Lander graduates mark end
of year, beginning of new life

December 18, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

The year 2005 is drawing to a close, and as the world begins to close the books on another year, some Lander University students are closing their schoolbooks as well.
About 230 students received their diplomas Saturday during the school’s winter commencement exercises, signaling the start of a new chapter in their lives.
“Another stage of my life is about to begin,” said special education major Jessica Seibert, who has already entered the work force as a teacher. “I’m happy.”
As he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, mass communication major Gary Winchester was thousands of miles away from his family.
A native of Scotland who played soccer at Lander, Winchester said the fact that his family couldn’t attend the ceremony didn’t lessen the joy of the day.
“I wasn’t going to walk, but I decided that I needed to walk for the people who got me here, especially my coach (Van Taylor),” said Winchester, who plans to find a job in the Greenwood area.
“I’ll miss it all (at Lander). Four years is a big part of your life, but I’m ready to be out. I’m ready to get a job.”
Commencement speaker Ralph Layland, Lander’s 2005 Distinguished Professor, described his address to the students as their “final lecture.”
“At least it will be a short class,” he said, as the crowd laughed.
“Several years ago, when you stepped foot on Lander’s campus, you started out with a blank page. That page is again blank, and again it is up to you to fill it in,” he continued. “Today, the question is asked of you: What are you going to do as a member of the Class of 2005 to fill in that blank page? Today is not only the end of one part of your life, but it is the beginning of the next phase of your life.”
Layland, an associate professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Physical Sciences, gave the students several tips to make their futures successful, including learn to like yourself, be happy, listen to others and don’t waste time.
“No matter what career you choose or wherever you live, you will have chances to use your talents and resources to do something important in your community in a small or very large way,” Layland said. “I hope that as you make your own choices over time, you will choose to balance equally your career, your relationships, your recreation and your service to the community. It’s not easy, but no amount of money or success is worth losing that balance.”
History major Anna Pinckney, who plans to move to Charleston to work with a university in the area, said she didn’t believe Class of 2005 graduates would have any problem finding that balance and achieving success in the years to come.
“Ten years from now, we’ll probably still be the same fun-loving, crazy class we are now,” she said, laughing. “They are going to be very successful.”
For some graduates, such as Dana Simonson, a special education major, the day seemed somewhat surreal.
“I’m still waiting on it all to sink in,” Simonson said. “It’s something that I have worked really hard for.” Talbert Glover, who received a degree in visual arts, said he felt the same.
“I don’t think it will hit me until next semester when everybody gets up for class and I’m still in the bed asleep,” Glover, who wants to either continue his education or enter the teaching field, said with a smile. “I won’t miss getting up for eight o’clock classes.”

Megan Varner covers general assignments in Greenwood and the Lakelands. She can be reached at 223-1811, ext. 3308, or: mvarner@indexjournal.com

