Dist. 50’s Bill Steed to retire

Superintendent says he’s moving back to N.C. for ‘family reasons’

February 22, 2006

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

William Steed, superintendent of Greenwood School District 50, has announced plans to retire this year and move back to his home state of North Carolina.
Citing “family reasons,” Steed announced the news to the district’s board of trustees in a meeting Monday night and made the news public Tuesday after informing district faculty and staff. Steed and wife Marie have three daughters and a 3-month-old grandchild in North Carolina. He said that definitely factored into his decision.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here and I’ve been very fortunate,” Steed said of the five years he has served in the district as its superintendent. “At the same time, however, I’m ready to take a step in another direction and try some new things.”
Steed came to Greenwood County in 2001 after retiring as superintendent of Davie County School District in North Carolina. He had served in that position for 13 years and served a total 33 years in North Carolina schools. He said he has no plans of accepting another role as superintendent, but might seek some other employment, though he isn’t sure what direction that will take.
Steed said he hopes to retire at the end of the school year, but told the board he would continue in his position as late as December to give the board ample time to find a replacement. He told board members he will fully cooperate with the board in its work to choose a successor who will continue to lead the district in improving performance of all students.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve done in Greenwood 50. I feel like we’ve moved in a very positive way and we have a lot of good things going on,” he said. He cited improvements at the G. Frank Russell Career Center and in its curriculum, and the b uilding program that erected two new middle schools, with construction due to start on a third, Westview Middle School, next month.
All the district’s recent successes have been a team effort made possible by a supportive board of trustees, community and district faculty and staff. Steed said he is grateful for the support he has received through the years and hopes that support will continue for his successor.
“The board of trustees appreciates Dr. Steed’s leadership in promoting excellence in our District,” board Chairwoman Dru James said. “He has served with dedication and integrity and we will be sorry to see him leave. Dr. Steed is an outstanding school superintendent who has rendered distinguished and valuable service to our District. Although we regret Dr. Steed’s departure, we respect his decision and wish him much happiness in his future.”
The board will immediately take steps to initiate a search process to locate the district’s next superintendent, James said.
The board will have a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. today to talk with Paul Krohne, executive director of the S.C. School Boards Association.
Krohne will present an overview of the association’s superintendent search services it provides to school boards.

Charles H. Anderson Jr.

HODGES — Charles Henry Anderson Jr., 64, of 3316 Connor Road, husband of Betty Jackson Anderson, died Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late Rev. Charles and Lou Ellen Sheard Anderson and stepson of Coreen Anderson. He was a carpenter and a former member of Holy Zion Holiness Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; stepmother of Philadelphia; a son, Kenneth A. Jackson of the home; two daughters, Bernice Jackson of Hodges and Mrs. Andra (Sonja) Gardner of Augusta, Ga.; a brother, Landon Lee of Greenwood; five sisters, Louise Foster of Coronaca, Carrie Smith, Rosa Anderson, Mrs. Harold (Mamie) Garrett and Minnie Anderson, all of Hodges; four grandchildren, two reared in the home, Telito Keller of New York and Chifonda Jackson of Greenwood; and a great-grandchild.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Hazel Clegg

