Reconciliation?

Those who oppose Abbeville service need to take into consideration
what Jesus did, pastor says

July 31, 2005

By SHAVONNE POTTS
Index-Journal staff writer

It was a little more than two weeks ago that people from across the United States gathered in Abbeville at Friendship Worship Center as white church leaders confessed the crimes and injustices their predecessors inflicted upon black people.
Today, local organizers of the “Reconciliation Service” say the majority of the comments they’ve received about the event have been positive.
The service aimed to reconcile the crimes against blacks, including what happened in 1916 to Anthony Crawford, who was lynched in Abbeville.
An Index-Journal Web site poll showed that 90 percent of the people who responded think the service will not help bridge the racial divide, while 10 percent said it would.
About 350 people voted in the non-scientific poll.
Wendell Rhodes, event organizer and pastor of Friendship Worship Center, said he is surprised by the reaction.
Rhodes said that since the service, he’s gotten calls from an Aiken radio station and one from Philadelphia.
He’s also spoken with a Swedish newspaper that heard about what he and others were doing in Abbeville.
“I think what happened in the past has an impact on today,” he said. “We are all guilty of perpetuating those ideas.”
He said the service also affected the Crawford family.
Eugene Crawford, the grandson of Anthony Crawford, said he felt good about the service.
“He said to me, ‘I feel like I’ve come home now,’” Rhodes said.
He said that the spirit of the Lord was as “thick as fog” in the church on the night of the service.
“I think the reason was because all of the people were coming together,” he said.
Rhodes said, biblically, there is a consequence that comes down through the generations for sins for which there has been no repentance.
“We have been silent and have not corrected it like we should have,” he said. “Something has to happen, and I believe this was just a part of it.”
A person wrote a letter to the editor, published July 23 in The Index-Journal, said, “I think it is blasphemous to use a house of God to bow at the altar of political correctness the way the people at the Friendship Worship Center did.”
Dr. Byron Jones, of Refiner’s Fire Christian Assembly, is one of several local pastors who participated in the reconciliation service and said he’s received positive comments about the service.
A few days following the service, he and other pastors who participated discussed the issue on an Aiken radio station.
“Everybody feels the walls of division have come down, and others have seen that churches could work together to accomplish something great in the community,” he said.
For those people who felt as though the service didn’t do any good, Jones said, “then they don’t understand about generational curses — and we’re talking about the corporate sins of Abbeville.”
Of the people who think that black leaders shouldn’t have accepted and white leaders shouldn’t have confessed the sins of the past, he said, they must not understand the concept of what Jesus Christ did on the cross.
“He took the sins of others on himself, and that is what intercession is: standing in the gap for others,” Jones said.
“We can’t justify what happened, but it has to be dealt with.”

Shavonne Potts covers general assignments in Greenwood and the Lakelands. She can be reached at 223-1811, ext. 3306, or: spotts@indexjournal.com.

