Dist. 50 members sound off

November 26, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Three new members, each with differing opinions and backgrounds, joined Greenwood School District 50’s board of trustees following the Nov. 7 general election.
LeVerne Fuller filled an empty seat on the board, while James Williams took the seat of a largely absent board member. Dan Richardson is the most controversial member to join the board after openly opposing the district’s installment purchase bond plan.

The bond plan
District 50 is considering leveraging as much as $145 million over a 25-year period to pay for construction of three new elementary schools, as well as renovations and modifications to the rest of the schools in the district.
Bonds are typically sold by government agencies to the public and investors to pay for large projects. The money gained from the bond sale is given to the issuing agency and paid back over an established amount of time.
Public officials including Greenwood County Councilmen Dee Compton, Bob Jennings and state Rep. Mike Pitts have also questioned the bond issue.
Richardson got involved after delivering to the district’s administrative offices a lawsuit -- filed Nov. 3 by Henry Johnson, former owner of the Rental Center -- against Superintendent Darrell Johnson, former chairwoman Dru James and District 50. The court action concerns the controversial plan.

Dan Richardson
Richardson has put his electronic signature on an online proclamation for the Alliance for Separation of School and State Web site, saying he wanted an end to government involvement in public education. Richardson said he didn’t know his name was on the proclamation, but figures it was there because he favors school choice for homeschooling and Christian schools, but opposes vouchers while supporting tax credits.
He pointed out that his signature was followed by “active in constitutional issues,” even though he does want the federal government out of state schools. Richardson said despite being on a nonpartisan school board, he won’t divorce himself from his conservative and constitutional beliefs.
Richardson retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 1979, then started in 1980 as a self-employed contractor. He retired in 2002.
None of his three children went to District 50 schools, but his twin grandchildren might go, depending on whether their mother chooses to homeschool them. Richardson said he wanted to serve on the board after reading about the high dropout rate.
“I’d like to be a part of the solution,” he said.
One of those solutions might be the Genesis Academy discussed at a board meeting Nov. 20.
Richardson likes the concept of giving students the ability to learn at their own pace.
The board member said District 50 also has policies, such as holding sessions about public meetings before they happen, that hinder taxpayers and parents.
“I’d like to be a team player, but I’m not going to violate my conscience and my principles to be a team player,” he said.

LeVerne Fuller
Fuller said she wants to involve parents more in District 50 and listen to their concerns.
She also wants to help children stay in school, because everyone is capable of learning.
For example, a girl in one of her Creative Kids Learning centers could never focus on counting. After hearing numbers over music, she got it, Fuller said.
Fuller, a Washington, D.C., native, and her husband John own learning centers in Greenwood and Ware Shoals. She said she has worked with children for 32 years, including at child development centers and in the school system in North Carolina.
Fuller moved with John and their daughter Mia, a fifth-grader at Woodfields Elementary School, to Greenwood in April 1996.
“I think our whole lives revolve around children,” she said.

James Williams
Williams wants to be an advocate for students as a board member.
He thinks his experience in the classroom will help him see that things are being done right in District 50. Williams served for 27 years as a teacher and assistant principal at Brewer Middle School, and spent two years teaching in Abbeville, retiring in 1995.
He’s owned Willams Grasscutting, a lawn care business, for about 10 years now.
Williams’ main concerns for the district are low test scores and high dropout rates. District 50 needs more schools to house more adequate equipment to improve children’s education, Williams said.
He’s also in favor of looking to other school districts for ideas to better his own.
Williams’ daughter, a Greenwood High School graduate and guidance counselor at Lancaster Elementary School in Lancaster, works in a school district that has better scores.
He wants to know what his daughter’s district is doing that Greenwood isn’t.

