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Vol. 1 No. 27
Kings Mountain, N.C. Wednesday. March 1, 1972
lOe
8 Pages Today
More Incidents Monday
Police Restore Order
To Tense KMHS
The driver of this car, Gussle Belle Reid, 49, of Kings Moun
tain was kUled Friday about 1:40 p.m. when It collided head-on
with a car driven by David S. Adams Jr., 24. He was listed In
critical condition. Mrs. Reid’s death was the first on Cleveland
County highways this year. (Photo by Jim Belt.)
Teer, Bates, Seism New UF Officers
At the United Fund awards banquet at the
Royal Villa Friday night, Marvin Teer was
elected President, Bill Bates, Campaign
Chairman; and Becky Seism, Secretary-
Treasurer.
New one-year directors are John Ches
hire, BUI Grlsson, S.K. Peeler, Mrs.
Frances Sincox.
Two-year directors for 1972-73 are
les E. Herndon Jr., Mrs. EollneHord,
ly Howard, Don Parker.
Directors for 1972, 73 and 74 are Mrs.
Vernon Crosby, Tom Tate, J.C. Bridges,
Ben H. Goforth Jr.
Outgoing President Donald Jones was
named ex-ofHclo member of the board of
directors.
Rev. Frank Shirley gave the Invocation
with the Kings Mountain HlghSchool choir
giving a 20-mlnute music program.
Woody Ralston, director of North Car
olina’s United Fund installed the new of
ficers, and Marvin Teer presented awards
to the division chairmen, and industrial
and commercial awards.
NEW OFFICERS- Elected as officers of the 1972 United Fund at Friday night’s ban-
(piet were BUI Bates, Campaign Director; Becky Seism, Secretary-Treasurer; and
Marvin Teer, President. (Mirror Photo by Lem Lynch)
Special division chairmen awards went
to Mickey Bell, commercial division;
BUI Bates, school division; Larry Mor
row, commercial; Mrs. Charles Adams,
professional; Mrs. Grady Howard, ad
vanced gifts division; Mrs. Scoop Peel
er, correspondence division.
Company awards went to Lithium Corp.,
Monsanto, Dicey MUls, Foote Mineral,
Evans Products, Duplex, Spangler Ready
Mix, King MUls, Burlington, Kinder Mfg.,
Mauney MUls.
Commercial awards were presented to
Griffin Drug, Bridges Hardware, Plonk
Bros., Kings Mountain Drug, First Union
National Bank, Patterson OU, Harris Fun
eral Home, Plonk OU, Home Savings and
Loan, Kings Mountain Savings and Loan,
Roses,
Kyle Smith and Larry Morrow were
presented special awards.
Southern Bell and Duke Power were
presented with correspondence awards.
Employee awards were presented to
employees of Monsanto, Mauney Hosiery,
Carolina Throwing, Sadie Cotton MUls,
LlUilum Corp., Burlington MUls, Kinder
Mfg., and Oxford.
The city school were awarded for 100
percent participation in every category
in the divisions of Grover, Kings Moun
tain High, North, West, Early ChUdhood,
MaUitenance Division,
President Donald Jones, and new Pre
sident Marvin Teer were presented
awards by Uie North Carolina United Fund
director. Woody Ralston, and Jones pre
sented an award and gift to Becky Seism
for her work throughout the year.
Movie May Feature Cycles, Stunt Men
According to Reb Wiesener, plans are
continuing to shape-up for the production
of the movie to be filmed U> Kings Mount
ain this Summer, using local actors and
scenery.
Jim Arp, local radio personality, and
Carl Wiesener, Jr. are said to be planning
to cut a couple of records to be used in
the movie. Carl (Huey) Wlesener’s band
wUl reportedly be doing 90 percent of the
Pat Taylor In Town Today
Lt, Gov. Pat Taylor will visit Clevelai^
County today, March 1, to kick off his loc
al campaign for Governor of North Car
olina. Local supporters of Taylor have
planned a full day of campaigning for the
Democratic Gubernatorial candidate.