Sandlappers rally falls short

Doolittle named offensive MVP, but S.C.
falls to N.C. in Shrine Bowl, 28-24

December 18, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

SPARTANBURG — The players from North and South Carolina made sure the 69th Annual Shrine Bowl would be one to remember.
North Carolina edged South Carolina, 28-24, Saturday at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in a game that literally wasn’t decided until the last minute.
Greenwood and the Lakelands area was particularly well represented in the contest, as Ninety Six High School’s Stan Doolittle was named the offensive MVP for South Carolina. The quarterback was 19 of 33 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
“I wanted to come out and prove to people that AA football is no joke,” Doolittle said. “I played well, but my teammates were really awesome. North Carolina just made a few more plays than we did.”
Greenwood High School was represented by quarterback Armanti Edwards and offensive lineman Chandler Rearden. The two received plenty of playing time, with Edwards rushing for a yard on six carries and Rearden playing alternating possessions on the line.
Rearden spoke about the competition level in the contest.
“I pretty much knew it was going to be like this,” Rearden said. “There were some great players on both sides out here. We just about came back on them.”
In yet another connection to the Lakelands area, Ninety Six coach Mike Doolittle was an assistant coach for the Sandlappers. The coach was emotional when speaking of coaching his son for the last time.
“I have been blessed,” said the elder Doolittle.
“Stan played well today and won the MVP. What else can I say? He had some tremendous teammates out there with him, too. It’s been a wonderful ride.”
South Carolina had an opportunity to win the game in the final minutes. Stan Doolittle led the Sandlappers on a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Operating out of the shotgun, he fired multiple passes to Westside’s Mo Brown and Byrnes' Matt Quinn throughout the drive.
Doolittle floated a fade into the right corner of the end zone to Quinn, who hauled it in to cap the drive and cut South Carolina’s deficit to 28-24 with 2:56 remaining.
The Sandlappers held North Carolina to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and after receiving a punt, started their final drive with 1:38 remaining in the game.
However, South Carolina couldn’t get much going on the drive. Doolittle was flushed out of bounds twice, and his passes to Quinn and D.J. Moore were short of the first down marker, sealing the win for North Carolina.
“We came up short, but it was a good experience,” Stan Doolittle said. “We improved throughout the week, and I thought our team handled the situation with class. Again, North Carolina made one or two more plays than we did.”
The two teams played it close in the first quarter. Neither team seemed able to find a rhythm, with each squad coughing up a fumble in the opening frame. However, North Carolina was the first team to find the end zone.
The Tarheels sustained a drive that covered 70 yards and lasted 5:20. North Carolina tailback Norman Whitley, who rushed for 132 yards on the day, chewed up yardage throughout the drive. Fullback Patrick Fitzgerald plowed over the goal line from a yard out to give North Carolina the 7-0 lead heading to the second quarter.
South Carolina was quick to score once the second quarter began.
Continuing a drive that started in the first, Doolittle guided the Sandlappers to North Carolina’s 18-yard line. Taking a snap from center, the quarterback rolled slightly to his left and tossed a tight spiral high into the air. Broome’s D.J. Moore snatched the pass out of the air in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 with 14:48 remaining in the second quarter.
It was the last time South Carolina lit up the scoreboard in the first half. North Carolina, however, was far from finished.
After Tarheels’ Crezdon Butler returned a punt 40 yards to the South Carolina 20 yard line late in the second, North Carolina quickly found the goal line. Whitley blasted in for the first of his two touchdowns from five yards out to end the short drive and give North Carolina the 14-7 lead with 1:54 remaining in the half.
After forcing South Carolina to punt, North Carolina made the most of the final :09 of the half.
Tarheels quarterback O.C Wardlow took the snap from center at the Sandlappers’ 37 yard line and rolled to his left, evading several South Carolina tacklers. Wardlow glanced down the left sideline and launched a long, looping pass to teammate Hakeem Nicks, who then out leaped South Carolina’s Brian Bradford for the touchdown as time expired. The last-second effort put North Carolina up 21-7 at halftime.
“That Hail Mary was absolutely huge,” Mike Doolittle said. “That was the difference in the game, right there.”
South Carolina kicker Richard Jackson, from Riverside, came out and tacked on a field goal in the third quarter to cut the Tarheels’ lead to 21-10 and set up a furiously paced fourth quarter.
South Carolina found the end zone first in the final stanza. Doolittle led the Sandlappers on an 80-yard drive that lasted 4:45. Edwards came into the game when South Carolina reached the red zone, and nearly scored on a slashing run from seven yards out, but was met at the goal line by a host of Tarheels’ defenders. However, Byrnes’ Prince Miller, the state’s Mr. Football, pounded his way in from a yard out on the next play for the score. Foxy Foxworth;s two-point conversion reception made the score 21-18 in favor of North Carolina with 13:35 remaining.
That was as close as South Carolina would get.
On the ensuing possession, North Carolina drove the ball 80 yards in 6:31. Whitley closed the drive with a cutting, shuffling, winding run for a 14 yard touchdown that gave North Carolina the 28-18 lead.
Despite the loss, Rearden said the game was a success.
“It was great,” Rearden said. “Being out here with these guys this week was amazing. The whole week was exciting, and it had a lot to offer.”

