Windshield-high to an Escalade

Crossing guard gives direction to cars, drivers’ mornings

April 10, 2006

By JOANIE BAKER
Index-Journal staff writer

They don’t know her name, but many say they couldn’t start their day without her smile.
For an hour each morning, her white gloves excitedly call each person up for their turn with an animated point and she calls a “come on now, sugar,” that only she can hear over the traffic.
For the past year, Greenwood Police Department Crossing Guard Jane Wells has been standing in traffic on West Alexander Road. Her job is to make sure all of the bumper-stickered vehicles carrying the “Terrific Kids” and “Honor Students” at Westview Middle School get to the building without the interruption of a sleepy driver on a first cup of coffee.
But Wells’ 10-cups-of-coffee spirit has motivated some drivers, who aren’t toting students, to go a different route just to see the enthusiasm that she’s carried during her 20 years as a crossing guard.
“I guess it’s just seeing someone enjoy what they do, it motivates me,” said Kimberly Dean, who drives a different way to work just to pass by Wells. “I get so excited just watching her.”
Dean said when she goes a different way to work, she actually misses Wells bouncing on her tippy-toes as she attentively directs everyone where to go.
Standing windshield-high to an Escalade, Wells said she puts on her bright orange vest with the yellow “crossing guard” across her heart each day because she loves seeing the people every morning.
“I love people, period,” Wells said. “When I love people, God loves me ... my heart is full.”
Serving as a human traffic light, Wells hops around the line of traffic using four hand signals, looking something like a mime in a 5-by-5 feet box.
When she first started, Wells said they used to place orange safety cones in the road to protect her. But as she has had just one close call when someone wanted to “run” her stop hand, Wells said she doesn’t need them anymore.
“I keep my mind on what I’m doing,” she said. “If someone hollers at me from a car and I know who they are, I just wave behind me like this because I have to keep my eyes on the traffic or else there could be a tragedy.”
Though her eyes are too focused for distraction, her face isn’t too busy for a meaningful smile.
Members of the faculty at Westview said Wells, who has directed traffic at East End, Northside and Southside schools, makes a difference in their day.
Sondra Clendenin, the bookeeper at Westview, said Wells is the best of traffic guards.
“No one can ever pull into this school with a sad face after seeing her smile,” she said. “She has to really be that way, because that’s not an easy job to do.”
Westview Instructional Specialist Lori Ann Hagwood said Wells brightens her mornings.
“She smiles and waves rain or shine,” Hagwood said. “I’ve never seen her without a smile on her face.”
Until minutes after the bell has sounded and the last few “tardies” come slipping into the parking lot, Wells receives honks and waves from carpoolers.
But that’s not all they do to show their appreciation.
Wells said there is a lady who brings her a soda every afternoon and other parents brought her scarves and gloves for Christmas. Wells said she was flattered when the Parent Teacher Association invited her to join them for a Christmas dinner.
“I thank God for everything I do,” said Wells, who has one cup of coffee for breakfast before waving to hundreds of faces. “I thank him for not letting me get hit, I thank him for the people and I thank Him for the endeavors that allow me to do good.”
Thirteen-year-old Hillary Fish said she looks forward to seeing Wells each morning.
“She’s always really energetic and always waving and smiling,” she said. “She cheers me up and wakes me up.”

Grace Agnew

Grace Hulsey Agnew, 95, resident of 107 Belle Meade Road, widow of Samuel A. Agnew, died April 8, 2006 at the Abbeville Nursing Home.
Born in Greensboro, GA, March 7, 1911, she was a daughter of the late Jessie Harrison and Ida Florence Gunn Hulsey. She was a graduate of Clinton High School and formerly co-owned The Beauty Lounge in Greenwood. She was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Agnew was twice married, first to the late James W. White.
She was the last member of her immediate family being survived by nieces and nephews which include Sara H. Hamilton, Jackie H. Reese, Jean H. Strickland and Barbara H. “Babbs” Barnette, all of Greenwood and William C. Hulsey, Jr. of Hodges.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3:30 PM Monday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel.
Entombment will be in Edgewood Mausoleum.
The family is at the home on Belle Meade Road and will receive friends at the funeral home from 3:00 to 3:30 Monday afternoon.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the charity of one’s choice.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Agnew family.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Ray Edwards

