Firefighters aim for two goals during flag football fundraiser

October 9, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

Instead of running into burning buildings Saturday, area firefighters were running for the goal line.
It wasn’t their usual way of assisting fire victims, but that’s exactly what they were doing.
Local fire departments competed against each other in flag football games at the Greenwood Civic Center to raise money for the American Red Cross’ Local Disaster Relief Fund. Spectators were able to support their teams by making “Pledges for Points,” donating money for each point scored or donating money for each touchdown their team scored.
Teams participating were the Highway 34 Volunteer Fire Department, the Greenwood Fire Department and Triple Blaze, formed by three fire departments.
The game was the second annual competition organized by Franklin Cloninger, of the Highway 34 Volunteer Fire Department, to benefit the local Red Cross.
“It started as just some of the guys from different departments wanting to get together and play backyard football,” Cloninger said from the sidelines. “After a while, we decided to turn it into a fundraiser to help pay back the Red Cross for all it does in the community.”
Cloninger said the Red Cross’ Greenwood Service Center is often called in by fire departments after they respond to house fires that leave families with little more than the clothing on their backs.
The Red Cross’s Local Disaster relief Fund benefits disaster victims in the Greenwood area, usually victims of house fires, said Barbara Turnburke, Greenwood Service Center manager for the American Red Cross. When a family loses a home to fire, the Red Cross steps in to provide basic necessities and help them get back on their feet.
In the past year, the Greenwood Service Center has assisted more than 60 local families and provided more than $25,000 in assistance to those families.
“This is something that we’re in desperate need of right now,” Turnburke said of the fundraiser.
She said local branches of the Red Cross have been hard hit since Hurricane Katrina plowed through the Gulf, causing major destruction. Most donations to the Red Cross since that event have been earmarked for Katrina relief, meaning the money is sent to a national fund.
While donations are needed for Katrina relief, local relief funds have been running low, making funds raised in the flag football game especially precious this year, Turnburke said.
Because most of the money raised will go to benefit victims of fire, Turnburke said the football fundraiser was an especially fun event for the Red Cross to work on with area firefighters.
At press time, the amount of money raised by the game was not yet available. To make a donation to the American Red Cross’ Local Disaster Relief Fund, call 229-3102 or visit the Greenwood Service Center at 1346 Highway 72 NE.

Nonprofits feeling hurricane pinch

Humane Society, others worry they will fall short
as people open their pocketbooks for Katrina relief

October 9, 2005

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

They don’t begrudge the money, time and energy going to the Gulf. They just wonder if there’s enough generosity left over in Greenwood County for them.
The people who run the Humane Society of Greenwood, its animal shelter and its spay and neuter clinic know they have faithful supporters who will respond to this plea. They also know that if every person in the county could spare them just $1, they would have a nice nest egg.
They’re not alone.
Nonprofits are feeling the Katrina pinch. So much money has gone to the efforts of the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to help rescue and rebuild the lives of Gulf Coast residents that people running these charities wonder, “How much is left for us?”
“It’s early on in our campaign,” said Tim Ervolina, president and CEO of the United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties, “but we’re way behind where we usually are. There are some really good campaigns, but we’ve seen some things heavily downward.”
Ervolina met Friday with representatives of the non-profits funded by the United Way to update them on the $2 million campaign. The local United Way is raising $1.7 million for local causes and giving $300,000 to Katrina/Rita relief.
Some pledges to United Way are earmarked for that relief effort and cannot go anywhere else.
It’s not just the hurricanes, of course. High gas prices make people uneasy, and Greenwood still has one of the highest jobless rates in South Carolina. People can’t be faulted for being a little nervous about their money.
And there are other forces at work. “So many non-profits are dependant on Medicaid funding,” Ervolina said of a program with an uncertain fiscal future. “We’re their match for Medicaid.
There are talks among some agencies about mergers and, frankly, we’re encouraging that. Sometimes it’s about protecting jobs, when it should be about serving clients.”
Of course, there is no Medicaid for dogs and cats — no government survival fund for man’s best friends. There are, though, companies willing to help.
The Pedigree Shelter Program has accepted the Humane Society of Greenwood, a United Way agency, into its food distribution system. The local shelter will receive free Pedigree dog, puppy and Whiskas adult cat food from Master Foods in Columbia.
Dry kitten food and canned foods will be the only dietary items that the Society will need to acquire elsewhere.
Still, Society executive director Karen Pettay says the task of providing quality food, shelter, medicine and care for the 117 dogs and pups and 147 cats and kittens housed right now at the Greenwood Shelter is challenging.
Private donations to the Humane Society are at their lowest level since 9/11.
The downturn comes a year after the shelter invested $12,000 in medicines. “In this atmosphere,” she said, “if one cat sneezes, they all catch cold. It’s like a big animal day care.”
The shelter right now has almost double the number of cats it housed last year. More come all the time, especially from people who live in the county and find boxes full of animals dumped on their lawns.
The shelter has taken on additional personnel as its number of occupants has grown. Pettay says its not fair, nor a good business practice, to just take, take, take animals without having the people to care for them.
And the Humane Society now has taken on the additional role of public education. Employee Mary Soto, with a background in education, is undertaking training to bring an education program about animals’ welfare to the next generation.
In short supply, however, is the money to buy materials and display boards to get this program off the ground. Perhaps that money could come from the cleaning supplies budget, if people would donate the occasional bottle of bleach.
If that happens, money also could be shifted to needs such as buying cages. If clay cat litter were donated, money saved could be applied to the medical expenses.
However, the money is juggled, Pettay said the important thing is letting the public know how important their involvement is to the animals. The shelter is seeing the effects of the summer breeding season and that taxes its available resources. Unfortunately, that’s coupled with a summer slump in donations.
“God love ’em, we’ll have people leave us food and things on our doorstep. We’ll come here in the mornings and find it,” Pettay said. “And we really appreciate it.”
The Humane Society just sent its second load of donated items for the Katrina-affected animals, because Pettay knows there’s a great need for a compassionate response to people, and their pets, who’ve lost everything.
Of hurricane survivors Pettay says, “I feel for those people. But it’s a domino effect and charities are hit hard. Give to the Red Cross, by all means, that’s a need.
“But there are local needs, too.”

