Greenwood man rescued from rain-swollen river

July 9, 2005

By SHAVONNE POTTS
Index-Journal staff writer

WARE SHOALS — Friday afternoon began like it always does for Greenwood resident Brooks Fuller. He took a couple of turns on the Saluda River in his kayak.
An experienced kayaker, Fuller began his ride down the river near Pitts Park. It’s a ride he’s taken many times before.
But, he knew he was in trouble when he hit a hydraulic hole.
“It sucked me backwards and sucked the boat down under the water,” he said.
Fuller, 30, said he came out of the boat, kicked off on a rock and swam to a small island, where he waited for help.
Ware Shoals Police Chief Mickey Boland said Fuller had been on the water since 4 p.m. and that rescue personnel were trying to find the best way to get to him.
Greenville County Swift Water Rescue Team workers paddled out on a raft and tossed a rope to Fuller, who tied it to a tree on the island. The workers then helped Fuller onto the raft and whisked him away to safety by going downstream to a calmer part of the river.
“The undertow is strong. That water is pretty swift and it’s higher than usual,” Boland said.
He said that with recent flooding coming through the area from nearby Anderson, the water was flowing out of the banks.
Fuller’s wife, Heather, said a friend told her about a stranded boater on the river. At the time, she did not know it was her husband.
“I had no idea it was him until I got here,” she said.
Mother-in-law Sheila Luker, of Greenwood, said she prayed that Fuller would be OK during her drive to Ware Shoals.
“No matter how experienced you are, you can still get in trouble,” she said.

3 GHS graduates take one last trip together

July 9, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Few people from Greenwood and the Lakelands area can boast about experiencing snowfall in the middle of June.
Three former Greenwood High School football players can.
Ben Shirley, Corbett Miller and Ted Moore, who all graduated from Greenwood in May, took a road trip to Colorado. The trio left June 13 and returned 13 days later.
The main purpose of the trip was for the friends to clear off some land in Gunnison, Colo., owned by Ben’s father, Scott Shirley. However, the underlying theme of the road trip was an opportunity for the three good friends to have one last outing before heading to college in the fall.
Shirley will head to Clemson, while Miller and Moore will leave for The Citadel.
“We made a plan back during football season that we would take a road trip this summer,” said Shirley, who also played soccer for the Eagles.
“My dad asked if we could work on the land while we were up there. So, we did it.”
It took the trio three days to reach Gunnison, with overnight stays in Paducah, Ky., and Lyman, Colo.
“I had driven out there before,” Shirley said. “We all took turns driving. With three buddies talking and cutting up all the way there, it didn’t seem like it took long at all.”
While passing through Denver, the friends decided to purchase some attire in order to blend in with the residents.
“We all bought cowboy hats,” Moore said. “We thought it would be funny.”
The friends spent much of their time working on the Shirley family land in the mountainous area of Gunnison.
“We had to clear off the land to get ready to sell it,” Shirley said. “We were digging up trees, clearing out brush and just generally cleaning off the property.”
There was one aspect of the Colorado climate that became a welcome respite for the three young GHS graduates. In comparison to the stuffy summers of the Southeast, they enjoyed more comfortable temperatures.
“It was 85 degrees up there, but there was no humidity,” Shirley said. “We didn’t sweat a bit, which would be unheard of in June in the South. It was incredible.”
Miller, who was also on the Greenwood wrestling team, also welcomed a break from the summer heat of South Carolina.
“It wasn’t hot at all in Colorado,” he said. “It was a lot cooler than what we expected.”
On June 15, the cooler temperatures took a turn toward the unusual. In a scene that would be deemed uncommon in South Carolina in even the harshest winter months, the trio witnessed two inches of snow in Rocky Mountain National Park.
“We got blindsided with that one,” Miller said. “We were all wearing sandals. I had a T-shirt and shorts on as well. We were walking around up there freezing our tails off.” Shirley agreed.
“We don’t see much snow in South Carolina at any time,” Shirley said. “For it to snow in June is unthinkable.”
The snow wasn’t the only thing saw at the park that was unordinary to the South Carolina residents.
“We saw some elk up there and some moose,” Shirley said. “Seeing wildlife was actually our purpose for going up to the park. The whole park was just beautiful.”
It can honestly be said that the young men reached heights they had never seen before. That is because at one point during their trip they escalated to over 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains.
“You can see for miles up there,” Shirley said. “There was a sign there that said we were three miles above sea level. We were at the very top of this particular mountain. Everything seemed much more open out there.”
While being elevated over 12,000 feet was a memorable experience, it did have an adverse effect on one member of the group.
“I had to go to the doctor the next day, because I was having chest pains,” Moore said. “They took a bunch of tests and all and everything came up OK. My doctor back here attributed the chest pains to the altitude and the thin air.”
For Miller, who was born in Tennessee, the trip also represented a geographic traveling milestone.
“It was certainly the farthest west I have ever been,” he said. “We had a great time all the way out and back.”
As the trio, who flew back home to South Carolina, prepares to go their separate ways, plans for the next road trip are already under way.
“We’re talking about going back out there again sometime,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Moore said he would love to visit the area again in the winter months.
“I think it would be fun to go up around Christmas time and do some skiing,” Moore said. “We’ll definitely be going back at some point.”

