The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, April 17, 1969, Image 1
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WEATHER
(Week of April 9-16)
High: 80 Low: 46
(April 11-12) (April 16-14)
Rainfall: 4-16 ins.
Soil Temperature Avg.: 66 degrees
VoL 70 —Ho. 15
Clinton Chronicle
Clinton, S. C., Thursday, April 17, 196B
INDEX
'niree Sections, 22 Pages
Classified
Deaths ...
6-A
8-A
Editorials 2-B
Society 2-A
Sports 7-A
*
Eft
ARROWS INDICATE CITY’S NEW FREE PARKING LOT
... At Corner of Broad Street and West Main Street
M 4
WMMI
Charlie Comes Home
Ten-year-old Charlie Robinson has returned
home to Clinton and is going to regain use of both
his arms.
Charlie was badly burned in a Jan. 4 fire at
his home on Gary Street. Laurens County Shrin-
ers heard about Charlie’s injuries and arranged
for him to be treated at the Shriners Hospital,
Cincinnati (Ohio) Rums Institute.
Charlie went to the Cincinnati hospital Jan.
22 and received 71 days of treatment. He r4tumed
home Thursday, April 3, with the news that he
will regain use of both his arms.
'New Folk' Refund
The New Folk concert in Clinton was cancelled
last Thursday because a key member of the cast
came down with a bad case of infectious measles.
Dan Roberts, who put much time and effort
into promoting the concert, said that a refund sta
tion will be set on Friday afternoon, April 18, on
the steps of Belk Auditorium at Presbyterian Col
lege from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Persons who pur
chased advance tickets may receive their refund at
that time. Roberts said, “If we find that many
tickets are still out, we will set up another date for
refunding.”
Roberts said, “It was with great sorrow that
we had to stand in the rain and turn away car after
car of persons coming to the concert. Unfortun
ately, The New Folk are so solidly booked that they
will not be able to return this spring but when they
return next year we trust that the response will be
just as strong, perhaps even stronger . . .
“It is ironic but powerful testimony to the
Power behind the Message that The New Folk
came to Clinton to proclaim that all of our human
efforts at publicity and public relations, all of our
careful planning and meticulous organization, all of
this, came to nothing and was rendered useless by
one of the smallest of the Lord’s creations, a
measles virus . . .”
Anderson To Address IA Banquet
City Gets
Lease On Parking
Lot Downtown
The Junior Achievement A-
wards Banquet, “Future Unlimit
ed,* will be held May 5 at 7:30
p.m. in the Presbyterian College
Dining Hall.
C. W. Anderson, President of
C. W. Anderson Hosiery Cor
poration, will be the guest weak
er. Chris Adair III, president of
Torraco Junior Achievement
Company, will serve as Master
of Ceremonies.
Awards to be presented will be
the Junior AchievementCompany
of the Year; Top Executive,
Salesman, and Achiever Awards,
plus certificates for successful
completion of Junior Achieve
ment work.
Clintex Corporation and Torr-
co Corporation are the two JA
Companies in Clinton.
The City of Clinton has obtain
ed use of a new downtown park
ing area which is expected toac-
comodate from 40 to 50 cars,
according to Mayor Harry Lay-
ton.
The city has obtain a lease,
free of charge, from Seaboard
Coastline Railroad Co. on the
property at the corner of Broad
Street and W. Main St., across
from McGee’s Drug Store.
The lot averages about 60 feet
by 200 feet, according to Layton.
Bond Uniform
Public Fund
Drive Opens
Public solicitation for funds
to purchase new uniforms for the
Clinton High School band got un
derway this week and will con
tinue until the $9,000 goal is
reached.
Solicitation cards were given to
band members’ parents Mon
day night by Mrs. A. C. Work
man Jr., general chairman of
the drive.
Unsolicited contributions and
proceeds from bake salesamount
to more than $600, Mrs. Work
man started Monday night. She also
said several other uniforms have
been promised, but the money for
these have not been collected or
added to the amount already re
ported.
“Anyone desiring to donate a
uniform, or uniforms, may have
their name as donor indicated in
side the band jacket, * Mrs. Work
man said. She said the uniform
price is $110.
New Clinton City Hall
Approved In 326-32 Vote
The mayor said Seaboard a-
greed to lease the property to the
city, free of charge, for a park
ing lot as long as the city does
not put parking meters on the lot.
If the city puts parking meters
on the property, Seaboard is to
receive half the revenue from the
meters.
Layton said the city has agreed
not to put meters on the lot and
will offer it as free downtown
parking.
City Work Crews, under the
supervision of Street Supt. Eddie
McGee, began work last week in
grading the lot and preparing it
for a parking area.
Layton said cars are to enter
the lot from West Main St., on
the side near Industrial Supply
Co. and will leave the lot at an
exit on South Broad St. The may
or said it will be necessary for
cars leaving the lot to turn right,
so as not to disrupt the flow of
downtown traffic.
Area Two-Day
Rainfall Totals
Almost 4 Inches
The Clinton area received al
most four inches of rain from
5 p.m. Monday through Tuesday
night
For the week, the area re
ceived 4.16 inches, according to
Robert Wickham of the Thorn-
well Weather Observation Sta
tion.
Wickham pointed out that most
of the rain fell on Monday and
Tuesday but that there also was
some rain on April 11.
Construction
May Start
By June 1
Clinton is expected to have its
new city hall by June 1, 1970.
Clinton voters Tuesday ap
proved, 326-32, a general obli
gation bond issue to finance the
balance of construction costs on
the proposed city hall.