GREENWOOD — Hazel Lucille Hopke Clegg, 86, resident of 1326 Calhoun Road, widow of Lander Maxwell Clegg, died February 21, 2006 at Hospice House.
Born in Sedro-Woolley, WA, September 14, 1919, she was a daughter of the late Julius and Ida Pearl Rowland Hopke. She was a graduate of Loma Linda School of Nursing in Loma Linda, CA and was a veteran of WW II where she served in the US Army Nurse Corps and obtained the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Mrs. Clegg formerly worked in nursing at the Scurry Clinic and Self Memorial Hospital. She retired as plant nurse from Monsanto.
She was a member of St. Mark United Methodist Church and American Legion Post #20.
Surviving are a daughter, Judy and husband, Gary Anderson of Greenwood, two sons, Tom and wife, Anne Clegg of Greenwood and Karl and wife, Gail Clegg of Ninety Six; six grandchildren, Kathryn Anderson, Travis Anderson, Mary Elizabeth Anderson, Cindy Davies, Susan Grogan and Will Clegg; nieces and nephews, Mrs. Jack (Gloria) Anderson of Greenville, Mrs. Gene (Dorothy) Cinkovich of Auburn, WA, Mrs. Cornel (Connie) Croitoru of Banning, CA, Mrs. Richard (Patty) Douglass of Colton, CA, Del Hopke and Mrs. Frank (Virginia) Salt, both of Sedro-Woolley, WA; a cousin, Charles Hopke of Anacortes, WA.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 am Thursday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. James Johnston and Rev. Johnson Dorn officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Bob Anderson, Travis Anderson, Bobby Grogan, Will Clegg, Franklin Cloninger and Rob Davies.
The family is at their respective homes and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7 to 9 Wednesday evening.
The family request that flowers be omitted and memorials be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Clegg family.
PAID OBITUARY

Evelyn Henderson

HODGES — Evelyn McCurry Henderson, 81, of 110 Pine Drive, widow of Charles E. Henderson Sr., died Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
The families are at their respective homes.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Richard Taylor Lominick

CHARLESTON — Richard Taylor Lominick, 41, died Monday, Feb. 20, 2006.
Survivors include his mother, Anne Taylor Coscioni of Aiken; two brothers, Robert Livingston Lominick Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Marcus Hastings Lominick of Charleston; a stepsister, Chrissy Coscioni of London, England; a stepbrother, Corey Coscioni of Chicago; and a step-grandfather, John F. Wright of Greenwood.
Services are 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, Aiken, conducted by the Rev. Leon Mozeliak.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Shellhouse Funeral Home, Aiken, and after the services in the Stevenson-McClelland building of the church.
Memorials may be made to Aiken SPCA, 401 Wire Road, Aiken, SC 29801 or Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County, PO Box 1763, Aiken, SC 29802.
Shellhouse Funeral Home, 924 Hayne Ave., Aiken, is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at http://shellhousefuneralhome.com

Mae L. Smith

BREA, CA — Mae L. Smith, 51, resident of Brea, CA, died of cancer on February 17, 2006. She was Accounting Clerk for Community College District.
She is survived by her husband Chris; a son, Geoffrey; a daughter, Kymberlee Smith; sisters, Natasha Foster, Opral Davis and Stephanie Brown; brothers, Eaustace Foster III, Stanley Foster, Joe Brown and Anthony Brown; an uncle, Charles Foster, Greenwood, SC; aunts, Willie M. Dorsey, also of Greenwood, SC, and Alice B. King, Ft. Washington, MD.
A memorial service will be held Thursday, Feb. 23 at 11:00 a.m. at First Evangelical Free Church, Fullerton, CA.
Arrangements are by New Options Funeral Service, Placentia, CA.
PAID OBITUARY

Eoline C. Waites

Eoline Cann Waites, 88, formerly of Greenwood, widow of W.F. Waites, died Monday, Feb. 20, 2006 at Anne Maria Nursing Home, North Augusta.
Born in Abbeville County, she was a daughter of the late J.O. and Carrie Campbell Cann. She retired from Greenwood Mills and was a member of Bells Chapel United Methodist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Imojean Butler and Delores Summey, both of Greenwood; six grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.
Services are 2:30 p.m. today at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Carroll Harrison and Donald Rowell. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers are Ken Ashley, Michael Knight, Sammy Butler, Ricky Butler, Waylon Byrd, Chris Roark, Sandy Hilley and Charles Stone.
Honorary escorts are Robert Cann, Billy Cann, Jimmy Cann, Jack Evans, Walt Hilley, Mabrey Williams, Albert Price, Henry Finley, Cecil Lucas and Johnny Hanna.
Visitation is 1:30-2:30 today at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a daughter Delores Summey, 107 Siloam Acres.
Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 658, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Harley Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Gwendolyn Morgan Wilson

