Former middle school building will house Magic Johnson center

July 2, 2005

By VIC MacDONALD and JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writers

Greenwood is bracing for Magic time.
The announcement that the Magic Johnson Foundation has awarded Greenwood one of five Empowerment Center Grants for rural areas in South Carolina has brought forth the possibility that the basketball legend might one day be on hand to open a local center named in his honor at the former Brewer Middle School facility.
“We’d like to get Magic to come to the neighborhood. I will be talking with Magic or his people one on one,” said Joe Patton, executive director of the Greenwood-based GLEAMNS human services agency and a key person in the effort to secure funding for the center. “If one of his centers is here, it is imperative that he make an appearance in the community.”
Local youths at the Greenwood Family YMCA were excited.
When asked if he’d like to meet Magic Johnson, 6-year-old Jordan Coleman’s eyes got wide. He grinned and nodded emphatically.
“I’d really like to meet him,” Coleman said. “He’s a good basketball player. I’d tell him ‘thank you’ for coming here and I’d ask how many games he won.”
Some were surprised.
“Really? Magic Johnson might come here,” said Dayla Bands, 13. “That’d be really cool if it happened.”
Bands said she would definitely go to the technology center when it opens in Greenwood. Others agreed.
“I think that’d be cool if they opened one of those here, and especially if Magic Johnson came,” said Nick Shahan, 13.
Kelvin Louden, 9, said he would go to the center and would like to get the chance to meet Magic Johnson “because he’s a celebrity.”
Patton said the Magic Johnson Empowerment Center is one of the uses envisioned for Brewer now that the middle school is being replaced by a new Brewer Middle School, slated to open this summer. GLEAMNS has control of the building, but Patton said the center “is not a GLEAMNS project. It’s a community project.”
The former black high school and a former teaching hospital for blacks along with the relocated Benjamin Mays House are all tied into a “hallowed ground of learning” theme for the campus, Patton said. A Greenwood native, Mays was a renowned educator and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr.
He said he thinks the former school’s media room is a perfect fit for one of the Magic Johnson Center’s main components — an area furnished with top-of-the-line computers to teach youths those skills and allow people to connect to high-tech job and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The gym would be perfect for one of Johnson’s favorite projects — Midnight Magic basketball — Patton said. Of course, the gym would have to be painted the Los Angeles Lakers’ purple and gold.
“And we’d be glad to do that!” Patton said.
“I think it would be a good thing for Greenwood. It’d give kids something new to do,” said Mandrell Jones, YMCA assistant camp director.
Jones said he would go to the center, “at least to check it out.”
“It’s an excellent opportunity all across Greenwood County,” said Gonza Bryant, a Greenwood county councilman who serves the district that includes the former Brewer.
Also, Bryant said, the project would help preserve a building of importance to Greenwood’s black community. “It will give Greenwood some excellent exposure,” he said.
Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown and other key people in the community attended an initial meeting about the prospective center, sponsored by the S.C. Department of Commerce. “It has a huge potential for our citizens,” he said.
The Magic Johnson Empowerment Centers in Greenwood and the four other S.C. communities chosen — Bennettsville, Eastover, Lake City and Orangeburg — will be the first in the nation designated for rural areas. The foundation will invest about $1.25 million in the five communities to create the centers.
A Department of Commerce announcement said the centers “will provide access to a variety of Web-based learning applications, technology and training, giving area residents access to a quality learning environment and increasing access to business and high-tech job opportunities.”
The foundation has worked since 2000 to help eliminate the “digital divide” by setting up centers in under-served communities, the announcement said.
Learning opportunities at the Magic Johnson Empowerment Center will steer children in the direction of laying a good foundation for future success, Patton said, and steer them away from more “in vogue” pursuits, such as drugs and street life. Along the way, they’ll benefit from a star athlete’s generosity and vision, he said.
“Magic is a mighty big guy,” said Patton, who met Johnson at a center dedication in Jacksonville, Fla. “He is someone kids can look up to as a mentor. And he’s returned some of his funds to the community.”

Charles Anderson II

WAYNESVILLE, Ohio — Charles “Chuck” William Anderson II, 41, formerly of Xenia, formerly of Greenwood, S.C., died Tuesday, June 21, 2005 at Quaker Heights Nursing Home in Waynesville.
Born in Xenia, he was a son of Charles “Bill” and Oleatha Conley Anderson. He graduated from Xenia High School in 1981 and Lander University, Greenwood, in 1995. He also served in the Air Force.
Survivors include his parents of Xenia; two sisters, Mrs. Gary (Hollie) Sparks of Xenia and Mrs. Don (Cherri) Taylor of Dayton.
A private family memorial service was at McColaugh Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to Quaker Heights Nursing Home, Development Office, P.O. Box 232, Waynesville, OH 45068 or Colitis Foundation, Southwest Ohio Chapter, 8 Triangle Park Drive, Suite 800, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246.
McColaugh Funeral Home, 826 N. Detroit St., Xenia, was in charge.

