Right-to-life fight ends

Local survey: Most think courts erred in Terri Schiavo case rulings

April 1, 2005

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

From outrage and criticism of the courts to relief that her struggle was finally over, people in Greenwood and the Lakelands reacted Thursday to the Terri Schiavo right-to-life case.
Most people surveyed believed the courts were wrong in not allowing a feeding tube to be reinserted, a contentious matter that pitted Schiavo’s husband, Michael, against her parents in a long legal battle. Terri Schiavo died 13 days after the feeding tube was removed, and legal avenues to order it reinserted were exhausted.
“It’s not right,” said Butch Palmore, of Saluda, of Schiavo’s death.
Terri Schiavo collapsed at age 26 after battles with weight led to an eating disorder, and she suffered severe brain damage as her brain was deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes before she was revived. She spent 15 years connected to a feeding tube.
“She was still breathing on her own. They were basically starving her,” said Meg Poston, of Greenwood.
“I don’t think it was right. I don’t think they should have let her starve to death,” said Rhonda Eustace, of Greenwood.
Others felt a measure of relief that the woman caught in a legal and media firestorm over decisions that she could not make for herself was finally at peace.
“I’m relieved because she isn’t suffering anymore, but it was inhumane that the law let her starve to death,” said Lisa Sullivan, of Ware Shoals.
“I turned on my computer and saw that she had died, and I was pretty upset. I know she couldn’t do much, but I think they should have given her life – at least until the Lord took her Himself,” said Rebecca Shealy, of Chapin, a Lander University student.
The Terri Schiavo case did serve as an awareness spur on the issue of living wills. Schiavo did not have a document outlining her wishes in the event she was hit with a devastating illness, and there was evidence nationwide that people were becoming more aware of the need to discuss these desires with their loved ones.
“I was torn between the two (sides) until I saw ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ (an Oscar-winning boxing move with a mercy-killing theme) and I talked to my aunt, who is a nurse. The only thing (Schiavo) needed was a feeding tube, so I think they starved her to death,” said Allison Holloway, of Greenwood.
“It’s wrong,” said Zebedee Adams, of Saluda. “They should (have) let her eat, let her live. I don’t think you should take somebody’s life like that. If she’s going to pass, it should be because of natural causes — not because they’re unplugging a machine.”
President Bush, his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and other state and federal lawmakers tried to intervene in the Schiavo matter. But state and federal courts steadfastly ruled in her husband’s favor, and six times the U.S. Supreme Court decided it would not intervene.
That drew the ire of some people interviewed Thursday in Greenwood.
“It was ridiculous – they should have let her live. I don’t think (the courts) should take life away from people,” said Ryan Shepherd, of Greenwood.
“(The courts) don’t have the right to take a life away. The courts can’t act like they own someone and make that decision,” said Caleb Shelton, of Greenwood.
For others, the national controversy was not as clear-cut.
“In a way, I see both sides of the issue. I hate that things turned out they way they did and my heart goes out to her parents and siblings,” said Carol Bush, of Greenwood.
Ware Shoals resident Danielle Culbertson, a nursing student at Piedmont Tech, said that her feelings also are mixed, divided by her personal feelings and her professional ones.
“If that was (Terri Schiavo’s) wish not to have a feeding tube, her family should respect that,” Culbertson said.
“I don’t think it’s right to starve people to death,” said Pat Hart, of Hodges, adding that she believed it would be a different matter if it were a breathing tube.
Following an autopsy, Terri Schiavo’s body is to be cremated and the ashes buried in Pennsylvania. A funeral Mass also is planned for next week.

Index-Journal staff writers Wallace McBride, Tasha Steimer, Shavonne Potts and Megan Varner contributed to this story.

