Trick-or-treaters flock to mall
for safe Halloween activities

November 1, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

Greenwood Mall was the place to be for trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.
“Witches,” “fairy princesses” and “superheroes” started arriving about 5 p.m. for “Trick-or-Treat at the Mall,” where merchants handed out goodies to long lines of children dressed in their Halloween best.
More than 500 children participated, according to mall officials.
At 7, Piedmont Tech’s “Fall at the Mall” carnival opened and trick-or-treaters lined up to participate in activities, including noodle art, doughnut bobbing and a pumpkin pull. A costume contest also took place.
It was the second year students in Piedmont Tech’s service clubs had come together to play host to the event and about 1,000 people attended.
The event is a service project for students earning degrees in public service, said Mary Barfield, Piedmont Tech’s program coordinator of early care and education. Students seeking degrees in early education and human resources manned activity booths, while those studying criminal justice patrolled the crowd.
The organizations that form Piedmont Tech’s service clubs are Alpha Delta Omega honor society, Psi Beta honor society and the Public Service Club.
“It’s just a good, safe alternative to trick-or-treating and it’s a lot of fun for the kids and the volunteers from Piedmont Tech,” Barfield said. “It’s also a great learning experience for our students who are getting ready to enter these real world fields.”

Ora Bell Miles Abney

SALUDA — Ora Bell Miles Abney, 84, of 256 Mine Creek Road, widow of William Abney, died Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
Born in Edgefield County, she was a daughter of the late Ed and Jennie Gilliam Miles. She was a member of Willow Spring Baptist Church, Edgefield and a retired domestic worker.
Survivors include three sons, William Abney Jr. of Ward, John Eddie Abney of Saluda and Fletcher Abney of Trenton; two daughters, Jessie M. Abney and Laura Bell Abney, both of Saluda; two sisters, Ellen Price of Ridge Spring and Lillie M. Harris of Trenton; 19 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Willow Spring Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Dr. E.L. Cain. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are grandson and friends.
Flower bearers are friends of the family.
The family is at the home of a son, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Abney, 256 Mine Creek Road.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home is in charge.

Grace Dorn Cochran

COLUMBIA — Graveside service for Grace Dorn Cochran, 96, will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. in Elmwood Cemetery and Gardens. Visitation will follow at 5634 Lakeshore Drive. Memorials may be made to the Tamassee D.A.R. School, P. O. Box 8, Tamassee, S.C. 29686, or Palmetto Health Hospice, P.O. Box 7275, Columbia, S.C. 29202. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.
Mrs. Cochran, wife of the late Lt.Col. Price Carlton Cochran, US Army (Ret), died Monday, October 31, 2005. Born in Greenwood, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Elbert and Pearl Griffith Dorn. A graduate of Greenwood College of Commerce and Limestone College with an A.B. Degree, she did special studies at Bowling Green Business University and the University of South Carolina. She taught commercial subjects in South Carolina high schools for three years, then held secretarial/administrative positions with the Internal Revenue Service, Santee Cooper and the State of South Carolina. Following her husband’s Army career, they retired in Columbia where her husband served as executive vice-president of Business Development Corporation of South Carolina.
Mrs. Cochran was a member of Ft. Jackson Officers’ Wives’ Club, the American Legion Auxiliary, DAR ( USC Chapter), the American Contract Bridge league, American Association of Retired Persons, Shandon United Methodist Church and the Mary Richardson Circle. She was also a former garden club member. She was active in the Limestone College Alumni Association, having held offices as secretary and also as two-term president of the Columbia Chapter.
Surviving are daughter and son-in-law, Kadell and Calvin F. McCaskill of Columbia; brothers, Watson L. Dorn and H. Charlie Dorn; grandchildren, Price Cochran McCaskill and Finley Dorn McCaskill; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brothers, Jackson G., T.E., Jr., Griffith B., George and Bryan Dorn; and sisters, Lillian Carter and Kadell Shanklin.
PAID OBITUARY

Brenda Knight

GREENWOOD — Brenda S. Knight, 49, of 103 Carp Drive, died Monday, October 31, 2005 at her home.
Born in Rhode Island, she was a daughter of Charles Chiaverini of Providence, RI and Shirley Sorel Tillson of Greenwood. She was a graduate of Piedmont Technical College and was a Catholic.
Surviving is her father; her mother; her son, Jamie Knight and daughter-in-law, Crystal Knight of Greenwood; two brothers, Thomas Chiaverini of Webster, MA and David Chiaverini of Irvine, CA; two sisters, Lorraine Blais of Warwick, RI and Allison Chiaverini of Providence, RI.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at Bethlehem Cemetery with the Reverend Father Richard Harris officiating.
The family is at the home.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.
PAID OBITUARY

Edith Pruitt Robinson

WARE SHOALS — Services for Edith Louise Pruitt Robinson, of 133 Green Acres Extension, are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Dunn Creek Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. James F. Davis III, assisted by the Revs. Raymond Adams, Delores Henderson, Sylvester Jackson and Joseph Brinson. Burial is in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church at 1.
Pallbearers are Sentell Brownlee, Stephen Hampton, Thaddeus Lewis, Freddie Adams and James A. Williams.
Flower bearers are the Dunn Creek Women’s Missionary Ministry and AKA Sorority.
Visitation is 7-8 tonight at Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood, is in charge.

