South Carolina Press Association executive director Bill Rogers presents Pickens County Courier graphic artist Emily Wright with the 17 awards she won in the SCPA’s Palmy Advertising Contest.

PICKENS — Pickens County Courier graphic artist Emily Wright recently picked up 17 awards in the South Carolina Press Association’s annual Palmy Advertising Contest.

Wright’s unique talent earned her two first-place awards, six second-place awards, six third-place awards and three honorable mentions in this year’s contest.

Wright’s entries were judged by press association members from other states around the nation. She was competing against all other newspapers in South Carolina.

“I am extremely proud of the work that Emily produces for our advertisers,” Courier publisher Rocky Nimmons said. “We are a small, locally owned newspaper, but Emily’s work takes a backseat to no paper, big or small, across South Carolina. She always produces the best possible work for each and every one of our customers.”

Wright’s work covered a wide range of categories in the contest. Her ability to convey customers’ messages through print media in an innovative and personal way drives customers to local businesses.

“Emily does an awesome job,” Courier advertising director Mignonne Matheson said. “I am so glad the South Carolina Press Association recognized her for her incredible work again this year.”

Wright has been in the newspaper business since 2006 and was a founding member of the Courier’s original staff when the paper was started in 2007. She has headed up the graphics department at the newspaper since the very first issue.

She has earned more than 75 statewide Palmy awards since 2007.

“It makes me feel really good that I have been able to earn these awards and the respect of my peers in the newspaper industry,” Wright said. “I am so amazed that what started as doodles on birthday cards for my parents as a child has turned into such a way of life for me. Not many people can say they love what they do and make a career of it.

“I am glad our advertisers get noticed by the work I do for them. That is a wonderful feeling to know that in some small way I contribute to their success in Pickens County. I am pleased with the number of awards I received this year, but in no way am I content, and I will continue to strive to build and create the best advertisements for all our loyal customers and future customers.”

Wright lives in Dacusville with her husband, David. She has an associate’s degree in art, focusing on graphic design, from Greenville Technical College. She also has a web design certificate and is the webmaster for the Courier’s website, yourpickenscounty.com. She enjoys all forms of artwork and offers graphic services, including flyers, invitations, photo restoration and logos, through her personal website, thewrightwaydesign.com or on Facebook by searching for The Wright Way Designs.

Wright’s awards this year included: Merchant Group or Signature Page – first place – Ad Home Improvement; Use of Humor – first place – Helping Hands Hearing Services; Automotive – 1/2 Page or Greater – second place – Benson Ford; Jewelry, Florists and Gift Shops – second place – TC Bearies Hallmark; Drug, Beverage, Specialty Food or Grocery Ad – second place – Martha’s Marvelous Munchies; Small Space Ad of Less Than 1/4 Page – second place – Smithfield’s Country Club (SCC); Use of Color – second place – Pickens Auto Repair Center; Miscellaneous Retail or Classified Display Ad – second place – Nestfeathers; Real Estate – third place – The Foothills Retirement Community; Furniture or Office Furnishings – third place Walker’s Furniture; Automotive – 1/2 Page or Greater – third place – Benson Ford; Jewelry, Florists and Gift Shops – third place – Something Special; Newspaper Promotion – third place – Pickens County Courier; Series of Ads – third place – Robinson’s Department Store; Jewelry, Florists and Gift Shops – honorable mention – Nestfeathers Honorable Mention; Restaurants/Nightlife – honorable mention – Orange Spot Café Honorable Mention; Health Services – honorable mention – Behavioral Health Services Of Pickens County.

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PICKENS — The fourth annual Founders Day Music Festival is scheduled in downtown Pickens on Saturday.

[cointent_lockedcontent]The free festival will kick off at 2 p.m. and run until 9 p.m. at the amphitheater downtown.

Five bands will provide the entertainment on the amphitheater stage. Visitors will be able to sample the wares of food and craft vendors as bluegrass music fills the air.

Headliners for the event include Volume Five and County Clare. Closing out the lineup are the Sweet Potato Pie Kids, Laurel Fork and New Dixie Storm.

The event, which celebrates Pickens’ music and cultural heritage, will also host a big jam to close out the night — open to anyone who wants to jump up on stage and participate while fireworks go off from Bruce Field.

