Local Realtor selected for prestigious award

March 13, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

When Debbi Abraham graduated from Clemson University, she had plans to spend her time in the classroom, teaching children the basics in reading, writing and arithmetic.
But today, 33 years after receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in education, the Greenwood resident spends her time in the field, guiding her clients through the ABCs of buying a home as a Realtor with Whitmire Real Estate Agency in Greenwood.
In February, Abraham’s efforts and success on the job — she was named the Greenwood Association of Realtors’ Realtor of the Year in 1998 — landed her a coveted spot on the cover of the Upstate Carolina edition of Broker Agent Magazine as the region’s broker/agent of the month.
Selected out of about 3,800 agents in the Upstate, Abraham said she was surprised to learn she had even been nominated. She filled out a questionnaire, returned it to the judges, and a few weeks later, Abraham received the call some real estate agents might dream about.
“They told me congratulations and that I had been selected, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve never done anything like this,’” Abraham said with a laugh. “I was really surprised. Thirty-eight hundred people — that’s a lot of Realtors. I was kind of shocked.”
According to the Broker Agent Magazine Web site, broker/agents are “top producers whose professionalism and industry involvement set examples for others to follow.”
Whitmire Real Estate’s Broker-In-Charge Horace Whitmire said, in all the years he has known and worked with Debbi, she has definitely set examples for other real estate agents to follow.
“(Debbi’s honor as Broker/Agent of the Month) means a lot to the company and it is terrific for Debbi,” he said. “She is probably the most knowledgeable real estate agent in Greenwood. She’s knowledgeable, honest and dedicated.”
Before her successes in the real estate industry, Abraham spent two years teaching at a school in Tennessee, followed by a short break to begin a family. After two more years in the classroom, Abraham said she knew she was ready for a change.
“I enjoyed teaching, but when you have young children it’s very emotionally draining,” she said.
“When I got home in the afternoons from teaching, I didn’t feel like I had enough left for my own kids.”
A friend of Abraham’s from school suggested she try real estate, and Abraham said she was a little uncertain at first if she would enjoy the sometimes highly-competitive profession.
In June 1982, she got her first taste of the industry.
“I wasn’t sure whether I would stay,” she said, adding that she chose June to begin her new career for a reason. “I thought I would take the summer and see if I liked it, and if not, I’d go back and teach school. But I really enjoyed it. I fell in love with it immediately.”
She has worked with several real estate agencies over the years and has been at Whitmire since 1996, she said, specializing in residential and relocation sales. At first, Abraham said most of her clients were first-time buyers, but she added that many have followed her through the years, often coming back to her for help in purchasing newer, larger homes.
Before going out into the field, Abraham said she first “does homework” with her clients in a counseling session, helping them find their target buying price and home size to better prepare them for the buying process.
“Then we go out into the market place. A lot of people want to start by going out and looking at houses first. That’s kind of a backwards way to do it,” she said.
As with most industries, legal and technological changes have made tremendous impacts on the way real estate agents do their work.
“The (real estate) world has changed tremendously ... Over 70 percent of people who buy homes begin their search on the Internet,” she said. “It makes it easier because they come to the table with some education and I think that’s good. They’ve had the opportunity to look at some properties and they can share with you what they like and what they don’t like. It helps speed the process up.”
Housing values, she added, have changed as well, as Greenwood, like the cities around it, begins to grow.
“Values, especially over the last five to seven years, have really been going up in our area, particularly on (Lake Greenwood),” Abraham said. “It’s tremendous the amount of growth we’ve seen in Greenwood.”

