Recently at the College of Charleston, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman delivered what was billed as The State of the Schools Speech.

What I heard was the single most encouraging speech I’ve heard about education in South Carolina in a long, long time.

It was not a traditional ‘state of…’ speech — full of facts, figures and overblown political claims and promises. Instead, what I saw was a committed caring school teacher from rural Saluda County (who just happens to be in charge of our state’s public education) talking with folks about our children, what’s good and what’s bad about our schools and what we need to do to fix them.

After listening to her talk about her genuine love for our state and our children, I decided that Molly Spearman may be the distilled essence of positive, traditional South Carolina values.

Her life story sounds like something that would make John Boy Walton jealous: she grew up on a farm in rural Saluda County. In addition to her farm chores, at age 12 she began playing the piano and organ at her small country church. She and her family still go to that same church and she is the music director and organist.

She went to the local college (Lander) where she was student body president (of course) and then went ‘off’ to get an advanced degree at a big time school (George Washington University). On a blind date, she met her future husband, a Clemson student from the next county over.

After her education, she taught music for 18 years and was named Teacher of the Year (naturally) and then became a state legislator where she was known as a fierce advocate for children. She later worked in the Department of Education and then became head of the S.C. Association of School Administrators, a professional organization of over 3,600 principals, superintendents and school leaders.

She is probably the best prepared Superintendent of Education that we have had in generations.

But what was most striking in her speech was not her academic smarts (which she has) or her command of policy issues, fact and figures (which she demonstrated) but the genuine warmth and affection — even love — that she showed for our state and its children.

What did she say was the most important thing for teachers to do? “Love your students.” And she means it; it didn’t come across as hokey or canned. She is genuine.

And after four years of her predecessor, who seemed far more interested in extremist ideology than in education, her reception among classroom teachers and the boost in their morale has been palpable. As one teacher from Summerville told me, “When Molly was elected, teachers thought they had died and gone to heaven.”

Before continuing on with my gushing, it’s time for full disclosure. I did not support Spearman when she ran for State Superintendent. She is a Republican and I’m a Democrat so… And, as of late, I have been working with her and her staff on an innovative education project called World Class Scholars and they have been nothing but terrific. As is obvious, I have what my preacher father called ‘the zeal of a convert.’

What was most exciting to me was her enthusiasm for what might happen with education reform. After a 21-year lawsuit by the 39 poorest school district (the Abbeville Case) the State Supreme Court has mandated that the Legislature seriously do something to fix these schools in the Corridor of Shame. Spearman believes that for the first time in a generation, the stars are aligned to get real reform in education. Let’s all hope so.

Clearly she knows what needs to be done and is not shying away from the tough issues, even the most controversial of issues such as race.

On teacher pay — “It’s ridiculous that an early teacher has to work two to three jobs…Our teacher salary schedule is so messed up, it’s beyond repair.”

On early intervention whatever the cost — “We have to get to children quickly — in year one.”

On going beyond the Three Rs — “The soft skills are just as important to overall success and have been neglected. Children who learn how to solve problems develop grit and a commitment to something that builds character and life skills. They are successful in life, not just successful on test scores.”

On too many school districts — “Consolidation — some don’t want to talk about this, but there are some very small districts that are too small and very inefficient and I think we have to come up with some incentives.”

On segregation — “I think there are some conversations that need to take place in these very, very small (school) districts, which are, quite honestly, still segregated by race and socioeconomics. …It’s time for the adults to do the right thing.”

So, can we all relax now and let Spearman fix education in South Carolina?’ Hardly.

We still have a Legislature that seems more interested in posturing and postponing than in actually doing anything. We still have too many parents that won’t (or don’t know how) to get involved to help their children. And, we still have too many of us who may not have kids in public school so we simply don’t do our part to fix the schools.

But this I do know, we have a terrific Superintendent who says the stars are aligning (Abbeville Case) for a once in a lifetime opportunity to get serious education reform.