Riley W. Cain

GREENWOOD — Riley William Cain, 77, of 403 Center Street, widower of Peggy O’Neil Finley Cain, died Thursday, June 30, 2005, at Self Regional Medical Center.
He was born in Abbeville County on Nov. 27, 1927, the son of the late Willie P. and Lula Dunn Cain.
Mr. Cain was a veteran of the U.S. Army, was retired from Liberty Life Insurance Company, and attended Providence Pentecostal Holi-ness Church in Greenwood.
Surviving are one daughter, Kathy Taylor, and husband, Ron, of Greenwood; two sons: Mike Cain and wife, Jo Etta, of Greenwood, and Dennis Cain of Anderson. Five grand-children and six great-grand-children also survive. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Julian and Fred Cain, and two sisters, Edna Todd and Mattie Waters, and by a daughter-in-law, Jane Cain. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Funeral services will be at 2 P.M. Saturday at Providence Pentecostal Holiness Church conducted by the Rev. John Abrams and the Rev. Hayes Riddle. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gar-dens. The body is at Sullivan-King Mortuary, Northeast Chapel, 3205 North Highway 81, Anderson, where the family received friends from 5 until 6:30 P.M. Friday. The body will be placed in the church at 1 P.M. Saturday and the family will receive friends from 1 until 2 P.M. The family is at the home of a son, Mike Cain, 135 Oxford Road, Greenwood.
SULLIVAN-KING MORTUARY, NORTHEAST CHAPEL, in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY

S. Allen King

GREENWOOD, SC — Sumner Allen King of 108 King’s Grant, Greenwood, SC, Professor Emeritus of English at Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, died Thursday, June 30, 2005 at his home following a long struggle with emphysema. He is survived by his wife, Yvonne Tapson King of the home; sisters, Mary Louise Coleman of Greensboro, GA and Claudia Luckey of Perry, GA; a nephew, William Coleman of White Plains, GA and three nieces, Beth Loyd of Waxahachie, TX, Barbara Stanley of Perry, GA and Nancy Luckey of Savannah, GA. He was the son of the late Claude Grant and Sumner Allen King.
He was born September 1, 1922, in White Plains, GA. After graduating from Greensboro (GA) High School, he attended North Georgia College before serving in the US Army Air Force during World War II. He then attended the University of Georgia, where he received a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.A. in English. He also did post-graduate work at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, took a six-week course in British Novel at Exeter College, Oxford University, England, and attended the Yeats Summer School in Sligo, Ireland, and twice attended the Faulkner Conference in Oxford, MS.
He taught at Pine Street School in Spartanburg, SC for one year and then taught at Darlington School, Rome, GA for seven years. From 1959 to 1985 he taught English at Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC. His excellence in teaching was recognized by the Alumni Service Award, the Distinguished Teaching Award, having the Year Book dedicated to him twice, and having a scholarship established in his honor. He also taught courses in English literature at Lander University and Piedmont Technical College.
Upon his retirement from Presbyterian College, his twenty-six years of dedicated service in the classroom, on numerous committees, on the Academic Affairs Council, and as a Faculty Secretary, was recognized as follows by his colleagues: “Mr. King, through his teaching, has inspired in generations of students an appreciation for world and modern literature and especially the works of William Faulkner, through his efforts to bring contemporary writers to the campus has made literature vital for the college community, through his scholarship has provided the English Department with its Handbook of Grammar and Usage, through his unrelenting commitment to high moral and intellectual standards and his sometimes biting wit has stimulated the effort to achieve excellence at Presbyterian College, through his enduring friendships with students long after they have left the campus has strengthened relationships between the college and its alumni, and through his service on the Minority Concerns Committee, his work with the homeless and indigent, and his advocacy of human rights has afforded both students and fellow faculty members a high standard of social commitment.”
Allen traveled widely with many visits to England and France, also Estonia, Russia, Malta, Mexico, Canada and Martinique. For a number of years, he worked as a volunteer at the Soup Kitchen and at a homeless shelter in Atlanta. He also served on the advisory board of the Upper Savannah Health District.
There will be no visitation and the burial will be private.
Instead of flowers, the family requests memorials to be sent to The S. Allen King Scholarship Fund, Presbyterian College, PO Box 975, Clinton, SC 29325.
Harley Funeral Home of Greenwood, SC is in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY

Richard Craig Sherk

WEST COLUMBIA — Richard Craig Sherk, 57, died Wednesday, June 29, 2005.
Born in Corvallis, Ore., he was a son of the late Rod Odell and Jeanette Marie Warren Sherk. He formerly lived in Tampa, Fla., and in Hodges before relocating to West Columbia three months ago. An Army veteran, he served two tours in Vietnam and attained the rank of sergeant first class.
Survivors include three sons, Nicholas Sherk of Texarkana, Ark., Nathan Sherk of West Columbia and David Masulis of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; three stepsons, Robert Kuntz of Marietta, Ga., James Kuntz of St. Louis, Mo., and Jon Kuntz of Tampa; a sister, Leah Hodges of Birmingham, Ala.; and 13 grandchildren.
Graveside services are 2 p.m. Friday at Florence National Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Disabled American Veterans, Attn: Gift Processing Department, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
South Carolina Cremation & Memorial Society is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.SouthCarolinaCremation.com

