2019 Review Part3

SSWCD Recognizes 2019
Cooperator Of The Year

  The Saluda Soil & Water Conservation District presented a plaque and sign for the 2019 Cooperator of the Year Award to Mr. & Mrs. Jimmie Boland of Boland Farm.  This was held at T&S Farm Banquet Hall in Leesville, S.C. at the 2nd Annual Christmas Social and Awards Banquet on December 11, 2019. 
  Mr. Jimmie Boland and his wife Marie work diligently to conserve our natural resources by implementing many conservation practices throughout their farm. 
  Congratulations to Boland Farm on your outstanding achievement.

2019, The Year In Review
(Continued from last week)

JULY
  •The Saluda Lions Club selected Kristine Griffith  as the 2019 R B Rogers Scholarship winner. 
  •James Scott was in Ridge Spring July 13 at the old First Citizen’s Bank Building to sign and read from his newly released book “Changing Faces,”  which records his life in Ridge Spring.
  •County Attorney Chris Spradley conducted the swearing-in ceremony for Saluda County’s new treasurer, Tiffany Rodgers Shaw in the Courthouse Courtroom on Wed., July 3.
  •AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and solutions, delivered a Massey Ferguson® 6713 Global Series tractor to Southeastern Farmer of the Year Kevin Yon. Massey Ferguson is a sponsor of the Southeastern Farmer of the Year competition, held the past 29 years in conjunction with the Sunbelt Agriculture Exposition, in Moultrie, Ga. Yon Family Farms is located in Ridge Spring, S.C.
  •At the SC Lions State Convention, Lion Jack Atkinson of the Saluda Lions Club was awarded recognition as a Melvin Jones Fellow by The Lions Club International President, Gudrun Bjort Yngvadottir. Atkinson is the Vision Screening Coordinator for the Saluda Lions Club and was instrumental in establishing and leading the Saluda Lions Club effort to provide vision screening to the Saluda schools and the surrounding community.
  •The 9-10 year old minors team from Ridge Spring-Monetta is going to Anderson, SC, for the Dixie Youth state all star tournament. This is the first time in the league that the 9-10 all-stars  have made it to a state tournament.
  •The Saluda County School District announced that Robert Etheredge has been selected as the new principal of Saluda High School.
  Etheredge is a 1999 graduate of Saluda High School and has served as assistant principal the past 3 years. Prior to serving as an administrator, Etheredge taught physical education and served as Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Saluda High School and Swansea High School.
  •The Saluda Young Farmers 41st Annual Truck and Tractor Pull, “Hottest Pull in the South” was held July 27th at the Young Farmer Stadium at the County Recreation Complex.
  •Chief Deputy Toby Horne  was recognized by County Council on July 8 for his brave act of entering a burning home, going upstairs and attempting to save the life of a child on April 5.
  •Judge William Keesley conducted the swearing in ceremony for Angie Rita as Saluda County’s new On-call Deputy Coroner. The ceremony was held July 1 at Judge Keesley’s office in Edgefield.
  •The South Carolina National Guard conducted a deployment ceremony for more than 140 Soldiers with the 124th Engineer Company, 122nd Engineer Battalion, 59th Troop Command, July 21, 2019, at Saluda High School, to recognize the unit’s mobilization in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The soldiers will be deployed to the Middle East for approximately nine months conducting construction operations.
  •The Saluda Young Farmer Scholarship recipients were recognized Sat., July 27, before the 41st Annual Truck and Tractor Pull.  The recipients are  Texanna Miller, Makayla Porter,  Sarah Shore, Cody Clary, Zac Berry, Kelson Palmer,  Benjamin Buzhardt and Megan Corley.
WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
  Caterer, microwave cook-book author and Saluda native Lorela Nichols Wilkins passed away Thursday, July 18, 2019, in Atlanta.
  Lucy Ackerman Higgins, 74, passed away Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at Lexington Medical Center. She was a program analyst with the US Department of Education.
  Saluda native and longtime Extension agent in N.C, James Edward Goff, 81, passed away Friday July 12, 2019, in Lillington, NC.

