Daily Archives: 11/03/2015
Bagwell celebrates 90th birthday
Luther Bagwell of Liberty will celebrate his 90th birthday on Nov. 16. Bagwell was born in 1925 to Adolphus and Emma Pace Bagwell as the 
youngest of 16 children. He is married to his bride of 68 years, Ruby Chapman Bagwell, and he is the father of three sons: Randy, Benny and Mark.
Bagwell is a member of Eastside Baptist Church in Liberty. A drop-in reception will be held in his honor on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 15, from 2:30-4 p.m. at Eastside Baptist Church in Liberty. Your presence is all that is desired.
Submissions sought for ‘Artists Color the Music’
PICKENS — The Pickens County Museum of Art and History is inviting artists to submit work to be considered for inclusion in their upcoming “Artists Color the Music” exhibit, being held in conjunction with the Greater Clemson Music Festival, formerly known as the Clemson Blues Festival.
Submissions are open to all artists living in North or South Carolina and Georgia working in any of the plastic media (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) No photography will be considered. There is no entry fee for submitting work, nor any costs incurred for pieces accepted into the exhibition. Delivery and pickup of accepted work is the responsibility of the artist.
All entries should fall within the theme of “Influence of the Blues,” whatever your interpretation of that may be.
The Greater Clemson Music Festival on April 15-23 will showcase exceptional jazz, rock, reggae, gospel and roots artists at various venues throughout Clemson and surrounding areas. The inspiration for the festival comes from the history of the Littlejohn’s Grill, an African American nightclub (1945-1968). Located along a music corridor once known as the “chitlin’ circuit,” the grill hosted scores of major blues, R&B and jazz musicians.
If you have been inspired to reflect your love of music through works of art, then now is the time to share this. Artists are encouraged to submit their work to allenc@co.pickens.sc.us.
Interested artists should submit one or two images in a JPG format no more than one megabyte in overall size. Please include your name, address and telephone number, along with each work’s title, medium and framed/display size. Works can be digitally submitted from Nov. 15 until Jan. 31. From works submitted for consideration, up to 30, dependent on size, will be selected for the final exhibition.
Artists will be notified Feb. 5 if their work was or was not selected for the final exhibit.
Works selected will be delivered to the Pickens County Museum of Art & History from March 26 to April 2.
The Final exhibition will open on April 5, and a reception will be held on April 23. The exhibit will remain on display until May 28.
Located at the corner of U.S. Highway 178 at 307 Johnson St. in Pickens, the museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m..
For more information, contact The Pickens County Museum of Art and History “Color the Music” Show at allenc@co.pickens.sc.us.
Rival Bobcats hand Daniel home defeat
By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher
rnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — The regular season is over. Despite a rollercoaster of a year that had huge peaks and deep valleys, the Daniel Lions now[cointent_lockedcontent]
John Bolton/BoltonPhoto.com
Daniel’s C.J. Scott goes up to make a leaping catch against Seneca on Friday night.
must put that behind them as they hope the next five games will define them far greater than the last 10 did.
Following a 35-17 loss to the rival Seneca Bobcats on Friday, the Lions finished the year with a rare losing mark of 4-6, but the four wins all came during Western AAA play. Those victories were enough to make Randy Robinson’s big cats finish fourth in the region and earn a trip to Rock Hill to face the defending AAA state champion South Pointe Stallions. The Stallions are just as tough as they were a year ago, with their lone loss coming to AAAA power Northwestern in overtime.
In spite of the loss, the Lions played hard against the Bobcats in their season finale.
“You know, we played a 9-0 team that has as much talent as anyone we have faced in quite a while, so I am not going to hang my head,” Daniel coach Randy Robinson said. “Our kids played hard. I asked them to play together and play hard, and we got that tonight. There is nothing to be ashamed of for playing hard.”
The difference in the game was the pounding running game Seneca offered up all night. Seneca’s running back tandem of Jacory Benson and Baxton Gambrell accounted for 342 of the Bobcats’ 530 yards of total offense.