Triathlons coming in two weeks

April 1, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

As an avid triathlete, David Gurley wanted to find some way to bring his sport to the youths of Greenwood.
So last year, he helped organize the inaugural Kid’s Triathlon, as an opening act to the Greenwood YMCA’s annual Sprint Triathlon.
Now, Gurley can’t wait to see how the the triathlon does in its second go-around.
The Kid’s Triathlon will kick off at 2 p.m. April 16, with the sixth annual Sprint Triathlon scheduled to start 8 a.m. the following day.
“The first time we did the kids event, I was scared to death,” Gurley said.
“The course worked out great and there were so many volunteers and such a great presence of law enforcement that we were really able to control things. I then knew it would be OK to do what we did this year.”
The second annual Kids Triathlon, which is for boys and girls ages 5-12, will run on the same course as last year.
The children start with a 100-yard swim in the YMCA’s indoor pool, before heading out on a 3-mile bike ride and finishing with a 1-mile run.
Awards will be presented for an overall boy and girl finisher as well as first, second and third for each age group.
This year’s race will have a new overall boys and girls champion, as the inaugural winners Michael Adams (21 minutes, 19 seconds) and Chelsea Kilburn (23:01), both from Greenwood, were 12 years old.
The Sprint Triathlon, for competitors 13 and up, will be a 300-yard swim, 20K bike ride and a 5K run.
Greenville’s Jamie Church won the race last year with a time of 52:30, while Greenville’s Laura Church was the female winner, finishing in 1:07:13.
Registration is open for both events until race day.
The cost for the Kid’s Triathlon ranges from $15 to $23, depending on the date of registration, while the Sprint Triathlon ranges from $45 to $64.
Gurley was pleased with the turnout of 58 boys and girls for the inaugural Kids Triathlon. But after the successful outcome of that first race, he wanted to expand it.
So, after meeting with members of the YMCA and Dr. John Cathcart, whose Lakelands Orthopaedic Clinic sponsors the two races, Gurley went to area middle and elementary schools to recruit future triathletes.
“We knew that if we were going to get to these kids, we needed to do it through the schools,” he said. “So, we had a meeting with all of the P.E teachers about what we were trying to do. We set goals and started a competition between the schools. The school with the most participation – one middle and one elementary – will receive a $500 gift certificate to Action Sports for their P.E program.”
His work paid off, as Gurley said he has more than 150 participants now and hopes to see that number reach 200.
But Gurley and the members of the YMCA don’t want the vast number of new triathletes to enter the upcoming race unprepared.
“The Y(MCA) has put on swim clinics for the kids that needed help with the swimming part of the race,” Gurley said. “They said as long as they were signed up for the race, whether they were a Y member or not, you could go up and swim.”
While the YMCA has been handling one phase of the three-pronged event, Gurley has been holding a triathlon camp for biking and running every Saturday morning up until race day from 10-11:30 a.m. at the YMCA soccer fields.
“We’re running, we’re biking, we’re doing all sorts of crazy stuff,” he said. “We’re trying to show them how to do all phases of the race.
“We’re getting new people all of the time. We have a few that come to just one or two and we have some that have come to all of them.”

Opinion

Child’s learning process begins with its parents

April 1, 2005

A child’s motivation for learning is developed long before he enters school. That’s a fact supported by experts and studies.
Those experts say that what parents do during those early years is important in creating this motivation. They are saying nothing that hasn’t been said many times before, only in different words, perhaps.
Experts have been advising us for years that the formative years for children determine by and large the direction their lives take.
There are numerous exceptions, to be sure, but the evidence too often proves the experts correct.

WE ADULTS SPEND CONSIDERABLE time nowadays complaining about the attitudes of youngsters and the things they do or don’t do. That’s all right. Complaining sometimes helps get rid of frustration. More often than not, though, the thing that helps most is setting good examples.
There’s an old saying about “monkey see, monkey do.” Humans, of course, aren’t monkeys. It just that on occasion our actions create simian impressions. So, if the experts are right – and they usually are – then when we complain about the actions of youth, aren’t we indicting ourselves? Children, more than anything, deserve the best of everything. Too many of them, however, never get the best of anything.
Child abuse has been discussed often by various officials in South Carolina. But child abuse is more than physical mistreatment. It is a multifaceted problem that also encompasses such things as a lack of parental and familial love and affection, attention ….. and understanding.

