D50 programs touted

Leaders say Genesis Academy, ACTS have much potential

March 20, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Felicia Cartledge is excited.
As program coordinator of one of the newest educational opportunities for Greenwood School District 50 students, she has every right to be.
Genesis Academy — an alternative educational program designed to allow students to either secure additional credits or perform credit recovery — is still in its “infancy,” but what a thrilling newborn it has turned out to be.
Early returns on this district investment show staggering potential.
Modeled most closely after a Rock Hill School District 3 program (the Phoenix Academy), this new-look academy allows students a different — yet still challenging — opportunity to learn in ways they never thought possible, including the taking of afternoon classes.
Cartledge addressed District 50 board members Monday on where the program is now (at the Southside Learning Center with around 150 students) and where it could go in the future based on her 2007-08 proposal (old Northside Middle School with the addition of morning “early bird” classes).
“We just started in January so we are in our infancy, but we’re getting ready to enter our second phase in August,” Cartledge said. “We hope to widen the scope of services that we provide our students and our community.
“We’d like to address the needs of all of our students in some capacity and give them the option to either get ahead or catch up. We’d like to provide them some options and opportunity to explore things they haven’t explored before, and also to have them work in a different environment.”
The program, which aids high school and middle school students, hopes to positively affect the dropout and graduation rates.
“We’re still evolving,” Cartledge added. “We’ve had some very positive responses from both the parents and the students as well.”
Yet another program — the Arts, Communications and Theatre School, or ACTS — is still in the formative stages and will kick off at Brewer Middle School this fall with an initial class of sixth-grade students.
“This is going to offer parents and students more school choice and more options,” said Carrie Jo Chambers, District 50 magnet program coordinator.
Students wishing to enroll in the magnet school must complete an application process and conduct an interview with faculty members.
The school will offer classes in visual arts, chorus/voice, band, orchestra/strings, theater/drama, dance and communication.
“We held our final parent information meeting and have set an application deadline for March 26th,” Chambers said. “We have two more days of teacher interviews and parents will be notified April 1st of their student’s status.”
In other presentations made to the board of trustees Monday:
* Iann Fagan, a student at Brewer Middle School, gave the board an update on the Brewer Middle Improvement Council.
* Students from Westview Middle School (Cataya Davis, Bradley Fuller, Courtney Settles and Katey Robinson) provided an update on their school improvement council work by presenting poetry, MAP testing improvements and the outline of a “career project.”
* Several students from the Greenwood County Adult Education program presented their success stories to the board, thanking members for their continuing support of the program and the difference it is making.
* Gary Johnson presented an update on the district’s facilities by reporting the new Northside Middle School construction is “making very good progress” and that the project should either finish on time or possibly even ahead of schedule.
* Randy Vaughn, assistant superintendent for human resources, presented the board with information on where the district stands on teacher salaries in relation to neighboring counties and the entire state.
In other business conducted Monday:
* The board waived a portion of Board Policy KF, Community Use of School Facilities, to allow the use of gymnasiums at Brewer Middle School and Westview Middle School for AAU Basketball Tournaments April and May, respectively. The decision was a unanimous 9-0.
* The board voted on several revised policies including the school district mission, employee Internet access and textbook inventory/disposal among others and the status of several personnel contracts within the district.

