The Salisbury Post presents a “Year in Review.”

As 2023 draws to a close, Salisbury Post staff members have reflected on the happenings that stood out most during these last 360-some-odd days. The final edition of this look back features stories from September through December.

September

High school basketball: Perkins picked to lead strong Hornets (Sept. 3)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — Albert Perkins has been named as the new head coach of the Salisbury boys basketball program.

He’s 45, so he’s had no shortage of basketball and life experience.

Ask him about college memories, and his fondest one comes from Jan. 20, 1998.

Duke had eight McDonald’s All-Americans, had won 17 out of 18 and was ranked No. 1 in the country. The opponent for Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils on a Tuesday night in the Greensboro Coliseum was the North Carolina A&T Aggies. It was supposed to be a glorified practice session for insanely talented Duke in front of a paying audience, a respite between draining ACC games with Clemson and Virginia.

The A&T Aggies had zero McDonald’s All-Americans, but they had a balanced team with good chemistry. They played hard for coach Roy Thomas. They put up a fight against Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Trajan Langdon and their towering friends. The Aggies lost 101-66, but they didn’t get embarrassed.

One of the N.C. A&T players was the 6-foot-6 Perkins, who had transferred from Mars Hill to N.C. A&T because he believed in himself, because he believed he had the talent to play Division I basketball. He believed he could play against the Dukes of the world.

East Spencer park renovations come to fruition (Sept. 5)

By Elisabeth Strillacci

EAST SPENCER — Work with funds from a Rural Transformation Grant the town of East Spencer was awarded at the end of last year have begun to show at Royal Giants Park.

The town was awarded $580,000 from the state Department of Commerce in November that have been earmarked to upgrade several parts of Royal Giant Park. Town Manager Michael Douglas said the basketball courts have been resurfaced, work is ongoing on a new, additional half acre parking lot and the renovations to the concession stand will start in October. A new memorial sign for the park to replace the aging wooden one is ready as well, and the park will have directional signs when renovations are complete.

The new surface on the basketball court is Outdoor Revolution, a surface that supports ankles and knees in heavy play and prevents the worst damage from falls. It also allows for immediate drainage in rain or storms and covers old surface mars and cracks without impact.

Douglas said the town was awarded the grant under the Resilient Neighborhoods category and these funds have come in round two of applications. The town did not receive funds in round one, but in the third and final round of applications, he plans to request another $50,000.

Snakes on a…Subaru? (Sept. 8)

By Elisabeth Strillacci

KANNAPOLIS — Drivers usually know when they pick up a hitchhiker, but one driver traveling from Mooresville to Kannapolis had an unexpected stow away.

A Subaru driver called for assistance and when police arrived, a young python snake was making his way out of the front grill of the car. Officer Jason Whitley was the brave officer who donned gloves and extracted the snake, with no injury to either party. Members of the Kannapolis police department captured the rescue on camera, just to be sure they could document Whitley’s brave actions.

An official said the snake was taken to animal control and a private adoption meant it has a new home.

If you build it, they will come (Sept. 9)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — Some of the most surprising things end up in unexpected places. Many American cities have baseball, football or soccer fields in their parks and neighborhoods, but few can say that they have their own regulation cricket field. Salisbury and Rowan County will soon be able to. Cricket is incredibly popular overseas in countries like India and Australia, however, the United States does not hold the same love for it as others. That doesn’t mean there still aren’t dedicated fans, even in Rowan County, that are seeking a hub so that they can meet and play their favorite sport.

Over the past few years, Jaypal Kalagiri has been on a crusade to build a cricket field closer to his home in Concord and give people in the area another location outside of Charlotte to play the game. The field is located on Glover Road near Faith roughly 30 minutes from where Kalagiri lives. Especially for him, that is not a bad commute.

“For playing cricket, I’ve seen people drive hours and hours. Last weekend, my son played games in Atlanta. So, we drove to Atlanta to play a game on Saturday and Sunday, we had to stay at a hotel,” Kalagiri said. “Cricket is growing so much throughout the U.S., and even in Charlotte, we have so many teams who are ready to play, but there are not enough grounds. That’s what drove me.”

College baseball: Catawba’s Driver gets Rawlings Gold Glove (Sept. 9)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — “Centerfield” is a familiar song at ball parks. Everyone knows it.

“Put me in, Coach. I’m ready to play — today!” John Fogerty shouts.

A mellower song was written about playing right field many years ago. Not many people know it.

Folk music artists Peter, Paul and Mary sang it.

