‘A religious freedom statement’

Greenwood church displays 10 Commandments signs on lawn

May 10, 2005

By TASHA STEIMER
Index-Journal staff writer

People driving down Laurel Avenue over the weekend might have had their thoughts drift to the Ten Commandments. Nearly 100 signs with the commandments border the property around Emerald Baptist Church.
The Rev. Curtis L. Eidson, pastor at the church, said the congregation has received positive feedback from the signs.
“We are in such a bad time right now in our country with our religious freedoms under constant attack,” he said. “We just want to let people know we’re not ashamed of our beliefs and we will continue to follow them.”
Eidson said Christians have the right to speak about their beliefs just like every other religion and events such as the removal of a monument from the rotunda of Alabama’s state judicial building in November 2003 and the fight of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to get it replaced prove how politically correct the issue has become.
“This is not a political statement. This is very much a religious freedom statement we’re making for our church,” he said. “Keeping the Ten Commandments from being displayed in schools infringes on Christian rights. They are the principles that made this country strong – made the religion strong. If we turn our backs on these principles, it would be a terrible thing. If we continue to tip toe around controversial issues like this, if the church remains silent, what will happen?”
Eidson said the church acquired the signs from a church member and several people have already stopped by to ask if they can purchase one.
“When we were putting them up Friday, a lot of people would honk their horns or pull into the parking lot telling us they appreciated what we were doing,” he said.
Eidson said the signs will stay up this week and then be taken down and offered to church members to buy for their own yards. If anyone is interested in purchasing a sign, call the church office. Signs can be picked up for $3 each, two for $5 or other donations on a first come, first serve basis.

Donald E. Cobb

Donald Eugene “Duck” Cobb, 59, of 108 Segers Drive, died Saturday, May 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of James Henry Cobb and the late Effie Leona Cobb.
Survivors include his father of Greenwood; four daughters, Kim Wells of Saluda, Jessica Cobb and Clara Cobb, both of Greenwood and Stacey Berry of Ninety Six; a brother, David Cobb of Greenwood; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service is 1 p.m. Wednesday at Harley Funeral Home.
Visitation is 12-1 Wednesday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a daughter Jessica Cobb, 2519 McCormick Highway.

Vivian Edwards

GREENWOOD – Vivian Anderson Edwards, 79, resident of 943 Sunset Drive, wife of James M. Edwards, died Monday, May 9, 2005 after a 19 year illness with Alzheimers.
Born in Greenwood County, June 24, 1925, she was a daughter of the late Joe and Lessie Hinton Anderson. She retired as a payroll clerk from Greenwood Industries after 28 years of service.
Mrs. Edwards was a lifelong member of Tranquil United Methodist Church where she served for many years as superintendent of the Children’s Division and as Sunday School Superintendent. Vivian was a friendly, caring person and loved by everyone who knew her. She was the last member of her immediate family,
Surviving in addition to her husband of 58 years are daughters, Mrs. Jim (Diane) Hardwick of Columbia, Mrs. Bob (Glenda) Hermeston of Anderson and Debra Bagwell of Simpsonville; five grandchildren, Rev. Jay Hardwick and wife, Laura Beth of Greer, Elizabeth Hermeston and Meredith Hermeston of Anderson and Jonathan Bagwell and Scott Bagwell of Simpsonville; a great-granddaughter, Molly Hardwick.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 AM Wednesday at Tranquil United Methodist Church with Rev. James Patterson and Rev. Jay Hardwick officiating.
Burial will be in Tranquil United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Rick Phillips, Randy Culbertson, Jerry Reynolds, Rev. Jay Hardwick, Willie Jeffreys, Jonathan Bagwell and Scott Bagwell.
Honorary escort will be the Men of the Brockwell Sunday School Class of the church along with Fred Walker, Don Johnson, George Etheridge, Curtis Walker, Willie Dukes, Olin Scott George Teasley, Bob McIlvain, James Childress, Bill FIanagan and Dr. O. M. Cobb.
The body is at BIyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 10 AM Wednesday.
The family is at the home on Sunset Drive and will receive friends in the church fellowship hall from 10 to 11 Wednesday morning.
The family wishes to express deep appreciation to the dedicated and compassionate staff at Hospice for their loving care and also to loyal church members and friends for their many acts of kindness and love through Vivian’s long illness.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646, Alz-heimer’s Association, Upstate SC Chapter, 521 N. McDuffie Street, Anderson, SC 29621 or to Tranquil United Methodist Church, 1702 McCormick Hwy., Greenwood, SC 29646.
For additional information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IS ASSISTING THE EDWARDS FAMILY.
PAID OBITUARY

