Betty Lee Sparks

Betty Lee was born on 24 June 1926, the fourth child of Robert Lee Sparks and Ebber Sloan Bostic. She graduated from Cliffside High School in 1945 and was married 23 February 1946 in Gaffney, South Carolina, to Frank Thad Splawn. Their first child, Terry Lynn, was born at the Rutherford County Hospital on 28 July 1947.

Betty was employed briefly with Cone Mills in Cliffside before the couple moved to Elon College for Frank to enter college. After moving to Elon College, Betty was employed for several months at Western Electric in Burlington, NC, until the birth of their second child, Michael Frank, on 29 November 1957 at Alamance County Hospital in Burlington, NC. Robert Curtis, the third child of Betty and Frank, was born 19 April 1959 in Moore County Hospital in Pinehurst, NC while the family was living in Robbins, NC. Their next move was to Siler City. NC. Their fourth child, Donald Lee, was born 20 May 1959 at Chatham Memorial Hospital in Siler City. In 1960 the Splawns moved to Boiling Springs, NC. Betty was employed for several years at Hudson Hosiery in Shelby, NC. In 1968 Betty opened her own day care center, Park-a-Tot, which she operated in the basement of her home for twenty-two years before retiring in 1989. Her caring and loving attitude toward children kept her day care center full, with people waiting to enroll their children. She influenced the lives of hundreds of children through the years. Her love for children has been shown in her devoted attention to her own grandchildren.

Frank Thad Splawn was born 22 June 1928 in Cliffside, NC. He was the youngest of three children born to Doyle Curtis Splawn and Nettie Padgett. Frank loved sports and took an active role in sports at Cliffside High School. He graduated in 1945. After graduating from high school, Frank was employed by Cone Mills in Cliffside before enlisting in the Army in 1948 and serving a one-year term. He returned to Cone Mills before going back into the Army Reserve in active duty from September 1950 until April 1952, serving for some time in Korea. After his discharge from the Army, Frank enrolled in Elon College in 1952, graduating with a mathematics degree in 1955. He taught math for two years at Elise High School in Robbins, NC. Frank was employed by the NC Department of Motor Vehicles for thirty years. He trained school bus drivers, Driver Education teachers, and conducted traffic violator classes. The last eight years before his retirement in 1985, he was active in the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Frank coached Little League baseball teams for several years and served on the Cleveland County Board of Health for several years. He is presently working part time with Kendall Drug. Betty and Frank are members of Cliffside Baptist Church and live in Boiling Springs, N. C.  

From Some of the Ancestors and Descendents of Robert Lee Sparks and Ebber Sloan Bostic by Jimmy Louis Sparks, 1999