Willy Welch penned the tune, obviously drawing on his own Little League experiences. The weakest of the nine guys available heads out to right field because baseballs don’t get hit to right field often in Little League.

The song goes  …

Right field, it’s easy, you know.
You can be awkward and you can be slow.
That’s why I’m here in right field.
Just watching the dandelions grow.

But as you move up the baseball ladder, the right fielder becomes increasingly important. Not as important as the pitcher or catcher or shortstop, but important.

Balls start getting hit frequently to right field in high school and American Legion and college.

Balls get hit extremely hard to right field by lefty pull hitters in the pro ranks.

The right fielder has very long throws to make to third base and home, and he’s got a lot of ground to cover. Usually teams put a slower slugger in left field, so the center fielder shades in his direction to help. The right fielder is usually on his own island.

Many of the MLB greats played right field — Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, Al Kaline, Reggie Jackson. Just to name a few.

Ichiro played right field. The most exciting player in the game right now is a right fielder — Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr.

Catawba College student Dylan Driver can tell you all about Acuna because he loves the Braves.

Besides being a college student and a major Braves fan, Driver, a Carson graduate, is the right fielder for Catawba’s baseball team.

Anyone who has ever seen Driver play at Newman Park can tell you that he’s a sensational right fielder, but if anyone doubted that fact, now there’s proof.

The Rawlings Sporting Goods people sponsor national Gold Gloves for all the college divisions and the high school ranks. The voting is done by the American Baseball Coaches Association. They’ve been giving awards since 2007, and Driver is the first Catawba Indian ever to win a Rawlings Gold Glove.

Tests say nay to Ney: Peter Stuart Ney is not Marshall Ney (Sept. 12)

By Robert Sullivan

A French documentary team believes they have reached an answer on the old mystery of whether Peter Stuart Ney, buried in Rowan County, is the same person as the famous Marshall Ney that fought alongside Napoleon at Waterloo.

In a letter sent to the staff of Third Creek Presbyterian Church, where Peter Stuart was buried, Dominique Adt said that the team had reached the conclusion that the two were different people.

Adt was part of a team that came to the church last year to excavate the place where Stuart was buried and where dirt and other material was collected to be tested to see if any connection could be made.

The evidence Adt cited for their conclusion was differences between the two men that DNA testing was able to find. Marshall Ney had red hair while Peter Stuart had light brown hair, and Marshall Ney had blue eyes instead of Peter Stuart’s brown. In addition, the two men most likely had different skin tones, with Marshall being paler.

Adt said that they were also able to test DNA from a piece of Peter Stuart’s skeleton that was found in July of 2022.

The team was able to observe a few things that still may tie Peter Stuart to the famous Marshall. Adt said that historians the team talked to said that Stuart could have been an English officer who admired Marshall Ney and that he could have fought in a battle, possibly Waterloo, against him. Adt said trauma related to the war could explain why Peter Stuart claimed to be Marshall in times of crisis.

High school football: Deuce Walker makes his decision (Sept. 12)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — A slide-show presentation played out, with Curtis Walker Jr. — known to an increasingly wide audience of sports fans as Deuce Walker — making the transformation from toddler to football star right before the eyes of the captive audience assembled in the Salisbury High auditorium.

When the slides were done, the massive screen slowly rose, like the curtain being peeled back to reveal the Wizard of Oz.

Coming into view slowly behind that rising screen was a smiling young man whose muscular torso was covered by a dark blue T-shirt.

Was it Duke?

Or Kentucky?

No, it was Georgia State that got a commitment from Walker on the afternoon of September 10. That animal mascot on Walker’s chest was one that most Salisbury football fans had never seen or at least had never noticed before. It was the Georgia State Panther.

Faith looking into hiring part-time firefighters (Sept. 14)

By Robert Sullivan

FAITH — The Faith Board of Aldermen voted to approve a budget amendment that will create paid firefighter positions during their meeting Sept. 12 night. Previously, the town’s fire department has been staffed entirely by volunteers.

According to the proposal presented to the board, the request for paid positions comes as a result of a record amount of calls combined with a lack of volunteers that can answer those calls during the business day. The proposal lists the reasoning for the shortage as a lack of businesses in the town and the age of the owners and workers at those businesses. There are still enough firefighters in the town to answer calls after 5 p.m. during the week and all day on weekends when people are off the clock, however.

The Faith Fire Department is one of two fire departments in Rowan County that still rely solely on volunteers, according to the department’s request for the budget amendment, with the other being Union Fire Department.

“One of the problems is there are several mornings where there’s just nobody here any more. They need to respond, and they didn’t even get out of the station because they don’t have enough, and we can’t continue to let that happen,” said Mayor Randall Barger.

