The eldest son of Thomas Crawford Lovelace and Mary Essie Ledford. A native of Cleveland County, N.C., he was the son of a sharecropper and sawmill owner. At the end of each school day, he would report to his father, to assist him in the operation of raising crops in the fields, or at other times, he would help his father stack the "slabs" at the steam powered sawmill. In those days, sawmill owner's didn't usually earn a lot of money, but they sawed a lot of logs.
When the drum beats of World War II enveloped this nation, my father would offer his service in both the US Army and the Army Air Corps. During his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he was engaged in a very peculiar exercise that would almost end his life. The soldiers were catapulting a trainee from one point to another point, where another group of soldiers were poised to "catch" the flying soldier at the other end. When they tossed my father high into the air, no one was there to catch him on the other side. He landed on his head, and suffered a critical concussion. He would be comatose for a period of time and spent many days in the infirmary. He suffered a great deal and his injuries were very serious. One of the effects from the fall shut down the acid in his stomach, which would never return. When a catastrophic fire occurred at the base years later, his personnel records were destroyed by the fire. When he needed the Veteran's Administration the most, they would not attend to his medical needs due to a lack of evidence.
He finished out his tour of duty in the Motor-pool.
After the war ended, he obtained a management position in a local "5 & Dime" store in Gastonia. A delightful young woman who worked in the candy department, caught my father's eye and their relationship blossomed into their marriage. Her name was Myrtis E. Howell, a native of Gaston County.
Their first child, a daughter was born in 1946 whom they named Stephanie Diane.
My father had graduated from Evans Community College in Commerce and landed a position at the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. in Gaston County.
The next child to arrive was my oldest brother Leslie Steven in 1950. Then another son, Richard Lee was born in 1951.
My father was offered a regional manager's position with Sherwin-Williams in a newly proposed store in Asheville, N.C. He accepted the position and the family moved to Asheville in 1955. He was employed with Sherwin-Williams for 33 years, until he was told that he was "too old" to be store manager. Ironically, he was replaced by a man that was older than himself. He sued for age discrimination and won in the lower courts, but once the company dispatched all of their sharp dressed "Philadelphia" attorneys on the case, he lost in the Superior Court and was forced to pay thousands in court costs and attorney fees.
My father joined Calvary Baptist Church by letter on Dec. 7, 1955 and my mother joined by baptism on Nov. 27, 1955. My father served as a Deacon and the Sunday School Director. He would later teach a Sunday School Class for the 30-40 year old department.
My father was a Freemason, who had transferred from Lodge #369 in Gastonia, N.C. Secretary D.C. McClain reported that dad was a member of Good Standing on Feb. 14, 1957, at Lodge #369. He joined Lodge #650 in West Asheville on March 14, 1957 and was elected to the membership on April 11, 1957. He completed his Apprentice Degree on June 15, 1951. He completed his Fellow Craft Degree on July 10, 1951 and finished his Master Mason Degree on July 27, 1951. He also received a 25 year award in Lodge #650.
He was inducted into the Asheville Kiwanis Club in 1955, serving as a Kiwanis Board Member, and as a distinguished Past President in 1961.
He was also a member of the Asheville Chapter of the Men's Garden Club.
He was a member of the Asheville City Schools PTA.
He was a former member of the Asheville Jaycees.
Dad was also active in the United Way and served on the Board of the Irene Wortham Center in Asheville.
He was Past President of the Rhododendron Council in the Asheville Boy Scouts.
He was Past President of the Asheville Merchants Association and was a distinguished Chairman and Board Member for his involvement in the Asheville Christmas Parade.
Dad was also Chairman and a distinguished Board Member of the Western North Carolina Air Pollution Control Board. He served on the Board from July 1973 until July of 1979, and was Chairman from May of 1974 to August of 1978. He was responsible for blueprinting a compost pile in November of 1973 and he succeeded in getting the EPA to investigate the former Superfund site, Chemtronics, who manufactured US DOD weapons, nerve gases, propellants, munitions, geo-thermal explosives and other top secret chemicals.
