Man shot 3 times in Ware Shoals

Victim found near gas station; suspect arrested

May 27, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

A Ware Shoals man is facing charges in a shooting that occurred late Friday night.
According to Ware Shoals Police Chief Mickey Boland, Terrance “Shorty” Frazier, 17, of Shirley Road in Ware Shoals, will be charged in the shooting. Boland said Frazier was being held in the Anderson County Detention Center Saturday after being arrested in Honea Path on separate charges in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Boland said authorities in Anderson would hold Frazier until officers from Ware Shoals could transport him back to the Greenwood County Detention Center.
Boland said he victim — Eric Davis, of Greenwood — was shot three times, twice in the abdomen and once in the wrist.
He was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where Boland said he was in stable condition late Saturday night.
“It was around midnight when we got a couple calls from over here behind the Catfish Feastival from people that said they had heard gunshots,” Boland said. “Then we had a call from a volunteer firefighter that there was a body over by (a local) business.”
Boland said officers found the Davis lying in the vicinity of the Stop-A-Minute gas station and said he was unresponsive. Boland said the officers gathered information from witnesses that the shooting had occurred on North Riegel Avenue and that the victim had run to the spot where he was found after the shooting.
“We went to Riegel Avenue and found a group of approximately 10 to 20 people were over there,” Boland said. “There was an altercation between one guy and the shooter. The guy that got shot was not the one arguing with the shooter. He was just in the line (of fire).”
The chief said the weapon in the incident was a .45-caliber handgun. He said a search warrant was issued for officers to search Frazier’s home.
Boland stressed that the shooting was in no way connected with the 27th annual Catfish Feastival.
“I want people to understand that this didn’t happen at the Catfish Feastival and had nothing to do with the Catfish Feastival,” the chief said. “A lot of people have asked me, and what happened is that the victim ran over from North Riegel. It did not happen at the Feastival.”

Crowns, crowds and catfish

There's more than feastin' at the feastival

May 27, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

The riverside town of Ware Shoals is normally a quiet community with just more than 2,000 residents.
On Saturday, the center of downtown was neither quiet nor sparsely populated.
The town had its 27th annual Catfish Feastival on Friday and Saturday. It has become the marquee event on the town’s calendar and is a Memorial Day destination for thousands across the Upstate. The Feastival drew more than 21,000 visitors over two days in 2006, and that number is expected to hold up this year.
Though one of the biggest draws is, obviously, the freshly cooked catfish served up from the “catfish building” near the town community center, residents and visitors alike were busy Saturday taking in all the different facets the Feastival had to offer.
Saturday’s activities kicked off with a parade that descended from the West End and wound down past the main Feastival site. The parade featured Mayor George Rush waving atop a fire truck, juggling clowns, a float featuring the Catfish Feastival Princesses and elected officials tossing out candy.
“I believe the parade was the biggest we’ve ever had,” said George Leagans, who is part of the board of directors that helps organize the event. “This Feastival is a highlight event for the people of Ware Shoals. We have people from out of state who come and plan their vacations around this event. This is our version of Come See-Me Ware Shoals, and we’re proud of it.”
Kacie Callaham, who graduated from Ware Shoals High Thursday night, was named the 2007 Catfish Feastival Princess. Callaham said that, while it wasn’t her first pageant, this year’s contest was her first time vying for the Catfish crown.
“I like being princess so far,” Callaham said, smiling after participating in a program just after the parade.
Rush hosted the program and asked those in attendance to remember the significance of Memorial Day weekend.
“I ask that we remember all that have served or are serving this nation in the armed forces,” Rush said. “Let us remember particularly those that have given the supreme sacrifice — their lives — so that we may enjoy this day in freedom.”