Playing Santa for ‘Special Needs’

Center aids less fortunate during holidays

November 26, 2006

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Since 1971, the Burton Center (formerly the Emerald Center) has been there for the less fortunate.
It has brought hope and joy through services provided for those with disabilities and special needs, and their families.
But those Burton learned something along the way, something that would change the center forever.
Some of the very people they supported on a daily basis didn’t celebrate Christmas like most. There were no gifts under many of their trees, or no trees at all.
The center moved immediately, with the Burton Center Foundation sponsoring and forming the “Special Needs at Christmas” program.
“Several years ago we realized that many of our clients were not going to be getting anything for Christmas,” said Felton Burton, executive director of the Burton Center. “Some of our clients come from pretty poor environments and they either don’t have the resources or family. We try to make sure that we get those items for Christmas.”
Clients provide the center with wish lists, including things like clothing items, food for a Christmas dinner and books or toys for youngsters. The center verifies the family’s need and the items find their way “home.”
Burton Center is a nonprofit, multi-county agency that provides services for more than 1,000 people with disabilities and special needs (mental retardation, autism, head injuries, spinal injuries). The center aids individuals and families located in Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lexington, McCormick and Saluda counties.
“We’re one of the first community programs in the state of South Carolina to offer job training and social-skills training,” Burton said. “In many situations, we become a family member. We want to make sure that they have a quality of life. That’s very important to us.”
The center also assists with housing, fielding three apartment complexes, 29 homes and three centers where people take advantage of day programs. The center’s 50 buses and vehicles travel almost 4,000 miles a day.
Last year the center raised more than $20,000, enabling it to ensure that 190 people had a Christmas they would want to remember. The “Special Needs at Christmas” program is in its 14th year.
“This has been pretty successful,” Burton added. “They give us a wish list. We make sure they don’t have the resources to buy them and we purchase them if we can.”
However, the center cannot go it alone. Private donations and the support of local businesses are needed.
All contributions are tax deductible.
“There are some very special people who are in need,” said Doris Burton, the program’s chairwoman. “This year we have 119 people that need help. It’s been heartwarming to see the support that has been given by our communities over the past 13 years.”
Louise Robinson is the day program director at the Burton Center. She volunteers to do some of the shopping, as well as help out with delivering the goods to the families.
Robinson says she enjoys doing her part.
“We’re making sure that everyone has something for Christmas,” Robinson said. “It’s a major undertaking, but we enjoy it. I enjoy seeing their faces and seeing the joy they have in knowing that they will have a Christmas.”

SPECIAL NEEDS AT CHRISTMAS
How to help: Those wanting to aid the Burton Center this holiday season may contribute monetarily, sponsor an individual or donate needed items.
Donating money: Please send contributions to P.O. Box 3004, Greenwood, SC 29648 and make checks payable to Burton Center Foundation.
Items needed: Clothing items of all sizes, shoes, towels, electronics, furniture, gift cards for hair cuts, toys, videos or DVDs for children, books and puzzles and food. (For a detailed list of needs, contact the Burton Center.)
The number to call: For information or to sponsor an individual or family this Christmas, contact the Burton Center at 942-4902 or 942-8902

Sallie B. Agnew

ABBEVILLE — Mrs. Sallie B. Agnew, 68, of 104 Oakland Ave., died Nov. 24, 2006, at Abbeville Area Medical Center.
She was born in Greenwood County and was the daughter of the late Joe and Lizzie Dukes. She was a member of Campfield Baptist Church and was a home maker.
She was the last survivor of her immediate family.
Surviving is a son, Joe Dukes of Bennettsville.
Services will be Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006 at 12 noon at Campfield Baptist Church. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be at Brown and Walker Funeral Home Monday.

Justine Colson

Justine Colson died Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006.
The family is at the home of her daughter, Jacqueline Sayles, 108 Chesterfield Ct.
Services will be announced by Parks Funeral Home.

Debbie Curry

McCORMICK — Debbie Strom Curry, 49, resident of 500 Pine St., wife of Gwinn Curry, died Nov. 24, 2006, at Self Regional Medical Center.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. at Troy United Methodist Church.
A complete obituary will follow in Monday’s Index-Journal.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Curry family.

Walter Freeman

McCORMICK — Walter R. Freeman, 57, of 500 Pine St., died Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006, at his home.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home.

Charles Laye Sr.