‘He will be sorely missed by all,’ former Rockwell Police Chief Hugh William Bost dies at 68 (September 17)

By Robert Sullivan

ROCKWELL — When Rockwell began the process of starting the town’s police department, Robert Bost, who was the mayor at the time, said that the town had narrowed down the choices for the first chief of police to two people. One was Hugh William Bost Jr. (no relation to Robert Bost) and the other was an officer from Henderson County.

“A police officer at the time in Salisbury gave me a call and he said listen. He said they’re both qualified, no doubt. But he said the man from Hendersonville is going to use this town as a stepping stool, that’s all it’s going to be. But he said if you hire Hugh, you’re going to hire a man who is going to dot every i and cross every t. He’s never going to leave you. And that was an easy thing wasn’t it, to choose?” said Robert Bost.

That speech came 25 years later in 2023, at a dedication of the town’s new police department building to Hugh. Hugh had never left the town, staying as its police chief until his retirement in 2022 and remaining in Rockwell until he died on the night of September 13 at the age of 68. Hugh had been fighting brain cancer for the past year which had periodically left him struggling or unable to speak.

Geelen named Landis Police chief (Sept. 19)

By Robert Sullivan

LANDIS — The question of who would take the full-time reins of the Landis Police Department has been answered.

In a press release, Landis Town Manager Michael Ambrose announced that Sgt. Matthew Geelen would become the latest chief of police on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

A long-time South Rowan County resident, Geelen began his law enforcement career as an intern for the Landis Police Department in 2014.

“I did leave from Landis briefly and worked for China Grove Police Department,” Geelen said. “There was a sergeant position open (in Landis), and I applied for it. I was offered the position.”

For Geelen, the move felt like a homecoming.

“Landis has always been home for me,” Geelen said. “It is where I started, and I want to be invested in the community. I grew up nearby. It was my first police job. I went to South Rowan.”

Chick-fil-A distribution center bringing 112 jobs to Kannapolis (Sept. 20)

KANNAPOLIS — The Rowan County EDC announced that Project Swarm, who was offered a tax incentive from the Rowan County Board of Commissioners earlier this year, will be a Chick-fil-A Supply distribution center in Kannapolis’ Lakeshore Corporate Park.

The distribution center is expected to bring an investment of $58.3 million along with 112 full-time jobs. The EDC noted that 85 of those jobs should be arriving in the first two years.

“The city of Kannapolis is excited to welcome Chick-fil-A Supply and their staff. With over 100 jobs, salaries above the county average and their substantial investment the company will be a significant employer in our city and Rowan County. They have selected a beautiful premier location, overlooking I-85 and Lake Fisher. It reflects the strong corporate presence for which they are known and is expected to make an immediate positive impact in our city. We are very pleased that they have selected Kannapolis as their new distribution center locale and thus are helping us continue the revitalization momentum and healthy economic job growth we are experiencing,” said Kannapolis Mayor Darrell Hinnant in the release.

The Lakeshore Corporate Park stands where the Kannapolis Intimidators ballpark used to stand before the team moved to its current location. The Chick-fil-A center will occupy a 126,000-square-foot building on the property.

High school volleyball: No losers in ‘Serve for the Cure’ match (Sept. 28)

By Mike London

GRANITE QUARRY — For East Rowan head volleyball coach Sandy Lytton, the Mustangs’ annual “Serve for the Cure” day is bigger than any playoff game.

East players and coaches put a ton of effort into the annual event — from the decorative signs and balloons, to the gift baskets, to the baked goods.

Pink was everywhere in the East gym on Sept. 25, a reminder that the fight against breast cancer never rests.

Carson, East’s biggest rival, was in the gym. That helped boost the crowd and energize the gym. Both schools had their vocal student sections out in force.

“It was awesome, a big crowd,” Lytton said. “Lots of alums and lots of familiar faces in the bleachers. We saw (cancer) survivors and we saw fighters. The girls that come to our camps were there. My mother came. I’ve never seen so many people.”

October

Sheriff’s Office welcomes first therapy dog (Oct. 1)

By Robert Sullivan

SALISBURY — The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office now has a therapy dog. Sandy, a golden retriever, is the first therapy dog in the county’s K9 police force.

Sandy completed her therapy dog training at Tractor Supply on Sept. 29 along with her handler Deputy Chris Fleming. According to Captain David Earnhardt, who works in the sheriff’s office, now that Sandy has passed her therapy dog certification she will begin her job, where she will work in both outreach and in therapy for deputies.