Wounded Marine suffers setback

March 20, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

When an injured or sick person is healing, the rate at which that person’s health improves or digresses can be tough to predict.
When the person is attempting to recover from an injury sustained from an explosion, the recovery process can be even more unpredictable.
Such was the case for United States Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Andrew Kinard this past weekend.
Kinard, who hails from Spartanburg and has grandparents from Greenwood, was rushed into emergency surgery late Saturday after doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland found his small intestine to be completely blocked.
“He had a rough weekend, very rough,” said Andrew’s grandmother, Bettye Kinard, of Greenwood. “His small intestines shut down, due to shrapnel. He went into surgery during the night and it lasted until 2:30 Sunday morning.”
Andrew Kinard, 23, was injured last October while he was on patrol in Iraq. Military officials have said he either stepped on or was struck by an improvised explosive device. The blast claimed Kinard’s right leg and most of his left leg.
Though he has faced more than 50 surgeries since the explosion — ranging from procedures on the bones in his thighs to his eardrums to the removal of shrapnel and beyond — Kinard’s condition was generally regarded by family members to have been improving.
However, this latest episode could be regarded as a setback.
Andrew’s sister, Katherine Gouch, updates an Internet journal — which can be viewed at www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewkinard — daily about the Marine’s condition. In Monday’s entry, Gouch said that Andrew is in intensive care at Walter Reed and will remain there for at least a few more days.
She said he is experiencing “high levels” of pain and is self-medicating with pain medicine by pushing a button every six minutes.
Bettye Kinard said she suspects Andrew’s mother, Mary, who has remained in Maryland since Andrew has been there, is assisting with the medicine dispersal.
“Oh, I imagine his mother is right there pushing that button whenever she needs to,” Bettye said.
Gouch has requested prayers for Andrew on the internet journal, as she has done throughout the ordeal that began last October. However, the prayer requests received a renewed vigor when news of Saturday’s setback spread in churches throughout Greenwood Sunday morning.
It is that type of word-of-mouth campaign Andrew needs, according to his grandmother.
“The more people that know about it, the more people will pray for him,” Bettye said of her wounded grandson. “And right now, he needs them.”

This former Greenwood Emerald has run ...

The race of a lifetime

March 20, 2007

By JIM JOYCE
Special projects editor

In the early 1950s there was a runner at the old Greenwood High School, the site now known as Greenwood High Apartments. He was a member of the Emeralds (now Eagles) track team.
At that time, he was known as Dale Tinsley. Today, it’s Harold Tinsley. Either way, he is the same person who will receive the Browning Ross Spirit of the RRCA Award on Saturday in Chicago.
RRCA is the Road Runners Club of America, which will be observing its 50th convention when the award is given to Tinsley. He was nominated by David Purinton, president of the Huntsville (Ala.) Track Club.
In making the nomination for the high award, Purinton wrote, “Harold Tinsley is an individual whose name is not only synonymous with the Huntsville Track Club, but also the RRCA.”
Purinton referred to Tinsley’s many years of service with the Huntsville Track Club and RRCA, of which he was Southern Region vice president and later elected a member of the RRCA Board of Directors.
Tinsley also served as president of the RRCA for two years, after which he was vice president of administration and later served on several committees.
In summation of all of Tinsley’s achievements, Purinton said, “For more than three decades, Harold has been instrumental not only in the community, but on the national level. Harold Tinsley embodies the spirit of the RRCA.”
Even though he says he goes by Harold today, Tinsley said he will “still be Dale when I go back to South Carolina.”
A 1954 graduate of Greenwood High School and 1958 graduate of Clemson, Tinsley spent a tour with the Army before continuing his interest in running.
“In high school I was primarily interested in high school and American Legion baseball,” he said. “I did run and win the mile in the GHS intramural track meets my sophomore, junior and senior years, and was excused from baseball practice a couple of times to run in home track meets — coach Babb wasn’t too keen on letting me or anyone off from practice even for what the track coach and I thought was a good excuse.”
The desire continued in college.
“I began running track and cross country at Clemson my sophomore year and did well enough to be All-ACC in cross country,” he said.
He won the mile championship at the Carolinas AAU Association Meet his senior year. After graduation, he didn’t run anymore until 1970, during which time he said he got married and saw the scales go up.
Jogging came next as he returned to the running aspect of his life.
“I began jogging with my 6-year-old son at the YMCA track,” he said. “When I would come home from work, my son would say, ‘Let’s go to the track and jog, Daddy.’ Why? Because it was not only the first time in his life he could beat the old man at something, but he could make him hurt while doing it.
“Think what motivation that was for a 6-year-old, and it created my motivation to lose weight and get back in shape.”Road racing was established in 1971 in Huntsville, and both (Tinsley and son) competed.
“He beat me, but he did set an American record for his age and that’s my excuse,” he said. “Anyway, the purpose of the race was to organize the Huntsville Track Club.”
A determined performer, Tinsley called himself a competitive person.
“That means I hate to lose and love to win,” he said.
Volunteer work followed, so he was now involved in administration as well as running.
The Huntsville club joined RRCA in 1974, and a year later he was the recipient of the inaugural Rod Steel Memorial Award as outstanding volunteer in the nation. His wife Louise won the award the next year, making them the only husband-wife winners of that honor.
Accolades are numerous for Tinsley, including running the Boston Marathon and establishing a two-mile world record for a man age 38. His best marathon time came in the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, at 41, in a time of 2:33:05.
Tinsley has “run” extensively during his lifetime, but a neck operation forced him away from running about seven years ago.
Turning 71 in June, he said, “Now, I do a lot of hiking, and I plan to keep hiking until my knees give out and they are going downhill faster than I can hike uphill.”
Some of Tinsley’s other career highlights include:
* 1981 RRCA Journalism Award for Outstanding Chapter Newsletter.
* 1984 The Huntsville Track Club established the Harold and Louise Tinsley * Scholarship Fund.
* 1988 RRCA National Road Runners Hall of Fame.
* 1989 Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame (inaugural inductee — includes all sports).
* 1990 South Carolina RRCA Hall of Fame.
* 1996 Road Race Management National Race Director of the Year Other points of interest:
* 1980-1981 secretary Long Distance Race Directors Association.
* 1980-1987 contributing editor to Racing South Magazine.
* 1983-1986 The Athletics Congress Board of Directors member.
* 1983-1986 National Running Data Center Advisory Board.
* 1985-1990 member of the NIKE Running Events Advisory Board.
* 1986-1989 RRCA Representative TAC/Road Running Technical Council.
* 1986-1999 staff writer for Road Race Management Newsletter.
* 1987-1996 contributing editor to Running Journal Magazine.
* 1991-2002 chairman of the RRCA Road Steele Memorial Award Committee.
* 2003 Co-president of the American Association of Running Clubs.

