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Volume 81 • Issue 33
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Thursday, August 20, 2015
Dream Comes True for 89-Year-Old Former Cheerleader An 89-year-old recently had her dreams of cheering again come true. A resident at Abernethy Laurels retirement community in Newton, NC, former cheerleader Pauline Heafner often told staff she wanted to cheer again. The team at Abernethy Laurels put a plan in place to make her dream a reality. Pauline Heafner, a former cheerleader at Belmont High School, graduated in 1943. Now 72 years later, the high-spirited senior citizen can easily recall her days as a cheerleader. “My cheerleading uniform had a big, red ‘B’ on the front, and the skirt was about knee length,” stated Heafner. Staff at Abernethy Laurels often report that Heafner will share a cheer with them. When Heafner was asked if she knew any cheers, she excitedly belted out, “Two, Four, Six, Eight; who do we appreciate? Belmont! Belmont! Belmont!” Employees at the retirement community knew Belmont was a special place to Heafner and reached out to her former high school, now named South Point High School, to ask the current cheerleaders to come meet and cheer with Heafner. “I could have asked a local high school to come cheer with her, but the fact that she can remember her days at Belmont and her big, red “B” led me to believe that an alternative high school just wouldn’t be the same for Pauline,” stated Shaylyn Ladd, Abernethy Laurels Public Relations Director. When asked to come to Abernethy Laurels, South Point High School Varsity Cheer Coach Kelly Brown quickly responded that the cheerleaders were interested in meeting Heafner. For the next couple of weeks, staff worked to put a uniform together for Pauline Heafner surrounded by cheerleaders from South Point High School when they recently came to cheer see more CHEERLEADER page 2 with her. Photo by Abernethy Laurels staff
David Hostetler rakes in the medals at local, state, national senior games By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Belmont barber Doug Brewer has cut hair for generations By Doug Simpson/Alan Hodge
David Hostetler, 81, of Mt. Holly is seen with just a few of the medals he's earned competing in local, state, and national senior games. Hostetler says being active keeps him sharp. Photo by Alan Hodge
David Hostetler Sr. of Mt. Holly is an 81-year-old bundle of energy and has the medals to prove it. Hostetler, a real estate agent by trade, and a member of the Mt. Holly Parks and Recreation Sole Patrol fitness and friendship group, has been making a splash on the local, state, and national senior games circuit and wearing out the competition in the process. “I met a lady at a dance in 2006 and she got me interested in taking part in the senior games series,” Hostetler says. Sports that are on the senior games menu run the gamut and include swimming, track and field, high jump, badminton, hammer throw, bowling, bicycling, archery, horseshoes, and even judo. When he took part in the NC state-level senior games, in 2014, Hostetler came away with seven gold, two silver, and one bronze medals. Last month, Hostetler trekked to Minneapolis, Minn. and took part in the national level games at the convention center and other nearby venues there. He's also taken part in national games in San Francisco, Cleveland, and Houston. “We had over 10,000 participants at Minneapolis,” he said. “Some came from as far away as Australia.” True to form, Hostetler hauled some medals home from Minneapolis. “I got a gold medal in the badminton doubles, and a bronze in high jump,” he said. “I finished fourth in discus and hammer throw and fifth in singles badminton.” Hostetler's bronze in the high jump saw him soar four feet high. “Only two other guys in the country did better,” he said. According to Hostetler, the senior games are not only good for his outside, they are also good for his inside. see more HOSTETELER page 2
Doug Brewer’s 88th birthday is coming up Aug. 26 and for most of his life he’s had a pair of hair clippers in his hand. Born in Belmont in 1927, Brewer still plies his trade in a shop located in the rear of the Belmont General Store, making shaggy heads look neat, and trading stories with his pals. To digress- when WWII broke out, Brewer fibbed about his age and served in the U.S. Navy. One assignment was on the submarine USS “Muskelunge” where he loaded torpedoes. He was also on the battleship BB35 “Texas”. He also served on the aircraft carrier CV39 “Lake Champlain”. While he was on the Lake Champlain, he even gave a haircut to President Harry Truman. When he returned from the war, Brewer worked at Bill Ballard’s barber shop in East Belmont near Aberfoyle mill. By and by he opened his own place on Wilkinson Blvd. near the Park N Shop grocery store. Among his customers were several of NASCAR’s early pioneers including Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts, and Curtis Turner. Brewer was known for his expertise in giving a flat top haircut. A set of Siamese twins worked at the grocery store and Brewer was a great friend to them. After a while, Brewer moved his shop to the terminal at Douglas Municipal Airport. Then he moved again to New Dixie Rd. in the Steele Creek area. In 1985 he came back to Belmont and bought the Ballard building. A few years ago he moved into the General Store. You might say Brewer had cut a wide swath in the area hair business. These days, Brewer’s shop is more than a place to get a hair cut. It’s also a center of knowledge in the best barber shop tradition. Any given day that Doug is on duty you will see his pals in attendance offering comments on news, politics, see more BREWER page 2
What Will Your Retirement Look Like?
Todd Van Der Meid, MBA CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
32 N. Main Street, Suite 203, Belmont 704.827.9000 | www.rhinowealth.com
*Investment advice offered through Rhino Wealth Management, a registered investment adviser.
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Travel, Spoiling Grandchildren, Volunteering and Leisure Activities? PLAN. You can have the Retirement you’ve dreamed of, but you need a PLAN