Category: 1939

William Alfred “Bill” Boyd passed away peacefully Thursday, March 19, 2015, at the age of 98. Bill was born in Newark, NJ, on December 18, 1916 to George and Sara Boyd. He attended elementary school in New York, later moving to Atlanta, GA. He graduated from Boys High School in 1935 and Davidson College in North Carolina in June 1939. He then joined the Singer Company in Atlanta, GA.

In December 1940, he joined the 102nd Cavalry of the New Jersey National Guard. In 1941, Bill attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, KY. Upon graduation, he transferred to the 13th Tank Battalion of the First Armored Division as it fought in North Africa and Italy during World War II.

Shortly after the war ended, Captain Boyd returned to the United States, ending five years of military service. During this period, he was awarded a Bronze Star and six major battle stars.

Bill rejoined Singer in early 1946 and married Kathryn (Kay) Moreman of Atlanta on July 20 of that year. In 1955, he was assigned to the Singer executive office and then later General Manager to develop an industrial parts distribution center, which was established in Murfreesboro, TN, in 1957.

Bill was an avid sports enthusiast but confined his active participation to golf, playing several days a week because he loved the competition and fellowship. Even into his 90s, his everyday goal was to shoot ten under his age.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Kathryn (Kay) Moreman, and a sister, Jean B. Jones of Richmond, VA.

He is survived by sister, Sara (Peggy) B. Beard of Avondale Estates, GA; his children, Victoria B. Dougherty of Marietta, GA, Judy B. Pitts (Lynn) of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Savannah, GA, and Samuel G. Boyd II of Huntsville, AL; grandchildren, Sara Pitts of Savannah, GA, Emmy Wilcox (Mark) of Savannah, GA, and William S. Boyd of Huntsville, AL; great-grandchildren, Lyla and Harper Wilcox of Savannah, GA.

A private service will be held for the family at a later date.

Memorials may be sent to Linebaugh Public Library, 105 W. Vine St., Murfreesboro, TN 37130, or to the charity of your choice .

John A. Mawhinney, Jr., age 95, of Houston died on Monday, January 19, 2015.

Mawhinney, the son of a Presbyterian Minister, grew up in Virginia. He graduated from Davidson College in 1939 and received a Masters Degree from Columbia University School of Business in 1941.

He enlisted in the US Army in 1942. He received a commission after attending the Adjutant General Officer Candidate School. John served in West Africa and Washington D.C. with US Air Force Air Transportation Command. He was discharged as a Captain in 1945.

John was employed by Shell Oil Company from 1940 to 1984 and lived in Houston from 1971 on. His last ten years were spent at The Buckingham.

A lifelong Presbyterian, he was a ruling elder in churches in New York, Princeton, and Houston, having been a member of First Presbyterian Church, Houston since 1971. In addition, he served for many years on the boards of the Latin American Mission, the American Track Society and the New York Bible Society. He also served on the Boards of Holly Hall Retirement Community, Brazos Presbyterian Homes, and Davidson College.

John is survived by his loving wife, Lucy McLeod Mawhinney, three children, two grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 5300 Main St. on January 22, 2015 at 1:30pm. His interment will be in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers you consider giving a gift in honor of John to Designated Missions, First Presbyterian Church, 5300 Main St. Houston, TX 77004 or The Davidson Trust, Davidson College, Box 7174 Davidson, NC 28035.

John H. Thompson Jr., age 96, passed away Thursday, January 15, 2015 at Carver Living Center after a long period of declining health. He was born on July 5, 1918 to the late Henry and Ila Thompson of Winston-Salem, NC. He attended public schools there and graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School in 1935. He furthered his education at Davidson College and Texas A&M University.

In July 1941 he began his U.S. Postal Service career as a substitute clerk in Winston-Salem. Soon afterwards he joined the U.S. Army Air Force at the start of WWII. The Army Air Force gave him additional education and bombardier training. After his honorable discharge on November 3, 1945 he returned to Winston-Salem and served as Secretary of the Board of U.S. Civil Service Examiners for three years.

Following that, his next Federal employment was at the Washington, D.C. Terminal. He later transferred to Greensboro, NC to the Postal Transportation Service until the office was discontinued. He then went to work at the Greensboro Post Office as a Mail Dispatch Expediter.

He was later promoted to the position of Methods and Standards Analyst in the Atlanta Region in early 1965 and appointed a Postal Services Officer in 1966. He became the Assistant District Manager and in 1973 retired with 35 years of service. John became a member or the American Legion in early 1946 and served on several committees at the local, District, Division and State levels. While serving as Post Commander during 1978-81 he was selected the NC Legionnaire-of-the-Year for outstanding service.

During the year 1983-84, he served as Department Commander of the American Legion. Since 1979 until health limited his availability, John was a regularly scheduled volunteer at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Durham. During this time he was selected a Key Volunteer three times and served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the V.A. Voluntary Service Advisory Committee.

In 1987 he received the Leadership Award from the V.A. in Durham for Outstanding Service to the Hospitalized Veteran and other programs of the Veterans Administration. More than 3,700 hours of his time was devoted to support of Veterans. John was also a member of Durham Masonic Lodge #352 and the York Rites. He was a charter member of Amran Shrine Temple of Raleigh and a member of BPO Elks Lodge #568. John was a licensed Real Estate Broker and volunteered with Lifeline of Durham for a number of years.