AUGUST
  •The starting quarterback on the Georgia Southern University football team Shai Werts was arrested in Saluda County  on traffic and drug charges, and it made national news. Werts said a white powdery substance on the hood of his car was bird poop, not cocaine as a field test indicated. The following week 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard issued the following statement: “Upon a thorough review of the report, the dash camera, and the body camera, Deputy Solicitor Al Eargle and I made the decision that the charge should be appro-priately dismissed. The charge lacks prosecutorial merit and the evidence is insufficient for the State to proceed.  The charge was officially dismissed Thurs-day, August 8, 2019.”
  •Some Saluda County history was made when country music artist Cody Webb of Ridge Spring sang the “National Anthem” before 56,000 fans at Dodger Stadium prior to the Dodgers-San Diego Padres game  Sat., Aug. 3.
  •“Serve Saluda ” involved 13 churches and 60 church members who worked on eight projects, including reroofing a house, reflooring a church, repairing two house floors and general repairs at the other locations.
  •The South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ) has elected Lowcountry attorney and Saluda native James L. “Jay” Ward, Jr. of McGowan, Hood & Felder as its new President. 
  •While the nation mourned the victims of the latest mass shootings in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton – and as suicide rates rise in South Carolina – a United Methodist pastor, he Rev. Hillary Taylor,  is launched a gun buy-back program for the Saluda area. In less than one week, the Rev.  Taylor raised more than $5,000 to purchase Walmart gift cards for the gun buy-back program she and her churches are sponsoring Sept. 7 near Saluda Town Hall.
  •During this year’s State 4-H Congress, Allie Trotter was named the SC 4-H Presidential Tray Winner.  Along with the announcement, Allie received a $2000 scholarship from the South Carolina State Fair.
  •Cordell Rush , Saluda 4-H member, was named the National Conference Trip Winner.   He will be traveling to the National 4-H Center near Washington, DC to represent South Carolina. He will get to meet government officials as well as participate in some citizenship opportunities.  Cordell received a $1500.00 scholarship with this honor.
  •Staff members from Lexington County School District Three and Saluda County Schools came together on Thursday, August 15th with one mission in mind — to prepare themselves to make a profound impact on students each and every day of the 2019-2020 school year. 
  •Donald Ralph Chewning, 53, of Saluda, was sentenced Saluda County General Sessions Court after pleading guilty to committing Abuse or Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult resulting in Death.   The victim, Rev. James Boyd Chewning, was 79 years old and a retired Methodist minister. Donald Chewning was the adopted son of the victim. Circuit Court Judge Frank R. Addy, Jr.  imposed a sentence of 22 years. Under state law, this charge is classified as a violent crime and is a “no parole” offense.
  •Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held Wed., Aug. 28, for Saluda County’s new multi-million dollar water treatment plant.  The plant, located on Shealy Road near Lake Murray, has already produced S.C.’s best tasting water, a distinction earned in a contest earlier in the year.
  •Wayne Grice was sworn in as the new County Councilman from District 2 on Fri., Aug. 30, in the Council Chambers.
WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
  Marvin Bernstein, 104, passed away Sunday, August 4, 2019. During his years as a federal civil servant he became an expert in the field of quartz crystals, attending 10 meetings of the NATO Special Working Group on Frequency control in Paris, Brussels and London and was the principle United States member for the last  8 years of his 30 year career before retirement.
  Jessie Morrow Atkinson Rollings, 89, passed away Wednesday, August 21, 2019. She was a 12-time winner of the ladies’ club champion-ship at Persimmon Hill.

