Genetic Center’s founding director
inducted into county’s hall of fame

January 15, 2005

By TASHA STEIMER
Index-Journal staff writer

About 500 people gathered Friday night at Lander University to celebrate a year of economic development in the Greenwood area.
The Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce received guests for its annual dinner and gala and honored several people who made various contributions to the quality of life and economic well-being of Greenwood County.
Roger E. Stevenson, founding director of the Greenwood Genetic Center, was inducted into the Greenwood County Hall of Fame — the highest award presented by the Chamber.
Stevenson, who is an author/co-author of six books, also serves on the board of governors of the S.C. Biotechnology Incubation Program.
He also served on the S.C. Commission on Higher Education from 2003-04 and serves on the Lander Foundation Board and Furman University Science Advisory Board. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Furman in 1989.
Stevenson received the hall of fame award from 2001 inductee and friend James E. McDonald.
McDonald said Stevenson led the Genetic Center as it made advances in the field, including a 60 percent reduction of neural tube disorders for newborns, such as spina bifida, which also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
McDonald said Stevenson was also instrumental in pushing for a state-of-the-art treatment facility to continue detecting genetic conditions in newborns and before birth.
“In 2006, this treatment facility is expected to open,” he said. “It will be the first of its kind in the United States, and it’s likely the first of its kind in the world.”
The Small Business Person of the Year recipient was Lori Hajost, owner of Art/Design Associates. Hajost participates on several boards, including the Arts Council of Greenwood County. She is chairwoman of the Education Enrichment Foundation and chairwoman of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance, and was past chairwoman of the South Carolina Festival of Flowers. She is an active member of the local and state Sertoma Clubs. She designed the specialty state license plate for the club.
Hajost said she was shocked to receive the award, but, luckily, her husband prepared a speech for her.
The Anna L. Robinson Neighborhood of the Year Award, which is presented to a neighborhood association for outstanding achievements in development, went to the Taggart/Russell Street Community Club.
Minnie Childs accepted the award on the club’s behalf for participating in various activities, including community cleanups, giving to shut-ins and mentoring young men and children.
Debbie Flynn, of CapitalBank, received the Ambassador of the Year award.
Chamber of Commerce ambassadors maintain contact with members through monthly visits and phone calls, as well as welcoming new businesses.
Outgoing Chamber Board of Directors President and Chairman Sam Tolbert led the event and introduced Debbie Turner, president and chairwoman-elect of the Chamber board of directors.
Guests at the dinner and gala also heard state Sen. John Drummond present a patriotic message before the awards presentation.
Drummond congratulated the award winners and commended government officials and business leaders for working together for economic development.
“Yes, we have a partnership in Greenwood – a partnership of business and government. All over the state and nation, that’s not the case,” he said. “Business versus government – I see that in Columbia and I see it across this state and across this nation. Not so here in Greenwood. We’re together in building a strong economic and political base for all Greenwood. And I give the Chamber of Commerce a lot of credit for that. You found ways to bring people together, and that’s not so easy these days.”

Smoak honored for hitting milestone

January 15, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Special to The Index-Journal

