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Index Growing With Clinton The Clinton Chronicle Vol. 70 No. 20 Clinton, S C, Thursday, May 23, 1968 Classified __ Deaths 8 Editorials 10 Society 2 Sports 7 Joanna 'Stump Speaking' Features Hot Exchange A verbal exchange between two candidates for the State House of Representatives highlighted the Democratic Party “stumpspeak ing* Monday night in Joanna. Richard Townsend, a Laurens attorney, attempted to clarify some remarks made at a pre vious speaking engagement at Hickory Tavern but his clarifi cation was answered by a heated verbal blast from incumbent Rep. Paul Culbertson, also of Laurens. Townsend said that hehadt>een “misquoted, misunderstood and misinterpreted* concerning the Hickory Tavern statement. He said, “I am not in this race to sling any mud nor to mislead any voter. The facts are the facts and the record is the record and it is the facts on the record that 1 challenge.’ “I did not question nor do I question the honesty or integ rity of either of the incumbents and did not insinuate they were running for the House of Repre sentatives for their own per sonal gain, and if anything 1 said insinuated the same or was so interpreted,then it was wrong. * “Any mistake that was made about the facts I will correct right here. Southdale Subdivision was graded by a local contrac tor and then paved by the state. The subdivision owned by the two incumbents was rough cut by a local contractor and then graded by the county. And Representa tive (David) Taylor informed me this week that Representative Culbertson did not request, nor did he know that the county was going to grade the roads in their subdivision.* ■* “I disagree with the policy and practice of roads in Laurens County, continue .to disagree. The fact remains that Southdale was put into the high way system to be paved by a dele gation of which Rep. Taylor was Bids on a proposed 40-bed nursing home were opened Tues day at Bailey Memorial Hospital but final action on the bids was delayed. The low base bid of $586,966 was higher than had been antici pated and trustees are to meet in the near future to decide what action to take. The low base bid was entered by Satterfield Construction Com pany of Greenwood. Second low bid was entered by G. E. Moore Co. of Greenwood. The Moore bid was $615,350. Nine bids were received. a member. And by the stated policy of the delegation, the joint ly owned subdivision, which now has two houses, is eligible to be put into the highway system to be paved and I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that creates a conflict of interest for the two incumbents. The delegation will have to decide between other areas of the county that need roads and a road on property owned by two of its members. And in my opinion that is wrong and I say it is wrong. There should be no conflict. A public official, no matter what his posi tion would be held to a higher standard than other citizens.’ Townsend said that, if elected, “I will never approve a road on .my of my own property or on property of any other member of the delegation. 1 propose to establish a policy that will be fair and just to all citizens of Laurens County -- the policy to be based on priority and per centage developments -- on a first deserve, first served basis -- and only after pre existing needs have been taken care of first.* Culbertson, obviously angered by Townsend’s statement, said, “One of the greatest shocks of my life came at Hickory Tavern when this young man made these charges and misstated the facts.* “Prior to tonight’s meeting, he told me that he would correct the record. He has not corrected the record. His apology is not acceptable to me. Not one cent of state money has gone into any real estate I have anything to do with. I have no apology to make to anyone for the way I have conducted myself in office.’ ‘You don’t hide subdivisions or roads in your pocket. I challenge anyone, including Townsend, to prove thefie cTfkfge^. 1 ’ “I present myself solely on my own merits and I do not intend Hospital Administrator Fred Crawford said he and the trus tees previously had figured the project would cost about $500,000. There are to be 20,000 square feet of floor space in the nurs ing home which is to be located on the south side of the hospital property. The nursing home is proposed for persons who need skilled nursing care over a long period of time. Most of the money available for the funds comes from local sources. to be pulled into a mud-slinging contest. . .’ Candidates Eugene C. Stod dard, Mason Motes and Rep. Taylor proceeded Townsend and Culbertson to the platform. The only other major charge was leveled by King Dixon of Laurens, one of three candidates for seat No. 1 in the Fifth Sena torial District. Dixon, a former state senator, said there was no record of incumbent Sen. W. C. (Bill) Dob bins protesting the reapportion ment act when it was passed in 1966, placing Laurens, Union and Newberry in the same senatorial district. He also said that Dobbins failed to be present on time at the draw ing for senate seats on March 5 and that he, Dixon, had to repre sent Laurens County. He said, "If I had not been there, Senate Seat No. 1 would have gone by default. Newberry County was drawn next and chose Senate Seat No. 2. That left in cumbent Sen. John Long out in the cold and he had to decide which race he would enter. I welcome Sen. Long to this race." Dixon’s remarks obviously were in reference to statements made by Sen. Dobbins at Hickory Tavern to the effect that the senate race is now a race be tween Union and Laurens coun ties. Dobbins ignored Dixon’s re marks and based his talk on his record which he said has brought progress to Laurens County. He cited new industrial plants, the four-lane highway between Lau rens and Clinton, the airport under construction, the 40-hour work week for Whitten Village employes and annual pay raises for county employes. He told the audience in his hometown, “The Clinton-Joanna road surveys have been made and surveys have been made on the Joanna-Whitmire road. We’re going to get those improvements for you if we can. * Sen. Long also stuck primarily to his record and there was no heated exchange between Long and Dobbins as there had been in Hickory Tavern. Joining the county candidates on the platform at Joanna were the four candidates for magis trate of the Joanna-Mountville district. They are incumbent George Simpson, Bobby Sim mons, Pet Moates, Marvin Pat terson. About 200 people attended the meeting in the Joanna School. The next speaking engagement in the county is slated Monday night at 7:30 in Gray Court. Nursing Home Bids Received TOMMY BEATY . . . Three Purple Heart* Tommy Beaty Home Rule' Bill Proposed For County Legislation was introduced in the State House of Representa tives Wednesday to establish a county council form of govern ment for Laurens County. The bill was introduced by Reps. David Taylor and Paul Culliertson. It would Income effective Jan. 1, 1971, with the councilmenelee- ed in the 1970 election. all appointments on board and commissions which are now appointed by the legislative dele gation. Also, the council would write the county supply bill. However, there is a provision in the legis lation that the supply bill must be submitted to the legislative delegation for its approval and submission to the General Assembly. Both Taylor and Culbert son have said that some form of home rule is needed for Lau rens County since reapportion ment has forced the county to share two State Senate seats with Union and Newberry counties. The county is no longer assured that it will have a resident sena tor. Has No Doubts About Vietnam BY DONNY WILDER CHRONICLE EDITOR Commencement Exercises Set Sunday, Monday Tommy Beaty can look people in the eye. He doesn’t mind look ing into men’s souls. He has the straightforward ap proach of one who has walked a fine line between life and death. He has seen deeds of heroism and he has seen grown men ball up in a knot and cry with fear. The winner of three Purple Heart citations in Vietnam, Tommy had no confusions about going into the war. He believed then and now that it is a just war. Despite his wounds and me dals, he left Vietnam with the feeling that he hadn’t done as much as he could have. He left with a feeling of leaving a job uncompleted. He blames this on “politicians* who hamstring the military operations there. A native of Clinton, Tommy is wary of the preliminary Vietnam peace negotiations which are now under way. He said, “The peace talks are fine and i am hopeful but I don’t think anything will come of them in the near future. I just hope we don’t pull out of Vietnam under present circumstances. We’ve lost too many guys to pull out now.