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Rev. S. T. Cooke Has Served God 57 Years
Big Little Minister Is Retiring
REV. S.T. COOKE
~.S«rTlng 57 Ycarm
Rev. S.T. Cooke has probably
delivered 1,000 sermons during his
57 year ministry. He has also
preached hundred of funerals and
performed hundreds of wedding
ceremonies.
The well known Kings Mountain
pastor of New Bynum Chapel AME
Zkm Church is retiring this month
as he celebrates his 80th birthday.
Mr. Cooke has been described by
some as the “biggest little minister
in the Western North Carolina
Annual Conference.”
He’s looking forward to remain
ing active in his church and
enjoying his two grandchildren,
EXvrette Bernard Thombs, Jr., age
six, and Claire Elizabeth 'niombs,
age four, who are visiting this
summer from District Heights, Md.
‘Tve really enjoyed my work in
the ministry,” said Mr. Cooke who
was the first Black to run for a seat
on the board of dty commissioners
and who has served on numerous
dty boards, induding the Kings
Mountain Hospital Board of Trus
tees for 10 years, the Zoning Board
of Adjustments, the Human Rela
tions Committee and on the Heart
FVmd committee, among others.
since moving to Kings Mountain in
1941.
Sunday will find the popular
minister filling the pulpit for the
last time at New Bynum Chapel
Church where he served four years
and on two separate occasions,
coming to Old Bynum Chapel in an
earlier pastorate... A native of
Henderson in Vance County, Cooke
is son of the late W illiam Haywood
and Katie Harris Cooke and it was
in the Central North Carolina
Conference that his ministry began
to take shape. He attended Hen
derson Normal Institute, Tuskegee,
Ala. and Livingstone College in
Salisbury. He also studied and
learned the barbering trade which
he has followed for more than 63
years. His barber shop on City
Street in Kings Mountain was a
gathering place for many custo
mers for many years.
Joining the Central N.C. Confe
rence in 1923, Mr. Cooke carried
with him a deed and $12.00 general
daim. So grateful were the mem
bers they named it Cooke’s Chapel.
Douglas Chapel Circuit, Union
Chapel and Creednnore, Myers
Chapel, Selma and Snnithfield Cii^
cult were other churches served in
that Conference. He led in paying
off debts and building churches.
His name on three cornerstones
and his efforts on behalf of Living
stone College during the depres
sion years were wholesome and
genuine.
Churches in the Western North
Carolina Conference he served
included Richards Chapel, Byers
Chapel, People’s Choice, Admore,
St. John, Bynum Chapel, Henrietta
Circuit, Rudisili Chapel, Bethel,
Rockwell, and Neely Grove Station
in Cramerton.
Ordained to the ministry in 1923,
he met his wife, the former Marion
Taylor of Oxford when he went to
her home church as a visiting
l»eacher. ‘"That was one of the
best day’s work I ever have done,”
says Mr. Cooke who says of his
wife of almost SO years. “She sat
where I sat. She looked out upon
the world through my eyes. She
bled through iny wounds. She wept
in my tears, a wonderful wife she
has been to me.”
On a recent Sunday the congre
gation of New Bynum Chapel
honored Pastor Cooke at an Appre
ciation Day and dinner on the
grounds. The group of friends
present took the occasion to give
Mr. Cooke a check for $1133.00 and
six of his former congregations took
part in the event.
Reporting as a delegate to the
recent Conference, Billie Eaye
Wilson, said that “Rev. Cooke has
capably pastored the church for
four years and since that time he
has brought 37 souls to the Lord
and has always been a statue of
faith and guidance for us all.
Although Mr. Cooke will be retii^
ing from the ministry at the end of
this conference year we are assured
that he will never tire from bring
ing forth the word of God.”
The Cookes are parents of a
daughter, Mrs. Helen Thombs. Dr.
and Mrs. Bh«rette B. Thombs and
their two children live in District
Heights, Md. The Cooke’s oldest
daughter, Kathy Cothran, died in
1971.