Johnson given power over instruction time

May 27, 2007

By KENNY MAPLE
Index-Journal staff writer

School officials on Monday gave Greenwood District 50 Superintendent Darrell Johnson the power to increase student instructional time in local schools.
State laws require the length of the instructional school day for middle and high school students to be at least six hours, not including the lunch period. For elementary students, the length is at least six hours, including lunch.
School board members have discussed at length whether to give Johnson this power. There was some question whether the superintendent should be solely responsible for this. Board member Lary Davis said the discussion has been going on for more than a year.
Apparently, much of the controversy is over the hours in the day. Davis said student instructional time is being increased, but teachers aren’t losing planning time.
Frank Coyle, the vice chairman of the board, said that though the superintendent now has the ability to change the times, this power “will not be taken lightly” and Johnson will consult the board with changes.
Prior to the change, the district had to consult with parents and faculty and obtain the board’s approval before instructional time changes could be made.
Coyle said the new policy will provide for quicker response if a school needs an extra 10 minutes added onto its school day.
“We need the guy responsible to make that call,” Coyle said, referring to possible time changes. “That’s why I voted for that.”
He also emphasized the board has a job and the administration has a job.
“Our job is to set the policy. It is the job of the administration to carry it out,” he said.
Another issue brought up before the board concerned the district staff no longer working Fridays during the summer. Davis said that essentially nine vacation days are given to each district office worker in an effort to save money on utility costs in the office.
The decision was made by the superintendent without the need for a vote from the board.

