Page 2
The Kings Mountain Herald
August 16, 2007
LOCAL NEWS
Tribute to a Kings Mountain legend
New Martin Marietta office building named in memory of Don Champion
r EMILY WEAVER
{0 eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
On Friday afternoon, the
Cleveland County Chamber of
Commerce had a ribbon cutting
for the new office building at
Martin Marietta Aggregates.
The unveiling of a plaque that
will forever hang at the location
commemorates the legend
behind the building. It reads:
“This building is dedicated in
memory of Donald = W.
Champion for his 45 years of
dedicated and loyal service to
Martin Marietta Aggregates.”
Don designed the building. It
was his final project. Perhaps the
most common trait people
remember about him is his deter-
mination. “He could get some-
thing in his mind and there was-
n’t any stopping him until it got
done,” said his wife, Tammy.
Before the building even stood,
she said he had a sign staked
where his office was going to be.
" He passed away just a few short
weeks before it officially opened.
The building stands as a lasting
legacy.
Family and friends are left
behind to grieve the loss of this
great man. But his legend will
live on through their memories,
their stories and a plaque on the
wall.
Don passed away on March 7,
2007 at the age of 64. But he did-
n't leave this earth without
touching several hearts, enlight-
ening several minds and influ-
encing several lives. His friends
describe him as an honest, hum-
ble man and dedicated worker.
His mother-in-law Marsha Faile
said he was “the best son-in-law
in the world.”
For Tammy, the man she mar-
ried 20 years ago this past
Tuesday was “one of a kind.” She
said, “They don’t make them like
him anymore. The mold was bro-
ken after he was made...He was
an absolutely wonderful per-
son.”
Don was very intelligent. “As a
ninth grader he beat out all of the
upper grades in a spelling bee,”
she said, though he never flaunt-
ed his intellect. “He had a full-
ride (scholarship) to Georgia
Tech, but he turned it down
because he thought cars and
working was more important.
And back then, college wasn't as
big an issue as it is today.”
- In his younger days, Don
enjoyed street racing his ‘57
Chevrolet. In addition, Don
loved to work on cars. “He refur-
bished a ‘55 Chevrolet which I
still have. That was a passion of
his,” she said. He also loved get-
ting a plain car and “doctoring”
it up, like the story behind his
daughter, Danielle’s, current car.
“Right before he passed, he
was on a mission,” Tammy said.
“He wanted to get his daughter a
more dependable car for college
that would be good on gas, since
she goes to NC State.”
Don started searching. He
wanted to have it in time for
Danielle’s Spring break and he
finally found it in February. It
was a plain car and Tammy
feared it was too plain. But it
wouldn't stay that way with the
“doctor” on the job. He added
chrome wheels, pinstripes, tags
and bent shades around its win-
dows. The car was not plain any-
more.
When he was finished, he
parked it in the garage and
topped it with the big red bow
Tammy used on top of the
Christmas tree every year. When
Danielle came home from Spring
break, her new car waited for her
to lift the garage door.
“Stuff like that is what made
Don who he is, because he
enjoyed doing stuff to make peo-
ple happy,” Tammy said. “He
was a jokester, but not in a harm-
ful way. He was always fun to be
around because you never knew
what he was going to do or get
started. He just enjoyed having
fun.”
She added that he was always
a gentleman to everybody. “Don
was the type of person you'd
want beside you the whole
time.”
In the early days, he was raised
through hard times. He used to
tell his family stories about
catching birds on the window or
when he would have to take his
sister to the outhouse and the
“spankings” he would get if he
refused. “He knew where he had
been (financially) and he didn’t
want to go back there,” she said.
The Champion family moved
to Kings Mountain, from
Raleigh, when Martin Marietta
was Superior Stone. His. father
started working there and the
family has been here since.
Tammy ‘said Don’s family was
his life. He was a deacon at First
Baptist Church and a very strong
and dedicated Christian.
Danielle remembers his great
& “ 2 CARE LE
The Champion family and friends stand next to the new commemorative plaque at Martin Marietta
ha)
Aggregates that honors the legendary Don Champion. Front row, I-r: Larry Ward, wife Tammy
Champion, and daughter Danielle. Back row, I-r: Wayne Paul, and sons Mark and Jody Champion.
sense of humor.
Don often put other people
before himself, like the time he
made sure his employees had
Christmas bonuses during a
tight year. He reached into his
own pockets for them to have
something that winter. Don also
leaves behind two sons: Mark
and Jody and four grandchil-
dren. Jody also helped in the cre-
ation of the new building.
QUOTES FROM FRIENDS:
“He never forgot where he
came from and he never forgot
where he wanted to go,” said
county Commissioner Johnny
Hutchins. “He always appreciat-
ed his family and his friends.”
“I know from his family, how
much Don loved his family at
home and his extended family
here at Martin Marietta,” said
city Councilman Keith Miller. “I
also know how important this
particular project was. This site,
on this hill, around these trees,
with that view, Don thought that
would be an important legacy
for Martin Marietta and an
important component for them
doing business in this communi-
“It’s our hope that the building
will stand for many years and
that it will help us all remember
Don. We just appreciate all that
he did for us,” said regional vice
president of Martin Marietta
The Champion family stands next to the new commemorative
plaque at Martin Marietta Aggregates that honors their husband
and father Don Champion. Front row, I-r: wife Tammy Champion,
daughter Danielle. Back row, I-r: sons Mark and Jody Champion.
Aggregates’ Charlotte division
Larry Ward.
Wayne Paul, production man-
ager for Martin Marietta’s
Charlotte district said, “I've had
the privilege of working with
Don for over 30 years...One thing
about Don, you knew where you
stood. He was a man of his
word.”