Opinion

Athletes’ attitudes offer them decisions to make

December 18, 2005

Seldom, if ever, does a year go by when at least some of the outstanding athletes in the Palmetto State don’t qualify to go to college. There are good reasons for that too, and one, in particular, is attitude. Most of them would get a scholarship to play basketball, football, or some other sport at a college, an opportunity for a free education that many other students don’t have. Some would have a choice among several of the largest universities in the country, including the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Be that as it may, too many have found that had they paid a little more attention to the academic side of school they wouldn’t have to take an intermediate route to big time sports.

WE HEAR ALL THE TIME about failing schools, a lack of parental involvement, and a variety of other “reasons” or “excuses” why so many students cannot make the grade, including athletes. All of them are pertinent. There is something else, though, that should share the blame for some of the athlete/student failures, and it directly influences attitude ….. a negative attitude that takes a toll.
Think about the culture that surrounds so many youngsters these days, white and black. Listen to the hip-hop and rap “music” and the influences inherent in them. Watch a little MTV and tune in to the messages it scatters all over the airways and into the impressionable minds of youths bombarded by the sleazy material that fills the programs.
To most South Carolinians, perhaps, the results are obvious, and they are not positive. Some believe that youngsters who live by and in that culture cannot differentiate between the entertainment factor and life itself. They see and hear it. They take it for the gospel and act accordingly.

THE BOTTOM-LINE EFFECT, of course, is that all of the influences, when taken as a whole, not only affect attitudes, they become attitudes. Given the negative qualities of much of this, if not most of it, there’s hardly any wonder why too many fail to see the importance – or necessity – of making good grades and learning in the process. They simply view reality through a distorted prism of negative attitudes that resist and resent normality.
It’s a shame, too, for so many of these young athletes – and others – turn their backs on substantial futures because of the allure of a “with it” lifestyle that curtails, or kills, their chances at fame, riches and a better life for themselves and their families.

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

Obituaries

Mildred Clark

Mildred Leon Clark, 79, of 726 Pucketts Ferry Road, died Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005 at her home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Samuel Charles Hennessee

CHARLOTTE — Samuel Charles Hennessee, 90, widower of Sarah Hennessee, died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005 at Presbyterian Hospital.
Born in Warren, Tenn., he was a son of the late Sam and Alyenee Hennessee. He graduated from the University of Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Arts in chemical engineering. He was employed by GAF, Monsanto and was a member of Myers Park United Methodist Church. He served in the Navy during WW II aboard the USS Wasp and later the USS Hornet.
Memorial services are 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Francis Chapel of Myers Park United Methodist.
Harry and Bryant Co. Funeral Directors, Charlotte, are in charge.

Greg McMahan

James Gregory “Greg” McMahan, 41, of 111 Heathwood Drive, husband of Ann Mahon McMahan died December 17, 2005 at the Saluda Nursing Center in Saluda.
Born in Anderson on February 18, 1964 he was a son of Daniel Edwin and Ann Major McMahan. He was formerly employed by Shealy Electrical Wholesalers and attended Harris Baptist Church. He was a loving husband, father and son.
Surviving in addition to his wife of 20 years and his parents of Greenwood are 2 children, Kayla Nicole McMahan and Jay Reid McMahan, both of the home; brother, Eric Neil McMahan of Abbeville; paternal grandparents, Frances McMahan of Belton and Joe W. McMahan of Marietta, GA; his mother-in-law, Martha Mahon of Honea Path. He was preceded in death by daughter, Sarah Elizabeth McMahan.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 PM Monday at Harris Baptist Church with Reverend Frank Thomas and Reverend Booker Bagby officiating. Interment will follow in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
Pallbearers will be Charlie Cotten, Scott Roberson, Blake Boyce, Mike Cobb, Nolan Tolson, Walter Marshall, Chris Hinson and Todd Wilson.
Honorary escort will be employees of Shealy Electrical Wholesalers.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 2:00 PM Monday.
The family is at the home in Heathwood and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6-8 Sunday evening.
Memorials may be made to Helping Hands Ministry c/o Harris Baptist Church, 300 Center St., Greenwood, SC 29649 or to the Saluda Nursing Center, 581 Newberry Hwy., Saluda, SC 29138.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the McMahan family.
PAID OBITUARY

MSGT Gordon W. Simpson, USA, RET.

