| Winter
91191] WN.
Mountain, NC 28086
kmherald.net
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Volume 126 ¢ Issue 12 ¢ Wednesday, March 19, 2014
mE 28086
17-14 0024A00 5P
MAUNEY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
100 S PIEDMONT AVE
KINGS MOUNTAIN NC
os [Mountain Heral
##
28086-3450
15¢
Students at Grace Christian Academy celebrated Dr. Seuss" birthday the week of March 3-7. The week of Dr. Seuss activities included green eggs and ham
for breakfast, dressing up as your favorite Dr. Seuss hook character, and even a Dr. Seuss birthday cake.
Firestone heroes honored
Quickly putting training to work, three employees save co-worker, friend
ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald @gmail.com
They called them heroes.
Firestone employees Tina
Michaels, Stuart Floyd, and Gary W.
Dalton said they were just glad they
were in the right place at the right
time when they rushed to the side of
fellow employee Roy Curphey
when he lost consciousness during
an asthma attack.
Mike Matthews, Firestone Safety
Manager, and Daughtry Hopper,
Community Chapter Executive with
the American Red Cross in Cleve-
land County, said the skills the “he-
roes” learned in American Red
Cross Health and Safety Services
courses helped to save a life. They
started chest compressions and res-
cue breathing, and continued CPR
until Emergency Medical Services
arrived and Curphey was trans-
ported to the local hospital for treat-
ment.
The three heroes said they didn’t
want recognition but Tuesday they
received the Red Cross citation
signed by the President of the
United States, the Red Cross highest
national award, a medal of honor
that bears the Red Cross logo and
the words, “Lifesaving Award of
Merit.”
The award presentation came on
the same day that Firestone Division
President Jim Pridgen welcomed
Sharon Decker, N. C. Secretary of
Commerce, conducted a plant pres-
entation, which included pictures,
barbecue, and a plant tour.
“I just wanted to stop by and con-
gratulate Firestone and its employ-
ees who have been an industrial
citizen for 75 years and tell them
See HEROES, 6A
I |
852570020
Three employees from Firestone Fibers & Textiles were presented the American Red Cross highest honors Monday,
recognized for their concern of one human being for another in distress. NC Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker,
who was visiting the local plant, and representatives of the Cleveland County Chapter American Red Cross were on
hand to offer congratulations. Front row, from left, Sharon Decker, Tina Michaels, one of the heroes honored from
the Teammate Training Department; back row, from left, Mike Matthews, Firestone Safety Manager; Bob McGlohon,
Red Cross; Jennifer P. Franklin, Red Cross; Stuart Floyd, former Firestone employee and hero; Gary W. Dalton,
Firestone Teammate, Industrial area, hero, Daughtry Hopper, Red Cross; and Jim Pridgen, Firestone Division Pres-
ident.
Contributed photo
Looking back on 95 years
s DAVE BLANTON
dave.kmherald @gmail.com
When George W. Plonk
headed off to Chapel Hill in 1936
to attend college, he thought
medicine was something that in-
terested him. But he’d also heard
of many local boys who’d taken
a run at college and came back
pretty quickly, having not made
good enough grades. For Plonk,
who grew up on a farm near
Cherryville working for a father
who raised cattle and chickens
and traded mules and horses, he
was determined to stay in school,
no matter what it took. “I studied
as hard as I could and made
straight C’s (that first semester),”
he said last week on the eve of
See Dr. PLONK, 7A
Dr. George Plonk and his y
sister Clara Politis pedal on ;
stationary bikes at the YMCA.
Clara is visiting this week
from her home in Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
Group
opposes
casino
Kings Mountain Aware-
ness Group asked the Cleve-
land County Board of
Commissioners Tuesday
night “to schedule a public
meeting in the near future to
allow the NC Family Policy
Council to make a short pres-
entation regarding historical
impacts of casinos in areas
other than Cherokee, North
Carolina.”
At the Herald’s press time
Tuesday Adam Forcade, the
spokesman for Stop Catawba
Casino, was making a brief
presentation before the
county board in Shelby.
“It is our position that we
do not feel that adequate re-
search from alternate sources
has been given a fair exami-
nation and we feel that the
NC Family Council is the
best organization to bring
these potential impacts to
light, in a fair and non-biased
manner,” said Forcade. He
said that he has contacted the
president of NC Family
Council who is willing and
prepared to come and make
the presentation at the board’s
convenience.
“We also trust that should
the preponderance of evi-
dence point to a negative
overall impact due to
See CASINO, 6A
Lenten
services
offered
Lenten services are un-
derway on Wednesdays at
12 noon under sponsorship
of the Kings Mountain Min-
isterial Association.
Rev. Rex Gibbs, pastor
of Central United Methodist
Church, will lead the service
today (Wednesday) at Boyce
Memorial ARP Church.
Rev. Josh Tucker, pastor
of St. Matthew’s Lutheran
Church, will lead the service
March 26 at First Presbyte-
rian Church.
Rev. James Lockridge,
pastor of Second Baptist
Church, will lead the service
April 2 at East Gold Street
Wesleyan Church.
The speakers and loca-
tions of the April services
will be announced later.
Lunch will be served at
the host churches for $3 do-
nation. An offering will be
taken for the Kings Moun-
tain Crisis Ministry.
Lent is the Christian sea-
son of preparation before
Easter by observing a period
of fasting, repentance, mod-
eration and spiritual disci-
pline. Ash Wednesday was
March 5 to mark the start of
the season of Lent, which
begins 40 days prior to
Easter.
Lent is mostly observed
by Lutheran, Presbyterian,
Methodist, Anglican denom-
ination and Roman
Catholics.
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