Happy 50th birthday, East End

Past principals join present students for anniversary

October 7, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Benjamin J. Dover watched East End Elementary School be built from foundation to roof.
The first principal of the school returned Friday 50 years after its construction and marveled at its ability to move forward in good stead.
Dover quoted 19th century poet John Keats during the 50th anniversary celebration, in reference to the school’s staying power: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
East End’s big 5-0 birthday party brought out district officials and public representatives to experience the school’s history along with its students.
Greenwood School District 50 Superintendent Darrell Johnson, Mayor Floyd Nicholson and South Carolina Rep. Gene Pinson were on hand for the festivities.
Several principals from East End’s past also attended the event, said current Principal Mark Blackwell.
Dover served as East End’s principal for 10 years, starting in 1956.
He began out of a church school in Greenwood. The school has been expanded since it opened, Dover said.
Several classrooms were added after rural students begin being bussed into Greenwood for classes.
Dover says he was glad the school is still in use today.
“It feels just like home,” he said.
Blackwell said the school is still in great shape, despite its age.
The school, which was built before the advent of air conditioning, has windows that have previously let in fresh air along the main hall.
Friday’s celebration also featured students from various grades singing, reading poems, rapping or dancing the twist to commemorate East End.
Students also released blue and white balloons, the school colors, into the slightly cloudy sky Friday to close out the celebration.

McCormick ends streak

Chiefs get first win in 28 games

October 7, 2006

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

McCORMICK — If you had asked someone when they thought the McCormick Chiefs would win a game, they might have said, “when pigs fly.”
Well, pigs didn’t fly on Friday night, but the Chiefs picked up 61 yards on the ground thanks to Octavius ‘Pig’ Blair and Jerel Franklin carried 18 times for more than 250 yards in the Chiefs 28-20 win over the Dixie Hornets.
Franklin also finished with three rushing touchdowns as the Chiefs ended their 28-game losing streak in front of a very supportive and emotional crowd.
“I said at the end of the week that they weren’t going to stop us and I proved it,” Franklin said. “I feel good and I just give a lot of credit to the offensive line.”
The Chiefs got going early thanks to Franklin’s first touchdown run of 81 yards. After bursting into the secondary, it was off to the races as Franklin left defenders in his wake.
The Chiefs also got some help from their special teams when they forced a three-and-out on the Hornets’ next possession. An errant snap by the Hornets’ special teams went through the end zone and, just like that, the Chiefs had a 9-0 lead going into the second quarter.
Although the early mistake might have put Hornets’ coach Steve Dunlap in an early hole, he rallied his troops and began to utilize the Hornets’ passing game. The change in strategy paid off for the Hornets when quarterback Drake Dunlap connected with Ontavius Plummer, who made a one-handed grab, for a 25-yard touchdown trimming the Chiefs lead to 9-6.
The Chiefs missed an opportunity to score before halftime after starting at their own 11-yard line and driving down to the Dixie 3-yard line with time winding down in the second quarter. The Hornets defense held and the Chiefs came away with zero points.
The second half began like the first with Franklin breaking away from the Hornets’ defenders for a 72-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the third quarter.
The Chiefs defense followed the score by holding the Hornets, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave them new life. The excitement would be short-lived though when a fumble on their next play was recovered by Darius Bussey at the Chiefs’ 36-yard line.
William Peterson would make the Hornets pay for the turnover by capping off the subsequent drive with a 19-yard touchdown run giving the Chiefs a 22-6 lead.
“We knew these boys weren’t going to give up and they came out to play just like we did,” Peterson said. “We were just thinking about last year and we couldn’t let it happen again this year.”
The Hornets’ threatened late in the game, but Bussey came up with a huge interception to seal the victory 28-20.
“We won one but we got three games left and you never know what’s going to happen,” said an emotional Art Mann. “I’m so excited I don’t know what to say. I’m just glad my family has put up with me and all the credit goes to those guys in red.”

