The spotlight's on them

Students dominate the stage in annual show

March 18, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

It’s not like Davis Dykes has never been on stage before.
He has, several times.
As a member of Greenwood Community Theatre, he has performed in such stage productions as “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Velvetine Rabbit.” So he’s no knee-knocking stage rookie.
But the 12-year-old at Westview Middle has dreams just like any of the other kids — and he’s about to fulfill one of them. In a matter of moments he’ll step on stage and sing the national anthem for a live audience for the first time. No big deal.
There’s only one problem.There are nearly 2,500 people out there crammed into nearly every available seat in Lander’s Finis Horne Arena.
They’ve come for the 2007 “In The Spotlight” showcase — the 13th annual such event — presented by the Education Enrichment Foundation and sponsored by Greenwood Development Company, the C.Y. Thomas Foundation and the Arts Council of Greenwood County.
More than 600 students will perform various talents — from song to dance and yoga to step — and Dykes’ voice will be the first voice they hear. That changes things just a bit — even for a stage veteran.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever performed the national anthem before so, yes, I’m a little nervous about it,” he said. “I had to practice it over and over until I got it just right. The national anthem isn’t an easy song to sing.”
It sure isn’t.
But he goes out there and nails it, just like the rest of the night’s youthful performers. Whether stomping the yard or jamming it out, the children of Greenwood County got the job done.
The event got off to a bopping start with the championship-winning Greenwood High Dance Team — featuring a medley of booming hits from the early 1990s — and never slowed down from there.
Highlights were in abundance.
There were the 120 “Cats in the Hat” of Ninety Six Primary, the dynamic steps of the Brewer Middle School Step Club, a little “Higher Ground” from Ware Shoals High, a rifle-twirling performance from the Greenwood High Drill Team and even an intelligently derived game-show-turned-musical provided by fourth- and fifth-grade students from Pinecrest Elementary, who asked this important question — “fact, fiction or what’s up with that?”
Pam Fagan has been in the “spotlight” since the beginning.
But where she once helped to corral students in the gymnasium during the early days of the production, she now shares a bit of the spotlight herself, handling master of ceremony duties with Robert Richburg.
She absolutely loves the job — and how the students (production of the various routines starts as early as December) always come up with new ways to entertain. Fagan has a point.
Performances on Saturday ranged from the “Virginia Reel” to some yoga with R. Kelly and stepping in the rain with hip-hop artist Missy Elliott.
“We always see a little bit of everything,” Fagan said. “I love seeing what the children have come up with differently each year.”

County ready for 2nd address

Jobs, economy among topics for speakers

March 18, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

On Thursday, officials from the city of Greenwood discussed hot topics from within the city limits at the first-ever State of the City address.
On March 27, local residents will get an opportunity to hear similar topics of conversation based around Greenwood County.
Partnership Alliance is hosting the second annual State of the County meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 27 at Greenwood Community Theatre. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Partnership Alliance’s Jeff Fowler touched briefly on what he expects the meeting to hold.
“This is to let people know what is happening in the county,” Fowler said. “There are a lot of new developments that people will likely be interested in hearing about.”
Fowler said economic development and new jobs will be among the topics of conversation.
Last year, the deal that brought SPF dog food company to Greenwood was announced at the State of the County meeting.
“We are hopeful that we will have a similar announcement this year,” Fowler said.
Fowler said the speakers will be varied. He expects there will be addresses from officials from the county, city, schools and the Partnership itself. He added it is an event that encompasses all of Greenwood County.
“This is not just (Partnership Alliance),” he said. “We’re just throwing the party.”
Last year, the State of the County was held in the remodeled Federal Building. Fowler said it is a pleasure to once again have the meeting in a remodeled facility.
“We are tremendously excited about the capabilities of the new theater,” Fowler said of GCT, which reopened last month after undergoing a total overhaul. “That theater has been a fixture in this community for a long, long time. I think it is great for people from the city and county to take part in this meeting together at this theater.”
Fowler added he is encouraged by the diligence with which local officials have worked together in recent years to show progress in Greenwood. He noted other cities and counties do not work together nearly as seamlessly.
Fowler outlined why he thinks the State of the County meeting will be beneficial to residents who might attend.
“There has been a shroud of mystery around economic development and recruiting companies and how it works in the county,” Fowler said. “We want to lift that shroud on projects where there is no necessity for secrecy. It is important for citizens to know what is going on in their community.”
For information on the State of the County meeting, call 388-1250.