Ludell Freeman

EDGEFIELD — Ludell Freeman, 89, of Country Manor, died Friday, May 6, 2005 at Trinity Mission Health & Rehabilitation of Edgefield.
Survivors include five sisters, Lillie Ruth Engram, Mrs. F.S. (Inez) Callaham, Cora Lee Johnson, Mrs. Willie (Ozzie) Bacon and Mrs. Curtis (Clotell) Daniels; and a brother, Raymond Cunningham.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Plum Branch, conducted by the Rev. Melvin Gordon. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is at the home of a sister Mrs. Willie (Ozzie) Bacon, 218 Youngblood Road.
Viewing is after 1 p.m. today at G.L. Brightharp & Sons Mortuary.
G.L. Brightharp & Sons Mortuary is in charge.

Thomas Meredith

GREENWOOD – Thomas Ligon Meredith, 87, resident of 207 Wellington Drive, husband of Frances Hudgens Meredith, died May 8, 2005 at Magnolia Manor.
Born in the Fingerville Community of Spartanburg County, August 21, 1917, he was the son of the late Samuel and Nannie McMillan Meredith. He was a graduate of Chesnee High School, a US Navy Veteran of World War II and retired from Greenwood Mills Information Center.
Mr. Meredith was a member of Mathews United Methodist Church.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home is a son, Thomas Clinton Meredith and his wife Elena, of Hull, MA. Two sisters, Macie Pridgeon of Spartanburg and Roberta Krebeck of Virginia. Two granddaughters, Kelly and Ashley Meredith, both of Hull, MA.
Graveside services will be conducted Wednesday at 3:00 PM at Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. Nellie Cloninger and Rev. Steven King officiating.
The family is at the home in Belle Meade and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 6:00 to 8:00 Tuesday evening.
Memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
For additional information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home is assisting the Meredith family.
PAID OBITUARY

Denise Baylor Omogun

Services for Denise Ruth Baylor Omogun, of 306 Manning Road, are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, with the Rev. Otis Cunningham Sr. officiating, and the Rev. Joseph Caldwell presiding. Assisting are the Revs. Curtis Bowman, Jonathan Greene, Michael Butler, Ricky Oliver and Willeva Jones. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are James Wideman, Howard Smith, Johnny Rich, Cleveland Baylor III, Gregory Calhoun and Kendrick Timpson.
Flower bearers are Sandra Smith, Marcella Strong, Georgianna Baylor, Laquetta Wideman, Beverly R. Williams, Belinda Baylor, Miranda Harrison, Marie Lindsey, Cassandra Quarles, Regina Dowtin, Tammy Susswell, Annette Rich, Cinquinetta “Cin” Arnold.
Honorary escorts are church deacons and deaconesses and Greenwood High School Class of 1982 members.
The family is at the home of her mother, Dora Baylor, 113 Balsam Lane, Mill Pond Subdivision.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Tom Reynolds