For most athletes, the accomplishment of a rarely achieved goal is extremely satisfying.
Such was the case Friday night, as Greenwood Christian School senior forward Jo Ellen Smoak was honored for reaching 1,000 career points with the Lady Hawks’ varsity basketball team.
Smoak was presented the game ball from Friday night’s 54-19 win over Lockhart. The announcement that she would receive the game ball came during a small halftime ceremony in Smoak’s honor.
“I’m excited,” said Smoak, speaking of the presentation. “I just have to praise God for the opportunity to play this game and to be able to score so many points.”
Jo Ellen is the younger sister of Erskine College player Garreth Smoak, also a former member of the Lady Hawks.
“Garreth taught me a lot. She always has pushed me to be better,” Smoak said.
Smoak was appreciative of the capacity crowd on Friday night, many of which turned out for the presentation.
“Our fans have been so supportive and encouraging, it’s unbelievable,” said Smoak.
Smoak, who broke the 1,000-point barrier in last Thursday’s game at Shannon Forest, also spoke highly of her coaches.
“My coaches deserve so much credit. Coach Hinzman has taught me so much about basketball, and about life,” stated Smoak.
“Jo Ellen is our leader on this team,” said Greenwood Christian coach Ted Hinzman, continuing, “She’s our physical leader, and our spiritual leader. She’s even more of a leader off of the court. She’s the one on the bus coming back from road games doing her homework by flashlight.
She’s just been a special player. ”
“I’m not surprised she’s passed 1,000,” said Hinzman. “On the court she’s just relentless, she perseveres, and gives us 32 minutes every time out.”
“Jo Ellen has been a dear friend to me, almost like a daughter,” stated Hinzman, concluding, “I wish I had nine more just like her.”

’Dogs nip Vikings

January 15, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The Emerald High School boys basketball team’s efforts at back-to-back come-from-behind victories fell flat Friday night against Region III-AA newcomer Newberry.
Three days after overcoming a 15-point deficit to knock off Batesburg-Leesville, the Vikings couldn’t dig out of a 14-point hole, falling to the Bulldogs, 78-72, at home.
Newberry, which is now the only 2-0 team in Region III-AA, secured the victory by hitting 10 of 14 free throws in the final minute of play.
The Bulldogs finished with four players in double figures and two with nine points, led by senior 6-foot-8 center James Cuttino, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Emerald’s D.L. Griffin had his second straight 20-point performance, scoring a game-high 23 points on five 3-pointers.
Dan Wideman had 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Aaron Evans added 10 points, eight boards and six blocks.
After grabbing a 22-13 first-quarter lead, the Vikings went cold in the second, getting only two field goals and scoring only seven points.
The Bulldogs took advantage of Emerald’s poor offensive output, outscoring the home team by 12 to take a 33-29 lead at the break.
The Bulldogs built on their four-point halftime lead by starting the second half with a 12-5 run, with those dozen points from five different players, to take a double-digit lead.
Dominique Brown’s driving layup gave Newberry its largest lead, 55-41, with 43 seconds left in the third.
Griffin started an Emerald comeback late in the fourth with his fourth second-half 3-poniter, which made it 66-58 with 3:20 remaining.
Emerald’s William Taylor followed with a jumper from the free throw line. Teammate Chris White stole the inbounds from Newberry’s Antonio Tribble and was fouled on the drive to the basket.
White dropped both free throws to make it 66-62 with 2:00 left to play.
After a layin by Brown, Vikings point guard Fred Johnson drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to pull the team to within three, 68-65, with 1:03 remaining.
But that would be as close as Emerald would get, thanks to the Bulldogs’ free throw shooting.