SEPTEMBER
 •Jeffrey James Williams, age 49 of Saluda, was convicted of Threatening the Life of a Public Official by a Saluda County jury this week and was sentenced to the maximum sentence of five (5) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The sentence was imposed by Chief Administrative Judge Frank R. Addy, Jr., following the jury trial.
  •Texanna Miller, a junior Clemson University Plant and Environmental Sciences major from Saluda, won third place in the undergraduate poster competition at the 2019 American Society of Horticultural Science Conference. 
  •Saluda County Council’s idea to raise funds by imposing fees on vehicles and buildings died from the lack of a second to a motion Mon., Sept. 9, before a packed house in Council Chambers.
  Following public hearings in which no one spoke in favor of the fees, Vice-Chairman Frank Daniels, presiding in the absence of Chairman Derrick Jones, asked for a motion to give second reading to both ordinances. In both cases, Councilman Jones Butler made the motion, but neither Councilmen Wayne Grice nor Justin Anderson seconded, thus the motion died.
  •Saluda County Schools recognized their Teachers of the Year:  Melissa Ashley, Saluda Primary School, Sherry Lindsay, Saluda Elementary School, Jessica Dorn, Hollywood Elementary School, Russell Altman, Saluda Middle School, and Chelsea Kizer, Saluda High School, were honored for being their respective schools Teacher of the Year. Each received a plaque along with a monetary gift provided by Mr. Jim Fisher of First Citizens Bank. Melissa Ashley was named Saluda County Schools District Teacher of the Year and will now compete for the 2020 South Carolina State Teacher of the Year.
  •On Point EMS Network was presented a check for $2,500 from Duke Energy Manager for Government and Community Relations, Theo Lane. Daniel Patterson, president of On Point, received the check with the proceeds to go toward the purchase of a transport gurney for emergency medical services in the Saluda County area. The gurney will attach to the John Deere Gator given to EMS by the Charlie Foundation in March; the total cost of the bed being $3,265.
  •For the second time in nine days, County Council’s attempt to give second reading to ordinances adding fees failed.  At a called meeting Wed., Sept. 18, Council voted 4-1 against passage of both ordinances. Voting against both were Chairman Derrick Jones, and Councilmen Frank Daniel, Wayne Grice, and Justin Anderson. Councilman Jones Butler voted in favor.
  •Almost two weeks after her church’s gun buy-back program, the Rev. Hillary Taylor is still elated with the results.
  “We bought back 19 guns in total,” said Rev. Taylor, pastor of Bethany and Zoar United Methodist churches in Saluda. “If we had bought only 10 guns, I would have been ecstatic.”
  •A Monetta man lost his life Wed., Sept. 25, when the moped he was riding collided with a log truck. According to Saluda County Coroner Keith Turner, Stephen Joseph Stein, Sr., 44, of 5841 Columbia Hwy. N., Monetta, died on the scene of the accident, which took place on Early Sims Rd., not far from the Aiken County line.
  •On Thursday, September 19, 2019 the Multi-County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) held a training in Saluda at the American Legion Building titled Sexual Assault Response; What Role Do you Play? 
WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
Helen Ethel Clayton Keisler, 102, passed away on Saturday, September 21, 2019.

2019 Review Part 1

BIGGEST SINGLE EVENT - The most positive single event in Saluda County was Saluda High’s football team winning the school’s first state championship since 1963. The Tigers defeated Barnwell 39-14 at Benedict College’s Charlie Johnson Stadium on Dec. 8 for the 2A title. Ridge Spring-Monetta, with many students from Saluda County, also made it the title game at the same stadium on the same day, but fell to Green Sea-Floyds in 1A. (Photo by Trey Fingerlin)