Sumter too much for Post 20

After beating Conway in the morning, Greenwood eliminated by Post 15

July 31, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

At some point, the Greenwood Post 20 baseball team would have to wake up from its dream run through the state championship tournament. That happened late Saturday night.
After eliminating two teams, Post 20 had its season end at the hands of the highest remaining seed, as Greenwood fell to No. 2 Sumter, 14-4, at Legion Field in a game that was called after seven innings because of the mercy rule.
Despite giving up a four early runs to Post 20, Sumter pounded out 15 hits, 11 from the fourth through sixth innings, to remain undefeated in tournament play.
Sumter moves on to face Irmo in the championship round at 2 p.m. today. A second game, if necessary, is scheduled for 7.
Spurred on by a loud crowd, Greenwood grabbed a lead in the third. Justin Lovvorn walked and after moving to second on Milton Brown’s sacrifice bunt, he scored the game’s first run on Kyle Behrendt’s single.
A walk and an error loaded the bases with two outs for Lamar Dukes. The Post 20 catcher crushed a hanging curve ball from Sumter starter Matt Talley into the gap in left-center, clearing the bases and giving Greenwood a 4-0. The team only got to enjoy that lead for an inning and a half.
Sumter got one run back in the bottom of the third, then tied it up in the next inning. Sumter got three one-out singles, all of which came around to score without the benefit of another base hit.
Sumter scored six more runs on eight hits over the next two innings. The team added four more runs in the seventh on one hit to close out the 14-4 victory.
In the first game Saturday, Post 20 continued its efforts to prove it belonged in the state tournament by sending another higher-seeded team packing.
Post 20 erased a three-run deficit and fended off a ninth-inning charge to eliminate League II champion Conway, 9-8, Saturday afternoon at Legion Field.
“We weren’t supposed to get this far,” Post 20 pitcher Justin Collier said.
“Nobody gave us any credit. Everybody thought we’d just be two games and done, but here we are and we sent two teams home.”
Collier went 8 2/3 innings to earn his sixth victory of the season for Post 20 (17-14).
The first-year legion player from Thornwell High School was sluggish early, but regrouped through the middle innings, retiring 15 of 17 batters during one stretch.
“I started out throwing everything high,” Collier said. “I don’t know why. Maybe I wasn’t warmed up enough. But then I started locating the pitches down and I became more effective.”
Conway took the first lead on a bases-clearing triple from Dustin King to make it 3-0.
Greenwood fought back to draw within one in the third and worked to claim the lead in the fourth.
Post 20 loaded the bases on a pair of infield singles with two away in the fourth.
Will Gary crushed the first of two triples on the afternoon into deep center, clearing the bases.
The Post 20 center fielder later scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.
“At the end of the year, we played a lot better after we got behind and I think we found out that we had to keep battling, and I think that’s carried over to now,” Minor said.
Greenwood added another run in the fifth when Justin Lovvorn blooped a single into shallow left, scoring Brandon Miller.
Conway opened the fifth with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the inning. That’s when the rain began to fall. The players were called off the field at 12:25 and the two teams gathered to pull the tarp on the infield.
After a 38-minute delay, the players returned to the field. Collier needed only two pitches to get out of the inning. With a 2-2 count on Bucky Wells, Collier’s first toss blew by Wells for a strikeout.
Collier’s next pitch to Allen was driven right back to him. The Post 20 pitcher made the snag and tossed to Kyle Behrendt for the double play, starting a string of eight consecutive Conway batters retired by Collier.
“Actually, I think the delay calmed me down a little bit,” Collier said.
Post 20 continued its positive momentum swing with two more runs in the next inning.
With Brown on first, Behrendt dropped a bunt down the third-base line. The Post 20 shortstop easily beat out the throw, but Cione’s throw was well wide of first, allowing Brown to score and sending Behrendt to third.
Burden brought in Behrendt on his third single of the afternoon to make it 9-3.
Conway added one more run off Collier in the eighth and threatened for more, but Collier retired three straight batters with runners on the corners to end the inning with a 9-4 lead.
Like it did against Gaffney, Conway again attempted a ninth-inning rally. With a runner on third and two outs, the Conway batters found out how to hit Collier. The next three batters went double, single and homer to carve a five-run lead into one.
But after Marcus James’ two-run shot to right made it 9-8, Justin Jenkins came in relief of Collier. Jenkins threw four pitches and got Cione to fly out for the fourth time in the game, as Burden squeezed the pop up in left to end the game.

Opinion

Senators show good sense when Scouts are involved

July 31, 2005

Greenwood has seen unusual success in young Boy Scouts rising through the ranks to become Eagle Scouts. It’s something that any community can be proud of. It’s like a badge that shouts here is a place that deserves all the accolades that can come its way. But, then, that’s what Scouting is all about.
The Boy Scouts of America organization has been around since 1910. It first began in Great Britain in 1908. When a Boy Scout there did a good deed for an American businessman, that businessman, William D. Boyce, was so impressed that he and some others got the movement started in this country.
Boy Scouts of America have faced all sorts of “anti” pressures in recent times, although truth be known, most Americans probably would support them.

