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Thursday, November 10, 2022
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Holiday Art Show Featuring Local Artists!
Saturday, 11-12 & 11-19 Sunday, 11-13 & 11-20 11am-6pm 2pm-6pm painting / sculpture / jewelry / prints / cards / mosaics & more!
500 East Central Ave., Mt. Holly, NC Free admission!
Good news for great people! Volume 88 • Issue 45
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Lewis Crawford of Cramerton zigzagged across American during his army days.
Beaty ready for action.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Herman Beaty with his medals.
Cramerton’s Herman Beaty U.S. Army took earned Bronze Star in WWII Lewis Crawford of Cramerton far and wide By Alan Hodge
alan@cfmedia.info
By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The guns of WWII had barely cooled in March 1946 when a draft notice from Uncle Sam landed in the mailbox of 18-year-old textile mill worker Lewis Crawford of McAdenville. “I’m originally from the Jackson County town of Balsam near Sylva,” Crawford said. “There were no jobs in the mountains so in 1944 my
father moved the family to McAdenville to work in the mills. I was 16-years-old.” Crawford, who is now 94-years-old, had only been living in McAdenville a short while when he was called up. Thus began two years when Crawford would see a lot of places in American serving his country in the U.S. Army. “I took my basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky,” he says. “I learned to operate a
tank and a 105mm howitzer artillery piece. I also learned how to drive an M45 selfpropelled gun with a .50 cal. machine gun in the turret.” Crawford had another interesting duty at Fort Knox. “I also did guard duty at the building where all the gold is kept,” he said. After basic training, Crawford was shipped to Camp Polk in Louisiana for See CRAWFORD, Page 4
When WWII broke out, Herman Beaty was 15-yearsold and living on the family cotton farm off New Hope and Beaty roads. Three years later, he was in the U.S. Army infantry carrying an M-1 rifle. “I was drafted on May 23, 1944,” Beaty said. After he got his notice, Beaty made a trip to Spartanburg, S.C. for a physical exam. He came home for a couple of weeks and then boarded a bus in Belmont
that took him to Fort Bragg. From there, he was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for 17 weeks of basic training. Still on the move, Beaty next went to Camp Chassee, Arkansas for more training. Next, Beaty was bussed to Fort Meade, Maryland. “Fort Meade was a point of embarkation,” said Beaty. “We had to lay out all our stuff every day to make sure we had everything we needed.” After Fort Meade, Beaty’s participation in WWII began getting very serious.
“We went to New York and got on a ship that took us to Marseilles. France,” said Beaty. “From there, we boarded a C-47 airplane and went to Bonn, Germany.” By this stage in the war, Bonn had been liberated by the allies but fighting was not far away. “I was soon sent to the front lines,” said Beatty. The weather in Germany was cold and the action was hot. Beaty and his comrades in the 95th Div. were in See BEATY, Page 4
Habitat For Humanity of Gaston County honors notable volunteers Amid fundraising and celebration at its annual Hard Hat & High Heels gala, Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County recognized outstanding volunteers who have contributed greatly to the nonprofit in recent years. Habitat leadership recognized four recipients – two from 2020 and two from 2021 – of its Newcombe Family Volunteer Award, an honor bestowed upon individuals and organizations that make significant contri-
butions towards fulfilling the dream of homeownership for Habitat families. “Our homes are made possible by financial gifts, sweat equity and volunteerism,” said Kay Peninger, executive director of Habitat Gaston. “We want our community partners to know how valued they are and the true difference that their efforts are making – not just toward the home build, but toward the future of our homeowner families.”
She added, “Our four recognized Newcombe Family Volunteer Award recipients have been pivotal to Habitat Gaston, especially as our needs have become greater with increasing construction costs. They have made a difference in the lives of our Habitat families and have truly helped Dixon Village, our first mixed-income neighborhood, come to fruition.” See HABITAT, Page 4
Steve Whitesell, Artie Newcomb, Beth and John McGill, John Forgan.
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