February 19, 2004
ROBBINS
From 4A
week begins a journey
toward the cross. Let me
encourage you to attend the
Lenten services that will be
held in one of our city’s
churches every Wednesday
afternoon at noon until
Easter.
Whether you are a believ-
er or not [ trust you will
take a fresh look at the sacri-
fice of Jesus because we live
on the edge of two worlds
and at any moment we may
move into our afterlife
never to return. Hope to see
you in Heaven.
J.R. Robbins is the pastor
of Faith Baptist Church.
=,
HEFFNER
From 4A
some beautiful ballads in his
day, and he was unexcelled
at the keyboard.
McGlohon, of course,
lived in Charlotte and his
son, Reeves, lives in Mount
Holly, where he is employed
as an assistant superintend-
ent of schools.
I understand that most
people don’t enjoy the jazz
produced from the late 20s
through the mid 60s, but it
is truly an important part of
American history.
I love to listen to a good
jazz tune, played by experts,
such as Brubeck, and try to
follow the melody through
all the note progressions.
Brubeck and Desmond had
no equal. Sometimes they
would go off on a tangent
and you'd think they were
playing a different tune, but
their instruments would
always converge on the
melody they started with. It
was true artistry.
Brubeck, at 82, continues
to make music and play
concerts. He has a couple of
sons who are accomplished
jazz musicians that play
with him.
I've never been to a live
Brubeck concert, but if he
ever comesinearnthis, RFE ¢,
I'll be therebzonhoW qirdano
Maybe he'll play Little
Girl Blue.
ANDIE
From 4A
that’s not as much fun as
the surprise day off, kind of
like found money.
As I drove in to work this
Tuesday morning I'm con-
vinced I saw two flakes. The
radio said it was snowing in
Charlotte. I read in that
other paper that a big front
was making its way across
the Great Plains toward us.
At least I'm an optimist.
14 graduate
nursing program
Fourteen students gradu-
ated from the Certified
Nursing Assistant (CNA II)
program at Cleveland
Community College on
January 29.
The program is a 160-
hour course. Once the
course is completed, gradu-
ates are included on the
North Carolina CNA
Registry.
Kings Mountain gradu-
ates were Angela
Richardson, Lenora
McKinney, and Leslie
Ballard.
For more information
call 704-484-5316.
If you've lived in Kings
Mountain very long you
probably recognize Gene
Dye and his old, dark-blue
‘Ford truck with the ladders
on top.
Gene has been doing elec-
trical work in homes and
business-
es in
Kings
Mountain
for over
50 years,
and he’s
been driv-
ing that
truck
since
1983.
Just
recently
he was dumfounded to learn
that the Kelly Blue Book
gave the ‘83 a trade-in value
of $338. Why, it only has
100,000 miles on it!
Dye, the middle son of the
late Samuel Comann and
Emma Mae Goforth Dye,
was a Depression child. At a
very early age, he learned to
work hard.
The family lost its home
during those lean years and
moved to Charlotte. They
returned to Kings Mountain
a couple years later and
moved into a small rental
house located on what is
now the Kings Mountain
Country Club golf course.
The family farmed Plonk
land nearby. But once again
tragedy struck. Their house
burned and they moved into
the old Plonk house that
was later Kings Mountain
Country Club for many
years.
During those years, Gene
and the other boys helped
their parents farm. When
they were able, “Mr. Sam”
Gary Stewart
Editor
The Kings Mountain Herald
Gentleman Gene tries retirement
and his oldest son, Hobart,
built the house on what is
now Castlewood Drive,
where the elder Dyes lived
out their years.
Gene was a member of
Central United Methodist
Church until Joyce Dixon
stole his heat. After their
marriage he joined First
Baptist Church, diagonally
across Mountain Street. He
had been sprinkled as a
Methodist, but chose to fol-
low Baptist belief and was
immersed. He often said if
baptism had anything to do
with salvation, he was set!
Through the years he has
been very active in church.
He has taught Sunday
School classes and is an
ordained deacon. At one
time he served on the
Deacon board alongside his
father-in-law, the late Lee
Dixon, and his oldest son,
Lee Barnett “Barney” Dye.
After school and after
World War II was over, Gene
worked a number of jobs
before entering the Navy for
a two-year stint. When he
returned home, he went to
work for Hoke Electric.
Under the capable instruc-
tion of the late Lester Hoke,
Plato “Tater” Goforth and
Jim White, he found his
niche. Soon he was catching
most of the after-hour and
weekend calls. For 10 years
after their marriage in 1955,
the Dye family had no vaca-
tion. His employer didn’t
give vacation time and the
family couldn’t afford to go
without a week's pay.
He worked for Hoke
Electric for 14 years. He
worked for Moss Electric for
two years, and returned to
Hoke until he went into
business for himself in 1969.
He operated Dye Electric
Company for 34 years. Joyce
worked right alongside him,
and gave herself the title of
office manager.
Gene received his North
Carolina unlimited electrical
license in 1967 by passing a
grueling 8-hour exam in
Raleigh. That meant he
could work anywhere in
North Carolina and do elec-
trical jobs of any value. At
that time there were only
two electrical license classifi-
cations. Today, there are a
number of classifications
from unlimited, limited and
intermediate to seven special
restrictive licenses. Not
many electricians engaging
in small town electrical con-
tracting go for anything
higher than intermediate
license.
During 50 years of service
Gene has become friends
with most people in town.
His smiling face and friend-
ly conversation made for
more than just a working
relationship. Children, who
now have grown children
themselves, remember him
giving them oatmeal cookies
from his lunch bag. Most
people look upon Gene as a
good friend, a father figure
and a person they can trust.
