Tradition alive and well in Ware Shoals

December 11, 2006

By R. SHAWN LEWIS
Index-Journal managing editor

WARE SHOALS — It’s all about the candy. Or is it the floats? Or the hot rods? Or Santa?
Whatever the reason, the Ware Shoals Christmas Parade is a tradition that just gets better with age, folks said Sunday.
This year’s 40-minute tribute to all things Christmas was eagerly anticipated by a large crowd that lined both sides of U.S. 25 Business.
Vickie Freeman makes the trek from Honea Path to Ware Shoals every Christmas season. She said she’s been watching the parade for 30 years.
“I brought my little grandson. He’s never been to a parade,” Freeman said Sunday afternoon, clutching the bundled-up 18-month-old Bryson. “I really like the floats.”
About a yard away, Dawn Freeman of Ware Shoals says she appreciates the “tradition” of gathering to watch the parade.
Her family has been camping out on the bank at Ware Shoals United Methodist Church “for as long as I can remember.” Her clan takes up the better part of the bank.
“We all got about six different last names, but we’re all related,” she laughs.
She brought her 5-year-old son, Eric, who has a distinct purpose for watching the parade: “Santa Claus. And candy.”
Chad Smallwood enjoys the parade’s cool cars and wishes there were more. He likes the parade because it “gives us something to do and we get together with our family.” Smallwood has been in the parade a time or two, riding his bicycle and a four-wheeler in his younger days.
Nikki Smallwood, 18, comes to the parade for “the candy. I don’t eat it, but I like to get it.”
The bank sitters got their fill of candy, floats, hot rods and Santa on Sunday and vowed to be back next year. After all, it’s a family tradition.

Candles shining

‘Compassionate Friends’ gather to remember, honor children

December 11, 2006

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

One by one their names were read aloud.
As each individual candle flame was passed one person to the next, the name of another child was shared.
The people present had either come alone, or maybe in pairs. Some were part of a larger group.
There were parents.
There were brothers and sisters.
There were aunts and uncles.
Each offered differing backgrounds, having come from different stages of life and lifestyles.
But on Sunday evening, for a little over an hour, these individuals were united in their shared love and loss.
For Tom and Donna Beardsley, of Greenwood, though it has been 11 years since the untimely passing of their son, Ian Thomas, the pain is still sharp and fresh.
That is why they came.
That is why they come each year.
Sunday marked the 16th Annual Holiday Season Memorial Program for the Lakelands Chapter of The Compassionate Friends.
It coincides with the organization’s 10th Worldwide Candle Lighting, which is believed to be the largest mass candle lighting in the world.
“It’s hard, but it helps,” Beardsley said after the ceremony. “As a society we try to just put (death) away and move forward, but it’s not that easy for people. The death of a child is not a natural thing. This is something nice that we can do to help remember and honor our children.”
The holidays often marks the most difficult time of year for families — and especially parents.
This local gathering of The Compassionate Friends feels the season the best to honor their cherished memories.
“We feel that this is when we should best remember our children,” chapter leader Charles Schwartz said.
Following a social, family members listened as the guest speaker, Self Regional Medical Center Chaplain and Director of Pastoral care Stephen Lemons, talked about his own once muted experience with bereavement.
“When death came in my family it came discreetly,” he said. “I didn’t even attend my first funeral until the 10th grade.”
Lemons then spoke about confronting death openly, as he said that most of our own society attempts to put the loss of a family member away as quickly as possible.
He quoted the poet Dylan Thomas, recited a Hindu script and talked about a Buddhist tradition.
He also mentioned how Mexicans honor loved ones during the annual “Day of the Dead,” with feasts and festivities.
“We need not fear out tears, for they are sacred,” Lemons said. “We each still have time to give to each other and time to leave our own mark on those who we will leave behind. Today is a day for us to come together to remember our children -- those young saints -- leaving us with love and memories which are undying and eternal.”
Tom and Donna Beardsley know what that’s like.
They’ve had -- and still have -- those feelings. There are moments when the grief is more than anyone can bear.
That’s why they’re glad they have The Compassionate Friends to lean on at times. It’s more than a support group that meets on the first Thursday of each month.
It’s a new family. One that’s been there.
“We’re all here on the same journey,” Tom Beardsley said after the candle light and memorial song had faded. “We may be at different places on that journey, but it’s nice to be able to talk to people that have been there. It’s nice to know that there’s a group like this out there that can help people.”