The Pickens amphitheater is located at 114 W. Main St. in Pickens. For more information, visit cityofpickens.com/foundersday.[/cointent_lockedcontent]

Photos courtesy of the Stewart family

Friends and family remember Dickie Stewart as a loving man who had a wonderful sense of humor and was [cointent_lockedcontent]always willing to lend a helping hand. Pictured with Stewart at a Pickens High School football game are, from left, Stewart’s daughters Erin, Kerry and Alanna and his wife of 44 years, Vickie.

By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher

rnimmons@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — What is a hero?

For many of us, the word conjures up visions of a caped superman who saves the world. For others, it is a serviceman who fights for our freedom. Others see heroes as police, fire or EMS workers who save and protect us.

One of the greatest joys in Dickie Stewart’s life was serving as Santa Claus for not only his own grandchildren, but the children at his home church, Secona Baptist Church. His long white beard wasn’t his strongest Santa trait, however. “It was the twinkle in his eyes,” longtime friend Ann Garren said.

All of these fit the description, but many in Pickens County have a new image of a hero — one with a long white beard and an undying spirit that will live for generations to come.

Two weeks ago, the late Dickie Stewart showed his heroic spirit when he went to the aid of a neighbor in need. With no concern for his personal safety or well-being, Stewart went to check on his neighbor, former Pickens football coach Bill Isaacs, who lay in the grass near his home along North Homestead Road.

In a 911 call he made on the morning of the incident and released by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Stewart can be heard going without concern to check on his friend, never showing fear as he did. Moments later, Stewart was shot and killed, just as Isaacs had been moments earlier.

According to all who knew him, nothing would have kept Stewart from lending a hand. That was just the kind of man he was.

But just who was Dickie Stewart?

He was a husband and father of three daughters. A man who loved to grow his beard long to see the excitement in the eyes of children at his home church, Secona Baptist, each holiday season while standing in line to speak to “Santa Claus.” He was a man of God. He was so many things to so many people in the Pickens community. Hero, it seems, was just one of many roles Stewart portrayed in life.

In his own words in a post on Facebook, Stewart wrote a list of 25 things that best described the man he was.

“I like to read very much,” he wrote, “l hate being bothered with trivial information such as, ‘The house is falling down,’ while reading.”

That was Stewart. He simply had a unique way of expressing himself.

According to longtime friend and fellow Secona member Marion Lawson, the principal of Pickens High School, Stewart often read multiple books at a time and several in one day.

“He loved classics, books on dieting, natural remedies, medical books, mysteries, old Western novels, science fiction, thrillers and fantasy books,” Lawson said. “For example, he bought each of the Harry Potter series as it was published in hardcover. Then, at the end of the series, he bought the entire British version set so he could compare the vocabulary.

“Dickie posted his reading lists on his Facebook page and welcomed anyone who might try to equal his reading. In the past couple of years, he read, shared, and encouraged others to adopt his vegetarian diet. He was sold on the concept and would spend lots of time and money on books for friends as he sought out converts. He was very proud that the dietary changes he made led to a complete reduction of all medications and a healthier outlook on life.”

Another longtime friend and fellow choir member at the church, Ann Garren, also confirmed Stewart’s love of reading,

“Dickie was probably one of the most unique people I’ve known in my 60 years,” she said. “He was very well-read. He had a passion for reading, for learning and expanding his mind.

“If you talked to Dickie about a subject he was not very familiar with, he would research that subject, and the next time he saw you he would talk about it. He never quit learning. His mind was a sponge, soaking up all the information he could. He could always find ‘common ground’ in a conversation.”

But his love of reading did not even compare to his love of God, and the love he shared with his family.

“I’m happy to have married my high school sweetheart almost 40 years ago, but if it doesn’t work out, I’m not going to bother with marriage again,” Stewart wrote lightheartedly in his Facebook post. “I love my children, their spouses and my grandchildren, even though they may wonder about it at times.”

Humor was a major part of who he was. He loved to make people smile with his quips.

Garren said she knew Stewart for about 45 years, as his wife, Vickie, had grown up at Secona and been friends with Garren since they were both children.

“She married Dickie while he was in the Navy, and when he got out of the Navy and they came back to Pickens, he joined Secona,” Garren said. “The love Dickie and Vickie had for each other was always apparent. They fell in love when they were young and married young. There was never, ever any question about the love they had for each other. Theirs was a young love that never faded.”

Lawson echoed the love Stewart had for his family.

“Dickie loved his precious wife, Vickie,” he said. “They were truly a team and an inspiration to many.

“They worked together with the youth and children at church and at home. Dickie loved his girls, Erin, Kerry and Alanna. He loved his sons-in-law and his grandchildren.

