Rotary helps local couple spend more time together

July 18, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

Isaac Shaffer calls his involvement with Rotary International his hobby, but to hear him talk, it sounds like it’s more of a passion.
He is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Emerald City, having joined in 1982, and recently was named District Governor of District 7750 for 2005-06.
“It’s a huge honor,” he said of his title, adding that there are 3,200 members and 56 clubs in this district. “It’s a great organization that does a lot of good and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
He first became involved with Rotary as a member of one of its affiliate clubs, the Luray High School Interact Club, in his hometown of Luray, Va.
After seeing the kind of work Rotary did, he said, he’d vowed that if he ever became involved in a club, it would be a Rotary club. He did that three years after he moved to Greenwood to accept a job with a local insurance business.
In the 22 years since then, Shaffer has become one of the most dedicated Rotarians the 60-some-member Rotary Club of Emerald City can claim.
“He’s held almost every office there is in Rotary and he’s given 110 percent in each of those,” said one of Shaffer’s fellow Rotarians, Stephen Welch. Welch is an attorney at Welch Law Firm and has been a Rotary member for 15 years.
“His dedication to good causes goes beyond Rotary,” Welch said of Shaffer. “He’s been involved in (Boy) Scouting for a great number of years, he’s involved in his church, and he’s supported his wife’s love of the arts. He’s not a man with a lot of free time, but I’m sure he’ll give this new position (as District Governor) his all, just like he does everything else.”
Displayed on Shaffer’s desk at Palmetto Insurance aren’t business cards promoting his company. Instead, he has Rotary International cards, which have his contact information and a picture of him and wife Myra. The cards fold out to give a description of what Rotary is. He said it’s so that visitors to his office aren’t confused when he starts talking about his Rotary club, which he inevitably will.
“I could talk about Rotary all day,” he said.
Myra is also a member of the Rotary Club of Emerald City. It’s been good for their marriage, she said.
“Because we are so different, it’s just a great thing for us to be involved with this together. It gives us a common activity and a common goal to work for,” she said. “We both sincerely believe in the projects of Rotary and how they’re helping people.”
Myra is a teacher at Greenwood Christian School and up until about a week ago was artistic and executive director of the Greenwood Community Theatre. That kept her away from home much of the time, she said, so she and Isaac would meet at Rotary and that was when they got to spend time together.
Myra joined Rotary three years ago, but said she’s felt like a member since she married Isaac 17 years ago. After all, she said, his nickname is Mr. Rotary.
“He’s been involved in so many levels, not just with the local club, but with the district, as well. I was constantly hearing about the meetings and their latest projects,” she said. “I knew as much about what was going on as most of the members did.”
Though Isaac said he wasn’t blessed with any of the artistic talents that are so abundant in his wife, he did often help out at the theater, usually in a janitorial capacity, he said. He took the stage on only one occasion, playing the part of a juror in “Inherit the Wind.”
Isaac said that happened only because one of the actors fell ill the day before the show opened. “He loves to tell people he knew all his lines the first rehearsal,” Myra said. “It was a non-speaking part.”
It was Isaac’s joking nature and his smile that Myra said first drew her to him 20 years ago.
What has kept them together, despite their very different personalities, Isaac joked, is the fact that he does everything she tells him to.
In reality, he said, those differences are part of what makes them a great match.
“Actually, we balance each other very well,” he said. “We complement each other rather than conflicting.”
The couple agrees that their 16-year-old son, Graham, lucked out with the best parts of each of them.
“He has Myra’s artistic talents,” Isaac said. “He plays the saxophone, the piano and the guitar. I play the radio, the TV and the VCR.”
Myra said Graham got his father’s sense of humor.
In addition to his involvement with Rotary International, Isaac is assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 270 and has been active in Boy Scouts for 10 years. He is also a teacher, Sunday school treasurer and breakfast worker at Main Street Methodist Church.

