Actor Leon Rippy visits KM National Military Park

By Loretta Cozart

Actor Leon Rippy dropped by Kings Moun- tain National Military Park on January 20. The park posted on their Facebook page, “You never know who's going to walk in the door. Today we got a visit from Leon Rippy, who played John Billings in The Patriot. Of course, we had to ask him and his party for a picture with our patriot, Colonel William Campbell.”

Rippy has appeared in numerous films and television roles including Earl the Angel on the series Saving Grace, saloon owner Tom Nuttall on the series Deadwood, and militiaman John Billings in The Patriot.

According to his biography on IMDb, Rippy was born in Rock Hill, SC in October 1949.

ED. NOTE: The recipes in today’s Cooking Corner are from “100 Years in the Kitchen” by Women of the Church of First Presbyterian Church of Kings Mountain.

ESCALLOPED PINEAPPLE (Great with ham)

Cream together:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup margarine

Add 1 large, crushed pineapple, Do Not Drain

Fold in gently:

3 beaten eggs

1 quart finely torn bread pieces

Place in buttered long cake pan. Spread 2 tbs. milk over the top. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

BANANA NUT POUND CAKE

Sylvia Neisler

1 ½ c. Crisco

2 ½ cup sugar

3 eggs

3 c. sifted plain flour

1 tsp. soda ¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup buttermilk or 1

½ tsp. vinegar with sweet milk

4 bananas, mashed

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. coconut

Mix in order given. Bake in well-greased and floured tub pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

Let stand in pan 10 minutes before removing and wrap in foil immediately.

VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Clara Rhea

2 cans Veg-All, drain

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

½ cup mayonnaise

Reserve ½ cup liquid from Veg all. Mix all together in casserole. Add ½ cup cheese Nip crackers, crushed, to top of casserole. Melt 1 stick of butter and place on top. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Jane King

In bowl mix by hand:

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup cornstarch

1 t. margarine

2 eggs

Bring to boiling point, scald 2 ½ cups milk. Stir hot milk into sugar-egg mixture. Return to heat and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of peanut butter and

1 t. vanilla. Top with Cool Whip and crushed peanuts as you serve. Makes two 9-inch pies.

Atrium “Drive to Thrive” bringing OB-GYN care to the underserved

Atrium Health is expanding its mobile services and fleet of mobile medical units to serve its communities in need. The initiative is one of the nation’s first mobile units dedicated solely to women’s health care, with the goals of decreasing maternal mortality rates and unintended pregnancies by bringing stateof-the-art OB-GYN care to the underserved communities that need it most.

Approximately 1 in 10 newborns in North Carolina are born premature and the state’s pre-term birth rate for Black infants is nearly double that of other races and ethnicities. The statewide infant mortality rate is 6.8%, the 11th highest in the nation. Meanwhile, undocumented women in North Carolina deliver more than 10,000 babies per year, with many avoiding care due to fear of deportation.

“Throughout my 30 year career as an OB-GYN, I have witnessed, firsthand, the effects women and their unborn babies face when patients do not receive timely prenatal care,” said Dr. Suzanna Fox, deputy chief physician executive and women’s health care service line leader for Atrium Health. “Transportation challenges, language barriers and lack of insurance cause many women in underserved communities to delay care or forgo it altogether.”

Generous donors Dr.

Todd Kopczynski, a retired OB-GYN, and his wife, Barbara, helped fulfill the vision of creating the innovative mobile OB-GYN unit. It provides everything a patient needs for an initial visit, in a warm and welcoming environment. Team members include board-certified OB-GYNs, as well as Spanish-speaking advanced practice providers and social workers. The unit will provide exams to women who seek care and can help with scheduling follow-up appointments at one of the more than 40 Atrium Health Women’s Care locations.

“To help more women in underserved communities gain trust in doctors and the overall medical field, the Atrium Health Women’s Care team met with nonprofits, churches and other community organizations across the region to learn more about their health care needs,” said Fox.

Atrium Health has a variety of mobile health