2019, The Year In Review, Part 1

  The Year 2019 was fillled with ups and downs in Saluda County.
  The positives included two local football teams, Saluda and Ridge Sping-Monetta, making it to their respective state championship games.
  While the Trojas lost, theTigers won their first championship since 1963 by beating Barnwell 39-14 for the class 2A title.
  A new housing development was announced for the lake, which will bring new residents and property tax revenue, and the county’s new water treatment plant opened on the lake.
  The county was stunned by the sudden resignation of County Council Chairman Derrick Jones, which will force a primary election in January.
  After failing to pass a vehicle fee on two tries, the third time proved to be the charm, as County Council passed the ordinance in December.
  Many prominent citizens passed away during the year, including 103-year-old attorney Billy Coleman, former house member Rudolph Mitchell,and business and farm leader Earl Forrest.
  Following is the year in review:

JANUARY
  •Saluda County’s Molly Mitchell Spearman was sworn in for her second term as S.C.’s Superintendent of Education on January 9 at South Carolina’s 97th Inaugural Celebration.
  •Saluda County held its first meeting of the new year on Mon., Jan. 14. At the beginning of the meeting, Justin Anderson, District 3, was welcomed at the new member of Council, and District One Councilman Frank Daniel was elected vice-chairman. Chairman Derrick Jones presented a plaque of appreciation to Gwen C. Shealy and recognition of her eight years of service on Council. Mrs. Shealy chose not to seek re-election, and was succeeded by Anderson.
  •Tony Lake, Hollywood Fire Department, was named the 2018 Saluda County Firefighter of the Year at the annual dinner hosted by the Saluda Fire Department on January 14, 2019. The award was presented by the award by the State Farm-Kelly White Agency Team.
  •South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, a Saluda native, as his nominee to be the 29th adjutant general for South Carolina during a press conference at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina, Jan. 17, 2019.  McCarty is he son of Faris McCarty and the late Major McCarty of Saluda.
  •The Columbia Section, of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. held its 38th Annual “Living the Legacy” Award Luncheon, Saturday, January 19, 2019.  This award honors persons whose contributions to their community and to society personify the legacies and philosophies of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Joy Antley, director of Saluda’s Christ Central, was among the recipients of the prestigious award.
  •Donnie Woolsey, who was athletic director at Saluda High School from 1997-2002, selection to the S.C. Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame was announced.
  •A Greenwood County suspect, who escaped on foot in Saluda County, Thurs., Jan 31, was captured later that day. Michael Alvin Brewer was arrested by Saluda County Sheriffs Office at Larkin Rice Road and Old Chappells Ferry Road near Greenwood Highway around 8 p.m.
•Lamar Maurice Shannon, a 34 year old from Allendale, was sentenced to 18 years without parole for the homicide of Schanen T. Samuels, age 34.
  On Labor Day in 2016, Shannon intentionally drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed into a crowd of people at the Circle K in Ridge Spring in Saluda County. Shannon pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter earlier today and the sentence was imposed by Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV. This case was investigated by the Ridge Spring Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller.
  •Former Saludan Victoria Hopkins Halydier was crowned Mrs. South Carolina America on Jan. 26.

WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
  County employee Johnnie E. Dukes, 71, passed away Saturday, January 12, 2019.
Longtime Amick Farms executive James Loran Riggs, Sr., passed away Wednesday, January 23, 2019.
  Rev. William Otto Johnson, Jr, died January 22, 2019.
Rudolph Mitchell, who served Saluda County and the of South Carolina in many capacities, and entertained thousands through the years with his piano playing died  Tues., Jan. 29, at his home. He was 92.

