December 23, 2004
The Kings Mountain Herald
Page 5A
GARY
From 4A
three in a row for the Crest
Chargers...
A present for every kid in
the world this Christmas. A
dry, warm house for every-
one. A holiday season free
of automobile accidents,
fires, disease and any other
catastrophe...Peace and pro-
tection for all of our men
and women of the military,
especially those serving in
harm’s way.
And, most of all, the
assurance that all of life's
good gifts and blessings do
not come from you, Santa,
but from a Loving God who
cares so much for all of us
that He came to us and sac-
rificed all for us.
Merry Christmas to
everyone, and may 2005 be
your best year ever!
ANDIE
From 4A
authentic and often lights
and sound are professional
quality. Despite all that, the
story from the book of Luke
portrayed by kids in home-
made costumes will always
mean more
HEFFNER
From 4A
so I borrowed an electric
razor. [ was standing in the
bathroom, in a puddle of
water, when I tried to plug
the razor into an outlet.
+ The prongs had spread a
little, and I held them
together and plugged them
in. I know, I know, that :
wasn’t too brilliant. The
shock knocked me across
the large bathroom and
melted my watchband. As
Amos Hoople used to say, I
shoulda stood in bed.
That was one of the
dumbest things I've ever
done in my life. But you can
see that it was all caused by
the necessity to shave.
I'm trying to work up the
nerve to quit. Maybe I'll just
taper off and see how that
works.
[ can always tell people
I'm growing a beard for a
part in a play or something.
hristmas Past
Not as much money and gifts but a lot of love
By ANDIE BRYMER
Staff Writer
Christmas was not always
the commercialized holiday
we celebrate today. Decades
ago the day marking
Christ's birth was a simpler
affair. Three elders from
White Oak Manor agreed to
look back to this time and
share their memories with
the Herald.
There were no tall piles of
+ gifts beneath Betty
Ledbetter’s tree. An apple,
an orange, pieces of candy
and nuts were left by Santa.
She and her siblings were
lucky to get one present
apiece.
“We couldn't afford it. We
lived on the farm,” she said.
“If you got one thing you
were doing good but we
were a happy family.”
Gene Jeffries, the only boy
in his family, typically got a
Roy Rogers toy gun. He
would awaken before 6 a.m.
Christmas morning.
“You were up to see what
you were going to get,” he
said.
At Etta Parton’s home, a
prosperous year meant a
store-bought baby doll.
Otherwise, her mother made
rag dolls.
Mrs. Ledbetter, the next to
youngest child in her family
of eight kids, was deter-
mined to get a peek at Santa.
She hid in a closet, prepared
to stay there until the jolly
old elf came down the chim-
ney. Instead, she fell over
items in the closet.
“That was the scariest
time in my life. I thought
Santa Claus had knocked me
down,” Mrs. Ledbetter said.
Her older siblings laughed
and her dad scolded her.
Nevertheless, Santa still
brought her a baby doll.
Mr. Jeffries was a believer
in Santa until he found toys
stashed under a bed.
“I thought a lot of Santa
till I messed around and
found the toys,” he said.
His discovery remained a
secret out of fear the gifts
would be rescinded.
Trees weren't available at
stores like they are today.
Mr. Jeffries remembers his
family finding the perfect
tree months in advance and
leaving it in the woods till
December. They decorated
the tree with tinsel. The
branches which were
pruned to shape the tree,
were used around the house
as additional decorations.
Mrs. Ledbetter remembers
making “snow” for the tree
from toilet paper and orna-
ments from tin foil and red
paper.
KM WEATHER REPORT
LETTERS TO SANTA
Dear Santa,
Alex would like Princess
and Pauper Barbie that sings
also. She wants an airplane
with butterflies that you try
to catch. A waling Nemo for
the bathtub would also be
nice.
Reed would like a paint-
ing easel, a race car, and
Rescue Heroes in a tank.
We have been very good
all year. We have both done
chores every day. We always
use good manners.
Love, Alex and Reed
Dear Santa,
What I would like for
Christmas is a Duke Blue
Devils Hoodie and a Duke
Blue Devils pocket book and
wallet. And a lil” Bratz Ski
would like to give me you
can give me. I would just
like to say I liked the pres-
ents you gave me all the
other years. And if it is not
so much I would like a bell
from all your reindeers’ har-
nesses. And I would like a
small note from you in my
stocking. I mean I would
like the note in my stocking.
And the bells in a small
case. But what I mostly
would like is the note and"
the bells from your rein-
-deers’ harnesses and please
put their name on them if it
is not so much.
Thank you.
Love, Kellie Ford
Mn EER
By Kenneth Kitzmiller
Dec. 15-21 Year Ago
Total precipitation 0* 10
Maximum 1 day 0 .10 (16th)
Month to date 2.23 2.81
Year to date 47.91 81.85 .
Low temperature 13 (19th) 18 (20th)
High temperature - 57 (17th) 56 (15th)
Avg. temperature 39.4 39.2
*Snowflakes Sun., Dec. 19
Lodge and gym and I would Dear Santa,
like some lil” Bratz girls and All I want for Christmas
boys and anything else you is:
Mega man toys, Pokemon,
Yu-gi-oh, Bionical, Ninja tur-
tles.