David Thomas “Tom” Reynolds, 77, of 104 Orchard Park Drive, husband of Gladys Geneva McDaniel Reynolds, died Sunday, May 8, 2005 at Hospice of the Upstate, Anderson.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of the late John Porterfield and Emma Finley Reynolds. He retired from Independent Life Insurance Co. and was a World War II Navy veteran, serving in the Pacific Theatre. He was a member of Hodges Presbyterian Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home and a sister, Kathleen Hagood of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Robert Piephoff and J.C. Sorrow. Entombment is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.
Pallbearers are nephews and great-nephews, Jim Reynolds, Danny Hamrick, Rick Reynolds, Barry Hamrick, Reynolds Satterfield and Joshua Stewart.
Honorary escorts are Ray Kidd, Tuny Blackmon, Alvin Allison, Paul Trotter, Sam Strickland, John Sweezy, Albert Cullen, Fred Magruder and Otto McDonald.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, SC 29621; Hodges Presbyterian Church, 4413 Main St., Hodges, SC 29653 or a charity of one’s choice.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Lucille Robertson

GREENWOOD – Mary Lucille Simpson Robertson, 83, of 508 Davis Street, widow of Truman H. Robertson, died Monday, May 9, 2005 at her home.
Born in Anderson, she was a daughter of the late Joseph and Carrie McClellan Simpson. She was retired from Greenwood Mills, Mathews Plant and was a member of New Market Baptist Church, where she was a member of the Helping Hands Sunday School Class.
She was also preceded in death by her son, Bobby Robertson, Sr.; her sister, Hallie Hollingsworth and her brother, Carl Simpson.
Surviving are two grand-children, Cindy Robertson of Washington, DC and Bobby Robertson, Jr. of Greenwood.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Stanley Sprouse and the Rev. Buddy Wiles officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Keith Hughes, Jerry Robertson, Melvin Fooshee, Lewie King, Rick McCary and Alvin Green.
Honorary escort will be members of the Helping Hands Sunday School Class.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The family is at the home of her grandson, Bobby Robertson, Jr., 406 Fairforest Drive.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Abner Booker T. Washington

DONALDS — Abner Booker T. Washington, 63, of 88 Holmes Road, died Saturday, May 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late L.T. and Essie Mae Corley Washington. He was a member of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, Hodges. A graduate of J.S. Wright High School, Abbeville, he was employed with Riegel Mills, Ware Shoals and retired from Chiquola Manufacturing, Honea Path.
Survivors include three sisters, Anna Marie Jackson of Hodges, Bernice Jackson of Donalds and Brenda Washington of Belton; four brothers, Calvin Washington of Donalds, Howard Washington of Greenwood, Charles Washington of the home and Boyce Washington of Columbia; and two half sisters, Maude Jackson of Greenwood and Lila Jackson of Hodges.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, Hodges, conducted by the Rev. Larry J. Nelson, assisted by the Rev. Albert L. Thompson. The body will be placed in the church at 1.
Burial is in the church cemetery.
Viewing is 2-9 p.m. today at Abbeville & White Mortuary.
The family is at the home.
Abbeville & White Mortuary is in charge.

