Female educators break with tradition
in leading Greenwood County high schools

February 6, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal staff writer

They didn’t fly over from Liverpool, England, but they are Greenwood County’s Fab Four.
And although they don’t have thousands of fans screaming and swooning every time they make an appearance, they do have a very strong influence on more than 3,000 Greenwood County teenagers every day.
Meet Shirley, Felicia, Jane and Joanne – better known as Ms. Boyce, Ms. Cartledge, Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Campbell – the principals of the District 50, 51 and 52 high schools.
If you went to high school in Greenwood County 10, 15 or 20 years ago, you wouldn’t have seen a woman sitting behind the desk in the principal’s office.
But these four women – and the school boards that hired them – have broken through countless years of tradition to fill a position that has historically been dominated by men.
While 56 percent of South Carolina’s 1,061 public schools are headed by women principals, the number of women principals at high schools is much lower.
In fact, women high school principals are still fairly uncommon in the state. Out of the 195 high schools in the state school system, only 57, or just 29.2 percent, are headed by women.
According to the State Department of Education’s Office of Public Information, in counties with more than one high school, Greenwood County is the only one in the state to have female principals at all of its high schools.
South Carolina Network for Women Administrators in Education past-president Kathy Maness said Greenwood County has made a major step in the right direction for women in education.
“For so many years, a high school principal had to be a man – it was what people had come to expect,” Maness said. “It’s exciting to see that Greenwood has chosen women to head their schools. It says a lot for their school board, and it shows that we have strong women leaders in our schools.”
The change in Greenwood County began five years ago at Greenwood High, when Shirley Boyce, a former principal at Northside Middle, stepped into the position.
The child of a teacher, Boyce said she knew she wanted to work in education at an early age.
“My mom and her two sisters were teachers, and they always talked about the field of education being wonderful for women,” she said. “It had a major influence on me.”
Boyce, who began her education career as a teacher in Columbia, has worked in administration since 1986, and when she took the position at Greenwood High, she was the first and only female high school principal in District 50.
A year after District 50 hired Boyce, District 52 selected Joanne Campbell for the head position at Ninety Six High.
Campbell, who began her career as a math teacher at McCormick High, had been with Ninety Six High for more than 20 years, working as a teacher, guidance counselor and assistant principal before accepting the head position.
Campbell, who studied business administration at Lander University, said her background in business and her experience as an assistant principal helped her on her way to becoming principal.
“Being a principal, you have to combine the nurturing aspect of teaching and the business perspective of administration,” she said.
“Since I had been in teaching and administration, I thought that principal was a good aim for me.”
The teacher-turned-principal is a common factor among all of Greenwood County’s high school principals. It was the route taken by Ware Shoals High principal Jane Blackwell and Emerald High principal Felicia Cartledge as well.
Both Blackwell and Cartledge are completing their first year as head principal at their high schools.
Blackwell, who taught at Ware Shoals Elementary and Newberry Middle Schools before teaching business and computer technology at Ware Shoals High, said her many years at the school and familiarity with the staff and students have made for an easy transition into her position.
“I’ve always loved this school – it is home to me,” she said. “The students knew me from the classroom, and I can call most of them by their first name. I have taught most of them, and they know my high standards and they know that I care about them.”
Cartledge, who started her teaching career as a math teacher in Richland County, worked in administration at both District 50 high schools before accepting the head position at Emerald High.
“Becoming principal was part of my career path. I wanted to go into teaching and then administration,” she said. “As a young female, I have a lot of goals, and I knew this was something I wanted to do for years. I like being with children.”
All four principals say the fact that they are women has never been an issue at their schools, and they say the faculty, staff and community have been nothing but supportive as they take on an unprecedented role in Greenwood County.
“Having men principals in high schools was just a tradition – a mindset – and some people may not have felt women could handle a high school,” Boyce said. “Change is not an easy thing for many people, but in my experience, I’ve been embraced by the community and school, and I truly appreciate it.”
Blackwell said she believes the District 52 School Board never took her gender into account when they considered her for the position – they only looked at who would be best for the job.
“I don’t think the fact that I was a female was even a factor,” she said. “I think they just found someone who was right for the job. It was a big step for them and for me because I came straight out of the classroom and into the position.”
The four say they have never had a problem with students questioning the authority of the position simply because they are women.
“If the students see you as an authority figure, they will respond,” Campbell said. “Sometimes you are the teacher, sometimes you are the disciplinarian, and sometimes you are the motivator. It’s a complex relationship.”
Blackwell said being principal is a tough job no matter what your gender.
“It’s a man-sized job, but it doesn’t necessarily take a man to do it. Women can be strong disciplinary figures,” she said, adding that women may be able to bring new dimensions to the position.
“You have to connect with students – connect with them personally and have a personal interest in their success and well being,” Blackwell said. “Sometimes it is easier for a woman to express those feelings than a man.”
Cartledge said showing care and support for students is a major part of her role at Emerald.
“I never focus on being young or being a woman, I focus on the children so that when they leave this high school, they can be productive citizens,” she said. “I’m here as a team leader. This isn’t a one-man show, and my job is to support the staff and students.”
Although Greenwood is the only county in the state to have women heading all of its high schools, Boyce said she believes the trend for women in secondary administration is turning, and she thinks more women will be seen in the role in the coming years.
“There are more universities offering graduate studies in administration, and the number of female administrators has risen in the last years and will continue to do so,” she said. “This is only the beginning.”

