'Someone to speak up for seniors'

Busy retiree ready to join Silver Haired Legislature

April 30, 2007

By KENNY MAPLE
Index-Journal staff writer

Some people slow down after retirement, but Henry I. Quarles, retired for nearly a decade, is just getting started.
He’s getting started with the South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature.
Quarles, a Greenwood resident since 1966, was elected March 13 at the Upper Savannah Area Agency on Aging. He will represent Greenwood County seniors on the South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature.
When asked what motivates someone to get started in such a project, Quarles simply said, “I’m a senior citizen and I think we need to be represented.”
“I know that lots of times we, as senior citizens, are discriminated against,” he said. “We need someone to speak up for seniors.”
Quarles hadn’t heard of the Silver Haired Legislature until he saw mention of it in The Index-Journal. It didn’t take him long to get involved, though.
“Well, I just happened to see it in The Index-Journal, where they were looking for representatives,” he said. “So I called about it and I had to get a petition to get on the ballot.”
The petition had to have 15 names on it, all senior citizens and registered voters. Quarles sent in his petition and made it to Upper Savannah for the four-person election, in which he gained the most votes.
This was the first election the organization has had.
“They said they had too many running, and so they had to have an election. They usually elect on caucus,” Quarles said.
The Silver Haired Legislature identifies “issues, concerns and possible solutions for problems faced by the citizens of South Carolina with a special emphasis on issues related to seniors; to make recommendations to the governor and to members of the S.C. General Assemly; to educate the public on senior issues; to encourage seniors to participate actively in public affairs; to function on a nonpartisan basis; and to promote good government for all of South Carolina.”
Quarles will attend his first meeting on May 10; the first Legislature session will be in September, where members will make presentations for new legislative priorities.
The Silver Haired Legislature’s already adopted priorities include:
1. Funding a transportation plan for seniors.
2. Requiring criminal background checks for home and adult daycare service providers.
3. Providing low-income seniors with prescription drug assistance to cover the Medicare Part D coverage gap.
4. Increasing state funding for in-home and community-based services for seniors.
5. Providing more funding for necessary life-sustaining shelter, rent and services needed to care for elderly abused victims who must be removed from their places of residency.
Quarles’ position doesn’t come with pay, but that is nothing new. He has been retired since 1997; however, he has not slowed down since.
“You can always find something to do, most of the time, if you look for it,” he said.
Quarles spends much of his time doing what he did before retirement — fixing things.
“If anything goes wrong, I can do it, I don’t call someone else first.”
Quarles has always been handy with tools, particularly if those tools are for plumbing or refrigeration. He started work as a plumber in 1959 when he lived in Edgefield; however, he wanted to really get into the trade, so he moved to Greenwood. Here, he began working for Benjamin’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling. He worked there for 38 years while also learning the heating and cooling aspect of the job from classes he was taking at Piedmont Tech.
“I wanted to learn more about heating and air conditioning and what made them tick, so I went out to Piedmont Tech and took heating, air conditioning and refrigeration.”
He has continued finding what makes thing tick, as well as what makes things grow.
Quarles and his wife, Doris, have an impressive vegetable garden where they grow tomatoes, potatoes, corn, lima beans, green beans and peas.
“I was raised on a farm. We started the garden when we moved here in 1966,” he said. “Been gardening ever since.”
Quarles described how they keep the vegetables and prepare them for meals.
“We keep two freezers about full all the time,” he said.
With the four grandchildren the Quarles have, that is very important.
“The kids and the grandkids like to eat the vegetables,” Quarles said.
Family life is important to Quarles. Although his children don’t live in Greenwood, he still gets to see them some.
“We get to see them a good bit,” he said with a smile.
On the day of this interview, Quarles said, “We get to see them this afternoon. My grandson over there (Lexington) plays the saxophone and they have a band concert tonight.”
Quarles will hear his grandson play and then likely be off to do something else.
“You know, being retired, you have to do a lot of things,” he said.
Whether it be fixing vegetables for family dinners, fixing whatever is broken around the house or fixing issues for senior citizens, Henry I. Quarles has it covered.

