Dist. 52 receives report card rating
of ‘excellent,’ one of five statewide

Lakelands school districts working for better results next year, officials say

November 10, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

When school and district report cards were released this week, a lot of superintendents in South Carolina were disappointed. Dan Powell, of Greenwood School District 52, wasn’t one of them.
District 52 is one of only five school districts in the state that received an absolute rating of “excellent.” It is joined by Anderson District 1, York District 4 and Lexington Districts 1 and 5.
“We’re very pleased,” Powell said. “We still have some work to do with scores from some of our schools, but we weren’t surprised by any of the results. The middle school scores were not where we would like, but that was pretty much true across the state. We’ll have to work on that and on the elementary scores.”
Powell said he is happy with ratings at the primary school and high school.
Ninety Six Primary School and Ninety Six High School each had absolute ratings of “excellent” and both met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements. To meet AYP standards, a school must meet all of its specific objectives, which include academic performance and participation of students in various groups and subgroups, such as students with disabilities or students receiving subsidized meals.
Ninety Six High School’s improvement rating was also “excellent,” while the primary school’s improvement rating was “good.” The high school raised its absolute rating from 2004’s “good” and its improvement rating from “unsatisfactory.”
Edgewood Middle School received an absolute rating of “average” and an improvement rating of “unsatisfactory.” Ninety Six Elementary School received an absolute rating of “good” and an improvement rating of “below average.”
Powell credited the district’s improvement, in part, to the implementation of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment, given twice a year to students in grades 2-10. MAP allows educators to analyze test results and emphasize certain areas of instruction to help students learn.
“It helps let us know which students need additional help,” he said. “Our goal next year is to have all our schools rated ‘excellent.’”
Report card data was released officially on Thursday and students should be bringing home copies of their school’s report card today.
Of school districts in other Lakelands counties, two districts (Greenwood District 51 and Abbeville School District) met AYP standards. No district scored “unsatisfactory” on its absolute or improvement rating.
Across South Carolina, public school ratings have declined for the first time since the state adopted new accountability standards five years ago.
Forty-three percent of the state’s 1,083 schools were rated “excellent” or “good” on school report cards. That’s a decrease of about 12 percent since last year of schools garnering the two highest ratings on the five-tier system.
One-in-five students in the state now attend a school that is rated “below average” or “unsatisfactory.”
“This year’s results are disappointing,” said Alex Martin, vice chairman of the state Education Oversight Committee. “We hit the first bump in the road we cut five years ago.”
The percentage of schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress toward federal goals established under No Child Left Behind also declined. Forty seven percent of schools met AYP targets this year, compared to 56 percent last year.
A breakdown of other Lakelands districts showed these results:

District 50
Greenwood School District 50 received an absolute rating of “good,” an improvement rating of “below average” and did not meet AYP, though it met 32 of 33 objectives. Of 21 similar districts, 14 were rated good and 7 were rated average.
District 50’s absolute rating has been unchanged since 2002 and the improvement rating is down from “average” in 2004.
“We’re pleased to have maintained our absolute rating, but we’re disappointed with the drop in our improvement rating,” said Pat Ross, District 50’s assistant superintendent of instruction.
“Some of our schools are showing real strides in their absolute ratings. As for the improvement rating, we’ll be analyzing the data to find what the specific causes of the decline were.”
Ross said the decline in the improvement rating from average to below average is a disappointment, but the district had anticipated that report card results would be hurt by the inclusion of science and social studies in state testing.
“Of course, we want to do better next year,” said Superintendent Bill Steed. “We continue to want to do a better job with all instruction and we’re working to make sure our teaching and design of the curriculum are benefiting the children in our district.”

District 51
Greenwood School District 51 received absolute and improvement ratings of “average” and was one of only two school districts in Lakelands counties to achieve AYP, meeting 21 of 21 targets. Of 23 similar districts, nine are rated “good” and 14 are rated “average.”
The district’s absolute rating has been unchanged since 2002 and the improvement rating was improved from “unsatisfactory” in 2004. This is also the only year the district met AYP.

