Government must be prudent, Sanford says

Governor: ‘We need to put some money under the mattress’

April 29, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Walking into a place where the business of South Carolina is transacted every day, Gov. Mark Sanford learned lessons Friday about the value of hometown customer service, commitment to values, trenching and welding.
Sanford came to Triangle True Value Hardware in Greenwood as part of a tour across the state to promote saving, instead of spending, additional state revenues this year.
With an economic upswing, the state’s revenue picture looks better now than in years past, he said, but the temptation to spend the additional revenue is always with the General Assembly.
“We’re fifth best in the U.S. in new revenues coming in,” Sanford said. “The government is going to grow, but we do not need to get ahead of ourselves. We need to put some money under the mattress.”
Just three more weeks are left in the process by which South Carolina collects and budgets its revenue, the governor said, so people who are concerned about spending need to get their legislators to listen.
“Just like a household, we need to be prudent,” he said. “If you win the lottery one year, you don’t budget to win the lottery next year.”
Triangle owners Karl and Gail Clegg gave Sanford lessons in small business survival.
Karl Clegg said that this week he had to purchase a trencher because the business needed a new one for contractors who lease the machine to install water and electrical lines and sprinkler systems. Gail said she didn’t have any “veto power” over the purchase, but Karl said it wasn’t a luxury — it was something the businesses had to have.
“We needed this piece of equipment and we bought it in South Carolina — in Simpsonville,” Karl said. “We buy supplies locally. It keeps things rolling.”
Clegg also explained to Sanford that because of his Christian faith, the business will not open on Sundays, despite intense pressure from larger competitors. Faithway Inc. is the incorporated name of the business.
He said he and Gail have to come to the business on Sundays to place orders so merchandise can be delivered in a timely manner.
“The average taxpayer gets it,” Sanford said of his push to put additional revenues in the state’s savings accounts. “I’m not saying money should not go back to districts, but we have to keep it at a sustainable level. If we spend everything we bring in the door, we’ll grow spending by 13 percent. Average people say, ‘My household is not growing by 13 percent.’”
Sanford toured the Cleggs’ business through the hardware area, the rental shop and the machine shop in the rear. When the governor expressed an interest in improving the welding he does at his farm, Clegg showed him a piece of metal that had been welded in the shop.
Although they didn’t have time to fire up the welding torch, Sanford learned a technique he said he would try the next time he is welding.

‘We were all one big family’

