Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/359639
Our 31st Year • Issue No. 33 • August 7, 2014 704-484-1047 "We Our Readers" The Sixth Annual Coach Rhodes Basketball Camp was held, at the Crest High School gym on Wednesday-Saturday, July 23 through July 26th. The camp was for kids from 5 years of age to 12. For the man who grew up around basketball and was the Crest Basketball Coach from 2009 to 2014, it was, as always, a very special event. Coach Rhodes pro- claims: "I do not only teach the fundamentals of basketball, but the fundamentals of life!" This years camp included guests Colleen Harry from WBTV, WPEG's radio host "No Limit Larry", Charlotte Hornet shoot- ing guard Matt Carroll and to the delight of the kids, Charlotte Hornet Mascot Hugo! It was three days of training and posi- tive reinforcement. Saturday was a fun day. The money raised was shared with the Cleveland County Boys & Girls Club and Crest High Schools Girls Basketball program. Needless to say there was a lot of "hoopla"! All the participants at this year's basketball camp with Coach Rhodes (top right) and the Charlotte Hornets Mascot, Hugo! 6th Annual Coach Rhodes Basketball Camp Oral History Featuring Dr. George Plonk On Display At KM Historical Museum Continued On Page 8 1506 John Beam Road • Vale, NC For Directions: www.woodmillwinery.com 704-276-9911 Saturday, August 23 rd ~ 10am-5pm & Sunday, August 24 th ~ 12-5pm Grape Stomp Festival Over 80 Vendors Including: Art, Handmade Crafts, Wood Turning, Pottery, Nursery Plants, Jewelry, Quilts and More Children's Activities: Infl atables, Face Painting, Gem Mining, Wagon Rides, Mini Golf, Grape Stomp Competition & Photo Op's, and More Free Admission • Free Parking • Free Wine Tastings • Rain or Shine Non-Profi t Fundraisers: Lions Club, Lincoln County Explorers, Post 700, Save the Tatas (Breast Cancer Awareness) ©CommunityFirstMedia Free Free An oral history interview featuring Dr. George W. Plonk was recently record- ed at Kings Mountain Historical Museum in conjunction with the Museum's cur- rent exhibit, "Say Ahh!" The Incredible Medical History of Kings Mountain, and in honor of Dr. Plonk's 95th birthday. The interviewer was Scott Neisler, former Mayor of the City of Kings Mountain and current General Manager of radio station AM 1450 WGNC. Dr. Plonk, the interviewee, was Kings Mountain Hospital's first surgeon; he tended and mended the citizens of this region as one of its most respected doctors for over forty years. The interview is now on display as part of the "Say Ahh!" exhibit; open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Dr. Plonk opens the interview by talking about the doc- tors that came before him, namely Dr. James Wright Tracy, and his role in founding the City of Kings Mountain. He also describes the doctors of his childhood. George Plonk was born in 1919. He grew up with nine siblings on a farm between Kings Mountain and Cherryville. Of the ten Plonk children, all but the youngest were born with the assistance of a midwife at home; the last-born son was birthed with the assistance of a doctor, Dr. Stokes. This was representative of a regional trend taking place in the first half of the 20th century, towards more accessible professional healthcare in rural North Carolina. Dr. Anthony and Dr. Hord were the Plonks' family doc- tors, and Dr. Plonk recalls that in those days some fresh ears of corn or whatever else was in season on the local farms were often used as payment to those doctors who made house calls to the people of Kings Mountain. Dr. Plonk describes the academic journey that led him to a career in surgery: from a one-room schoolhouse, to Kings Mountain High School, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, to the University of Pennsylvania. Of his degrees on display with the "Say Ahh!" exhibit, the 1937 certificate from the American Board of Surgery declaring that he is a Board-certified surgeon is the one Dr. Plonk is most proud to have earned. He also recalls in the inter- view the mentors he had though his early years of studying and practicing medicine that inspired his own caring, compassion- ate his bedside manner. During WWII, Dr. Plonk served two years in the U.S. Army, including serv- ing as a physician in Europe. In the interview, Dr. Plonk explains how he learned about the use of bone screws for the first time from prisoners of war who had been treated with them before they were released back to the Fracture Ward where he was stationed. This speaks to a key theme in the "Say Ahh!" exhibit: how advances in military medicine translated into significant progress in civilian medicine. Dr. Plonk recounts the years following his military ser- vice, working first in a general practice in Murphy, NC for two years, and eventually in Raleigh, NC, from 1952 until 1957. Kings Mountain Hospital opened in 1951, and in its early years, surgeons from other hospitals traveled to perform the surgeries conducted there. However, in 1957, Dr. Plonk and his wife Margaret decided to return to their hometown, and Dr. Plonk became Kings Mountain Hospital's first resident surgeon. In the interview, Dr. Plonk explains how the first few years of surgery at Kings Mountain Hospital were challeng- ing. By that point, he and his wife had five children, and Dr. George Plonk - 1964 Dr. Plonk in front of KM Hospital's original surgical cabinet at Say Ahh! exhibit. See Details See Details On Page 7 On Page 7 Provided by Adria L. Focht