50th anniversary of nursing education

Lander University marks milestone for program that keeps growing

April 29, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Jean Sox was there at the very beginning.
She remembers when just three buildings — and a small apartment complex — comprised the the length and breadth of the Lander campus.
That was in 1957 when a younger Jean (Steele at that time) entered the inaugural class of nursing students at then Lander College.
“There were only three buildings here back then,” Sox said Saturday. “Things have sure changed a lot since those days.”
Fifty years later, graduates and current students alike gathered at Finis Horne Arena to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the school’s nursing program. Once offering two-year associate degrees to students, the newly named William P. Turner Department of Nursing (2006-07) now offers a baccalaureate nursing program (since 2001) — the seventh school to do so in the state.
However, all other Palmetto State schools took their initial cue from Lander, which was the first institution in South Carolina to offer a two-year associate degree program. In 1957 it was a mere pilot program.
In 2007, it has become so much more.
The program is scheduled to graduate 25 nurses in 2008.
“It’s just amazing to see what has happened here since those days,” Sox added. “It’s exciting to know that there was no nursing program at that time and that we happened to be the first ones. It was important that I be here to commemorate this event.”
Hugh Tucker — business manager at Lander from 1956-69 — remembers the genesis as well. There were dire nursing needs at then Self Memorial Hospital (now Self Regional Medical Center). The hospital needed a nursing program at Lander to fill the staffing gaps.
“I was here when it started,” Tucker said. “Self Memorial needed nurses. That was the whole reason behind the program. They were having a time finding nurses. It was a new concept at the time, but things have really worked out. It’s been a wonderful source of RNs since 1959.”
But in the days before the program became a reality, had Dr. William Preston Turner II not leaned on the ear of James C. Self — who founded Self Memorial Hospital after a terrible tornado destroyed the older hospital in the summer of 1944 — for much needed financial support, the nursing program would never have lifted off the ground.
“It’s a wonderful honor for my grandfather (Dr. William Preston Turner II) and my uncle (Dr. William Preston Turner III),” said Virginia Self of the Self Family Foundation. “Today is about the Turners. I hope this program will celebrate yet another 50 years.”
The school’s nursing program was recently named the William P. Turner Department of Nursing — honoring the sizable contributions of the Turner family to healthcare in Greenwood. Members of the Turner family were on hand Saturday to present the department with a framed portrait of Dr. William Preston Turner II. for whom the department is now named.
Delivering the keynote address was renowned nursing theorist, Dr. Betty Neuman, whose own theory of nursing is practiced at Lander.
“Wellness is about the health of the whole person,” she said. “Nurses help to sustain the highest level of health and wellness. During the last 50 years the program has shown continuous growth. The faculty has kept abreast of changes and the latest trends and that is very important. The nurses that leave here can work anywhere in the world.”

Emmett Turner finishes second

April 30, 2007

By JIM JOYCE
Special projects editor

McCORMICK — Superb play turned sour on the last hole for Greenwood native Emmett Turner in Sunday’s final round of the Savannah Lakes Resort Classic, and he finished second to Michael Connell, of Richardson, Texas.
Two shots behind as he entered the final round, Turner said earlier he thought it would take 17-under-par to win.
That it did, but a bogey at 18 dropped him to 16 under and second place all alone at 272 for the four days of play. He shot 69-69-67-67.
Turner made the turn at 3-under and caught the leader with an eagle at No. 11, the same hole on which he hit his second shot into the water Friday, the day of the cut for the final two rounds.
“The difference was, today I was about 40 yards closer to the green,” Turner said.
“I hit a 3-iron instead of a 3-wood to the green and just made the putt.”
That eagle put him into a tie with Connell, who had four birdies and an eagle in his front-side 30. Turner had 33 on the front.
Turner, an Augusta State University graduate who now lives in Augusta, was a crowd favorite, and his following grew as he got nearer to the final hole.
A birdie at No. 12 gave him the lead by 1, and he had par on Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. But he didn’t know how he stood on the scoreboard that stood on the right of the green at the 18th hole.
A driver and 2-iron left him left and off the green at the final hole, from where he chipped on and had a par putt to force a playoff.
“I don’t look at the scoreboard, but from my playing partners, I can tell I need to make the putt,” Turner said. “Whether it’s to win outright or to get into a playoff, it doesn’t matter. It’s a 6-footer and I’ve still got to make it.”
He missed and had to settle for second place.
“I played well,” he said after making his scorecard official. “I was 3-under on the front and got under early on the back side and played 5-under the last day in the last group. There’s something to be said for that. I’ll just wait for the next day.”
A second-place finish earned him more than $16,000, of which he said, “It’ll meet expenses, and it’s always nice to get a check.”
Before it was said and done, however, Turner did have one anxious moment at the sixth hole.
“I went to swing my driver and the club head fell off,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do except replace it on the next hole. It was no big deal.”
Turner said he’ll take next week off and get ready for the U.S. Open qualifier.