Obituaries

Grace Blackstock

Grace West Blackstock, 96, formerly of 626 Grier Street, widow of Lester Blackstock, died on Saturday, March 17, 2007.
Born in Gainesville, GA, on Oct. 1, 1910, she was the last surviving member of her immediate family. She was a former employee of Grendel Mill and was formerly of Lexington, NC, where she retired from Dakotah Textile Plant in 1971. She was a member of First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Greenwood, where she was a member of the T.E.L. Sunday School Class, the Clifford Barrett Circle and the Young At Heart Senior Group.
She was twice married, first to the late Bert Mitchell Evans and was preceded in death by a daughter, Mildred Troutman and a son, Clyde Evans.
Surviving are three daughters, Ruth Poss of Austell, GA, Gladys Young of Kentwood, MI, and Gail Sanderlin of Manteo, NC; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, with the Rev. Bryant Sims and the Rev. Fred Smith officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons, along with C. Brown.
Honorary escort will be members of the T.E.L. Sunday School Class and the Men’s Sunday School Class of First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, along with Billy Rushton, Billy Coursey, Robert Harrison, Danny Polatty, Gene McDaniel and Bob Rushton.
The family will receive friends at Harley Funeral Home on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The body will be placed in the church at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Memorials may be made to Ross Memorial Healthcare Center Auxiliary, 1780 Old Highway 41, Kennesaw, GA 30152.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Emma Dickerson

ABBEVILLE — Emma Busby Dickerson, 81, of 3205 Pine Heights Drive, Atlanta, GA, formerly of Abbeville, SC, died Monday, March 19, 2007, at her home in Atlanta.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.