Henry Ray Edwards, 68, of 225 Briggs Ave., husband of Bonnie L. Edwards, died Saturday, April 8, 2006 at his home.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late Robert B. and Lucia Ellis Edwards. He was formerly employed by Henry Price Builders and retired from Town & Country.
He was a member of Tranquil United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; two daughters, Deborah Edwards of Columbia and Angela Edwards of Greenwood; a stepdaughter, Tammy Royle of Osseo, Minn.; two stepsons, Cecil Bolling of Cincinnati and Brian Bolling of Joppa, Md.; two sisters, Helen L. Edwards of Greenwood and Mrs. Ray (Margaret) Darragh of McCormick; three grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; four step-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are 2 p.m. Tuesday at Tranquil United Methodist Church Cemetery, conducted by the Revs. A. Melton Arant Jr. and Tommy Cartledge.
Visitation is 6-8 Monday at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home and the home of his daughter, 1632 Cokesbury Road.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 or to Tranquil United Methodist Church, 1702 McCormick Highway, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Raymond Massey

Raymond Lafayette Massey, 83, of Homewood Residence at Cleveland Park, Greenville, widower of Eva Kohler Massey, died Sunday, April 9, 2006 at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Mildred ‘Millie’ Nance

ABBEVILLE — Mildred “Millie” L. Crawford Nance, 82, of 58 Mt. Olive Church Rd, wife of the late R. Marion Nance died Saturday, April 8, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Nance was born in Augusta, GA to the late William A. and Ada McClain Crawford. She retired from Abbeville Shirt Makers and was a member of Grace United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Nance was preceded in death by her three brothers, Kelly Crawford, William Allen Crawford, and Rayford Crawford. She is survived by her two daughters, Vicky Putt of Nokomis, FL and Sue Haynie of Easley, SC.
The family will receive friends 6:00PM to 8:00PM Monday, April 10, 2006 at Harris Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be 2:00PM Tuesday, April 11, 2006 in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.
Memorial contributions in memory of Mrs. Nance may be sent to the Grace United Methodist Church Building Fund, 100 E. Greenwood St. Abbeville, SC 29620.
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Nance family.
Online condolences may be sent to the Nance family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
PAID OBITUARY

Alda Saxon

Alda Jolley Saxon, 67, of 219 Briggs Ave., wife of Charles R. Saxon Sr., died Sunday, April 9, 2006 at Magnolia Manor.
Born in Greenville, she was a daughter of the late Caldwell and Corell Cooley Jolley. She was a 1957 graduate of Chesnee High School and a member of the first graduating nursing class of Lander College in 1959. She was employed by Self Memorial Hospital and a member of Woodfields Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband of the home; a son, C. Robert Saxon Jr.; a sister, Katherine Ezell of Spartanburg; two grandchildren.
Services are 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Blyth Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by the Revs. Woody Oliver and Wade Burton. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is 7-9 Monday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

John Whitt

John C. Whitt, 79, of 1110 Marshall Road, widower of Cleo Doolittle Whitt, died Sunday, April 9, 2006, at Wesley Commons.
Born in Greenville County, he was a son of the late Cooley and Viola Dixon Whitt. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict and the owner and operator of John’s Place in McCormick.
Survivors include two brothers, Roy F. Whitt and Joseph B. Whitt both of Greenwood.
Services are 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Harley Funeral Home Chapel, conducted by Dr. Robert Miller. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Dennis Whitt, Mickey Proctor, Jake Trantham, Donnie Riggins, Chip Whitt and Josh Martin.
Visitation is 1:30-2:30 at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of his brother, Roy Whitt, 304 Hillcrest Drive.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood SC 29646 or to Wesley Commons, 1110 Marshall Road, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

CORRECTION

For the obituary of Stanley Sullivan in Saturday’s edition, a survivor was omitted from the information provided to The Index-Journal. Survivors include his wife, Rosa S. Sullivan of Greenwood.