“They are just bigger and stronger up front,” Robinson said. “They outweighed us at every position, but that is part of the game. They have a good offensive line and good running backs behind them. We watched it for nine weeks in a row, so we knew it was coming.”
The game started with the Lions keeping the explosive Bobcat offense in check. On Seneca’s first possession, it looked like things were going to go the Lions’ way, as following a three-and-out to start the game, Daniel’s punt was mishandled by Gambrell, with Daniel’s Lamar “Booboo” Woods recovering at the Seneca 41.
The Seneca defense was just too strong, and the Lions could not capitalize on the Bobcat mistake and were again forced to punt without picking up a first down.
The Daniel defense looked good and allowed only 18 yards of Seneca offense on the next possession, but again the Lions’ offense could not move the ball and had to give it up on a Justin Craig punt.
Seneca took over at its own 32 and strung together an eight-play series that was helped along by a 15-yard personal foul flag on the Lions. Gambrell capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run with 4:26 left in the first quarter. Hunter Pearson added the extra point to put the ‘Cats up 7-0.
The Lions evened the game at 7-7 following a Jacob Maloney interception the next time the Bobcats had the ball. The pick was the first of the season thrown by Seneca quarterback Elijah Turner.
Taking over at the Lion 31, Daniel quarterback Ben Batson finally rallied his troops and got his offense moving. He first hit C.J. Scott with a 13-yard pass and followed that up with a 16-yard scramble on the second snap. Batson went back to the air and tossed a five-yard completion to Jacob Wichelns. The touchdown was yet another pass, this time a 23-yard strike to Scott in the end zone to cap the four-play, 69-yard series with 9:59 to play in the half. Rivers Sherrill added the PAT.
The Bobcats answered two possessions later on a four-play, 57-yard drive. A huge 34-yard run by Gambrell sealed the deal with 5:56 to play in the opening half, as the powerful back seemed to hit another gear and raced to the Daniel end zone. Pearson was true on the PAT, and the ‘Cats were back on top 14-7.
The momentum seemingly turned for good late in the half. The Lions had been holding their own with the undefeated Bobcats, but a late drive seemed to suck the life out of the Columbia blue and gold just before intermission.
Seneca mounted a five-play, 51-yard drive that would not have been without the help of a pass interference flag on the drive’s fourth play. The penalty against the Lions moved the ball to the Daniel 9-yard line. On the very next play, Turner spied Daquan Mackey open in the end zone for a Seneca touchdown with only 17 seconds to play in the half. Pearson nailed the PAT, and the Bobcats were rolling 21-7.
The Lions came out after the break and tried to make a game of it. Jeff Fruster’s defense held tough and forced Seneca to punt the ball away on the opening series of the half.
Daniel took possession at the Lion 41 and began a march that would lead to a Sherrill field goal. The Lion started off big as Stephon Kirksey broke loose on first down for 23 yards. Two plays later, Batson found Scott open and connected for a 35-yard pass that pushed the Lions down to the Seneca 9-yard line. The Lions just could not get the ball across the goal line on three tries and called on Sherrill, who aced a 28-yard attempt with 6:32 to play in the third quarter to pull the Lions to with 11 at 21-10.
Seneca slammed the door in the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to put the game away despite a long Daniel touchdown that give the Lions hope.
Seneca scored on a 10-play, 47-yard drive that saw Benson going in from five yards out with 10:52 to play.
The Lions answered with a nice three-play drive that was highlighted by a 76-yard pass, catch and run from Batson to Scott. Sherrill added the PAT with 9:57 to play, making the score 28-17 in favor of Seneca, but the ‘Cats were not done yet.
Seneca ended the Lions’ hopes with a mauling 13-pla,y 75-yard march. It was a steady diet of Gambrell and Benson, as the duo picked up a handful of yards on each snap. Benson got the final touch, and the back slammed in from eight yards out to ice the game. Pearson was good on the PAT with 3:02 to play, preserving the Bobcats’ perfect season with a 35-17 victory at Singleton field.
