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Greater Kings Mountain's Progressive Newspaper
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Vol. II No. 3
Kings Mountain Mirror, Wednesday, September 20, 1972
12 Pages Today
This Week’s
Lucky Winners
Well, another week has come and gone
and the football entries have been tabula
ted. As usual competition was pretty
tough with lots of entries getting nine co
rrect guesses. Ironically enough, many
of the "nine rights” would have had a
100% total except they missed the Kings
Mountain, East Rutherford game! That
tie between East Gaston and South Point
was given to everyone so that was a free
space. Congratulations to this week’s
MIRROR FOOTBALL CONTEST WINN
ERS. One request however. Please ma
tch the projected winners with the corr
esponding numbers found In each adver
tisers space. It makes life a lot easier
and accurate lor all involved. Thanks!
I First Place- Kenneth Roark- 9 correct
24 points
Second Place- Mrs. Nell Hall- 9 corr
ect 27 points
Third Place- Linda Moss- 9 correct 30
points.
Redevelopment
Hires Assistant
Director
Richard D. (Dick) McNeely, a native of
Greensboro, North Carolina tes been na
med as the Assistant Director and Pro
ject Manager of the Kings Mountain Re
development Commission.
McNeely comes to Kings Mountainfrom
Lumberton, N.C. where he has been ser
ving as Community Service Director.
Prior to his position in Lumberton, Dick
was employed with the Piedmont Counsel
(a professional scouting group) in Gas
tonia where he served as District Scout
Executive.
Mr. McNeely served four years in the
Navy alter high school and upon dis
charge entered Guilford College where he
received an A,B. degree in Economics.
Richard McNeely comes highly recom
mended to Kings Mountain. His manage
ment abilities and work record should
I prove to be an asset to the redeveiop-
f ment program and to the city. He is sch
eduled to start his new position October
15.
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Louise Sits In ^^Second Home**
She’s Found Happiness
Driving A Gravel Truck
Text by Jay Ashley
Photo by
Rodney Dodson
You’re driving down the road towards
Gastonia or Cherryville or towards Cro
wders Mountain when you meet a gravel
truck. You might greet the driver with a
wave and a smile. Suddenly a thought
flashes through your mind. "Was that a
woman in that truck.” "No,” you contin
ue, "it couldn’t have been.” Then at the
next opportune time you pick up the phone
and dial Kerns Trucking office and ask,
"Do you have a female driver?” These-
cretary, Mary Alice McDaniel will smil
ingly reply, "As a matter of fact we do.
And I might add, she’s one of the best we
have.”
The lady behind the wheel of that gravel
truck is Louise Wilson. She spryly jumps
I out of the cab at the end of the day, with
energy to spare. That may be an accom
plishment in itself after ten hours on the
road.
The obvious question comes first. Why
truck driving?
"It’s the kind of work I enjoy. I’m out
doors doing an honest day’s work for an
honest day’s pay,” says Louise with the
type of infectious smile that has won fri
ends with most every truck driver in the
area.
Louise starts the day bright and early.
She rises at 5:30 a.m. and is at work by
6;45. Her day might end anywhere from
5:30 p.m. to 7 o’clock, according to the
amount of work.
She is certainly no stranger to the art
of driving a big truck. She received her
first lessons from her husband on long
distance hauls. She then got a job with
Crowders Construction Inc. After that
her jobs have included Gull Atlantic Dis
tributing Company out of Charlotte for a
six month stint and later with Dickerson
Asphalt out of Rock Hill. Between theGu-
If Atlantic job and the asplialt hauling she
worked in a cotton mill.
"The girls (her daughters) wanted me
to stay at home so I went to work at the
cotton mill. I had dune that work before
but it’s not for me. It’s monotonous and
noisy and I get a feeling of being cramp
ed in.”
So, it was back to "the most relaxing
work” she had ever done. And with the
job at Kerns she has plenty of time for
home.
