Charges filed in wreck

21-year-old died in Hwy. 72 crash

March 23, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

A woman has been charged in connection with the Wednesday night wreck that claimed the life of a 21-year-old Greenwood woman who was a passenger on her husband’s motorcycle.
April Bryan, of 127 Clifton St., Greenwood, was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by her husband, John Stanley Bryan Jr., who also sustained serious, but not life-threatening, injuries. He was flown by helicopter to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where authorities say his condition has stabilized.
The couple have a child.
Greenwood Police Maj. James Marshall, who was the chief investigator of the wreck, said the maroon four-door sedan’s driver, whose name has not been released, pulled up to the stop sign where Crosscreek Connector meets Highway 72 Bypass at about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Marshall and a pair of witnesses said the sedan reportedly came to a stop at the stop sign, then turned left into the intersection, attempting to head west, toward Wal-Mart.
The Bryans’ motorcycle, traveling east, reportedly collided with the front driver’s side of the sedan, at which point both were ejected from the motorcycle.
April Bryan died at the scene.
The sedan’s driver told police she did not see the motorcycle until it collided with her car. One witness also said it appeared that the sedan’s driver did not see the motorcycle.
The sedan’s driver has been charged with failure to yield right of way.
According to Greenwood County coroner’s office representative Steve Owings, the Anderson doctor who performed April Bryan’s autopsy determined she was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
“That is also what we understand from the coroner’s office, that she was not wearing a helmet,” Marshall said. Zachary Grindell, a friend of the couple who was riding his motorcycle alongside them, told authorities at the scene the victim was wearing a helmet.
“She was the only one wearing a helmet,” Grindell said Wednesday night. “That girl always wears her lid. ‘I live by that.’ That’s the last thing she told me (Tuesday) night.”
Marshall offered safety warnings for drivers about watching out for motorcycles.
“You have to pay close attention to the road, especially at night, in regard to motorcycles,” Marshall said. “Sometimes they can simply be hard to see, especially during high traffic periods.”
Likewise, Marshall offered a word to motorcycle drivers and passengers.
“The main thing is that you have to wear that helmet,” Marshall said. “You sure stand a better chance of surviving if you are involved in an accident if you are wearing a helmet.”
Managing editor R. Shawn Lewis contributed to this report.

Bus collision injures 6 children

Bus driver faces charges in wreck

March 23, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Jeff Scott was on his riding lawnmower when he heard a loud noise.
Turning around to satisfy his curiosity, he received a vivid shock — a small-passenger bus was bearing down on him at high speed.
The noise he’d heard was the bus — a Sunshine House daycare vehicle — being smashed off its northbound course on Atkins Street by an eastbound vehicle traveling on Wright Avenue near Mathews Elementary.
Before the bus could reach the rear of Scott’s mower, it hit a utility pole at the intersection, splintering a large section of the pole.
The bus, driven by Meesha Sanders, of Greenwood, finally stopped — less than 6 inches from the rear of Scott’s mower. “I heard something and turned around and looked, and (the bus) was coming right at me,” Scott said, pointing to the close proximity of his mower and the mangled front bumper of the bus. “That’s where I was at when she stopped.” Don Luquire had just stepped off his front porch.
The scene that greeted his return was one filled with wreckage strewn about the intersection — and the panicked screams of small children.
“I heard it happen,” Luquire said. “I ran out there and popped open the back door (of the bus) and was up inside there in no time. The kids were all buckled up. They were crying and everything and I was trying to tell them ‘hey, great job, you all have your seat belts on.’”
Meanwhile, the other vehicle, a late-model Cadillac sedan — driven by Linda Threlkeld of Ninety Six — finally came to rest itself just off the road opposite the bus, its front end destroyed by the impact.
Scott had no clue that another vehicle was even involved.
“The first thing I did was dial 911 and check on those kids,” Scott said. “That’s when I noticed that other car over there. I didn’t even know that other car was involved until I went around the bus and saw it.”
The wreck occurred around 2:45 p.m.
Six children were taken to Self Regional Medical Center.
Both drivers also were taken to Self Regional Medical Center by emergency personnel. By 8 p.m., the bus driver and all six of the children had been released. No report on Threlkeld’s status was released.
“Three children were transported by EMS and three were transported by a Sunshine House vehicle,” Mike Brown, capital management officer for Sunshine House, Inc., said. “Of the six children, all have been released and the driver of bus has also been released.
“She appears to be OK. Everyone appears to have had minor injuries.”
Sanders has been charged with failure to yield right-of-way.
“The driver of the Sunshine House bus said she stopped at the stop sign there at Wright and Atkins and proceeded on,” said Capt. Jay Atkins of the Greenwood Police Department. “She said she didn’t see anything coming, but then when she proceeded on the car was coming up.
“We know that she did not yield right-of-way.”
Brown said Sanders will be placed on administrative leave.
“The safety of the children in our care is our most important priority,” Brown said. “Our organization has very strict policies about the safe operation of our vehicles. We are aware that the employee driving the bus failed to yield right of way and has been charged with the accident.
“(Sanders) will be placed on administrative leave for failure to comply with company transportation policies. This is a deeply regrettable incident and The Sunshine House is most concerned with the well-being of the individuals involved.
We take our responsibilities as caregivers very seriously and are deeply saddened that this accident took place.”
Police officials could not comment on the possible speed involved in the crash, but Luquire wouldn’t be surprised if it were high.
“They do haul the mail up through here sometimes,” he said. “Ten minutes earlier I was sitting on the porch. I sure do hate it.”