* Beaty looks on the upcoming presidential election as the turn ing point of the war effort. “The election will tell the story. II will be either our downfall or an upward turn in our determina tion. It depends on who we elect.* The son of Mr. and Mrs. Oren Beaty of 501 S. Broad St., Beaty is a 1965 graduate of Clinton High School. He enlisted in the Marines upon graduation from high school and he was in Vietnam from 1966 through 1967. A mortarman, he spent almost his entire tour in the demilitarized zone. He lived underground in bunkers which were shelled spasmodically by the Communists. The worst shelling he can remember was one time when the Communists fired more than 600 rounds into Ms area) He was wounded on three dif ferent occasions by shrapnel but none of the wounds caused per manent damage. He has seen friends die. He has no use for the draft card burners and the draft dod gers back home. “Those are the kind we should send to Vietnam without train ing.* he said. “People back home don’t seem to know what it’s all about over there. A lot of them don’t even seem to care. Sometimes, when we read about demonstrations and all that stuff back home, it made us wonder if it was worth it. It made me feel like a fool for being in Vietnam. Morale on the front is good but it wo- a lot better if people b nne were more unified behind them.* Now employed in the shipping department at The Torrington Co., Tommy, who was born the year after World War II ended, said his tour in Vietnam “makes me appreciate living more. I rea lize how short life can be.’ # # # 1968-69 School Calendar Set The 1968-69 school year in School District 56 will begin Aug. 22, according to the sche dules release this week by Supt. R. P. Wilder. Sept. 2, Labor Day, will be a holiday and Thanksgiving holi days are scheduled Nov. 28-29. Christmas holidays will begin at the end of the school day on Dec. 18 and classes will resume on Jan. 2. The South Carolina Edu cation Convention is slated March 21 and Easter holidays are sche duled April 7-11. The end of the 1968-69 school year is scheduled May 28. Taylor said that the date was set for 1971 “to give both politi cal parties ample opportunity to field candidates.* The legislation calls for the council to be composed of five members, including the county supervisor, who shall tie chair man. The council memtiers would serve two-year terms and the supervisor would serve a four- year term. The council members would tie elected at-large. There are no residency requirements in the legislation, other than the requir- ment that the candidates must tie qualified residents of Laurens County. The council would be the governing body of the county. Currently, the legislative dele gation holds that power since it controls the purse strings. Under the bill introduced Wed nesday, the council would make Lions Club Broom Sale Set May 30-31 The Lions Club of Clinton will hold its Annual Broom Sale on Thursday and Friday, May 30 and 31, in the Clinton area. Lion Claude Crocker, chair man of the broom sale, states that the long awaited brooms from the Association of the Blind will arrive in time for the sale. There will be six residential teams which will cover the entire city; also, the commercial sale team will distribute the brooms to commercial and industrial agen cies. The club expressed their re grets for the delay of the sale this year due to the great de mand for these brooms through out the state. It was necessary to postpone the sale due to the delay in delivery of the brooms. The club wishes to thank the citizens of Clinton for purchasing these brooms. The sale of these brooms not only provides funds for sight conservation in our local community, but affords employ ment of the blind in our state. Graduation exercises will be held this weekend for Clinton High School, Bell Street High School and Thornwell High School Clinton High’s graduation exercises will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday at Belk Auditorium on the Presbyterian College campus. Approximately 150 seniors will graduate this year from Clinton High School. The class is slight ly smaller than the 1967 class which had about 170 graduates. Although seniors will com plete their school year Sunday, others at CHS will tax exams next week. Final report cards will be distributed on June 3 and summer school will start on June 