| PAGE 2
AER
The Kings Mountain Herald
a
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
Dozens of families will be cel-
ebrating this Christmas with
loved ones who have returned
home from war-torn countries
overseas. There may be nothing
more endearing or special to a
soldier than to be able to share
those times once again with
their families and friends.
Christmas in Iraq could never
be Christmas at home.
One family has experienced
two holiday seasons without
each other, from two separate
deployments to Iraq. The first
time James Tarbush returned
home was wonderful for his
fiance Belinda Ruhnau, but the
second time was different. She
kept her cool until she saw him.
When he approached, she leapt
into his arms; nearly knocking
him over, for a long elated
embrace. The holidays especial-
ly, have become more precious
to their family.
Tarbush has served in Iraq
twice now with the Army
National Guard 505th
Engineering Battalion.
“His second time in Iraq was
the hardest,” she said. Ruhnau
thought his second deployment
would be much easier having
gone through it the first time.
But she was wrong. As the
fighting in Iraq intensified, so
too did the loneliness of her
nights. Their son, Caleb, was
born just a short time after
Tarbush left. She and the kids
missed only him. He missed all
of them.
Not only the absence of touch
and presence made his second
deployment so hard, it was also
the unknown. “We have a don’t
ask, don’t tell policy,” she said.
After having been in the mili-
tary, growing up in the service
environment, and having so
many friends in the armed
forces, she knows that missions
and a soldier's safety can be
compromised by telling too
much.
“There are certain things you
don’t ask over the phone, cer-
tain things you don’t put in an
e-mail and definitely you don’t
put in a letter,” she said. So in a
time full of chaos, worry, uncer-
tainty and fear she held her
tongue. She said that was her
only means of control over
keeping him safe. Halfway
home from Fort Bragg the long-
kept questions and answers
spewed forth. They were finally
able to share their thoughts,
concerns and feelings or to at
least begin the long reconnect-
ing process.
But even though there were
certain things they could not
talk about while he was away,
they kept in touch as often as
possible through e-mails, web-
cameras and phone conversa-
tions. One day, she said,
Tarbush was watching the chil-
dren through the web-cam that
was pointed in their direction,
while she was busy typing on
the computer.
“All of a sudden these mes-
sages start popping up that say,
‘Look at Caleb! Look at
Caleb!,” she said. She turned
around and saw their son’s first
walk. Even though he was
thousands of miles away, he
was first to witness their son’s
first steps. She laughed at this,
in imitated frustration.
Now that they are reunited,
the home-sweet-home holidays
can begin. Caleb has been call-
ing Tarbush “Dada” for a few
months now and can walk like
a pro. Both he and Ruhnau are
grateful to share their son's first
Christmas together in the safety
of their home. But they feel
truly “blessed: to have rthese ©
memories and share these holi-|
days with each other and their
other two kids (Ruhnau'’s chil-
dren from her first marriage)
because they know how pre-
cious these times are when
Uncle Sam calls.
Ruhnau is a fourth genera-
tion soldier. Her mother, father,
grandfather and great grandfa-
James Tarbush back home after
spending two Christmases in Iraq
‘James Tarbush and family Pictured at recent program at Grover
., Elementary School. ;
ther all served in the U.S. Navy,
along with three of her uncles
and one of her aunts. She enlist-
ed in the U.S. Air Force and
served until her retirement in
2004. She was supposed to go
to Afghanistan in June of 1999,
but something prevented her
EMILY WEAVER / HERALD
from going and she still does
not know it was. Whether
deployed or not, they have both
served their country well. They
plan to wed very soon. Tarbush
is not due for another deploy-
ment for five years.
WARM HEA
WARM FEET
Hundreds pack senior center
to receive Christmas shoes
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
People packed the H.
Lawrence Patrick Senior Center
Thursday morning, lined up
through the front door and
around the building in search of
shoes to fit their feet that defi-
nitely fit their budget. Mayor
Rick Murphrey and city council
men purchased nearly 2,000
shoes to be given out for free.
Tables were set up in the activity
room at the center. Shoes and
shoe boxes were stacked and
scattered on each table and some
were in big cardboard boxes on
the floor.
A few officers from the Kings
Mountain Police Department
stood guard making sure that
peace was kept as the crowds
spewed forth in massive num-
bers. Half past noon on
NE W BRICK HOMES FOR SALE
AT SIDING HOMIE PRICES
Will do painting, wall papering, vinyl
siding, wood floors & decks.
BIE Construction Co., Inc.
Todd: 704.937.9354
704.473.0821 (cel
Dub: 704.937.0102
New Year! New Smile!
_and needed a pair wouldn’ t have
December 28, 2006
Thursday the crowds were still
strong but the lines to get in
were growing shorter. “We had
to limit shoes to one pair per per
son because we were afraid that
we were going to run out of
shoes and every one who came
a chance to get one,” said Special
Events Dir. Ellis Noell.
