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WEATHER (Week of Jan. 9-16) Higii: 68 Low: 20 (Jan. 9) (Jan. 9, 14.) Rainfall: .02 in. Clinton Cljronttle Vol. 70 — No. 3 Clinton. S. C., Thursday, January 16,1969 INDEX Three Sections, 20 Pages Classified 4J-A Deaths 8-A Editorials 2-B Hospital News 8-A Society 2-A Sports 7-A -V Seeking To Aid Illiterates Literacy Rally Is Scheduled Sunday In Clinton The Clinton Jaycees will spon sor a literacy rally Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Hodges Hall, behind the site of Broad Street Methodist Church. The Jaycees are seeking volun teers to assist with a literacy census which is aimed at en rolling illiterates in adult educa tion. Persons wishing to assist in the campaign are requested to at tend Sunday’s meeting. The local Jaycee effort is part of a statewide Jaycee program in which 1,000 volunteers are ex pected to start knocking on doors to sell adult education. Tallies also are set for Charleston, Columbia, Mauldin, Conway, Sumter, Georgetown, Union, Bennettsville, Anderson, and Kingstree. The South Carolina Jaycees, sponsors of the statewide liter acy crusade, hope that this ef fort and others to follow will re verse the downward trend in adult education in South Carolina. En rollment has dropped from 20,000 in 1966 to 17,000 in 1967 and 13,000 in 1968. Target enrollment for the Jay cees is 13,000 by Easter, a tiny increase over last year, but a good gain from the projected en rollment for 1969 of 11,000. Jaycee hopes stem from the success of a pilot program in Greenville last summer, when enrollment in basic education courses increased 50 per cent after the Jaycee promotion began. While State Dept, of Education figures show that 6,000 adult South Carolinias moved upward from the ranks of illiterates in the past three years, the figures show that at least that many more adult fimctional illiterates have joined thk 230,000 adults in this State with less than a fifth grade education. While aiming primarily at the functional illiterates in the State, the Jaycees also hope to persuade some of the 600,000 adults lack ing an eighth grade education and some of the 800,000 adults without high school diplomas to get back into the educational system. Phase two of the Jaycee lit eracy crusade will be a follow-up campaign conducted by members of volunteer literacy groups. Three South Carolina counties already had volunteer literacy groups, and the Jaycees or ganized the first such group in Charleston County and plan to organize other groups in counties lacking them. Phase three of the State cru sade starts the project in all South Carolina counties not in cluded in the pre-Easter cam paign. This phase is planned for between Easter and September. The Jaycees enphasize they are not seeking to start new pro grams of adult education, tyit instead to provide enough stu dents so that current programs can operate closer to capacity. Volunteer literacy groups formed in the various cities serve as back-up groups for the state- financed program and do not com - pete with formal adult education programs. The Jaycee project has been endorsed by: J. K. East, director of adult education for the State Department of Education; Dr. Frank Laubach, internationally acclaimed literacy crusader; Bishop Paul Hardin of the South Carolina United Methodist Church; the Rev. George Lovell, former president of the South Carolina Baptist Association; Bi shop John A. Pinckney and Bishop Gray Temple of the Upper and Lower Dioceses of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina; the Rev. Arthur M. Martin, execu tive secretary of the South Caro lina Presbyterian Synod. ritOM»WN BY DONNY WILDER Editor, The Chronicle Mr. Joe H. Simpson of Whitmire has published a book which should be of considerable interest to many Clintonians. Mr. Simpson, founder of Simpson’s Department Store in Whitmire, was born in Clinton in 1896 when his father was making bricks to be used in construction of Clinton Mill. The author later became the first man ager of the Clinton Mill Store. He attended school in Clinton and was a member of Providence A.R P. Church. His memoirs deal pri marily with his family but sprinkled through- o u t are accounts of events dealing with many Clintonians, in- eluding the Baileys, Godfreys, Sloans, Sum- erels, Neville, Jacobses, Joe Simpson a nd many others. Mr. Simpson wrote his memoirs “that my pos- teriay might know something of the era in which I lived.” In the foreword Mr. Simpson apologizes for “the scarcity of my English composition” but he owes no one an apology His book is interest ing, informative and he accomplishes hig^stated purpose^ he draws a fine picture of the era in which he lived. Particularly well done is a section bevoted to his childhood years between six and 12. Anyone over 30 will enjoy that section as Mr. Simpson recalls the joys and trials of a rural child hood in which youngsters built their own “wash holes”, saved tobacco tags, made rabbit gums from old logs, played tricks with Indian Turnips, and marveled at the wonders of a hand-operated cotton gin and the threshing machine. His recollections of the old Long Branch School are particularly warm and often humorous. The teacher was Miss Lucy Sloan, later to become Mr. Simpson’s aunt. Concerning his North Broad Street neighbors, Mr. Simpson wrote, “Just below our house was Uncle Clyde Todd’s. The next was the Bobo fam ily. Above us was the home of Mr. A. P. Little, who later became my first