George E. Arbour

ABBEVILLE, SC — George E. Arbour, 66, of 176 Durham Rd. Abbeville died Saturday, October 08, 2005 at the Hospice House in Greenwood. He was born in Elkton, MD to the late Eugene and Dorothea Dutcher Arbour. Mr. Arbour was a retired operating engineer with an asphalt plant in Waterford Works, NJ.
He is survived by his three sisters, Nona Iuliucci and her husband Raymond of Waterford Works, NJ, Dorothea Pierson and her husband Walter of Abbeville, Kathleen Clark and her husband John of Waterford Works, NJ, and many nieces and nephews.
All services will be at a later date. The family is at the home.
Memorial Contributions in memory of Mr. Arbour may be sent to the HospiceCare of the Piedmont – Hospice House 408 W. Alexander Ave. Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the Arbour family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
Harris Funeral Home is assisting the family.
PAID OBITUARY

Sarah ‘Lucy’ Bussey

MODOC — Sarah “Lucy” Bussey, 95, died Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005 at McCormick Healthcare.
Born in Lockhart, Ga., she was a daughter of the late Emerson Frank and Bertie Howel Bussey. She was a retired postmaster of Modoc, active in the National Post Office Assn., and a member of the Eastern Star of McCormick. She was the oldest living member of Modoc Baptist Church.
She was the last member of her immediate family.
Services are 11 a.m. Tuesday at Modoc Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Don Sebastian.
Visitation is 6-8 Monday at Strom Funeral Home.
Strom Funeral Home, McCormick, is in charge.

Eliza Mae Tolbert Chamberlain

PLUM BRANCH — Eliza Mae Tolbert Chamberlain, 82, widow of Watson Chamberlain Sr., died Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 at Trinity Mission Health Rehab. of Edgefield.
Born in McCormick, she was a daughter of the late Norris and Georgia Sharpton Tolbert. She was a member of Cedar Spring Baptist Church where she served on the Missionary Board, the Senior Choir and the Deaconess Board. She was also a member of the Mount Moriah Court Order of Eastern Star and the Washington Burial Aide Society.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. John (Beatrice) Freeman of Plum Branch; a son, Watson Chamberlain Jr. of Plum Branch; 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
The family is at the home, 1506 Upper Mill Road, Plum Branch.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home, McCormick.

Sarah DeBenedittis

WARE SHOALS — Sarah Lynn DeBenedittis, 20, of 42 Circle St., died Friday, Oct. 7, 2005.
Born in Pensacola, Fla., she was a daughter of Thomas N. DeBenedittis of Rocklin, Calif. and Nancy Gertsch of Ware Shoals. She was a student at Lander University and a S.C. Teaching Fellow.
Survivors include her parents; a sister, Paige Anne DeBenedittis, Birmingham, Ala.; maternal grandparents, Charles and Jane Gerstch, Mesa, Ariz.; paternal grandparents, Frank and Allie DeBenedittis, Lady Lake, Fla. and paternal grandfather, Thomas Tangredi, Ocala, Fla.
Services are 3:30 p.m. Monday at Oakbrook Memorial Park, conducted by the Rev. Peter Hawes.
Pallbearers are Phillip Hodges, Kevin DeBenedittis, Paul DeBenedittis, Chase Fuller, John Oxner, Tim Fleming, Ryan Fredricks and Keith Wright.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of Tim and Sally Prill, 8 Edgewood Drive.
Memorials may be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital, Greenville, S.C.
Parker-White Funeral Home is in charge.

