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Thursday
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in
VOLUME 94, NUMBER 24
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1981
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
0
J •
18 Protest
RR Proposal
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
Eighteen Kings Mountain
citizens appeared before the City
Board Monday night to protest
the proposal to close the
Hawthorne Street railroad cross
ing.
Commissioners called for a
public hearing on the matter
after a suggestion by Southern
Railway and the N.C. Depart
ment of Transportation to close
the crossing.
The DOT, which is
distributing federal money to im
prove dangerous railroad cross
ings, lists the Hawthorne Street
crossing as one of the 20 most
dangerous in the state.
The DOT and Southern
Railway want to close
Hawthorne, improve Railroad
Avenue which runs parallel to
the tracks, and upgrade the Oak
Street Crossing with signal lights
and gates. Both crossings are
located on Highway 216 south,
(Turn To Page 2-A)
Lawrence Patrick protests railroad proposal
!
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FAMILY REUNIOK — Pietui^ are membere of
the BUI lohneon family who have been
reunited after 23 years. From left, Mrs. Mary
Rose lohnson. Cynthia Tate. Bill lohnson.
Cona Ann Gwber holding MUceal, Dave
Gerber, Kim lohnson holding leremy and
Angela lohnson holding Brandee.
Father And Daughter
Reunited After 23 Years
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Co-Editor
A father and daughter’s
search for each other ended
Wednesday morning in Kings
Mountain when Bill Johnson,
45, and Dana Ann Johnson
Gerber were reunited after a 23
year separation.
It will be an early birthday
celebration this week for
Johnson, who will be 46 in May,
and friends and relatives were
already gathering at the Johnson
home at 409 N. Tracy St. as ear
ly as 9 a.m. to await the Utah
family’s arrival. Other family
members had gone to Charlotte’s
Douglas Airport to greet them.
Dana Ann, now Mrs. Dave
Gerber of Bountiful, Utah, was
eight months old when her
father and mother separated and
divorced. Mrs. Gerber is now a
mother herself, of 21 months old
Mikeal and four and one-half
months old Annie.
The family lost contact with
Second
Student
Injured
Jeremy Funderburk, fourth
grader at Grover School is a pa
tient in Room 4IS at Cleveland
Memorial Hospital where he is
recovering from injuries sustain
ed when his bicycle was hit by a
car last Tuesday.
The youngster, who suffered
broken ribs and a broken leg, is
expected to be in a cast for
sometime and out of school for
about six weeks, according to
Mrs. Gerald Valentine, Grover
School Secretary.
- The accident reportedly occur
red last Tuesday afternoon at
5:30 p.m. on New Buffalo
t Church Road in Grover. The
(Turn To Pago 7-A)
each other during Dana’s grow
ing up years. Mr. Johnson mov
ed to Bessemer City and remar
ried and last year the Johnson
family moved to an apartment at
409 N. Tracy St. in Kings Moun
tain. Dana Ann grew up in Utah
where her mother, Marianna,
married Earl Harris. Her Utah
family also includes two brothers
and a sister. Bill and Mary Rose
Johnson of Kings Mountain are
also parents of a daughter, Cyn
thia Tate, and two sons, Kim
Johnson of Kings Mountain and
Johnny Johnson of Cherryville.
There are six grandchildren.
Mrs. Gerber said she called
the Bessemer City Police Depart
ment and made four other long
distance calls on March 9th
before she finally heard her
father’s voice on the line. “We
were so excited we could hardly
talk to each other,” she recalled.
And, Mr. Johnson was just as
excited Wednesday as were all
members of the family. The fact
that the young Utah couple had
endured a long flight with two
babies in tow did not diminish
their tears of joy and happiness
at seeing their new relatives for
the first time.
Mr. Johnson, seriously ill with
a lung disorder, had about given
up hope, he said, tht he would
live to see his oldest child again.
In and out of the VA hospitals
for the past year, Mr. Johnson
said he considers his life a
miracle with his illness only
enhancing his efforts to locate
his daughter. Dana Gerber con
siders their reunion a miracle too
and gives the credit to God for
leading her in the right direction.
“We’ve both been praying for
this moment for a long time,”
said Johnson.
KINGS MOUNTAirif*
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Childers, King Protest
But Survey Approved
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
Kings Mountain City Board,
over a protest from commis
sioners Jim Childers and Nor
man King, Monday night ap
proved spending $5,(XX) through
the Community Development
program to assist the Kings
Mountain Downtown
Revitalization Committee in a
marketing survey.
Mayor John Moss said the
Chamber of Commerce-
Merchants Association will
spend »*|S' )und $2,5(X) for the
sufVcy-Xvnictj IS expected to cost
$7,5(X).
Childers protested because he
said it is not the board’s respon
sibility to “spend money to in
crease business for the
downtown merchants” and King
protested because he said it has
“been tried by former ad
ministrations and didn’t work
then.”
Childers said he was concern
ed how such a decision by the
board would effect “people who
live on the other side of the
tracks,” such as mill workers and
others.