Eagles, Vikes take to field

High school football makes return with annual spring practices

May 10, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Not only has high school football returned for a brief visit, thanks to spring practice, but Monday was the beginning of a new era in Lakelands football.
At the same time that Eagles coach Shell Dula was directing spring practice for the ninth year at Greenwood, four miles away, Emerald was beginning the Mac Bryan era.
Bryan won’t officially take over as the Vikings’ football coach and athletic director for long-time coach and A.D. Frank Hill until after the end of the school year.
But after spending the better part of three months settling in and getting familiar with his new school and staff, Bryan donned his coaching apparel (a purple windbreaker, purple shorts and an Emerald baseball cap) and his whistle and opened his first spring practice Monday.
“It’s the start of football,” Bryan said, who was an assistant coach at Newberry College last season. “There’s just a lot of adrenaline.
“It’s been a long while. Lately, I’ve been used to having spring ball a lot earlier than this. So, it’s been a long wait for me. It’s totally different than what I’ve been doing lately, and it’s the same for all of the kids.”
While the Vikings were taking in the first of their 10 allotted spring practice days, Dula’s Eagles were suiting up for their fourth.
“Our players and coaches have been working since January. Now, we’ve just changed the venue of where we’re working,” Dula said.
“The weightlifting is important, the running’s important, but you play the game of football outside.”
And with the noted exception of unseasonably warm temperatures that hit Greenwood Monday, the players were happy to be back with their helmets and shoulder pads.
“It feels great and I’m excited to come out here and start the new season with the new coach,” Emerald sophomore Alex Robinson said. “We have already become aquatinted with him, especially since I’m on the offensive line.”
Greenwood junior Clay Baldwin was equally pleased to be hitting the field again.
“It’s really exciting to be back out here,” the Eagles’ All-Lakelands kicker said. “I look forward to it everyday when I wake up. I’m just ready to go to practice.”
Baldwin was on the receiving end of a dog-pile from his Greenwood teammates at the end of Monday’s practice. That’s because his two 25-yard field goals kept the team from having to run the much-dreaded “Eagles,” where the players repeatedly alternate sprinting and jogging 10 yards over a 30- to 40-yard distance, after the two-and-a half hour practice.
While conditioning definitely has its place in all football training, it may not be the most meaningful aspect of spring practice for coaches.
“No. 1, you find out who you can depend on,” Dula said. “It was a little bit warm today, and when it’s like this and people come in the heat, you can depend on them.
“Then, you basically put in your offense and your defense, and you get a good idea of the skill level of your players.
“I think spring practice is tremendously important.”
The implementation of offensive and defensive schemes is even more important for the first-year coach.
“What we want to do in these 10 days is make sure that we put in the wrinkles on defense and we want to make sure we know where people will be playing,” Bryan said. “I think the use of personnel is critical. We also want to make sure that we have a grasp of this offense, because it’s totally foreign to them.
“If we have enough understanding to where we can improve during the summer, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

Ron Cox covers prep sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ronc@indexjournal.com

Senator makes good point on closing military bases

May 10, 2005

Will they survive, or will they suffer an agonizing death? That’s the question on the minds of everyone in South Carolina who has a stake in the upcoming Pentagon’s decision on what military bases to close. In the final analysis, that’s everybody, for each of us reaps benefits from the U. S. military presence in the state.
The list of recommended bases that could be closed or reorganized is expected to be announced by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld by May 16.
A delegation of South Carolina lawmakers and business representatives recently presented petitions to Rumsfeld to show strong support for bases in the state. While they set out to get 10,000 signatures on the petitions, they got more than 31,000.

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-S. C., said “Today’s delivery of more than 30,000 petitions sends a strong signal that community support is very high for these installations.” Other lawmakers echoed Graham’s remarks and generally, most were encouraged by the effort. They wrote, “The degree of community support for military bases is a relevant factor to be weighed as the value of various installations across the country are reviewed and assessed. Speaking as elected officials, we are proud of the success of this effort to demonstrate profound community support…” While this group was referring to Fort Jackson and McEntire Air National Guard Station, they have also focused their efforts in Washingon on all military installations in the Palmetto State.

CONSIDERING EVERYTHING, there likely are some installations that could, or should, be eliminated. Generally, though, at a time when our military is stretched almost beyond its capabilities, downsizing anything that affects the nation’s strength and security should be done with extreme caution.
One proposal makes a lot of sense, even if it is likely to be ignored. It came from U. S. Senator Trent Lott, R-Miss.
“I understand we have excess facilities, but domestic training bases, which are barely meeting required training volume now, should remain open during war. BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) 2005 should be about realignment first and closure second, with an emphasis on eliminating excess overseas capacity. During war, domestic base closure should be only a very distant and last resort.”
That’s simple, but could be the answer to a troubling problem. Why hasn’t anyone else jumped on that?