Doctor bringing skills closer to home

Greenwood native uses spinal cord stimulators in pain management

November 9, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

After making headlines with his work in New Orleans, Greenwood native Dr. Bert Blackwell is bringing his skills closer to home.
Blackwell is relocating to Atlanta, citing the chaotic state Hurricane Katrina has left Louisiana and its medical care field in. It’s a move his parents, Clarence and Barbara Blackwell, of Greenwood, and grandmother Mary Berry, of Saluda, are ecstatic about.
“I love New Orleans and I’d stay if I could, but health care is very up in the air right now,” Blackwell said. “After Katrina, a lot of patients and a lot of hospitals have been lost. It’s not the New Orleans I remember and it won’t be for quite some time.”
Working in the field of pain management, Blackwell is a rarity. In New Orleans, he is director of the Parish Comprehensive Pain Management Clinic at East Jefferson General Hospital, where he has garnered much praise for his work with spinal cord stimulators. When surgically attached to the spine, the tiny devices block pain signals to the brain with electrical currents.
Blackwell is one of very few practitioners in the U.S. who implant the devices. He has performed about 100 stimulator surgeries in the past two years.
He said the stimulators are used to treat chronic pain when other methods, such as physical therapy, prescribed narcotics and steroid injections fail.
Spinal stimulator technology has been around for more than a decade, Blackwell said, but has become very popular in recent years after a refinement of the technology. Older versions lacked precision control and used non-rechargeable batters that had to be replaced every two to five years. Battery replacement required reopening a patient’s back.
The new version comes with a rechargeable battery, which users recharge once a week by wearing a small device around the waist for an hour. Pinpoint accuracy also is offered in the new version of the simulator. With a remote control, users can target pain in specific areas, such as the lower back or left calf, Blackwell said.
“We don’t do an implant until we’ve tried less invasive measures,” Blackwell said. “Those who are candidates for surgery go through a trial first with an external unit. If that works well, we do the surgery.”
Spinal stimulators are “the new and interesting thing,” Blackwell said, adding that he receives numerous inquiries about the stimulators, even from those who aren’t candidates for surgery.
“They see the brochures in the office and they want to know about it,” he said.
A 1990 graduate of Greenwood High School, Blackwell was valedictorian of his class. In 1994, he received his bachelors degrees in biology and art design from Duke University, having attended on a full scholarship. He uses the combination of art and medical skills to illustrate medical journals.
He received his medical degree in 1999 from the Medical University of South Carolina.
“He’s quite gifted and he always has been,” said Blackwell’s father, Clarence. “He’s always been quite capable in the areas of science and biology.”
Added Blackwell’s mother, Barbara, “We’re thrilled he’s going to be closer to home now and can perhaps use his skills to help some of the people in this area.”

History lesson for Ware Shoals

Hornets want to avoid upset repeat;
short-handed Flashes travel to Calhoun County

November 9, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Jeff Murdock might not show it, but on the inside, he’s concerned.
As his Ware Shoals High School football team prepares to face Ridge Spring-Monetta in the second round of the Class A playoffs at 8 Friday night at home, Murdock doesn’t want a repeat of what happened two years ago.
Calhoun Falls joins Ware Shoals in the second round. The Flashes (8-3) travel to St. Matthews for a 7:30 Friday night game with Calhoun County (10-1).
In 2003, like this season, Ware Shoals was Region I-A champions with home field advantage through to the state championship game.
However, the ’03 Hornets abruptly lost in the second round to a Timmonsville team which went on to the Upper State finals.
Murdock wants these Region I-A champion Hornets (9-2) to focus on what’s in front of them, instead of looking off to the championship-game horizon.
“We address that with the kids every day,” Murdock said.
“For us coaches, we have a pretty good memory about how Timmonsville came in here and put us out in the second round.
“We (coaches) have to keep their main goal of going to the state championship game in line. And to do that we have to take care of what’s in front of us.”
Coincidentally, 2003 was also the last year the Hornets and the Trojans met on the field.
Ware Shoals picked up its sixth straight victory over RS-M with a 39-13 win at Riegel Stadium.
Since then, the Hornets have retooled, behind senior quarterback Keith Stewart and senior North All-Star defensive end James Spikes, while the Trojans, then starting mostly freshmen and sophomores in key skill positions, have gained experience.
“Our kids aren’t all that familiar with them because it’s been so long. High school kids have a short memory,” Murdock said. “Those guys have spent two years in the weight room, getting bigger and faster.”
Tailback Robert Axen and quarterback Devonne Quattlebaum have spent the better part of three seasons running the Trojans’ power-I offense.
“They’ve definitely learned timing over the last few years working together,” RS-M coach Mark Rogers said. “They’re more confident in our offense.
“They had a baptism by fire, getting a lot of game experience. And that’s something you can’t coach.”
Quattlebaum has passed for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushed for 432 yards and 11 scores.
Axen, who runs a 100-meter dash in 10.5 seconds and finished second at the 100 in last year’s Class A state track meet, leads the team with 1,080 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
“He can fly,” said Murdock of Axen. “I think he’s one of the top three in the state in the 100. He can really go. He’s probably the best speed we’ve seen all year.”
But the Hornets have some speed of their own, with the wingback trio of junior Tony Lomax, sophomore Patorious Leverette and freshman Lance Richardson.
Leverette leads the team and is third in the Lakelands with 948 yard rushing to go along with 10 scores. Lomax, who has been hampered with injuries this season, has 694 yards and 10 scores on 81 carries, while Richardson has 426 and six TDs on 57 carries.
The three combined for 335 of the Hornets’ 480 rushing yards in the team’s 47-20 thrashing of Blacksburg last week.
“We had a real good week from our backs,” Murdock said. “We carried the football real good and we made seams when there wasn’t really anything there.
“We did make some small errors that would have hurt us down the road. We kind of won this one with our athleticism.”
Stewart leads the Hornets’ passing attack, which accomplished something that hasn’t happened at Ware Shoals in a long time. The senior QB might have only passed for 63 yards against Blacksburg, but that sent his yardage total to 1,025, making him the first 1,000-yard passer in recent Hornets history.
“We’ve had to spend a lot of time with our defensive backs,” Rogers said. “They can’t go sticking their noses in on the run and let someone slip by them for a long pass. Those DBs can’t go to sleep out there.”

