PICKENS — The Pickens community is mourning over the loss of a true Pickens gentleman, as lifelong Pickens resident Jack Black, 87, passed away on Saturday.

Black was born in Pickens County, son of the late Joseph Tribble and Sara Goldsmith Black. Born with a servant’s heart, Black was always active in his community. He retired from the city of Pickens as superintendent of streets and sanitation and served as a volunteer firefighter with the Pickens Fire Department for 52 years. Black served on Pickens City Council for 13 years and served as a bailiff in the county court system for 16 years and formerly served as a state constable. A true people person, Black never met a stranger and was always willing to help.

“Jack’s passing is a huge loss to the Pickens community,” Sen. Larry Martin said. “He loved Pickens and spent the better part of his life serving the town and its citizens in some way. Jack did a great job during his service on the city council and was one of the longest-serving volunteer firemen. Jack was a good friend and will be greatly missed. Susan joins me in extending our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Black and the family.”

State House representative Davey Hiott echoed Martin’s admiration for Black.

“Jack was someone who always told you how to do things the right way,” Hiott said. “I never asked his advice unless I was planning on using it. He left his mark on Pickens in a very positive way. Our prayers go out to his wife and family.”

Former Pickens mayor Ted Shehan served many years with Black, who was a lifelong time friend.

“Jack is one of the best friends I have ever had,” Shehan said. “He loved his country, he loved his family and he loved God. I never heard Jack Black say a negative thing about a single person. He was always positive and upbeat. The world would be a lot better place if we had more people like Jack Black in it.”

“Jack Black was a true gentleman and was always involved with his family and community,” said Pickens clerk of court Pat Welborn, who served with Black on Pickens City Council, the Pickens Fire Department and at the Pickens County Courthouse. “He was the type of person that would shoot it to you straight, but in a way that all always respected. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He will be missed.”

Pickens mayor David Owens also spoke of the great void Pickens will have to fill with the loss of Black.

“Jack was a good friend to me, my family and the city of Pickens,” Owens said. “He would always do anything he could for you. He served the city in so many ways, from his years in the fire department to his time working for city, to his tenure on council. He was on council when I was elected in the year 2000 and served two more terms after I was elected mayor.

“He always supported me. Pickens lost another great citizen when it lost Jack Black. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Black was a member of Pickens Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder, deacon and Sunday school superintendent. He was a member of Keowee Lodge #79 A.F.M. and the Hejaz Temple of The Shrine in Greenville.

Black served more than 40 years and was retired as Command Sergeant Major of the S.C. Army National Guard. He served as Command Sergeant Major for South Carolina from 1985-1986 and he was a member of the American Legion Post 51 in Pickens. He was one of the first Boy Scouts in Troop 51 in Pickens. Among his many honors, he was inducted to the S.C. National Guard Hall of Fame in 2006 and was one of five winners of the “I Fan the Flame Award” awarded by the city of Pickens. He was also recipient of Duke Energy’s “Citizenship and Service Award” in 2008.

CLEMSON — Get your Independence Day weekend off to a great start at the Clemson Farmers Market this Friday, July 1. The market is open rain or shine from 3-6 p.m. at the Patrick Square Village Green at 578 Issaqueena Trail in Clemson.

More than 30 vendors will offer fresh, locally grown produce, fresh-picked blackberries, blueberries and peaches, local honey, farm-fresh eggs, goats milk products, fresh-baked breads and goodies, beef, pork and chicken, granola, kimchi, boiled peanuts, handmade candles, natural bath and body products, and handmade arts and crafts.

From 3-6 p.m., the market will be open with vendor demonstrations and product sampling. There will be free market shopping bags compliments of AgSouth Farm Credit. There will also be a giant inflatable for the kids provided by Patrick Square.

From 3:30-5:30 p.m., enjoy music at the market at the Village Green Pavilion. All are asked to bring a lawn chair to relax in and enjoy the upbeat sounds of Larry Williams and Friends.

Market partners are the city of Clemson, Patrick Square and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce.

Market sponsors include AgSouth Farm Credit, Baptist Easley Hospital, Clemson Area Transit (CAT), Clemson Downs, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – Clemson (OLLI), and Rick Erwin’s – Clemson.

For a complete market schedule, vendor information or directions, visit clemsonfarmersmarket.org.

