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VOLUME 94, NUMBER 70
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1981
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Holiday Inn Clerk Robbed, Shot Sunday
A night clerk for the Holiday
Inn in Kings Mountain was rob
bed, abducted and taken to a
remote rural area of Gaston
County and shot early Sunday
morning.
Derrick Lewis Freeman, 23, of
Shelby, who escaped when the
two attackers became entangled
in some vines and fallen trees,
ran a half-mile to a farm house,
where residents there called an
ambulance and police.
Freeman was shot once in the
upper right back area. He was
treated and kept overnight at
Gaston Memorial Hospital, and
Jaycee
Banquet
Slated
The Kings Mountain Jaycees
will hold their third annual
Distinguished Service Award
banquet on January 9 at the
Holiday Inn.
Guest speaker for the event
will be H.A. Thompson, popular
WBT-Charlotte radio personali
ty.
The Jaycees arc now taking
applications for the DSA Award.
Applications may be picked up
from Louie Sabetti at the C&S
Mart on Battleground Avenue
and must be turned in by
December 14.
—.Any persons between the ages
of 18 and 35 who live in the
greater Kings Mountain area are
eligible to be nominated.
Interviews will be held on
December 20.
Winners of the past two DSA
awards were Lyn Cheshire and
Corky Fulton.
Awards to be given, in addi
tion the DSA, are Outstanding
Young Educator, Outstanding
Young Farmer, Outstanding
Young Fireman, Outstanding
Y oung Rescuer and Outstanding
Young Policeman.
Banquet reservations may be
made through Corky Fulton or
Larry Hamrick Jr. The price will
be $16 per couple or $10 each.
Bloodmobile
Here Monday
The Red Cross Bkxximobile
will be at Kings Mountain High
School Monday for a visit spon
sored by the KMHS Student
Council.
BltKxl can be given in B.N.
Barnes Auditorium from 9 a.m.
until 2:30 p.m. The goal is 200
pints.
The visit was originally
scheduled for Wed., Dec. 2, but
KMHS and Shelby High School
switched dates at the request of
Kings Mountain area doctors.
Mrs. Martha Scruggs, direc
tor, said the Cleveland County
Chapter cafhe through the
month of November with a
130-pint deficit, thus, Monday’s
visit is very important.
“It is most important to come
out and donate blood to provide
the blood center in Charlotte
during the holiday season,” she
said. “Anyone wishing to come
may call the high school and
discuss it with them.”
Jaycees Selling
Coloring Books
The Kings Mountain Jaycees
are selling Christmas coloring
books for $5 each.
They may be obtained from
First Citizens Bank and Trust
Co., or Warlick and Hamrick
Associates.
The coloring book sale
replaces the Jaycee Christmas
tree sale. Proceeds 'ill go to
Jaycee projects.
was released around inxin Sun
day. He is reportedly “doing
fine” but has not returned to
work.
According to Detective
Richard Reynolds of the Kings
Mountain Police Department,
this is what happened;
Around I a.m. Sunday, two
white males entered the lobby of
the Holiday Inn. Freeman did
not see them enter.
One approached the counter
and asked Freeman for change,
then pulled a gun on Freeman
and demanded the money from
the cash drawer.
At that time, Reynolds .said,
the other suspect came up. The
two got the money and forced
the clerk to go w ith them. They
had him remove his shirt, and it
was placed over Freeinati’s head.
Freeman’s necktie was tied
around his eyes.
Reynolds said Freeman was
placed in the trunk of the car
and was driven to an area near
Lower Crowders Creek Church
Road in Gaston County. The car
stopped and Freeman was taken
out of the trunk.
“But one of the men thought
he heard something and they put
him back in the trunk,”
Reynolds said. ‘They went on
down the road to a field access
road located off the hard
surfaced road.”
Reynolds said the car traveled
about 150 yards down the access
road and stopped again.
Freeman was taken out of the
trunk and taken Shout 10 yards
into a heavily wixided area.
‘They tied his hands behind
his back with his shirt and tie,”
Reynolds said, “and laid him
down and shot him in th? right
upper back. The bullet went in at
an angle and didn’t hit any vital
organs or bones. He was very
lucky.”
Reynolds said the three were
on a hillside, and after F reeman
was shot, one of the attackers
stepped backward into the other
one and they “undoubtedly
became entangled in vines and
fallen trees. It was extremely
dark and Freeman took off and
ran.”
In the meantime. Kings
Mountain police officers on
routine patrol found the clerk
missing and the cash drawer
open at the Holiday Inn. They
put out an alert to departments
in the area to be on the lookout
for him and within minutes
received a call from the Gaston
County Rural Police.
Reynolds said Freeman ac
companied police to the shooting
scene Monday “and was very
helpful in us locating the area.”
No arrests have been made
but police are continuing their
investigation.
Detectives Reynolds and
Robert Dodge, and officers L.D.
Beattie, Don Ivey, James Camp
and Gary Sales of the Kings
Mountain Police Department
are working on the case, along
with Deieclive Randy Moore
and other members of the
Gaston County Rurals.
Parade Puts Christmas
Spirit Into KM Citizens
Photo by Gary Stewart
HERE'S SANTA - Santa Claus paid one of
many visits to Kings Mountain Sunday to ride
in the annual Christmas Parade. He said he'll
be back soon to take requests from the
children, and he'll definitely be around late
the night of December 24. Other parade pic
tures are on page 2-B.