‘God’s timing is perfect’

Local nonprofit to open doors to new home for unwed mothers

December 11, 2006

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Tammie Price cried the rest of the way home.
They were hardly tears of sadness.
Rather, they were tears of joy, thanks and appreciation. You see, there were lights on inside the house.
The house is a 3,265 square-foot (with another 1,630 feet in the basement), five-bedroom home located off of Mill Road North, tucked away just inside Abbeville County.
Price serves as director for the non-profit organization, A Place For Us Ministries. The home -- which will eventually house up to six unwed mothers, to whom the organization offers aid during pregnancy -- was the realization of a dream, or a vision, for Price that began in early 2000.
After helping several young mothers herself, Price began to do some research. She looked at the horrifying statistics and began felt a burden and calling to organize a larger Christian effort to help these young women.
“I had to surrender (to God),” she said.
Thus, in 2001, A Place For Us Ministries was born.
After the home the organization used initially was sold, it was replaced by a need for a more permanent structure.
The group dedicated the new home (its walls just having been raised) in October of 2005.
Slowly, the home off Mill Rd. North began to take shape.
Whatever the need, it was provided by a volunteer or a donor. The plumbing, the roof, the stone, the water line.
Everything came as it was needed.
Price’s husband, John Wayne, took a look at the plans for the house and expressed disbelief that expensive stone (for the home’s exterior) was even in the mix.
“Within two weeks we had the stone donated to us,” Price said. “It was that way from the start.”
Which leads back to the night the lights came on.
Price, who lives nearby, drives the road each day.
And each day she’d look at the house and wonder when it would be finished at last. That’s when she saw the light.
“I remember thinking there was life in the house,” Price said Sunday afternoon at the home’s second dedication, this time following its completion. “I knew that there would be life in the house, that there would be girls in the house and that lives would be changed. I just lost it.”
Price was slightly more composed on Sunday as better than 40 people -- many of whom had either donated time, money or resources to the project -- gathered together to praise God for his continued blessing on the home.
There were prayers, and song. And yes, there were even more tears, some of them Price’s very own.
“There were times when I wondered when we’d see this house built,” Price said. “We didn’t know that it would take quite so long (18 months), but each person was there at the right time with the things that we needed.”
The home is a beautiful effort to behold.
The front door leads into a great room which features a soaring ceiling. Each volunteer-sponsored bedroom and bathroom is immaculate in its design and style.
There are washers and dryers aplenty.
“A lot of different people have put the work into making this house truly into a home,” Michael George, a member of the organization’s board of directors, said. “I’m also proud to say that this house is also 100-percent debt free.”
The home would retail at close to $400,000.
The only thing missing now are the girls that the home will someday cherish, love, guide and protect.
Lesa Jeffries is the organization’s former Programs Coordinator (Sandi Hall was recently hired for the post). Young mothers staying at the home will learn who they are in Christ before having to tackle the outside world.
“We’ll teach them life skills, job skills and how to become independent so they can support both themselves and their child,” Jeffries said. “We also have birth and nutrition classes. But first, we teach them who they are in Christ, where before they’ve searched in all the wrong places.”
Mothers at the home will help tend house and cook for themselves (under the watchful eye of a house parent) and have the opportunity to work at the organization’s business, “The Alcoves,” located near the Dixie Drive-In.
All proceeds from the venture -- an upscale, re-sale clothing outlet called “The Secret Place,” along with several booths rented out to private entrepreneurs -- go back to fund the organization and help keep it non-profit.
The group hopes to welcome the first girls into their new home by the end of January, 2007.
“Hopefully we’ll have girls to call us,” Price said.
After having their babies, organization hopes the mothers will be better prepared for their lives, whether they’ve chose adoption or parenting. But A Place For Us also has long-term plans for their mothers post-pregnancy as well.
The two acres of property that the ministries’ home currently sits on is backed up by an additional two acres. Someday that land could very well be used for low-rent cabins for new mothers and their children.
Until then, the members of A Place for Us Ministries will remain faithful to the vision placed before them.
God has already proven himself to Tammie Price so many times along the path to the lights that night.
She’ll never forget seeing them illuminating what had only been darkness before. Price will also carry with her the truth she’s learned along the way.
“God’s timing is perfect.”