Lords of the Ring

Ceremony honors team for winning state title

March 18, 2007

RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

You sacrifice a little, you gain a lot.
That’s how Josh Norman’s poem, “Race for the ring,” ended.
The entire Greenwood Eagles football family gained a lot Saturday night during a ring ceremony at Greenwood High School.
“We appreciate what everyone honored tonight has accomplished and the way they’ve represented Greenwood in such a positive way,” Eagles coach Shell Dula said. “Our cheerleaders, trainers, managers, coaches and our players have all represented Greenwood in a positive way. It’s just like Tony Dungy said when he was on the stand receiving the Super Bowl trophy, ‘It takes everybody.’ It’s everybody working together, understanding their role and carrying it out.
Everybody is vital to the success.”
Norman’s poem, which urged teammates to “get meaner or stay mediocre,” was written in January 2006 and was just one of many events that led to the Eagles’ run to the state title.
He read the poem for the large audience that gathered to watch the Eagles receive their rings.
“This is what we worked all year for,” Norman said. “You can’t explain it until you really actually get it, and then it hits you. The poem was all about how we didn’t want to go out like some of the teams that came before us that had a lot of talent but never came together.
“I just didn’t want to fall short because this is a great group of guys that stuck together. It was just foresight on everyone’s part, and we already knew we were going to do it because we had such a strong group of guy who were willing to work hard and stay together.”
Teammate Wes Abrams also read a poem titled, “The journey is complete,” which summarized the Eagles accomplishment.
Dula told those in attendance, during his opening remarks that Eagles’ championship season began on a Saturday afternoon in November 2005 during a coaches meeting where they discussed the direction of the team.
Dula said during the ceremony that physical and mental preparation was key to the Eagles’ success.
“They wanted to keep winning because they wanted to keep practicing,” Dula said. “We acted like champions, we played like champions and tonight, we are champions.”
“It just feels great to get this ring this season,” senior Sam Chappell said. “We worked so hard to get it, and all our hard work finally paid off.”
Chappell’s thoughts were shared by many of his teammates.
“I love this feeling,” senior Jeff Hughes said. “It’s indescribable, actually. There’s just no feeling like this. I’ve been up since December 1 thinking about this.”
When you throw in the fact that 40 of the 66 members of the team did not miss a single practice, it’s no wonder the Eagles were so in-tune with each other over the course of the season.
The Eagles were still, “in tune,” after taking a look at their rings for the first time, in what Dula referred to as the, “final act of unity.”
If you had any doubts, they were quickly squashed as T.J. Baylor led the Eagles in a few gospel songs (“You don’t know” and “I’m going to take a trip”) that had almost the entire crowd tapping their feet and in some cases, singing right along.
“It feels great,” Baylor said. “I’ll have these memories for the rest of my life.”
Dula even sang a few notes of a song that no fan can deny when it comes to the 2006 Eagles, “We are the champions.”

Obituaries

Gracie Blackstock

AUSTELL, Ga. — Gracie Blackstock, formerly of 626 Grier St., Greenwood, died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Ross Memorial Medical Center.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home & Crematory.

Otto Brock

HONEA PATH — Otto Brock, 81, of 3666 Keowee Road, husband of the late Doris Spence Brock, went to be with the Lord Saturday, March 17, 2007.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late Floyd and Fannie Smith Brock. He was a member of Keowee Baptist Church and was retired from Riegel Textile Corporation and Belton Bagging.
Surviving are one son; Michael Brock of Honea Path; four daughters, Barbara Rowland-Cox and Glenda Vaughn of Honea Path, Judy Livingston of Greenwood and Brenda Cannon of Abbeville; one brother, Robert Brock of Honea Path; one sister, Kathleen Mitchell of Honea Path; nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren and a special friend, Rev. James Welch. He was predeceased by four brothers, Lonnie, Leo, Frank and John Brock; two sisters, Eva Ashley and Nora Williams and three grandchildren, Travis Brock, Pamela Davis and Jeffrey Cannon.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Keowee Baptist Church with Rev. Jerry Mize, Rev. James Welch and Rev. Paul Cooper officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The body is at Pruitt Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Sunday. The body will be placed in the church at 1 p.m. Monday. The family is at the home.

Lewis Chapman

ABBEVILLE — Lewis Chapman, 74, of 803 Hickory Heights Apartments, died Wednesday, March 14, 2007, at Hospice Care of the Piedmont.
Services will be announced by Richie Funeral Home Inc.

Rebecca Griffith

ABBEVILLE — Rebecca Bryant Griffith, 77, of 222 Brookside Drive, widow of Jessie Kirkland Griffith, died Friday, March 16, 2007, at Self Regional Medical Center.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.