WHAT’S NOT TO SUPPORT, really? Everything they do is positive in nature and that’s contrary to much of the negative hassles that mark the hectic anything goes world of 2005.
Perhaps being positive is what irritates and attracts opponents.
Look at what’s involved. Boy Scouts are taught to do their duty to God, to their country, and to other people. They have a motto that most South Carolinians know by heart. It is “Be Prepared.” They learn by doing and they practice citizenship by electing their own youth leaders and by learning to work together.
What could be better? Good citizenship is tantamount to gentle and civil behavior, and everything that strengthens society as a whole. It is basic to the maintenance of the freedoms we all are privileged to enjoy.
It is “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “The Star Spangled Banner” all rolled into one.

IT IS GOING TO CHURCH, voting, working hard and teaching our children about God and country and citizenship. It is, in short, our home and everything that word implies.
One of the problems Boy Scouts have had in recent years has been a number of lawsuits seeking to limit Boy Scout activities on government property. A U. S. District Judge had ruled in favor of an ACLU suit to that effect. So the U. S. Senate, in a 98-0 vote, eliminated that problem.
Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist, a former Boy Scout who sponsored the Senate provision, said it “removes any doubt that federal agencies may welcome Scouts …” to use government facilities. The House had earlier overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution in support of the Scouts.
Positive can trump the negative. It takes people willing to do it, however. This situation proves it.

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

Obituaries

Willie James Anderson

Willie James Anderson, 92, formerly of 300 N. Hospital St., widower of Viola Monroe Anderson, died Friday, July 29, 2005 at the National Healthcare Center.
Born in Ninety Six, he was a son of the late James and Lucinda Anderson. He was educated in Greenwood County schools and was former owner of Anderson Grocery. He was a former member of Morris Chapel Baptist Church and a member of Pine Pleasant Baptist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Jean Robinson of Greenwood; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. The family is at the home of a daughter Jean Robinson, 301-A W. Creswell.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@emeraldis.com

Lynn Henderson

WATERLOO — Joseph Lynn Henderson, 78, of 112 Cobb Road, husband of Claudette Crouch Henderson, died Friday, July 29, 2005 at his home.
Born in Laurens County, he was a son of the late Henry Grady and Jessie Pitts Henderson. He was a member of Ware Shoals First Baptist Church and retired from Cooper Motor Lines. A World War II Navy veteran, he retired as command sergeant major of the S.C. National Guard. He was a member of Ware Shoals Masonic Lodge No. 306 A.F.M. Survivors include his wife of the home; three sons, Joe Henderson Jr. of Greenwood, James “Casey” Henderson of Ware Shoals and Stanley G. Henderson of Waterloo; a daughter, Jeanne H. Suddeth of Greenwood; two brothers, H.G. “Boots” Henderson of Waterloo and Howard Henderson of Ware Shoals; a sister, Zelle Skinner of Ware Shoals; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Graveside services are 11 a.m. Monday at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, conducted by the Revs. Dan Compton and Bobby Davis.
Pallbearers are Lamar Henderson, Frank Moore, Tim Barrett, Adam Henderson, Brett Henderson, Mat Henderson, Josh Henderson and Dustin Suddeth.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of Laurens County, 16 Peachtree St., Clinton, SC 29325.
Parker-White Funeral Home, Ware Shoals, is in charge.

Tyrice Ramon Hicks

DONALDS — Tyrice Ramon Hicks, 33, of 27 Avondale Drive, was found in Laurens County Saturday, July 30, 2005.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals.