regular employer. Across the street was Mr. George Bailey, who had a large mulberry tree in his back yard which was a joy to all kids in the community. Next was the Godfrey home- Dr. Godfrey was our family doctor when we lived in the country. He had the first au tomobile that I ever saw. He even took me for a ride in it. It was a Cadillac that was cranked on the side and the motor was under the front seat.. .” Because Mr. Simpson was growing up at the time when Clinton was beginning to grow, the book makes an excellent supplement to the history of the town. I recommend it to anyone interested in the his tory of Clinton and to anyone who ever enjoyed hot combread and fresh buttermilk. Mr. Simpson will present a copy of the book to the Clinton High School Library and the Presbyte rian College Library. He also has had a few extra copies published for anyone who might want to purchase them, They can be purchased at Simp son’s Dept. Store in Whitmire or at The Chronicle. Mr. Simpson recently sold the house on North Broad Street to the Church of Christ which is con structing a new sanctuary on the site- When the old house was tom down, a picture was found in the wall of the building. At first no one could identify it but it has been determined that the picture is of the 1901 graduating class at Due West Female Academy, later to be incorpor ated into Erskine College. One of the members of the class was Miss Lucy Sloan, Mr. Simpson’s grade school teacher who later was to become the mother of Sloan Todd of Clinton, Mrs. Charles Workman, Mrs. Hugh Eargle of Florence: Mrs. Harry Bolcik, II, 1 of Germany; and Col. Walter B. Todd, chief of staff at Fort Jackson. File County Tax Returns By March 1 Laurens County Taxpayers have been urged to make their county property tax returns be fore March 1, at the office of Miss Jennie V. Culbertson, Lau rens County Auditor, in the court house. | Miss Culberteon said, *1 es pecially requeA all who have made changes in real property, bought, sol eke reeled new build ings, removed or demolished old ones to come by the office and make corrected returns for the year 1969. Also, please list mo tor vehicles or any other person al property which is taxable by law." Due to the flu epidemic, her regular itinerary usually sche duled in January, has been post poned, but will be made at a la ter date to be announced. CITY HALL PETITION — Robert Vance is shown above signing a peti tion which calls for a referendum on a new city hall for Clinton. Vance, Sloan Todd (left) and Robert Hamer (right) are members of the City Bond Commission and Heath Cope land is chairman of the City Planning Commission. Over 1,000 signatures of freeholders will be necessary to call the referendum to issue about $250,000 in general obligation bonds to finance construction of the city hall.— (Photo by Truman Owens) General Wingard Dies In GreenviUe Brig. Gen. Barringer F. (Barry) Wingard died at 6:50 a.m. Wednesday in Greenville General Hospital. He was Assistant Adjutant Gen eral of the South Carolina Nat ional Guard at the time of his death. a Funeral services will be con ducted at 2 p.m. today, Thurs day, at First Presbyterian Church in Clinton. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Nellie Wasson Wingard; a son, Barringer F. Wingard Jr., a student at the University of South Carolina; a sister Mrs. R. C. (Beulah) King of Darling ton. A daughter, the late Barrie Jean Wingard, was a former Miss South Carolina. Gen. Wingard, 62, was a veteran of nearly 38 years of military service, beginning his career in May, 1928, when he graduated from Clemson College and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Officers Reserve GEN. WINGARD Corps. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the S. C. National Guard in 1935. An Elder of the First Pres byterian Church, he also is a member of American Legion Post 56 and is a past president of the Battery B 107th AAA Association of Clinton. He also was teacher of a Men’s Bible Class at First Presbyterian Church. * Bolick Named As President YMCA Board Harry E. Bolick III was in stalled Friday as president of the Great Clinton YMCA board of directors. Other officers installed at the first meeting of 1969 include Dr. Louis M. Stephens, vice president; Don Creighton, secre tary; and James Von Hollen trea surer. NeW board members also were installed. They are: one-year term, Rev. A1 Bixler, Dr. Fred Chapman; Richard Casque; Joe Holland, Claude Howe; Charles Related Story On Page 3 Oakley, Mrs. Nancy Sherrill, J. B. Templeton; two-year terms, Rufus E. Sadler, J. R. Sweten- burg; three-year term, Mrs. Ann Cornelson. Holdover directors are: two- year terms, Tom Addison, C. W. Anderson, Harry E. Bolick, Lynn Cooper Jr., Rev. E. W. Rogers, Ralph Tedards; three-year term, Don Creighton, Claude Crocker, Bailey Dixon, Dr. Stephens, Wil liam Tiller, James Von Hollen and Dr. James Walker. Petition Circulated New City Hall Campaign Opens The campaign for voter approval of a new city hall for Clinton opened this week. City officials began circulat ing petitions calling for a re ferendum on issuanceof$250,000 in general obligation bonds to finance construction of a new City Hall on North Broad Street. The petition must be signed by a majority of the freeholders (property owners) of the city in order for the referendum to be held. It will require the signa tures of approximately 1,200 freeholders. If a majority of the freehold ers sign the petition, the re ferendum then