Charles Edward Laye Sr., 89, former resident of 109 Pine Circle, Lakewood Heights, widower of Eva Coleman Laye, died Nov. 23, 2006.
Born in Salem, S.C., Dec. 19, 1916, he was a son of the late John Sam and Kate Burgess Laye. Mr. Laye was a graduate of Keowee High School and attended Clemson College. He retired as office manager for Dickey Nissan. Mr. Laye served in World War II. He also was a life member of Walden Masonic Lodge # 274 and life member of Scottish Rite Bodies and Shrine in Jacksonville, Fla. Mr. Laye was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Surviving are a daughter, Mary Katherine “Kat” and husband, Erwin Michael Finkbeiner of Greenwood; a son, Charles Edward Laye, Jr. of Brevard, N.C.; five grandchildren, Angela Renea Laye Boswell, Amy Michelle Laye, Charles Edward Laye, III, Katie Madera Finkbeiner, and Anna Carolina Finkbeiner; three great-grandchildren, Lindsey Brooks Butler, Dustin Curtis Butler, and Charles Edward Laye, IV; three sisters, Mrs. J. J. (Frances) Newton, Mrs. Ralph (Billie) Welch, and Mrs. Dick (Mina Sue) Underwood; a brother, Clarence W. Laye.
Cryptside services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Oakbrook Memorial Park Mausoleum Chapel with Rev. Dr. John L. Setzler officiating.
The family will receive friends immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to the Lander University Foundation, c/o Athletics Department, 320 Stanley Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29649, or to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Kairos Fund, 501 East Creswell Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Laye family.

Anne Wright

Anne Taylor Wright, 91, resident of Wesley Commons, widow of Chester N. Wright, died Nov. 24, 2006, at her home.
Born in Greenwood County, Feb. 26, 1915, she was a daughter of the late Benjamin and Louise Pratt Taylor. She was a graduate of Greenwood High School and formerly owned and operated the Greenwood Bakery. A member of Main Street United Methodist Church, she was also a member of the McKissick Study Club and the Azalea Garden Club. She was an avid bridge player.
Mrs. Wright was twice married, first to the late Francis W. “Frank” Hollingsworth and was predeceased by a brother, Earl Taylor.
Surviving are a daughter, Doris H. Arnold of Greenwood; two sisters, Margaret Taylor Nelson of Tybee Island, Ga. and Virginia Taylor Rushton of Greenville; two grandsons, Robert Harold Latimer of Knoxville, Tenn. and Earl Taylor Latimer of Greenwood; a great-grandson, Harold Dean Latimer of Greenwood.
Graveside services will be conducted 4 p.m. Monday in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. James D. Dennis Jr. officiating.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 2:30-3:30 Monday afternoon.
Memorials may be made to Main Street United Methodist Church, 211 North Main Street, Greenwood S.C. 29646 or to the charity of one’s choice.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Wright family.