“Seneca has ran a lot of people off the field,” Robinson said. “Our kids showed some Daniel pride and played hard. I have just been waiting on us to compete together. We have only done it twice this year as a group, and it was against the two biggest teams we played ,and they were BHP and Seneca. If we can do that again in two weeks in the playoffs, we have a chance to play a bunch of football. We have to play like we did tonight again.
“We competed. If our kids compete and play together, we can stay on the field with anybody. This Seneca team was as good and talented a team as I have seen in a long while.”
Class AAA schools will have to wait a week to start playoff action due to last month’s heavy flooding throughout the state, so the Lions have almost two weeks to prepare for their meeting with South Pointe.
“Next week we are going to work on a lot of self-corrections,” Robinson said. “We are going to work on getting better at what we do. We will get the film, and assuming it is South Pointe, we will break that down, but this coming week we are going to focus on us and what we do.”
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Green Wave shut down at Hillcrest
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
SIMPSONVILLE — After losing its chance to repeat again as Region I-AAAA champions with a loss against Hanna the week[cointent_lockedcontent]
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Easley running back Will Drawdy, seen here during the Green Wave’s loss against Westside last month, found the going tough against Hillcrest on Friday night in Simpsonville.
prior, Hillcrest powered its way to way to a 41-7 win over the Easley Green Wave at home Friday night.
Hillcrest, which improved to 8-2 on the season, will return to the playoffs Nov. 13. Easley may still be able to earn a playoff spot with its 5-5 record, but a win in the regular-season finale Friday night against Greenville would go a long way toward determining that. The Red Raiders are 1-9 overall and 0-6 in region play, but lost 42-41 last week to a Laurens team that took down Easley by a 27-14 score in September.
Hillcrest started strong against the Green Wave on Friday night, scoring in just five plays on its opening drive. Quintavius Ballenger carried the ball the final four yards for a touchdown to give Hillcrest a 6-0 lead after a failed two-point conversion less than a minute and a half into the game.
The Rams struck quickly on their second possession, scoring in just two plays, as quarterback Collin Sneed connected with Quinton Martin for a 30-yard touchdown with 8:03 remaining in the opening quarter, giving Hillcrest a 12-0 lead after another failed two-point conversion.
After the Easley offense’s second consecutive three-and-out possession to start the game, the Rams made the Green Wave pay and stretched their lead to three scores when Brian Spurgeon returned Josh Holden’s punt 78 yards for a touchdown at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter. Gustavo Martinez-Salas added the extra point to put Hillcrest up 19-0.
Easley finally managed to get its first first down of the game late in the first quarter before the Rams buckled and forced a punt, adding to their lead once more in short order.
After a short punt by Holden, Hillcrest found the end zone in just four plays, capping a 46-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run by Ballenger 14 seconds into the second quarter.The score was set up by a 32-yard pass from Sneed to Spurgeon that moved the ball to the Easley 3. After Martinez-Salas’ extra point, the Rams led 26-0.
Hillcrest continued to pour it on on the very next play from scrimmage, as Easley’s Will Drawdy fumbled a handoff deep in Green Wave territory and the Rams’ Isaiah Sayegh picked up the ball and scored from three yards out to move the margin to 33-0 with 11:35 left in the first half.
As Easley’s offense continued to struggle, never gaining another first down in the first half, Hillcrest added to its lead one more time before the break on a nine-yard pass from Sneed to Spurgeon with 1:18 to play in the opening half, making the score 41-0.
Easley’s lone points of the game came on its opening drive of the third quarter, as quarterback Dalton Black hit receiver Carter Wiles with a 26-yard pass for a touchdown. Josh Hansen’s extra point cut the Hillcrest lead to 41-7.
The Rams drove the ball to the Easley 1-yard line on their opening possession of the second half, but the Green Wave defense stood tall and stuffed Hillcrest four a four-yard loss on a fourth-down play.
The Easley defense shut down the Hillcrest offense in the second half, but the Green Wave never impacted the score board again, leaving the final score at 41-7.