Abbeville County School District
Abbeville School District and nine of its 10 schools met AYP standards this year. In addition, the district received an absolute rating of “good” and an improvement rating of “average.”
Nine of 10 schools received absolute ratings of “average” or better. Three rated “excellent,” three rated “good” and three rated “average.” No schools rated unsatisfactory.
Of 20 districts like Abbeville, 19 received absolute ratings of “average” and one was rated “good.”
Abbeville’s absolute rating was maintained from 2004, but its improvement rating dropped from “good” to “average.”

McCormick County School District
McCormick School District received an absolute rating of “below average” and did not meet AYP standards, but its improvement rating was “excellent.”
The district’s absolute rating has remained at “below average” since 2002, but the improvement rating jumped from 2004’s rating of “unsatisfactory.”
Of 17 districts like McCormick, four received absolute ratings of “unsatisfactory,” 10 rated “below average” and three were rated “average.”
All schools except McCormick Middle School met AYP standards. McCormick High had an improvement rating of “excellent.”

Saluda County School District
Saluda School District received an absolute rating of “average” and an improvement rating of “good.” It did not meet AYP standards, though it met 28 of 29 targets.
Of 22 districts like Saluda, 21 received absolute ratings of “average” and one was rated “good.”
The district has maintained its absolute rating since 2002, but its improvement rating dropped from being “excellent” in 2004. Saluda Primary received an absolute rating of “excellent” and Saluda High received an absolute rating of “good.”

ID thieves might have their eyes on you

November 10, 2005

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

You open your e-mail one afternoon to find an urgent message from your bank regarding your account.
The message says, “due to an internal error, the bank needs you to update your personal information or your account will expire.”
All you need to do is click on the link in the e-mail, fill out the form with your name, Social Security number and account information and click the submit button on the page.
The Web site looks legitimate, so you type in your information, click “submit” and don’t give it a second thought — until your account statement arrives with charges you didn’t make.
It’s called “phishing,” and it’s just one of the schemes thieves are using today to gain access to a person’s sensitive information or even take over that person’s identity.
On Wednesday, agents with the FBI and the Secret Service spoke to leaders in local health care, banking, law enforcement and other industries about ways to spot and prevent identity theft.
The free seminar took place at Self Regional Healthcare’s Nisbet Center.
The goal of the program, organized by Self Regional Healthcare in conjunction with the government agencies, was to educate the community about the growing problem of identity fraud and theft, said Andy Hartung, security and information technology administrator with Self.
“Identity theft is a huge problem right now,” Hartung said. “The real issue is that there is now a revenue stream with identity theft. There is an ability to make money through it — it’s not just kids hacking into computers, it’s organized criminals.”
Hartung said everyone and every organization, including businesses such as banks and hospitals that store sensitive personal information, are at risk for identity theft.
Once the crime is committed, it can take “up to seven years before your credit is repaired and you will have some sense of financial peace,” said S.C. Secret Service resident agent in charge Dave Thomas.
While thieves still use regular mail, telephones and ATMs to pull some of their scams, the rise in popularity of the Internet has made the online community especially vulnerable, according to FBI supervisory special agent Thomas Grasso Jr., who is a part of the FBI’s Cyber Division and the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance in Pittsburgh.
“Online, it’s easy to hide who you are and where you are, hence it’s easy to commit these types of crimes. (Thieves) have the ability to communicate simultaneously with hundreds of thousands of people,” he told the audience. “If they can get one percent of those people to bite, they’ll get a pretty good return.”
Some of the most common Internet-related identity theft scans involve e-mail phishing, using spyware, online-purchasing scams and Web site spoofing.
Grasso said scammers can create fake Web sites and e-mails that mimic legitimate Web sites and companies, such as banks or online auction groups, conning unsuspecting visitors into divulging sensitive information.
“These things look real. If you’re not on guard when you get one of these e-mail messages, it’s easy to see why you can fall for this stuff,” Grasso said. “One of the most severe things (this kind of scam) does is damage the good name of the Internet. It makes people weary of doing e-commerce.”
Grasso said these kinds of sites saw an increase in the days following the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Grasso said Web surfers shouldn’t lose faith in e-commerce but, instead, should use care when giving out personal or financial information.
“Don’t be afraid to do stuff online because people can steal your identity anywhere,” he said. “Just be cautious and don’t start clicking away and putting information out there. Think about it first.”
He suggested using disposable e-mail addresses, such as those offered through Yahoo or Hotmail, for forums and discussion rooms and to avoid clicking on links in unsolicited e-mails. Users should instead manually type in the Web address.
S.C. Cybercrime Unit Chief Jeffery Bruning, with the FBI, said it is important for individuals and companies that feel they have become victims of identity theft to report the crime to authorities.
He said the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) is an important tool for government agencies to gather information from a broad number of victims and consolidate resources to find those responsible for the crimes.
He also cautioned that companies need to consistently update their firewall protection to keep valuable information out of the hands of scammers.

