A day fit for a King

‘Dream still alive’ for march

January 16, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

Dreary skies and a threat of rain couldn’t stop the “dream” from marching on.
More than 300 people took to the streets of Greenwood Monday for a march in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
The event, celebrating its third year, was organized by the Dream Builders of Greenwood, a group of local men who seek to provide a positive influence in the local community.
The march began with a short program on the steps of the Greenwood County Courthouse that was highlighted by the reciting of a poem by Sallie Marie Tompkins. The poem, “Time For a Change,” was an original creation by Tompkins.
The diminutive wordsmith recited the poem, which celebrated the life and goals of King, with a fervor that stirred the crowd in attendance.
The crowd joined in to chant along at certain points.
Tompkins said she was thrilled Monday’s crowd was so large and that her poem served as a part of the program the crowd could respond to.
“It just shows that Dr. King’s dream is still alive,” Tompkins said. “This march shows that all races can come together and make that dream a reality.”
After a large enough crowd had gathered, the group began its march toward Old Brewer Middle School, where the program concluded. The Dream Builders led the way, toting a banner signifying their organization. Many in the crowd had signs of their own, with everyone from children to church groups to seniors holding homemade messages of equality and positive living.
Tyrone Blackburn, a Dream Builders member, said he hoped the march would help raise awareness around the Lakelands of what King accomplished in his life.
“I hope it raises awareness,” Blackburn said. “But I also hope it raises appreciation — appreciation for all the work that Dr. King and others did to make all this possible.”
The Rev. Eddie Freeman, also a Dream Builders member, reminded the crowd about that work once the group made it to the school and was seated in the auditorium.
“Let me just remind you all that we couldn’t live where we live if it wasn’t for Martin Luther King’s dream,” he said.
“We couldn’t eat where we eat if it wasn’t for his dream.”
Freeman also said Monday’s march boasted the largest number of young people the event has seen in its three-year existence. Many students took advantage of a day off from school to attend.
Greenwood’s Tamala Griffin said one of the main reasons she attended was because of the urging of a special young person in her life.
“Really, the reason I’m out here is because of my son,” Griffin said. “He’s 10 years old, and he wanted to come to the march. But it’s great. It is a heartfelt event and it promotes unity.”
Michael Gaston, director of First Steps in Greenwood, said the increased presence of young people was one of the march’s highlights.
“It is very encouraging,” Gaston said. “Many young people are not sure exactly what this day really means. It is good to have an event that will help to enlighten young minds.”

Ninety Six’s little big man

Size not an issue with Wildcat wrestler

January 16, 2007

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

NINETY SIX — David versus Goliath.
That’s the best way to describe Ninety Six Wildcat wrestler Rusty Harter each time he steps on the mat to face an opponent.
Standing a mere 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing in at 95 pounds, it wouldn’t be a surprise if those facing Harter think they are about to have an easy night when they step onto the mat.
But Harter leaves those thoughts to his opponent. All he’s thinking about is how to take him down, whether it’s Goliath or not.
“I just really think about how I’m going to do and think about what I’m supposed to do when I get down on the mat,” Harter said. “I just try to get them on the mat fast and get the match over with.”
Harter, a freshman who wrestles in the 103-pound class, is often out-weighed in each match. But he’s more than made up for the weight differences, as he’s 8-4 this season.
Wildcats coach Brian Neal said that Harter is one of the smallest wrestlers he’s coached but added that he’s also one of the toughest.
“He’s out-weighed most of the time,” Neal said. “He has a lot of energy though and goes after it real hard every time he goes out there. He’s done a good job for us.”
With that in mind, it isn’t a stretch to compare Harter to the slingshot-wielding underdog who overcame the odds to defeat a larger foe.
“Everybody loves an underdog I guess, and looking at Rusty’s stature you’d think he is the underdog, but he goes out there and gives it his all and more times than not, he matches up pretty well with those bigger guys,” Neal said. “I think his biggest strength is his motor.”
“He may not be the strongest or the biggest or the best technique-wise, but he’s going to give it 110 percent and go all out. He’s going to go out there and be like a little wildcat on you.”
One aspect of wrestling that holds true with the Wildcats is that nothing is given to you. Harter has had to compete with teammate Gary Hepler in a wrestle-off each week to decide who wrestles in the 103-pound slot for the Wildcats.
“They’ve split time pretty much down the middle. They’ve wrestled off about four times and I think they’ve each won it twice,” Neal said. “Rusty is going to be it for a couple of weeks now because Gary broke his thumb and is going to be out for a couple weeks anyway. They’ll wrestle off again if he comes back in time but that’s still questionable.”
If you haven’t paid attention, you might think that Harter participates in matches as a sort of feel-good story for the Wildcats, but after watching him perform, you quickly realize that he’s not out there for a pat on the back.
As a matter of fact, wrestlers who don’t take him seriously often end up on their backs.
Just ask the six wrestlers that he has pinned this season.
Harter also has the added bonus of having a father who wrestled, although in a higher weight class, who he can get tips from and who always lends his support.
“It’s exciting. Especially to see him do things I did in high school,” Bo Harter said. “It’s pretty cool. When he dominates in that fashion, it’s nice. But he can be lazy so I stay on him. Anytime the practices are in the afternoon, I’m here.”
Neal said that he thinks that Harter has a chance to qualify for the Upper State and state finals if he continues to improve as he has all season. He added that he’ll likely have to go through a teammate, possibly Hepler for the chance though.
“I just hope I can get to the state and win it,” Harter said. “That’s going to be the toughest match I could have.”
No matter how tough the matches get for this wrestler, he’s not backing down from any Goliath.