Easley was held to just 16 yards on the ground on 31 carries in the game, while Black finished with 128 yards on a 14-of-22 effort through the air.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
After loss, Flame hope for playoffs
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The Pickens Blue Flame broke out their special red jerseys Friday night for the regular-season finale against Belton-Honea Path.[cointent_lockedcontent]
Tommy McGaha/seeyourphotohere.com
Pickens’ Gunner Covey stiff-arms a Belton-Honea Path defender during their game Friday night.
The Bears left the Blue Flame seeing red with a 49-17 win in a game marred by penalties and controversial calls.
Flags were dropping like flies during the game. Pickens was flagged 12 times for 120 yards and had two players ejected after a BHP player kicked off the helmet of a Blue Flame defender. Pickens also got a personal foul penalty after quarterback Tanner Stegall was given a shoulder shrug hit on the BHP sideline. BHP didn’t show a lot of control on the field either, getting penalized 17 times for 152 yards.
The two teams entered the game set in their region positions despite a win or loss. BHP finished second behind Seneca and Pickens fifth behind Wren and Daniel. The Blue Flame were hoping to catch the Bears on an off night, and they got anything but on senior night.
BHP picked off a deep Stegall pass on the Blue Flame’s first possession, and tailback Juwan Abney went 63 yards on the first play from scrimmage to make it 7-0 with 10:22 left in the first quarter following Lance Jones’ extra-point kick.
Stegall was sacked on the next possession on third down, and BHP again took it for a score, going 64 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Kameron Burton kept it the final five for the score with 4:13 left in the quarter, making it 14-0.
BHP got it back and made it 21-0 as Oryan Warren broke several tackles en route to a 41-yard touchdown run with 11:39 left in the first half.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth,” Pickens coach John Boggs said. “I think that is the best team we’ve played this year. They’re physical and tough. Their running back (Abney) is legit. They do a lot of things really well.
“We felt like we were going to have to hit some stuff early to try and get some big plays. We never were able to get that passing game going. The running game was tough. Gunner (Covey) ran the ball really well in the second half. It was just really hard to get our running game going in the first half. It’s hard to answer. Guys like that you have to come back and answer, and it’s hard to answer after we got behind quick. These kids battled. I love them. They play hard every week. We just made some mistakes and gave up some big plays early on.”
Matt Gravely pinned BHP back at its own 7-yard line on the next possession, and the defense forced a punt. BHP then roughed the passer and roughed the kicker on Gravely’s 42-yard field goal attempt, keeping the drive alive. On the next play, Stegall hit Kirkland Gillespie, who made a sliding catch over the middle for a 13-yard touchdown. Gravely’s kick made it 21-7 with 8:10 left in the half.
BHP answered again as Burton hit Nick Wood, who took a short pass and split the cornerback and safety for a 75-yard scoring strike to put his team up 28-7 with 6:55 left before halftime.
The Bears got it back once more and marched 74 yards in 14 plays as Abney took a toss around the left side with 1:29 left in the half, making it 35-7.
BHP (8-2, 6-1) got the ball first in the second half and drove into Blue Flame territory. However, cornerback Sam Lawson picked off an Austin Estes pass at the 15.
Things then got chippy between the two teams. BHP was hit with a pass interference penalty and another personal foul. Pickens reached the BHP 35 when Stegall was forced out of bounds into a player on the sideline who give him a shoulder shimmy. A flag was thrown, but it was called against center Jeb Kelley coming to rescue his quarterback. A fourth-down pass then came up a few yards short.
The fireworks continued on the next Bear possession. Abney had a run, with the umpire getting caught up in the play twice. In the effort to untangle, Abney kicked Matt Gravely’s helmet off, and there was another flag. BHP was called for illegal procedure, but Pickens was called for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and two linemen were ejected.
Two plays later, Burton took it the final seven yards, making it 42-7 with 4:25 left in the third quarter.