Opinion

Two basic problems rot the very core of society

July 9, 2005

Crime, drugs, abortion, teen pregnancy. These are but a few of the problems our nation faces. They touch all of us these days, but particularly young people.
That’s not all, though. Add things like leaky borders that are constantly exploited by illegal aliens, terrorism worries, and a barrage of other ills that plague all of us, and it’s clear they are problems that have no simple solutions. They can’t be solved by presidents, governors, lawmakers or social and other governmental agencies. If solutions are to be found, it will take all of us working together.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE two other basic problems that are rotting the very core of society ….. from within. That’s language and what used to be called promiscuous sex.
The kind of gutter talk we hear routinely, in real life situations and the “entertainment” industry, are commonplace. So is the blatant sexual attitudes that routinely permeate the lives of our young people. Both serve to undermine everything else and help determine their future.
The saddest part, though, is that bad language and sex are both accepted almost automatically, without a hint of concern ….. or protest. It’s not a boy crying wolf situation. Look around. Better still, pay attention. It’s obvious.

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

Obituaries

Elbert D. Andrews, Jr.

GREENWOOD – With great sorrow, the family of Elbert D. (Bud) Andrews, Jr., 74, announce his passing to Glory on July 7, 2005 at his home, 225 Melrose Terrace, Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood on September 10, 1930 he was the son of the late E. DeVore Andrews and Margaret Scruggs Andrews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Price Andrews, and his son, Todd.
He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and the University of Omaha. Bud was retired from the United States Air Force, where he served honorably and was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross while flying as a combat fighter pilot in support of army combat units in Southeast Asia. He was also awarded the Air Force Air Medal with fifteen Oak Leaf Clusters representing his many combat air missions. He was a life member of the National Air Force Association, The Military Officers Associa-tion and was a generous supporter of many civic, charitable and Christian organi-zations. Mr. Andrews was a lifelong resident of Greenwood and after retirement from the Air Force, he worked with the family business, DeVore Andrews Co.
Surviving is his sister, Charles Andrews Mathews of Haines City, FL; a brother, Ted Andrews of Columbia and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Edgewood Cemetery, Grace Street, with the Rev. Sam Thomason officiating.
Visitation will follow at the home, 225 Melrose Terrace, Greenwood.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Else Kimball

GREENWOOD — Else Marianne Bügler Kimball, 72, resident of 101 Barrett Drive, widow of Clinton Orville Kimball, died Tuesday, July 5, 2005 at her home.
Born April 18, 1933 in Kaiserslatern, Germany, she was a daughter of the late Robert and Else Schupp Bügler. Formerly a resident of Winter Park, Florida, Mrs. Kimball had made Greenwood her home for the last seven years. She was retired from Lockheed Martin Corporation after more than 30 years service as a government quality assurance inspector. After moving to Greenwood, Mrs. Kimball worked in the Home Department of J.C. Penney and was a volunteer with Hospice Care of the Piedmont.
A member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, she was also “Proudly a TEAMSTER” and loved flower arranging and gardening. While living in Winter Park, Mrs. Kimball was active in Ball Room Dance Competition.
Surviving are one son, Stanislaus Joseph and wife Carole Ricciuti Kimball of Greenwood; two grandchildren, Alexander and Catherine Kimball; and one niece, Ingrid B. and husband Karl Koch of Enkenback, Germany.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted 10:00 a.m. Saturday from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Rev. Father Richard Harris officiating.
The family is at the home on Barrett Drive and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.
In lieu of flowers the family request that memorials be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com for additional information.
BLYTH FUNERAL HOME IS ASSISTING THE KIMBALL FAMILY.
PAID OBITUARY

Irene Still

Irene Pinson Still, 85, formerly of 102 Still Drive, widow of Roy P. “Penny” Still, died Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at Magnolia Manor.
Born in Greenwood, she was a daughter of the late James E. and Eva Collins Pinson. She graduated from Greenwood High School and retired from the personnel department at Greenwood Mills Harris Plant. She was a member of South Main Street Baptist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Mary Ann Still and Mrs. Dale (Terri) DeMers, both of Greenwood; two brothers, James E. Pinson Jr. of Greenwood and John C. Pinson of Jackson, Ga.; and a grandson.
Services are 2 p.m. Sunday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. David Corbitt, Richard McWhite and John Turner.
Pallbearers are grandson Dusty Still, along with Jack Pinson, Matt Brantly, Gene Pinson, Jimmy Pinson and Wayne Still. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of her daughter at 102 Still Drive.
Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Upstate S.C. Chapter, P.O. Box 658, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Roy Lawrence Sanders

Roy Lawrence Sanders, of 209 Sloan Ave., died Thursday, July 7, 2005 at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
The family is at the home of a daughter Patrice Sanders, 102 Bailey St. and the home of a sister Dolshette “Tiny” Chambers, 101 Baldwin Ave.
Services will be announced by Parks Funeral Home.