Gospel at the Joy
MH Sports Hall of Fame
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Student Charged with Assault
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Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 12 • Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Happy ‘Birthday’ Mount Holly! ALAN HODGE alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Mount Holly had a birthday last week and continued the celebration into Sunday afternoon. March 14 marked the 135th anniversary of the city’s incorporation and March 16 saw a Founder’s Day event held at the Mount Holly Historical Society headquarters on N. Main St. to recognize the occasion. The week kicked off on Mon-
day, March 10 when Mayor Bryan Hough read a proclamation during the city council meeting regarding the city’s official origin on March 14, 1879 when four founders, William B. Rutledge, A.P. Rhyne, Dr. James Abernathy, and J.A. Abernathy, incorporated a village known as Woodlawn into the town of Mount Holly. “The founders named the town after the Mount Holly Cotton Mill built in 1876 and drew the original town limits around the
Inductees honored at Sports Hall of Fame banquet By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Just like a basketball three-pointer at the final buzzer, or a game winning touchdown pass, or a home run in the 9th inning, the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony last week left its attendees filled with excitement and glee. The event took place in the huge sanctuary at Catawba Heights Baptist Church and the place was packed to capacity with sports fans of every type and team color. The red and black of South Point High and orange of Clemson University was especially in evidence. Past and present coaches, players, and well wishers filled the hall with the buzz of friendship and friendly rivalry forged on and off the various fields of athletic glory. Also in attendance was a plethora of local officials from school, civic, and municipal entities. Everyone consumed their eats with gusto, then got down to the business of listening to the evening's guest speaker, Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney, and inducting the Hall of Fame's 2014 folks. Swinney gave the throng an impassioned address where he spelled out what he felt like were key elements to success. With an outstanding record over the past five years as top coach at Clemson plus excellence as a player before that, he ought to know. “The secret to success is surrounding yourself with good people,� he said. Swinney also made several religious references. He called the Bible “Life's Playbook�. “God created sports on the eighth day,� he said. He also read off a list of traits that successful folks possess and exhorted the crowd to take note. “Be the best you can be,� Swinney said. “Champions are made when no one is looking.� Dabo pointed to the 2014 inductees as examples of this premise. “A person doesn't just luck up and get into a hall of fame,� he said. This year's inductees included Melinda Wilson, Todd Stafford, and James “Joe� Hand. Wilson, an outstanding player during See HALL OF FAME, 7A
mill, which stood on a little hill covered with holly trees,� Mayor Hough read. “The November 1895 Raleigh News and Observer, Cotton Mill Edition, declared Mount Holly to be ‘one of the newest and neatest little towns in the South’ and described A.P. Rhyne as ‘the public-spirited aggressive
Photo courtesy Mi
llican Historical Mu
gentleman whose brains and hands and dollars have planted the young town deep rooted into productive industrial soil’ and, those deep roots bore great fruit
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in the mills that sprang up independently and then formed a confederation known as American Yarn and Processing See FOUNDERS DAY, 4A
How can you ‘fill the glass’? Inspirational speaker, Thomas, to highlight Tuesday’s BHS banquet Denise Price Thomas of Belmont will be the guest speaker at the Belmont Historical Society’s Citizen of the Year banquet March 25 at 7pm at Park St. UMC. Thomas is “Home Grown & Nationally Known� as an inspirational and motivational speaker, humorist and Denise Thomas storyteller. She doesn’t look to see if the “glass is half empty or half full�, she looks to see how she can fill the glass to the brim. As a child, she began reaching out to others with her heart wide open and continues to do so today. Through turbulent times and terrific times, her joy remains the same with a heart filled with compassion for others. She’s funny, inspiring, motivating and encouraging. She has been
referred to as the “Healthcare Evangelist� because she will tell it like it is! Certified in Healthcare Management through Pfeiffer College, she retired as a surgical practice administrator after being employed there for 32 years. She now customizes programs for hospitals and physician practices focusing on Customer Service, Communication, Compassion, Team Building and more. Denise is also an “Undercover Patient� sharing her experiences during customized training sessions. Speaking invitations have taken her from NC to SC, Georgia, Florida, NY, Kansas City, Massachusetts, Chicago, Virginia, California and even Alaska! Her passion is her profession and by popular demand her speaking engagements have been contagious in not only health care but in other businesses, churches, women’s events, youth and more. She enjoys bringing stories to life while inspiring others to make a difference
right where they are. Denise has been a volunteer for Hospice, Cancer Services, Relay for Life, Crisis Pregnancy, The Shelter for Domestic Violence and more. She serves on the Board of Directors for Christian Women’s Job Corps. “Gladys Friday� (as in glad it’s Friday) is Denise’s alter ego addressing the “funny side up� in healthcare & stories about aging. Denise and her husband live in Belmont and together have three adult children, seven grandchildren and four grand-dogs. Although she may be called by many names, her most favorite names to be called are “Mom� and “Nana.� She continues to be blamed for being immature for her age, a trait that she hopes will continue. Feel free to connect & LIKE her new Facebook business page; visit her website: www.denisepricethomas.com; or email her at denisepricethomas@gmail.com.
Arts in the Alley to hold several summer events By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The Mount Holly city council met last Monday and tackled an eclectic agenda. Kicking off the meeting, the council received a presentation from Michelle Reese of Gaston Youth Connected on the current state of teen pregnancy in Gaston County. Reese’s talk revealed that from 2011-2012, the rate had dropped by 13 percent compared to an NC state fall of just 4.2 percent. Another figure Reese flashed before the council’s eyes was the fact that the disparity in pregnancy rates between African-American and white teens in Gaston has been virtually eliminated. Even more positive, Reese reported, was a marked decline in pregnancy rates for younger teens aged 1517 years in the county. Another presentation on the agenda saw two members of the Miss Mount Holly Scholarship Association talk a bit about their platforms and plans. Miss See MH COUNCIL, 4A
Photo by Alan Hodge
This group of lovely ladies from the Mount Holly Scholarship Pageant organization attended last week's meeting of the Mount Holly city council and gave a presentation. Front row from left: MHOLM Petite Miss 2014 Makayla Thomas, Miss Mount Holly's Outstanding Teens Carolina Princess Kristyn Embler, MHOLM Junior Miss 2013 Chloe Lunsford, MHOLM Overall Talent 2014 Eliza Minor, MHOLM Pre-Teen Miss 2014 Madison Blanton. Rear row: Miss Mount Holly's Outstanding Teen 2014 Kaelyn Embler, Miss Mount Holly 2014 Jasmine Isaac, Miss Mount Holly's Carolina Princess Marissa Garrison.
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