Tidbits - November 4, 2021
- Details
- Category: Archives
- Published on Tuesday, 02 November 2021 22:29
- Written by Ralph Shealy
- Hits: 2402
TIDBITS by RALPH SHEALY
MEMORIES
Many people I’ve known have passed away in the last month.
Maybe, it’s my age. Maybe, it’s the Covid time we live in, but sadness seems so prevalent these days.
Just down the road from me, Justin Whitten was discovered dead last Thursday. He was only 30.
For years, the first people I’d see when I walked into the stadium on Friday night were Justin and his dad Wallace. Like people in church, football fans have their regular seats. Justin and Wallace had there’s.
Five years ago, I spoke to Wallace and Justin. I can’t remember if Wallace got sick at the game or later, but he died that night. Justin had already lost his mother to illness. If you were a friend to Justin on Facebook, you know how he loved and missed his parents. Now, they are all together.
Will Pou didn’t live far from Justin. I’d known Will most to his life. Like many families in the 50s, children were born aplenty, and many had children in the same grades.
Our family and the Pou family children, Mary Lou, Jimmy, John and Will were close to the same ages as Jamie, Dibbie, Elizabeth and me, so our paths crossed often. Will was a good soul, and left us too soon.
Donald Horne and his family created the well known Horne’s Store complex on the Newberry Highway, which included a convenience store, furniture store and later a night club. All of the Hornes were people you enjoyed being around.
At one time, Donald has one of the nicest arrowhead collections I’d ever seen. Now, the arrowheads I had were mostly pieces I had picked up in pastures. Donald’s were perfect, all sizes and colors, and he knew the history of all of them.
Larry Yonce always made me laugh. No matter what the situation, he would find something funny to say.
I had always been a Mopar man, but in the early 80s, Chrysler was not making any vehicle I wanted. I had may eyes on the new Tempos at Cromley’s and went for a test drive and decided to buy a grey one, with red interior. I had two choices, a basic car, or a fancier one, which would cost $40 more a month.
I wanted the more expensive car, but Larry had the record of how much I made, and talked me out of it. He knew I would struggle to make the payments on the fancier car. I always appreciated that.
It was because of Joel McGee that I had a coupon book about an inch thick to pay back my college loan. I can’t remember the name of the company Joel worked for, but my parents and I borrowed the money from them, so I could go to Carolina. Carolina cost $1000 a year back then, and my loan payments were a whopping $30. I took me a long time to finish paying, however.
Joel had a great personality, and I enjoyed talking to him, whenever our paths crossed.
Farris McCarty was one of my many good teachers at Saluda High. Her husband, Major, was the principal, and a coach on the 1962 and 1963 state championship teams. Their son, Van, S.C.’s current Adjutant General, was born while they were here.
Major’s career in education took them to big school systems like Summerville and Irmo, but they came home to Saluda to retire. After Coach McCarty died, Mrs. Farris moved to Lexington to be closer to her children, but she always subscribed to our paper to keep up with the local happenings.
Raymond Blackmon was well known in Saluda County for his carpentry. I’m pretty sure he did work on my grandmother’s house on North Main Street that is no longer there. I always enjoyed talking to Raymond when I’d run into him, usually at a hardware store.
Patricia Hartley was my Facebook friend, a regular commenter on my posts, and she was a loyal Gamecock fan. Her father, Willie Wise Rushton, worked many years for the Town of Saluda.
I always enjoyed seeing Beatrice Cockrell. Her husband, Red, worked for Saluda’s CPW, and eventually became a public works commissioner.
I express my sympathy to the families of all the above mentioned saints. They all will be missed.
PLAY-OFF TIME
The Saluda Tigers will open the state play-offs at home Friday against Andrew Jackson.
The Tigers and the Volunteers met in the 2016 play-offs with Saluda winning 28-12, and in the 2011 play-offs, with Saluda also wininng, 33-10.
Like Saluda, Andrew Jackson plays is a tough conference with the likes of former state champions Chesterfield, Cheraw and Central Pageland. They are not to be taken lightly.
The Tigers had last Friday off, because of Covid concerns at Batesburg-Leesville. It marked the first time since 1947 that the two teams have not met.
Saluda also missed out playing another old rival, Ninety Six, also because of Covid. It marked the fifth time the Wildcats and Tigers have not played since 1954.
I hope teams can play complete schedules next year!