Will it happen? I don’t know, but I’m betting on the country girl from Saluda.

Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and president of the S.C. New Democrats, an independent reform group founded by former Gov. Richard Riley to bring change and reform. He can be reached at phil@scnewdemocrats.org.

Everybody needs to have a hobby — something they do just for fun. [cointent_lockedcontent]Uncle Walter and Aunt Annie Bea both believed firmly in the importance of recreational pursuits and practiced what they preached.

Now, Uncle Walter actually had many hobbies and was versatile in his activities. He spent a lot of time coming up with different ways to rig things to make them work. He was a teller of tall tales and had a credulous and captive audience in all of us.

He’d been a medic in World War I and would operate on man or beast, free of charge. He’d won a dance contest in Atlantic City as a young man and loved music.

He’d farmed, run a service station and a cotton gin and knew how to roller skate. I don’t know that he ever officially retired, because he was always busy doing something.

He had a magic way with all animals and once raised a litter of fox cubs with his hound dog as a substitute mother. They moved in with her newborn pups, and they all nursed together.

He told us he’d been a tent mate of Randolph Scott during the war. This was fame indeed. Randolph Scott was a renowned actor who specialized in Westerns, and we were all very impressed.

When Grandmama heard this story one day out on the front porch, she raised her eyebrows and said, “Really?” in a very skeptical way, so I had my doubts about this story.

He kept us all busy constantly running errands. He’d call a child and say, “Run in yonder and get my” glasses or walking stick or teeth. Sometimes he’d forget to put his teeth in but would remember when it was time to eat breakfast.

He was a faithful member of the American Legion and never missed a meeting.

Grandmama had never learned to drive, and he always took her anywhere she wanted to go. Every Friday afternoon, he’d drive her over to Mattie’s Beauty Parlor and wait in the car while Grandmama had her hair done.

His lungs had been damaged during the war, and he always had a slight wheeze, but it never seemed to slow him down.

Now, Aunt Annie Bea was his baby sister. He adored her and called her Bea. Grandmama called her Honey Bea.

Aunt Annie Bea had her own farm closer to town than ours. She and Uncle Walter always raised a field of watermelons together, and every year would load up the farm truck and drive down to the beach to sell them. This was purely recreational, as they usually spent the proceeds on good seafood before coming home. They’d bring a bushel basket of oysters or a bucket of shrimp on ice, and then oh, how we’d feast.

Aunt Annie Bea was a striking old lady. She’d been a great beauty in her day. She had a great sense of humor and a fiery personality. She played bridge, ran her own farm, told great jokes, and in her spare time — of which there was little — she’d be busy with a lawsuit.

It was a hobby of hers. One of her sons was an attorney, and she’d always be involved in some kind of lawsuit. She enjoyed this very much and would talk about new developments over Sunday dinner.

We children were never informed about her lawsuits, because many subjects in our house were deemed unsuitable for the ears of children. So, after we were all excused from the table and after dinner coffee was brought in, the grownups would lower their voices and discuss these weighty subjects.

We always thought we were missing the best part of the meal, because there was never a dull moment when they talked. It was like listening to a very entertaining radio show.

Grandmama would always keep a sharp eye out for any lurking child with flapping ears and would be quick to tell us to go outside and “Run off some of that energy.” And then she’d think to add, “Don’t slam the screen door!”, but those last instructions were always given a second too late, because it was already slammed.[/cointent_lockedcontent]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a timely message for seniors: The use of flu antiviral medications cuts the length of hospital stays for those who are hospitalized with the flu, and reduces the risk of needing care after discharge.

That’s important information. The last thing we seniors need this winter is to come down with the flu. It hits us harder than nearly any other age group, with 80 percent to 90 percent of flu-related deaths being in people age 65 and older.

The study cited by the CDC says that the earlier the antiviral medications are started, the better they work. The key is seeing your doctor right away if you think you have the flu, because the medications are by prescription only — not something you can get over the counter. Antiviral drugs can be taken as liquid, pills, an inhaled powder or intravenously.

