Below are some extracted Newspaper Articles or portions of Articles that I have collected.  If you need to contact me, please email [email protected]

Lace Yarns, Kings Mountain, N.C. April 1949. Z.F. CRANFORD Dies

Z.F. Cranford, our Division manager at Craftspun Yarns, Inc., died suddenly of a heart attack at his home on March 14. Friends and fellow employees are greatly grieved at the death of this fine man. A well-liked and respected member of the spinning trade for 51 years, he made his many friends through his warm personality. On January 1, 1949, Mr. Cranford was promoted from plant superintendent to Division manager. He is survived by his wife five sons and three daughters. The funeral was held from the El Bethel Methodist Church, Wednesday afternoon, march 16, with interment at Albemarle, North Carolina. (article later goes on to talk about the gentleman who took my great grandfather's position at the workplace).

THE CHARLOTTE NEWS

Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday, April 28, 1966

Mom Watches From Wheelchair

One 'Beret' Was Special

By Bernard Curtis - News Staff Writer

(my grandmother's handwritten note at the top of the article states (now I'ver got another son-named Joe.  Mistakes- should - shouted.  wher's - where did).

The Green Berets were scampering up and down their 45-foot tower out on Independence Blvd. yesterday, and cheering them on, right there on the front line, was a white-haired lady in a borrowed wheelchair. "It's just amazing," siad Lillian LEWIS, who had talked the self-care unit at Memorial Hospital into letting her out for the afternoon.  No offense to the others, but Mrs. LEWIS had come to see one man in particular- Staff Sgt. Bill CRANFORD, her thried son, just back from three years in the Pacific.  She hadn't seen him for six weeks.  Not so bad?  The reason for the seperation was that five weeks ago tomorrow Mrs. LEWIS fell and broker her hip in the textile mill where she works. She hadn't been outside since.  "The idea to get her out was hatched yesterday morning at breakfast," explained Marvin DAVIS, a fellow patient in the self-care unit.  Monroe resident DAVIS listened to Mrs. LEWIS as she lamented that she'd "sure like to see the Green Berets."  He called The News .  Later that day, a reporter called for St. CRANFORD's mother.  Mrs. LEWIS, who has three career soldiers among her five sons and one daughter, said she "was thrilled to death to be going."  "I've been hearing Bill talk about all these things for years," she siad.  "But I never really got a chance to see what he and Joe and Bob meant."  (Joe is in Formosa, Bob in Taiwan, both in the Army.  (Note:  Bob was in the Navy, Joe is actually Don).  In among the "static denomstrations," the double line of 12 displays of weapons and equipment used by Special Forces and set up in Courtesy Ford's parking lot, Mrs. LEWIS asked a pair of soldiers where Sgt. CRANFORD was.  "I'm his mother."  The sergeant standing in the scuba booth grinned broadly and should to another soldier, "Hey.... tell CRANFORD his mother wants him."  "Where's you get the wheelchair?" her burly, 30-year-old son asked.  Mrs. LEWIS explained that the hospital lent it to her for the afternoon.  "I'm learning to walk again, Bill, but all this standing up would be too much for me, I think."  "You're getting back your weight, Bill."  Eighteen pounds in six weeks at Ft. Bragg, he allowed.  Almost back to normal.  "His wife told me he eats every two hours,"  Mrs. LEWIS said to all.  They inspected the "halo" equipment display.  Sgtr. CRANFORD explained that the term stands for "high altitude, low opening" parahute drops. His best jump, he said, was from 33, 300 feet with a two minute 40 second delay.  The bumpy ride across teh unpaved lot to the show area didn't bother her hip, and no, she wasn't chilly.  Mrs. LEWIS thought the 15-minute radio broadcast was "nice" (WBT radio sponsoring the four-day Special Forces appearance).  She liked the tower maneuvers but most of all, she and the 700 other spectators like the hand to hand combat.  "That time when one man threw another man over his shoulder with a belt around the other man's neck...couldn't that hurt somebody?" She asked.

Note: I would like to take this time to thank all who had a part in the making of this article.  My uncle and my grandmother are long since passed away, and the folks who helped plan the "escape from the hosptial, the folks at the Charlotte News, the staff writer, Bernard Curtis, the gentleman who took the photo of my grandmother and her son,  news staff photo - Jeep Hunter, the folks that do not come to mind at the moment, all of you could never have known how much this single article and photo would come to mean in my life.  I loved them both with all my heart, we were raised to stand up for our Country and the sight of my grandmother holding that rifle moves me to tears to this day.  I was only 4 years old when this article was written, without it, I would never have this cherished memory.  The words "thank you"  just does not seem to do the work justice.  To me, this article and photo is more important than I could ever express in words.  I thank you all!

© Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005.  Cathy Cranford  All Rights Reserved.

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