Greenwood High’s Class of 1946 celebrates 60 years

April 29, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

The year 1946 is memorable for many reasons.
It was the year Frank Capra warmed the hearts of American movie-goers with “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Cary Grant stole hearts in the Alfred Hitchcock flick “Notorious.”
The year saw the first meeting of the United Nations, the last stand of the League of Nations and the first mentioning of the Iron Curtain.
A tsunami killed nearly 200 people and wounded thousands in Hawaii, and the Nuremberg trials kept the world captivated.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis teamed up for the first time in 1946, and the year brought the births of notables Donald Trump, Liza Minnelli and Dolly Parton, and the deaths of actor W.C. Fields and writer H.G. Wells.
But for about 200 past and present Greenwood residents, the year 1946 holds a significance that you likely won’t find in a book of world events.
It was the year they graduated from Greenwood High School.
About 40 graduates and their spouses gathered Friday at Gatewood Country Club to celebrate the group’s 60th high school reunion.
For a couple hours, classmates, brandishing name tags with their high school portraits, shook hands and hugged their former classmates, some of whom they hadn’t seen in years.
The men and women of the Class of 1946 might tell you they’ve grown out of their caps and gowns, but they haven’t outgrown the friendships they made so many years ago.
“It was a wonderful time. We had a lot of pride in our school and we enjoyed it,” Jean Padgett, of Greenwood, said. “We made such good friends. The friendship was wonderful.”In fact, classmate Sybil Hall Baker said the bond between the Class of 1946 was stronger than just friendship. “We were all one big family,” the Greenwood resident said. And like any family, Baker said the classmates spent Friday catching up on news.
“We’re talking about our families — our grandkids and our great-grandkids,” she said.
The group of former students, who filled the classrooms of the old Greenwood High School, which is now home to Greenwood High Apartments, was the last class to graduate in the 11th grade, said class President Strom Williams, adding that the 12th grade was optional.
But for some in the class, just going to school was optional, too — until school officials caught them playing hooky at movie theaters, food stands and swimming holes.
Harper Daniel recalled one instance when he and a friend decided to leave school to take in a movie at a theater in town. Their plan worked until an employee from the high school’s office checked the theater for students who were more focused on movie screens than school books.
“She came in there and caught us,” Daniel said, with a hearty laugh. “She took us to the principal, and he made us write 500 times, ‘I will not play hooky from school.’
“We tried to write it using two pencils (to save time),” he added, grinning, “but it didn’t work.”
Though he has since died, the principal was a man on the minds of many at the reunion, and Maj. W. Benson’s slogan, “Do right because it is right,” is a phrase still etched into the minds of his full-grown pupils.
“He was so nice and a real Southern gentleman,” said Jean Duckworth, who now lives in North Augusta. “I use his quote often with my children.”
Doris Lollis Daniel, of Taylors, said she can still remember Benson’s booming voice as he stood on the stage before his students and pointed his finger to say the phrase.
“To me, he was next to God,” she said of Benson, adding that the morals Benson pressed on his students were just as important as the equations and facts they learned in their books. “We got a high school education, but you might as well say we went to college. I loved Greenwood High School. It was great.”
Mary Hall, Inez Walker Peurifoy and Ann Faulkner Bonnette said they don’t have friends like the ones they made when they were students at Greenwood High.
“We didn’t have things to worry about like the kids have today,” Peurifoy said. “All we had to talk about was getting kissed by a boy — and we could talk about that for a month.”
But the time these former students spent in the classroom was not all fun and games, and during their stay at Greenwood High, the Class of 1946 also saw fellow schoolmates drafted into service for World War II. The official end of World War II, in September 1945, marked the beginning of their final year in school, and some classmates said they can remember the celebration of VE Day and VJ Day and the sadness of losing friends to fight battles across the ocean.
“You couldn’t help but think about those who were gone. Then we went through whether or not we were going to have to go into service because the draft was still going on,” Williams said. “We knew some that left and went into service, and some who came back and finished school later. We really had a big celebration on VE Day and VJ Day — the school and the whole town.”
Though the Class of 1946 has gotten smaller over the years — more than 40 classmates have died in the past six decades — those remaining said their friendships don’t weaken as the numbers thin.
For Carl Ouzts, that strong bond of friendship was worth an eight-hour drive from Florida to see his old pals.
“You only get to see them every five or 10 years at reunions,” he said. “We’ve just got quality instead of quantity this time.”

Area trio play in Upper State

Emerald baseball, Abbeville and Dixie softball teams continue in playoffs

April 29, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

The Lakelands area will be well-represented on the basepaths today.
Three local high school teams — Emerald baseball, Abbeville and Dixie softball — will begin competition in their respective Upper State tournaments today. Similar to the District brackets each team won Wednesday, the Upper State round will be double-elimination.
Emerald, which was District III champion in Class AA, will be traveling for a 2 p.m. game against District IV champion Gilbert, the No.1 team in AA. Gilbert is 24-1, while the Vikings are 23-3.
“(Gilbert) lost their first game of the year, and they’ve won 24 in a row since then,” Emerald coach Chad Evans said. “They hit the ball and really put it in play. They’ll be the best team we’ve faced yet.”
The Dixie softball squad, champions of District II in A, has quite a task in front of it. The Lady Hornets will host Indian Land at 2 p.m. today.
Indian Land is the pre-eminent team in A, having won the state championship the last six years. Dixie coach Steve Dunlap said his team is enthused about taking on the powerhouse of the classification.
“The girls have been real upbeat after winning the district title,” said Dunlap, whose team is 15-3. “We had the best practice we’ve had all year on Thursday.”
The AA District III Champion Lady Panthers (19-9) will be hitting the road for a 1 p.m. game with a familiar foe in fellow Region I-AA team Walhalla. The Lady Razorbacks won their way through District IV. Crescent, another Region I-AA team, is also still alive.
“It speaks a lot to the strength of our region,” said Abbeville coach Tin Collins. “I think a lot of people probably expected Walhalla and Crescent to have made it this far, but I think we may have surprised some people.”
One aspect all three area teams playing today have in common to day is that they are sending their ace pitchers to the mound.
Emerald will give the nod to junior Brandon Miller. Miller is 10-0 this season with 119 strikeouts and a 0.38 ERA. Evans said he is not necessarily doing anything different by starting Miller, it just happened to be his turn in the rotation.The coach said the Vikings see taking on the state’s top team as a worthy challenge.
“We will definitely come ready to play,” Evans said. “Our two teams have a combine record of 47-4, so it should be a quality baseball game.”
Emerald will be home Monday, against either Batesburg-Leesville or Mid-Carolina.
Meanwhile, Dixie will be going with senior Melinda Canfield in the circle. Canfield is known for having a live fastball and a biting off speed pitch.
Dunlap also spoke about the nature of the playoffs and how the competition level rises greatly from round to round. He said he feels like the Lady Hornets may not have played their best softball in the latter part of the season, but that the team seems to be getting hot at the right time.

