A voice wanting to be heard

Few show up for school board protest

June 27, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

ABBEVILLE — It’s already 5:03 p.m. Tuesday when the leader of a planned protest of the Abbeville County School District finally arrives in the district parking lot at the wheel of her aging beige Saab four-door.
Ethel Regina Lee is three minutes late, but she knows this party will not get started without her. She has signs — proclaiming her distaste for new school board meeting policies she says make it more difficult for dissenting voices like hers to be heard, and two recent hirings — and she also has one supporter.
Lee gathers her signs and heads off for her temporary home for the next two hours — the paved sidewalk on Greenville Street — saying, “Sidewalk, here we come.”
She takes her station and starts walking — alone.
Her fellow supporter, a man from Calhoun Falls named Floyd Tillman, finally grabs a couple of signs and starts his own march.
The two of them make several trips back and forth along Greenville Street as cars roll by slowly.
Word has circulated within the community that there is going to be a demonstration at the district office.
There is a police presence nearby, but it’s muted.
Officers are present only to offer assistance if needed — and they won’t be.
Lee says she is not about violence at all. In fact, she celebrates her right to walk the sidewalk in peace, saying “my ancestors would have loved this, because the way things used to be they would have turned the dogs on us, and they don’t do that anymore. This is a blessing.”
Lee is not a person given to holding her tongue, and she’s been known to raise her voice a time or two to voice her opinions — no matter how they are received. But today she’s calm and collected. She is at peace.
“The way that they have the policy now, they can keep anyone from speaking,” Lee said. “I can’t hand out any materials at the school board meetings or they might call the police. What are they afraid of?”
The minutes go by and a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent arrives.
Lee has requested his presence at her little protest.
She is asked why she felt the need to have SLED stand by her side, and it’s the only question during the entire protest she sidesteps with “no comment.”
More time passes and it becomes clears Lee will not get the 100 supporters she hoped for when she signed the permit to organize the protest. Not one other person has arrived. She won’t even get close to 10 people.
“Our 10 to 100 people is not here,” she says. “I understand. Some people are scared. I mean they have jobs, you know.”
It’s getting later in the evening — past 6 p.m. now — and there is thunder rumbling in the distance. Finally, a third supporter arrives.
The black woman — who does not want her name used in a story — sidles up to Lee and Tillman and asks Regina Lee “where is everyone at?”
“It doesn’t matter whether or not 10 people or 100 people or two people show up,” Lee tells her. “They just don’t want this to be in the media.”
The third supporter never even picks up a sign.
Then there is a ray of hope for Lee and her two supporters — a white one.
A white woman slows down her minivan as she passes by the protest. She rolls down the window and all three protesters hold their breath.
“I just want you to know that I appreciate what you’re doing,” she says.
“I hope that you’re with us,” Lee says in return.
“I am,” the woman replies.
Then, a car which has rolled up behind her rudely honks its horn.
She is in the way. Suddenly she is gone.
No one else stops during the entire protest. Some wave, but no one else stops. It’s enough to set Regina Lee to smiling again.
For whatever reason, her thoughts of a large gathering of support to protest the school board failed miserably. But she has gotten her point across — at least to one woman in Abbeville County.
And for Lee, it’s one more supporter than she had two hours ago.
“See there, now that’s why you can’t judge everybody by the color of their skin,” Lee says. “Racism is just a mental illness. People say I’m a troublemaker, but I’m a peaceful troublemaker.”