Taylor’s Cleveland County campaign
staff have announced the following sched
ule of events for the Lieutenant Governor,
The day’s activities wUl begUi at Taylor
for Governor Headquarters, 117 North
Morgan Street, Shelby, where the public
Is invited to join Lt. Gov. Taylor for
coffee and doughnuts between 8:45 and
9:15 a.m. Taylor will then tour Cleve
land County making the following stops:
Hunter School (9:30 - 10:00 a.m.), Cleve
land Tech. (10;1S-10:4SX Stamey Stores,
Fallston (11:15-11:45), Pendleton’s Bar-
bar Shop, Lawndale (12:00 - 12:30), lunch
^LTbe public is invited to enjoy ham bis-
fMts with the Lt. Governor at Lutz Ap-
^le Orchard, Belwood, 12:45-1:30 p.m.)
Ed White’s Store, Casar(l:45-2:00p.m,),
PoikvUle (2:15-2:45-, Lattlmore (3:00-
3:30 p.m.), Bolling Springs (3:34-4:15)
Kings Mountain (4:80-5:00 p.m.) at City
Hall. Mr. Taylor will be leaving the
county at approximately 5:30 p.m. in
route to Charlotte.
Lt. Gov. Taylor expressed a deep in
terest to meet the people of Cleveland
County and to discuss with them the Is
sues of the campaign during his Wed
nesday visit.
PAT TAYLOR
music, and the company is now looking for
a recording studio, hoping to use a scene
of a live recording session In the movie.
Wiesener adds that a scene with motor
cycles and stunt men may be involved, at
least at this point he says motorcycles are
being considered.
Everything has been written Into the
script except for some connecting scenes,
Four Fellows Inc., the producers, are still
shooting for mid-summer as atargetdate
to begin filming.
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Inside! |
An Interview with Kings i|i
Mountain High Students.
See Page 3.
A
Crawford Begins
Job At KM Park
Mr, Donald Crawford, Kings Mountain
native, has transferred to Kings Mountain
National Military Park from the U.S.
PosUl Service, Prior to his transfer)
Don had been with the Kings Mountalnand
Denver, N.C. Post Offices for 22 years.
His new position with the National Park
Service as Administrative Clerk include
many varied duties. His responsibilities
Include preparations of requisitions,
purchase orders, imprest fund vouchers,
timekeeper, and other fiscal and account
ing procedures.
Text by Rodney Dodson
Photos by Lem Lynch
Two more students were arrested at
Kings Mountain High School Monday as
(wlice patrolled the campus , attempting
to restore order.
One student was charged with assault
on a teacher, and another with disorderly
conduct. Another student, David Lee Bell,
16, of 207 Parrish Drive, charged with
possession of alcoholic beverages Fri
day was permanently expelled.
Classes resumed at Kings Mountain High
School Friday morning amid an atmos
phere of police and half-filled classrooms,
foUowlng a bitter racial confrontation
Thursday which resulted in the injury of
eight students and the dismissal of school.
Principal Jake Atkinson addressed the
student body, 745 of which were absent,
via Intercom calling for a return to nor
malcy.
Members of the Kings Mountain Police
Department and County Sheriff’s De
partment manned the corridors to insure
the safety of returning students.
In a special meeting of the board of
education foUowlng the outbreak Thurs
day, Police Chief Thomas McDevltt told
the board, “If you want to open that school
tomorrow you can open it,we’ll see to it
that you can open It.’’ Superintendent
Donald Jones agreed, “These few do not
have the right to Interfere with those who
want to learn." It was also feared by
school officials that the disruptive ele
ments would meet somehwere else and
polarize If classes did not resume Fri
day.
Tension stUl boUed over into the com
munity, however, as the police received
several complaints of botUes being thrown
at cars Thursday night.
At the meeting with the school board
Thursday, Principal Jake AUdnson att
empted to relate the violent incidents
which occurred earlier in the day.
“The tension started Monday night,
and stems farther back than that... and
led up to two fights earlier Thursday
morning.’’ He described these Incidents
as involving a couple of black and white
students each.