Seeing a doctor within two days of getting sick and starting the medication within four days substantially reduced the length of illness or hospital stay, the study indicated. Even those who started the medication more than two days later saw some benefit, although not as much. Those who were hospitalized and released were 25 percent to 60 percent less likely to need extended care.

The CDC says even with antiviral medications, it’s still important to get our annual flu shots. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. And stay away from those who are sick.

More tips: Carry a packet of sanitizer wipes and use them everywhere — grocery cart handles, library book covers, door handles, etc. Eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

Clearing up petroglyph story facts

Dear Editor,

Last week’s article on the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site said the Hagood Mill was built in 1826 and moved and rebuilt on the site. The cabins at the site were built in Pickens County, disassembled and rebuilt on site, but the mill has always been there. Bailey Anderson built the first mill around 1790. The Jennings family bought it from him in about 1793. The Hagoods bought it from the Jenningses in about 1825. The mill standing today was built in 1845 on the same site as the old Anderson mill.

Also, the petroglyphs were made by Native Americans. To many, that probably implies Cherokee, but these are not Cherokee. Most scholars make a distinction between the Moundbuilders and the Cherokee around 1400 A.D. Obviously, there is no definite time when the people decided they were Cherokee, but the point is these petroglyphs are not Cherokee culture in nature and predate them as an identified people. So, you could say the Mississippian or Moundbuilder cultures probably made them.

When did they arrive? Who knows? Everyone used to say about 13,000 years ago North America was peopled, but now evidence suggests the first humans came 18,000 years ago from Asia across a frozen Bering Sea. When did a person first step foot on that rock or drink from the creek or whatever water was nearby? We’ll never know.

But we do know that since the petroglyphs are there made by human hands, it was a place to be and to stay and to enjoy. It still is today.

Reed Severance

Miller, Hagood Mill

Pickens

GOP getting past issues at convention

Dear Editor,

In April, the Pickens County GOP held its convention, where officers of the party were elected to two-year terms by the seated delegates at the convention. State Rep. Neal Collins protested the results of the convention to the State Party because he brought 48 people with him that night, tried to seat them as delegates, and they were not seated.

Collins’ hope was that by adding these additional delegates that night at the last-minute, he would then have enough votes to be elected county GOP chairman, along with State Rep. Gary Clary as first vice-chairman and State Rep. Davey Hiott as second vice-chairman.

The rules, which are clearly written in the State GOP handbook, state the process of verifying the eligibility of delegates must be completed by county GOP officials no less than five days before the convention. County party officials were completely unaware of these additional people until they arrived at the convention with Collins. In apparent disregard of the rules, Collins took to the floor of the convention, making arguments and motions to have his 48 people seated as voting delegates.

The local party officials and 155 properly seated delegates listened to his arguments and twice voted down adding Collins’ last-minute delegates. Collins then filed a protest with the State GOP, asking the state to overturn the convention and schedule a second convention with his 48 delegates seated.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, the State GOP heard the protest in Columbia, which was conducted like a courtroom trial. State GOP chairman Matt Moore acted as judge, and 36 members of the State GOP Executive Committee acted as the jury.

Collins and Clary were the plaintiffs and argued their case. The Pickens County GOP was the defendant, represented by chairman Phillip Bowers, Pickens County State Executive Committee Rep. Sylvia Bass and me, Rick Tate, first vice-chairman.

There were more than two hours of testimony and questioning. Both sides were heard.

You’d never know it by reading some of the local newspaper articles, but the State Party Executive Committee voted 34-2 to deny the protest of the Collins and Clary coalition, and the results of the 2015 Pickens County Republican Party Convention were upheld. Bowers was clearly vindicated in the decisions he made on the night of the convention.

Collins tried to “game” the system. This would be like walking into a polling place on Election Day and saying to the precinct manager, “You must register these people to vote, let them vote today, and by the way, they are all going to vote for me.”