He was a member of Mt. Bethel Presbyterian Church having served as Treasurer, Chairman of the Building Committee and a member of the Church Choir.

John was first married to the late Virginia Krites. Survivors from that marriage are his son John H. Thompson, III (Gerri) of Mauldin, SC; grandson Howie Thompson (Theresa) of Simpsonville, SC; granddaughter Holly Ireland (David); and great grandson Foster, of Simpsonville, SC; sister Molly Bell (Jack) of Winston-Salem, NC; sister Harriet Ledwell of Sarasota, FL; and brother Rev. Gene Thompson (Mary Ann) of Prospect, KY. John’s second marriage was to the late Billie Dority Copeland. Those survivors are stepsons, Tommy Copeland (Judy) of Jacksonville, NC; Danny Copeland (Donna) of Sunset Beach, NC; stepdaughter Katherine Fisher (Gary) of Durham; step-grandson Rob Copeland (Cassaundra), Tom Copeland (Lewellyn), John Fisher (Brenda) and Bryant Copeland (Janae) and eight great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at Clements Funeral Chapel in Durham at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Mt. Bethel Presbyterian Church, 3541 Rose of Sharon Road, Durham, NC 27712.

John’s caregivers, Fran Newman and Martha Long are to be commended for their loving care and special attention to John’s health since mid-2001.

The family is being assisted by Clements Funeral Service, Inc., in Durham, N.C. Online condolences may be made at www.clementsfuneralservice.com.

Albert G. Myers, Jr., 97 of Covenant Village passed away Tuesday, December 22, 2014 at his residence. . Mr Myers was born in Charlotte February 15, 1917 the son of Albert G. Myers, Sr. and Elfreida Nail Myers. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years Kittie Brownlee Myers. Mr. Myers was a life long member of The First United Methodist Church of Gastonia where he served on the Official Board.

He is survived by his daughter, Barbara Brownlee Myers of Gastonia, and son, Albert G. Myers, III (Linda) of Florida; five grandchildren, Cathryn Myers Beasley (Ben) of Gastonia; Albert G. Myers, IV (Leigh) of Charlotte; Philip Young Myers (Kelly); Freida Melvin Poag (Bradley) all of Gastonia; Charles Stedman Melvin, IV (Jennifer) of Charlotte; eleven great-grandchildren Rebecca, Cullen and Greyson Beasley; Ashleigh and William Myers; Lilly and Clara Myers; Rhiannon and Luke Smith; Charles S., V and Chandler Melvin; nieces and nephews, Barbara Brownlee; Judy Brownlee Todd (Charles) all of Tennessee; Kay Brownlee Holley(Henry) of South Carolina; Thomas Myers Shelton(Terry); Stephen Huntley Shelton(Dianna) all of Florida.

Mr. Myers began his education at Davidson and received his BS degree from Erskine College. He completed the Executive Program at UNC Chapel Hill and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Belmont Abby College.

After returning from WWII where he served as a pilot in the US Army Air Corps, primarily in India and China, he went to work at Textiles Incorporated where he retired as Chairman of the Board in 1982. He also served on the boards of Jefferson Pilot Corporation and Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company retiring in 1992.

Mr. Myers was also on the Board of Directors of Citizens National Bank which later became BB&T Financial Corporation, serving 25 years, retiring in 1987. He was past director and Chairman of the Carolina Motor Club AAA and a former director of Wix Corporation, Piedmont & Northern Railroad and Highland Container Corp.

Mr. Myers was very active outside of his work, notably as Trustee of The Crossnore School in Avery County, Trustee of Brevard College, President and Trustee of First Gaston Foundation, President of The Linville Foundation, President of the Gastonia YMCA, Gaston Chamber of Commerce, Combed Yarn Spinners Association, NC Textile Manufactures Association and the NC Textile Foundation.

He was a former Trustee of Gaston College, member of the Board of Advisors of Belmont College and Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management, Lees McRae College and Cannon Memorial Hospital in Avery County.

In his early youth, Mr. Myers was a councilor at the Bud Schiele Boy Scout Camp. That association with Mr. Schiele led to a life long love of scouting, serving as President of The Piedmont Council and later as Chairman of Region 6 Boy Scouts of America.

In addition to earning his Eagle Scout he was awarded the Silver Beaver by the Piedmont and the Silver Antelope by Region 6 BSC, Atlanta. Later he served as President of the Schiele Museum of Natural History.

One of his proudest achievements was serving as Chairman of the Board of Gaston Memorial Hospital during the original construction of what is now Caromont Health. He was honored in 1973 by The Gaston Civitan Club as “Citizen of the Year, in 1979 by Government of Gaston County with the “Distinguished Public Service Award”, and in 1995 by the Community Foundation with the “1995 Sims Award”.

The family will receive friends Friday, December 26, 2014 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at McLean Funeral Directors of Gastonia. A Memorial Service will be held 11:00am, Saturday, December 27, 2014 at First United Methodist Church with Rev. David Christy officiating. The family will greet friends following the service in the Family Life Center. A private service of entombment will be held for the family at Gaston Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Linville Foundation, PO Box 99, Linville, NC 28646, or The Crossnore School, PO Box 249, Crossnore, NC 28616, or The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Gaston, PO Box 23, Gastonia, NC 28053.