Obituaries

Rose Gatto D’Amato

ENFIELD, Conn. — Rose (Gatto) D’Amato, 101, formerly of Abbeville, SC, died Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Suffield House, Suffield, CT with her devoted family at her bedside. Her beloved husband of 71 years, Louis S. D’Amato, retired Superintendent at the Bigelow Sanford Carpet Co., predeceased her in 2002. Rose was born in Enfield on March 16, 1905, a daughter of the late Charles and Giovanina (Borelli) Gatto, and had lived in the Enfield community for many years, moving to South Carolina for 16 years. She returned to the Enfield community in 1984. Prior to her retirement, she had been employed in the spinning dept. of the Bigelow Sanford Carpet Co. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Louis R. and Fran D’Amato of Enfield; two grandchildren, Karen Tarnowicz and her husband, Michael, of Enfield, and Louis S. D’Amato, II and his wife, Debra, of Danbury, CT; two great-grandchildren, Andrew and Victoria Tarnowicz; and her sister, Sarah Pellegrino of Enfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thurs., Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. in St. Bernard’s Church, Enfield. Burial will follow in St. Bernard’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Memorial donations may be made to the Suffield House Recreation Fund, 1 Canal Road, Suffield, CT 06078 or the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Joseph’s Residence, 1365 Enfield St., Enfield, CT 06082. For online condolences please visit www.leetestevens.com.

Earl Evans

WARE SHOALS — Mr. Earl Evans, age 88, of 33 Sullivan St., Ware Shoals, S.C., passed on Friday, Jan. 12, 2007 at his residence. He was the son of the late Della McCanty Evans and Phillip Evans. He attended New Broadmouth Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Thomasine Strange Evans of the home; two daughters, Frances (Willie C.) Todd of Laurens S.C., Virginia (James) Williams of Ware Shoals S.C.; one son, Lester Earl (Wanda) Evans of Suitland, Md.; one sister, Floree Evans of North Augusta S.C.; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the New Broadmouth Baptist Church. Burial is in the church cemetery. The Holloway’s Funeral Home Inc. of Belton, S.C., is in charge of arrangements. The family is at the home.

Moses Fisher

NINETY SIX — Moses Fisher, 82, 613 Waller Road, died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007 at University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.
Born in Greenwood County, he was the son of the late John Fisher and the late Mary Williams Fisher. He was a member of Young’s Chapel Baptist Church, where he was a member of the Gospel Choir and the Usher Board. Survivors include two sons, Bennie Earl (Lula) Fisher of New York and Willie James Fisher of Ninety Six; one daughter, Mary (John) Gary of Greenwood; four brothers, Harold Fisher of Washington, D.C., Charlie (Janie Pearl) Fisher of Greenwood, Chester Fisher of Ninety Six and Robert O. (Lillie Mae) Fisher of Greenwood; four sisters, Helen F. Holmes of Greenwood, Lois F.
Martin of Ninety Six, Ollie Mae (Paul) Mathis of Ninety Six and Elizabeth F. Baylor of Greenwood; three stepchildren, Willie Mays of Ninety Six, Robert Fisher of Ninety Six and Alvin Fisher of Greenwood; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services are noon Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007 at Young’s Chapel Baptist Church, conducted by Rev.
James L. Holmes. Presiding will be Rev. Tommy Stanford. Assisting will be Rev. Ulysses Parks and Rev. Anthony Boozer.
The body will be placed in the church at 11 a.m. Burial will be in The Evening Star Cemetery. Pallbearers are nephews, and flower bearers are nieces. The family will receive friends at the home of a sister, Elizabeth Baylor, 361 Joe Louis Blvd., on Tuesday evening from 6-7. Robinson & Son Mortuary, Inc. is assisting the Fisher family. Online condolences may be sent to robson@nctv.com.

Aaron Quincy Hall

Aaron Quincy Hall, 43, of 801 Neel St., died Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, at his home.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.