The certification testing was held in Tractor Supply as a way for the tester to tell if the dog was well-behaved even in the presence of other dogs and a large amount of people. Sandy was trained by a private dog trainer before being presented to Fleming a week before the certification testing in order to allow them time to bond.

Earnhardt said that Sandy will mostly work in outreach. Her therapy dog status will allow her to support child victims of crimes, stressed first-time offenders, go to schools and help students and anyone else who may need her support. Sandy will also be available to support any deputies who may need emotional support.

Knox Middle plans pivot to 3-8 facility, add pre-K component (Oct. 3)

By Chandler Inions

SALISBURY — Rowan-Salisbury Schools officials approved new plans for reconstruction for the Knox Middle School and Overton Elementary campus that will feature a 3rd-grade through 8th-grade facility.

School board members approved the decision unanimously during their most recent meeting.

“The last time I presented, we talked about moving forward with a K-8,” said Dr. Jamie Durant, the RSS chief operations officer. “After further review of some programmatic needs in our district and staying within the budget of the $55 million that we have before us, we looked at some (other) options.”

Durant said the district’s goal is to create a pre-K focus at Overton Elementary School.

“That school would remain open as a pre-K through 2nd grade,” Durant said. “Then we would move forward with the construction of Knox Middle to serve our community as a 3-8 campus.”

The shift brought about some significant redesign efforts.

Paul Boney of the design firm LS3P explained what those changes will look like.

“We’re going to build a new 3rd grade through 8th grade for 850 students,” Boney said.

That breaks down to approximately 665 middle and 185 elementary school students.

East Spencer renames street in honor of Tony Hillian (Oct. 5)

By Robert Sullivan

EAST SPENCER — The East Spencer Board of Aldermen voted to change the name of Robin Circle to Hillian Street in honor of the late Tony Hillian, who died in January of 2022 at the age of 47.

Multiple residents spoke in favor of the renaming and even more attended the meeting to witness the outcome of the vote. The meeting was so well-attended that the board room was filled and residents were forced to stand outside the room to watch.

One resident, Alisa Russell, listed off Hillian’s accomplishments as a way to argue that he should be honored with the name change. She noted that Carl Torbush, former head football coach at UNC-Chapel Hill, had a street named after him despite the fact that he moved away from East Spencer at the age of 11.

“We’re arguing about a street name for somebody who was born in East Spencer and moved at age 11. So whoever the aldermen were before, they take care of business and recognize their citizens. He didn’t even grow up here but he has a street named after him. If we’re voting on the street name based on merit of service, then it should be a unanimous decision that this street is changed,” said Russell.

Amtrak CEO visits Salisbury to speak on the state’s passenger rail system (Oct. 15)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — On Oct. 11, while many notable officials from all over the area waited for his arrival, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner got off the train at the Salisbury Station on Depot Street to address a crowd of mayors and stakeholders on the status of North Carolina’s intercity passenger rail system.

The North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, as part of their Rail Response initiative, orchestrated the event to personally find out from NCDOT and Amtrak where intercity passenger rail stands today and where it is heading in the coming years. Members of the coalition include the mayors of Concord, Kannapolis, and of course, Salisbury.

“This is such an important issue for us here in Salisbury. Salisbury has a long history with rail and I am convinced that it will be a big part of our future,” Mayor Karen Alexander said.

The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal has increased access to government funds for passenger rail and state officials are now applying for federal grant money. Alexander says the city’s two main priorities are expanding passenger service on the Piedmont corridor and have the Western N.C. Rail, a project that could potentially connect Salisbury to Asheville, be approved.

Rowan Helping Ministries opening transitional housing units for veterans (Oct. 17)

By Robert Sullivan

SALISBURY — Rowan Helping Ministries held a dedication of their new Eagles Nest III transitional housing units. During the dedication, attendees could tour the new apartments and two people were honored for their work in making the project possible.

There are 12 housing units in total, and nine of those have been earmarked for homeless veterans. Kyna Grubb, executive director of RHM, said that one of the benefits of the new units will be allowing married veterans to stay in the same place as their spouse. The homeless shelter located in RHM’s Robertson-Stanback Center requires people staying there to sleep in separate female and male areas.

“These apartments are designed so that veterans and their spouses would not be separated, but able to heal and support each other on their pathway home. There’s a story over here about Randy and Gale that were in our shelter. Just imagine if she had been able to be there as his partner, helping him be successful. How much more quickly they could have moved to success,” said Grubb.