By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — Liberty mayor Eric Boughman gave his take on the city’s past, present and future at a State of Liberty event last week at the Rosewood Center.

PICKENS — The Pickens Recreation Department is now taking registrations for its fall soccer and volleyball seasons.

Soccer registration will be open through July 22 at the Pickens Recreation Center on Sangamo Road in Pickens.

Age divisions offered for soccer are 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15.

Volleyball registration will be taken through Aug. 5 at the rec center.

Volleyball age divisions are 7-9, 10-12, 13-14 and 15-17.

Following registration for both sports, a skills evaluation day will be held for each age division.

The registration fee for both sports, which provides a jersey to be kept, is $45 for in-city residents and $55 for out-of-city residents.

Birth certificates are required at registration, and birthdate cutoff is Sept. 1, 2016.

If you are interested in coaching or need more information, call the rec department at (864) 878-2296.

By Eric Sprott
Courtesy The Journal

esprott@upstatetoday.com

CLEMSON — Due almost entirely to mandates at the state and federal levels, tuition, housing and meal plan rates are going up at Clemson University.

But, for the time being, students won’t have to face the decision of having to pay an additional fee to sit in the lower bowl at Memorial Stadium during the upcoming football season.

During a teleconference that originated from Sikes Hall on Thursday morning, the university’s board of trustees passed by an 11-1 vote undergraduate tuition increases of 3.14 percent for in-state students and 4.27 percent for out-of-state students — resulting in $218 and $700 increases per semester, respectively.

Graduate student tuition will be raised by more than 6 percent, while housing and dining costs will be up by an average of 5 percent across the board, depending on specific housing and meal plans.

Clemson vice president for finance and operations Brett Dalton explained the increases are primarily due to a 3.25 percent state-mandated cost-of-living increase for employees, state-mandated health and retirement fund increases and the federally mandated Fair Labor Standards Act.

Those mandates alone total $15.7 million — the majority of the $18.8 million in mandatory and inflationary costs the university is facing.

“The trustees are happy with the plan, and they realize the vast majority of the increase is to cover mandated costs and critically important health and safety issues,” board of trustees chairman Smyth McKissick said. “They get that.”

Of note, Dalton said a proposed plan set forth by athletic director Dan Radakovich to charge students $225 for the right to sit in the lower bowl at football games was not part of Thursday’s discussion. With that, Clemson will remain the only school in the ACC that does not charge its student to attend sporting events.

“Those (discussions) are not really on the table,” he said. “There’s no specific proposal, and that’s not even being discussed.”

The plan drew harsh backlash from both Clemson students and alumni, as an online petition against the proposal on Change.org has more than 9,200 signatures.

Dalton said he doesn’t expect Radakovich to raise the issue anytime soon, which runs counter to a statement made by Clemson associate athletic director of communications Joe Galbraith.

“The athletic department has continued discussions with the students about football tickets for the past few months,” he told The Journal. “We’re hoping to announce our final plan for the 2016 season around the July board of trustees meeting, but student tickets will remain free for the upcoming season.”

Dalton said state funding helps cover 11 percent of the funding for the 2016-17 fiscal year budget — down from 40 percent in 2000. Mandatory, inflationary and life safety costs totaling $20.7 million alone required a 2.1 percent increase to the university’s budget. The life safety costs are $1.9 million.

“We are committed to protecting the high level of academic quality that our students have come to expect and ensuring that students are able to get the courses they need to graduate on time,” Clemson president Jim Clements said in a news release. “Tuition is crucial in funding our efforts to offer the best college experience possible for our students.

“We also are committed to keeping Clemson affordable, and we appreciate the support of the state and leaders of the General Assembly that has enabled us to keep this tuition increase low.”

The only dissenting vote Thursday came from trustee Bob Peeler, who also cast the lone dissenting vote during the finance and facilities committee meeting that immediately preceded the full board vote.

EASLEY — On Jan. 1, 1996, four former band members found themselves without a musical outlet that they had enjoyed for the past five years.

Mike Johnson and Larry Pope approached Jim Lynn and Val Dyches with the idea of forming a band. The talent represented by the four included keyboards, bass guitar, drums and a vocalist, but a band is not a band without a guitar player. The search was on for the right person to fill the position.