Roosevelt ‘Coot’ Smith

DONALDS — Roosevelt “Coot” Smith, 71, of 17 Smith St., died Thursday, June 30, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
Born in Donalds, he was a son of the late Broadus and Geneva Gilbert Smith. He attended Dunn Creek Baptist Church and retired from Milliken. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean conflict.
Survivors include three brothers, Robert Odell Smith, Bubber Gene Smith and Joe Alvin Smith, all of Donalds; two sisters, Mary Smith Harts of Columbia and Bessie S. Gilchrist of Greenwood; and stepmother, Ollie Smith of Newberry.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Dunn Creek Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, conducted by the Rev. James F. Davis III. The body will be placed in the church at about 2, after church activities are completed. Burial is in the church cemetery.
No wake is planned.
The family is at the home.
Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals, is in charge.

Eva Mae Willis

ABBEVILLE — Services for Eva Mae Willis are 2 p.m. Sunday at Mount Clement C.M.E. Church, conducted by the Revs. Ida Shipman and Rufus East. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Family members are at the homes of a son Bobby Willis, 603 Richie St. and a sister Eloise Smith, 608 Haigler St. Brown and Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Winning streak ends

Root homers twice to lead Easley to 16-7 win against Post 20

July 2, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Easley’s big bats and aggressive base running ended Post 20’s winning ways.
The Greenwood American Legion baseball team’s two-game winning streak came to an end with a 16-7 loss to Easley Friday night at Legion Field in a League VII game.
Seven of Easley’s 16 hits went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs from Kyle Root.
Root’s grand slam, which just cleared the fence in left field, kickstarted a big seven-run fourth inning for Easley, essentially putting the game away. Root also blasted a solo shot to right in the ninth that left the yard with plenty of distance to give the game its finally tally.
“Our downfall when we’re not playing well had been defense and bad base running, but that was the key to our recent wins,” assistant coach Nate Hamilton said. “But if you look at our losses, they’re coming because we’re not getting consistent pitching performances. We feel like seven runs is enough runs to win ballgames.”
Hamilton was the leader of the Post 20 clubhouse Friday night, as head coach Billy Dean Minor served a one-game suspension from being ejected in Thursday night’s win over Greenville.
Minor will be back in the Greenwood dugout for the team’s 3 p.m. Sunday rainout makeup game against Walhalla. With the win, Easley moves to 5-8 in league play.
Greenwood drops to 7-5, with four games remaining in the regular season.
Post 20 starter Brandon Miller was roughed up early by the Easley batters.
The Emerald High School southpaw was tagged for five quick runs on three hits, two for extra bases, in only one official inning of work.
“We dug ourselves a hole going down five runs in two innings, which we’ve done a lot here in the past,” Hamilton said. “They’re a good team and they swung the bats well, but I don’t think our pitchers pitched to their ability.” Post 20 cut into its deficit in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of a key Easley mistake. Justin Jenkins followed Lamar Dukes’ infield single with a blooper that dropped in shallow right field for single.
But when right fielder Chris Pitts tried to get Dukes heading for third, his throw sailed toward the Greenwood bullpen, allowing Dukes to score easily and Jenkins to take third. Jenkins later came in on a Justin Lovvorn’s ground out to short.
Post 20 again benefited from a pair of errors in the fifth. Back-to-back errors from the Easley shortstop put Greenwood’s Clint Richey and Doug New on second and third with no outs. Pinch-hitter Blake Moore was hit by Guest to load the bases. All three Post 20 players would score to make it 14-5.

We cannot afford to let military might go down

July 2, 2005

There’s no question that the United States has enough nuclear weapons to make any two-bit dictator thinks twice before using them. That hasn’t prevented others from developing their own nuclear weapons, however.
There’s much talk these days about Iran’s nuclear program and aspirations. North Korea also is suspected of already having the ability to launch a nuclear attack.
So, what do we do? Do we, as some suggest, reduce our nuclear weaponry and hope that we will, by example, lead others to follow? They argue that if we don’t we only demonstrate that we are hypocritical and ,therefore, are susceptible to criticism from other nations.

IT SEEMS, THOUGH, THAT the very fact that outlaw nations such as Iran, North Korea and others are moving forward with enhancing their nuclear capabilities is proof positive of the necessity to maintain our nuclear arsenal.
How many times has it been proved in history that weakness encourages war and strength mitigates against it? Older South Carolinians will remember how the U. S. let its military capability decline in the years after World War I and prior to World War II. They’ll also remember how that neglect had a negative effect on security that led directly to military attacks against us, followed by extended armed conflict.

THEY ALSO KNOW TOO well, as it is said, that if we fail to learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. We have to stay strong in every facet of global intercourse ….. militarily, economically and, most of all, morally and spiritually. At the moment, it seems, we are having our struggles in all those areas, at least to some extent.
Reality being what it is, staying prepared is now our national profile, as it should be. More important, though, it must continue to be. Anything less would be folly. History teaches a lot of lessons. It’s up to us to learn. Sometimes we haven’t, and we’ve paid dearly for it.