Getting All-Lakelands honors

Clarke, Deloach named top players in area

March 23, 2007

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Jouranl sports writer

College basketball’s March Madness is a hot topic right now with brackets being busted and upsets everywhere, but there were quite a few Lakelands’ players who are deserving of honors for what they accomplished on the hardwood this past season.
The 2006-07 All-Lakelands Area Basketball Team is made up of players from the area who were nominated by their coaches and then chosen by members of The Index-Journal staff.
Although thoughts might vary on who deserves to be where and so forth, one thing cannot be denied, The players that make up the All-Lakelands Area team had outstanding seasons and were a large part of their teams’ successes.
Two players had the biggest impact how well their teams did.
Saluda’s Trevor Deloach is the Lakelands Area Boys Player of the Year for the second year in a row, while also having the distinction of being a four-time All Lakelands member. Greenwood Christian’s Caroline Clarke is the Lakelands Area Girls Player of the Year after leading the Lady Hawks to the SCISA Class AA state championship.
Deloach, the Region III-AA Player of the Year who dedicated the season to teammate Tevin Brooks who died in a car wreck, found a way to improve the entire team as the Tigers finished second in the region with a 16-11 record.
“It’s a great accomplishment to be player of the year,” Deloach said. “I set that goal before the season started and I didn’t want to win it one year and not win it the next. I really wanted to win region for my homeboy (Brooks) who got killed in a car wreck and I wanted to dedicate it all to him because he would want to give his all too.”
In addition to averaging 30.9 points and 12.4 rebounds, Deloach, who played practically every position on the floor, also dished out three assists and rejected two shots per game.
One of his many highlights came in the first round of the playoffs against the Columbia Capitols.
Trailing at the half, Deloach scored 30 of his 43 points in the second half to lead Saluda to an eight-point victory, his first home-playoff victory as a member of the Tigers.
“It was my only home playoff game, and I didn’t want to go out with a loss,” Deloach said. “Now, I’ve got to put on ten pounds to defend and get ready for USC, because they’re looking for me to come right in and contribute. You can’t ask for anything better than that.”
Deloach completed his high school career with a team-high 14 points in the Carolinas All-Star High School Basketball Classic against North Carolina, and now prepares for his new team, the Gamecocks.
For those who might have missed out on a chance to watch Clarke this season, there’s only one word needed to describe her.
Winner.
The same can be said about her teammates who all played roles in the Lady Hawks’ state championship run. Clarke’s role was the largest though.
The senior post player averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game, while also picking opponents’ pockets an average of two times per game.
Clarke also was named SCISA Region VII-AA Most Valuable Player, Regional Tournament MVP, SCISA Class AA State Tournament MVP and SCISA South Carolina All-Star.
Clarke played in the Georgia-South Carolina All-Star game following the state championship.
One of her most dominating performances of the season came in the Augusta Christian Tournament where she scored 47 points in an overtime win against Alleluia.
Clarke also surpassed the 1,000-point mark in that tournament.
“It was actually the same day as the state championship for my soccer team (Carolina Elite Soccer Academy Premiere 88), and I didn’t even decide to play until I was in the locker room,” Clarke said. “After the game I rushed to Greenville where we won the state championship.”
Clarke said she had mixed emotions when thinking about being named Lakelands’ Area girls Player of the Year.
“Wow, it’s surprising but it feels pretty good,” Clarke said. “I’m shocked and surprised, because a lot of the players in this area are really good. It feels rewarding from all the practices and stuff from my entire life. It’s a really good way to end my high school career with the state championship and everything.”