Spinning stories from the past

June 27, 2007

By LARRY SINGER
Index-Journal staff writer

Outside the massive brown building that was once the Greenwood Cotton Mill, two crews were dismantling and repackaging more than a century of history and memories.
At one end of a parking lot rested what resembled the remnants of a tall building after a very strong earthquake. Three men picked up baked clay rectangles from one of dozens of 5-foot-high, jumbled piles of bricks. After knocking off the excess mortar by hand, the workers stacked and neatly wrapped the bricks in heavy bundles.
In an adjoining lot, a flatbed tractor-trailer was being loaded with piles of lumber that once covered the mill’s floor.
Next to what is left of the main building, a blue door — still intact — was half-covered by a mountain of bricks.
Recently, as he stood inside the nearly gutted mill, Mat Self bent over and picked up a large spool of white thread.
In one short story, Self demonstrated how important a role the mill played in the lives of Greenwood-area residents.
“Years ago,” Self said, “I asked the man responsible for blowing the whistle that started and ended each shift how he knew exactly when to blow that whistle. He told me he went uptown to the store that used to be where the theater now stands, and he’d look at the clock there, and that’s how he knew when to blow the whistle.
“One day he asked the man in the shop how he knew the exact time by which he set his clock, and the man told him, ‘When I hear the whistle go off in the mill, I set the clock.’”
That whistle now sits in an office adjacent to Self’s, but during the mill’s heyday it served several functions. Back then, the work day was from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a 30-minute lunch period, and from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
According to the book “The Character of Quality,” by G. O. Robinson, each work day the mill whistle blew at 4:30 a.m. to awaken the employees in the company houses.
A second whistle summoned employees to the mill, and a third was the signal to begin work. The third whistle was known as the dock whistle, because if an employee was not on the job when it blew, his pay was docked.
The mill, which after the Civil War was known as a cotton factory, was founded by brothers W.L. Durst and J.K. Durst in 1890.
The Durst brothers raised money for the construction and operation of the mill by offering $100 stock certificates that could be purchased through a payment of as little as 50 cents a week with no money down required.
One of those stockholders was James C. Self.
The financial panic of 1907 created difficult times, and by 1908 the mill was operating under a $10-per-spindle debt. “When the mill began to founder, my grandfather was a cashier at the bank,” Mat Self said. “He had his whole savings tied up in the Greenwood Cotton Mill.”
Because of his financial interest and the board of directors’ regard for his managerial abilities, Self was named president of Greenwood Cotton Mill.
During its period of operation, the mill employed as many as 500 people at one time.
“Actually there were two plants,” Self said. “There was a two-story plant between what is now Uptown Greenwood and where Self Regional Healthcare now stands, and the four-story plant.
“The two-story plant was torn down and moved to where the hospital laundry is now. That property was sold to the hospital about seven years ago.”
According to the county tax records, what is left of the four-story mill is now owned by Timberworks LLC.
Since the mill was first sold, however, it has passed through several hands.
The first was a company named Facemate that made cotton and blended fabrics in flat and tubular constructions.
“It’s gone through several owners,” said Bob Haynie, with Greenwood Development Corp. “When we sold it, we were done with it, but it is my understanding that the property then went into bankruptcy.”
As Mat Self finished his most recent tour of what is left of the mill, one of the men supervising the loading lumber onto the flatbed truck was asked when the project of leveling and shipping out the remains of the mill would be finished.
“In six months,” he said, looking at the mill’s now nearly hollow shell, “it will be a parking lot.”

Post 20 gets win despite pitching

June 27, 2007

By SCOTT J. BRYAN
Index-Journal sports editor

A day after a disappointing loss to Walhalla, Greenwood’s American Legion baseball team won a much-needed ballgame Tuesday night.
But it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing.
Post 20 pitchers allowed 15 walks and Easley stranded 17 baserunners in Greenwood’s 10-4 League VIII victory at Legion Field.
“Our pitching only gave up four hits, but we gave up like 15 walks and five errors,” Greenwood manager Billy Dean Minor said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever won a game where I had 15 walks and five errors. But a win’s a win. We hit the ball better and ran the bases better.”
It was another day of mixed results for Post 20, a talented squad struggling to find consistency in all three phases of the game. The bats came alive, somewhat, with Post 20 (8-4 league) recording 11 hits after Minor shuffled the lineup before the game.
Several batters moved around in the batting order, the designated hitter was dropped and Mack Hite, who was the team’s leadoff batter, was in the No. 9 hole Tuesday night. Brandon Miller, who’s batted second most of the season, was 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot, while Cruse Tollison, typically Post 20’s No. 3 hitter, was 2-for-4 with a double at the No. 2 spot. “We just looked at some things and tried to make some adjustments,” Minor said.
Greenwood’s lead was as high as 9-1 after four innings, but Easley (5-5 league) took advantage of walks and errors to cut the deficit to 9-4 after the seventh inning.
“We’re glad to have the victory,” Minor said. “We’ll take a victory anyway we can get them.”
Tollison was the starting pitcher, but he only lasted 4 1/3 innings, so Christian Powell, who moved from left field, picked up the winning, pitching the final 4 2/3 innings.
Greenwood travels to Walhalla on Friday in a crucial League VII game. Game time against the first-place team is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“We’ve beat them once, and they’ve beaten us twice,” Minor said. “A couple of the games could have gone either way.”