Taking to the mat

December 11, 2006

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

Four area teams are gearing up for the 2006-07 wrestling season which they hope will end with a championship. Coaches and players for the Greenwood Eagles, the Emerald Vikings, the Abbeville Panthers and the Ninety Six Wildcats expect an exciting year. Greenwood coach Greg Brewer has the help of a few seasoned wrestlers who have wrestled since eighth-grade and will try to give the Eagles a boost again this season. “I think that we have an opportunity to do very well and build on last year’s performance,” Brewer said. “We’re trying to work toward a region championship and some playoff victories.” Sophomore Michael Hellman, who is in his third season, is wrestling in the 119-pound weight class. “Michael’s put in a whole lot of work and he’s been with me for three years,” Brewer said. “He’s very long and lanky which is very good because he doesn’t have to get in so deep on his shots. He’s able to get there and kind of pull them in.” James Long will give the Eagles a solid contribution in the 125-pound class. According to Brewer, Long is very good on his feet and moves around the mat well. Sophomore Chris Abeyta and junior Matt Carroll will split duties in the 145-pound class and the 152-pound class for the Eagles this season. “That will also be a situation where we’ll go with match-ups and things like that,” Brewer said. “It’ll depend on the night. It definitely gives you an advantage match-up wise.” Vikings coach Andy Wright is expecting a great season from his wrestlers. “We’ve got four or five kids that placed well in the upper state and state,” Wright said. “They should place high this year.” Wright said that brothers senior Adam and sophomore Zane Newton should stand out this season. They will wrestle in 189 and the 145, respectively. “They both placed second in state last year,” Wright said. “I would expect both of them to place first in state this year.” Another Vikings wrestler to look out for this year is senior Justin Williams who wrestles at 140 pounds. The rest of the Vikings’ roster is expected to hold up well this season although an early season injury has pinned one wrestler. Dusty Boggs, who wrestles 160, suffered a torn hamstring in Wednesday’s match against Greenwood. “He did it in the first period and we could tell,” Wright said. “If you didn’t now him you wouldn’t have noticed, but he was hurting. He could come back but we have to find out the extent of the damage.” On a positive note, 125 wrestler Skylar Johnson has received positive reviews from his coach after going 3-0 in his matches. “He’s clinically deaf wears a hearing aid,” Wright said. “But during the matches he takes it out. He can just clear everything out and have his thoughts. The Abbeville Panthers are in the midst of their season and are off to a rough start but things may change as the season progresses. There are a few bright spots at this point. Senior Shaylor Wells is one of those spots. According to teammates, Wells biggest asset is his ability to shoot, which in wrestling means taking out your opponent’s legs. So far it has worked for Wells as he has posted a perfect record in individual matches. Junior Bill Glace wrestles in the 152-pound class and has posted a 3-1 record for the Panthers. He hopes that through continued practice, he will get better but he admits it won’t be easy. “I’m trying to do the best I can. Practice has been rough but it has to be to get where we want,” Glace said. “I’ve been working to go the full six minutes because you can’t always pin everybody.” Wildcats’ coach Brian Neal, who in his 13th year as coach, is excited about the season and glad to have most of his wrestlers back as well. Co-captain, senior Christopher White will provide leadership in the 171-pound class for the Wildcats. “We’ve got a lot returning. We only lost two seniors out of the starting line-up from last year,” Neal said. “We’ve got some younger guys who are in the lighter weight classes that have to come along but other than that I think we have a pretty good chance to be successful.” Sophomore Blake Richards is making the move up from the 103-pound weight class to the 119-pound class. Blake won’t be the only Wildcats wrestler making the move up in weight though. Junior David Womack will wrestle at 130 this season after spending time in the 125-pound class last season. Senior Michael Rounds checks in at 140 pounds and will probably stay there for most of the season. There is some competition among the Wildcats for a starting spot at 145 pounds. Senior co-captain Shaun Richards is currently penciled in as the starter but junior Matthew Kidd is vying for the starting spot in that weight class. “As of right now he’s the starter,” Neal said. “He wrestled 119 last year so he jumped up a little bit.” Junior Tyler Neal will wrestle in the 160-pound class and try to pick up wins as his father coaches. Neal said that having most of the team back has been helpful due to the prior wrestling experience. “They’ve all been wrestling for a couple years for me now,” Neal said. “Most of them from at least since the time they were freshman.” Neal said that the Wildcats are not as good as they want to be at this point, but he thinks there is hope. “If everything comes together and we get our feet under us and everybody comes through in their weight class,” Neal said. “Then we have a chance to be pretty good.”

Opinion

Government of the people? Do we sometimes forget?

December 11, 2006

Freedom comes with responsibilities. There’s no question about that. Sometimes it seems, however, that freedom is being usurped by government, right under our very noses.
It may be happening slowly, but as they say, slowly but surely. Inch by inch, government, particularly on the federal level, is controlling our lives more and more. And, the more it happens, the more it’s done, especially when we act as a nation of sheep, not to mention the increasing tendency to expect government to be all things to all people and become our keepers.
It’s obvious every day we’re being told what we should eat and how much, and how much we should weigh and how much to exercise. More of us are, by law, using seatbelts, even those who believe that’s their prerogative and not the government’s. It’s use them or pay the price.