EHS’ Sears boots milestone 100th goal

April 10, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Kasie Sears’ fourth goal against Newberry last Thursday might have looked like a normal, run-of-the-mill score.
However, it was anything but ordinary.
As she has done so many times in her four years at Emerald High School, the senior forward took a pass from teammate Erika Bishop and blasted a shot into the left corner of the net.
But that seemingly typical score brought her already school-record goal tally to 100, making her the first Emerald girl to reach the century mark.
“It does mean something to me because no other girl has ever done it before (at Emerald),” Sears said. “It was just a normal goal. I think our whole team pretty much knew about it at the time. But there wasn’t any celebrations about it because you don’t want to show them up.
“I didn’t get to keep the ball, but that’s why I wanted to be at home and we could have done what we wanted to do about it.”
Sears will look to add to her triple-digit goal total at 7 Tuesday night when the Lady Vikings host Seneca.
“It definitely shows someone reaches that volume of goals is a talent,” Emerald girls soccer coach Paul Dodd said. “But not only is it an accomplishment for Kasie, but also for those she played with, from Mary Andrews Self in her first year, to Erika Bishop and Lacy Hastings this year. It shows the quality of the program over the last four years that someone can accomplish this feat.”
The four-goal night against the Lady Bulldogs, who Emerald (13-1 overall, 3-0 Region III-AA) defeated 13-0, increased her season total to 25. Including the meeting with Seneca, Sears has five regular season games plus the playoffs to try and match her career-high 44 goals from last season.
Her junior total was 13 more than the combined marks of her sophomore and freshman seasons combined, but three shy of the girl’s single-season school record of 47 set by Nina Kate Trent.
Health has been a key factor for the 5-foot-2 senior’s goal-scoring success over the past two seasons.
“I got hurt in both my freshman and sophomore years, and so I missed a bunch of games, but last year, I actually got to play almost every game,” said Sears, who has signed to play soccer at Erskine College in the fall. “And the same for this year. I haven’t been hurt this year, thank goodness.”
Despite not getting the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment in excess, Sears was happy to achieve the milestone with her teammates by her side, especially the core group of seniors that have been together all four years.
Sears, along with Bishop, Hastings and Amanda Rowland, have been playing alongside one another since being teammates on the Greenwood Toros U11 team.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sears said. “Me, Erika, Lacy and Amanda have been together going on eight years playing soccer together. We know how each other plays. We know each others’ styles. We work well together.
“I don’t think I’d want it any other way right now.”
Those four have guided the Lady Vikings to three straight Class AA/A Upper State finals appearances. However, this season, in their final year, Sears looks for the team to clear its Upper State hurdle and land in the finals.
This season’s Lady Vikings have one regular season loss, coming to Class AAA Airport. Emerald is 6-0 against AA and A schools this season, including a 2-1 win over Christ Church, which was the team that knocked the Lady Vikings out of the playoffs last year.
“We definitely want to go to state this year,” Sears said. “We have a great team. we have a great chance to go. It just depends on how we perform when it counts.”

Ron Cox covers prep sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ronc@indexjournal.com

Trust Russia and China? That would be a mistake

April 10, 2006

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Chances are most South Carolinians are familiar with that old saying. We see it happen all the time. What does it say about you, though, when you’re fooled again and again and again. Nowadays we see it happening a lot where Iran and its nuclear program are concerned. Could it be possible that some people, in and out of government, not to mention intelligence services, actually believe anything the radical leaders of Iran say?
Considering the stakes, they may want to believe. But, it has become all too obvious that obstinacy and lying are simply indications of how they operate and how they face the non-Muslim world ..... that is, with the exception of Russia and China.

EXAMPLE: A TOP IRANIAN envoy defiantly rejected a United Nations call for a halt in Iran’s uranium enrichment program, uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons. He insisted his nation’s activities are “not reversible.”
U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the five permanent Security Council members are “unified.” However, Russia and China suggest otherwise, after a meeting in Berlin, saying they oppose strong council action against Iran. The other three council members are the U. S., England and France.
This situation is more than it seems. How hard would it be to believe that Russia and China would do anything to create problems for the U. S.? Anything they can do to undermine this country, it appears, they will do. Whether it hurts us economically, diplomatically, militarily or any other way doesn’t matter. They have left little doubt.
FURTHERMORE, IF THEY can support Iran and encourage it to be their surrogate in hampering our efforts, it serves their overall purposes well ..... and without them having to commit to anything.
It’s a fact, of course, that Russia and China have been cozying up to each other for some time, and you can bet it’s to the detriment of not only us, but the west in general. A recent agreement for Russia to supply China a new fuel source is indicative of other agreements the two have reached.
If anyone foolishly thinks the world can accommodate Russian and Chinese expansion, at anybody’s expense, forget it. Russia’s Putin can’t be trusted, that’s obvious. China’s drive for economic supremacy leaves no questions, either. We should remain suspect of Iran, sure. Just keep Russia and China on that list.