Not so heavy weight issues

Counting calories isn’t at top of priority list for area heavyweight wrestlers

January 14, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Sometimes, it’s good to be the big guy. Especially on a high school wrestling team.
Yes, they may have problems finding the right uniform or warm-ups to fit properly, but at least they don’t have to take long runs before a match to make weight like the smaller guys do.
Heavyweights might be the only wrestlers that the coach might ask the student-athlete to eat an extra cheeseburger instead of running an extra mile, as long as his weight doesn’t exceed 275 pounds.
“They (heavyweights) don’t really have to worry too much about what they eat,” said Greenwood High School wrestling coach Greg Brewer, who wrestled as a heavyweight in high school and college.
Brewer doesn’t have to concern himself with the food intake of his two heavyweights, senior Bryan Varner and junior Jamar Crawford, both of whom are competing in the heaviest weight class for the first time.
At 260 pounds, Crawford doesn’t fancy himself a big eater, thanks in some small part to his after-school job.
“I work at Burger King, and since I started working there, it’s hard to pick what food I want to eat,” said Crawford, who was a defensive tackle for the Eagles’ football team. “I see so much food that I kind of get sick of it.”
However, Crawford’s heavyweight-mate has the luxury of eating as much as he likes.
After wrestling at 189 as a sophomore, Varner didn’t wrestle as a junior, using the winter to bulk up for football, where he played on the defensive line for the Eagles. However, he overdid it a little, reaching the 240s.
Now, Varner has to overindulge in order to maintain his 245-pound weight.
“I eat a lot of meat and a lot of potatoes,” Varner said. “It’s a lot of fattening foods. I usually eat three meals, but they’re usually pretty big.”
After the Eagles’ match with Easley Monday, Varner knocked down five chalupas and two burritos at Taco Bell. Then he followed that up the next morning with six Eggo waffles.
In a tournament earlier this season, Varner went to McDonalds and whoofed down three Big Macs and two McRibs, which won him a McFlurry on a bet with the restaurant’s manager.
“A guy cutting weight may not eat that much food in a week,” Brewer said.
Emerald senior Vicenti Wright, unlike Varner and most other heavyweights, has to keep a close eye on the scale.
This is Wright’s first season as a varsity wrestler. He missed out last season because he weighed 340 pounds after football season and couldn’t get down to 275.
But Wright made it a point not to miss his final chance at wrestling. The senior weighed 315 pounds during football season and cut his weight to 270 four weeks after the Vikings’ were knocked out of the playoffs.
“You have to be real disciplined,” Wright said. “But I knew I wanted it enough, because I knew I’d have the potential to have a good season if I could just make weight.
“Instead of eating what I want to eat after practice, I’ll eat fruits or vegetables.”
Despite the weight watching, Wright does allow himself a one-day-a-week food feast. He said this week’s splurge ended with two fried chicken sandwiches and a “whole bunch” of French fries and a two-liter of soft drink (not diet).
But what the big boys don’t have to deal with in weight management, they more than make up for in strength training.
“You have to be strong,” Wright said. “And you have to be sound in your technique. We have to position ourselves differently than the smaller weights do.
“We have to make sure our weight is more balanced. So, that we can take a shot and still stay in position.”
And with the added strength needed for a heavyweight, the larger wrestler also must attack his opponent differently than those in lighter weightclasses.
“You have to use their power against them,” Brewer said. “If they try to bully into you, you have to counter. And you don’t shoot for the legs as much as the smaller weights do, because if you do, you can end up with 260 pounds on your neck.”
Varner, often wrestling opponents that are 25 pounds heavier than he is, has to rely on his stamina and brain instead of just his muscles.
“There are moves I can’t do now that I’m a heavyweight that I did when I was 189,” Varner said. “I think the advantage I have in wrestling heavyweight is my endurance. If it goes into the third round, I’ll have an advantage.”

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

Opinion

U. N. now has chance to help children, itself

January 15, 2005

The tsunami tragedy was so huge it is difficult to imagine the extent of death, injury, disease and starvation that it brought. There are other concerns in the wake of the natural disaster, however. There is the possibility of an unnatural disaster that should get the world’s attention.
There’s a real worry that many homeless and parentless children, in the confusion and unexpected world they find themselves in, will be, in effect, kidnapped and sold into slavery ….. or worse.
It’s just further proof that some people are willing to do anything for gain. For them, the fate of children means nothing. When children need protection, there’s no one to provide it.
The reality is that tragedy follows tragedy. The sad part is that very little can be done to prevent such crimes. There should be a way, however. The devastated areas seem a perfect situation for the United Nations to prove itself. The way that body has handled other problems in recent times, though, that’s not likely. At the moment, it is having trouble maintaining any degree of credibility.

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

Obituaries

Ashber Anderson Sr.