“Tonight was disappointing,” Boggs said. “We felt like we would give them a better game than this. We felt we would be more competitive. We had been competitive the last several weeks. They’ve come back every week and played hard and come back and practiced hard. They kind of drive you crazy sometimes because they’re so loose. But they play better when they’re loose. That’s been different for me, but it’s been fun to be out here with these guys. I think they enjoy being together and I think they enjoy playing together. They all play. There are not a whole lot of guys standing on the bench watching, and that helps because they’re all getting playing time. I hope we get another week with them, because it has been a fun group to be around.”
BHP added to the score on the next possession as Abney went 76 yards with 47.9 seconds left in the quarter, making it 49-7.
Pickens answered with a 10-play drive. Stegall, on fourth and 10, hit Brandon Batson at the 15. He then made a great cut, eluding two defenders, and went in for the score with 8:45 left, making it 49-14.
The Blue Flame got it back as Matt Gravely forced a fumble that was recovered by Cole Seaborn at the Bear 26.
Penalties moved the ball back, but Gravely eventually hit a 49-yard field goal with 3:50 left, making the final 49-17.
Pickens will play the waiting game now, hoping for an at-large bid to the Class AAA playoffs, which they received last year. The playoffs have been delayed a week due to teams around the state being forced to make up games missed during widespread flooding last month.
“I hope this crew has one more game in them,” Boggs said. “You don’t know anything. You have to wait, and we’ll have next week off. The picture should be a little clearer after tonight. There was a chance that we could have won tonight and not get in depending on what went on in other places. There was a chance we could lose and still get in. It just kind of depends on other people. We’ll wait and see what happens.”
Notes: At halftime, Cheri Anthony was given the Gene and Nora Hooper Fan Appreciation Award.
Pickens High was also awarded the Sam Wyche Food Bowl Trophy after raising $8,625 for Pickens County Meals on Wheels. Save-A-Lot made a $5,000 check presentation. A total of $17,883 was raised by the four county high schools. Pickens is 7-0-1 in the fundraising competition.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Watson, Tigers top NCSU in shootout
Courtesy Clemson
Athletic Communications
news@thepccourier.com
RALEIGH, N.C. — The No. 3 Clemson Tigers defeated N.C. State 56-41 on Halloween at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.
It was Clemson’s 11th consecutive win dating to last season, the program’s longest winning streak since a 13-game tear from 1980-82.
Rex Brown/Courtesy The Journal
Clemson’s Charone Peake and Hunter Renfrow celebrate after a touchdown during the Tigers’ win over N.C. State on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson led the Tigers to more than 600 yards as he completed 23-of-30 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns. He also added a score on the ground to match his single-game high of six set last season against North Carolina. Wayne Gallman rushed for a season-high 172 yards, his fifth game breaking the century mark this season.
The game got off to a bizarre back-and-forth start, with both teams trading two touchdowns with a blocked point-after attempt. Watson ran for a score and threw a 57-yarder to Hunter Renfrow, the latter of which tied the game at 13 just five minutes into the contest.
The Tigers gained control briefly after a pair of field goals by Greg Huegel, but N.C. State rallied with a touchdown late in the second quarter to nudge ahead 20-19.
But the Wolfpack failed to convert a field goal late, and with less than a minute to play in the half, the Tigers made them pay.
Watson found Artavis Scott and Charone Peake open in one-on-one matchups on the right sideline. The completion to Peake went for 42 yards and a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 26-20 edge at halftime.
Watson’s aerial show continued in the second half, as he flung a beautiful 40-yard pass to Deon Cain for the freshman’s first career touchdown that put Clemson at 40 points on the day. He followed that up with his fourth touchdown of the day, a 35-yard screen to Zac Brooks.
But N.C. State refused to go quietly, answering with a couple of touchdowns of its own in the fourth quarter. Huegel’s third field goal of the day ended the threat from the Wolfpack and put the Tigers up 15 with just less than six minutes to play.
Clemson freshman receiver Ray-Ray McCloud also scored his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 36-yard pass from Watson.
The Tigers will return home this weekend to host Florida State in Memorial Stadium. The game, set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, will be televised on ABC.
