping the cemetery clean and grassed. Bennett said new furniture is on order and he is antici- pating that the new build- ing will be occupied by November 1. KINGS MOUNTAIN The Herald Published every Thursday Periodicals postage at Kings Mountain, NC 28086 - USPS 118-880 by Republic Newspapers, Inc. Postmaster, send address changes to: P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 Phone (704) 739-7496 Office: 824-1 East King Street ® Kings Mountain, NC 28086 E-mail: kmhnews@aol.com Fax (704) 739-0611 Gaston & Cleveland County Other NC Counties Outside NC + ASSOCIATION = Mike Blanton Publisher Gary Stewart Editor Ben Ledbetter eee Staff Writer Stacy Godfrey Kale.......ccocvvrserinriecs Advertising Manager LISA UPON... oorscsivermsnserssirress Advertising Representative Shelley Campbell........c.oceetrssrvsivnense Composition Manager Mail Subscription Rates Payable i in Advance. All Prices include 6% NC State Sales Tax. Republic Newspapers, Inc. Menber 1 Year 6 Months $24.25 $15.75 $25.50 $17.00 $30.00 $19.00 North Carolin Press Associaion should be discussed behind closed doors. McIntosh said homeland security starts with hometown security and he said the county is apply- ing for federal grants to beef up its security. He said he voted for the 1/2 cent sales tax increase because every- one who spends a dollar in Cleveland County will put money in the pot. "Thirty percent of our 98,000 popu- lation pay the property tax bill." Self said North Carolina has the highest tax rate in the Southeast and he would not support a sales tax increase or any-tax increase. "When I started practicing medicine they didn't have the MRI or CATSCAN so education is a tremendous resource and a lifelong learning situation for us." He said he supported the building of a reservoir in Upper Cleveland County and the emergency water line to the Broad River. "That's an insurance policy that all of our county might need at some time," he said. Self, of Lattimore, was appointed to the board four months ago succeeding the late Charlie Harry. "I have enjoyed my service, I owe no particular area, and want to serve." "Something's wrong, take a hard look, we're losing industry, and it's imperative that we go to other states and counties to entice indus- try to Cleveland County," saidMcBrayer. McIntosh made his closing statement in several differ- ‘ent languages, citing the need for everyone to be a part of Cleveland County with different cultures. He said the commission has diversified its committees and is reaching out to every culture and informing and including all the public. Ledford pledged to listen to constituents, saying he would have input from citi- zens and ‘vote with citizens. Rogers said he agreead with Moore that N. C. should be able to compete bring people to Cleveland Page 3A Bar H RAUNTED HAYRIRE with other states on lower taxes and called taxes "our biggest problem." Moore said lower taxes would County. Moore said the answer to balancing the budget is cut- ting spending. "The Democrats talk of incentives and impose the heaviest taxes in ages," said Weatherly. The government has so many hoops for us to jump in," said Brown, who said 80 percent of the economy is small business and govern- ment goes after the 20 per- cent, big corporations. BRING FRIENDS ~ YOU'LL NEED THEM! THE Ten [A ISSANCR Ciece ASTIVAL ol ato SEAS ir i 54, & ARTISAN al BL SEVEN FANTASTIC WEEKENDS SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS be ocr. 5th thru Nov. 1 7th Opening 10:00 a.m.~ Closing at 5:30p.m. ADV! ee aie) ISAT =] 100: FESTIVAL INFO (704) 896.6344 « TOLL FREE (877) 896-5544 » www renfestinfo.com NOPETS [3803 Nobody Does It Better! | Flint Hill Heating & Air Dear Valued Customer, We understand that service repairs are unexpected and are a hassle to you. You get service the way that you want it; cleaner, better and faster not to mention hassle free. Our service technicians are professional, clean and are technically competent. Each technician wears an ID badge that validates that he/she has met our stringent customer care, ethical and service standards. On each service call our technician will diagnose your system from “a to z.” Once the problem is determined you will know the exact reason and the exact price for the recommended repair. You OK the price and the repair before we do the work! We Are Committed To Your Satisfaction! @AYOrkK-704. 434. 9796 Healing Healing and Air Conditioning Conditioning = % Furnace Cleaning & Tune Upl Save $500.00 Light Cleaning of your Furnace. On a Complete New System! omplete Inspection and 17 York 2 Ton 12 Seer AG; 90% Adjustment of Ignition Components, 60,000 btu Furnace; 5 yr. parts; Pi ety Switches and Ox Lines 10 yr. compressor part; 20 yr. heat omplete Inspection of Your Heat exchanger part; installed to your Exchanger and Flue Pipe $y ¢ uctwork & electrical 49, 00 Reg. oh 2 995 Reg $3495.00 Residential ev Wi this CONDE: on at the t time of se: service. Not = with Her offers/p DrOMONONS, 12.31 31-02 each other through difficalt limes, We see the compassion. We see courage, We see the love, She strenglh of a famdy s love. ds one of the most powerful forces in les J these times we live in, strong Jamies are vial lo ows command, Spend lime with oun fam, Family and Locally Owned Love Lasts Sorever Carpenter's Funeral Home 90 Years of Trust Serving the Tri-County Area 1100 East Main Street, Cherryville, N.C. 28021 Phone: 704-435-6711 704-435-6848
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 24, 2002, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75