According to Lawson, “Grumpy,” as Stewart’s grandchildren called him, spoke of his family often and was always ready to share a story or funny episode in their lives.

“He always smiled as he talked about them and was filled with joy with each one who made a profession of faith in Jesus,” Lawson said. “For years, Dickie and Vickie worked with the youth at church, chaperoning activities and leading in small-group Bible studies.

“You could often find him with as many of his children and grandchildren as he could gather at football games — of course he was easy to pick out with his white hair, long beard and top hat.”

The beard was a must for Stewart, as he loved to play the Santa every Christmas.

“Before Dickie had bypass surgery, he was Santa Claus,” Lawson said. “He grew into the role. He had the suit and real Santa lace-up boots and leather gloves. He delighted children and adults at Secona and in the community as the jolly old elf.”

Lawson said Stewart could be seen around town and at the bank spreading Christmas cheer. He was Santa even in the ‘off-season,’ often wearing red sweaters, green vests or his trademark Stewart plaid tartan vest or shirt.

“I remember when he first started his ponytail, he was quick to explain that his was not a typical ponytail, but rather an example of a colonial style of hair called ‘clubbing.’ Vintage Dickie Stewart,” Lawson said.

Garren said Stewart was the “ideal” Santa Claus when he let his white beard and hair grow out, but those attributes weren’t his strongest Santa traits.

“It was the twinkle in his eye. It was his quiet, kind voice,” she said. “He took joy in playing the part of Santa — a role he played for other children and even his own family members.

“A few years ago, when Dickie was in the hospital awaiting open-heart surgery, a child saw him and become concerned that Santa was sick and in the hospital. Dickie often told the story, and he did so with a little chuckle. I guess he delighted in how much he did look like Santa.”

Faith, however, and his love of Jesus Christ were the driving force in the person Stewart was, according to his loved ones.

“Dickie believed in his heart that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and he confessed the same with his mouth, so according to Romans 10:9, he was saved,” Lawson said.

Dickie was a charter member of the Bible Fellowship Sunday School class at Secona Baptist Church, having joined the class to help Lawson, who was the first teacher when the class was brand-new.

“The aim of the class was to get folks into Sunday School who were not already involved,” Lawson said. “He came to class with several versions of the Bible ready on his Kindle so he could give subtle meanings of words or just share scripture from a different version. He was always ready with a ‘real-world’ application of scripture that we could use in everyday life. He would often toss out an idea or ask a question to get a discussion started or make a daily life application with the scripture of the day.

“Dickie believed in the power of prayer. At the end of our choir practice each week, we would have prayer time. Dickie always mentioned family, friends and acquaintances that he wanted us to pray for their needs. A few months ago, when Coach Isaacs was in the hospital so sick, Dickie mentioned him every time we gathered. He would always say ‘please pray for my neighbor and my friend, Bill Isaacs.’

“Dickie believed that as bad as the coach was, prayer could change the situation, and it did. When Coach got better, Dickie gave praise and thanks to the Lord for what he had done for his neighbor and his friend.

Garren said Stewart’s lasting legacy was his love: “Dickie loved His Lord. Dickie loved his wife, Vickie, his daughters, Kerry, Alanna, Erin, and his sons-in-laws. Dickie loved his grand children. Dickie loved his church. Dickie loved his church family. He loved singing in our church choir.

“On the day before he passed away, he sang with the choir ‘Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.’ He sang the praises to his Lord from the choir loft. Within less than 24 hours. Dickie sang those same praises standing in the Heavenly choir, in the presence of The Lord he loved so much.”

In this world, we meet and know many people, but for all who knew and loved Dickie Stewart, there will always be the memories of a gentle, loving man who led life on his terms.

“I could have done a lot of things in my life differently, but l didn’t,” Stewart wrote on Facebook. “I can’t bother with regret. It won’t change a thing. If I die before anyone even has time to read this, eternity may not be long enough for me to know how to adequately thank my God for his goodness and grace to me.”

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The Town of Six Mile, in collaboration with the United Ways of Pickens/Oconee Counties and Heath’s Haven, recently constructed a Born Learning Trail at Ponderosa Recreation Park in memory of Holly Nicole Durham, daughter of Karen and Terry Durham, pictured above. The goal of a Born Learning Trail is to help parents, caregivers and the communities create early learning opportunities for young children. The public is invited to visit the park and explore ways to help young children get ready for success in school and in life.