Darquella Ronique Elmore

ABBEVILLE — Darquella Ronique Elmore, infant daughter of Kendra Lynn Elmore and Eric C. Gray, died Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005 at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Survivors include her parents of Abbeville; two sisters, Za’Quavia Leach and E’Nya Gray, of the home; maternal grandparents, Marilynn Elmore, Kent Elmore; maternal great-grandparents, Rosetta Morris, Hattie and Moses Elmore; paternal grandparents, Georgia Mae Gray and Willie Gray Jr.; paternal great-grandparent, Janie Mae Harrison.
Services are 2 p.m. Monday at Abbeville & White Mortuary, conducted by the Rev. R.C. Shelton.
Burial is in Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family is at the home, 1209 Secession Ave., Lot 24.
Abbeville & White Mortuary is in charge.

Claude Gregory Sr.

NINETY SIX — Claude Cleveland Gregory Sr., 83, of 4222 Hwy 702 Ninety Six, widower of Virginia May Gregory, died Friday, October 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Union, he was the son of the late Grover Cleveland and Lollie Jolly Gregory. He was retired from Monsanto. He was a US Navy veteran of WWII, and a member of Ninety Six First Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by a son Claude “Gregg” Cleveland Gregory Jr.
Survivors include a daughter, Jean G. Banks of Greenwood, two step-daughters, Louise T. Owens of Charlotte, Virginia T. Purser of Fort Mill, two step-sons, Eddie Tilley of Cross Hill, Spencer Tilley of Columbia, two sisters, Nita Sanders and Mary Jo Gregory of Union, twelve grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 3 pm Monday at Greenwood Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Chuck Sprouse officiating.
The family will receive friends Sunday from 7-9 at Harley Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of his daughter Jean Banks, 215 Pucketts Pointe Road, Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to Ninety Six First Baptist Church, PO Box 85, Ninety Six, 29666.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Ronnie ‘Bootman’ Hearst

IRMO — Ronnie “Bootman” Hearst died Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late Archie and Helen Peterson Hearst and reared in the home of the late James and Matilda Williams. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School, a retiree of the Army and currently employed with the American Red Cross.
Survivors include his wife, Gracie Simmons Hearst; a son, LaRon Hearst; five brothers, James and Clayton Peterson, Archie, Terry and Anthony Hearst; two sisters, Mrs. Oscar (Matilda) Burton and Mrs. Henry (Sharon) Wright.
Services with full Military Rites are 1 p.m. Monday at New Ebenezer Baptist Church in Columbia. Burial is in Bush River Memorial Gardens.
Bostick-Tompkins Funeral Home, Columbia, is in charge.
Announcement courtesy of Percival Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood.

Norris Ware

LINCOLNTON, Ga. — Norris Ware, 59, of 1154 Water Oak Drive, died Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 at his home.
He was a son of the late Albert Hawes and Fannie Ruth Bohler Ware. He was a former employee with Part’s Warehouse of Augusta, owner of Ware’s Auto Parts for 25 years, a member of the American Legion Post 194, the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club and a veteran of the Army.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara Ware; two daughters, Christie W. Bryan and Taylor Curtis Ware, both of Lincolnton; a son, Todd Ware of Greenville; two stepchildren, Don Morrow of Lincolnton and Franklin Curtis of Missouri; a sister, Rebecca W. Tarver of Lincolnton; one brother, Kelly Ware of Thomson, Ga.
Services are 4 p.m. today at Lincolnton Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Ware Palmer. Interment is at Lincolnton City Cemetery.
Pallbearers are Danny Dawkins, Jimmy Harris, Bobby Moore, Matt Nunn, Perry Pittman, Herbert Rhodes, Jimmy Shelton, Mark Taylor and Hillyer Wright Jr.
Honorary escort is the Iron Horse Motorcycle Club.
Visitation is at the home, 1154 Water Oak Drive or the home of his daughter, Christie Bryan, 1126 Hwy 220 West.
Memorials may be made to The American Cancer Society, 2623 Washington Road, No. F104, Augusta, Ga. 30904.
Rees Funeral Home is in charge.