EDGEFIELD — Gwendolyn Denise “Rat” Morgan Wilson, 26, of 1263 Highway 378 E., died Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006 at her home.
Born in Edgefield County, she was a daughter of Harold Gordon and Gwendolyn Morgan. She was a homemaker and of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include her father of Edgefield; her mother of Edgefield; two sons, Travis D’Andra Morgan and Bernard D. Mason of the home; two brothers, Larry Leon Morgan and Sammy Lee Morgan, both of Greenwood; two sisters, Krystal N. Morgan of the home and Elisa R. Morgan of Greenwood.
The family is at the home of an aunt, Mrs. Curtis (Olethia) Culbreath, 2607 Hamilton Road, Greenwood.
Services will be announced by Robinson and Son Mortuary Inc., Greenwood.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at robson@nctv.com

Bubba Young

GREENWOOD — Martha Barr “Bubba” Young, 96, resident of 125 E. Laurel Avenue, widow of Thomas F. Young, died February 19, 2006 at National Health Care of Greenwood.
Born in Pickens County, May 16, 1909, she was a daughter of the late Clarence A. and Melissa Eden Barr. Mrs. Young retired from United Telephone Com-pany (now Sprint) in 1974.
A member of Greenwood First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, she attended Hodges Presbyterian Church. She was a 50 year member of the Mary Pinckney Ouzts Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Surviving are two daughters, Marne Y. Crout of the home and Katrina Y. Sligh of Greenwood; two sisters, Josie Wauchope of Piedmont and Blanche Pelfrey of Powdersville; a brother, Wallace Barr of Powdersville; a grandson, Brian and wife, Kimberley Crout of Lawrence-ville, GA; a great-grandson, Seth Crout of Greenwood; three great-granddaughters, Ashlin Crout of Greenwood, Taylor and Nicolle Schatzle, both of Lawrenceville, GA.
Funeral services will be conducted at 3 pm Thursday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Robert P. Piephoff officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Larry Barr, Gene Duke, B ob Drinkard, Keith Hodges, Nick Anagnost and Frank Hill.
The family is at the home on E. Laurel Avenue and will receive friends at the funeral home from 2 to 3 Thursday afternoon.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Young family.
PAID OBITUARY

Putting American security in other hands ridiculous

February 22, 2006

The phrase “sending a fox to guard the hen house” was the first thought to come to mind when it was announced the federal government was giving an Arab company control over six major American ports. The number one question is why ..... a sentiment voiced by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“It’s unbelievably tone deaf politically at this point in our history,” Graham said. “Most Americans are scratching their heads, wondering why this company from this region now.” Indeed!
With the way things are going in the Muslim world, it’s hard to envision any situation where something like port security would not also be influenced by the anti-American feelings.

THERE MAY INDEED BE A a method-in-the-madness concept, though, that the foxes may be able to do a better job keeping other foxes out or at bay.
There may be something to that, to be sure, but there’s a deeper concern, as expressed by the House Homeland Security Committee chairman, Rep. Peter King, R-N. Y. He believes terms for approving takeover of the ports by a United Arab Emirates company are insufficient to guard against terrorist infiltration.
Why?
“I’m aware of the conditions,” King said, “and they relate entirely to how the company carries out its procedures, but it doesn’t go to who they hire, or how they hire people. They are better than nothing,” he noted, “but to me, they don’t address the underlying conditions, which is how are they going to guard against things like infiltration by al-Quida or someone else, how they are going to guard against corruption.”

THE HOMELAND SECURITY Department has offered reassurances, but where terrorists are concerned we’ve found there are no assurances in the first place.
The Bush Administration should reconsider. Are there no American companies that can do the job? Surely there are. If there are none, it shouldn’t be out of the question for the U. S. to help train people to eliminate that situation. In fact, port security is so crucial, why shouldn’t we have an agency within Homeland Security trained to do the job?
Don’t even consider whether it’s deaf tone politically ..... or any other kind of politics. Thoroughly investigated Americans should provide security for America. Anything else is just plain ridiculous. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says Americans perceive what’s not there. If history teaches anything, it teaches that perception can be more devastating than reality.
Will Americans feel comfortable with their security in other hands? Not likely.