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October 20th 2017
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Thursday, October 12, 2017
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News from a neighbor!
Thursday, October 12, 2017
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
WWII flier got a chance to relive the past in a B17 bomber By Alan Hodge alan,.bannernews@gmail.com
When Carol Dudley of Belmont talks about her father, 94-year-old Charles Richardson, the pride in her voice is obvious. It should be, because he flew 35 dangerous missions over Europe during WWII in a B17 Flying Fortress bomber. “He told me his faith and love of country kept him going,” Dudley says. “He helped me understand what a wonderful country we have.” Dudley says her father, who grew up in Derita and currently lives in north Charlotte, related several stories to her of narrow escapes he had in the sky during the war. “He said that one time the engines on the plane were hit and it began to go lower and lower. The crew threw everything out they could to lighten the plane. They were skimming the treetops but made it back to base. Another time he said a bomb got hung up in the plane and didn't drop so he had to crawl into the bomb bay and kick it loose while the doors were open. He could have fallen out and been killed.” Richardson recently got a chance to relive his youth by taking a flight in a restored B17 named the “Madras Maiden”. The plane belongs to the Liberty Foundation and visited Concord Airport a couple of weeks ago on a tour around the country to raise awareness of the role that the Army Air Corps played in WWII. During the war, Richardson, then just 19-years-old, served in the 8th Air Force as a B17 radio operator/gunner. His unit was the 390th Bomb Group based at Framlingham, England.
WWII Army Air Corps veteran Charles Richardson, 94, is seen in the nose of the B17 “Madras Maiden” on a recent flight. See B17 BOMBER page 2 Richardson's daughter, Carol Dudley, lives in Belmont. Photo by Alan Hodge
Belmont Central Elementary celebrates student project By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
If you think that the world is all bad news, you should have been at Belmont Central Elementary last Friday where that notion was turned upside down. The event was the official dedication of a new swing set for the second and third grade classes, but the real story is how the great piece of equipment came into being. Enter fifth grader Lilly Floyd. Last year, Floyd saw that the younger kids at Belmont Central didn't have a swing set of their own so she took that concern to the next level by spearheading a fund raising and public relations campaign to rectify the situation. Over the course of several months, Floyd held a lemonade sale in her neighborhood, held a raffle, sold 1800 Boo Pops, got 400 people to play
A new swing set, made possible in great part by fifth grader Lilly Floyd, was dedicated on the Belmont Central Elementary playground last Friday. Seen at the event are from left; PTO member Jennifer Cheshire, principal Phyllis Whitworth, parents Anne Gray Wilson and James Floyd, Lilly Floyd, grandmother Carolyn Wilson, and PTO member Jodi Kine. Photo by Alan Hodge See STUDENT PROJECT page 3
Belmont Sports Hall of Fame Spotlight By Stan Cromlish This week's Belmont Sports Hall of Fame inductee spotlight shines on the 2011 NCHSAA State Champion South Point High School Baseball Team whose induction will occur on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Other inductees include Stephen Cowie, Devon Lowery, and Rick Cherry. The South Point High School Red Raider baseball team has a long and storied history with State Championships in 1973, 1974, 1981, and 2011. Throughout the history of South Point High School baseball, there have been only three coaches since 1970. Phil Tate and Mickey Lineberger earned enshrinement in the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame through their leadership, and second-generation coach, Jason Lineberger is well on his way to meriting induction. Jason's indoctrination into the South Point coaching fraternity came early in life as he followed his father, Mickey, around the football and baseball fields of South Point. In 2006, Jason took over as head coach of the baseball team from his father who had ably coached the team since 1984. The education he received from Phil and Mickey has allowed him to field baseball teams consistently in contention for state championships and his 2011 team lived up to the hype. Three stout starting pitchers earned the team's 27 wins with two pitchers, Jeffrey Springs and Logan Walden, acSee HALL OF FAME page 4
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