“This should be done by the
downtown merchants,” he said.
“Is it going to benefit anyone'
other than the downtown mer
chants?”
Commissioner Humes
Houston, who is a member of
the Revitalization Committee,
said the survey is a “program for
all businesses in the city.
Revitalization of the downtown
area is a must. I can’t say each
individual will benefit, but I
hope everyone will.”
Commissioner Bill Grissom
said the program “will put more
competition on the street,” but
Childers again said “that is not
our responsibility. We have
already provided utilities and
parking lots. Why take $5,(X)0
away from a target area, where it
•t
VOLUNTEERS — AMlstlng mambari of KM
Fir* D*partm*nt In th* Vlfh**!* for LU* Bik*-A-
Thon Saturday from l*ft, Est*ll* Graham, Gall
McDanl*!. Rom L*f*T*ni. Robert Dodg*. B*tty
Ion**, P*t* P*t*nK>n. Bill War*. Bud War*.
Ronnl* Hawkln*. I*rry Whit*. G*n* Tlgnor.
I*ff Clonlng*r and Rick Wlth*r*poon.
can be used to rehabilitate a
home?”
King said, “this has been going
on for several years. Former ad
ministrations have tried it and it
has never been successful. This is
not necessars-"
Grissorr -reJicted it can be a
success th.s *' ' because “there
has been a cnangc of hands” in
many downtown businesses.
“We have new blood with dif
ferent ideas than the ones in the
past,” he said.
Commissioner James Dickey
added, got a youitg
group and if it can be revitalized,
we should do anything we can to
help.”
Childers also expressed disap
pointment that the revitalization
program is being carried out
without the knowledge and
assistance of the Office of
Economic Development, and its
director, Jerry King.
“Why was he not called in and
used?” Childers asked. “He’s
already on payroll, let him do the
survey.”
Houston disagreed, saying
that other towns that have con
ducted surveys and “their in-
house people couldn’t do it.”
“Find out if he can do it,”
Childers said. “That’s what he’s
there for.”
After a motion by Childers
and second by King tc deny t’.ic
request received no support
other than Childers and King,
Grissom made a motion to
aprove the request subject to the
aproval and cooperation of the
Economic Development Office.
Houston seconded the motion
and it passed 4-2, with Childers
and King voting against it.
(Turn To Page 5-A)
Bike-A-Thon
Set Saturday
The St. Jude’s Children’s
Research Hospital Wheels for
Life Bike-A-Thon is scheduled
for a 9:30 start Saturday morn
ing at Kings Mountain High
School.
The 20.2 mile route will run
through the Kings Mountain
state and national park proper
ties, and bikers will be served
lunch at noon in the parking lot
of the Kings Mountain National
Military Park museum.
The route is as follows:
Bikers will leave Kings Moun
tain High School on Fulton
Road and proceed to Margrace
Road, and go south to the
Southern Railway underpass
and hit Highway 216 for the
short stretch to Compact School
Road. The route will follow
Compact School Road to Dixon
Presbyterian Church, and bikers
will then turn left onto Love
Valley Road and proceed to the
S.C. State Park Road. After
lunch at the KMNP museum,
bikers will return to the park
road and proceed to Highway
216’s intersection with Dixon
School Road. Bikers will then
proceed to Dixon Church and
then retrace the original route
back to Kings Mountain High
School.
A small track for young riders
will be laid off at the high school.
Entry forms may be obtained
at Kings Mountain Junior High,
Kings Mountain Senior High,
and the Kings Mountain Fire
Department. Children under
nine must be accompanied by an
adult.
All proceeds from the bike-a-
thon will go to St. Jude’s for
research into cancer and other
childhood diseases.
The bike-a-thon two years ago
raised over S4,(X)0 but bad
weather interfered with last
year’s event.
Bikers raising at least $25 in
donations will be eligible for
prizes from St. Jude’s and area
businesses. The top two awards
will be bicycles donated by
Western Auto and the Gastonia
Bicycle Shop. A number of other
good prizes will be presented.
A special attraction for young
riders w ill be brief speeches by
professional wrestlers from the
Charlotte area, including Paul
Jones, Ron Ritchie and Bruno
Sammartino Jr.
The Fire Department issued a
special thanks to several area in
dividuals and organizations who
will be helping with the event,
including:
Kings Mountain Rescue
Squad, which will make an am
bulance available throughout
the ride.
Kings Mountain REACT,
which will man check points
along the route.
Robtrt Dodge of the Kings
Mountain Police Department,
who will keep a continuuu
check on all the participants.
B.J.R. Screen Printing of
Shelby, which is donating
T-shirts as prizes for some who
collect the most money.
Jim Crockett Promotions, for
its cooperation in securing the
professional wrestlers.
Kings Mountain Herald,
WKMT, WAGl, WSOC,
WOHS, WLTC, WADA, and
WBTV for publicity of the
event.
Jonas Bridges, emcee, John
Henry Moss, Mayor, and Dale
Costner, Sheriff of Cleveland
County, for cooperation and all
businesses that have donated
prizes.