Facing a familiar foe

Post 20 has Irmo in the playoffs for third time in four years

July 18, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

It wasn’t by simple happenstance that Irmo was the only non-League VII opponent on Greenwood Post 20 baseball team’s regular season schedule.
Post 20 coach Billy Dean Minor figured his team might be seeing Irmo in the postseason.
And rightly so, because for the third time in four years, Post 20 (14-10) squares off against Irmo (20-5), the League VIII champion, in the second round of the state playoffs.
The two teams open the best-of-five series at 7 tonight at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo. The winner of this series advances to next week’s state tournament at Greenwood’s Legion Field.
Regardless of the outcome, Post 20 will be playing in the state tournament. Greenwood receives an automatic bid as the host team, but if the team fails to qualify on its own, it will be handed the No. 8 seed and will be forced to play the top seed in the state finals. If Post 20 wins the series with Irmo, it would earn one of the top six seeds.
“You obviously know it (automatic bid) is there, but it’s not something we’re thinking about,” said center fielder Will Gary, a three-year Post 20 player. “We want to earn our way in.”
Post 20 hasn’t had much success against Irmo in recent memory, especially in the playoffs.
In the two previous postseason meetings (2002 and ’03), Irmo won all six games with a combined score of 45-11.
“I don’t know if it’s bad blood, but we really want to beat this team,” Gary said. “You have to use it as motivation, but you can’t let it get in your head. Then, you start over-analyzing everything.”
The two teams originally were scheduled to play a home-and-away series this season. However, inclement weather allowed for only one contest to be played, which Irmo won 8-1 at Legion Field.
The loss came during a tough stretch for Post 20, which had four starters on the bench to start the game. It was the fourth of five straight defeats, Greenwood’s longest losing streak of the season.
Irmo easily took care of its first-round opponent, sweeping its opening series against Fort Mill by outscoring the second-place team from League VI, 27-14.
Irmo hasn’t suffered defeat since July 2 when League VII’s Easley beat the team 17-12 in Easley. Irmo currently is enjoying a six-game winning streak.
While Irmo should be well rested, having not played in five days, Post 20 is coming off a long four-game series victory over two-time defending champion Spartanburg. The series took six days to complete because of two rainouts.
The 2005 Post 20 team doesn’t have the long list of players with eye-popping statistics. The team has only five players batting over .295 on the season, while no starting pitcher has an ERA under 3.00.
But the team, which has outscored its opponents 151-149, has found ways to win ballgames.
First-year legion player Justin Collier has been a pleasant surprise on the mound for Post 20.
The Thornwell High School product, who has entered the starting rotation, is 5-0 with a 3.54 ERA and two complete game victories, including a crucial one in Game Three at Spartanburg.
Nick Milford also has five victories, but also has suffered four losses, with a 6.34 ERA.
Fellow starters Josh Jones (1-2) and first-year legion player Brandon Miller (2-2) also have reasonably high earned run averages, with Jones recording a 6.14 and Miller a 7.36.
Kyle Behrendt, another first-year player, has been key in the Greenwood bullpen, going 1-0 with two saves and a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.
Behrendt also has been a leader at the plate. The Greenwood High School graduate leads the team in batting average (.400) and total hits (40).
Former Emerald High School standout Will Gary has been effective offensively down the stretch. In the last 15 games, Gary has improved his batting average 92 points to .378.
His 34 hits rank second on the team behind Behrendt. Gary’s .491 on-base percentage is tops on the team and he’s tied with Clint Burden, who is batting .318, for first with 21 RBIs.
Emerald High School graduates Justin Lovvorn, Milton Brown and Wade Scott also have been crucial to Greenwood’s success, batting .310, .298 and .274, respectively.

Opinion

Past hatred isn’t reason to build new walls today

July 18, 2005

Abbeville is a community steeped in history. More was added to that history last Tuesday night.
White ministers, and other whites, met with black ministers and other blacks. The whites confessed to the sins of lynching and slavery by their ancestors. The blacks said they would forgive.
It was another historic event for Abbeville. Participants, and others, hoped the togetherness of the moment would relegate the past to the past. The test comes now, though. Will it give blacks and whites a new start and bring a feeling of peace and better relations among all people? Maybe. Maybe not.