Fireside Fund raises more than $3,300
for utility assistance

March 13, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

With more than $3,300 raised, officials are calling the first Fireside Fund program, a joint effort between The Index-Journal, The Salvation Army and Countybank to provide heating assistance to area families in need, a success.
“I thought it went tremendously well considering it was the first year,” Capt. Joe May, with The Salvation Army, said. “I’m very impressed and encouraged by the level of support the community has demonstrated in supporting our effort to meet the needs of our less-fortunate neighbors.
“It’s been a wonderful first year, and I’m glad we can count on the community’s support in the future.”
For eight weeks in December, January and February, donations poured in from area residents, businesses and anonymous donors, providing enough funding to assist about 30 families during the first three months of this year, May said.
“It means that there were that many more families that we were able to help, especially this winter when we had increased energy costs,” May said. “But as much as the funding helped, (the Fireside Fund) raised awareness of the need for help — that was as beneficial as the gifts. It helped people become aware that the situation is what it is.”
Each week during the program, The Index-Journal highlighted a family that had affected by their inability to pay utility costs. The case studies offered readers a glimpse into the family’s economic situation, from parents who lost their income after quitting work to take care of a sick child to a senior citizen who found herself in financial trouble when her government check was stolen from her mailbox.
In each case, the families and residents, facing a long winter without the funds to pay for heat, found help — and hope — through assistance from The Salvation Army.
May said The Salvation Army, an emergency assistance agency, provides not only funding for utilities, but also help with food, clothing and rent payments. He added that of the average 60 families seen each week at the Greenwood center, more than half need help with utilities, requiring about 75 percent of the agency’s resources.
Between October 2004 and September 2005, The Salvation Army provided nearly 2,300 people with utility assistance, spending about $85,000 on payments.
May said that, though the winter temperatures have been replaced with warmer conditions, February power bills have yet to arrive and high energy costs will continue to trouble needy families. “Even though it’s warming up now, people are still paying. April is when we start to see a little decline in our office,” May said.
Behind utilities, emergency food assistance is a major part of what the agency does, May said, adding that The Salvation Army is facing a shortage of food supplies in the wake of heavy demand because of rising fuel and energy costs. Between October 2004 and September 2005, The Salvation Army provided more than 4,650 meals to area families in need, but with higher energy bills from winter, that number could rise this year.
May said the agency sees three waves of food donation each year, with the Christmas season donations usually carrying The Salvation Army through March.
“In April., the shelves thin out,” he said, “so we are asking people for food in March, so that when April gets here, we won’t be caught off guard.”
Non-perishable food items such as canned vegetables and meats, pastas, rice, sugar and flour are needed. May said the agency can provide families in an emergency crisis with enough food to last three days.
Area residents can make donations to The Salvation Army at P.O. Box 1453, Greenwood, SC 29648-1453, or by dropping by the agency’s office on Pressley Street.

Opinion

Independence is a must if any agency is probed

March 13, 2006

When public business and public money are concerned, everything not only should be right, everything should also look right. How many times has that been heard? Still, there are too many times when something just looks wrong on its face.
One thing, for example, is when some public office or agency is charged with wrongdoing ... and it also has the responsibility to investigate itself.
While everything may be as right as can be, in the public mind that kind of situation looks wrong. And looking wrong, it is likely to create doubt. At the very least it will spur questions.
One of those situations is presently getting attention from state lawmakers.

THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS of abuse and neglect of South Carolinians with disabilities. Legislators are talking about creating a special unit of the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to investigate whether the reports have substance. It would provide independent investigations of the state agencies responsible for caring for the disabled. The two agencies - the departments of Mental Health and Disabilities and Special Needs - have been criticized because they currently investigate themselves when criminal abuse and neglect allegations come up in the facilities they operate around South Carolina.
Of course, all may be OK. Still, it looks wrong. In such cases, with these agencies or any others that are allowed to investigate themselves, there should always be an independent investigation.

MAKE IT RIGHT. MAKE IT LOOK right. It’s that simple.
It’s always good policy, whether in the public or private sector, to keep everything out in the open. Anytime there is a perception - or reality - that the fox is sent to guard the hen house, somebody is going to complain and believe the worst.
This is one of those times. Fix the problem ... the sooner the better. What’s ultimately at stake, of course, is the credibility of government itself. That should eliminate any indecisiveness - if there is any - about whether this independent unit is created in SLED. In fact, it’s long overdue.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Angie Bogart

WATERLOO – Angie Elizabeth McGill Bogart, 71, of 7604 Riverfork Road, widow of James “George” Bogart, died Saturday, March 11, 2006 at her home.
Born in Carnesville, Ga., she was a daughter of the late Floyd and Mary McGill and retired from Winn-Dixie Inc.
Survivors include a daughter, Connie Sue Oxner of Waterloo; a stepdaughter, Jody McClain of Hodges; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
A private burial is at a later date.
The family is at the home of Connie Sue Oxner, 7602 Riverfork Road.
Parker-White Funeral Home is in charge.

Martha Brock

WARE SHOALS — Martha Major Brock, 88, resident of 7622 Hwy. 25 N., widow of Olin C. Brock, died March 11, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, September 17, 1917, she was a daughter of the late Samuel S. and Mattie Whatley Major. She was a graduate of John de la Howe High School and owned West End Beauty Shop in Ware Shoals from 1936 until her retirement in 1993.
Mrs. Brock was a member of Ware Shoals United Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star.
She was predeceased by a son, S. Major Brock.
Surviving are two sons, Jerry Brock of Sarasota, FL and Tom Brock of Waterloo; three grandchildren, Brian Brock, Jeffrey Brock and Greg Brock; two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted 1:00 PM today from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Carol Peppers-Wray and Rev. Fred Treaster officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Brian Brock, Jeffrey Brock, Greg Brock, Tommy Holley, David Camak, Randy McLean, Bruce Davidson and Robert E. Major.
The family is at the home on Highway 25 and will receive friends at the funeral home from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM today.
Memorials may be made to Ware Shoals United Methodist Church, PO Box 59, Ware Shoals, SC 29692 or to the Greater Greenwood United Ministries, 1404 Edgefield St., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Brock family.
PAID OBITUARY