Obituaries

Richard ‘Rip’ Edwin Arnold

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Graveside services will be held at Graceland East Memorial Park in Simpsonville, SC, on Friday, June 29, 2007 at noon for Richard “Rip” Edwin Arnold, 81, of Gainesville, GA. Mr. Arnold is a former resident of Greenville, SC.
Rev. Greg Burgner and family friend Bob Kapp will officiate, and the family will receive friends immediately following the service. Mr. Arnold died Monday, June 25, 2007 at his residence, following an extended illness.
Mr. Arnold was born in Abbeville, SC, on Feb. 8, 1926 to the late Eugene Franklin Arnold and Lucia Ashmore Arnold. He was raised in Greenwood, SC, and lived in Greenville, SC, for 50 years before moving to Gainesville, GA, three years ago. Mr. Arnold attended Lander College in Greenwood and served his country with the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII and the Korean Conflict. He was the retired owner of Richard E. Arnold Realtor and was an Honorary State Constable for South Carolina. He also served as District Commissioner for the Wade Hampton Fire & Sewer District in Greenville, SC, from 1974-1993.
Mr. Arnold is preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, Marie McCravy Arnold and a brother, John Pearce Arnold.
Survivors include two daughters, Jeanne Arnold Hinton and husband, Rick, Gainesville, GA, and Diane Arnold Sowerbutts and husband, Mark, Corona, CA; a brother, Eugene Franklin Arnold and wife, Margie, Greenville, SC; three grandchildren, Richard Blake Hinton, Gainesville, GA, Mackenzie Lee Sowerbutts and Leah Marie Sowerbutts, Corona, CA; along with numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 2150 Limestone Pkwy., Gainesville, GA 30501.
Little-Davenport Funeral Home, Gainesville, GA, is in charge of arrangements.

Wendy M. Buchanan

SUMMERVILLE — Wendy Major Buchanan, 36, of 1505 Martins Creek Blvd., formerly of Greenwood, wife of Michael Benjamin Buchanan, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at her home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Greenwood.

Joe D. Corley

CLINTON — Joe D. Corley, age 88, of 307 Caldwell St., widower of Edna Nabors Corley, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007 in the Woodruff Manor.
He was born in Newberry and was the son of the late Addie and Daisy Corley.
Mr. Corley was a former employee of Lydia Mill, was retired from Whitten Center and was also a locksmith. He was a member of Davidson St. Baptist Church and was a WW II U.S. Army veteran.
He is survived by a daughter, Linda Harris and husband, Dr. J. William Harris of Greenwood; a son, Richard Corley and wife, Linda Corley of Lexington; a daughter-in-law, Sandra Corley of Lake Murray; seven grandchildren; and fourteen great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by a son, Ronald D. Corley.
Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at 11 a.m. in the Gray Funeral Home Chapel, with interment at Pinelawn Memory Gardens.
The family will receive friends Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Davidson Street Baptist Church, 400 Davidson St., Clinton, SC 29325.
Family members will be at their respective homes.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.grayfuneralhome.com.
Gray Funeral Home of Clinton.

Richard DiDiego

Richard Mauro DiDiego, 83, resident of 104 Spencer Court, husband of Ann Theresa Gilligan DiDiego (“Boots”), died June 26, 2007, at Hospice House.
Born in the Bronx, NY, Jan. 9, 1924, he was the son of the late Richard and Emily Germano DiDiego. He was a graduate of Columbia University in New York City. He also attended the school of Painting and Sculpture at Columbia. He studied Textile Design at various schools.
During World War II, he was attached to the Third Field Artillery Observation Battalion and served in the European Theater.
He moved to Greenwood in 1974 when he was transferred with Milliken, Inc. He was a designer of automotive fabrics at Abbeville Mill. After his retirement in 1996, he worked as a consultant for several more years.
Mr. DiDiego was an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, where he served as Eucharistic minister, lector, and guitarist. He was a 4th degree knight and past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus that he started in Greenwood with Charles Lober in the 1970’s. He held an honorary life membership in the Knights. He regularly joined the Knights for the Highway Cleanup. He was an avid golfer and member of the Senior Men’s Golf Group at Hunter’s Creek.
Mr. DiDiego was a professional guitar player in New York where he touched many lives. He was a warm loving husband and father of six children. He was predeceased by his son Billy and his brother Ted.
Surviving in addition to his wife of fifty years, are brother Robert of Fletcher, NC; three daughters, Marianne Melton and husband, Pat of Lexington, SC, Laura Harrington and husband, Bill of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and Caroline Elsken and husband, Paul of Boca Raton, FL; two sons, Tim DiDiego and wife, Kerry of Lexington, KY, and John DiDiego and wife, Michele of Mariposa, CA; eight grandchildren, Brian and Emily Elsken, Paul Melton, Ashlyn, Cameron, and Cierra Harrington, Mimi DiDiego, and Thomas DiDiego.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 29, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, with Father Timothy Tebalt celebrating. Pallbearers will be the Knights of Columbus.
The family is at the home in Hunters Creek and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m. Thursday evening. The rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Life Center Building Fund, 915 Mathis Road, Greenwood, SC 29649 or to Hospice House, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the DiDiego family.