The fundraising was kicked off with a $400,000 grant from Veterans Affairs, said Raeshawn Palmer, director of community relations for RHM. The rest of the money for the “Miracle on the Horizon,” as the project was called, was raised from donors, grants and foundations. In 2022, RHM estimated that they would need $5,600,000 for the project.

Gone but not forgotten: Dixonville Cemetery memorialized after years of surrounding growth, change (Oct. 22)

By Chandler Inions

SALISBURY — Not far from Salisbury National Cemetery, hundreds of people were laid to rest with far less fanfare. However, the work of the Dixonville-Lincoln Memorial Task Force aimed to ensure those lives were not forgotten to history.

On Oct. 18, former mayor Susan Kluttz joined the project’s chairman, Emily Perry, for a tour of the cemetery and the memorial that was constructed to honor the names of the buried. 

Dixonville Cemetery is in the 100 block of Old Concord Road, near the Fred Evans Pool. It was once the focal point of the East End community before 1960s-era urban renewal efforts drastically altered the area’s makeup.

Initially, there were only 18 identifiable graves, but years of research by the task force led to the documentation of 530 burials. Perry said they believe there could be as many as 500 more yet to be identified. 

“There are still more,” Perry said. “We don’t want to fool ourselves.”

Compiling the names was a Herculean effort that required many hands on deck. 

“I give a lot of credit to Betty Dan Spencer,” Perry said. “She did a lot of the research along with several other people. She went into people’s homes and into churches. We asked people if they knew of anyone who might be buried there.”

The research was conducted anecdotally. No actual bodies were exhumed for identification purposes.

In September, memorial monuments were unveiled that bore the names of the 530 people who were identified through the research. The pillars line the sidewalk alongside Old Concord Road. 

‘A historic moment’: Faith Academy welcomes students to its new facility (Oct. 24)

By Chandler Inions

FAITH — A vision that began two years ago for a community that lost its elementary school has finally come to fruition.

Faith Academy Charter School faculty and staff welcomed their 780 students to the new facility on Oct. 23.

“This is a historic moment for the Town of Faith,” Mayor Randall Barger said. “It’s been since 1927 that a new school was opened up here.”

While Faith Academy does not solely serve students from the Faith community, its previous facility was the former Faith Elementary School that did.

“From the shock of having a school too close to this school now being built, a lot of people have put in a lot of work, and it’s just amazing to come by and see this beautiful school up on a hill,” Barger said.

The former Faith Elementary School, which several Faith Academy officials described as a community pillar, closed its door officially in June of 2021.

Before the school’s closing, several parents from Faith gathered to discuss options, and ultimately, it was decided to pursue a charter school to retain a Faith-based school option. Faith Academy opened that same school year in the former Faith Elementary building.

While Faith Academy presented the chance to keep a school in Faith, by being a charter school, it meant that it would not serve a traditional school district.

Faith Academy Board of Directors Chairman George Wilhelm said, “We wanted a community school, but sadly, there are people in this community that could not get their children into this school because the state of N.C. says a charter school has to be open to all residents of N.C. and that you have to do it on a lottery system and a weighted lottery system, which means a socioeconomic group, we have to have a certain amount of those.”

Still, by having a school in Faith, the mayor believes it retained that sense of community that made Faith Elementary so special.

Baseball: Another Hall of Fame calls ‘Jet’ Gillispie (Oct. 29)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — William Gillispie’s nickname is “Jet,” but he understands that some things happen slowly.

Gillispie, 75, got a call last week from an old friend letting him know he’ll be part of the 2024 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame class.

He was just sitting around the house when he got the word, but it’s the sort of phone call that makes your day, overdue or not.

Inductions will be held next spring.

“Well, it wasn’t like I was going to turn it down,” Gillispie said with a chuckle. “Yes, I would like to have gone in many years ago. My buddy, Moe Hill, was inducted into the Gaston County Hall of Fame back in 2010, but it’s an honor and I do feel blessed to receive it.”

Gillispie has lived in Salisbury for decades — he retired from the Veterans Administration Hospital after 41 years of service — but it’s mostly in Gaston County that his baseball legend lives on.

That’s where he learned baseball and football from men such as his uncle, Eddie Bratton, who died nine years ago.

November

Sports legend: Sims honored by Salisbury High (Nov. 5)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — Belinda Adams recalls a bad day in school that became a cherished memory because Bobby Sims rode to the rescue.