Red Devils roll in season-ending win
By Jimmy Kirby
Courier Sports
jkirby@thepccourier.com
GREENVILLE — Wild things seem to happen when Carolina and Liberty get together[cointent_lockedcontent] to play football, and Friday night was no exception as the Red Devils used three big plays from Cole Murphy to come away with a 37-12 season-ending victory over the Trojans.
Call it a pre-Halloween trick or treat or both teams trying too hard
to gain a victory to end a season filled with more losses than wins, and you come up with a concoction of ingredients to make you shake your head in disbelief.
The Red Devils jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead thanks in part to Murphy’s 10-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter and his 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown midway through the second quarter.
In between Murphy’s two scores, Charlie Meinders scored on a three-yard run following a 27-yard Brayden Shirley interception return to the Trojan 16-yard line.
The Trojans couldn’t get out of their own way all night, as they had six turnovers — five coming by way of interceptions — and 15 penalties for 176 yards. The Trojans managed to get their passing game in gear in the third quarter, but it was too little too late as they could not overcome the miscues.
Marcus Grant connected with Devante Rabb for a 13-yard scoring toss with 8:15 remaining in the third quarter and then found Tyler Turner down the right side from 20 yards out as the speedster showed some nifty moves to scamper into the end zone.
But that was all the scoring the Trojans could muster on the evening.
The Red Devils quickly scored again with less than a minute gone in the third quarter when Andrew Herman sacked Turner in the end zone for a safety to make the score 23-0 with 11:19 still on the clock to start the second half.
Murphy then struck again as he took the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the house, and the Red Devils were up 30-0 eight seconds later.
The final score of the game came on Tyler Renaud’s eight- yard run. Renaud also had a 27-yard run that was good to the Carolina 12-yard line to set up the score. The drive covered 44 yards in four plays.
The Red Devils had their own issues in the game despite the lopsided score, as they had two interceptions, a fumble, a missed field goal and turned the ball over on downs four times deep in Trojan territory at the Carolina 10-, 26-, 1- and 6-yard lines.
Liberty again had to rely on its rushing game, which netted 220 yards on 52 attempts. Renaud led all rushers in the game with 16 carries for 95 yards.
The Red Devils were just 2-of-9 passing for four yards in the game. Their first pass on a jet sweep went for negative-8 yards. The other completion was for 12 yards to Derek Richmond.
The Trojans finished the game with 145 yards through the air and just 47 yards rushing. The turnovers and the penalties kept them bottled up deep in their own territory for most of the game. The average starting field position for the Trojans was their own 25-yard line for the game.
The Red Devils, meanwhile, had an average starting field position at the Carolina 37-yard line.
With the win, the Red Devils completed the season with a 3-7 overall record and 2-5 region record. Carolina fell to 1-9 on the season, with its lone victory coming in region play on the road against Landrum, 21-14.
The Red Devils will now pack it up for the year and try to figure out a way to become more balanced on offense in the offseason. They played well enough defensively throughout the year, giving up just 21.3 points per game. They had six games where they gave up 19 points or less, but also had five games where the offense managed seven points or less. The Red Devils averaged just 13.4 points per game on the season.
Liberty coach Kyle Stewart had to depend too much on his rushing game and defense throughout the season to overcome the lack of a passing attack. Better things should be in store for this group as they prepare for next season.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Driving into our history
My brother and I went on a journey last week. We drove to Virginia together and started exploring family history. We knew all about Mama’s side of the family, but very little about Daddy’s side. So we drove into the past and discovered the other side of our history.
We’d last lived in Virginia in early childhood, before our Daddy’s death. Little did we know how much seeing vaguely remembered places and buildings would jog memories we didn’t even know we had.
We first went to Norfolk. Mama had a copy of my christening certificate in an old photo album. It was held in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, so we first visited the church, searching for family graves. It’s a beautiful old building built before the Revolutionary War. The wall nearest the Chesapeake Bay has a British cannonball embedded in it, just below the roof.
I took a picture of the cannonball, the church, the interior and the tombstones in the cemetery. They’d stopped burying people there in 1840, but after a conversation with a very nice lady who conducted tours of the church, we learned that church members were later buried in Cedar Ridge Cemetery.