Calhoun Falls vs. Calhoun County

The Blue Flashes enter their first-ever meeting with the Region IV-A champion Saints even more short-handed than they’ve been all season.
With last year’s All-Lakelands athlete Theo Tillman out last week because of an injury, Calhoun Falls might also be without its starting quarterback, senior D.J. Roundtree.
Roundtree, a second-year starter, suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the Flashes’ win over Jonesville.
Calhoun Falls coach Eddie Roberts said Roundtree’s availability for Friday’s game is doubtful. Roundtree, who has 707 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing and 682 yards and eight touchdowns passing, hasn’t taken any snaps at practice this week, Roberts said.
Senior Monterrio Tatum, the backup QB and starting wingback, has taken the majority of the practice snaps.
Tatum, the Flashes’ starting quarterback in 2003, filled in at quarterback for the first two games of the season while Roundtree served a two-game suspension, throwing for 250 yards in a win over McCormick and a loss to Ninety Six.
“It’s an adjustment we’ll have to make, and it does put us in a bind because we lose a wingback in Monterrio, and a cornerback in D.J.,” Roberts said. “We’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
What they’ve been doing the most of this season is handing the ball to senior fullback Santonio Tillman, who has a team-high 925 rushing yards.
While the Flashes’ quarterback remains in question, the Saints’ QB is what makes the Calhoun County offense run. Senior Tavarus Murphy has 1,000 yards rushing and 900 passing with 22 total touchdowns.
“He’s their go-to guy,” Roberts said. “He likes to get to the corner. His biggest thing is to tuck it and run. We have to be disciplined on our option coverage and play assignment football.”
Murphy might be the first option in the Saints’ pro-I offense, but junior tailback Sidney Mitchell and junior fullback John Haynes have combined for 1,200 rushing yards and 10 TDs.
The Flashes are coming off a close call in the opening round. Calhoun Falls scored 20 points against Jonesville in the first quarter, but failed to add to its total the rest of the way.
After surrendering 12 first-half points to the Wildcats, the Flashes’ defense allowed only one third-quarter touchdown to preserve the 20-18 victory.
“Jonesville had a lot to do with how close the game was,” Roberts said. “They’re a good team that had some early season injuries. I knew it was going to be a tough game. I knew it was going to be a close game.”

Opinion

Students deserve support in efforts for education

November 9, 2005

As far as worldly things are concerned, education is second to nothing. With it, almost anything is possible. Without it, the future is always bleak. Some complain that too many black Americans seek to denigrate black youngsters any time they strive to succeed, especially in school. They are accused of “acting white.”
There have been times when some community leaders in Greenwood, black and white, have tried to offset this belittlement. However, they have too often been ignored.
There’s no question about the importance of education. It, alone, is the one thing that can help anyone rise above the worst of circumstances. That has been proved too many times to doubt. Black and white South Carolinians have struggled and sacrificed to pull themselves up the economic ladder that everything from poverty to racism has made more difficult.

THERE ARE DIFFERENCES of opinion, to be sure, over whether there is indeed an “acting white” factor to consider. Some black, highly educated college professors, take different views.
Be that as it may, there has been some evidence to support claims that such criticism is indeed a fact of life in too many instances. That’s disturbing. Some say it’s used by those who are happy with the status quo and have no ambition, fearing those who do get an education threaten their lifestyle, whatever it might be.
Also, some believe a few black demagogues take advantage of the “acting white” idea, whether myth or fact, to help sustain their influence.

THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT, though, of what education can do. Just recently the state NAACP put the spotlight on education. It said that better information about financial aid and scholarships will help more minority and low-income students in South Carolina attend college. There should be more encouragement for black youngsters to get an education. “Acting white” or any other kind of negatives should be put in their place, for good.
College should be the ultimate goal, of course. To get there, though, youngsters must finish high school. They need the moral support of all of us ….. parents, teachers and, just as important, each other.
If they drop out for any reason, they don’t have to give up. Those who really want to improve their lives can earn a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) ….. and take it from there. Adult Education at the old Southside Junior High School is the answer for many. It can be for many more.

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

Obituaries

William Howard Clark

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — William Howard “The Great John L” Clark, 80, husband of Donna West Clark, of 1900 Carley Road, died Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005 at Northwest Medical Center.
Born in Bowling Green, Ky., he was a son of the late Curlin Henry and Hattie Elizabeth Whittaker Clark. He retired from the Screen Actors Guild as a stuntman actor and professional wrestler for more than 40 years, appearing in movies such as “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” “Breaker, Breaker,” “Silent Rage” (with Chuck Norris), “Little House on the Prairie” and many TV sitcoms and commercials. He was a World War II Navy veteran.
Survivors include his wife of the home; five sons, William Clark Jr. and R. Alan Clark, both of Springdale, Dennis Clark of Greenwood, S.C., John L. Clark Jr. of Apple Valley, Calif., and Leroy Clark of the home; three daughters, Danica Lynn Young of Siloam Springs, Debra Lynn Hutchison and Candace Lynn Fodor, both of Springdale; a brother, Richard Glenn “Buddy” Clark of Victorville, Calif.; 25 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Funeral Home. Burial is in Fairview Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fayetteville.
Pallbearers are Don Young, Sam Fodor, Scott Smith, Dan Olds, Rick “Scooter” Morgan and Harold Norman.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at the funeral home, 3926 Willowood Ave.
Memorial Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.memfuneral.com

Virginia Hawthorne

DONALDS, SC – Virginia Nickles Hawthorne, 82, resident of 1483 Hwy. 185 South, wife of Carroll Hawthorne, died Monday Nov. 7, 2005 at Abbe-ville Co. Memorial Hospital.
Born in Abbeville Co. SC she was a daughter of the late Hunter and Margaret McIlwain Nickles. She graduated from Abbeville High School and received her A.B. Degree in Education from Erskine College class of 1944. She retired as an elementary school teacher at Donalds Elementary School. She was an active member of Greenville Presbyterian Church.
Survivors are: her beloved husband of 25 years Carroll M. Hawthorne of the home, 2 daughters Beth Hawthorne and Ann Hawthorne both of Donalds, SC, nieces and nephews Susie and Randy Driggers, James and Peggy Harrill, George and Josie Harrill and David Harrill.
She was preceded in death by a sister Ruth Harrill.
Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday Nov. 9, 2005 at 2:00 PM from Greenville Presbyterian Church, Shoals Junction, conducted by the Rev. Webster Curry.
The burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The body is at The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home. The family will receive friends in the church social hall Wednesday afternoon after church services.
The family will be at the home 1483 Hwy. 185 South, Donalds, SC.
Memorials may be made to Greenville Presbyterian Church, 6158 Hwy. 184, Donalds. SC 29638.
THE CHANDLER-JACK-SON FUNERAL HOME, ABBEVILLE, SC IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
Online condolences may be made to the Hawthorne family at www.chandlerjacksonfh.com
PAID OBITUARY

Edwin Hills

Edwin J. Hills, 89, of 1110 Marshall Road, widower of Doris Sickler Hills, died Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Rev. Johnny Johnson

CINCINNATI — The Rev. Johnny Lee Johnson died Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 in Cincinnati.
Born in McCormick, S.C., he was a son of the late Samuel D. and Addie Lee Smith Johnson. He was a former member of Holy Spring Baptist Church, a 1965 Mims High School graduate and a retired Bakery Co. employee. He was associate pastor of Tri-stone Baptist Church in Cincinnati.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Johnson of the home; two daughters, Kelsey Johnson of Cincinnati and Jonetta Johnson of the home; four brothers, Samuel D. Johnson of Detroit, Jesse E. Johnson of McCormick, Freddie Johnson of Cincinnati and Claude Johnson of Philadelphia; and two grandchildren.
Services are 6 p.m. Friday at Tri-Stone Baptist Church. Burial is Saturday in Cincinnati.
Announcement courtesy of Walker Funeral Home, McCormick.