Hanging up her whistle

Saluda’s Patsy Rhodes retiring after 35 years of coaching

May 27, 2007

By RENALDO STOVER
Index-Journal sports writer

SALUDA - Patsy Rhodes has ended a distinguished career that began 35 years ago when she first came to Saluda High School after graduating from Western Carolina University.
During her four decades at Saluda, she coached hundreds of players and multiple sports, won numerous games, met some of the nation’s most respected coaches including John Wooden and Pat Summitt, and earned various honors. She also was a longtime Saluda teacher.
Rhodes, a native of Hendersonville, N.C., said she has a plethora of positive memories when it comes to her time at Saluda — a place she never imagined she’d be for 35 years when she first started.
“Actually, I came here and was going to stay for one year and go back to grad school,” Rhodes said. “When I got here I just loved the community and enjoyed the school, the people I worked with and the kids. I felt like this is where I needed to be.
“This is a real special place. I’m sure everybody says that about their school, too, but when you’ve been here for as long as I have, it’s a little bit different, I think. It’s real special.”
Rhodes has been special to the students she’s coached and taught at Saluda High School.
“I walked up on the hall the other day when the bell rang,” Rhodes said. “All the ninth-graders and all my athletes were coming up to me and hugging me and talking to me. I didn’t do real well with that and didn’t stay very long.
“That kind of got emotional for me.”
Saluda Principal Jimmy Crawford said it’s going to take a lot to fill Rhodes’ shoes.
“I joke around and say it, but it’s the truth,” Crawford said. “I was in the eighth grade when coach Rhodes started here in Saluda.
“Her whole career she’s been top-notch. What people don’t realize is she does so many things other than just teach P.E. and coach.
“She’s also our senior sponsor. She’s been on our school improvement council, she helps with concessions — you name it she does it. It amazes me that she does stuff and has it done a lot of times before I even think to ask her about it. She’s going to be sorely missed. She’s been a great colleague and a great mentor to me.
“I’ll miss her professionally but probably more personally.”
With so many years spent at Saluda, which only offered basketball to girls who wanted to play sports when she first started (Rhodes started the softball program and helped start girls track and volleyball programs), there isn’t much Rhodes hasn’t seen.
From playing in the old gym known as the “Cracker Box,” to the time a bat flew into the gym during a game against Ninety Six, practically taking center stage as the players on the court ducked for cover, to former player Christy (Corley) Nichols, now a Saluda school board member, getting locked in the locker room after halftime, to Annette Mathis not wearing her eye glasses during games, and eventually launching a shot from almost mid-court because she misread the game clock, earning the nickname “Seven Seconds,” to almost the entire 1980 softball team chewing tobacco during their region championship season, Rhodes has seen it all.
The latter, which would not be allowed under today’s high school league rules, shows how much has changed during her tenure.
“When you stay in a place as long as I have, you see a lot of changes,” Rhodes said. “I’ve seen this place really grow. Getting into this new facility was certainly a plus for us.”
Rhodes admits the Cracker Box still has a place in her heart.
“The new gym is nothing like the Cracker Box,” Rhodes said. “You could seat 400 in it and you didn’t lean forward. You had to sit back because if the official came by you, he’d take your head off. That’s how compact it was.
“There was no place like the Cracker Box as far as games and everybody getting into the game. It just had a tradition of its own. Nobody liked to play there but us. It just made basketball just so much different than being in a big facility.”
Rhodes isn’t complaining about the Tigers’ new digs.
“We enjoy it now because we’ve always had a big fan following,” Rhodes said. “It’s great for our fans. Our facilities are next to none.”
Another change Rhodes has seen over the years is the amount of student participation in school sports.
“The kids that I had in the late ’70s and early 80s played three sports and they played year round,” Rhodes said. “This year we only had five kids in the entire athletic program that played three sports.”
Rhodes is well aware of the options students have now, and understands making the team isn’t a priority as it once was.
“We’re still a rural community,” Rhodes said. “But there are other things out there that they can do.”
When talking about memorable games she’s coached in, Rhodes said one stands out.
“Probably the biggest thing that I remember was when Phyllis Deloach lost her hand in an accident,” Rhodes said. “She was probably the closest I had to a Division I player. She came back after recovering and went out for basketball her senior year.”
Rhodes said Deloach’s trying out for the basketball team showed how committed she was to doing something she loved.
“From what I remember, she also made All-Region that year and she made it on her own,” Rhodes said. “It was not anybody feeling sorry for her. She got out there and worked and it wasn’t easy for her.
“I remember the first game we played that season. We went 23-3 that year and I think that was a tribute to her and her teammates pulling together.”
Rhodes said she vividly remembers what took place in that first game when Deloach scored her first two points.
“The place just erupted, the game stopped and it was probably stopped for a good five minutes,” Rhodes said. “Just everybody went wild.”
“The memories and the things with the kids, you’ll have those forever. If I’d only stayed a year or two, I would have never known or been a part of all the great things that took place here. Even when I speak of Phyllis, she didn’t get to experience a lot of things she would have experienced, because she was a talented athlete.
“But she’s experienced it through (USC signee) Trevor (Deloach). If I had not been here to have witnessed that, then I wouldn’t have known that. I’m real proud of her and I’m proud of all mine.”
Overall, Rhodes produced 80 All-Region players, 18 All-State players and 11 High School All-Americans. Ten of Rhodes’ former students and players teach, coach or are in sports-related careers in private, public, and post-secondary institutions, including new Saluda girls basketball coach Jeanette Ergle, who played volleyball and basketball for Rhodes. “If there was anybody to take my place, that was my pick,” Rhodes said. “I think she’ll come in not only as a coach, but an excellent teacher as well. She’s got a lot to offer the program. I was really excited we were able to get her.” The future for Rhodes won’t consist of practices after school, teaching students at Saluda, or bus trips to and from games, but the longtime coach said she already has plans as to what she want to do. How some of those plans unfold for Rhodes will be based on how soon she becomes acclimated to life away from the classrooms and sidelines. “I enjoy reading, I love gardening and cooking,” Rhodes said. “I’m going to do some volunteer work, and I’ll still help in the concession stand here a little bit. I want to get a little bit more involved in the community. I love to visit people and help them out. “I can keep myself busy. I can say that now because it’s like summer break. When August comes around, I know I’m going to be kind of lost like a fish out of water. I’m going to be at the games as a fan and I’ll be there to support the players and coaches, that’s for sure. “This final season was quite different than my first because it flew by so quickly. Looking back, I’m definitely a better teacher, a better person and more confident than I was my first year as a teacher. I look back and I think of all the students I taught and all the players that I’ve had and I know I’ve had an impact somewhere. “I’ve had a chance to be a part of people’s lives and that’s the big thing for me.”