will be held. All registered voters in the city limits will be eligible to vote in the referendum. If a majority of the voters approve the issuance of the bonds, it is expected that construction on the project might begin sometime in the spring. It has been es timated that it will take about one year to complete construc tion. The new city hall is to be built on a North BroadStreet site which already has been purchased by the city. The city also has al ready paid architects for work done thus far. The new city hall would cost about $500,000. For the past few years, the city has been setting aside in a building fund the city 's revenue from the Clinton-New- berry Natural Gas Authority. The city has approximately $220,000 already in the building fund. Clinton Mayor Harry Layton has stressed that construction of the new city hall will not re quire a tax increase and nei ther will it require all of the city’s revenue from the Gas Au thority. City Clerk and Treasurer Brooks Owens has explained, "Last year, we received $117,000 from the Gas Authority. We ex pect those revenues to remain stable or increase. The revenue could approach $120,000 or $130,000 within the next year or so. Unless there's some major catastrophe, we should be able to apply $30,000 to $40,000 of this revenue toward other needed pro jects, in addition to the city hall financing.” The city proposes to market the bonds on a 10-year issue, with a provision that they can box called, without premium at any time within 10 years." Mayor Layton has said, “We could retire them in five years, with ease. However, it might be to our advantage to set them up on a lu-year issue so that we can get a better interest rate." City Clerk Owens said that the city’s general bonded endebted- ness after February 1st will be about $54,000 He said, “I don’t know of but two other towns in South Carolina that have a gen eral obligation debt that low.” The new city hall would be of colonial design and would house the city clerk's office, Police Dept., Fire Dept., and would feature a community room, with kitchen, upstairs. Setzler Named Lutheran Pastor i Mr. John L. Setzler, a senior at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, has notified the St. John’s Lu theran congregation that he is accepting its call to become its pastor on or about June 1. His letter of acceptance to the congregation was read at the ser vice last Sunday morning by Mr. Ratchford W. Boland, the vice- chairman of the council and of the congregation. Mr. Setzler will assume the work of the pastorate upon the re tirement of Dr. E. Bryan Keis- ler who has served the congre gation as interim pastor since July 15, 1964. Dr. and Mrs. Keis- ler plan to move to Lexington County where they are construct ing a house. JOHN SETZLER With an excellent record, academically and otherwise, Mr. Setzler is scheduled to graduate from the seminary in late May and to be ordained, possibly in Clinton, in early June. A native of Kingstree and a High School graduate of that city, Mr. Setzler graduated from Presbyterian College and spent his year of internship at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Greenville. He comes highly re commended by the President of Synod, the seminary faculty and the pastor with whom he interned. Mrs. Setzler, formerly a valu able employee in the Clinton Mills office, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard C. Bugay, formerly of Kingstree but now living in Barnwell. The couple has one son, about 21 months old. In the May-June issue of the tamed “The Upper Room” (daily meditations) one of Mr.Setzler’s contributions will appear. Tuesday Morning Housing Topic NEW YMCA BOARD MEMBERS—New members of the Greater Clinton YMCA Board of EHrectors, who were installed last Friday, are, front row, left to right, Mrs. Nancy Sherrill, Richard Gasque, Mrs. Anne Cornelson, Joe Holland; second row, J. B. Templeton, Claude Howe, Rev, A1 Bixler, Dick Swetenburg, and Charles (Buddy) Oakley.—(Yar borough Photo) , * For Qiamber Meet A discussion on the availability of a low-cost federal housingpro- Ject for Clinton will be included oq the agenda of the quarterly membership meeting of the Clin ton Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The meeting at Mary Musgrove Hotel will start at 10 a.m. The two-pronged program also will feature an address by Dr. W. Fred Chapman, executive di rector of the recently organized Junior Achievement program in Clinton. W. T. (Billy) Bolt and J. Allen Thompson Jr., officials with the S. C. Regional Housing Authority, will discuss the availability of low-cost ^deral housing for Clinton. They are appearing at the re quest of the Chamber of Com merce which has been asked by several interested Citizens to in vestigate the possibility. The Regional HouSlttfjAuthori ty has federal housing jurisdic tion over 18 Northwestern coun ties in South Carolina. The au thority supervises 57 housing projects which are in operation in 29 different mifnicipalities in the region. The first projects were begun in 1952 and initial occupancy was in September of 1953. The au thority supervises a total of 1,007 apartments, of which 80 were built in Laurens in 1964 exclu sively for the elderly. Bolt, executive director of the S. C. Regional Housing Authori ty, is a former member of the Laurens County Legislative De legation and is a former mayor of Laurens. Thompson commands the Fourth Battalion of the 118th Infantry, National Guard, with headquarters in Union.