Sunday’s Christmas Parade
and the early arrival of Santa
Claus apparently put the
Christmas spirit into Kings
Mountain area citizens.
Downtown merchants said to
day that shopping has been good
since the day after Thanksgiv
ing, and only the rains Monday
and Tuesday dampened any
spirits.
Most merchants said their
sales have been as good or better
than last year and expect them
to be even better from now until
Christmas Eve.
Most merchants are running
special Christmas sales.
Corky Fulton of Fulton’s
Department Store said his sales
were up 20 percent the two days
after Thanksgiving.
“And last year was the best
year we’ve ever had,” he said.
Fulton said business on
December 1 was also better than
last December 1, so expects the
Christmas season to be “equal to
or better than last year.”
“Generally,” he said, ‘Ihe traf
fic in downtown is not what it
once was, but people are pur
chasing more.”
Doyle Campbell of McGinnis
Department Store said shopping
has not had the “spark it would
have if we weren’t having the
slump in the economy, but
business is running very close to
last year.”
He said the next two weeks
are traditionally the busiest
weeks of the year.
“What happens the next two
weeks will be important to all ibe
merchants,” he said.
Shopping Center traffic has
also been good, according to
Don Wagoner, Manager of the
TG&Y Store in the Westgate
Plaza.
“Friday was very good,” he
said, “but Saturday was disap
pointing and the rain hurt us on
Monday and Tuesday. But I’d
say shopping is a little better
than last year."
Wagoner, whose store sells a
variety of items, said clothes and
toys are the most popular.
“Most of the Christmas shopp
ing is done the last couple of
weeks before Christmas,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Postmaster Fred
Weaver reminds citizens that
they should mail their cards and
packages as early as possible, and
should take extra care to see that
their cards and packages are ad
dressed correctly.
“It is also a good idea to put a
slip of paper with the recipient’s
name and address and your
return address inside parcels, and
be sure the addressing on the
outside of the parcel includes
your return address and zip
code,” he said.
The contents of packages
should be well-cushioned.
Weaver said, and there should be
no empty spaces in the box.
Crumpled newspapers, foam
shells or air-pocket padding
should be used for cushioning.
He also urges that cartons not
be overwrapped. Blown paper
and twine cord arc not
necessary , he said. Paper can rip
and twine can become entangled
with the privessing equipment.
Packages should be sealed pro
perly, and srnudge-prvxvf ink
should be used lor addressing.
Community Schools
A Dream Come True
REPAIR TOYS - Kings Mountain firemen Gene Tignor. loe
Hamrick and Rick Witherepoon (left to right) are pictured
above repairing some toys which will be presented to needy
children in the area on Christmas. The firemen annually spon
sor their Toys for Tots project in cooperation with the
Ministerial Association. Chief Tignor said anyone with any
toys, or funds, to denote may call the fire department at
739-2552.
By BILL HAGER
Governor Jim Hunt had a
dream about the public schools
of North Carolina and the com
munities that they served. He
saw in his dream the schools
becoming centers for community
development. He saw people us
ing schtxtl facilities for non-
traditional uses, not just K-12
programs but programs for
children, youths, and adults. He
saw people becoming involved in
solving community problems,
people helping people to help
themselves. He saw the schtxtls
being open not just 8:00 a.m.
-3:30 p.m., but also after regular
school hours meeting communi
ty needs.
This dream became a reality
with Ihe ratification of Ihe Com
munity Schools Act (C.S.
115-73.1) by the North Carolina
General As.sembly in 1977. The
purpo.se of the program is to ■
(1) maximize use of school
facilities for community ac
tivities for citizens of all ages,
(2) insure citizen involvement in
public schools through represen
tative advisory councils and
volunteers. The program also in
cluded;
• Interagency involvement in
the planning and implementa
tion process.
•Community needs/tesource
assessments involving advisory
councils and agencies.
• Programs and activities for
all ages in school facilities.
•Increased communications
between schools, other agencies,
institutions and citizens.
Governor Hunt sees the act as
a means of providing for more
citizen involvement and par
ticipation in the public schtxtis.
He says “Public schools are own
ed by the community and should
be used for a wide range of com
munity activities and services”.
Kings Mountain District
Schools has always made its
facilities available to the com
munity but see the act as a
means of expanding and building
on this commitment.
In August 1979 the Kings
Mountain Board of Education
made its formal commitment ot
join with other schools systems
across the .state in participation
in the Community Schools pro
gram. Since its inception many
improvcinenis and successes
have come about. Three of eight
schools have Ix'cn designated
Community Schools, North,
East and Central schixils. It is in
these schools that the major
thrust of the programs are
centered. Advisory Councils
have been appointed for each of
these schools to assess the felt
needs of the school and the com
munity through discussions and
surveys to determine the most
pressing needs and to set
priorities on program offerings.
As a result of the surveys more
than 68,(K)() people have par
ticipated in educational, recrea
tional, cultural, civic, and
religious programs offered in our
schools. One of the major needs
was the need for parenting help
and 13 parenting classes were of
fered co-sponsored by Cixiar,
Mental Health and Step Trainers
involving over 159 parents.
Agencies through out the
county have been very
cooperative about coming into
the scluxils to help meet the
identified needs of the communi
ty. Cleveland Technical College
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