Dixie’s Yavario Smith returns to the boys first team after another dominating season with the Green Hornets.
The junior guard averaged 26.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assist per game as his team finished the season with a 14-5 overall record.
A late-season ankle injury kept Smith out of the Green Hornets’ regular-season finale, but he returned in time for the postseason and led the Green Hornets to a first-round win over Greenville Tech with a game-high 23 points.
McCormick’s Brandon Cisco, an All-Lakelands honorable mention in 2006, took his game and the Chiefs to another level during the regular season.
The Chiefs had a solid season thanks, in-part, to the junior swingman’s 17 points and eight rebounds per game.
His contributions were a major reason the Chiefs finished the season with a 20-4 overall record.
Emerald’s Kadarron Anderson checks in following a strong senior campaign with the Vikings.
Anderson averaged 16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 assist per game while also shooting just under 50 percent from the floor.
He was also named to the Region III-AA All-Region team.
In one of the Vikings’ best games of the season, an overtime win against Greenwood, Anderson scored a game-high 24 points.
The Eagles recovered from the loss though, thanks to the senior leadership of point guard Andre Day.
The speedy guard was the Eagles’ floor general throughout the season as he set up teammates for easy baskets, evidenced by his 6.4 assists per game.
Don’t be confused by the stat though. Day could, and did, find ways to score this season, as he averaged 14.8 points per game to round out the boys’ first team.
Greenwood Christian’s Charity Koschel joins Clarke on the girls’ first team after scoring 15 points, six rebounds and four assists per game for the 26-5 Lady Hawks.
Koschel also was named to the SCISA Region VII-AA All-Region team and the SCISA Class AA State All-Tournament team.
In addition, she was a member of the SCISA North-South All-Star team’s North squad.
Greenwood’s Jacena Thompson and Syteria Robinson also make the girls’ first team, thanks to solid seasons in which they helped the Lady Eagles win the Region I-AAAA crown.
Thompson, a senior, averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals per game while shooting 53 percent from the field.
Thompson was also named MVP of the Bearcat Christmas Classic, Region I-AAAA Player of the Year, and a member of the North team in the North-South All-Star Game, where she finished with a team-high 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Robinson is the lone sophomore on the first team following a successful season with the Lady Eagles.
She averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game and was named to the Region I-AAAA All-Region team. In the Bearcat Christmas Classic Championship game win against Emerald, Robinson scored a game-high 19 points. Abbeville’s Lakia Bailey rounds out the first team after finishing her Lady Panthers’ career with more than 1,400 points.
She averaged 18.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this past season to earn her second-straight nomination.
The Pikeville signee scored 18 points in the Lady Panthers’ second match-up of the season against Emerald, completing the season sweep.
The five players named to the All-Lakelands Area boys second team are: Greenwood’s Demarcus Harrison and Sam Montgomery, McCormick’s William Peterson, Emerald’s Trey Woolridge and Abbeville’s Ty Suit.
The five players named to the All-Lakelands Area girl’s second team are: Emerald’s Brittany Connor and Anicia Dotson, Greenwood’s Vijya Corbett, Calhoun Falls’ Brittany Obot and McCormick’s Lateidra Mims.
The All-Lakelands Area boys honorable mentions are: Ninety Six’s Daniel Longmire and Ken Mathis, Calhoun Falls’ Justin Gilchrist and Ware Shoals’ Letavious Williams.
The All-Lakelands Area girls honorable mentions are: Saluda’s Ashley Proctor, Emerald’s Dede Carter and Greenwood Christian’s Katie Fyock.

Obituaries

April D. Bryan

April Dawn Davenport Bryan, 21, of 127 Clifton Street, wife of John Bryan, Jr., died Wednesday, March 21, 2007, from injuries received in an accident.
The family is at the home of her father, Kenneth Davenport, 614 Johns Creek Road, Hodges.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home and Crematory.