CORRECTION

For the obituary of Edith L. Robinson in Monday’s paper, there was an error in the information submitted to The Index-Journal. She retired after 38 years of teaching.

Accelerating in racing

Greenwood’s Murray wins IHRA Division II World Championship

November 1, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Residents of Greenwood and the Lakelands area now have a world champion in their midst.
Drag racer Tonya Murray was crowned 2005 IHRA Division II Summit E.T. World Champion October 16 at Carolina Dragway in Jackson. Murray was also named Carolina Dragway Track Champion for 2005, marking the second consecutive year she locked up that honor.
The specific type of racing Murray participates in is bracket racing. In bracket racing, competitors establish times during practice runs on the 1/8-mile drag strip, then must strive to beat that time during official runs. The better time a racer posts, the more points they receive.
The IHRA Division II Bracket Finals pits the top 40 drivers from numerous dragways all over the country. The location of the event changes from year to year, with Jackson landing this year’s event.
The 27-year-old from Greenwood said she’s a little blown away by her success.
“I still can’t believe it sometimes,” said Murray, who is a graduate of Greenwood High School and Piedmont Tech. “It’s been a good year, with both the bracket finals and track championship.” Murray became interested in drag racing in 1996.
Her brother Greg was — and still is — involved in the sport, and was the driving force behind Murray getting involved.
“My brother and I have had some competitions,” she said with a laugh. “We’ve run against each other plenty of times. At the same time, we give each other advice if we see there is an area where we can help each other.”
When she started driving, Murray had a 1974 Chevy Nova, taking it to school and work. She then began taking the car to the Ware Shoals and Carolina Dragways for weekend races.
However, in 1999 she began to get serious about racing, moving from the Footbrake Class to the more competitive Pro Class.
Murray switched cars and began competing in a 1970 Chevelle 383, which features an engine with 525 horsepower. She won her first race in Pro Class at Ware Shoals.
Murray and her team have made several subtle adjustments to the Chevelle over the years, improvements that continue to make Murray and her car viable contenders on the bracket racing circuit. Changes such as switching from a stock rear end to a racing rear end and going from a turbo-style transmission to a power glide have helped Murray stay on top of her competition. “The biggest thing, though, is lots and lots of practice,” Murray said. “That’s really the best way to keep getting better.”
Drag racing, like most forms of motorsports, is a male dominated industry. Murray said that, as a female driver, she had to earn the respect of the other drivers when she began racing.
“If you do well, they respect you,” Murray said. “When I first started, the guys wanted to see what I could do. I had to prove myself.”
Murray said she thinks she has earned the respect she strives for on the Pro Class circuit. That is in large part because of her recent world championship.
Murray will be honored for her victory in December at the IHRA annual banquet in Greensboro, N.C. She will also be honored at the Carolina Dragway banquet, the date and location of which has yet to be announced.
Evelyn Murray, Tonya’s mother and a member of her racing crew, spoke of her daughter’s love of drag racing.
“She absolutely loves it,” Evelyn said. “She looks forward to every race. She was on cloud nine when she won the finals.”
Having competed on tracks such as Darlington and Bristol, and having now won a world championship in bracket racing, Murray reflected on her accomplishments and where she is headed.
“By winning the finals, I’ve gone as far as I can in our class,” said Murray, who is a bookkeeper at Elliott Davis. “As far as what’s next, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

New justice nominee has record to earn approval

November 1, 2005

If many South Carolinians want one thing in a U. S. Supreme Court nominee, it’s assurance that he or she would make decisions based on the Constitution and the law. They don’t want one they believe would legislate from the bench. They are convinced that too much of that goes on already.
It should be encouraging, then, that President Bush has nominated U. S. Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Alito has been a federal judge for 25 years and has a wide range of legal experience. Furthermore, pretty much all Republican factions have no quarrel with him. Democrats on the other hand, led by liberal Sen. Chuck Shumer, D-NY, and Minority Leader Harry Reid, immediately took exception to Alito.
However, he was unanimously approved by a Democratic Senate for his present job. Not only that, leading liberal Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-MA, had high praise for Alito back then.
Anyway, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, can be pleased. The agreement reached a while back by him and the rest of the “gang of 14” to allow Bush’s court nominees to get an up or down vote, looks pretty good now. It appears that opponents have painted themselves into a political corner. No vote, no right to filibuster.
Alito is likely to be approved. He should. His record indicates he’d be what most South Carolinians want: a judge, not a legislator.