DONALDS, SC — ABBEVILLE COUNTY — MSGT Gordon W. Simpson, USA, RET., 84, of 5885 Hwy 184 Donalds, husband of Bootise Simpson, died Friday, December 16, 2005 at the HospiceCare of the Piedmont – Hospice House. Mr. Simpson was born in Abbeville County to the late Roger and Euphie King Simpson. He was a member of New Hope Baptist Church where he was a former Deacon. Mr. Simpson retired from the United States Army as a Master Sergeant serving in WWII; he was an avid cattle farmer, a member of the Independent Masonic Lodge #23 in Donalds, a member of the Hejaz Shrine Temple, past president of the Abbeville Cattlemen’s Association, member of the Charolais Cattle Association, the VFW, past Abbeville County Magistrate and past Magistrate for Due West.
Surviving Mr. Simpson is his wife of 63 years of the home, a daughter, Vicki S. Eflin of Liberty, SC., a son, Gordon Ray Simpson of Donalds, a brother, Dr. Rayford Simpson of Donalds, a sister, Elizabeth Craven of Greenwood, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 5:00PM to 7:00PM (TONIGHT) at Harris Funeral Home. Funeral Services will follow at 7:00PM in the funeral home chapel conducted by the Dr. Rayford Simpson.
Graveside Services will be 11:00AM Monday, December 19, 2005 in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Masonic Rites and Full Military Honors. Honorary Pallbearers will be the Independent Masonic Lodge #23 from Donalds and Deacons of New Hope Baptist Church.
Memorial Contributions in memory of Mr. Simpson may be sent to the Fellowship Community Church PO Box 478 Liberty, SC 29657 OR to the HospiceCare of the Piedmont 408 W. Alexander, Ave. Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the Simpson family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com.
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Simpson family.
PAID OBITUARY

Wilma Ruth Key Wardlaw

Wilma Ruth Key Wardlaw, 80, of 110 Victory Road, died Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 at her home.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late Burl and Lila Key. She was a member of Springfield Baptist Church and retired from Lakeview School.
Survivors include her daughter, Mrs. Sam (Songa) Lewis of Greenwood; two sons, Johnny L. Wardlaw and Bobby Wardlaw; a granddaughter, Katronya Terreasa Holloway, reared in the home; and a nephew, Michael Butler of Greenwood, reared in the home.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Sarah Jones Young

ABBEVILLE — Sarah Jones Young, 80, of 1395 Watts Road, widow of Johnnie Young Jr., died Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005 at NHC Healthcare of Greenwood.
Born in Mount Carmel, she was a daughter of the late Charlie Jones and the late Lillie W. Jones. She was a member of the Rockford A.M.E. Church and the Women’s Aide No. 86.
Survivors include a son, Darrell Young of Buffalo, N.Y.; five daughters, Janie Y. Brownlee of Abbeville, Drucilla Hill of Calhoun Falls, Johnnie M. Young of Greenwood, Dorothy Henigan of Buffalo, N.Y. and Teresa Y. Lewis, reared in the home; a brother, Sam Jones of Mount Carmel; 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Services are 1 p.m. Monday at Rockford A.M.E. Church, conducted by the Rev. Fred Armfield with the Rev. Willie Jame Choice, presiding. The body will be placed in the church at noon. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Viewing is 3-8 p.m. today at Richie Funeral Home Inc.
The family is at the home.
Richie Funeral Home Inc. is in charge.