Looking to remain strong

Three Class AA teams in Lakelands want to keep playoff streaks going

November 10, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The three Class AA playoff teams from Greenwood and the Lakelands area find themselves in a similar situation this Friday after adding another week to their schedule with wins in the first round last week.
Emerald and Abbeville are at home for a second straight postseason game, while Ninety Six takes to the road once more.
While the three are set up, at least, travel-wise, the difficulty of their opposition has increased increasingly.
The Region III-AA champion Vikings (9-2) have Palmetto (8-3) at Frank Hill Stadium for a 7:30 matchup. At the same time, the Panthers (6-5) play host to Newberry (7-4) and the Wildcats (8-3) travel to Region I-AA champion Pendleton (11-0).
The Vikings enter Friday’s game with the Mustangs, the second-place team from Region II-AA, coming off an impressive offensive performance.
Emerald’s high-powered spread offense, led by North All-Star Dan Wideman, put up 570 yards and seven touchdowns in the 56-13 win over Gilbert.
Wideman, playing only three quarters, threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 103 yards and three scores.
Even backup quarterback Evan Bledsoe saw some playoff action, passing for 96 yards and two more TDs.
“We had a good night,” Vikings coach Mac Bryan said. “Dan did a good job of putting the ball where it needed to be.”
Wideman’s performance improved his already staggering numbers to 3,147 yards and 27 touchdowns passing and 721 and 14 scores rushing.
While the offense set the pace, jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead against Gilbert, Bryan credits his defense with allowing the offense a chance to put together such impressive numbers. The Emerald defense also got into the scoring act, getting a fumble return for a touchdown from linebacker Emmanuel Smith.
“We had a good night offensively, but at the same time, our defense did as well. The key to having that kind of yardage is to have your defense stop their offense to get you the ball back.”
But Bryan is quick to point out that the Vikings will face stiffer competition this week. The Mustangs’ 20-17 victory over Liberty in the opening round was the team’s fourth straight win and sixth in their last seven games. Two of Palmetto’s three losses have come against undefeated teams (Broome and Pendleton), while the other defeat came against Belton-Honea Path.
“They (the Vikings) understand Palmetto brings another game to the table,” Bryan said. “We’ve stressed that it’s win and advance or go home.”
Like the Vikings have seen so many times this season, Tommy Davis’ Palmetto offense remains primarily running team. Junior tailback Gary Jones, who doubles up at defensive back, leads the team with 861 yards and seven touchdowns rushing. Senior fullback Thomas Land has added 300 yards and four scores.
When the Mustangs do look to air it out, they turn to first-year starter J.C. Smith, who has completed 77 of 133 passes for 852 yards and five TDs. The bulk of the passing yardage has gone to junior wide out A.J. Stewart, who has 33 catches for 357 yards and three scores.