He taught Furniture Refinishing at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 1978 - 1990. He and I were the premier furniture re-finisher's in this area for many years.
He had resided in Asheville, N.C. for 56 years.
I do this to honor my late father, whom I always loved and respected.
When the drum beats of World War II enveloped this nation, my father would offer his service in both the US Army and the Army Air Corps. During his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he was engaged in a very peculiar exercise that would almost end his life. The soldiers were catapulting a trainee from one point to another point, where another group of soldiers were poised to "catch" the flying soldier at the other end. When they tossed my father high into the air, no one was there to catch him on the other side. He landed on his head, and suffered a critical concussion. He would be comatose for a period of time and spent many days in the infirmary. He suffered a great deal and his injuries were very serious. One of the effects from the fall shut down the acid in his stomach, which would never return. When a catastrophic fire occurred at the base years later, his personnel records were destroyed by the fire. When he needed the Veteran's Administration the most, they would not attend to his medical needs due to a lack of evidence.
He finished out his tour of duty in the Motor-pool.
After the war ended, he obtained a management position in a local "5 & Dime" store in Gastonia. A delightful young woman who worked in the candy department, caught my father's eye and their relationship blossomed into their marriage. Her name was Myrtis E. Howell, a native of Gaston County.
Their first child, a daughter was born in 1946 whom they named Stephanie Diane.
My father had graduated from Evans Community College in Commerce and landed a position at the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. in Gaston County.
The next child to arrive was my oldest brother Leslie Steven in 1950. Then another son, Richard Lee was born in 1951.
My father was offered a regional manager's position with Sherwin-Williams in a newly proposed store in Asheville, N.C. He accepted the position and the family moved to Asheville in 1955. He was employed with Sherwin-Williams for 33 years, until he was told that he was "too old" to be store manager. Ironically, he was replaced by a man that was older than himself. He sued for age discrimination and won in the lower courts, but once the company dispatched all of their sharp dressed "Philadelphia" attorneys on the case, he lost in the Superior Court and was forced to pay thousands in court costs and attorney fees.
My father joined Calvary Baptist Church by letter on Dec. 7, 1955 and my mother joined by baptism on Nov. 27, 1955. My father served as a Deacon and the Sunday School Director. He would later teach a Sunday School Class for the 30-40 year old department.
My father was a Freemason, who had transferred from Lodge #369 in Gastonia, N.C. Secretary D.C. McClain reported that dad was a member of Good Standing on Feb. 14, 1957, at Lodge #369. He joined Lodge #650 in West Asheville on March 14, 1957 and was elected to the membership on April 11, 1957. He completed his Apprentice Degree on June 15, 1951. He completed his Fellow Craft Degree on July 10, 1951 and finished his Master Mason Degree on July 27, 1951. He also received a 25 year award in Lodge #650.
He was inducted into the Asheville Kiwanis Club in 1955, serving as a Kiwanis Board Member, and as a distinguished Past President in 1961.
He was also a member of the Asheville Chapter of the Men's Garden Club.
He was a member of the Asheville City Schools PTA.
He was a former member of the Asheville Jaycees.
Dad was also active in the United Way and served on the Board of the Irene Wortham Center in Asheville.
He was Past President of the Rhododendron Council in the Asheville Boy Scouts.
He was Past President of the Asheville Merchants Association and was a distinguished Chairman and Board Member for his involvement in the Asheville Christmas Parade.
Dad was also Chairman and a distinguished Board Member of the Western North Carolina Air Pollution Control Board. He served on the Board from July 1973 until July of 1979, and was Chairman from May of 1974 to August of 1978. He was responsible for blueprinting a compost pile in November of 1973 and he succeeded in getting the EPA to investigate the former Superfund site, Chemtronics, who manufactured US DOD weapons, nerve gases, propellants, munitions, geo-thermal explosives and other top secret chemicals.
He taught Furniture Refinishing at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 1978 - 1990. He and I were the premier furniture re-finisher's in this area for many years.
He had resided in Asheville, N.C. for 56 years.
I do this to honor my late father, whom I always loved and respected.