It is my hope we can now put this behind us and work toward implementing our party platform.

Rick Tate

First vice-chairman

Pickens County Republican Party

My brother and I used to discuss the best way to die. Our two options were to die from a bullet or from an arrow. We would talk about it at length. But we never got to the part where we’re already dead and have a funeral. That would have been the next logical step. And although at the time neither of us had ever been to the funeral of a human, we had planned and carried out numerous funerals for our various pets that met their maker.

There was a special service for the Easter chicks who seldom lived past the chick stage. Now there is a funeral easy to prepare for.

A large cardboard matchbox, the kind household matches come in, is ideal as a coffin.

We’d line it with grass and carefully place the chick inside, lay more grass over his lifeless body and slide the box back into the cover.

Next we’d walk slowly in a procession out to the area prepared for the burial.

Usually the grave, fairly shallow, would already have been dug.

It would be a short but solemn service, beginning with the phrase, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to lay to rest Sammy Chick, who met his death unexpectedly in an encounter with our cat. His death was quick, and we hope painless, and he will be missed.

“He was a good chicken and didn’t make trouble for anyone.”

Then we’d lay the deceased in the grave, cover it with dirt, cover the grave with leaves from the Chinese holly and sing “Jesus Loves Me,” a suitable hymn for a chicken funeral. For we all knew that God made and loved all things, and He cared even about a baby chick.

Then we’d drive a small cross made from sticks into the ground at the head of the grave and walk away to refresh ourselves with grape Kool-Aid.

Sometimes, when we were bored, we’d arrange a funeral for a dead grasshopper found in the yard. The ritual was much the same.

So if anyone has a preference for the kind of funeral they would like, it is advisable to go ahead and plan it. Otherwise, some of the choices made might not be to your taste.

I don’t want money spent on my funeral. What a waste. Cremate me. I want the money spent on the party celebrating life. Preferably, it would be nice to have the funeral party before I die, so I can enjoy it. There has to be good music and a lot of good food.

As far as music for the service itself goes, I’d like “Rhapsody in Blue” played, one of my all-time favorites, and at the conclusion of the festivities, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” played properly by a New Orleans Jazz band. They can march out the door after the party, followed by a procession of everyone who attended, who must all carry a parasol of their choice. And if they want to ride away in a black horse-drawn hearse pulled by a team of matching white horses with ostrich plumes attached to their bridles, more power to them.

I’d like people to dance. There’s nothing like dancing to lift the spirits.

As for the food, it has to be good.

Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue from Little Richard’s in Winston-Salem or from Wilson, N.C., or from the Center Presbyterian Church Ingathering. It’s all good. Also, steamed shrimp and hush puppies would not be amiss. Fried chicken would also be appropriate. And an assortment of excellent desserts would be much appreciated. Don’t worry about bringing a cake. Did I mention the desserts and side dishes would be brought by the guests? There’s nothing like a good pie at a party. Chocolate is always good. Lemon meringue is one of my favorites. I would like my old friend Virginia, should she outlive me, to bring her famous Dead Man’s Cake, one she takes to all families who’ve suffered a bereavement. It’s a very rich chocolate sheet cake with hot fudge icing poured over it when it comes out of the oven. It is named both for its purpose and also because too much of this dish can be fatal, and it might not be a bad idea to have a door prize. And there have to be lots and lots of flowers. But not cut flowers I’d prefer living plants and shrubs. They can all be donated to parks and places in town where a lot of people can enjoy them.

If I’m still alive for the party, I’d like to thank everyone for coming and tell them how much I’ve enjoyed being alive and how glad I am to count them as friends. No speeches, please. We all have our own stories, and it may be best to let sleeping dogs lie.

And my preacher can tell everyone how important it is to love each other, to forgive each other and to live at one with God and our fellow man.