Dorothy Furr

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. — Dorothy P. Furr, 72, of Rockledge, passed away on Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Wuesthoff Brevard Hospice Care Center.
Dorothy was born in Ozark, AL, and moved to Brevard County in 1968 from Greenwood, SC.
She was a devout Christian and a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend to many. She was a homemaker as well as a bookkeeper and secretary for many years.
Dorothy is survived by her devoted husband of 55 years, Ray; children, Terry Eaddy, Barbara Ann (Ric) Furr, and Luann Stanley, all of Rockledge and Yolanda (Gene) Furr of Bell, FL; sister, Joy (George) Alexander of Swansea, SC; brother, Joe (Kay) Pittman of North Carolina; niece, Wanda (Ollie) Smith of St. Mathews, SC; three grandchildren, Tommy (Katie) Cobb of San Antonio, TX, Amy Cobb of Rockledge, and Christopher Stanley of Germany; two great-grandchildren, Andrew Cobb and Emiley Holmes.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24, 2007, at Florida Memorial Funeral Home. Calling hours will be one hour prior, and burial will follow at Florida Memorial Gardens.
Donations to Wuesthoff Brevard Hospice Care Center.

Frances Killian Spratt Glover

Frances Killian Spratt Glover, age 91, of 1110 Marshall Road, widow of John Sobey Glover, died Sunday, March 18 in Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood.
She was born in Clinton and was the daughter of the late John and Tallulah Neville Spratt.
She was a graduate of Presbyterian College and a member and former vestry woman of All Saints Episcopal Church in Clinton. She was employed as secretary of the Athletic Department at Presbyterian College for many years. She had lived at Wesley Commons Retirement Home since 1997.
Surviving are son and daughter-in-law, John Neville and Mary Williams Glover; daughters and sons-in-law, Elizabeth Sobey Glover and Thomas Arvid Clark, Jean Macfarlane Glover and Peter Beckford Clark, Mollie Killian Glover and Robert Mitchell Palmer; grandsons, John Neville Glover, James William Glover, John Beckford Clark and Robert Killian Palmer; a sister, Elizabeth Killian Fleischman; and a brother, John Barnett Spratt.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Virginia Aiken Spratt Knopp and granddaughter, Jessica Glover Clark.
A memorial service will be held at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Clinton at a later date, following a family graveside service at Rosemont Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorials be made to either All Saints Episcopal Church, 505 Calvert Ave., Clinton, SC 29325 or the John Glover Scholarship Fund, c/o Presbyterian College, S. Broad St., Clinton, SC 29325. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.grayfuneralhome.com.
Gray Funeral Home of Clinton is serving the family.

John Gulledge

TROY — John Morgan Gulledge, 80, resident of 3001 Scott’s Ferry Road, died March 18, 2007 at the Hospice House.
Born in Jackson, NC, he was a son of the late Earl Palmer Gulledge, Sr. and Thelma Marie Foster Gulledge. He was a US Marine Corps. Veteran of World War II, graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Gulledge practiced law in Greenwood for over 38 years.
Surviving are a sister, Mrs. Fred H. (Charlotte) Glass of Pensacola, FL; nieces and nephews, William L. Cromer, E. Stanton Cromer, James Carson Cromer, Nancy G. Goff, Cathy G. Willard, Earl Camerson Gulledge, Janet G. Girard, Andrew Gulledge, R. Leslie Scanlan, Hervey H.G. Gulledge, Jr., Mark P. Maier, Jr., John G. Maier, David C. Maier and Carolyn M. McCutcheon.
Graveside services will be conducted 2 p.m. Thursday at Rehoboth United Methodist Church Cemetery.
The family is at their respective homes and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 6:30 to 8:30 Wednesday evening.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Avenue, Greenwood, SC 29646 or Greater Greenwood United Ministries, 1404 Edgefield Street, Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the Salvation Army, 222 Pressley Street, Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Gulledge family.

Rev. Dr. Robert Hall

DUE WEST — Rev. Dr. Robert Gaston Hall, 81, of 14 Abbeville St., husband of Helen Brown Hall, died Monday, March 19, 2007, at the Hospice Care of the Piedmont, Hospice House, in Greenwood.
Services will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home, Abbeville.