Obituaries

David Beaty

ABBEVILLE — David R. Beaty, 84, resident of 74 Taylor Lane husband of Sarah Suber Beaty died Sunday April 29, 2007, at his home.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late Sadler M. and Grace Young Beaty.
Mr. Beaty was a World War II Army veteran having served as a First Sergeant in the campaigns of Company “B” 1304 Engineers in Burma and India. He was a retired U.S. Postal Employee and a farmer. His community involvement included being a Past District Governor of the State Lions Club, serving as President of Abbeville Lions Club, Abbeville Cattlemen’s Association and Abbeville Farm Bureau. He was a longtime member and officer at the Abbeville ARP Church.
Survivors are his beloved wife of 60 years, Sarah Suber Beaty, of the home; his son, Archie Beaty and his wife Kimberly of Abbeville; and 3 grandsons James, Jason and Brandon Beaty.
Graveside services will be conducted Tuesday May 1st, 2007, at 2 p.m. in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens with the Rev. Tommy Cartledge officiating with Military rites to follow.
The body is at The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home. The family will receive friends Tuesday afternoon after the graveside services at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.
The family is at the home 74 Taylor Lane, Abbeville.
Active pallbearers will be Wes McAllister, Riley McLane, Mike Fowler, Richard Cocchia, Butch Price and Bill Barksdale. Honorary pallbearers will be James “Pete” Vinson, Jim Jones and Charles Williams.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646. Online condolences may be sent to the Beaty family by visiting www.chandlerjacksonfh.com.
Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home, in Abbeville is in charge of arrangements.

Bernard ‘Wilton’ Edmonds

COLUMBIA — A funeral service with full military honors, for Bernard “Wilton” Edmonds, 81, of Columbia, will be held 11 o’clock, Wednesday, May 2, 2007, at Woodfield Park Baptist Church with Rev. Bryan McKillock officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 o’clock Tuesday at Shives Funeral Home.
Mr. Edmonds died Sunday, April 29, 2007. Born in Lincolnton, Ga., he was a son of the late Joseph and Katie Goldman Edmonds. He served in the U. S. Marines during WW II and the U. S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict and Vietnam. He was a machine gunner in WW II where he received 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. Mr. Edmonds was a firing instructor and an accomplished small arms and rifle marksman who won several awards. He also served in the Military Intelligence Division.
Survivors include his son, Gregory B. and wife, Tammie Edmonds of Irmo; daughter, Dana B. Martin; grandchildren, Arthur Martin of the home, Larrysa Martin of Spartanburg, Alexander Edmonds, Mary Edmonds both of Irmo; great-grandchild, Ethan E. Martin of Lincolnton, N.C.; brother J. B. Edmonds of Lexington; sister, Nanny Lou Phillips of Greenwood.
He was predeceased by his wife, Peggy Edmonds and a grandson, Edmonds B. Martin.
Shives Funeral Home in Columbia is in charge.
www.shivesfuneralhome.com (803)754-6290

Odessa ‘Shug’ Lee

Odessa Lee, 102, widow of Curtis Lee of 216 Tompkins St., died Friday, April, 2007, at her home.
She was born March 21, 1905, in Greenwood County, the daughter of the late George Collins and Patsy Holloway Collins.
She joined Second Damascus Baptist Church at an early age and was a faithful member. She moved to Philadelphia, Pa. in the early forties and was a domestic worker for several prominent families. She joined Second Antioch Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. under the leadership of Rev. David Decrady. She moved back to Greenwood in 1977 and reinstated her membership at Second Damascus Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. J.C. Ward. She was the mother of the church.
She is survived by a goddaughter, Shirley Mason and a god-granddaughter, Valencia “Buffy” Mason of Philadelphia, Pa. A caregiver, Altheia Williams of the home, and a host of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be conducted on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, at 1 p.m. at Second Damascus Baptist Church with Rev. Leroy Robertson officiating. Burial will follow in the Church cemetery.
Pallbearers will be nephews and flower bearers will be nieces.
The body will be placed in the church at 12 noon.
The family will receive friends at home.
The family is being assisted by Parks Funeral Home.