“Your life changes in middle school, and I was having the worst day ever,” Adams said. “School was pressing. Home life was weighing me down. I didn’t want to participate in anything and had withdrawn from everything. I was sitting on a bench when I saw Coach Sims coming. I tried hard not to make eye contact with him because he always made us laugh and this was a day I didn’t want to laugh.”

Sims sat down next to her. She was surprised when he called her by name. “Today won’t matter tomorrow,” he told her. “Get up and go play. No boy is worth your fun.”

This wasn’t about a boy. Sims understood that. But he made Belinda Adams smile even when she was determined not to. He could do that for people.

“I knew he wouldn’t stop until I got up,” Adams said. “Coach Sims knew what I needed and he knew exactly what to say. Later in life, I would use those same words — today won’t matter tomorrow — with my children when they were upset. And then I used them with my grandchildren. I am forever thankful to a caring coach and mentor for those words.”

Adams was one of thousands of students that Sims had a positive influence on during his years at Knox Junior High, which would become Knox Middle School in the 1980s.

As a coach, teacher and guidance counselor, Sims got to know just about everyone in the school. He taught youngsters who would be going to Salisbury High, but he lived in East Spencer and his children went to North Rowan, so he was an integral part of both communities.

Even away from the school, Sims seemed to be everywhere. He was a Jaycee, a volunteer fireman, an umpire for the ballgames at Royal Giants Park. He was the president of the North Rowan Boosters Club for a time. His wife, Joyce, taught and coached at North Rowan. His children, sons Miguel and Deric and daughter Bobbi, would all compete for the Cavaliers.

Fred Campbell, who became a star basketball player at Salisbury High, played Bog East basketball and earned a degree from Providence College, came through Knox when Sims was performing his daily miracles. Sims was a steady source of advice and hope for teens, a positive role model for Campbell and his friends.

Sims died young, 35 years ago, so Campbell was worried that the memory of Sims’ contributions to Rowan County sports, which spanned from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, might fade as the years passed.

Months ago, Campbell and Janine Evans began a determined push to have Sims’ name added to the ring of honor at Salisbury High, the coaching legends who have signs in their honor at Ludwig Stadium, Salisbury’s historic football field.

Sports legends: Ponder not forgotten (Nov. 5)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — Spencer W. Lancaster coached J.C. Price football for nearly three decades and established a Rowan County record for wins (183) that still hasn’t been broken.

It’s not easy to follow a legend, but someone had to. That someone was the late Frederick Douglas Ponder. He was the next man to lead the Red Devils on the football field.

J.C. Price football didn’t match the state championships and undefeated seasons of the 1940s and 1950s, but Ponder-coached teams in the 1960s continued to win their share. They kept the winning tradition of the Red Devils alive.

The late Carl Marlin, who played for Ponder, said in an interview years ago that the Red Devils “usually played nine and won seven.”

Ponder, who became Dr. Ponder when he earned a doctorate degree in physical education from Middle Tennessee University in 1983,  joined the ranks of Salisbury coaching legends on November 3. His family was honored with a pregame dinner and was recognized at halftime of the North Rowan-Salisbury football game. Those coaching legends in Salisbury’s ring of honor are from Knox Middle School and Salisbury High. They also are from J.C. Price and Boyden, championship-winning programs that were combined into one high school in the late 1960s.

Lasting impact: Reid Leonard leaves behind more than just lessons (Nov. 19)

By Chandler Inions

SALISBURY — Leaving behind a legacy does not always require building a physical monument. Sometimes, it’s just about the people’s lives that you touch. In Reid Leonard’s case, he did both.

Reid Leonard, 96, died on Nov. 15 surrounded by his family. The man who was born in Lexington made Salisbury his home decades ago and, since then, left his mark in more ways than one. 

He ran a dry cleaners downtown, held the position of Salisbury school board chair and served in the Salisbury Rotary Club for more than 70 years. He wore a lot of hats around this town, but at home, Reid carried his proudest title as father to his three children, Gary, Beverly and Susan, and husband to his wife, Mary Sue.

“My dad would not flower you with compliments unless they were 100 percent sincere,” Beverly said. “If he told you he was proud of you, he meant it.”

Beverly made a career teaching elementary school in Rural Hill. When she got ready to go out for her national board certification, she knew it was going to be a massive undertaking. 

“When I started, Daddy did everything he could to make me a quiet little place in a room where I could be by myself, away from the phone and from any kind of noise that would disturb me,” Beverly said. 

The desk that she was going to use was a little short.

“He thought I was not going to be comfortable,” Beverly said of her father. “He notoriously saved all kinds of scrap wood. He made risers so the desk was high enough that I was comfortable.

“He gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, ‘Now get to it.'”