Participating churches were
Union Bethel of Cornelius, Rock
well of Charlotte, Neely’s Grove of
Gastonia, Jordan Grove of Siler
City, St. Stephens of Gastonia, St.
Paul United Methodist Church of
Kings Mountain, Mount Zion Bap
tist Church of Kings Mountain,
Doggett Grove of Fbrest City,
Waddell’s Chapel of Shelby, Gali
lee United Methodist Church of
Kings Mountain and Congrega
tional Church of Kings Mountain.
Mayor John Henry Moes ex
tended congratulations from the
City of Kings Mountain.
Mrs. William Hager was master
of ceremonies for the Appreciation
Day ceremonies and also putid-
pating in the day event were Carl
Bennix, Sandra Aldrich, William
Oir, Mis. Margaret Leach, Mrs.
Nina Mitchem, Mrs. Kittye Win
ston, Mrs. Janie Vaughan, Jod
Marable, Roy Brown, Rev. Mr.
Green, Wilfred Rice, Rev. Russdl
Shipman, Hany I^ny, Rev. Daniel
FVazier, Lucto Wilson, CleveiaDd
Walker, James Rice, O.V. EQis,
Moses Russell, Mrs. Genell
Cranke, Uzza Ruter, K.C. with-
row. Rev. Howard Shqip, Rev. S.L
Clement, James Adams, Douglaa
Sutton, William Hager, and Rev.
Donald Campbell. Ifresent to sing
were members of the faspirational
Choir, the Golden Gate Chorus, the
St. Paul Choir, Zionettes, the
Union Bethel Hallelujah Chorus,
and the Junior Choir of the Bynum
Chapel Church.
Tuesday
M
VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 50 - TUESDA Y, JUL Y 8,1980 - KINGS MOUNTAIN, NOR TH CAROLINA
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KM Woman Killed In Shootout
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Kings Mountain Police are still investigating the early Monday mor
ning shootout at Chesterfield Apartments which left one woman dead
and five persons injured.
Beverly Ernestine Mauney, 22, of Apartment 23, Chesterfield
Court, was dead when city police arrived on the scene shortly after
12:23 ajn. The body has been taken to Chapel Hill for an autopsy.
Injured with gunshot wounds were her father, Ernest Mauney, her
brother, Eugene Mauney, J.R. Queen and Kings Mountain policeman
Johnny Belk.
The Mauneys and Queen were transported to Kings Mountain
Hospital by the Kings Mountain Rescue Squad and Belk was taken by
police car. Belk was admitted and was to undergo surgery Monday.
The other three men were treated and released.
City Police are withholding complete details of the incident until
their investigation is complete. But a member of the Kings Mountain
Rescue Squad said two groups of people, one black and one white,
were shooting at each other inside and outside the low-rent housing
project. He estimated 10 to 15 persons in each group and said he spot
ted “many” guns, including pistols, shotguns and rifles, lying around.
The police department issued the following statement through the
office of Acting Chief Jackie D. Barrett:
“At approximately 12:23, officers Billy Benton and Gary Sale and
Sgt. Johnny Belk were dispatched to Chesterfield Court on a distur
bance and possible discharging of explosives.
“Upon arriving. Officer Benton heard what he thought were gun
shots and he told the other two cars to back out a minute.
“Benton then pulled up to Apartment 23 and got out of the car. He
started walking up the walkway and was met by Gene Mauney at the
door and (Mauney) said that his sister had been shot and that they
needed an ambulance.
“Benton called for an ambulance and went into Apartment 23, and
Officer Sale went in behind Benton. When Benton entered the Apart
ment, he saw a white female lying face down in the kitchen.
“Sgt. Belk pulled up behind the other two officers and someone shot
Sgt. Belk in the legs. No arrests have been made.”