Gene Cockrell

NINETY SIX — Johnnie Eugene “Gene” Cockrell, age 60, resident of 114 Summer Place, widower of Linda Meredeth Cockrell, died March 10, 2006 at his residence.
Born in Greenwood on September 30, 1945, he was the son of the late Lee and Marie Kitchens Cockrell. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and attended Piedmont Tech. He was a member of the National Guard and the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. A retired employee of Monsanto, he formerly owned and operated Video World for 14 years and also worked at Self Regional Medical Center as a Security Guard for several years. He was a member of Siloam Baptist Church and attended Rice Memorial Baptist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Melissa “Missy” and husband Christopher Tripp of Greenwood; granddaughter, Madison Tripp; grandson, Andrew Tripp, both of Greenwood; brothers, David Leroy Cockrell, Robert Carroll Cockrell and Charles Thomas Cockrell, all of Greenwood; step-son, Rodney Lesh of Clover; step-daughters, Debra L. Parnell of Greenwood and Shea Lesh of South Carolina; and 2 step grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife Sandra Elaine Shirley Cockrell Hudson.
Funeral services will be today at 4:00 PM from the Chapel of Blyth Funeral Home with Reverend Alvin Hodges officiating. Interment will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Dale Hill, Chris McMillan, Tim Jones, Steve Willner, Craig Clark and Richard Jones.
The family is at the home, 114 Summer Place, at Lake Greenwood.
Those desiring may be made to the Greenwood Humane Society, PO Box 242, Greenwood, SC 29648 or the American Heart Association, PO Box 6604, Columbia, SC, 29260-6604 in memory of Mr. Cockrell.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the Cockrell family.
PAID OBITUARY

James Cunningham

McCORMICK — James “Jab” Cunningham, 87, died Sunday, March 12, 2006 at McCormick Healthcare Center.
Born in Plum Branch, he was a son of the late Whitfield and Rosa Lee Shaw Cunningham. He was a member of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Plum Branch, and a former member of Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. He lived in Washington for many years, returning to McCormick about 12 years ago, and was a retired brick mason.
Survivors include four sisters, Eva Blackwell of Hartford, Conn., Janie Ryans of Edgefield, Hattie Murcier and Clara Blair, both of McCormick; a brother, Clarence Cunningham of Washington, D.C.
The family is at the home of a sister, Clara Blair, 607 Carolina St.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home.

Betty R. Miner

WATERLOO — Betty Rogers Miner, 80, of 2308 Whitten Road, wife of Neil Clark Miner, died Saturday, March 11, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Tampa, Fla., she was a daughter of the late Robert F. and Laura Jean Perry Rogers. She was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include her husband of the home; two daughters, Jeanne Wall of Waterloo and Loretta Hamby of Williamston; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Willie Sherrill Oaks

Watkinsville, Ga. — Willie Sherrill Oaks, 100, wife of the late Grady A. Oaks, died Friday, March 10, 2006 at Mulberry Grove Assisted Living, Statham, GA.
Born in Cleburne County, AL, she was the daughter of the late Cicero Bright and Lovie Cooke Sherrill. She was a founding member of Watkinsville First United Methodist Church where she was very active with Sunday School and various church boards. Willie was one of the founders of the Oconee County Library, member of the Garden Club, and was the oldest living member of the Georgia 4-H.
Survivors include her son; David (his late wife Bunky Bowden) Oaks of Kingsport, TN, O’Joy Oaks Mays of Watkinsville, grandchildren; Leslie (Roy) Sisiam, Trey Phillips, David “Bo” Oaks, and great grandchildren; Joseph Sisiam, David Sisiam, and Kendall Phillips.
Funeral services will be private.
The family has requested in lieu of flowers memorials be made to Watkinsville First United Methodist Church or to the Oconee County Library.
Lord & Stephens, WEST is in charge of arrangements.
PAID OBITUARY

Vera Wilson

Vera Ann Simpkins Wilson, 59, of 127 Wheatfield Drive, died Sunday, March 12, 2006 at her home. The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.

CORRECTION

The obituary for Martha Brock was inadvertently omitted from Sunday’s paper.
The Index-Journal regrets the error.