The eldest son of Thomas Crawford Lovelace and Mary Essie Ledford. A native of Cleveland County, N.C., he was the son of a sharecropper and sawmill owner. At the end of each school day, he would report to his father, to assist him in the operation of raising crops in the fields, or at other times, he would help his father stack the "slabs" at the steam powered sawmill. In those days, sawmill owner's didn't usually earn a lot of money, but they sawed a lot of logs.
When the drum beats of World War II enveloped this nation, my father would offer his service in both the US Army and the Army Air Corps. During his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he was engaged in a very peculiar exercise that would almost end his life. The soldiers were catapulting a trainee from one point to another point, where another group of soldiers were poised to "catch" the flying soldier at the other end. When they tossed my father high into the air, no one was there to catch him on the other side. He landed on his head, and suffered a critical concussion. He would be comatose for a period of time and spent many days in the infirmary. He suffered a great deal and his injuries were very serious. One of the effects from the fall shut down the acid in his stomach, which would never return. When a catastrophic fire occurred at the base years later, his personnel records were destroyed by the fire. When he needed the Veteran's Administration the most, they would not attend to his medical needs due to a lack of evidence.
He finished out his tour of duty in the Motor-pool.
After the war ended, he obtained a management position in a local "5 & Dime" store in Gastonia. A delightful young woman who worked in the candy department, caught my father's eye and their relationship blossomed into their marriage. Her name was Myrtis E. Howell, a native of Gaston County.
Their first child, a daughter was born in 1946 whom they named Stephanie Diane.
My father had graduated from Evans Community College in Commerce and landed a position at the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. in Gaston County.
The next child to arrive was my oldest brother Leslie Steven in 1950. Then another son, Richard Lee was born in 1951.
My father was offered a regional manager's position with Sherwin-Williams in a newly proposed store in Asheville, N.C. He accepted the position and the family moved to Asheville in 1955. He was employed with Sherwin-Williams for 33 years, until he was told that he was "too old" to be store manager. Ironically, he was replaced by a man that was older than himself. He sued for age discrimination and won in the lower courts, but once the company dispatched all of their sharp dressed "Philadelphia" attorneys on the case, he lost in the Superior Court and was forced to pay thousands in court costs and attorney fees.
My father joined Calvary Baptist Church by letter on Dec. 7, 1955 and my mother joined by baptism on Nov. 27, 1955. My father served as a Deacon and the Sunday School Director. He would later teach a Sunday School Class for the 30-40 year old department.
My father was a Freemason, who had transferred from Lodge #369 in Gastonia, N.C. Secretary D.C. McClain reported that dad was a member of Good Standing on Feb. 14, 1957, at Lodge #369. He joined Lodge #650 in West Asheville on March 14, 1957 and was elected to the membership on April 11, 1957. He completed his Apprentice Degree on June 15, 1951. He completed his Fellow Craft Degree on July 10, 1951 and finished his Master Mason Degree on July 27, 1951. He also received a 25 year award in Lodge #650.
He was inducted into the Asheville Kiwanis Club in 1955, serving as a Kiwanis Board Member, and as a distinguished Past President in 1961.
He was also a member of the Asheville Chapter of the Men's Garden Club.
He was a member of the Asheville City Schools PTA.
He was a former member of the Asheville Jaycees.
Dad was also active in the United Way and served on the Board of the Irene Wortham Center in Asheville.
He was Past President of the Rhododendron Council in the Asheville Boy Scouts.
He was Past President of the Asheville Merchants Association and was a distinguished Chairman and Board Member for his involvement in the Asheville Christmas Parade.
Dad was also Chairman and a distinguished Board Member of the Western North Carolina Air Pollution Control Board. He served on the Board from July 1973 until July of 1979, and was Chairman from May of 1974 to August of 1978. He was responsible for blueprinting a compost pile in November of 1973 and he succeeded in getting the EPA to investigate the former Superfund site, Chemtronics, who manufactured US DOD weapons, nerve gases, propellants, munitions, geo-thermal explosives and other top secret chemicals.