Officers from the Cleveland County Sheriffs Department, Boiling
Springs Police Department, Gaston County Sheriffs Department and
the Kings Mountain Police Auxiliary assisted in the investigation.
None of the police officers participated in the shooting.
Funeral arrangements for Ernestine Mauney are incomplete and
will be announced by Harris Funeral Home. She is a Kings Mountain
native and daughter of Ernest Mauney and Mrs. Wilma Boyles
Mauney. She is also survived by one daughter, Kelly Mauney; one
brother Gene Mauney; and three sisters, Phyllis and Crystal Mauney
and Mrs. Patricia Shaer, all of Kings Mountain.
)
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Q
UMM. immOIMl-Thf or* two wwda to
doaolbo tho plo conaumod tn tho city's Fourth
ol July colobratlon plo ootlng contost Friday
at Stroot Park—umm. umm. Connlo
PhllUps is shown during tho compoUtlon.
lotrorol othor oronti woco hold. Including pig
and rabhit chasos, watormolon noting con-
tosts, and swimming ond putt goli contosts.
Othor picturss will appoar tn Thursday's
Horold.
Photo by Gary Stowort
KM Rescue Squad To Ask
For County-Paid Employee
Kings Mountain Rescue
Squad Caixain Johnny Hutchins
will take its request for an addi
tional county-paid employee to
the full board of county commis
sioners July 21.
Hutchins said the request was
turned down for the second
straight year during 1980-81
budget preparations by the coun
ty board.
Additionally, the Rescue
Squad may ask for additional
funding for operation of am
bulance service.
Captain Hutchins said he
would prefer not to see an in
crease in ambulance fees charged
by the county for transports
made by the squad, and that
some other source of funds be
used. Hutchins says that am
bulance fees could be increased
and still be below fees charged
by ambulance services in nearby
counties.
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners budgeted more
than a quarter of a million
dollars this year for the am
bulance program which has
marked its success by the use of
many volunteers. Kings Moun
tain, along with Shelby Rescue
Squad, charge fees in order to of
fset the cost of full time
employes. Kings Mountain
Emergency Services is among
three of the county’s five squads
which operate strictly with
volunteers and make no charge
for services. KM Rescue Squad
and Shelby Rescue Squad each
receive $250 a month for ojjera-
tions plus $10 a transport for the
first SO transports and 12 cents a
mile for each transport.
Captain Hutchins contends
the KM squad is losing money in
the ambulance end of its rescue
operations, ptointing out that
reimbursement from the county
does not meet the costs and
noting that many calls are made
for which no reimbursement is
made. Hutchins says he will sug
gest that some formula be
developed to pay the squad for
calls answer^, not just for
transports. Last month, he said
the Squad made 110 calls but on
ly 81 of the calls resulted in
transports.
Kings Mountain Rescue
Squad is the County’s oldest
rescue service.
Steering Committee Planning
‘Then Conquer We Must’
Area people are hard at work
on ‘Then Conquer We Must,”
an outdoor drama to be staged
this Fall to celebrate the 200th
anniversary of the Battle of
Kings Mountain, according to
Kings Mountain Mayor John
Henry Moss. The drama will be
staged at 8:30 p.m. in the Kings
Mountain National Park Am
phitheatre Sept. 26-28 and Oct.
3-7, Moss said.
The Mayor has appointed
Limestone College President
William Briggs as chief executive
officer for the outdoor drama,
which will become the center-
piece of the 200th anniversary
celebration.
“As a native of Kings Moun
tain, I am delighted to share in
this highly appropriate activity. I
am challenged and excited and
look forward with the assistance
of an excellent steering commit
tee to producing a thoroughly
authentic, colorful and enter
taining theatre event," said
Briggs.
Mayor Moss and Dr. Briggs
have attracted a blue ribbon
group of citizens to serve on the
outdoor drama steering commit
tee.
The Committee will make
policy and serve as the im-
Turn toPap;e8