Richard White on becoming Salisbury’s first deputy city manager (Nov. 23)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — Former Carrboro Town Manager Richard J. White III realized public service was his true calling when he ran for class president in the third grade. Eventually, his enthusiasm led him to Salisbury where he just became the city’s first ever deputy city manager.

“I’ve always had an interest in government, how it works, how it functions, and always kind of felt that local government was where the rubber meets the road. That’s where the real work happens in terms of being close to residents,” White said. “I’m thrilled and excited to have been selected for the opportunity. It’s the first time we’ve had a deputy city manager, so certainly I tend to do all I can to make sure it’s a position that works well for the city, that there’s an impact and some benefits of having the role.”

Eight months ago, City Manager Jim Greene reclassified the vacant assistant city manager position into the deputy city manager, which he says has more authority and influence. After a national search, Greene said White was the “clear choice” for the job, stating he is an “outstanding local government leader” and that Salisbury will thrive from his presence.

December

WSAT moving from 75-year home to new location (Dec. 3)

By Robert Sullivan

SALISBURY — Buddy Poole is inviting any listener of WSAT to come and celebrate the last Christmas at the location the radio station has been in for approximately 75 years. The station will be moving to a location on Dorsett Drive, off of Statesville Boulevard, from its current location on Jake Alexander Boulevard.

Poole said that the radio’s coverage will not be affected by the move, as the company has already moved the F.M. station to a radio tower in Granite Quarry. The A.M. station transmitters for 1490 and 1280 will be returning to the old WSTP tower, so long as the Federal Communications Commission approves the move.

The towers behind the current location were built in 1947, and the station officially began to broadcast in early 1948. On that day, the dedication of the program aired a message from Gov. Robert Cherry and conversations with various community leaders such as Salisbury City Schools Superintendent J. H. Knox, Rowan County Schools Superintendent Charles C. Erwin, Salisbury Mayor S. Holmes Plexico and retiring PTA President Julian Robertson.

Lost and now found: Tuskegee Airman laid to rest after being missing for decades (Dec. 8)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — In Oct. 1944, Second Lieutenant and Tuskegee Airman Fred L. Brewer Jr. flew a single-seat P-51C Mustang on a mission to escort bombers from Italy to Regensburg, Germany. Heavy cloud cover forced a majority of the 57 fighter planes to fly back to Italy, however, Brewer never returned after his plane was reported to have stalled out. He was only 23. 

For almost 80 years, Brewer’s remains had been buried overseas in Italy, but no one was capable of identifying who he was due to a lack of scientific knowledge of DNA at the time. 

On Dec. 6, after years of searching, Brewer was finally given the honor he deserves for his ultimate sacrifice. Brewer, a Charlotte native, was laid to rest at the Salisbury National Cemetery after being away from home for far too long.

During and after World War II, bodies of American soldiers were identified and recovered by the American Graves Registration Service. Jana Churchwell Scott, a military researcher and genealogist, volunteers for a group called the MIA Recovery Network and she and a few others spearheaded the fight to find Brewer.

“We have several volunteers, a small team of researchers and we have an interest in the thousands of unknown burials that are located in our overseas military cemeteries that are managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission,” Scott said.

Scott says someone in their group mentioned Brewer’s case and that got them started on this lengthy, but ultimately fulfilling odyssey. They utilized a database and a map of where unknown soldiers might have gone missing to assist in their efforts. Records showed Brewer was sent to a local cemetery in Italy before going to the Florence American Cemetery, but he still couldn’t be fully identified. 

Outgoing Rockwell mayor recognized with state award, street named after him (Dec. 13)

By Robert Sullivan

ROCKWELL — Former Rockwell Mayor Beau Taylor received awards from both the governor’s office and the town and had a street named after him during the Rockwell Board of Aldermen meeting on Dec. 11.

Taylor chose not to run for reelection after spending 20 years as mayor and two before that as mayor pro-tem for Rockwell. Taylor was presented with the Old North State Award by State Rep. Harry Warren.

“This award tonight from the governor is for Beau for more than 20 years of dedication and service to the state, above and beyond expectation and excellence. Not a lot of these going around,” said Warren.

Alderman Dillon Brewer sent a letter of recommendation espousing Taylor’s accomplishments to the governor’s office. In that letter, Brewer talks about Taylor’s steady hand in guiding the town’s recent growth. Brewer also pointed to Taylor’s presence in the town attracting economic growth and national brands.