I took pictures of the suspended pulpit, a common style when the Church of England was in vogue, and we left for Cedar Ridge.
There, we visited the office, which has cemetery maps and card files on every person resting there. We found where our grandparents were buried, as well as several great-aunts.
This gave us some dates to work with.
We learned from the guide that there was another Episcopal church where others in the family may have worshiped. Old Donation Church is in nearby Virginia Beach, and we learned my grandmother’s family, the Hoggards, were active there.
So we visited the beautiful old church, met the rector and the church secretary, whose desk had a name plate identifying officially as the Guardian Angel.
They took us on a tour and found our father’s grave for us. Although we have no real memory of him, it was a moving experience to see his gravestone and know where he lies.
It was also fascinating to talk to the church historian and learn about the Hoggard family’s participation in church activities.
Our great-aunt Frances donated the organ, and our great-great-great-grandfather, Thumer Hoggard IV, kept the church from going under in his lifetime.
It’s thriving now.
From there, we were directed to Poplar Hall, the family home built in 1640. This was where our grandmother was born, and the house was in the family for eight generations. It was the site of the first American shipyard, which the family owned.
All the land around the house now has been developed as subdivisions, but the house itself is unchanged on the outside.
It is no longer owned by the family. I rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, we walked around the side and took some good pictures. It faces Broad Creek.
From there, we went to our grandmother’s house in town. It’s a three-story brownstone on West York Street facing The Hague and is still there, now occupied by a law firm. We were pleased to see it hadn’t been demolished and is in good condition. I knocked and received a very courteous reception. They conducted us over the house, which they’re in the process of restoring, and we were glad to see they had respect and appreciation for it.
That ended the second day of our journey, and we were both excited to have learned so much. The next day brought us even more information, and we followed the trail of clues given us by some very kind and helpful guides. There’s too much to tell in one column, so the story must be continued next week.
A unique native son of SC
Ken Burger died Oct. 20. He was the most interesting, special and unique son of South Carolina that I have ever known. Period.
If that sounds like graveside hyperbole, consider his one sentence bio: Born and raised in Allendale, Burger graduated dead last in his class at the University of Georgia, has been married five times, is a grateful recovering alcoholic, a cancer survivor and a happy man.
Journalist Ken was a stickler for the facts, so I’ll correct one and add a few. He did not survive cancer and his one line bio does not do him justice.
Ken was also bankrupt (he paid back every penny), lost two homes (one to fire the other to Hurricane Hugo), wrote three novels and two books of columns, was a Washington correspondent, was twice named the best sportswriter in America by the AP, went 200 miles an hour at Darlington Speedway, jumped out of airplanes when he didn’t have to, climbed mountains in Europe, had a $500 yellow Karmann Ghia convertible with no floor boards, started a golf tournament that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight prostate cancer, visited hundreds of men in the hospital to help them deal with cancer, was the unofficial interpreter in the Senate Press Gallery for Senators Hollings and Thurmond, covered more than 20 Masters golf tournaments, went to more Super Bowls, World Series and Final Four games and other major sporting events than most ESPN junkies have ever seen … and these are just a few of the highlights I know about.
Ken packed more living in his near 65 years than most folks would do in four lifetimes. He died just two days short of his 65th birthday and thus he didn’t get his final wish — to live long enough to collect his first Social Security check. He would have loved the irony.
I first met Ken when we were both young bucks in Washington. We had many great lunches. (He always had a club sandwich — “It’s a waste of time to read the menu, let’s talk.”) Years later when I was with the Palmetto Project, one of our lunches led to the Great Clemson-Carolina Food Fight, which collected food for the hungry. I had the idea, Ken wrote the column to get it started and when I marveled at the amount of food collected and his vital role, his dismissive response was, “Words, just words.”
Perhaps what was most special was Ken’s basic decency. He cared about — and listened to — everyone. More than anyone I ever knew, he treated everyone the same — from high-flying politicians to low-living deadbeats, the powerful to the poor, black and white, old and young.