Angelo Maiuro

ABBEVILLE — Angelo Maiuro, widower of Thelma Clinkscales Maiuro, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.

Penny Pinson

Carlisle Ray “Penny” Pinson, 62, of 516 Puckett Ferry Road, husband of Sylvia Cogburn Pinson, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at his home.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Hilda C. Robinson

Hilda Pauline Caldwell Robinson, 86, of 313 Grace Court, Apt. 9, widow of Tolson Robinson, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at Hospice House.
The family is at the home.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is in charge.

Margaret Voiselle

NINETY SIX — Margaret Johnson Voiselle, 81, resident of 103 Cothran Street, widow of Claude A. “Diz” Voiselle, died June 26, 2007 at the home of her daughter.
Born in Saluda County, April 14, 1926, she was a daughter of the late Joseph I. and Mosie Lee Palmer Johnson. She was retired from Self Memorial Hospital and was a member of Cambridge United Methodist Church.
Surviving are a daughter, Annelle V. and husband, Larry Jones of Ninety Six; two sisters, Mary Lois Merchant and Thelma Attaway, both of Saluda; and a brother, Lewis Benjamin Johnson of Ninety Six. She was predeceased by a son, Joseph Rodney Voiselle and a daughter, Wanda Kay Voiselle.
Funeral services will be conducted at 4 p.m. Thursday at Cambridge United Methodist Church, with Rev. Gayle Summey and Rev. Louie Murray officiating.
Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Rodney Smith, Derrick Smith, Kevin Calliham, Scott Goodman, Neal Lomax, Mike Leopard, Russell Fox and John Eisinzimmer.
Honorary escort will be the men of Cambridge United Methodist Church, along with Victor Voiselle, Wendell Voiselle, Bill Voiselle, Little Bill Voiselle, Robert Washburn and Bo Lockaby.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home in Greenwood and will be placed in the church at 3 p.m. Thursday.
The family is at the home on Cothran Street and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7 to 9 Wednesday evening.
Memorial may be made to Cambridge United Methodist Church, 201 Kitson Street, Ninety Six, SC 29666.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Voiselle family.

Opinion

‘Political’ father shows S. C. courage and wisdom

June 27, 2007

One of the hardest things a parent has to face - and cope with - is to admit a child has a serious problem with his personal or professional life. Whether it’s about the home, business or anything else it’s damaging, especially if drugs are involved.
Being in high-profile politics makes it even more difficult because the glare of the public spotlight is always a factor. It must have been extremely painful, then, for Arthur Ravenel to say publicly that he believes his son has a drug problem. It was, without doubt, courageous.
Ravenel, a former U. S. Congressman and State Senator from Charleston is the father of State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel. The younger Ravenel, as every South Carolinian no doubt knows, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on drug charges.

HE WAS SUSPENDED FROM office by Governor Mark Sanford and has not spoken publicly since he was charged.
“We’re a large family,” Arthur Ravenel said, “and we’ll rally around him, and we’re going to see if indeed he does have a drug problem. We’re going to see to it that it is aggressively addressed.” He further said, “He (Thomas) agrees if he has a drug problem, and quite possibly he has, it needs to be addressed. His family is going to see to it that occurs.”
Thomas Ravenel, of course, was seen by many as a rising star in Palmetto State politics. Politics and the public are fickle, though, and whether the charges against him are true or not, the public trust that is lost because of the charges may never be restored. Still, the public can demonstrate a forgiving nature and could very well consider Thomas Ravenel’s future positively ..... somewhere down the political road.

MEANWHILE, THOUGH, THE judicious thing for him to do would be to publicly admit he has a problem - if he indeed does - and resign as State Treasurer. Trust is paramount to someone who oversees the people’s money and trust has already become a casualty because of the indictment itself.
Give Arthur Ravenel credit, though, for not trying to hide a problem if one exists. As noted, to publicly say that he believes his son has a drug problem has to be painful. Nevertheless, Arthur Ravenel has proved he is an honorable man and solidifies his retention of the public trust that he has kept through the years.
Like father, like son? Not in this case, or so it appears. In this case, though, the son can learn a valuable lesson from the father and begin working on reacquiring the public trust that he seemingly has squandered.