MANY HOPED A STATEMENT by the Rev. Wendell Rhodes, the event’s organizer, was prophetic. He is pastor of Friendship Worship Center, where the meeting was held. “The purpose of this meeting is not political,” Rhodes said. “We don’t have a political agenda.”
That remains to be seen, however ….. not because of some of those present, but because of others there and elsewhere.
A statement by Eugene Crawford, grandson of a man lynched in Abbeville in 1916, sounded more ominous. “It’s a little bit too little too late,” he said. “But it sounded good, anyway.”
Now it’s a question whether the people of South Carolina will use this beginning as a means to build more bridges to connect people of all colors instead of more walls to separate them. The whole event could lead to greater understanding and better relations among people. With the right attitude and open minds, anything can be overcome.

IT WON’T HAPPEN, THOUGH, if some of us continue to blame others today for crimes and mistakes made by people in the distant past. Unless forgiveness is complete, better relations among all people will be nothing more than wishful thinking.
Blaming people today for sins of the past, as some still do, is without forgiveness, and makes the whole idea of confess and forgive counterfeit. It amounts to nothing more than hypocrisy. And that, without question, is one of the quickest ways to divisiveness and even more polarization.
The idea for the “healing” meeting was a good one. People on all sides, though, must confess and forgive without reservation. To make either conditional detracts from the stated intent.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
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Obituaries

George ‘Li’ Meat’ Freeman

George Carroll “Li’ Meat” Freeman, 34, of 106 Richard St., husband of Christi S. Freeman, died Saturday, July 16, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late George Harrison and Carolyn Harrison-Martin. He was educated in the Greenwood and Edgefield counties school system. He was self-employed as a tree surgeon for Freeman Tree Service. He was of the Baptist faith and attended Calvary Grove Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; paternal grandmother, Ruth P. Harrison of Greenwood; a son, Jalan Jackson of the home; a daughter, Sierra S. Freeman of the home; three brothers, Gregory L. Harrison, Michael D. Harrison and Rico R. Harrison, all of Greenwood; three sisters, Teresa H. Strong of Hampton, Va., Veronica “Rhonda” Harrison and Catrina Harrison, both of Greenwood.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be made to the family at robson@emeraldis.com.

Oscar Goodman

SALUDA — Oscar Wallace Goodman, 67, of 140 Star Court, died Saturday, July 16, 2005, at his residence.
Born in Saluda County and a son of the late Clarence and Lucy Thelma Gentry Goodman, he was the husband of Barbara Jean Sweat Goodman. Mr. Goodman was retired from Saluda County Roads and Bridges Division and was a farmer.
Surviving is his wife, Barbara Jean Sweat Goodman, three brothers, Clarence Gerald Goodman of Johnston, Virgil W. Goodman of Whitmire and Boyce E. Goodman of Newberry; four sisters, Mary E. Foshee of Hodges, Jewell L. Anderson of Sangler, TX, Voncille B. McCarson of Laurens and Renee T. Lewis of Waterloo; three step-sons, Wendell Chapman of Gray Court, Jeff Chapman of Johnston and Donald Chapman of Saluda; two step-daughters, Christina Chapman of Laurens and Sonya Chapman of Saluda and two special great-nephews, Austin and Richard Summer.
Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at Ramey Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Steve Justice officiating. Interment will follow in Mayson Memorial Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 PM Tuesday evening at Ramey Funeral Home and at other times will be at the home of Mrs. Arthur Dell Sweat, 409 N. Jefferson St.
Memorials may be made to Good Hope Baptist Church, 1738 Greenwood Highway, Saluda, SC 29138.
PAID OBITUARY

George Simpkins

CALHOUN FALLS — George Simpkins, 77, of Hermont Nursing Home, in Calhoun Falls, died Sunday, July 17, 2005, at Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, Ga..
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Friendly Funeral Home in Calhoun Falls.