Murphrey said that the shoes
give-a-way was a very success:
ful outreach to the community;
“We started at 11 o'clock and by:
1:30 a majority of the shoes were
gone. Within a half an hour later;
they were all gone,” he said. “We
really enjoyed doing that for the
community and it gave us the
Christmas spirit.”
Murphrey displayed a new
side of himself to the public -
shoe salesman. He eagerly
helped people find shoes that
would be a good fit for them and
See Shoes, 5A
PEARL
From 1A
She added that she won't have |
to worry about the alarm clock
going off anymore and it will be
nice to simply relax and stay in
“bed a little longer if she wants to.
“When you have an 8-5 job it
seems like you can’t get much
accomplished with the family,”
she said. But all of that is due for
a change. She looks forward to
retirement because it will grant
her more time with her family,
her husband, and her four
grandchildren. She also plans to
be more active in the community
and with her church. But per-
haps one of the biggest perks on
the horizon, outside of family
and friends, is the open road.
“Traveling is one of my plans. I
don’t know where or when, [just
. want to go,” she said.
Even though she likes visiting
other places, she said that there
is nothing like coming home
again to her peaceful corner of
Kings Mountain.
Brown was born in western
Kings Mountain, the youngest of
six siblings, to the late Rev. Sloan
and Mrs. Mary Lee Murray. Rev.
Sloan toiled in their cotton fields
and her mother worked hard in
the home. They moved off of the
farm when she was about 7 or 8
and. her father went to work at
the mill. He worked at Margrace
Mill and later at Oxford Plant for
many years. Her parents both
received an elementary school
education decades before higher
education was a widely-sought
goal. But her education would be
different.
Her childhood education, out-
side of home and church, started
in a one-room school house
called Vestibule School. After
Vestibule, she went to Compact
School, Lincoln Academy and
Lincoln High. Even though her
beginnings were humble, she has
risen to great heights in the field
of educators. She achieved her
Ey up to $1, 100
cool cash on our
coolest system.* 4
cooling system you have.
SHELBY
Heating & Air
Shelby Heating & A/C
Shelby, NC
704-487-7877
www.shelbyheating.com
If you should ever have an emergency with your heating and cooling
system, let our trained technicians put it right — right now. No matter what brand of heating and
i Our Carrier technicians are the most qualified repair technicians in the business,
: I Cash trained and equipped to find the problem quickly and fix it correctly. So, for fast,
expert service on your heating and cooling system, call us...we're happy fo help.
expires 12/31/0 ;
bachelor’s of Science degree in
Health Education with a minor
in Library Science and later a
Master's degree in Library
Science from NC Central
University. She obtained her doc-
torate from Nover University in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
She started off wanting to be a
nurse but didn’t know if she
could handle seeing and dealing
with all of the pain. However,
she did know that she loved to
read. This life-long passion. for
the written word pointed her in
the direction of a library.
“I worked in the high school
library and I worked my way
through college in the library,”
Brown said.
After college her first job was
also at a library and it all seemed
to fit. She loved books. She loved
students. She loved working
with people and seeing new
faces. Being a librarian was in
her blood.
“My joy is to be working with
the public, and especially with
students and helping them,” she
said.
One of her regular bookworms
and favorite students, Matt
Berry, said that he will miss her
very much.
“She’s absolutely wonderful,”
he said. “She’s the only person I
know of that when it comes to
dealing with students - she
makes you feel like you're
home.”
Her home is still in Kings
Mountain just on the eastern
side, now. She is a member of
Vestibule A.M.E. Zion Church.
Thanks for
Lad youg Empor,
“un
ur business
704.865.8521
Gastonia & Shelby
Invisaligre « Insurance
Call TODAY for a FREE Orthodontic Exam
($265 Value Expires 1-5-07
isalign- Patient ~~
Invi
Affordable Payments
Hablamos Espafiol
KINGS MOUNTAIN
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: heraldnews@kingsmountainherald.com
i
Fax (704) 739-0611
Bill Parsons (bparsons@kingsmountainherald.com).....Publisher
Gary Stewart (gstewart@kingsmountainherald.com)..........Editor
Staff Writer
Emily Weaver
Nancy Miller............... seerssinssnenn Advertising Coordinator
Jeannine McDonald................
Dan Shoemaker
wesnene Senior Graphic Artist
Graphic Artist
Kathy Reynolds..........ceeceusenneneen.. Circulation/Office Clerk
Janey Ollis Receptionist
Betty Johnson.......ccccecvernsesseersnennennee Mailroom Supervisor
Helen Wells Inserter
Mary Wood Inserter
Mail Subscription Rates
Payable in Advance. All Prices include 6% NC State Sales Tax.
Gaston & Cleveland County
Other NC Counties
Outside NC
NIN
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
We reserve the right to feiss
Republic
that we deem inappropriate or offensive to our readership.
Newspapers, Inc.
1 Year ~ 6 Months
$27.00 $17.50
$28.50 $19.25
$33.50 $21.25
Member
North Carolina Press Association
any advertisements or news
Ln