Abbeville vs. Newberry

Abbeville’s return to Hite Stadium for one more home game was always a bittersweet notion.
Checking out the Class AA bracket, the Panthers knew after last week’s 39-14 win over Carolina at home that the only way they would be coming back to Hite Stadium would be a meeting with Newberry, which is no ordinary No. 4 seed.
The Bulldogs, the 2004 Region IV-AA champion, edged past Region IV-AA champs Columbia, 20-18, to advance to the second round.
“A weaker seed is not one of the ways I would describe them,” Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles said. The Bulldogs boast an offense that has rushing yardage from 14 different running backs, including 10 with more than 100 yards rushing and with three more than 400.
Courtney Nance leads the pack with 761 yards rushing, while Sanchez Gartman is close behind with 751 yards to go along with eight touchdowns. Dominique Brown has 442 yards and four scores.
The Bulldogs, who have racked up more than 3,100 yards rushing, do throw a little out of their wing T set. Quarterback Jerome Harmon does have 561 yards passing with seven touchdown, but also has seven interceptions.
“Newberry is the atypical wing T team, and they have a stable of good runners in it,” Nickles said. “We have to start with our fundamentals and technique. We have to be physical. We have to come out and match them physically.”
The Panthers’ defense were up to the physical challenge against Carolina, much to the delight of Nickles, who was the team’s defensive coordinator before taking over the top job. The Abbeville defense kept Carolina’s North All-Star selection Jakevis Wright in check for most of the night. Wright was limited to 13 yards rushing and just three catches for 40 yards.
“It was a very hard-fought victory, and I think we won it with defense,” Nickles said. “We’ve won a lot of games here in the past with defense, and that was good to see. I was really excited to see us play as physical as we did.”
With the Panthers’ D keeping the Trojans off the scoreboard, Abbeville halfback Toquavius Gilchrist continued his assault on opposing defenses. The sophomore picked up another 200-plus rushing and multiple-touchdown performance against Carolina.
Gilchrist finished with 219 yards on 21 carries, scoring three of the five Abbeville touchdowns. Gilchrist now leads the Lakelands in rushing yardage (1,223 yards) and rushing touchdown (21).

Ninety Six vs. Pendleton

The Wildcats look to be the only blemish for Pendleton for the second year in a row.
Last year, the Bulldogs entered the third round of the playoffs with a spotless 12-0 record. The Wildcats went on to win 22-20 to advance to the Upper State finals.
And despite losing a large senior class to graduation, this season’s Pendleton squad is again undefeated, at 11-0, with the Wildcats coming to town.
But road trips aren’t that upsetting for the Ninety Six. The Wildcats hit the road last week and laid a heavy-handed loss on Swansea, 38-7, erasing from their minds a tough road loss a week earlier to Emerald.
“Our kids get excited about going on the road,” Ninety Six coach Mike Doolittle said. “We had more people in the stands than Swansea did. We had a huge crowd for a first-round game following a loss. We have tremendous crowds and our kids get excited about that.”
But to his chagrin, the Ninety Six coach admitted his Wildcats didn’t come out very excited against the Tigers, taking a tenuous 12-7 halftime lead against the second-place team from Region IV-AA.
“We came out flat. We didn’t play with emotion and I take credit for that,” said Doolittle, whose team outscored Swansea 26-0 in the second half.
But the coach knows his team can’t come out flat against a team the likes of the Bulldogs. B.J. Thrasher has stepped in admirably in place of graduated two-year starter Tim Jones. Thrasher has thrown for 690 yards and six touchdowns, with most going to North All-Star Jamal Blanding, who has 24 receptions for 380 yards and three TDs.
But the Bulldogs remain a run-first football team, running a double-wing style of offense. Senior wingback Dexter Gibson leads the team with 816 yards and five touchdowns rushing, while junior wingback Alonzo Bennett has added 677 yards and three scores.
“Swansea is a good team, but Pendleton has more athletes and more speed,” Doolittle said.
“There’s a big difference.”
One Wildcat who made marked improvement from the season-finale loss was Shrine Bowl quarterback Stan Doolittle, who was named Class AA Upper State’s top back by the South Carolina Coaches Athletic Association.
The senior quarterback rebounded from a three-interception performance against Emerald with 223 yards passing, four TD passes and a rushing score.
Two of Stan’s scoring passes went to North All-Star Nick Lagroone, who now has a Lakelands-leading 68 receptions for 994 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Opinion