“Recognizing the town’s potential for growth, Beau strategically charted a course for its development while preserving its cherished heritage. Under his stewardship, Rockwell has experienced unprecedented expansion, nearly doubling in size in 20 years. All a testament to his strategic planning and commitment to economic development,” wrote Brewer in the letter of recommendation.

Taylor also received a North Carolina state flag that was flown over the Capitol in his honor from Sen. Carl Ford and a ceremonial gavel and plaque from the town of Rockwell.

Resignation of council member leaves Kannapolis in flux (Dec. 14)

By Brad Dountz

KANNAPOLIS — After being a member of the Kannapolis City Council for over a decade, Tom Kincaid resigned with a letter addressed to Mayor Darrell Hinnant and the rest of council dated Dec. 7. At their Dec. 11 meeting, council officially confirmed his resignation. At the end of the meeting, Hinnant read a prepared statement aloud to explain the situation and how they got to this point.

Kincaid is the owner of Caremoor Retirement Center and he recently sold his property that includes 5.36 acres and four buildings to Cooperative Christian Ministry for them to operate a “transitional housing facility to house Cabarrus County and Kannapolis individuals, families and senior citizens in housing crisis or at risk of becoming homeless, with a supportive program to educate, stabilize and empower the household to achieve personal goals and housing stability.”

Hinnant said that he and the rest of the council were initially unaware that Kincaid and CCM were working on a deal together. At the same meeting, council approved a grant agreement that will allow the city to give CCM $3 million to assist in the purchasing of Caremoor. 

China Grove bids farewell to Dale Keiger (Dec. 19)

By Chandler Inions

CHINA GROVE — A long-time fixture in Southern Rowan County athletics died last week. Friends and family of Dale Keiger remember him as a man of many talents who loved where he lived and, more importantly, the people who lived there.

For years, Keiger ran a store in downtown China Grove called the Young Men’s Shop, which he opened in 1954.

As a clothing store, Keiger outfitted many young men in and around China Grove. Harry Reese knew Keiger dating back to the 1960s. One suit he purchased from Keiger still stands out to him,

“It was dark green, and it had two pairs of pants,” Reese said. “One was dark green like the jacket, and the other pair was plaid. I thought I was really something.”

Reese explained that Keiger believed it was important for young men to have a suit and that he did not think one’s ability to afford a suit should determine whether or not they had one, so he would “run a tab for anyone.”

Keiger’s charitable nature would soon extend to sporting goods. Having played baseball in the U.S. Army, Keiger was always a fervent follower of the game, and he wanted others to have that opportunity.

The store’s name was changed to Dale’s Sporting Goods in the 1970s. From that store came sports apparel and sports equipment that garnered a positive reputation throughout the region. The store also became a hub of China Grove youth sports, the place where the kids went to sign up to play baseball and softball.

Pure joy: Family continues tradition out of love (Dec. 21)

By Karen Kistler

GRANITE QUARRY — Riding around and looking at Christmas lights is one thing Don Morton of Granite Quarry said he remembers doing with his parents as a child.

He noted that they were poor, but this was one thing they did, and it “was one of the best things about Christmas,” which is where he got his love of lights.

Seeing all of the lights, Morton said he told his parents that he was going to put up some, too.

“I’m going to have lights that people will remember,” he shared, and today, Morton’s yard is filled with thousands of lights of various colors accompanied by music that brings the neighbors and community together to see and truly remember.

Not only did he grow up with a love of Christmas lights, but his wife Sue likewise had a passion for Christmas and lights, one that grew with each year they were married and continued until she passed away just recently.

“We couldn’t go anywhere that we weren’t looking at Christmas stuff,” Morton noted.

At first, he had three trees he decorated, and then he started building wooden items to add to their yard.

Daughter Nicole Harris said she thinks this all started when her mom, Sue, asked him to make a Christmas-themed wooden cutout, and the result was a Santa and a couple of snowmen, which was one of Sue’s favorite things.

Don was recovering from some surgery at the time, so he and Sue spent the time painting the cutout items. But these would not be the last items he made, as each year, he added on and on, Harris said.
And even when one Christmas would pass, Don and Sue were already thinking about the next. He would ask what they planned for the next year and thus start over.

“It was kind of hit and miss till Hallmark started Christmas movies,” he said, “and then she would get into it full swing.”

His wooden creations included building a merry-go-round and a Ferris wheel, both of which actually worked, Morton noted and were huge, a word he stressed when describing them. Both of these have since been sold to a man whose autistic son fell in love with the merry-go-round. He said he recently received a photo of them in operation with the son sitting in a chair and watching them, once again giving joy as they had done for the Mortons.