Terrence Payne Jr.

ABBEVILLE — Terrence Payne Jr., eight month son of Tiffany Hadden and Terrence Payne Sr., died Friday, March 16, 2007, at Abbeville Medical Center.
The family is at the home of his grandparents, John and Rose Agnew, 403 Poplar St.
Services will be announced by Abbeville & White Mortuary Inc.

Joe Lewis Rodgers

ATHENS, Ga. — Joe Lewis Rodgers, 65, of 170 Stephenon Ct., formerly of McCormick, S.C., died Friday, March 16, 2007, at Athens Regional Hospital.
The family is at the home of a sister, Queen Wakefield, 130 Ike Road, Mt. Carmel.
Services will be announced by Brown and Walker Funeral Home.

Hassie White

Hassie Rogers White, 90, formerly of 308 Roswell Road, widow of John C. White, died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Hospice House.
Born in Walhalla, she was the daughter of the late Charlie E. and Mary Jane Crowe Rogers. Mrs. White retired from Greenwood Mills and was a member of Siloam Baptist Church.
She was predeceased by three sons, five brothers and three sisters.
Surviving are a daughter, Elizabeth Sumerel of Greenwood; six grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren and eight great-great- grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Monday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with the Reverend Mark Vickers officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Johnny Sumerel, Bobby Sumerel, Wayne Sumerel, Jamie Davis, Jonathan Sumerel and Timothy Ginn.
The family will receive friends before the service on Monday from 1-3 p.m. at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of her daughter, Elizabeth Sumerel, 3901 Wilbert St.
Memorials may be made to Hospice House, 408 West Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Leon Wright

Leon Wright, 58, of 119 Warren Road, husband of Patricia Adams Wright, died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at his home.Born in Greenwood, he was the son of the late Mundy and Bernice Smiley Wright. He was retired from McCormick Department of Corrections and served in the U.S. Army. He was a member of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, where he was a member of the Mass Choir and served on the Trustee Board.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a son, Rodney Leon (Donna) Wright of Greenwood; a daughter, Venice (James) Rapley Jr. of Greenwood; a brother, Gerald (Carolyn) Wright of Greenwood; four sisters, Ruth Saddler and Elaine (Herbert) Wallace, both of Charlotte, N.C., Velma Evans and Helen Rouse, both of Greenwood; three grandchildren, James Rapley III and Dreck Wright, both of Greenwood and Chase Clark of Atlanta.
The family is at the home and at the home of a sister, Velma Evans, 121 Warren Road.
Services will be announced by Robinson & Son Mortuary Inc.
Online condolences may be sent to robson@nctv.com.

Opinion

Observations ... ... and other reflections

March 18, 2007

The Internet, regardless of who “invented” it (Al Gore said he did), has been a wonderful invention that provides all kinds of help to South Carolinians. For example, a Greenwood father says he can keep in immediate touch by e-mail with his son when he’s at sea by using a laptop computer. On the other hand, he says it would take weeks for a letter to reach his son.
That’s an obvious plus. There are many good uses, to be sure, but there are dangers, too. Bloggers, those faceless persons who write all sorts of things on the ‘net, can just about write anything without offering substantiation for anything.
The problem? Too many people are prone to believing anything, even without substantiation. That creates the possibility of untold troubles.

DO THE PEOPLE care about those on active military duty? They must. Businesses and individuals from all over South Carolina have raised $120,000 in contributions and pledges to bring Army National Guardsmen home on a 10-day leave before they go to duty in Afghanistan.
These days, when there may be doubts about how a lot of South Carolinians feel about their troops, this is proof positive. What more is needed?

PEOPLE ARE HUMAN. They make mistakes. Honest mistakes. They include persons of every political stripe, too. Politics, though, has gotten so vicious, it seems, that no one, no matter who they are, can make any kind of mistake without it becoming a political fracas to exploit ..... even it it’s not worthy of any such attention.
Is there any doubt why so many people are concerned about how some things have gone to you-know-where in a handbasket?

EVERY VOTER IN the Palmetto State is aware that political payoffs are part of how the system works. Supporters of whichever major political party that wins a majority in Congress, for example, expect favors in return for their support. Some are well-known.
This time it happens to be Democrats, and organized labor traditionally backs Democratic candidates. So what has that group received? Legislation that would take away the right of a secret ballot in union organization elections and to mandate that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) negotiate with labor unions over its security decisions.
That, without doubt, would take time, and time cannot be sacrificed in a world where terrorists are looking for anything to gain an edge.
It must be vetoed and the veto upheld. The alternative is frightening.