FEBRUARY
  •Gov. Henry McMaster ordered that the flags atop the State Capitol Building be flowered to half-staff on Fri., Feb. 1, in honor of Rudolph Mitchell and in recognition of his service to the State  as a member of the House of Representatives and the Public Service Commission.
  •Cayce Memorial American Legion recently honored post member Ellis F. Temples of Saluda County on his 100th birthday. He was presented the Quilt of Valor, a 100 Year Centennial Legion Coin and a WWII Cap. Saluda native Duane Johnson is also a member of the post.
  •Saluda High School  congratulated three Saluda Tigers who signed to play college football Wed., Feb. 6. There were running back Jeremiah Stevens who will be a member of the newly resurrected Erskine football team; lineman Trey McGraw, who will attend Limestone; and defensive back - wide receiver CJ Bosket, who signed with Navarro College in Texas. Their teammate Raquon Hartley signed earlier with Middle Tennessee State.
  •Robert Benfield, S.C. Association of Counties Director of Risk Management, presented Saluda County the Outstanding Achievement Award Mon., Feb. 11, at the Council meeting.
•The Saluda High Lady Tigers advanced the third round of the S.C. State playoffs for the first time in Coach Jeanette Wilder’s career with a 49-38 win over Landrum Friday, February 15.
  •Saluda County native Davy Hite was selected for induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.
  •The South Carolina General Assembly  requested the S.C. Department of Transportation name a bridge in Saluda County for fallen Deputy Sheriff Dale Hallman.
  •The Green Thumb Garden Club of Ridge Spring celebrated their 65th Anniversary and were honored by the National Garden Clubs, Inc. They were presented a NGC Certificate of Merit by Donna Donnelly, President of The Garden Club of South Carolina on behalf of the National President, Nancy L. Hargroves. Mrs. Hargroves who resides in Manakin Sabot, Virginia signed the certificate.
  •Robert Rimeak Foulks, age 35, pled guilty this week in Saluda County to Distribution of Crack Cocaine Within Proximity of a School and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. 
  •Representative Cally “Cal” R. Forrest was awarded the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts 2018 Legislator of The Year Award at the 78th Annual SCACD Partnership Conference on February 26, 2019.
WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
  •Retired teacher and Saluda native Toodie Katharine Parkman Kemp, 95, wife of the late Henry Beattie Kemp, Sr.  of Trenton, SC passed away Monday, February 4, 2019, in Trenton.
  Saluda native and retired business executive Wayne Padget Yarbrough, 80, passed away  Saturday, February 16, 2019, in Anderson.
  Saluda native and retired educator Ann Cone McWhirter, 82, passed away Thursday, February 21, 2019,   Crofton, Maryland .

MARCH
  •Eight local students were chosen for the annual Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington D.C., Caroline DuBose and Hagan Williams of Wyman King Academy. The students sponsored by Aiken Electric Cooperative to attend the all-expense-paid Washington Youth Tour were selected on the basis of their academic achievements, school activities, community service and a personal interview.
  •Daniel Tyler Huneycutt, age 26, pled guilty to Burglary (Non-Violent) Second Degree and Grand Larceny in Saluda County this week and was sentenced to a combined 12 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections followed by 5 years of probation.
  •American Legion Auxiliary Junior Rachel Porter of Unit 65 in Saluda, S.C., made more than 20 of patriotic-patterned pillows for local veterans. Rachel, the only Junior in her unit, receives support from the adult members in Unit 65.  This story was featured in the national American Legion Auxiliary blog.
  •Saluda Soil and Water Conservation District awarded their Annual 2018 Cooperator of the Year to Sylvan Farms of Saluda. 
  •For the second time in six weeks, the flags above the State House flew at half staff for a Saluda County citizen. The first time honored Rudolph Mitchell, and Fri., Mar. 8, they flew in memory of Billy Coleman.
  •During a term of court in Saluda County last week, two Sex Offenders in unrelated cases were sent to prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting minors. Charles Gable Isdell, II, age 38, was sentenced to twenty (20) years and Gustavo Rodriguez Diaz, age 40, was sentenced to fifteen (15) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod IV imposed these sentences on both offenders. 
  •On Sunday, March 11, 2019, one month after Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority’s (SCWSA) Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was placed into operation, it received the Best Tasting Water Award at the largest water utility conference in South Carolina. 
  •The funeral procession for famous biker Thomas “Grub” Freeland Jr. came through Saluda around 1 pm Sat., Mar. 23. The procession of bikes was two miles long. Saluda County and Town officers provided the escort and traffic control.
  •The Charleston Regional Business Journal selected Monetta native Martina Jackson, an employee of Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina, as a recipient of the 2019 Forty Under 40 award.
  •Saluda County public high school graduates can now attend Piedmont Technical College free of charge, thanks to a legacy left the county by the late County Council Chairman Don Hancock. The announcement came at Saluda High School at a special program on Fri., Mar. 29.
WE SAID GOOD-BYE...
  Legendary Saluda attorney Billy Cohen Coleman, 103, died  Monday, March 4, 2019, at the Carroll Campbell Place in Lexington, South Carolina.   Coleman, who practiced law until he was 92, was a D-Day survivor in World War II, and was known throughout the county and state for his great story telling.
  Tennie R. Lott, 86,  passed away Thursday, March 7, 2019. A well known basket weaver, she was a  former president of the Saluda Branch of the NAACP.
  Betty  Toney Hopkins, 82, died Saturday, March 9, 201. Mrs. Hopkins was a former accountant with Saluda Appliance and TV, and was a lifelong church organist.
  Retired Highway Patrolman Lemar Cockrell, 94,  passed away  Monday, March 4, 2019, at Saluda Nursing Center.
 George Alfred “Gee” Sample, Jr.,  62, passed away Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at his residence. He was a longtime pharmacy technician and equipment salesman at two Saluda pharmacies. 