USING TOBACCO PRODUCTS - smoking, chewing dipping - is not illegal ..... yet, although health warning labels are required by law. That is, it’s not illegal in some places. Smoking is being outlawed all around us. If experience teaches, as they say, it won’t be long before a smoker will have to hide out in the boondocks somewhere to catch a puff ..... or pay a fine or maybe go to jail.
We’ve seen so many government restrictions take effect, the trend is clear. As time goes by, our lives will be defined even more as the few provoke more restrictions on the many.
These are only a few examples of how government is insinuating itself into our lives ..... either that or doing it by law.

UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, how long can it be before it gets more out of hand than it already has? Why not again and again and again?Far-fetched rabble-rousing? We’re seeing things now that were unimaginable just a short time ago.
Author and social critic George Orwell, in his book “1984,” a scary picture of a totalitarian society, foresaw things that came to pass. Nevertheless, apparently we learned nothing.
Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln? We should have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
That’s the collective us. We say what goes. Too often, though, it seems, we abdicate that prerogative and responsibility.

Obituaries

Troy Ferguson

Lewis Troy Ferguson, 89, of 412 Sagewood Road, husband of Rubye Treadway Ferguson, died Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006, at his home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Louise Foy

SPARTANBURG — Sara Louise Templeton Foy, 100, formerly of 407 Clairmont Drive, Greenwood, widow of Horace H. Foy, died Dec. 10, 2006, in Spartanburg.
Born in Laurens County, Dec. 2, 1906, she was a daughter of the late Lucius L. and Ellen Stewart Templeton. She was a 1928 graduate of Erskine College and formerly taught in the public schools of Anderson and Spartanburg. She was later employed by World Book Encyclopedia Company as a salesperson and retired from the company as district manager. A member of the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, she was also a member of the Women of the Church and the Ladies Bible Study Group.
Being the last member of her immediate family, Ms. Foy is survived by a son, Barry and wife, Connie Foy of Spartanburg; a grandson, Britton T. and wife, Whitney Foy; a great-granddaughter; a niece and nephew.
Graveside services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Owings Presbyterian Church Cemetery near Gray Court with Right Reverend Timothy Farmer officiating.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home in Greenwood where the family will receive friends from 6-7:30 Monday evening.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Owings Presbyterian Church or to the charity of one’s choice.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Foy family.

Truman C. Henderson

WARE SHOALS — Truman Carvest Henderson, 77, of 12352 Hwy. 25 Business, died Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006, at Anna Marie Nursing Center in N. Augusta.
He was born in Greenwood County, a son of the late Joseph Otto and Willie Anne Qualls Henderson. Mr. Henderson served in the US Air Force during the Korean Conflict, was retired from G.E., Laurens Plant and was a member or Poplar Springs Baptist Church.
Surviving are his wife of fifty-seven years, Martha Pitts Henderson of the home; a daughter, Diane H. Fleming, Ware Shoals; four brothers, James “Jim” Henderson, Davenport, Fla., Mark Henderson and Dennis Henderson both of Ware Shoals and Gerald Henderson, Greenville; three sisters, Ruth Weathers, Ware Shoals, Frances Knight, Princeton and Audrey Griffin, Taylors; a grandson, Alexander Fleming.
Funeral Services will be conducted Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Parker-White Funeral Home with Rev. Robert Emory and Rev. Bruce Ostrom officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
The family is at 12334 Hwy.25 Business and will receive friends Tuesday, 7-9 p.m. at Parker-White Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to American Diabetic Assn, P.O.Box 2680, N. Canton, Ohio, 44720.

Nita Linnenkohl

Helen Juanita “Nita” Wilson Linnenkohl, 77, of 400 Highway 221, widow of Clyde Estes Linnenkohl, died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at Self Regional Medical Center.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Willie H. Lomax

ABBEVILLE — Willie H. Lomax, 84, widower of Carrie Smith Lomax, died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home.
The family is at the home of a brother, Charles S. Lomax, 163 Old Hodges Road.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home.

Edna W. Martin

Edna W. Martin, 96, passed way Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006 at the Hospice of the Piedmont in Greenwood.
She is the loving wife of the late Willy Martin. Edna is survived by many of her children, eight daughters, Dorothy Pierson and husband Robert of Mays Landing, NJ, Edna Louise Gregory and husband Herbert of Plainsfield, NJ, Mary Hearst and husband James of Bradley, Betty Leverette and husband William of McCormick, Shirley Young and husband Howard of Columbia, Linda Jones and Patsy Robinson of Greenwood and Darlene Burton of Plainsfield, NJ; one son, Randy Martin of Salisbury, NC. She was also survived by a niece, Gladys Brown, who was raised in the home; 25 grandchildren; 42 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Claude Martin. Edna is the last surviving member of the immediate family.
The family will be receiving friends at the home of Linda, Betty and Mary on Friday, Dec. 15th from 5-9p.m. Services will be held Saturday, Dec. 16th at 1p.m. at Greenwood Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Cremation Society of South Carolina is serving the Martin family.