And lots of stuff for my
family and friends.
Gabriel Helms
Dear Santa,
I'd like some light blue
and black vans. (Skateboard
shoes) in size 8 1/2. I also
want some flavored lip gloss
and a digital. I would like a
belt that looks like a seat
belt and a bottle cap belt. I
would also like my uncle
Jamie to have a safe
Christmas. He is going to
Iraq.
Love, Meghan
Now Offering, SPA PEDICURES
Amy Davis, Tonya Cobb, Shannon Sellers, Teresa Toney
316 W. King Street, Kings Mountain
For Appointment Call
704-739-2387
Tanning
eT}
Certificates
§
BETTY LEDBETTER
Presents were few but
food was plentiful.
“We didn’t have a whole
lot of money but we had
plenty of food,” Mr. Jeffries
said.
Mrs. Ledbetter describes a
table laden with turkey and
sweet potato and pumpkin
pies. Mr. Jeffries remembers
chocolate and coconut cakes
and ham from the smoke-
house.
New Year’s Day was the
* occasion for another big
meal for Mrs. Ledbetter’s
family. Black-eyed peas
insured the person eating
would possess plenty of
pennies during the new
ETTA PARTON
year. Hog jowl meant health;
greens were eaten for dol-
lars. Sweet potatoes and
corn bread rounded out the
meal.
The elders say a white
Christmas was not rare
when they were children.
“We used to get snow at
Christmas. We don’t now,”
Mr. Jeffries said.
Weather was the defiling
factor on whether Mrs.
Ledbetter’s family made it
to church. She remembers
the Christmas story being
read during the Wednesday
night service before the holi-
day.
Mr. Jeffries would hear the
GENE JEFFRIES
story at school before the
week-long holiday break
began.
Both Mrs. Ledbetter and
Mrs. Parton remember
Christmas plays at church
with Mrs. Parton playing
Mary one year. Mr. Jeffries’
play was held at school.
He and his sisters enter-
tained themselves singing
“0 Little Town of
Bethlehem,” “Silent Night”
and “Joy to the World.”
All three agreed that
while their childhood cele-
brations lacked in today’s
material abundance, there
was no shortage of family
togetherness.
KIDNEY
From 1A
days,” Gannon said.
The family has not been on a vacation
since Gannon began dialysis. Despite the
restrictiveness of the procedure, Gannon
says it has helped him feel “a thousand
times better.”
With a new kidney to take over for the
two rendered obsolete by Membrano prolif-
erative glomerulonephritis type II, Gannon
will be free of the procedure.
“It’s literally like cutting chains away. You
have tubes hooked to you,” he said.
Without Gregory's donation, Gannon
could easily have spent four or more years
awaiting a kidney from a cadaver. Both men
are amazed that more people don’t mark
their driver’s licenses to become donors.
“They don’t realize the importance,”
Gannon said.
Gannon has completed an associate’s
degree at Isothermal. He plans to continue
his education.after surgery, studying psy-
chology. He hopes to teach at a college.
Gregory says he is not afraid of the sur-
gery nor of losing a kidney.
“It’s like God spoke to me, ‘go ahead and
do it,” he said.
Gannon, a nursing assistant at White Oak
Manor and an LPN student, says he has
watched video of the surgery on the inter-
net. He's in the midst of examinations at
CMC.
“It’s been awesome. I'm excited about this
myself,” Gregory said.
Gannon has also educated himself about
the disease.
“It’s interesting to me because it affects
me,” he said.
Gregory says he can relate to Gannon’s
parents Pat and Mike Gannon. His step- i
daughter Tiffany Noland, 18, lost a kidney .
when she was 10 years old. She and his wife
Jo-Anne Gregory and daughters Cheltsea,
13 and Kendra, 12 are all supportive.
“They think it’s great,” Gregory said.
Gregory will be out of work for eight
weeks following surgery. He's using accrued
to 30 years.
vacation and paid time off and will sit out
the spring semester at Isothermal.
Gregory's remaining kidney will enlarge
by around 20 percent to compensate. Except
for having to avoid high risk sports for fear
of injuring the remaining kidney, Gregory
‘will live a normal life.
Gannon will initially take large dosages of
anti-rejection, immune suppressing drugs.
Gradually the dosage will be lowered. The
donated kidney is expected to work for 25
Gregory receives no monetary compensa-
tion for the donation. Like all donors,
Gannon has had to uridergo a psychiatric
exam to insure he understands what he is
doing. There is a three in 100,000 chance he
could die during the surgery.
Gregory does earn the satisfaction of
knowing he has made a tremendous impact
on another person's life.
Gannon describes him as “a different kind
of person.”
SUMMIT PLACE ASSISTED LIVING
DECEMBER 11™ THRU
NEW YEARS DAY
The Following Area Businesses have sponsored a
Christmas Tree, to be on display in order to bring Christmas to the
residents of Summit Place; The Printin - Press; Kings Mountain Life
Enrichment Adult Day Care; This & That Novelty Shoppe; Lawrence
Patrick Senior Life Center; Total Care Home Health; Houser Drug;
) Kings Has tain Herald; the Shelby Songer Ce Carolina Modes]