Obituaries

Lola Mae Bobo

ABBEVILLE — Lola Mae Bobo, 62, of 51 Bobo Drive, Abbeville, SC, wife of James Allen Bobo, died Thursday, May 24, 2007, at her home.
She was the daughter of Wendell and Mary Davis Aiken. She was retired from Westpoint Stevens Pepperell in Calhoun Falls, SC. She was a member of Campfield Baptist Church in Abbeville, SC.
Survivors include her husband of the home, one son, Robert Aiken of Honea Path, SC; two daughters, Barbara Ann Bobo of the home and Amy (Edward) Reed of Greenwood, SC; three sisters, Betty Davis and Arlene Aiken of Abbeville and Thelma (Willie) Hill of Due West, SC; one brother, O’dell (Jerome) Aiken of Anderson, SC; five grandchildren , Quinetta, Antowain, Kiara, Shakerra and Amya; one step-granddaughter, Destiny of Greenwood.
Services are 1 p.m. Monday, May 28, 2007, at Campfield Baptist Church, Abbeville, SC with Rev. Willie James Choice, presiding and Rev. Mary Paul, officiating along with Rev. Milton Aiken and Minister Hennie R. Choice, assisting.
The body will be placed in church at 12 noon. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Public viewing will be Sunday, May 27, 2007, at the Abbeville & White Mortuary, Inc. from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
The family is at the home, and expresses a special thanks to Hospice Abbeville & White Mortuary, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences can be made at awmort@wctel.net.

Mary Kennedy

DONALDS — Mary “Jackie” Katherine Kennedy 89, of 173 McKinney St., died Friday, May 25, 2007, at her home.
Born in Abbeville County she was a daughter of the late Clyde Brown and Olive Leona Sharpe Kennedy. She was retired from Honea Path Shirtmakers and a member of Due West A.R.P. church.
She attended Donalds United Methodist Church.
Surviving are one brother Clyde Donald “Bubba” Kennedy of Donalds and one sister Sara Kennedy Watts of Columbia. She was pre-deceased by a brother Clyde Brown (Buck) Kennedy.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Due West A.R.P. Church Cemetery with Rev.
Jones Brewer officiating.
The family is at the home.
Pruitt Funeral Home, Honea Path, in charge of arrangements.

L.C. Smith

ABBEVILLE — L.C. Smith, 80, resident of 900 S. Main Street, husband of Lula Busby Smith, died Saturday, May 26, 2007, at Abbeville Area Medical Center.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home, Abbeville, SC.

Opinion

Why would so many want to be the U. S. president?

May 27, 2007

The presidential politicking season is in full swing in South Carolina. (Does it ever end?).
There have already been major nationally televised “debates” by the Democratic and Republican candidates and there are so many on each ticket you really need a program to keep up.
Surely some South Carolinians are wondering why there are so many who would want to be president in the first place. Considering what the president of the United States is subjected to, some may even wonder if anyone who works that hard on purpose to get the job - and spends that much money - just might be a couple of bricks short of a load.
For one thing, the president is a whipping boy for anyone and everyone who has a political grudge, personal peeve, or who has been offended or opposed or denied in any real or imagined way.

FURTHERMORE, THERE ARE problems, nationally and internationally, that would test the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job. For starters there’s the real problem with terrorists, whether they base their hatred on religion or anything else. The terrorist mentality defies any civilized discussion, never mind solution to a war of their making, not ours, as some are wont to contend. The politics of it all gives new meaning to frustration ..... not to mention the barbarity of terrorists.
Immigration - the illegal kind - also is a major headache for the president. It’s apparently a battle he cannot win, no matter what is proposed, let alone tried. The headaches of that growing national drain and dispute is in itself enough to make one man shrink into insignificance.

THEN THERE’S SOCIAL SECURITY, abortion, the United Nations, the global economy and the outsourcing of jobs. And don’t overlook the necessity of having to deal with political opponents who point fingers and call names ..... and even question the president’s intelligence, ability and every other personal quality. The name-calling, among other things, can be and is vicious and hateful.
There is more, but it’s just more examples of negatives piled on top of the political mountains that grow from political mole hills ..... often by somebody with a personal ax to grind ..... or someone with visions of political grandeur.
It really wouldn’t be out of the question to think somebody would have to be crazy to actively seek such a job. And, you might ask, what’s your point!