Rutherford Weekly

Our 19th Year • Issue No. 13 • March 31, 2011 AUDITED N AUDITED NEWSPAPER! RUTHERFORD COUNTY’S ONLY R $ “SMALL TOWN FRIENDLY” EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL 4495 EZ WIRELESS EZ WIRELESS Per Mo. Works On The Nations Largest Network Phones Starting At $ Starting At 644 S. Broadway Street, Forest City Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm; Sat. 10am-2pm 828-202-5597 $14.32 pageplus 369 Butler Road, Forest City, North Carolina 28043 • Phone: 828-248-1408 • Email: advertising@rutherfordweekly.com The Time Has Come . . . To Memorialize One Of Our Own! Mon.-Sat. 11-9; Sun. 11-3 828-286-3855 161 Park Lane Dr. • Rutherfordton Every Friday Saturday & Sunday 2 8oz Ribeyes Choice Of Baked Potato OR French Fries, All You Can Eat Salad Bar & Iced Tea $22.99 Friday & Saturday Friday & Saturday All Day Sunday 4:00 Ti4:00 Til Closel Close All Day Sunday By: M.A. Andrews • maandrews@rutherfordweekly.com Forrest Harrill “Smoky” Burgess was born in Rutherford County. He was a major league baseball catcher, who later became known for his amazing ability as a pinch hitter. This baseball catcher was a very special person. His nickname “Smoky” came from his father. He was a simple, kind, unpretentious man, but a magnifi cent competi- tor. During his career, he set the major league career record for pinch hits with 145! After retiring at the end of the 1967 baseball season, “Smoky” was the very fi rst player signed by the infamous Ted Turner for the Atlanta Braves. He served as a scout, batting and catcher coach. When he passed away from cancer in 1991 he still had two years left on his Atlanta Braves contract. EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL Improvement Guide Coming Soon! Spring Home Call 828-248-1408 to reserve your space! A proposal has now been made by the town of Forest City to have a statue erected in his honor. It would forever project the acknowledgment and pride Rutherford County has for its’ native son. Funds are now being solicited to bring this to a reality. Anybody and everybody can contribute to make this a “dream come true”. To include yourself as a supporter you may do so by mailing your contribution - big or small - to: The Smoky Burgess Memorial, Forest City Town Hall, 128 North Powell Street, Forest City. N. C. 28043 or P.O. Box 728, Forest City, N. C. 28043. Finally, the time has come to honor, forever, one of our own. Anyone who loves baseball or Rutherford County should want to be included and be able to say: “I was one of the many who helped make this tribute to Smoky happen.” Yes, it’s time for us to never forget and “tell the world”. I’d like to share with you a great time I had with Smoky’s wife, Margaret. She is a very private person, but after two years of trying to interview her, my request was granted. She did prefer that there would be no photos. For me, that was no problem. She was wonderful. The time I spent with her and her son Larry was most interesting and enjoyable. Margaret told me, she never called him Smoky, but always Forrest. When I asked her how she met him, she said it was at Roses Dime Store where she worked in Forest City. Smoky had just received a bonus and with it bought a brand new Mercury. He was in Roses talking to three girls who worked there and asked them if they would like a “ride around the block in my new car.” Their supervisor was Margaret Head. After she directed the girls to get back to work, Smokey asked her the same thing. As it turned out, he found out where she lived. The following Sunday when she got home from church, Smoky was waiting in front of her house in that “brand new car”. It was 1 p.m. Margaret, who was 17 at the time, was getting ready to go out on a date and with another boy. She fi nally decided to honor his request to go with Smoky for a “ride around the block”. That ride turned out to be fi ve hours long! She got home at 6 p.m.! That started it all. After about a year and a half, she and Smokey went to Gaffney and got married. 18 Year Major League Baseball Catcher/Hitter 9 Times All-Star Selection World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, 1960 •Batted Left , Threw Right •Major League Debut: April 19, 1949 for Chicago Cubs •Last Appearance: October 1, 1967 for Chicago White Sox Career Statistics: Home Runs, 126; Batting, .295; RBI’s 673 No Connection Fee! NO CONTRACT • NO CREDIT CHECK HOME PHONE SERVICE • GREAT COVERAGE! Unlimited Minutes • Unlimited Text Message Nationwide Cellular 19.95 Played for: Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox Born: February 6, 1927 Caroleen, NC Margaret Burgess is a very active lady. She still teaches Sunday School at Holly Springs Baptist Church where she has been a member for 73 years! She proudly told me she just got her license renewed for fi ve years. She volunteers at Rutherford Hos- pital, works out at a gym three or four days a week and enjoys reading. It is the only time she wears glasses. She’s a youthful 86 years old! If you met her, you’d never believe it. When I asked her about her husband, she said “He loved baseball and just liked making a living.” She also added that: “He was always a good person, a good husband and a good provider.” He ate whatever was put in front of him and really loved “my mother’s peach cobbler.” He also loved dishes with gravy. His favorite room mate in baseball was Vernon Law, the Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher. Ironically, Smoky was a Baptist, Vernon was a Mormon. The answer to those who often ask, yes, the high school coach, Forest Hunt did play part in Smokey being discovered. Died: September 15, 1991 Rutherford Hospital, NC Margaret Burgess was most gracious and told me many stories about her husband. Some of those I am now sharing with you. However, the main purpose of this story is to help get the funds needed to permanently salute a great man. He loved getting together with the guys at Smith’s Drug Store. He also, when home, had time for a 10 year old little boy who admired him and would often bicycle to his house. Smoky would come out and they would sit on the porch and talk baseball. Smoky Burgess loved people, especially the kids. STATION 74 JUNCTION 828-248-3517 Mon.-Sat. 5:30am-10:30pm 2582 Hwy. 74 A Forest City, NC 28043 “Next To Ramada Inn” Sun. 9am-10pm BILLIARDS NOW OPEN NOW OPEN (next door) BILLIARDS (next door) Mon.-Sat. Mon.-Sat. 10am-12midnight 10am-12midnight A rare keepsake, Burgess signature on a Logan Hardware’s bill of sale. Smokey’s 1960 All-Star bat. WE PAY TOP DOLLAR WE PAY CASH! WE PAY TOP DOLLAR We will WE P Y CASH! One stop shopping here! •Gas, Diesel & One stop shopping here! •Gas, Diesel & •Phone Cards •ATM -EBT •Lottery •Car Wash, etc. •Phone Cards •ATM -EBT •Lottery •Car Wash, etc. OfOff Road Dieself Road Diesel Nice, friendly, clean store! Nice, friendly, clean store! We buy aluminum, steel, copper, brass, aluminum cans or rims, insulated copper wire, radiators, etc. Call for prices! buy your junk! 620 Hwy. 120, Mooresboro • 828-447-3505 SOS Recycling WE ARE OPEN DURING LUNCH! WE ARE OPEN DURING LUNCH! Exit Hwy. 120 Hwy. 120 Cross bridge, look for signs MORE LOCATIONS TO BETTER SERVE YOU... CROUSE, NC • YORK, SC • MON.-SAT. 9AM-5PM Exit 189 directions! Call for 74 West from Shelby Exit 189 74 East from Forest City Exit Hwy. 120 Smokey Burgess’ catchers mit. It is so wonderful to see that the town of Forest City is going to acknowledge its’ most famous major league baseball player. He is legendary and truly deserves a place of honor. I want to be a part of this and now you can too. EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL • EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL • EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL • EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL • EVERY WEEKEND SPECIAL ©Community First Media Community First Media ©Community First Media Community First Media ©CommuniCommunity First Mediaty First Media

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