Robert C. Palmer

ELBERTON, GA — Mr. Robert C. ‘RC’ Palmer, age 90, of 2933 Washington Highway, passed away Sunday, April 29, 2007, at Elbert Memorial Hospital.
A native of Elbert County, he was the son of the late Willie Fleming Palmer and Nancy Dixon Palmer. He was preceded in death by a brother, William M. Palmer, Sr. Mr. Palmer served in the US Army during WW II, and was a lifetime member of Fortsonia Baptist Church where he served as Deacon and Sunday School Superintendent.
Survivors include his wife Winona Palmer of Elberton; sons, Robert C. Palmer, Jr. and his wife Virginia of Anderson, SC and Mickey Palmer of Union Point; 5 grandchildren; 7 great- grandchildren; and brother, Dennis E. Palmer of Washington, GA.
Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, May 1 at 11:30 a.m. at Fortsonia Baptist Church.
Burial will follow at Forest Hills Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday morning from 10 to 11 a.m. at Hicks Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Fortsonia Baptist Church Building Fund, 2616 Washington Highway, Elberton, GA 30635, or to a charity of your choice.
Hicks Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements for Mr. Robert C. Palmer.

Louise Pilkenton

NINETY SIX — Louise Johnson Pilkenton, 84, resident of 249 Saluda Street, widow of Wesley W. Pilkenton, died April 29, 2007, at Hospice House in Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood County October 1, 1922, she was a daughter of the late James Bluford and Carrie Motes Johnson. She was retired from Greenwood Mills, Ninety Six Plant No. 10 and was a member of the Quarter Century Club.
A member of Cambridge United Methodist Church, she was also a member of the Ever Ready Sunday School Class.
Surviving are a daughter, Virginia P. and husband Charles M. Buff of Greenwood; a sister, Beatrice J. Leopard of Ninety Six; a granddaughter, Lisa B. Cooper and great-granddaughter, Ashley Cooper. Mrs. Pilkenton was predeceased by a sister Orris Johnson and a brother James D. Johnson.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Gayle Summey and Reverend A.L. Tumblin officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Derrell Calvert, Jeff Graham, Andy Leopard, Walter Buff, Mickey Goodman, Robert Kimbrell and Billy Kimbrell.
The family is at the home on Saluda Street and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7-9 Monday evening.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Pilkenton family.

Maude Polatty

Leila Maude Dorn Polatty, wife of the late George Blake Polatty, died April 29, 2007, at Hospice House of Greenwood.
Born in Saluda County, she was a daughter of the late Eddie Eugene and Hope Bridges Dorn. She retired as a textile worker and in her later years, volunteered at Self Regional Medical Center. She was a lifelong member of Good Hope Baptist Church in Saluda and later became a member of Laurel Baptist Church in Greenwood.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother and loved by all her family.
Surviving are a daughter, Dianne Moore of Greenwood; grandchildren, Donna Lynn Culbertson of Whitmire, Robin Corley Whitt of Greenwood and Kenneth Blake Corley of Charleston; great-grandchildren, Jami Lynn Day of Lillington, N.C., Lee Culbertson of Norfolk, Va., Emily Blake Whitt and Rose Elizabeth Whitt, both of Greenwood; sisters, Myrtle Lee Quattlebaum of Leesville, Elma Dorn, Wofford Davis, Myrtis Dorn and Arzelle Trotter, all of Saluda.
She was predeceased by a daughter, Linda Faye Polatty Corley.
Funeral services will be conducted 3 p.m. Monday at the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Scott Dublin officiating and Rev. Steve Justice assisting at the committal service.
Interment will be in the Mayson Memorial Cemetery at Good Hope Baptist Church in Saluda.
Pallbearers will be Tommy Dorn, Chip Whitt, Wilber Scurry, Malcolm Jackson, Thomas Butler, Perry Thompson, Mike Day and Chris Bledsoe.
The family is at the home, 204 Penn Avenue and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 2-3 p.m. Monday.
Memorials may be made to the Hospice House of Greenwood, c/o HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the Good Hope Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 1738 Greenwood Highway, Saluda, S.C. 29138.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting Mrs. Polatty’s family.