4. Poppy Days’ Set In Clinton ‘Poppy Days’ are scheduled in the Clinton area Friday and Sat urday. Brilliant red handmade poppies will be offered by American Le gion Auxiliary volunteers and members of Camp Fire groups in Clinton. The poppies are made by veterans in the VA hospital in Columbia and proceeds of contri butions will be used in providing rehabilitation services for ser vice men and women. Approximately 3,000 poppies will be offered by volunteers throughout the downtown area. The poppies symbolize the flowers which bloomed in the World War I battlefields of France and Belgium. The local project is sponsored by the Copeland-Davidson Unit 56 of the American Legion Auxi liary. Bell Street High School will have its commencement exer cises Monday, May 27, after the baccalaureate sermon Sun day. The annual sermon will be pre sented Sunday at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Baptist Church. Graduation exercises will lie held at 8 p.m. Monday in the school auditorium. Approximately 65 seniors will graduate from Bell Street High School. Principal McQuilla Hud son said that this is the largest graduating class in the history of the school. Thornwell High School’s com- nencement exercises will be held Monday night at 8 o’clock at the school. The annual sermon for the graduations will tie delivered Sunday morning at 11 o’clock at Thornwell Hartness Presby terian Church on the Thornwell campus. a p fi Cornelson Named Vice-President Of Clinton CC George Cornelson has been elected first vice president of the Greater Clinton Chamber of Commerce. Cornelson was elected Tuesday at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce’s Board ofDirectors. He succeeds Dr. Louis Stephensj who moved up to the presidency upon the recent resignation of Robert Wassung. Wassung has been transferred by the Torring ton Company to Torrington, Conn. Clinton High Senior Class ... 1968 First Row - Left to Right Nancy Blease, Delores Dunaway, Janet Lindsey, Elease Burton, Mary Ann Harden, Linda Motes, Cynthia Wilkie, Lee Davis, Lynne Riser, Gall Caughman, Pam Brown, Sandy Huffstettler, Wanda Scott, Sandra Campbell, Shirley Simpson, Marilyn Fryfogle, Susan Jacks, Jane Timmerman, Jean Foster, Pam Bearden, Mary Ann Ellis, Trena Barnes, Me lissa Turner, Kathy Smith, Dayna Windsor, Carol Kelley, Carolyn Bundrick, Martha Jane Boyce, Valerie Simmons, Kathy Book- night, Libby Bishop, Connie Miles, Skylar Adams. Second Row: Ann Smith, Sophie Young, Pauline Starnes, Judy Reynolds, Kay Poole, Janice Kirby, Kay Thomas, Neely Cope land, JoyceOtt,NancyTrammell, Anne Madden, Dianne Bigham, Joy Clevenger, Elaine Simmons, Dianne Holland, Cecille McCoy, Darlene Smith, Toni Kirby, Pat Mann, Jean Jennings, Carolyn Womble, Phyllis Shealy, Pat Kelly, Mar^rie Cox, Ethel Miller, Gail Sawyer, Deborah Barnes, Linda Balkham, Carolyn Bradford, Betty Jo Stewart Third Row: Sara Lynn Wysor, Becky Crisp, Mary Wham, Cindy Prater, Judy Bagwell, Cynthia Cooper, Juanita Nelson, Edna Birchmore, Patricia Ammons, Becky Medlock, Kay Crain, Brenda Moates, Brenda Bur roughs, Sandy Frick, EmilyShel- ton, Rita Johnson, Sharon Plaxico, Karen Nabors, Kay Caldwell, Cookie Arnold, Phoebe Darnell, Carolyn Young, Sandra Hanley, Emil Finley, Brent Hol comb, Willie Young, Collie Lehn, Johnny Bolt. Fourth Row: Don Harrelson, Darrell Hampton, Johnny Jacks, Danny Hedgepath, Butch Grady, Robert Meadows, Freddie McLendon, Bobby Reynolds, Greg McCarthy, Gary Campbell, Buddy Greene, Troy Bentley, Lloyd Byers, Allen Corley, LloydAltig, Gene Reeder, Johnny Red, Ronald Turner, Marion Lawson, A1 Webb, Billy Simpson, Danny Ives- ter, Leland Nelson, Richard Ed wins, Mike Barnes. Fifth Row: Harvey White, Donnie Kitchens, Terry Free man, Royce Williams, Lonnie Bixler, Steve Grady, Danny Hell- ams, Joey Lee, Barry Mauldin, Jimmy Young, David Underwood, Ricky Lollis, Robert Cook, Cecil Hill, Ronnie Bryson, Robert ‘Whiteford, Mike Boyle, Jimmy Sanders, Steve Floyd, Gerald Rice, Frank Gaskins, Sidney Pitts, Bill Williams, Andy Young, Jimmy Noffz. Sixth Row. Wayne Wilson, Jim Abrams, Charles Steele, Larry Barker, Larry Summers, Dennis Robinson, Jack Ferguson, Larry Reddeck, Gene Wilkes, Roger Banks, Billy White, Gordon Ste wart, Gwendal Bundrick, Robert Furr, Terry Copeland, Billy Freeman, CharlesMabry, Lucien McKee, Johnny Mabry, L. F. Davis, Tim Dickson, Marvin Lynch. (Yarborough Photo)