Reason for all to worry over troubles in France

November 10, 2005

There are sure to be some South Carolinians who look at the rioting in France and think it serves the French right. After all, in recent years they haven’t been all that friendly to this country.
Despite that, though, the situation is not one for Americans to gloat over. There are other considerations that could have a devastating effect on all the people of Europe and indeed all Americans.
Those are disturbing thoughts, to be sure. There is one good reason, though. Those resorting to such barbarous behavior have stirred strife in France like nothing has for many years. And, one common tie among the huge majority of those rioting, burning cars and worse, is what gives cause for real concern and a dubious outlook.
Most of them are young, mostly in their teens, and most are Muslims. That should be enough to get the attention of people everywhere. And they should be concerned. The rioting is indicative of a depth of hatred that could become a problem for the entire world ….. if it already hasn’t.
If France, though, ever thought its antagonistic attitude toward the U. S. would protect it from Muslim unrest, the lesson should be obvious ….. even to arrogant American critics.

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

Obituaries

Dr. Odie “Doc” Felkel

SALUDA, SC – Dr. Odie Leldon “Doc” Felkel, 89, of 401 N. Wise Rd., died Tuesday, November 8, 2005 at Saluda Nursing Center.
Born in Elloree, and a son of the late O.D. and Flossie Rast Felkel, he was the husband of Marie Jennings Felkel. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. Dr. Felkel was a graduate of The University of South Carolina Pharmacy School. He was a pharmacist for over sixty years and co-owner of People’s Drug Company and co-founder, co-owner of F&S Drug Company. He was a lifetime member of S.C. Pharmaceutical Association and a member of American Legion Post Sixty-Five, DAV, and The Saluda County Invest-ment Club. He was a member of the Jaycees, Civitan Club and was a member of the Saluda Lions Club for fifty-seven years. Dr. Felkel was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and J. N. Deloache Sunday school class.
Surviving is his wife, Marie Jennings Felkel of Saluda, three daughters, Janet F. Mabe, Carol F. Bradshaw and Miriam F. Liner all of Saluda, nine grandchildren, Angela L. Walker, Andrew Langford, Ash-ton Langford, Abby Langford, Leldon Bradshaw, Brandon Bradshaw, Kristen Liner and Kori Liner, five great-grand-children, a brother, Wayne Felkel of Lexington and two sisters, Mary Hunger Pillar of Elloree and Jean Watson of Elgin.
Mr. Felkel was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Lindsay Bradshaw, a brother, Robert Felkel and a sister, Aileen Clodfelter.
Funeral service will be 2PM, Thursday, November 10, 2005 at St. Paul United Methodist Church with the Rev. Nels Ledwell officiating. Interment will follow in Travis Park Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church, 102 East Butler Ave., Saluda, SC 29138.
PAID OBITUARY

Edwin Hills

Edwin J. Hills, 89, of Wesley Commons, widower of Doris Sickler Hills, died Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Mechanicville, N.Y., he was a son of the late Edwin and Edith Dyer Hills. He was a graduate of Mechanicville High School and a World War II Army veteran, serving in the European Theater 1943-45 with the 35th Division. He retired as a field representative from New York State Automobile Dealers Association and was a member of the Christian Science Society of Troy, N.Y. He was the last member of his immediate family.
A memorial service will be at a later date at Wesley Commons. Burial is in Hudson View Cemetery, Mechanicville.
Memorials may be made to Wesley Commons, 1110 Marshall Road, Greenwood, SC 29646 or a charity of one’s choice.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Larry ‘Big 6’ Peterson

Larry “Big 6” Peterson, 57, of 101 Stonehaven, 29 Raintree Apartments, husband of Arneatha Smith Peterson, died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005 at his home.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late James Sims and Mary Elizabeth Peterson. He was a former employee of Self Regional Healthcare and Greenwood Methodist Home and a member of Weston Chapel A.M.E. Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a brother, Johnnie Peterson of Greenwood; two sisters, Willie Bell Sims Hill and Selma Sims, both of Greenwood.
The family is at the home his brother, Johnnie Peterson, 941 Reynolds Ave. and the home of Mr. and Mrs. Delaney Smith, 533 Pelzer St.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Moses Truman Prince