HODGES — Services for Ashber Anderson Sr. are 3 p.m. Sunday at Good Hope Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Stanley Haltiwanger, assisted by the Rev. Linda Posley. Burial is in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church at 2.
Pallbearers are James S. Morgan III, Sherman Tolbert, Larry Edward Anderson, Jeff Anderson, Adell Anderson and Larry Anderson.
Flower bearers are Tonya Anderson, Adrienne Aiken, Ericka Park Gold, Cindy Adams, Germaine Morgan, Lashanda Coleman, Jessica Aiken and Fran Wright.
Visitation is 7-8 tonight at Percival Tompkins Funeral Home.
The family is at the home, 4316 Cokesbury Road.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

Jamie Corley

James Abner “Jamie” Corley, 88, of 114 Merriman Ave., widower of Etrulia Garvin Corley, died Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.

Flore Johnson

QUEENS VILLAGE, N.Y. — Flore Johnson, 97, of 212-40 Hillside Ave., widow of James Johnson, died Sunday, Jan. 9, 2005 at L.I.J. Hospital in New Hyde Park.
Born in Edgefield, S.C., she was a daughter of the late Preston and Jenny “Aunt Miss” Rearden. She was a former member of Springfield Baptist Church in Edgefield.
Survivors include a sister, Ida Lue Lipford of Bronx, N.Y.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, S.C.

Helen W. Johnson

GREENWOOD – Helen Watson Johnson, 76, of 116 Andrews Avenue, wife of Herbert Carlton Johnson, Sr., died Thursday, January 13, 2005 at her home.
Born in Central, she was a daughter of the late Charles Aiken and Maggie Lee Davis Watson. She was retired from Monsanto (now Solutia) and had been employed by Harley Funeral Home for 13 years. She was a member of Lowell Street United Methodist Church and the Cheerful Workers Sunday School Class.
Surviving is her husband of the home; a son, Herbert C. “Herbie” Johnson, Jr. of Greenwood; a sister, Rebecca Turner of Greenwood; a brother, Thomas Aiken Watson of Cedar City, UT; two grandchildren, Sherry Prince and Christy Prince and one great grandchild, Hannah Prince.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Lowell Street United Methodist Church with the Rev. Richard W. Waldrep officiating. A private burial will be held.
Pallbearers will be Ricky Johnson, Mickey Johnson, Al Turner, Stan Turner, Gray Turner, D. J. Clark, Joey Johnson and Michael Reynolds.
Honorary escort will be the members of the Cheerful Workers Sunday School Class of Lowell Street United Methodist Church and the staff of Harley Funeral Home.
The family will receive friends at Harley Funeral Home on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The family is at the home.
It is respectfully requested that flowers be omitted and memorials made to Lowell Street United Methodist Church, 300 Lowell Street, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Thelma Young Robinson

Services for Thelma Young Robinson, of 312 N. Hospital St., are 2 p.m. Sunday at Old Mount Zion Baptist Church, Epworth, conducted by the Rev. Clyde Cannon, assisted by the Rev. William K. Smith. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in The Evening Star Cemetery.
Pallbearers are church deacons and trustees.
Flower bearers are members of the Missionary Society and Usher Board.
Visitation is 6-7 today at Robinson & Son Mortuary.
The family is at the home of a sister, Lalie Mae Smith and nephew, Ronnie Smith, 316 Greenbriar Drive, Willows Subdivision.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com
PAID OBITUARY

Annie Ruth Gill White

ALLENDALE — Annie Ruth Gill White, 80, of 3630 Concord Church Road, widow of Heyward White, died Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005 at Allendale County Hospital, Fairfax.
She was a daughter of the late Willie and Rossetta Sanders Gill.
Survivors include a son, Willie Earl White; two sisters, Wilhelmenia Davis and Malvenia Lofton; two brothers, James Gill and Douglas Gill; and several grandchildren.
Services are 11 a.m. Monday at Cave Funeral Services. Burial is in Gill Cemetery on the family estate.
Cave Funeral Services Inc. is in charge.