As a result of these incidents, the prin
cipal expelled one student for three days
and one for 10 days.
According to Atkinson’s report, these
incidents led up to the 10:37activity period
during which," someth!^ happen^ to the
extent I’ve never seen happen before... the
whites gathered on one side and the blacks
on the other side.... I went out Into the
commons area, then it started building
up, the groups polarlzed-about 10 yards
away from each other and neither group
made a move to go back to class... it
kept buUding up- then we made a fatal
mistake... we sent four (white) boys to
the parking to check to see if anyone was
bothering cars, and some blacte turned
to follow them. The white boys started
yelling, and I went to see about it - then
it took place... chairs, bottles - where
they came from 1 don’t know - 1 saw one
boy with a krJfe - there may have been
more - some belt buckles, kicking, and
punching."
Atkinson said then he and three or four
faculty members descended on the mob
scene and tried to break It up, and called
the police. “They got there in a hurry,
but the whole fight took place In not more
than 10 minutes." The fighting was said
to be all over by the time the police ar
rived. School was dismissed and the
building cleared by 11:15.
"It was vicious!”, related the principal,
“some kids were completely out of their
heads." He reported that there were
maybe 25-50 students actually doing the
fighting.
“I asked the kids what caused it,"
Atkinson continued, “they said I should
have sent home both sides of the earlier
fighters. Parents suggest I have a meet
ing with parents. I think we really need to
meet with some of these parents.”
Superintendent Donald Jones interjected
that “the unfortunate thing about a thing
like this is that blacks and whites are put
on opposite sides, and this is just not the
case."
Atkinson was visibly upset as he assessed
the repercussions of the Incident. “One
girl who has as many white friends as black
broke down completely... those are the
kids I really feel for, I even feel for these
militants—they are on both sides—who
have been so tilled with hate they can’t
see anything else.”
Atkinson admitted to the school board that
it was a possible error In judgement on his
part for not calling the police sooner.
Board chairman George Mauney asked
Atkinson about a pistol reported in the
to serve a lot of them.”
Superintendent Jones raised the Issue of
taking out a warrant for the students dis
playing the knife and pistol.
The board authorized the school to see
that every student get a copy of the state
law forbidding weapons on the school
ground punishible by not more than $500
or 6 months imprisonment.
When school resumed Friday morning,
each student entering the building was
handed a copy stating the regulation .
In the aftermath of the fighting, the tile
floor of the commons area just outside the
cafeteria was dotted with blood stains. A
good size puddle of blood, ground In
passing foo^rints, was left.
Chief McDevltt said he saw several bloody
chair legs. Atkinson reported that chairs
were broken apart and used as weapons.
One school bus which left the school when
dismissed hit a pickup truck and damaged
it.
Some students were searched by teach
ers, and police checked cars and lockers
for weapons. A variety of weapons were
confiscated by police, including “picks”,
razor-edge kiUves, lead pipes, and pis
tols.
Gunzo Femster, 17, of Rt. 2, was char
ged Friday with violation of prohibition
laws and resisting arrest. James M.
Grim aftermath- blood stains dot the floor
in one area where fighting took place.
school. He replied that there was a pistol
In the school yesterday (Wednesday) and
it was confiscated, and the student sent
home. Mauney then asked about a report
of “lots of other pistols." Atkinson’s
reply was that there was nothing to sub
stantiate that report, but he did say “a
lot of those kids carry weapons. . . If
we’re going to serve warrants to kids tor
carrying weapons, we’d better be prepared
McDaniel, 18, of 615 Ridge St. and Lem
uel Lovelace, 17, of Route 1, Grover,
were charged with possession of weapons
at a public Institution. Charles Logan,
16, of Route 1, Grover, was charged with
threatening an officer.
Police cniel McDevltt reported after
a stay at the school Monday that he be
lieves everything Is under control now,
but he will keep some men out there this
week.
ul
All eyes on the principal... as he appeared before school board Thursday.