Even alter a hard day at the wheel Lou
ise doesn’t stop. It’s home and supper
and afterwards housework and laundry.
She pulls a double duty, but it still doe
sn’t wipe tliat smile off her face. She ex
plains, “I have a job I like and I can be at
home with my daughters.”
Her daughters are stairsteps named Ca
rol Susan, the oldest at 9, Nina Lori, age
6 and Barbara Annette, a four year old.
Carol wants to be a nurse when she grows
Mrs. Robert Leftwlch is shown receiving the keys to the station wagon which was giv
en away Saturday night at the Bethware Fair from Steve Wilson, Jaycee project chair
man, and the title from Rescue Squad Captain, Delbert Dixon.
up, and Barbara Annette is still a little
young to think of such things as a career
but Nina Lori has made up her mind. Lo
uise tells us, “She wants to be a truck
driver like her momma!”
Louise has been with Kerns for about two
months and is beginning to get the hang of
the gravel truck. "It’s harder to drive
than a sixty foot tractor trailer and can
be dangerous. I don’t know everything a-
bout it but I’m learning.” So far she has
only had trouble with one facet of driving
and that is shifting "from second over
drive to third direct.” This piece of in
formation doesn’t mean much to the non-
driver but a demonstration proved it to be
a pretty sticky maneuver because it is
done with both hands—off the wheel. But
the 27 year old has mastered it fairly well.
Her caband truck is her "second home.”
Pictures of her and the truck adorn the
back glass as well as other "momentos”
of her life as a driver. Amid the shitt
ing sticks and knobs and buttons that wou
ld befuddle an army engineer sits Louise
ready to pilot her rig to any distination.
But wait! What’s that over in the corner,
Louise proudly displays to us a trash ba
sket. It’s no ordinary can but it was made
by one of her daughters and it has ruffles.
Again we get that smile.
How does Louise feel about Fern Lib?
After all she sort of fits the form of what
the libbers demand. She shakes her head.
"I don’t believe in Fern Lib. I am not in
this because 1 want to take a job from the
men but because I am qualified. Evident
ly I am or 1 would not have been hired.”
Louise thinks she falls behind the men
drivers but the word is out that the situa
tion is sometimes vice versa.
On Sunday through Friday night she is
in the bed by 9 or 9:30 but her off night
Saturday, may find Louise at the races,
or skating or going to a movie. She ad
mits that these three forms of entertain
ment are all she really likes, that is, ex
cept for playing with those daughters. Just
by listening to her talk you can tell that a
proud mother Is behind that truck driver.
Wrestling in the yard on a Sunday or rid
ing the kids to school in the "big Truck”
holds just as much for Louise as she wa
nts. Their situation is loving and being
together and that's all tliat counts.
So this is a portrait of a truck driving
Bessemer City native who would take a
cut in salary if need be to stay with a job
she loves. Her co-workers were show
ered with praise about their thoughtful
ness and kindness. She is a proud wo
man who knows what she wants and does
what she does quite well. So my friend
if you spy Louise bouncing down the road
throw up a hand. She’s the nicest lady
truck driver you would ever hope to meet.
10-Cent Raise On All Levels
Board Approves
School Lunch Hike
By Jay Ashley
Mirror News Editor
Mrs. Martha Wright, lunch room super
visor, came before the School board Mon
day night with figures pertaining to the
raising of school lunch prices.
In her presentation she cited a memor
andum from Ralph Eaton, State Director
of Food Services. Eaton’s memo delved
Into the free lunch program and reimbu
rsement rates for the year. The State will
reimburse schools 8 cents for each paid
lunch and 48 cents for each free lunch. In
the directive he stated, "Consideration
should be given t o increasing lunch pri
ces immediately to the level that the pay
ing price of student lunches will average
40 cents per lunch in each administrative
unit in order to receive maximum rates
of reimbursement for the free and redu
ced price lunches.”
Reimbursement rates are currently
based on the student price plus eight cents.