He taught Furniture Refinishing at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 1978 - 1990. He and I were the premier furniture re-finisher's in this area for many years.
He had resided in Asheville, N.C. for 56 years.
I do this to honor my late father, whom I always loved and respected.
When the drum beats of World War II enveloped this nation, my father would offer his service in both the US Army and the Army Air Corps. During his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he was engaged in a very peculiar exercise that would almost end his life. The soldiers were catapulting a trainee from one point to another point, where another group of soldiers were poised to "catch" the flying soldier at the other end. When they tossed my father high into the air, no one was there to catch him on the other side. He landed on his head, and suffered a critical concussion. He would be comatose for a period of time and spent many days in the infirmary. He suffered a great deal and his injuries were very serious. One of the effects from the fall shut down the acid in his stomach, which would never return. When a catastrophic fire occurred at the base years later, his personnel records were destroyed by the fire. When he needed the Veteran's Administration the most, they would not attend to his medical needs due to a lack of evidence.
He finished out his tour of duty in the Motor-pool.
After the war ended, he obtained a management position in a local "5 & Dime" store in Gastonia. A delightful young woman who worked in the candy department, caught my father's eye and their relationship blossomed into their marriage. Her name was Myrtis E. Howell, a native of Gaston County.
Their first child, a daughter was born in 1946 whom they named Stephanie Diane.
My father had graduated from Evans Community College in Commerce and landed a position at the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. in Gaston County.
The next child to arrive was my oldest brother Leslie Steven in 1950. Then another son, Richard Lee was born in 1951.
My father was offered a regional manager's position with Sherwin-Williams in a newly proposed store in Asheville, N.C. He accepted the position and the family moved to Asheville in 1955. He was employed with Sherwin-Williams for 33 years, until he was told that he was "too old" to be store manager. Ironically, he was replaced by a man that was older than himself. He sued for age discrimination and won in the lower courts, but once the company dispatched all of their sharp dressed "Philadelphia" attorneys on the case, he lost in the Superior Court and was forced to pay thousands in court costs and attorney fees.
My father joined Calvary Baptist Church by letter on Dec. 7, 1955 and my mother joined by baptism on Nov. 27, 1955. My father served as a Deacon and the Sunday School Director. He would later teach a Sunday School Class for the 30-40 year old department.
My father was a Freemason, who had transferred from Lodge #369 in Gastonia, N.C. Secretary D.C. McClain reported that dad was a member of Good Standing on Feb. 14, 1957, at Lodge #369. He joined Lodge #650 in West Asheville on March 14, 1957 and was elected to the membership on April 11, 1957. He completed his Apprentice Degree on June 15, 1951. He completed his Fellow Craft Degree on July 10, 1951 and finished his Master Mason Degree on July 27, 1951. He also received a 25 year award in Lodge #650.
He was inducted into the Asheville Kiwanis Club in 1955, serving as a Kiwanis Board Member, and as a distinguished Past President in 1961.
He was also a member of the Asheville Chapter of the Men's Garden Club.
He was a member of the Asheville City Schools PTA.
He was a former member of the Asheville Jaycees.
Dad was also active in the United Way and served on the Board of the Irene Wortham Center in Asheville.
He was Past President of the Rhododendron Council in the Asheville Boy Scouts.
He was Past President of the Asheville Merchants Association and was a distinguished Chairman and Board Member for his involvement in the Asheville Christmas Parade.
Dad was also Chairman and a distinguished Board Member of the Western North Carolina Air Pollution Control Board. He served on the Board from July 1973 until July of 1979, and was Chairman from May of 1974 to August of 1978. He was responsible for blueprinting a compost pile in November of 1973 and he succeeded in getting the EPA to investigate the former Superfund site, Chemtronics, who manufactured US DOD weapons, nerve gases, propellants, munitions, geo-thermal explosives and other top secret chemicals.
He taught Furniture Refinishing at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 1978 - 1990. He and I were the premier furniture re-finisher's in this area for many years.
He had resided in Asheville, N.C. for 56 years.
I do this to honor my late father, whom I always loved and respected.
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