LU bats get workout

Bearcats score 29 runs in doubleheader sweep

February 6, 2005

By BRIAN HOWARD
Assistant sports editor

The Lander University baseball team had its bats warm for Saturday’s doubleheader against Fairmont State (W.Va.).
The Bearcats scored 29 runs in the two games, sweeping the Falcons at Legion Field.
Lander took the opener 16-7, and completed the sweep with a 13-3 win in seven innings.
The two teams meet in the series finale 1 p.m. today at Legion Field.
The Bearcats (3-0) couldn’t manufacture runs in the first three innings in their season-opening win against St. Andrews Tuesday.
Saturday in the first game, Lander again struggled to get any offensive production in the first three innings, but found a way to score 16 times, while pounding out 13 hits.
“The first two games we have started a little slow,” Lander outfielder Ryan Roeder, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the opener, said. “We went through the lineup the first time and saw the guy (Falcons pitcher) and got kind of use to him.
“The biggest difference between last year and this year is that one-through-nine we will punish you. Last year we had a few holes, but this year, top-through-bottom, we’re going to hit the ball.”
Transfer Kevin Davis also had a big game in the opener, going 1-for-2 with four RBIs.
Evan Christian earned the win. However, the junior right-hander struggled a bit during the five innings he worked. Christian gave up three runs, including a solo home run by Pat Griffith just three pitches into the game.
Christian surrendered five hits, but had five strikeouts.
Lander’s offense did its damage in the middle innings, scoring all 16 runs.
The Bearcats entered the bottom of the fourth trailing 2-0.
David Walton, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, led off the fourth with a walk. With one down, James Compo singled to left field, advancing Walton to second.
Walter Cochrane followed with an RBI single to center and moved to second as the throw went to third to get Compo, who slide underneath the tag. Compo scored on a passed ball, moving Cochrane to third.
Adam Strongman followed with a single to left, scoring Cochrane and giving Lander a 3-2 lead. Roeder followed with a single to left, and Jordan Jones, pinch running for Strongman, advanced to second. Both runners would score when Davis doubled to center.
Former Abbeville standout Jonathan Myers brought Davis home on a sacrifice fly to center, giving the Bearcats a 6-2 advantage.
Fairmont State’s Andrew Knight picked up the loss, going 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out one.
Unlike the opener, Lander wasted no time getting runs.
The Bearcats scored seven runs in the first two innings to give starting pitcher Chris Marks a comfortable 7-0 lead.
Marks worked four innings, giving up just four hits and striking out two in picking up the win.
Derrick Lambert took the loss for the Falcons (0-2). Lambert pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up 10 runs on nine hits, walked four and struck out three.
The offense, even though leading 7-0 after three innings, outscored the Falcons, 6-3 during the middle innings.
Cochrane led Lander by going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Brisby was 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Campo went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Falcons picked up all three runs in the fifth inning, after Tom Peterson had walked the bases loaded.
After today’s series finale, Lander plays host to a doubleheader Saturday at Legion Field against Alderson-Broadus.