Thus, it was report^. If the prices were
not raised, the school lunch program would
be operating in the red. Before the action
Monday night elementary students were
paying 30 cents and high school students
were paying 35 cents. (As an example,
reimbursement at the high school level is
8 cents for paying students and 43 cents
for free lunch participants.) Mrs. Wright
also cited the figure of 39 cents as the cost
Involved for one plate offood for one pupil.
The members looked at various figures
in a breakdown sheet on the school lunch
operations and found that if lunch prices
were not raised, the schools would be op
erating at a substantial loss.
It was also noted that the schools should
have a two month advance operating cost
available but was found that Bethware is
on a loss. East is operating on a .9 month
advance, Grover at an .8 month, KMHS
at a .2 month and West at a .1 month.
Central and North operate on a 2 month
and 2.8 month budget respectively.
After a lengthy discussion the board ap
proved a 10 cent hike in lunch prices on
a motion by Tommy Bridges and second
ed by Tippy Francis. That will bring el
ementary prices to 40 cents, high school
to 45 and teachers to 50 cents. No reim
bursement is given teacher lunches.
The raise in the school lunch prices will
become effective October 1 if possible, ac
cording to Jones.
Another major item of business on the
school board agenda was the approval for
purchase of land near the high school. This
land, which adjoins the baseball field was
negotiated on by the board and property
committee headed by Alex Owens and P.
A. Francis. When making recomendat-
ions for purchase, Francis said, "this
property plus the other parcel we own ad
jacent to it would give us enough land for
the proposed junior high. It is a good pie
ce of land and I recommend we buy it
now.” It was also noted that the fall of
the land would make grading fairly easy
and a spillway could be installed atalow-
er cost than underground pipes. The price
of the land is to be slightly over $2000 per
acre and the only step now is the actual
amount to be bought which will be between
eight and nine acres. The land is owned
by Ray Plonk, a McGinnis group and Car
lyle Beam of Cherryville.
A proposal drawn up by an administra
tive counsel at the high school was dis
cussed by the board. The proposal is de
signed to alleviate absenteeism at the high
school by various scales of point deduction
and actions on tardiness and truancy. Sup
erintendent Donald Jones told the mem
bers that be "hated to see points used as
a means of discipline,” but that the guide
lines were drawn so as to deduct points
that a student would miss if he was abs
ent from school. The theme of the var
ious proposals is that "a student can’t
learn unless he is in attendance and that
somewhere along the line a child must
learn responsibility and committment.”
These thoughts were praised by the board
and the guidelines were adopted.
Robbery Investigated
At KM Brick Yard
A robbery at the Kings Mountain Brick
Yard south on Highway 29 was investiga
ted last Tuesday by Wilbur Benton of the
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department.
Benton reported that at 11:40 p.m. he an
swered a call to the brick yard on a com
plaint by Martin Wilson, Jr. Wilson told
the deputy that he had been working near
the door when two black men came in and
asked for his money. One of the robbers
carried a chrome plated pistol, believed
to be a .22. The other man was thought
to be carrying a hawk bill knife. Wilson
said he gave the men $25 from his wallet
and then they fled. One suspect was des
cribed as being about six feet tall with a
one and a half inch scar on the right cheek.
The other was reported as being 5’6” of
5’7” about 20 years old and weighing ap
proximately 160 pounds.
The Sheriff’s department also reported
the following area people arrested last
week.
Kenneth Smith, 40,611 Meadowbrook, ob
structing cartway; Elnora Montgomery,
52, Route 1, Box 416, shoplifting; Steve
Carroll, 20, 519 South Battleground, Ca
pias instantor; Herbert M. Hunter, 36,
158 P.O. Route 2, public drunk; Belvie
Bishop Ledford, 56, Route 1, driving un
der the influence and Charles Lee Alex
ander, 18, 404 Childers Street, public
drunk.
Bound Over
Judge Oscar Mason heard evidence in
the preliminary hearing of Elford Guy
Coker Friday in District Court and order
ed him bound over for Superior Court on
a charge of rape.