Opinion

A lack of self-discipline invites government rules

April 29, 2006

The blame game goes on and on. Many of us like to assign blame to everything but ourselves for the foibles of the human race.
There are always news articles telling how somebody sued somebody because they have a problem with their health or condition.
That’s just one example.We blame tobacco products, even second-hand smoke, for cancer and other health problems. We blame food and beverages for everything from high blood pressure to diabetes to obesity ..... and more. We blame someone else even though our lifestyles are our ruin. The bottom line, though, is simple. While all those things may contribute to ailments and diseases, it’s very easy to point the finger at all but ourselves.

WE NEVER WANT TO TAKE responsibility, it seems, for our actions, whether it is about eating, drinking, exercising or just living right.
In short, we very often come up short in self-discipline. That’s not the answer to all our problems, but it is a definite contributor ..... whether we want to take the blame or not.
In the final analysis, we turn out to be our own worst enemy in many respects ..... even if we do blame someone else.
The eventual outcome of all of this, of course, suggests that sooner or later - probably sooner - the government will become our keeper more than it already is. If we let that happen, how long will it be before government controls everything we do? It already is well on the way down that path. But, then, we ask for it.

Obituaries

Mary Boyce Gary

CLINTON — Mary Boyce Gary, 57, of 1789 Apple Orchard Road, wife of Rickey Lee Gary Sr., died Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at Laurens County Hospital.
Born in Laurens County, she was a daughter of Henry Boyce Sr. and the late Gennie Vee Hill Boyce and stepdaughter of May Miller Boyce. She was a member of Mount Olive AME Church, Kinards.
Survivors include her husband; her father and stepmother; three sons, Michael Boyce Sr., Matthew Gary, both of Laurens and Rickey Lee Gary Jr. of Clinton; two daughters, Janice Gary of Clinton and Cotrisa Gary of Laurens; four brothers, James Boyce of Newberry, Henry Boyce Jr. of Laurens, Arthur Lee Boyce of Wagener and the Rev. Charles Boyce of Simpsonville; three sisters, Dorothy Williams, Sadie Mae Boyce and Gennie Scott, all of Laurens; 12 grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. today at Mount Olive AME Church, Kinards.
Childs Funeral Home is in charge.

Edward Moss, Jr.

GREENWOOD — Otis Edward Moss, Jr., 80, resident of 704 S. Emerald Road, husband of Elizabeth Gravlee Moss, died April 27, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, January 10, 1926, he was a son of the late Otis Edward Moss, Sr., and Verna Seal Moss. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and retired from the US Postal Service in Greenwood as a Rural Mail Carrier after 45 years of service.
Mr. Moss was a member of the First Baptist Church, Greenwood Historical Society, National Rural Carriers Association, TPA, board member of the Greenwood Co-Operative Marketing Association and past member of the Edgewood Cemetery Board.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are two nieces, Carol Hollingsworth Cornwall and husband Paul of Lexington and Nancy Hollingsworth of Columbia; a nephew, William R. Hollingsworth and wife Denise of Columbia; two great nieces, Marion McCravy of Seneca and Victoria Hollingsworth of Columbia; a great-nephew, Matt McCravy of Greenwood.
Mr. Moss was predeceased by a sister, Verna Seal Moss Hollingsworth.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 PM Sunday at the First Baptist Church with Dr. Tony Hopkins officiating.
Burial will be in Edgewood Cemetery.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 2:00 PM Sunday. The family is at the home and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00 to 8:00 Saturday evening.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, 722 Grace Street, Greenwood, SC 29649; Edge-wood Cemetery Association, 722 Grace Street, Greenwood, SC 29649 or to Greenwood Cemetery Association, C/O Betty Coleman, 310 W. Laurel Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29649.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Moss family.
PAID OBITUARY

Rev. Seyvelle Parks

The Rev. Seyvelle Parks, of 111 Oakland Drive, District 50 board member, died Friday, April 28, 2006 at his home.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.