McCORMICK — Moses Truman Prince, 60, died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005 at his home.
Born in McCormick, he was a son of James C. Prince and the late Sarah Lassiter Prince. He was a member of New Hope Baptist Church, where he was an assistant media operator. A 1965 Mims High School graduate, he was a retired textile employee.
Survivors include his father of the home; two daughters, Rosalyn P. Boyd of Savannah, Ga., and Renita P. Sylvain of Wellington, Fla.; a son, Ricardo Prince of Augusta, Ga.; two sisters, Mrs. Erthy (Louise) Duncan of McCormick and Mary Ann Sibert of Port Washington, N.Y.; two brothers, Clarence Prince of Spartanburg and Jesse Prince of Washington, D.C.; 10 grandchildren.
Services are 2:30 p.m. Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Michael Butler, pastor. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial is in the church cemetery. Nephews are pallbearers, and nieces are flower bearers.
The family is at the home of a sister Louise Duncan, 2006 Highway 378 E.
Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Emily Mims Rappley

Emily “Emma” Mims Rappley, 68, of 430 Pelzer St., widow of John Wesley Rappley, died Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005 at her home.
Born in McCormick County, she was a daughter of the late Samuel and Thelonia Jones Mims. She retired from Nantex Sewing Plant and was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include five sons, Bryant Rappley, Randy Rappley, Clayton Rappley and Mandrekus Childs, all of Greenwood and Carlos Morton of Greenville; eight daughters, Cynthia Martin, Barbara Strong, Sheila Reed, Vickie Goode, Valerie Sanders, Linda Edwards, Shirley Elmore and Fredericka Briggs, all of Greenwood; three sisters, Mrs. Ronnie Ollie Mercier, Mrs. Burch Lee Mercier and Mrs. Ralph Searles III, all of Lincolnton, Ga.; four brothers, Robert Lee Mims of Evanston, Ill., Michael David Mims, Samuel Paul Mims and Willie J. Tolbert, all of Lincolnton; 31 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren.
Services are 1 p.m. Friday at Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers and flower bearers are friends of the family.
The family is at the home.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is in charge.

Nellie Jean Robinson

Nellie Jean Anderson Robinson, 58, of 301-A W. Creswell Ave., died Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in McCormick County, she was a daughter of Inez Lane Johnson and the late Clifford Blackwell. She was reared in home of the late William James and Viola Monroe Anderson. She was a former employee of Self Regional Healthcare and a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Donald Robinson of Maryland; her mother of Greenwood; two daughters, Diedre Anderson and Mrs. Gerald (Donna R.) Smith, both of Maryland; a son, Donald Robinson Jr. of Greenwood; a friend of the home, Paul “Butch” Tinson; five brothers, Marvin Johnson, Paul Johnson, Bonnie Lee Johnson, David S. Johnson and James V. Johnson, all of Greenwood; three sisters, Della L. Johnson and Thelma L. Mathews, both of Greenwood, Carolyn Hughes of Augusta, Ga.; six grandchildren.
Services are at noon Saturday at Tabernacle Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. William L. Moore, pastor, assisted by Minister Charles Williams and Bishop Emanuel Spearman. The body will be placed in the church at 11.
Visitation is Friday evening at the home and at her mother’s home, 223 Brook Stuart Drive.
Memorials may be made to Tabernacle Baptist Church Building Fund.
Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc. is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Annie Ruth Rush

Annie Ruth King Rush, 86, of 1007 Deadfall Road, died Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005 at Hospice House.
Born in Washington, Ga., she was a daughter of the late James Emmett and Mona Blalock King. She was a Greenwood High School graduate, retired from Greenwood Mills Mathews Plant and a member of Greenwood Mills Quarter Century Club. A member of Harris United Methodist Church, she formerly served as church organist.
Survivors include a son, William D. “Billy” Rush Jr. of Greenwood; a daughter, Mrs. Terry F. (Elizabeth) Laughlin of Hodges; a sister, Elizabeth K. Styron of Greenwood; a brother, Edward King of Green Valley, Ariz.; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Friday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Frank Thomas and Larry Jenkins. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Frank Laughlin, Chris Rush, Robbie Gentry, Wayne Styron, Ricky Crawford and Michael McCarthy.
Honorary escorts are members of Harris United Methodist Church.
Visitation is 2-3 Friday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of Billy and Linda Rush, 1003 Deadfall Road.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfunerlahome.com