Opinion

Mandatory seat belt use worth living for in S. C.

February 6, 2005

Finally, after long periods of frustration, it appears that South Carolina will have a primary seat belt law. Despite misgivings by some lawmakers and other South Carolinians, this law is intended for one thing: to save lives.
The S. C. State Senate approved the bill this week by a vote of 32-11, Now it goes to the House where it is expected to pass. A similar measure was approved last year by the House.
The only question mark this year, it appears, is that Gov. Mark Sanford, according to a spokesman, “has some real reservations” about the seat belt bill.
That may not even come into play, considering that it only takes 31 votes in the Senate and 83 in the House to override a veto should Sanford take that course.

THE ARGUMENT THAT A SEAT belt law is nothing more than government meddling in the lives of its citizens is hard to defend. That’s particularly so when every driver, by law, must have a license to operate a vehicle. Vehicles, by law, must have brakes, proper lights, and a valid license to be on the roads. How much difference is a mandatory seat belt law?
A lot of South Carolinians who have died on our roads could have been saved had they been wearing a seat belt. It happened in Greenwood only a few months ago, and it seemingly happens somewhere in the state every day.
Seat belts are sometimes criticized as nuisances. That may be so ….. sometimes. The question then is obvious. Is such a nuisance worse than getting killed? Critics may call that simple-minded thinking. If support of a seat belt law will help save a single life, though, it’s worth all the criticism in the world.

ANYWAY, GOVERNOR SANFORD is a practical man. The seat belt support has been growing in recent years, and every time someone dies in a wreck and was not wearing a seat belt, the support for mandating their use increases. When he has a lot of political irons in the fire, and needs a lot of support in and out of the Legislature, why waste time and energy fighting a battle he’s not likely to win.
Principle? That’s important, of course, and Sanford is a man of principle. That he has proved over and over. That creates another question. Is the seat belt issue a matter of principle, or is it political philosophy? That’s one we should all ask when it’s a matter of life or death. And, to be sure, that’s what seat belts are all about.

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

Obituaries

Clyde Adams

Clyde Belton Adams, 66, of 2620 Edgefield Street, died Friday, February 4, 2005.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late Belton Onee and Eva Smith Adams. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and was retired from Monsanto and was a security guard for the Greenwood Packing Plant. He attended Lakeside Pentecostal Holiness Church.
He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Jonna Marlin.
Surviving are three daughters, Beth Chapman of Cheraw, Sherrie Adams of Chester and Kristie Long of Batesburg; a stepdaughter, Jodie Shelley of Greenwood; a stepson, Tommy Curry of Laurens; two sisters, Eva Davis of Greenwood and Eunice Jackson of Ninety Six and seven grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Paul Cooper officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be John Culbertson, Wallace Enlow, James Cothran, Ronnie Burton, Winfred Dale Hallman and Dennis Kelley.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The family is at the home of his daughter, Kristie Long, 2360 Spann Road, Batesburg.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of Tri-County, 111 Executive Pointe Blvd., Columbia, SC 29210.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Edna P. Bailey

RUTHERFORDTON, N.C. — Edna Panther Bailey, 66, died Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005 at Hospice House of Rutherford County in Forest City, N.C. Born in Polk County, she was a daughter of the late John Panther and the late Annie Green Panther. She was a member of Fork Creek Baptist and attended Poors Ford Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Leon M. Bailey; a daughter, Kathy B. Hollingsworth of Greenwood; two sons, Randy Brewington of Atlanta and Charles B. Robinette III of Rutherfordton, N.C.; four sisters, Barbara Conner of Laurens, Dorothy Allgood of Cross Anchor, S.C., Lois Alverson of Clinton and Sarah Ashley of Greenwood; two brothers, Frank Panther of South Hill, Va. and Joe Panther of Laurens.
Services are 1 p.m. Monday at Poors Ford Baptist Church. Burial is in Poors Ford Baptist Church Cemetery in Rutherfordton, N.C.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at McMahan’s Funeral Home Inc., 249 South Main St., Rutherfordton, N.C.
McMahan’s Funeral Home Inc. is in charge.