William Louis ‘Bill’ Mellichamp, Jr.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bill, 85, died suddenly on July 28, 2005. He was born August 31, 1920 in Greenwood County, South Carolina, the son of the late William Louis Mellichamp, Sr. and Hattie Strom Mellichamp. He grew up on a farm in Callison Community, SC near Edgefield and Ninety Six.
He is survived by one son, Larry Mellichamp and his wife, Audrey, two daughters, Judy Mellichamp Lewis and her husband, Jerry, and Joanne Mellichamp, five grandchildren, Suzanne Lyne Mellichamp, Jason Patrick Lewis, Jenna Kristina Lewis, April Rose MacGeorge and Sarah May Hunt, and a special friend, Edith Spitzer, all of Charlotte; and sister, Harriet Ellis and her husband, Pete of Kingstree, SC. His wife of some 50 years, Martha Thomas Mellichamp, passed away in January of 2001.
After graduating from Greenwood High School, Bill moved to Lamar, SC to live with his Uncle Luther and Aunt Annie Mae Fields on a tobacco farm. He worked for a few years at Sonoco Products Co. in Hartsville, SC until after Pearl Harbor. He was inducted into Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet training on December 2, 1943 and was honorably discharged November 9, 1945.
He attended the University of South Carolina at Columbia as a 2-year special student in art and English literature and moved to Charlotte in 1946. He attended the Carnegie Mellon Art School in Pittsburgh in 1948. In 1951, he started Champé Advertising Production Company in Charlotte, which specialized in silk-screen printing, and became very successful due to his untiring efforts to maintain high quality and personal service. He gave a great deal to his church and community through that company. Champé Graphics & Production, Inc. is now owned and operated by Judy and Jerry Lewis and Joanne Mellichamp.
He was a loving husband and father. He liked to travel, and kept in touch by visiting family members throughout South Carolina and Georgia. He always had a fine garden and shared the produce, especially tomatoes. He enjoyed being helpful to his family and friends. His honest and non-judgmental attitude, calm nature, and practical knowledge have helped his family in their lives as well.
He was a member of Hickory Grove United Methodist Church for over 40 years, where he was a member of the Epworth Class and Methodist Men, and was a member of the American Legion Post 400, of Hickory Grove Community in Charlotte.
His life will be honored with a memorial service 7:00 PM Monday, August 1 at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Arnie Corriher officiating. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, c/o Larry Mellichamp, McMillan Greenhouse, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223.
Arrangements are by the Wilson Chapel of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service, 5301 Albemarle Road, Charlotte, NC, online at www.hankinsandwhittingtonwilsonchapel.com
PAID OBITUARY

Thomasena Welton Newell

GREENWOOD — Thomas-ena Welton Newell, formerly of 230 E. Cambridge Ave. and Glassboro, NJ, wife of Samuel Newell, died Saturday, July 30, 2005 at National Health Care of Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late Charlie and Hattie Radden Welton. She attended Greenwood Public Schools, and she was a former employee of Trop World Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. She was a member of Mt. Moriah Primitive Baptist Church of Glassboro, NJ.
Survivors include her husband of Glassboro, NJ; a son and his wife, Glenn and Melanie Rucker of Greenwood; four sisters, Mattie Welton of Philadelphia, PA, Gladys Speaks of Fairfield, CA, Ella Pugh of Emporia, VA, and Mary Prince of Greenwood; two brothers, John P. Welton and James A. Welton, both of Greenwood; and two granddaughters, Kimberly and Pamela Rucker of Greenwood.
A private memorial service will be held. The family is at their respective homes.
Cremation Society of South Carolina.
PAID OBITUARY

William R. Powell

William R. Powell, 78, of HospiceCare of the Piedmont, died Saturday, July 30, 2005.
Memorial services will be announced by Cremation Society of South Carolina.

Charlie O. Prince Sr.

McCORMICK — Charlie Odell Prince Sr., 60, died Friday, July 29, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
The family is at the home of a daughter Shelia Holmes, Highway 378 East, McCormick.
Services will be announced by Wright & Jones Funeral Home, Lincolnton, Ga.