THAT LITTLE TIME SO IMPORTANT to children is often denied them in the hassle of rushing to meetings, earning a living or facing normal, everyday realities. It’s not always meant to be that way. It just happens sometimes.
There can be no more important goal than finding time to give children. We owe them that. One expert has suggested substituting the “children’s hour” for the cocktail hour. That’s an excellent idea. It might be added that the “children’s hour” would be a good substitute for a multitude of things that rob children of the “warm times” that should be theirs.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

John Earl Anderson

ANDERSON, SC – Mr. John Earl Anderson, age 81, husband of Gladys Majeski Anderson of 311 Simpson Road, Anderson, SC, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at NHC Health Care in Anderson.
Born in Greenwood County on April 12, 1923, Mr. Anderson was the son of the late Fred Anderson and Lila Tinsley Anderson. He was retired from Reigel Textile and was a United States Navy veteran. He was a member of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Survivors include his wife, Gladys Majeski Anderson of the home; sons, Mike Smith of Anderson, SC and Wayne Anderson of Ware Shoals, SC; a nephew who grew up in the home, Eddie Burton of Hickory Tavern, SC; four grandsons, Steve Anderson and Joey Anderson, both of Virginia, David Smith and Andrew Smith, both of Anderson, SC and two great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Edith Anderson and a daughter, Susan Anderson.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2005 at 2:30PM at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church officiated by Pastor Howard Jones. Interment will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens in Greenwood, SC.
Mr. Anderson will be placed in the church at 1:30PM where the family will receive friends from 1:30PM to 2:30PM on Saturday.
The family will be at the home of Mike and Darlene Smith, 1718 E. Park Drive, Anderson, SC.
Flowers are optional. Memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
THE MCDOUGALD FUNERAL HOME is in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY

Chester Cueman

HONEA PATH — Chester “Chet” LeRoy Cueman, 87, of 5 Pinetree Drive, husband of Barbara Fletcher Cueman, died Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at Anderson Area Medical Center.
Born in Bloomfield, N.J., he was a son of the late Stephen and Irene Nelson Cueman. He was a member of Honea Path First Presbyterian Church and a World War II Army veteran, serving in the Pacific Theatre. He retired as a chief of accounting after 35 years with Riegel Textile Corp.
Survivors include a son, Glenn Cueman of Davidson, N.C.; a brother, Kenneth Cueman of Beachwood, N.J.; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are 11 a.m. Saturday at the Garden of Memories, conducted by the Rev. James Moss.
Visitation is 10-11 Saturday at Pruitt Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to Honea Path First Presbyterian Church, Box 512, Honea Path, SC 29654.
Pruitt Funeral Home is in charge.

Malinda Mays Keller

DONALDS — Malinda Mays Keller, 92, of 311 Dunn’s Creek Road, died Sunday, March 27, 2005 at her home.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late Paul and Mamie Latimer Mays. She attended Greenwood County public schools and was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hodges.
Survivors include her husband, William Keller Sr. of the home; two sons, Ernest Napoleon Keller of Honea Path and Roy F. Keller of Greenwood; eight daughters, Johnnie Shackleford of Dayton, Ohio, Juliette Green of Philadelphia, Mary Blakely of Greenville; Linda Gail Keller and Shirley Rouse, both of Hodges, Betty Keller, Ruby Hughes and Ida “Pinkey” Keller, all of Donalds; three sisters, Willie Dotson of Greenwood, Katherine Timms of Dayton and Lelia Patton of Honea Path; 31 grandchildren; 55 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Services are 1 p.m. Saturday at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hodges, conducted by Ministers Franklin Jones, Donald Foulkes and Johnnie Davis. The body will be placed in the Kingdom Hall at 12. Burial is in Dunn Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Donalds.
Visitation is 7-8 tonight at Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals.
Robinson-Walker Funeral Service is in charge.

Luiella Norman

Services for Luiella Norman, of 121 Norman Road, are 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Cross Road Baptist Church, Promised Land, conducted by the Rev. Joseph Caldwell, assisted by the Revs. Carnell Morton, Willie Elmore and Lahoma Mosley. The body will be placed in the church at 3. Burial is at Shiloh A.M.E. Church Cemetery, McCormick.
Pallbearers are nephews.
Flower bearers are nieces.
The family is at the home.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com