Shirley Bryant

Shirley Fortner Bryant, 58, of 410 Bond St., widow of David Bryant, died Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
She was a daughter of the late Cleva Fortner Hadder and was the retired owner of S&D Plus Women’s Clothing Store. She was a member of Augusta Highway Baptist Church.
Survivors include her brother, Clarence Dean “Buddy” Fortner of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Services are 3 p.m. today at Mathews Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. Craig Hughes.
Visitation is 1-2:30 today at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of her mother-in-law, Era Bryant, 125 Bryant Drive.
Memorials may be made to Augusta Highway Baptist Church, 3720 Highway 25 South, Greenwood, S.C. 29646.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

James W. Godfrey

MAULDIN — James W. Godfrey, 77, husband of Doris Jean Owens Godfrey of 212 White Drive, died Friday, February 4, 2005 at Greenville Memorial Hospital. He was born in Laurens County, a son of the late Floyd C. and Aura Walker Godfrey. He retired from Michelin Tire and was a veteran of the US Army, WWII.
Mr. Godfrey was a member of Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Brewerton Masonic Lodge #183, Shrine Hejaz and Scottish Rites.
Surviving besides his wife of the home are two sons, James R. Godfrey, Abbeville, Jonathan Mark Godfrey, Irmo; two daughters, Cathy G. Scruggs, Mauldin and Brandi Godfrey, Troy, S.C.
Also, two brothers, Haskell Godfrey, Valdosta, Ga. and Sonny Godfrey, Culpepper, Va.; four sisters, Ruby Lyons, Baltimore, Md.; Mary Bess Paige, Asheville, N.C., Mildred Pressley, Hickory Tavern and Raye G. Caldwell, Ware Shoals, S.C. Also, two grandchildren, James Scruggs and Haley Scruggs, Mauldin, S.C.
Funeral services will be conducted Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Parker-White Funeral Home, Ware Shoals with the Rev. Charles Caldwell and Rev. Jim Osteen officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Masonic rites.
The family will be at the home of Cathy Scruggs, 212 White Drive, Mauldin, S.C. and will receive friends at PARKER-WHITE FUNERAL HOME, Ware Shoals, S.C. on Sunday, 4-6 PM.
PAID OBITUARY

Minnie Ruth Gray

ABBEVILLE — Minnie Ruth Gray, 67, died Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005 at McCormick Health Care Center.
Born in Abbeville, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Gray and Rodia Jones Gray. She was a homemaker and a member of Mount Olive Holiness of Calhoun Falls where she served on the usher board.
Survivors include four brothers, John H. Williams of Atlanta, Thomas Gray Jr. of Abbeville, Floyd Gray of Abbeville, and Rev. James Moses Gray of Hartford, Conn.; and a sister, Jean Gray of Abbeville.
Viewing is 11-7 Monday at Richie Funeral Home.
Services are 2 p.m. Tuesday at Richie Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of her sister, Jean Gray, 518 Grey Rock Estates, Abbeville.
Richie Funeral Home is in charge.

Betty Hitt

Elizabeth “Betty” Whilden McIver Hitt, 69, of 506 Marietta Drive, wife of Bobby J. Hitt, died Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Charleston, she was a daughter of the late Edwin Whilden and Dorothy Rowan McIver. She was a graduate of Roper Hospital School of X-Ray in Charleston and was a member of St. Mark United Methodist Church.
Survivors include her husband of the home; three daughters, Mrs. Keith (Katherine “Kathy”) Dixon of Kingsland, Ga., Mrs. Gary (Nancy) Heinz of Charleston, Cynthia “Cindy” Hitt of Greenwood; and three grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Monday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Jim Johnston and Dan Smith. Entombment is in Oakbrook Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Pallbearers are Jerry Bedenbaugh, David Dority, Wayne Goff, Al Jones, Tim Knowlton and Sammy Reighley.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Blyth Funeral Home.
Memorials may be made to St. Mark United Methodist Church, 550 By Pass 72 NW, Greenwood, S.C. 29649, The American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1741, Greenwood, S.C. 29648 or to The Greenwood Humane, P.O. Box 242, Greenwood, S.C. 29648.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com.

Dr. Gus Scioville

Dr. Gustavo T. Scioville, 78, of 531 Wilson Street, No. 3, husband of Gloria Shaw Scioville, died Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005 at his home.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home.