Now, these are just suggestions. And by the way, don’t put gravel, pebbles or concrete on my grave. Y’all can spread sea shells. They’re beautiful and feed the earth. Since I might not be dead yet when we have the funeral party, I’ll wear the prettiest outfit I own. Then, if people want to say, “she looks so good” or “they really did a good job on her,” I’d be able to enjoy it.

Maybe I’ll have to go out and buy a black sequined party dress. But there will be no high heels. Life is meant to be a celebration, and no one can sincerely celebrate in high heels.

That’s the funeral I’d like to have. What’s your plan?

What if I asked you to name the most famous song that has come from South Carolina?

You’re stumped, right?

About now, you are scratching your head and thinking, “What could it be?”

What if I told you that the song is famous as the unofficial anthem of a huge social movement that affected tens of millions of people in America?

And what if I told you that the song had a huge impact globally and inspired tens of millions of people who sang it as a song of freedom and liberation in dozens of countries around the world?

And what if I told you that the song has even been adopted as the national anthem of a new county?

About now, I’ll bet you are feeling a little uneasy to think that you live in South Carolina and have no idea what song I’m talking about — right?

The song is “We Shall Overcome.”

No one knows the precise origins of the song, but we do know that it was first sung as a protest song in Charleston. In 1945, the song was sung during the Food and Tobacco Workers Union strike against the American Tobacco Company, which ran the cigar factory on East Bay Street in Charleston.

This mammoth cigar factory once produced more than a million cigars a day, and the workers who produced them were mostly African-American women, many of whom came into the city daily from the surrounding Sea Islands. They worked for low wages, in poor working conditions for long hours. And if they complained … well, you know the rest of the story.

As the five-month strike dragged on, the picketing women began to sing this simple song to boost their spirits and provide encouragement to each other.

One of the supporters of the strike, a white woman named Zilphia Horton, was so moved by the song that she submitted it for the 1948 issue of the “People’s Songs Bulletin.” Horton was the music director of the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., and she played the song for the many people who visited the school. Among those who were captivated by the song were Pete Seeger and Guy Carawan. Carawan is credited with introducing the song to the civil rights movement when he later became music director of Highlander in 1959, as many of the movement’s leaders were in and out of the Highlander School.

Seeger made some minor modifications to the song and added some verses, but most importantly, he performed the song in his 1963 world tour to 22 countries — thus he is credited with spreading the song globally. And when Joan Baez sang the song before 300,000 people at the August 1963 March on Washington, the song forever earned its place not only in the U.S. civil rights movement, but also history.

Seven months later, President Lyndon Johnson used the phrase “we shall overcome” in his address to a joint session of Congress. He was urging support of his voting rights legislation just after the “Bloody Sunday” attack on marchers at the Pettus Bridge in their march from Selma to Montgomery.

And, on March 31, 1968, just before his assassination in Memphis, Dr. King used “we shall overcome” as the theme of his final sermon.

Beyond the United States, the song has played an important role in many popular struggles for human rights all over the world. The two best known examples were the Catholic protest in Northern Ireland in the 1960s and ‘70s and the student protests in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. It was later adopted by various anti-Communist movements in the Cold War and post-Cold War era, especially the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989.

But its global impact goes far beyond just these examples. The song has played an important role in human rights movements in India, among the Aborigines in Australia, in France, South Africa, Martinique and Guadeloupe, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Bolivia, Palestine and many other territories and nations around the world. After their long struggle for independence, in 2002 the people of East Timor briefly made “We Shall Overcome” their national anthem.

So now you know.

People far more knowledgeable than I can analyze why this song took on the significance it did. Part of it is that the lyrics are simple and easy to remember and repeat; the melody is also simple and easy to adapt for most any instrument — most importantly, for the human voice.

The power of the song’s simple affirmation of hope and determination is compelling — to many people in many circumstances in many places the world over.

This simple song, first sung in our state, has inspired, moved and sustained millions around the world in their fight for dignity and freedom.

We should all be very proud of this.

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. He can be reached at phil@scnewdemocrats.org.