Dr. Joel Townsend

RICHMOND, VA – Dr. Joel Ives Townsend, 84, died July 29, 2005 at Imperial Manor in Richmond.
Born in Greenwood, SC, August 20, 1920, he was a son of the late Joel Ives, Sr. and Emma Cothran Townsend. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina in 1941. There after he taught school before entering the USNavy in 1942. He served as a Lt. on the USS Ingersol in the Pacific where he was in combat at several battles including Okinawa. After WW II, he studied genetics at the University of California, Berkley, CA, before obtaining his doctorate from Columbia University in 1950.
Dr. Townsend taught Human Genetics at the University of Tennessee before relocating at the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University) in 1960 where he taught a significant portion of the human genetics curriculum to almost every medical and dental student for over three decades. He formed many strong personal relationships with his students.
Dr. Townsend was a forceful and articulate advocate of shared university governance and academic freedom for universities in general and for the Virginia Commonwealth, in particular. He participated in the founding of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Faculty Senate and served as it president. He was a driving force behind the VCU’s Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
He was active in the State of AAUP Conference and the formation of the Faculty Senate of Virginia. For 15 years he administered the awarding of AAUP’s Conference’s Jackson-Davis Award for service to higher education.
Dr. Townsend was an active member of the Sons of the Confederacy, S.C. Historical Society, The Hugenot Society of S.C., the Richmond Civil War Roundtable and the Richmond Coin Club. He was an active member with the Jamestown Society. He traveled widely and was an avid and knowledgeable collector of a wide range of early American artifacts and prints. He established the Semi-Annual Townsend Lecture Series at the University of South Carolina honoring his parents featuring Biological Sciences on Humanities and Southern Heritage and Culture. In addition, Dr. Townsend established several scholarships at the University of South Carolina.
He is survived by a niece, Anne Breazeale Hadden and husband, Morris Hadden of Kingsport, TN; a brother-in-law, Thomas Clarence Breazeale of Clemson; a great-nephew, Robert Morris Hadden and wife, Shelley Hassell Hadden, of Charleston and their children, Emma Elizabeth, Evelyn Anne and Thomas Grant Hadden.
He was predeceased by a sister, Anne Townsend Breazeale of Knoxville, TN.
Funeral services will be held at Magnolia Cemetery, Greenwood, SC on Sunday, July 31 at 2 p.m. Following the service, there will be a reception at the home of Jack and Lydia Wofford, 312 Grace Street, Greenwood, SC. Also, a memorial service will be held in Richmond, VA on August 20 at 11 a.m. at Bennett Funeral Home, 3215 Cutshaw Avenue, followed by a Reception at the Jefferson Hotel.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the University of South Carolina McKissick Museum, 816 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29208.
For additional information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IS ASSISTING THE TOWNSEND FAMILY.
PAID OBITUARY

Meldon ‘T’ Wright

BELTON — Meldon “T” Wright, 50, of 812 River St., husband of Elease Belcher Wright, died Wednesday, July 27, 2005 at Anderson Area Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, he was a son of Marie Bookman Wright Duncan and the late Rocksell Wright Sr. He was a former employee of Tony Creek Lumber Co. and was a self-employed landscaper.
Survivors include his wife of the home; his mother of Belton; a son, Emeka Moore of the home; four brothers, Willie Jackson and Clifford Wright of Greenwood, Larry Wright of Abbeville and Rocksell Wright Jr. of Bennettsville; three sisters, Roxanne Gilchrist and Estelle Jones of Greenwood, Linda Hardy of Belton; three stepbrothers, David Duncan, Charles Duncan and Jimmy Duncan of Greenwood; and two stepsisters, Carrie Sprowl and Vera Sprowl of Bradley.
Services are 2:30 p.m. Monday at Daniel & Sons Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Christopher Lee. Burial is in Belton City Cemetery.
Visitation is 1:30-2:30 Monday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Daniel & Sons Funeral Home, 110 Cherokee Road, Belton, is in charge.