Coker, recently tried in South Carolina,
received five years on charges of escap
ing prison and breaking and entering. He
will be tried during the December session
of Superior Court and will be kept in pri
son in South Carolina until the trial be
gins.
In other business the board approved the
resignation from Mrs. Gail DeAnn Pow
ers, second grade instructor at West and
the election of Mrs. Marjorie T. Woodall
for tlie position.
Donald Jones also reminded the mem
bers about the N.C. School Boards Assoc
iation Membership State Meeting in Ashe
ville on November 2-4 and the A.M,A.
Workshop November 19-20.
Bill Mes, currently working for his
masters degree at UNCC was approved by
the board to act in the stead of Donald Jo
nes in the October 16 school board meet
ing.
Four Arrested
For Marijuana
Possession
Patrolmen Meadows and Dodge arrest
ed four people Sunday night on charge of
possession of marijuana. Those arrest
ed were Judy T. Smith, 24; Johnny F. Hu
tchins, 26; Danny Edwin Martin, 20; and
Cathy J. Hasings, 17. The arrests occur-
ed at 3:15 a.m. Other arrests listed by
the Kings Mountain Police include:
Elden Loughridge, Jr., 37, redlightvio-
lation; Francis Ledbetter, 21, 40 in 25
zone; Keith G. Price, 23, no operators li
cense; Fred Nixion, 23, exceeding a safe
speed; Thelma P. Ramsey, 39, public
drunk; Ernest L. McNeil, 21, inaction
violation; Charles J. Reading, 19, inspec
tion violation; John Allyn Cbesire, 25, vi
olation of restricted license; Douglas
West, 37, 47 in 35 zone; Lewis Dean Scr
uggs, 22, 50 in 35 zone; Larry William
Bennett, 26, 48 in 35 zone; Clarence Wa
yne Grant, 30, 46 in 35 zone; Stephen M.
Hope, 26, driving under the influence;Ro-
bert Short, public drunkeness; Joseph
R. Williams, no operators license; Eth
el Lee Ayers, 20, expired inspection sti
cker; Willis M. Bagwell, 69, public dru
nkeness; Fred W. Crokett, 26, assault with
a deadly weapon; Margie Berry Hill, 20,
no operators license; Michael E, Dailey,
23, public drunkeness; BUly J. Johnson,
24, public drunkeness; Michael E. Dailey,
23, driving under the influence; Babe Ru
th Byers, 20, 50 In 35 zone; Bert Calvin
Smith, 22, 49 in 35 zone; Edward Theo
dore Cook, 38, violation prohibition law
and driving under the influence; Clyde D.
Hannon, 21, driving under the influence;
Billy, M. Bagwell, 42, tresspassing; Da
vid C. Carrol, 36, 50 in 35; Paul Evans,
18, driving under the influence; Timmy L,
Williams, 27, 50 in 35; Mark Dunn Mitc
hell, 21, 50 in 35; Richard W, Rigdon, 24,
49 in 35; Jonnie F. Hutchens, 26, carry
ing a concealed weapon; Judy T. Smith,
24, carrying a concealed weapon; Albert
John McKinney, 44, speeding violation;
Arzeila Dawkins, 44, public drunk; Wil
lie C. Hayes, 36, public drunk; Robert
earthen, public drunk; Ross Junior Gre
gory, 46, driving while intoxicated; Bob
by L, DeGree, 24, no operators license;
Willie G, Wilson, 20, aiding and abbett-
ing no operators license.
* The Bold New Look of Scouting
New Look!
Gene Tlgnor, Troop 294 Scoutmaster, admires the new selec
tion of Scouting Skill Awards being shownbyJoe Hartsell (right)
District Training Chairman, of Shelby. The occasion was the
district training workshop for scoutmasters last Thursday night
at Kings Mountain’s First Baptist Church. (Mirror Photo by
Rodney Dodson)