Most of his memories are
pleasant. But, there were
some sad times. Once he
was wiring a house in
Blacksburg for the late
building contractor, Travis
Smith. The house was not
close to other houses. Travis
had some heart problems.
No one else was around,
and Travis had an attack.
Gene was able to get his
nitroglycerin and flag down
PHOTO BY ELLIS NOELL
Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey and former Mayor John Henry Moss cut into the
town’s birthday cake last week.
City of KM notes
its 130th birthday
Kings Mountain celebrated its 130th birth-
day Feb. 11. The city hosted a birthday party
with cake and ice cream at city hall.
Events Coordinator Ellis Noell shared
some of the town’s history with the Herald.
. Kings Mountain was originally in the
path of a north/south trail used by Native
Americans. It was settled by Scot-Irish and
German pioneers prior to the Revolutionary
War. In the early 1870s, Southern Railway
-Trained In Pain Management
At the Mayo Clinic
-14 Years of Practice In Shelby
PAIN CLINIC OF SHELBY
1112 Yancey Street (Hwy. 150 next to YMCA) * Shelby, NC
M-F 8am-4pm ° Limited Sat. Hours ° (704) 481-0171
www.painclinicofshelby.com
Mountain. The
mayor.
acology .
{
completed a line running through the town
which connected Charlotte and Atlanta.
The town was originally called White
Plains due to the mica in the soil which gave
it a white color.
Mrs. James Wright Terry changed the name
to commemorate the battle of Kings
Postmaster
town was chartered in 1874.
William Andrew Mauney was the first
Additional charge for
machining rotors.
Price good on most vehicles.
1
I
f
I $9 Q-00
i
{
i
a passing motorist to get
help. They got him to the
hospital in Shelby, but he
died soon afterward.
A second tragedy occurred
when Gene was doing some
repair work in Kings
Mountain. Some children
were playing in a car, and
accidentally pulled it out of
gear. It rolled back over
another child. Gene heard
screams and ran to help. He
knelt by the child’s mother
and used his handkerchief to
try to stop the bleeding. But
before the Rescue Squad
arrived the child died.
Gene could have been a
veterinarian. He often gave
medication to his animals,
but he also knew when he
needed a professional's help.
A neighbor once said if she
believed in reincarnation,
she would like to come back
as Gene Dye’s cat.
He could have also been a
nurse. After Gene's mother
died in 1979, his father’s
health began to decline. He
was eventually diagnosed
with Parkinson’s Disease.
In order for him to stay
home, the family had to
commit to taking care of
him. Gene and other family
members did everything
from meals to laundry, and
Gene was the one that saw
to Mr. Sam’s tub baths
which were soothing to
someone with Parkinson;s.
Recently, his nursing skills
were required when his wife
of 48 years, Joyce, was diag-
nosed with cancer and was
in three hospitals in a matter
of weeks. She finally under-
went two surgeries in
Charlotte. Because she need-
ed extra care, Gene spent
many nights on the sofa in
her hospital room. His win-
Page 5A
GENE DYE
ning smile and conversation
soon won the admiration
and friendship of hospital
personnel.
After Joyce returned home
and started chemotherapy,
Gene's skills were required
for dressings, etc. Of course,
he willingly assumed all of
the home responsibilities,
including cooking.
As for his electrical busi-
. ness, he had already cut
back and decided to official-
ly dissolve Dye Electric
Company. He had been
crawling in attics and under
houses for years and his
knees weren't what they
used to be.
But he keeps those state
licenses which were so hard
to come by, just in case he
decides to do a few small
jobs that don’t require crawl-
ing.
As always, he’s enjoying
his family, including Joyce,
sons Barney and his wife
Debbie, Rex and his wife
Tonya, and grandchildren
Lauren, Hannah, Samuel,
Madison and Sarah.
Letters Policy
We appreaciate your letters and encourage you to write.
Because we receive so many letters, however, we must
impose guidelines to ensure that as many readers as possi-
ble are able to share their views. We therefore limit the
‘number of letters that any one person may have published
“to one a month. Also, we ask that you keep, your, letters
short, no more than two pages double-spaced or one page
single-spaced. Handwritten letters are accepted, but must
be legible.
We will not publish third party letters, unsolicited poems,
thank-you letters or letters from anonymous writers; names,
addresses, and phone numbers must be included and letters
must be signed in ink. We reserve the right to edit letters for
grammar, punctuation, clarity, brevity and content.
Letters must be received no later than 12 noon on
Monday of the week they are to be published. Mail letters to
Publisher Mike Blanton, P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC
28086 or fax them to (704) 739-0611.
Corrections & Clarifications
We will correct any substantial errors that appear in the
newspaper or clarify any statements that are unclear.
To request a correction or clarification, call the editor at
(704) 739-7496 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday or fax (704) 739-7496.
News Deadlines
The following deadlines apply for news items.
Deadline for B Section news is 12 noon Monday. This
includes lifestyles news, people stories, weddings, engage-
ments, anniversaries, reunions, club news, church news,
business news, school news and community news. Items
received past the deadline will run in other parts of the
paper if time and space permit. Otherwise, they will be held
until the following week.
Deadline for A Section news is 5 p.m. Tuesday. This
includes city and county news, sports, and miscellaneous
items. In cases of Tuesday night meetings and ball games,
items will be taken up to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Items
received past the deadline will be withheld until the follow-
ing week.
J “Must present coupon. Expires 2-29-04
1 We Specialize In GM Diesels.
704-739-6011
AE ELT ER
Exit 8, I-85/Hwy 161, Kings Mountain, NC
Oil & Filter
Change Special
19.95
Up to 5 quarts of oil.
Diesels not included.
26 point inspection included.
Front or Rear
Brakes