William R. ‘Pops’ Thomason

WARE SHOALS — William R. “Pops” Thomason, 85, of 13 Oak St., widower of Elise Simpson Thomason, died Jan. 14, 2007. He was born in Spartanburg, SC, a son of the late James Wesley and Roberta Jones Thomason. Mr. Thomason served in the US Army Air Corps in WWII and was retired from Pirelli. He was a member of West Main St. Church of God and the Men’s Sunday School Class.
Surviving are two sons, John T. Johnson, Anderson, O’Dell Johnson, Ware Shoals, eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
He was pre-deceased by a son, Lonnie Johnson.
Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Parker-White Funeral Home, with Rev. Aaron Hodges officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Active pallbearers will be Bobby, Ricky and Doug Johnson, John Babb and Sean and Chance Roberts.
Memorials may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, P.O. Box 1178, Greenwood, S.C. The family is at their respective homes and will receive friends on Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. at Parker-White Funeral Home.

Edith Thompson

Edith Esther Webb Thompson, 89, resident of Forest View Manor Retirement Center, widow of Homer Lee Thompson, died Jan. 14, 2007 at Hospice House.
Born in Louisa, KY, Sept. 5, 1917, she was a daughter of the late William L. and Bertha Thompson Webb. Mrs. Thompson was a native of Webbville, KY, where she helped maintain the home and farming operations. She attended McCormick United Methodist Church and was a member of the Wesley Sunday School Class. She enjoyed seven years at Forest View Manor where she visited with residents and visitors to the center.
Surviving are two sons, Byron Thompson of McCormick and Earl Thompson of Webbville, KY; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday from the Malone Funeral Home Chapel in Grayson, KY, with burial to follow in Greenlawn Cemetery in Louisa, KY.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to McCormick United Methodist Church, PO Box 267, McCormick, SC 29835.

Sadie P. Tolbert

Sadie Porter Tolbert, 87, of 214 Cowhead Creek Road, Whitehall Section of Greenwood County, widow of George E. Tolbert, died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007.
Born in Pickens County, she was a daughter of the late William E. and Mattie Lou Dacus Porter and stepdaughter of the late Bessie R. Porter. She was a graduate of Greenwood High School, was a member of South Main Street Baptist Church and Calvary Chapel. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother.
She was preceded in death by brothers, Marion S. Porter, William Casey Porter and Ronald Porter.
Surviving is a daughter, Ann Logan and her husband, Dr. Joseph W. Logan, of Greenwood; a son, George William (Bill) Tolbert and his wife, Susan McVie Tolbert, of Indianapolis, IN, and Naples, FL; four sisters, Helen Putnam and Louise Whatley, both of Greenwood, Edna Todd Tarrant and her husband, Marion Tarrant, of Greenwood and Aiken and Pat Hutto and her husband, A.J. Hutto, of Orangeburg; six grandchildren, Joseph W. Logan, Jr. of Melbourne, FL, Dr. Matthew T. Logan of Greenwood, Andrew E. Logan of Newnan, GA, George Alexander Tolbert of Nashville, TN, Brian W. Tolbert of Cleveland, OH, and Elizabeth M. Tolbert of Winston-Salem, NC; 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. David Evans and the Rev. Ryan Eklund officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be her grandchildren along with a nephew, Robert S. Tolbert, III.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The family is at the home of her daughter, Ann Logan, 214 Cowhead Creek Road.
Memorials may be made to Calvary Chapel, 2024 Woodlawn Road, Greenwood, SC 29649; South Main Street Baptist Church, PO Box 1093, Greenwood, SC 29648; or to Greater Greenwood United Ministries, 1404 Edgefield Street, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

CORRECTION

For the obituary of Blanche Sherrill in Monday’s paper, there was an omission in the information given to The Index-Journal.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Main Street United Methodist Church Building Fund, 211 N. Main St., Greenwood, SC 29646.

Opinion

Real ethics reform needs should get more attention

January 16, 2007

More than a quarter of a century ago a congressman from South Carolina - John Jenerette of the Sixth District - was one of a number of Washington lawmakers who was forced out of office apparently when greed led his astray. In retrospect, that lapse in good sense almost pales in light of some of the more recent ethics violations by other members of Congress.
There have been considerable numbers of such violations of trust, not to mention the law, since the undercover sting that brought Jenerette and others down. In fact, South Carolinians are all too aware of the “Lost Trust” sting a few years ago that caught some state lawmakers with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

NO ONE HAS TO BE REMINDED, to be sure, of what that kind of violation of trust does to the credibility of government in general with the public. It takes awhile to regain good standing.
So, then, once in a while efforts are made to “correct” the problem ..... ethics reform, so to speak. In fact, Congress has just addressed the subject. One of the only drawbacks, though, is that Congress has, unfortunately, strained at gnats and swallowed flies. In short, it has fixed the little things but not necessarily the big ones. You might say it has banned acceptance of a meal but left the door wide open for being gifted with a banquet.
Ethics reform, it seems, deserves more reform and less winking at loopholes.