Paul Cook was suggested to fill the spot. There was, however, a small problem — he had never played beach music or music from the ‘60s.

Always up to the challenge, Cook said, “I can learn this.” And so he did. In fact, the group worked together preparing, rehearsing and having fun for about eight months prior to their first show.

The key to success for any musical group is name recognition. The group felt that the name “The Flashbacks” best identified the musical genre for which they would like to be known. The name was adopted, and the rest is history.

When the band originally started, one of the rules established was, ‘When this is no longer fun, it is time to quit.” According to Pope and Cook, the band’s two remaining original members, it is still fun.

Twenty years of fun can be heard in the group’s latest album, “Celebrating 20 Years,” which will be released on July 2.

The past two decades have been filled with many great memories of performances, achievements and long-lasting friendships, according to Pope. The Flashbacks’ brand is “rock ‘n’ roll, beach and soul.”

“This is what we do — from the Drifters to Bruno Mars — past, present and future,” Pope said.

In addition to Pope on bass guitar and vocals and Cook on guitar and vocals, the other current members of The Flashbacks are David Blackstock on trumpet and vocals, Tamy Heard on vocals, David Galloway on saxophones, Don Burts on the keys, trombone and vocals, Reggie Mull on the guitar and vocals, and Dan Kidd on the drums.

“We would like to thank all of our friends, fans and supporters who have been there for The Flashbacks during these 20 years,” Pope said. “Come out and see us July 2 at Old Market Square in Easley.”

The Flashbacks’ original lineup will be opening the show.

“We will be creating one more great memory for The Flashbacks,” Pope said.

For more information, visit theflashbacks.com or follow the band on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

• Stepin’ it up to hold meeting in Liberty

The July Steppin’ It Up Coalition monthing meeting will be held on Monday, July 11 Then meeting with begin at 5:30 p.m. and will held at the Liberty Sarlin Library and list until 6:30 p.m. The Library is located at 15 Palmetto Street in Liberty.   The meet is open to all members of our community who are interested in educating our youth on the dangers and health implications of alcohol, tobacco and drug exposure and use. The Pickens County Youth Board will be conducting a special presentation on: The Strategic Prevention Framework Process, during the meeting. The Steppin’ It Up Coalition of Pickens County targets youth, parents and other adults who impact where youth get access to drugs and alcoho and how, why, and when they choose to use. For more information about the Steppin’ It Up Coalition please contact Cathy Breazeale at (864) 898-5800.

• Nalley reunion scheduled for July 10

The Nalley reunion date and place have been changed. The reunion will now be held Sunday, July 10, at Bryant Lodge on the Southern Wesleyan University campus from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Lunch will be covered dish. Family members are asked to bring food (and serving spoons) and beverage. Paper products, tableware and ice will be furnished. For more information, email Evelyn McCollum at evegray854@charter.net, text or call (864) 350-1074 or call (864) 859-5239.

• Legion Post 67 seeks members

American Legion Post 67 in Liberty is accepting applications for membership from all U.S. military wartime veterans. For more information, call (864) 787-2322.

• Hagood Mauldin House open for tours

The Pickens County Historical Society extends an invitation to visit the Hagood-Mauldin House. This historic home was built in the 1850s in the old town of Pickens Court House on the west bank of the Keowee River. The home was disassembled and moved to its present site at 104 N. Lewis St. in Pickens in 1868, when Pickens District was divided into Pickens and Oconee counties. The house is furnished with period antiques. The Hagood-Mauldin House is open the third Saturday of each month, April through October 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fees are $5 for adults and $1 for children and students (18 and under). Private tours may be arranged during the week by calling (864) 421-4771. Parking is available at Legacy Square, next to McDonald’s.

• Pickens Lions plan meetings each month

The Pickens Lions Club is in need of new members. The club meets the first and third Thursday of every month at Pizza Inn in Pickens. Dinner begins at 6:40 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to anyone interested in joining the club or simply finding out more about the club and how it serves Pickens.

• Sertoma Club invites locals to meet

The Clemson Sertoma Club invites all interested local residents to attend its meetings. The club meets at noon the first and third Tuesdays of each month at Occasions at Wedgefield, located at 1551 Eighteen Mile Road in Central. New visitors are always welcome.