No longer region leaders

Eagles suffer third straight loss and first region defeat since 1997

October 9, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

The Greenwood High School football team’s seven-year, 39-game Region I-AAAA winning streak came to an end Saturday night, as the Class AAAA No. 8 Eagles fell to No. 4 Westside, 48-35, at J.W. Babb Stadium.
“A winning streak in the region like the one we had is a tribute to our players and coaches for nearly eight years,” Dula said. “Westside has a fine team, and they were very well coached tonight.”
Greenwood (4-3 overall, 0-1 region) had not dropped a region game since its 42-14 loss to Laurens on Nov. 7, 1997.
Westside (7-0, 1-0) continued its best start in school history by racking up 530 yards of offense. Rams’ senior quarterback Thomas Griffin was 27 of 44 passing for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Griffin has passed for over 400 yards the last two weeks.
“We knew Greenwood had great speed,” Griffin said. “We felt if we could spread them out, we could exploit some things. They have been so dominant in this region for so long. It feels great to finally get a win over this team.”
Greenwood got stellar play from quarterback Armanti Edwards. The senior rushed 19 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 223 yards on 24 of 39 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Greenwood seemed to have control in the early stages of the game, finding itself ahead 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles used a 3-yard touchdown run by Armanti Edwards and a 10-yard scoring run by tailback Robert Robinson, who rushed for 64 yards and two scores on the night, to gain the advantage.
The second quarter would prove to be a pivotal and damaging segment for Greenwood.
After Westside closed the score to 14-10 on a 37-yard Stephen McCormick field goal, Greenwood quickly pushed the lead out further.
Robinson capped an 80-yard, 2 minute, 57 second drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge with 8:57 remaining in the half, putting Greenwood ahead 21-10.
That’s when things began to unravel for the Eagles.
With 3:50 left in the half, Westside punter Todd Moon boomed a towering punt to the Greenwood 14-yard line, where Robinson muffed the ball.
Westside’s Hart Vaughn dove on the ball and the Rams were in business.
On the next play from scrimmage, Griffin lofted a pass into the right corner of the end zone, where it was nabbed by Rams’ receiver Mo Brown for a touchdown. The scoring toss made the score 21-17 in favor of the Eagles with 3:42 remaining in the half.
After forcing Greenwood into a quick punt, the Rams again looked to light up the scoreboard.
On the second play of the possession Griffin slung a pass out wide to senior receiver David Pressley. Pressley broke a tackle, spun to his right and darted into the open field. Forty-seven yards later he crossed the goal line, putting the Rams up 24-21 with 1:55 remaining in the half.
On the Eagles’ next possession, Westside took advantage of a rare error by Edwards, who tossed only his second interception of the season into the arms of Rams’ safety Jimmar Boston, who returned the ball to the Greenwood 30-yard line with 1:06 remaining at in the second.
Four plays and 56 second later Westside tailback Montez Hatten, who rushed for 102 yards on the evening, blasted into the end zone from one yard out to put the Rams up 31-21 and cap a 21-point Rams blitzkrieg in the final 3:50 of the first half.
“We just believed we could get that done,” Griffin said. “We got some big time breaks there at the end of the half.”
Greenwood had four turnovers in the contest to Westside’s none. Dula expressed his stance on the Eagles’ loss in the turnover department.
“Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way,” Dula said. “Take nothing away from Westside, they won that battle.”
Greenwood travels next week to take on T.L. Hanna in another Region I-AAAA game.
“The coaches will analyze the tape and get us in the right sets for next week,” said Greenwood wide receiver Anthony Chalmers, who caught 11 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. “This was a tough game, but we have to listen to our coaches and move on.”