Glenda M. Greatorex

HILTON HEAD — Glenda McDaniel Greatorex, 59, of 90 Dillon Road, died Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at Hilton Head Medical Center.
Born in Phenix City, AL, she was a daughter of Lillian Sowell McDaniel and the late Johnie B. McDaniel.
Surviving in addition to her mother of Ninety Six are six children, Jackie and Sandy Guest and Candy Greatorex, all of Hilton Head, Cecil Guest and Dawn Greatorex, both of Greenwood and Russell Dwayne Bagwell of Kansas City, MO; two sisters, Mary Clemmons of Beaufort and Yvonne Dorn and her husband, Tony, of Greenwood; two brothers, William “Bill” McDaniel and his wife, Kathy, of Waterloo and Gary McDaniel and his wife, Debbie, of Hardeeville; twelve grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held 4:30 p.m. Friday at Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church, with the Rev. Bobby Davis and Rev. Terry Carpenter officiating.
The family will receive friends at the church Friday from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m.
Memorials may be made to Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church Building Fund, 206 State Street, Ninety Six, SC, 29666.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Willie Floyd Kimble

Willie Floyd “FL” Kimble, 62, died on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at HospiceCare of the Piedmont.
Born in Edgefield County, he was a son of the late John Wesley and Lula Mae Harrison Kimble. He was a member of Liberty Spring Baptist Church and a retired construction worker.
He is survived by: son, Willie Floyd Kimble, Jr., Greenwood, SC; two brothers, William and Heyward Kimble, both of Greenwood, SC; four sisters, Elease Parks, Lugenia Young and Pearline Anderson, all of Greenwood, SC, and Frances L. Anderson, Edgefield, SC; 2 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Liberty Spring Baptist Church, conducted by Rev. Roderick Cummings. Assisting are Revs. Henry Merriweather and David Parks. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family is at the home of son, Mr. and Mrs. Willie F. Kimble, Jr., 616 Grier St., Greenwood, SC, and his sister, 1524 Park Way No. 704, Greenwood, SC.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home, Saluda, SC, is in charge.

Lizzie Kate Marshall

McCORMICK — Mrs. Lizzie Kate Marshall, age 62, died at Self Regional Medical Center, March 20, 2007. She was born in McCormick, SC, Oct. 20, 1944, a daughter of the late Jack and Gertrude Berry Barker. She was a homemaker. Survivors are one daughter, Ms. Lila Marshall Smith of McCormick, SC; five sons, Johnny Lee Marshall, Terry Dean Marshall and Randall Marshall, all of Greenwood, SC, Patrick Marshall of Rock Hill, SC, and James Willie Marshall and stepson, James Kelly, both of McCormick, SC; one grandchild reared in the home, Lisa Marshall; two sisters, Ms. Ola B. Gaston and Mrs. Barbara Ann Simpson of McCormick, SC; fourteen other grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are Saturday at 2 at New Hope Baptist Church, with Revs. Michael Butler, Eric Butler and Albert Bell officiating. The family is at her home on 355 Smallwood Drive in McCormick. Walker Funeral Home, directors.

Lillian Dove Shaw

NEWBERRY — Lillian Dove Shaw, 95, of Newberry, widow of Albert Shaw, died March 21, 2007.
Born in Anderson, she was a daughter of the late Shannon and Mary Dove.
Surviving are children, Cecil Shaw, R.L. Shaw and Elizabeth Livingston; siblings, Nellie Buchannan and Relton Dove.
Services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at McSwain-Evans Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Newberry Memorial Gardens.
Visitation will be one hour before the service. Memorials may be made to College Street Baptist Church or the Shriner’s Hospital. www.mcswainevans.com.

CORRECTION

For the obituary of John Allen Ebo in Thursday’s paper, there were errors in the information given to The Index-Journal. Hospice donations should be made to HospiceCare of the Piedmont, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646.

Opinion

Improving living quality is better than apology

March 23, 2007

Should South Carolina apologize for the slavery of a century and a half ago? Other states are doing it, with black leaders in Georgia the latest group asking the state to express regret for that terrible time and practice.
Slavery was wrong, no doubt about it if you value the worth of any man’s or woman’s soul. It was wrong even back in biblical days when one people put others in the chains of their times.
But now, all these years later? Apologize for something they had no part in, nor did their parents and grandparents. What’s the motive for seeking an apology? There must be a motive. Could it be for something not publicly discussed? What?
Many black leaders and lawmakers in South Carolina have taken the position they’d rather see progress made in race relations than an apology. Progress, yes. Improvements could be made in a variety of situations and could have a positive and tangible effect on the quality of life. If on the other hand an apology would create unintended problems and retard progress, it could be a hindrance.
The black lawmakers and leaders are right. Do something tangible. The intangible improves nothing.