Championship Goes Worldwide

State Champion Number 19s, Cade Gentry and his uncle Tom Blease

Special event card

Spreading The SHS State
Championship Worldwide

  Ham radio operator Brian Blease, son of Saluda natives Tommy Gene and Virginia Corley Blease has created a Special Event Station ,“W1N” with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after the Saluda High State Championship victory to spread the good news world wide.
  “For those not familiar with Ham Radio, we make contacts across the country/world, say hello, and talk about anything while swapping QSL cards confirming our contacts (QSL Cards are similar to post cards),” Blease said.
  “My Special Event Station “W1N” commemorates my Dad’s 1962 State Championship win and 57 years later, our nephew Cade Gentry and the Saluda Tigers’ State Championship victory in 2019. To be correct, Tom is Cade’s Great Uncle; Barbara Gentry and Virginia Blease are sisters.
  The special thing about this is that they both attend(ed) Saluda High School, wore the same #19, and played defensive back. I also coached at Saluda Middle School and worked with Coach Coates in the late 90’s. Dad is also a ham radio operator and is helping with this endeavor.
  Fun Fact: Dad’s rushing record against Lexington has still not been broken. The single game rushing record is still maintained at 330 yards (and this was when players went both ways).
   I have spoken with people about the Saluda High School State Championship(s) in 47 out of 48 states in the contiguous Unites States.
  I have also chatted with other continents and countries in Africa (Canary Islands), South America (Argentina & Anguilla), Europe (Italy & England), and North America (Jamaica and Canada).
  These contacts and special cards are literally going world wide! I have had a lot of fun this first week running this Special Event, “W1N.”

DONATIONS TO SCHOOLS - (Left to right: Ann Coker, Board Member, Dr. Harvey Livingston, Superintendent, Charlyn Staubes, Board Member, Rosa Gomez, School Nurse, Neysa Quattlebaum, School Nurse, Elizabeth O’Gorman, School Nurse, Rhonda Bedenbaugh, School Nurse, and Gina Fingerlin, Lead School Nurse)

The Charlie Foundation Donates
To Saluda County Schools

The Charlie Foundation donated funding to Saluda County Schools to purchase an additional AED Defibrillator for each of their 5 schools. These additional AED Defibrillators will allow each school to have a quicker response time in the event of a life-threatening cardiac event.  Saluda County Schools would like to thank The Charlie Foundation for its continued generosity and their mission to improve education, the quality of life, and economic development in Saluda County.