Westside squeaks by in close victory over Greenwood

October 7, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

ANDERSON — Sometimes, a coach simply has to take the blame.
Class AAAA No. 6 Greenwood fell, 21-20, to Region I-AAAA rival Westside. With the loss, Greenwood falls to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in region play. Westside is now 4-3 overall and 1-0 in region.
Greenwood coach Shell Dula was regretful following the loss.
“It was my fault,” Dula said. “I take full responsibility for this one. I preach and preach about field position, so I guess I was a hypocrite tonight. Blame me.”
The incident Dula referred to was a key play in the third quarter that swung momentum in Westside’s favor.
Greenwood faced a fourth and one from its own 39-yard line with two minutes left in the third, leading 10-7.
Dula chose to go for the first down rather than punt.
Greenwood quarterback Jay Spearman was stopped short of the first down on a sneak, giving the Rams the ball.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Rams’ quarterback D.J. Fredericks turned loose a 39-yard touchdown pass to Rufus Gambrell, putting Westside up, 14-10, with 1:46 left in the third.
“We had the momentum and we gave it right back,” Dula said. “I got greedy.”
Though the game continued to go back and forth after that series of events, the momentum change propelled Westside to the narrow victory.
Friday marked the second consecutive year Westside has defeated Greenwood.
Greenwood was once again paced by Spearman, who had 118 yards rushing, with a touchdown. He also passed for 88 yards.
The Rams were first to light up the scoreboard.
Forcing Greenwood to punt on its first possession, Westside’s Lee Butler hauled in Eagles’ punter Christian Powell’s kick on a dead run at the Eagles’ 39-yard line.
Butler accelerated and gave the Greenwood pursuit a swivel move near the 50, then headed into the open field. Butler raced into the endzone for a 61-yard punt return touchdown, giving the Rams the 7-0 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter.
Greenwood nearly answered with a kick return of its own.
On the ensuing kickoff after Butler’s return, Greenwood’s Byron Best grabbed the ball at the 1-yard line and high-tailed it up the right sideline.
Westside finally nabbed Best at its own 34, giving him a 66-yard kickoff return and putting Greenwood in business with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
However, the Eagles weren’t able to capitalize. Andrew Tims missed a 33-yard field goal attempt, one of two misses he had in the first half, preserving Westside’s lead.
Midway through the second quarter, Greenwood’s D.J. Swearinger helped get the Eagles on the board.
Fredericks dropped back to pass and heaved the ball toward midfield. Swearinger, playing free safety, leapt in the air and snagged an interception, carrying it down to the Westside 20-yard line.
Moments later, Tims redeemed himself with a 34-yard field goal, making the score 7-3 in favor of Westside.
The score held until halftime.
The Eagles ripped down the field to open the second half.
Using a combination of runs and short passes, the Eagles put the Westside defense on its heels. Spearman pushed across the goal line from a yard out to cap a 5 minute, 13 second, 60-yard drive and put the Eagles up 10-7 with 6:39 left in the third quarter.
After the aforementioned 39-yard Fredericks to Gambrell touchdown pass put Westside up 14-10, Greenwood jumped right back into the lead on the ensuing kickoff.
Josh Norman grabbed the kickoff at the 21-yard line and found a crease in the left side. Dodging one tackle after another, Norman sped down the sideline and into the endzone for a 79-yard touchdown, handing Greenwood a 17-14 lead with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter.
Greenwood later added a Tims field goal, but a 30-yard touchdown pass from Fredericks to Jocque Patterson in the fourth quarter sealed the Westside win.
Greenwood plays host to T.L. Hanna next Friday.

Opinion

Who will voters believe on ranking of governor?

October 7, 2006

Missouri is the “Show Me” state, but when it comes to proving something, South Carolinians are just as demanding ..... particularly where politics is involved. Nowadays, politics is involved in everything, and that’s just the routine stuff. When an election is just around the corner, it gets more intense.
It’s not surprising, then, nor should it be, that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s supporters saw politics in a recent one-star (poor) “ranking” he received by the magazine, “Inc.” It named Sanford as one of the nation’s 26 worst governors in “fostering an entrepreneurial climate.” He has, in fact, negatively affected entreprenuers, Inc said.
On the other hand, the South Carolina chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, an organization with thousands of small business members, said the New York magazine was “way off base.”

CITING TAX CUTS, WORKERS compensation reform efforts and other matters, it wrote the magazine that Sanford has been an outstanding leader on vital small-business issues. It also said Sanford’s “principled leadership may not always win popularity contests, as he will concede, but it rings true with the small-business community in our state.” The NFIB noted that it has endorsed Sanford for a second term, the first time the organization has ever made a gubernatorial endorsement in the state.
That creates an interesting situation, especially with an election coming up in a matter of weeks. Are the people of South Carolina more likely to believe an organization that represents small businessmen who operate in their state, or a magazine that focuses on business and is published in New York? There’s probably no way of knowing that until the election.

Obituaries

Lillian R. Brownlee

WARE SHOALS — Lillian R. Devlin Brownlee, 44, of 80 Audubon Drive, Ware Shoals, wife of Wallace Brownlee, Jr., died Wednesday, October 4, 2006 at HospiceCare of Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood County, she was the daughter of Bubba Gene and Lena Smith of Ware Shoals and the late Fannie Devlin. She was a member of Freedom World Outreach Ministry.
Surviving in addition to her husband are two daughters, Latoya R. Devlin, Norfolk, VA and Tiffany C. Brownlee of the home; three sisters, Inez Covington and Katie Davis, both of Ware Shoals and Mary Anty, Greenwood; three brothers, Tim Smith, Gene Smith and Cornell Devlin, all of Ware Shoals; one grandchild, Alexandra Craig Spencer.
Funeral services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Dunn Creek Baptist Church by the Reverends Johnny Henderson and James F. Davis III; burial in the church cemetery. The body is at Robinson-Walker Funeral Service and will be on view Saturday beginning at 12 noon and will be placed in the church Sunday at 2 p.m.
The family is at the home.
Robinson Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals, SC, is in charge of the arrangements.

Rudy Ferguson

Rudy Wayne Ferguson, 43, resident of 1018 Siloam Church Road, died October 5, 2006 at his residence.
Born in Greenwood, January 15, 1963, he was a son of Lorraine Minick Ferguson Martin and the late Rudolph Albert Ferguson. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and attended Lander University. Owner of Ferguson Landscaping Company for 23 years, he was the recipient of the Lakelands Landscaper of the Year Award three years in a row. A member of Bethlehem United Methodist Church, he was also a member of Grand Harbor Yacht Club.
Survivors in addition to his mother and stepfather, Edward Leland Martin, of Greenwood are his sister, Kathy F. Stevenson and husband Wayne of Abbeville.
Funeral services will be conducted Sunday at 3:30 p.m. from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Tommy Tucker and Reverend Jeff O’Dell officiating. Interment will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Sumpter Adams, Dee Burnette, John Prather, Scott Prather, Andy Entrekin and Derrick Dill.
The family is at the home of his mother and stepfather, 207 Blackwell Road, Greenwood and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7-9 p.m. Saturday.
Those desiring may make memorials to Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 122 Fuller Street, Greenwood, SC 29649 or to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 10794, Greenville, SC 29603 in memory of Mr. Ferguson.
For additional information and online condolences, please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Ferguson family.