Wildcats’ offense sputters in defeat

October 9, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

NINETY SIX — On a day generally reserved for the premier football player, it was an unheralded junior that was the difference Saturday night.
With defenses shutting down the star on the opposing teams, Batesburg-Leesville junior quarterback Garrett Jones tossed a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Panthers to a 12-6 win over Ninety Six at Wilson-Campbell Stadium.
“Garrett is just a competitor and he’s going to do what we ask him to do,” Panthers coach Courtney McInnis said.
“If we run the ball, he’ll play fake with the best of them. But tonight we needed him to do more. He just did what we had to do.”
The B-L defense limited two-time All-Lakelands quarterback Stan Doolittle to just 98 yards passing, 12 incompletions and two interceptions, while the Wildcats’ defense kept standout tailback Chamois Johnson to 58 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Jones, who came in with less than 300 yards passing on the season, shook off a first-quarter interception to go 11-of-16 for 124 yards and two second-half touchdown passes, both to tight end Tarrell Butler.
“I went over to the sidelines in the fourth quarter and told my receivers ‘It’s on us because they’re determined to stop Chamois,’” Jones said. “I told them ‘it’s up to us. I’ve got to throw it and you all have got to catch it.’”
The Panthers’ offense finished with 287 yards.
However, it was the B-L defense, which gave up 376 yards and five touchdowns to Emerald last week, that left its mark Saturday night, keeping Doolittle’s potent Ninety Six offense off the scoreboard the entire game.
The Wildcats’ lone touchdown came on Jones’ first-quarter interception, which was returned 67-yard for the score by Ninety Six’s Nick Lagroone.
It was the first time the Ninety Six offense failed to put up points since a 6-2 loss to Emerald back on Sept. 12, 2003.
“Our defensive coaches looked at what Emerald did to us and they told the defense to keep everything in front of them,” McInnis said. “We didn’t want to give up the big play. No big plays.”
The Panthers’ defensive play of the game came late in the fourth quarter with the Wildcats looking to break a 6-6 tie.
With 2 minutes, 6 seconds remaining and Ninety Six with the ball on at midfield, Doolittle dropped back and launched a pass to the right sideline.
However, B-L’s John Harris stepped in front for the Panthers’ second fourth-quarter interception with 1:23 remaining. It was the Wildcats’ third and most costly turnover of the night.
On the next play, Jones lofted a fade pass to fellow-junior Dontrelle Inman, who made the diving catch for a 35-yard gain, putting the ball on the Ninety Six 12-yard line.
After a short running play, Jones then found Butler open in the end zone for a split second for a 6-yard score to give B-L the 12-6 lead with 21.6 seconds remaining.
“They made a couple of plays on us,” Ninety Six coach Mike Doolittle said. “That last play, the one they scored the touchdown on, we knew they were going to run it. We worked it all week, but we were just a little bit out of position.”
The loss drops the Wildcats to 1-1 in Region III-AA, which places them in a four-way tie for second place with B-L, Emerald and Saluda.
“It’s like I told our kids ‘if I had a choice between losing now or losing five weeks from now, I’d choose now,’” Doolittle said. “Tonight is going to help us come playoff time.”
Ninety Six opened the game with two straight three-and-out series.
But the defense took up some of the offense’s slack. On the Panthers’ second possession, Jones looked to make his third screen pass of the game.
But Lagroone made a break for the ball even before it was thrown. The Ninety Six senior stepped in front of Inman and sprinted 67 yards untouched to the end zone.
The Panthers put together the longest drive to start the second half. The B-L offense went 78 yards on 13 plays – nine of which were runs.
Jones capped the 6:29 drive with a 9-yard pass to Butler on fourth-and-8 to knot the score at 6.

Let qualifications only be reasons for choices

October 9, 2005

Throughout its history, this country has been a land of opportunity. Anyone willing to work hard and take a few chances on the future could succeed at whatever they sought to do or be. In fact, you can find rags-to-riches stories all over South Carolina, many in Greenwood and throughout the Lakelands area.
There have been times in that history, of course, where opportunities were more available to some than to others. Black Americans and women, for example, and some others have had to persevere in their struggles to have equal rights.
It took a long time coming, but nowadays anyone can find opportunities if they, too, are willing to work hard and take a few chances on the future. There are some instances when that is not necessarily so, to be sure, but in general opportunities are not limited to anyone.

SOME WONDER, THOUGH, IF there’s not institutionalized bias in expectations when appointments and/or nominations are made for federal courts and other government positions.
Consider the widespread talk before President Bush nominated Harriet Miers for the U. S. Supreme Court. The same kind of exhortations was also heard before Judge John Roberts was nominated. The “message” was that a woman should be nominated, or a black or someone with another ethnic background to make sure the Court would be “balanced.”
Doesn’t that kind of thinking imply that only a woman judge can be fair to other women, or only a black judge can be fair to other blacks? Why not make it more specific. Why not appoint white women to judge white women, black women to judge black women and on an on ad infinitum.

THAT, OF COURSE, WOULD be ridiculous. It would also be contrary to the historical American way where opportunity is supposed to be for all, regardless of race, gender, religion, social status or anything else ….. except having the qualifications.
Don’t misinterpret. Anyone who is qualified should be eligible for the courts or any other government job, and should always be considered fairly for those posts. But being white or black, female or male, Jew or Gentile, or whatever should not be the sole reason for any of them.
That’s contrary to the American way, but it’s also contrary to our republican form of government. If we base decisions on “balancing” race or gender or ethnicity, equal opportunity flies out the window.