Tom Harrison

James Thomas Harrison, 56, of 915 Rock House Road, died Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late James T. and Peggy Mason Harrison. He attended First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at Troy Cemetery, with the Rev. Bryant Sims officiating.
Pallbearers will be Rudy Adams, Gus Catarius, Bill Crosby, Don Crowley, Keith Salters and Bill Moss.
Harley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Marion M. Holmes

Marion M. “Sis” Holmes, 93, of 217 Taggart Avenue, formerly of Greenwood Gardens, Phoenix Place Apts., widow of John Holmes, passed away Friday, March 16, 2007, at her home.
Born in Bradley, she was a daughter of the late Henry Morton and Irene Presley Holmes. She was a member of Marshall Chapel Baptist Church, a member of Women Aide Society No. 11, Senior Missionary and Mother of the church.
She is survived by a son, Rev. John E. Holmes of the home.
Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday at Marshall Chapel Baptist Church, with Rev. Betty Joe Duncan officiating, Pastor Eric Morton presiding. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Flower bearers will be the nieces and friends of the family, and pallbearers will be nephews and friends of the family. The body will be placed in the church at 1 p.m.
The family is at the home. Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is assisting the Holmes family.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at pertompfh1@earthlink.net

David Miles

SALUDA — Mr. David Miles, 59, of 104 East End Drive, died on March 18, 2007 at his home.
He was born in Saluda County, SC, son of the late Carrie Miles Abney and the late Ruben Simmons. He was a member of the Mt. Enon Baptist Church and a former employee of Greenwood Mills.
He is survived by: his wife, Betty Jean Miles, Saluda, SC; three daughters, Charlene McManus, North Augusta, SC, Sherry Thomas, Simpsonville, SC, and Lisa Johnson, Mauldin, SC; three brothers, Ira Abney, Columbia, SC, Terry and Leon Simmons, both of Saluda, SC; nine sisters, Alberta Weaver and Valerie A. Jones, both of Saluda, SC, Frankie Williams, Batesburg, SC, Darlene Williams and Treniece Scurry of Greenwood, SC, Lashawn Tucker, Charlotte, NC, Connie Crawford, Raleigh, NC, Rudell Bruch, Charleston, SC, Regena Simmons, Greenville, SC; stepmother, Lola Simmons, Saluda, SC; three grandchildren.
Graveside services will be noon Tuesday at the Rock Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. Johnny C. Gantt.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home is in charge.

Opinion

The Citadel honors Davis for a distinguished career

May 9, 2007

Many graduates of The Citadel, South Carolina’s military college in Charleston, have distinguished themselves in every field of endeavor. They have made their marks in business, politics, medicine, education, religion, the military and everything in-between ..... even journalism.
These graduates include, just to name a few, the late Jim Self of Greenwood, former U. S. Senator Ernest Hollings, the late Governor John West and many others from Greenwood and the Lakelands area, such as Tom Pope of Newberry.
Many serve in state government, including Rep. Gene Piuson, and before him, Jim Klauber. Third District Rep. Gresham Barrett also calls The Citadel his alma mater.

THE LIST IS ENDLESS, OF COURSE, but none has had a more distinguished and meritorious career than Greenwood’s Emmett I. Davis Jr. Davis is owner of Davis & Floyd, a company with headquarters in Greenwood that specializes in engineering, architecture and environmental and laboratory services. It has a worldwide reputation which reflects positively not only on Greenwood, but on all of South Carolina.
Davis was, of course, one of the people honored by The Citadel at its graduation ceremonies recently. He, along with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, legendary Summerville High School Coach John McKissick, renowned South Carolina historian Dr. Walter Edgar and Carolyn Short, the only woman in the South Carolina State Senate, were presented honorary doctorate degrees.
Davis is not one to seek the spotlight or praise. His modesty belies his ability and a driving penchant for service to others. He’s the first to credit others for his success. Others, though, know better. He’s earned everything he has ever gotten, be it a living or recognition.

COVETING RECOGNITION AND PRAISE are not part of Davis’ character. His selflessness, though, make those things unavoidable. Truth beknown, to be singled out is somewhat embarrassing to him. Nevertheless, the honor by his alma mater is long overdue. His service to the school, in more ways than one, puts him in a league that has few members.
This was the second honorary degree he has received for service. The other was from Erskine College. While the two schools honor him, his reputation, whether through his church, his profession, or personally, reflects positively on both schools. His loyalty and service to both speak for themselves.
Greenwood has, through the years, been blessed by some outstanding people. Emmett Davis is, without a doubt, one of them.