Jean Saladin

Jean Juengst Saladin, 84, resident of 108 Northgate, widow of Joseph William Saladin, Sr. died April 28, 2007 at her residence.
Born in Croton Falls, New York April 19, 1923 a daughter of the late Daniel J. and Adelle Purdy Juengst, she was a member of North Side Baptist Church where she was a member of WMU and the Seniors Sunday School Class.
Surviving are three sons, Donald Saladin of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, Joseph W. Saladin, Jr. of Waterloo and Phillip E. Saladin of the home; one brother, Daniel P. Juengst of Willington, S.C.; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a son Michael Bruce Saladin.
Memorial services will be conducted Tuesday at 6 p.m. from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend A.B. Parsons officiating.
The family is at the home.
Those desiring may make memorials to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, S.C. 29646 in memory of Mrs. Saladin.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Saladin family.

C. Carlton Simms

WATERLOO — C. Carlton Simms, 84, of 135 Jack Frost Dr., Waterloo, died Saturday, April 28, 2007 at his residence.
Mr. Simms was born in Mason County, West Virginia, a son of the late Ernest C. and Ethel Wright Simms.
He was an avid golfer and started his career as a caddie in West Virginia at the age of nine. He became a member of the Spring Valley Country Club and later built his own driving range in Huntington, W. Va. Mr. Simms was affiliated with several Country Clubs in West Virginia and Ohio before coming to Laurens County in 1969. In 1970, he built and opened to the public the first nine holes of the Rolling “S” golf course in Waterloo. He later completed the full eighteen holes at Rolling “S”. Mr. Simms was a member of the National PGA, a member of the Waterloo Baptist Church and he served his country in the United States Marine Corps during WWII.
He is survived by his wife, Naomi Stalnaker Simms of the home; one son, John Mark Simms of Waterloo; one sister, Belva Rardin of Waterloo; a sister-in-law, Rita Simms of Huntington, W. Va.; and one granddaughter, Jennifer Gleaton and her husband Joey of Waterloo.
He is predeceased by a brother, Arley “Ray” Simms and a sister, Inez Donnelly.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
The family is at the home, 135 Jack Frost Dr., Waterloo.
Memorials may be made to the Waterloo Baptist Church, 112 Blakely Rd., Waterloo, S.C., 29384, or HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, S.C. 29646.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.grayfuneralhome.com.
Gray Funeral Home of Laurens is in charge.

Donald R. Thomas

CALHOUN FALLS — Donald R. Thomas, age 43, of 121 Seneca Circle, died Friday, April 27, 2007, at his home. He was born in Abbeville County and was the son of Harry and Drucilla Turman Thomas. He was a U.S. Army veteran, a 1982 graduate of Calhoun Falls High School, and a member of Glovers A.M.E. Church.
Surviving are two daughters, Shanika White of Atlanta, Ga., Katara White of Augusta, Ga; his parents of Calhoun Falls; two sisters, Linda (Chester) Bray of Clarkston, Ga., Fornia Thomas of Atlanta, Ga; a brother, Nathaniel Thomas of Calhoun Falls; paternal grandmother, Lillie Mae Thomas; and a grandchild, Destiny Faulk.
Services will be Tuesday, May 1, 2007, at Glovers A.M.E. Church at 1 p.m. with Rev. Larry Merrill officiating. The body will be placed in the church at noon.
Brown and Walker Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
The family is at the home of his parents, 221 Elberton Street.

Opinion

Are we pricing too many candidates out of race?

April 30, 2007

Every election cycle sees the costs for politicking increase. It happens in all elections, of course, from Greenwood to Columbia to Washington. For those running for president, though, the figures are staggering.
Take the present campaign, for example. The experts are saying that candidates need to raise millions upon millions of dollars to remain viable candidates. That’s almost obscene. Mostly it’s the cost of running television campaigns, paying staff and traveling that raises the ante time after time.
Needless to say, that stands in stark contrast to the days when stump meetings were big and indeed important in the grand scheme of winning elections.
Something else has changed, too. There was a time, not too long ago, either, when it was proudly said that this is America, and anyone in America can grow up to be president.
Not now ..... unless he or she has a whole lot of dollars in the kitty. It begs the question, too, and it is relevant to our future. Are we pricing elected office out of the reach of good candidates?