His line was, “What’s your story? Everybody’s got one.” And he wanted to hear it and write it.
Ken once said that if you couldn’t tell a story in 500 words, you were just verbose. So I’ll leave it at this — he was my friend and I’ll miss him.
500 words, exactly.
Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and President of the S.C. New Democrats, an independent reform group started by former Gov. Richard Riley to bring change and reform. He can be reached at phil@scnewdemocrats.org.
Bridge graduate a success at CU
Allison now coordinator for ‘Aspire’ program at campus recreation center
[cointent_lockedcontent]By Lisa Garrett
Special to the Courier
news@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — As a senior at Daniel High School, Clemson resident Hannah Allison toured several in-state universities in preparation for college, but Clemson University was always at the top of her list.
With its ranking as a top-20 national public university with exemplary academic programs and resources for students, Clemson had everything she was looking for.
“It was the best fit for me as a student,” Allison remembers.
When she narrowly missed admission to Clemson in 2008 and was offered enrollment in Tri-County Technical College’s Bridge to Clemson program, she admits she was disappointed and a little surprised. But she quickly saw the silver lining.
“Math was my struggle in high school, so I worked hard at Tri-County so I could be successful at Clemson. I knew I needed the chance to prove myself and Bridge was the way for me to do so. It gave me confidence, for sure. I ultimately wanted to be at Clemson, and this was a direct link,” said Allison, who transferred in 2009 to Clemson and earned a B.A. in communication studies in 2012.
Bridge to Clemson, a first of its kind in South Carolina, is an invitation-only program that blends the traditional academic experience at Tri-County with the social and cultural experiences of being a Clemson University student. The program, which began in 2006, offers select Tri-County students a university experience and seamless transition to Clemson for the sophomore year. Bridge students must earn 30 transfer credits at Tri-County during their two semesters and transfer to Clemson with a 2.5 GPA.
“It’s a good way to ease into college. Tri-County’s smaller classes are a positive for college freshmen,” said Allison, who earned six dual credit hours in English while at Daniel High School. “The instructors are very accessible and you’re not competing with 500 other students in a class to talk to him or her after class. Instructors can take time to get to know students. That’s a positive for freshmen who need guidance and support.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree, Allison enrolled in graduate school in 2012 at the University of Arkansas where she earned a master’s in communications with an emphasis in health and culture. After completing grad school, she was offered a job at Clemson University as assistant director of Healthy Campus, located in Fike Recreation Center, and an Aspire to Be Well program coordinator.
Aspire to Be Well is a 70-minute, peer-led health and safety-focused dialogue for undergraduate students. The program, in its third year, is presented by about 25 highly trained student facilitators. The session is a mandatory requirement for all incoming undergraduates, including Bridge to Clemson students. Each spring semester, Allison and her co-worker train the peer educators who present the program to new students.
The program addresses mental health and suicide prevention, alcohol and other drugs abuse and misuse, interpersonal violence prevention, and bystander intervention skills. Nearly 5,000 students take the class between August and October in the fall, and Clemson’s transfer students go through the program in the spring.
“It’s important to educate students on these topics. The dialogue covers areas that are key to maintaining a safe campus,” said Allison.
Students also gain an understanding of campus resources and learn how to help others in need.
“It may be the first time they are talking about these issues,” she said. “It’s our hope to start a dialogue among participants of how to be a member of a safe and healthy community and how to help other students in need if critical situations arise. We then introduce them to resources right here on Clemson’s campus to help them so they leave the session with valuable information. We also have a website that students can refer to and that facilitators use throughout the session.”
Allison is responsible for the curriculum and assessment for Aspire. She works with the data collected in the pre-, post-, and four-months post surveys for evaluation The data collected also is used to help inform other health and safety initiatives on campus and further research (through faculty partners).
“Moving away from home and beginning college is a huge adjustment for freshmen. The more resources and skills you can give them to be successful, the more successful they will be,” she added.
“I never dreamed I would end up in my hometown. I’m happy to be back. Healthy Campus is a great work environment with passionate people. That makes coming to work very easy.”
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