Final run down The Hill one of many lasts
for Greenwood natives

November 26, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports editor

CLEMSON — A couple of former Lakelands high school football standouts experienced firsthand the ups and downs of college athletics Saturday afternoon.
One minute Cambridge Academy’s Gaines Adams and Greenwood High School’s Jad Dean were on top of the world. Three hours later, the two Greenwood natives were as low as the depths of Death Valley.
Adams and Dean, two of the Clemson Tigers’ senior captains, were honored before the game along with the rest of the Tigers’ senior class.
But the joy of the pregame ceremony was quickly forgotten when Dean’s possible game-tying field goal with seconds remaining sailed just wide left, giving archrival South Carolina a 31-28 come-from-behind victory over the Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
“I felt like I hit it solid enough to make it,” Dean said. “The wind wasn’t going too bad today. It was going a little left at the end of the game. But I thought I hit it well enough for it to go through.
“It was rough to see it go left like that. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.
“It just hurts that it’s our rival. It makes it hurt a little more.”
Saturday’s last-second miss was from 39 yards. Three of Dean’s five missed attempts this season came from between 30 and 40 yards.
The senior was a perfect 28-for-28 on field goal attempts inside 30 yards and 3-of-3 from 40 to 50. On the play immediately preceding the kick, Clemson quarterback Will Proctor took a 10-yard loss on third-and-9 from the 12.
But Dean didn’t lay the blame anywhere else but on himself.
“Will was just trying to make a play and put us in a position to win,” Dean said. “As far as I know, the snap and the hold were perfect.
“It was my job to put it through wherever it is.”
The miss added a sad footnote to an otherwise solid kicking career for Dean at Clemson. With one game left in his Tigers career — the team’s bowl game hasn’t been determined yet — Dean connected on 51 field goals, including 15 this season.
Dean was a Lou Groza Award finalist last season after connecting on a school-record 24 field goals.
“I feel pretty good about my career here, but if there were one kick I could take back it would be this one,” Dean said. “Obviously, I’m sad with this being the last game I’ll play in this stadium. Growing up and coming to all the games here, it’s been extra special to be able to play here the last four years. I knew win or lose today, it was going to be a sad day. The way it ended just made it tougher.
“I feel like I’ve had a solid career, but this one will hurt for a while.”
Instead of the standard start to the Tigers’ opening, Clemson took the time to honor the senior class by letting them run down the famed hill one at at time.
Gaines Adams kicked off the event by standing at the top of the hill directly in front of Howard’s Rock with his arms wide open. The raucous orange-clad crowd responded accordingly with a thunderous, ear-deafening roar, with Dean following right behind.
It was one last rub of Howard’s Rock and one last trip down the hill for the two Greenwood natives.
The parents of the seniors were waiting on the sidelines to greet their sons before their final game in Death Valley.
“I was nervous for him. I’m so very proud of my son. It’s an emotional thing for him with this being his last game here,” said Gaines Adams Sr. “This was my first time being on the field with the crowd down here like this and it’s really loud. It’s a real emotional thing. I don’t really have any words to say to describe how I feel.”
Adams, the Tigers’ first finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation’s top defensive player, wasted little time making his impact felt.
On South Carolina’s third series, Adams, who leads Clemson with 26 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, broke through the outside of the line and pressured Gamecock quarterback Blake Mitchell into throwing his second interception of the afternoon.
Just before the close of the first half, USC had a first-and-goal at the Clemson 8. As time ticked down inside 30 seconds, Mitchell took a short drop and released a pass.
Adams skied to bat the ball forward for his team-high sixth pass break-up. The ball was caught by teammate Jock McKissic.
Adams then became the trailing blocker for McKissic, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound sophomore, who rumbled 82 yards for the go-ahead score. It was the sixth longest interception return for a score in Clemson history and longest by a defensive lineman. Dean’s extra point gave the Tigers a 21-14 halftime lead.
After Clemson took a 28-14 lead on freshman C.J. Spiller’s 31-yard touchdown run, South Carolina rattled off 17 unanswered points: getting two Mike Davis touchdowns followed Ryan Succop’s eventual 35-yard game-winning field goal. Spiller, a true freshman, finished with 10 carries for 155 yards, including an 81-yard scoring run.
Clemson had 7 minutes, 51 seconds remaining after Succop’s field goal. The Tigers ran 16 plays, including Dean’s field goal attempt. The drive included 11 running plays and four passes, two of which ended up as USC sacks.
“We ran the ball because we didn’t want to throw and have a turnover,” Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. “They brought a lot of defenders to the line so it was tough to get many yards. We had some good plays. The sack at the end really didn’t hurt us. We had a play at the field goal and we just didn’t succeed.”
South Carolina recorded its third straight 400-yard offensive performance, finishing with 492 yards — the most given up by the Tigers this season. The Gamecocks’ victory, which ended a four-game winning streak for Clemson, was the team’s first over a ranked opponent in six tries this season.
The Clemson-Greenwood connection, which goes back to the days of Joe Anderson and Harvey White in the 1950s, isn’t completely severed with Adams and Dean leaving at season’s end. Former Greenwood High School players Eddie Adams and Clay Baldwin are Tiger walk-ons.

Public education in state should be open to ideas

November 26, 2006

New state Education Superintendent Jim Rex should approach the education problems in the Palmetto State with the experience that made his a competitive candidacy. He has the background that lends itself to a positive course for the state’s schools, and that should translate into benefits for our children.
The closeness of the race, however, showed public interest that was indicative of how the public views its schools. It was a sure indication that South Carolinians are split right down the middle on what they would like to see happen.
There may be differences, to be sure, and that’s understandable. Education is a serious and emotional subject that has few people staying on the verbal sidelines.
One thing seems clear. The people of the state expect accountability in public education. Whether that embraces all the issues that were argued during the campaign is not yet known, though.
Rex, from all indications, will be open to new ideas. That bodes well for all South Carolinians. Public schools are our future and should be strengthened every way possible and within reason. New ideas should not be discarded simply because they are new and different. By the same token, they should not be accepted simply because they are new and different, either. Eduation is best when it is open to free discussion, new ideas included.