All three city polling places
overwhelmingly supported the
city hall proposal. The vote to
tals were: Clinton No. 1, cur
rent city hall, 117-17; Clinton No.
2, Armory, 150-9; and Clinton
Mill, 59-6.
Only 358 votes were cast but
Clinton Mayor Harry Layton
commented, “Under the circum
stances, we consider it a pretty
good vote. Unfortunately, we
rarely have much of a voter
turnout on referendum issues.
If it hadn’t rained Tuesday, I
believe we might have doubled
that turnout.*
The vote authorizesCityCoun
cil to issue up to $240,000 in
general obligation bonds for the
city hall. The project is expect
ed to cost about $500,000 but the
city has over half that now in
the city hall building fund.
The Municipal Election Com
mission met Wednesday after
noon to certify the referendum
results.
The law requires that there be
a 30-day waiting period during
which any protests will be heard.
City council intends to use that
30-day period to have architects
submit the plans to contractors
so they can be figuring their bids.
Layton said the bid opening
probably will be about the mid
dle of May. Once the bid is let,
the contractor must start work on
the project within 10 days. The
mayor said construction should
start around June 1. It has been
estimated that construction
should be completed within one
year.
Mayor Layton said, “Speaking
for City Council, we are very hap
py over the referendum results.
We want to thank all who took
part, especially those who sup
ported the movement for a new
city hall.*
The new city hall is to be con
structed on a lot which the city
already owns on North Broad St.
s
a
V
(
IN MISS CLINTON PAGEANT —
Shown above are the reigning queen
and the contestants who will partici
pate in the Miss Clinton Pageant on
May. 3. The picture above was taken
April 3 at a party for the contestants
and other pageant participants at
Lakeside Country Club. Shown above
are, left to right, contestants Polly
Ann Adair, Virginia Rogers, Ginger
Crocker; Miss Clinton, Pat Davis;
contestants Dale Nabors, Claire Dun
can, Ginger Gault and Ann Newton.
-f
'Wi,
n
. \
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ROBERT G. SMITH
HARRY BOUKNIGHT
Smith Named Band
Director At CHS
Robert G. Smith, baud director
of Jonesville and Lockhart high
schools, has l)een named band di
rector at Clinton High School.
He succeeds Harry Bouknight
who has accepted a position on
Lions Club Broom Sole Opens Tonight
The Clinton Lions Club will
sponsor its annual broom sale
tonight, April 17, and Fri
day, April 18.
E. W. Rogers is chairman of
the broom sales, proceeds of
which go to the Lions Club’s
projects for the blind.
Captains of the various sales
teams are Gene Johnson, com
mercial; Bob Cason, residential
no. 1; Dick Casque, residential
no. 2; Wyatt Ledford, residen
tial no. 3; Erskine Jacks, resi
dential no. 4; Ben Ivey, resi
dential no. 5; and J. B. Arnold,
residential no. 6.
The broooms will sell for;
Lioness broom, $1.50; Monarch
broom, $1.75; whisk broom, 75
cents; hearth broom, $1;
push broom, $6; and industrial
broom, $2.25.
the staff of Whitten Village.
A native of Lodge, S. C.,Smith
is a graduate of Charleston High
School and Newberry College.
For the past five years, he has
been teaching at both Jonesville
and Lockhart high schools in
Union County.
He is married to the former
Leigh Stehle of Jonesville. Mrs.
Smith will be graduated from
Limestone College in May with a
degree in elementary education.
Bouknight has been band direc
tor at Clinton High School for 16
years. A native of Newberry, he
will join the Whitten Village
faculty as a music teacher and
will develop an instrumental pro
gram there.
County Courthouse Referendum Is Slated Tuesday
C. w. ANDERSON
Laurens County voters go to the
polls Tuesday, April 22, to de
cide whether a new $1.8 million
courthouse is to be built in Lau
rens and, if so, where it is to be
located.
Voters supporting construction
of a new courthouse will be given
a choice of site: (1) The old Lau
rens Central Elementary School
property in downtown Laurens or
(2) The Todd property on the
southern outskirts of Laurens cm
the Highway 76 bypass.
Polls will open at 8 a.m. and
close at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the 46
voting places in the county.
The referendum ballot ques
tions will read like this:
•(1) Shall a new county court
house be built at a cost not to
exceed one million eight hundred
thousand dollars and issue gen
eral boligation bonds of the coun
ty for the payment thereof?
)
YES (
NO ( )
(2) If a new courthouse is fa
vored by a majority of those vot
ing, I prefer that it be con
structed on (check only one):
( ) (a) The Todd property lo
cated at the corner of Garling-
ton Street and U. S. Highway 76
By-Pass.
( ) (b) The site of the former
Laurens Central Elementary
School located at the corner of
Laurens Street and Church
Street.*
The Todd property included 22
acres and would cost a little
over $60,000.
The Laurens Elementary
School property is a 7-1/2-acre
tract of land which would cost
$75,000. It has been estimated
that it would cost an additional
$18,000 to $25,000 to demolish
the old school building on the
property, making the total cost
around $100,000.
The Laurens County legislative
delegation has issued a statement
saying, “The need for a new
courthouse has been documented
many times. The delegation is
not taking a position as to site,
however, we are taking a strong
position in favor of the new
courthouse. We urge every pro
perty owner and voter to go to
the polls on April 22 and vote
in favor of a new courthouse.’
Rep. David S. Taylor, secre
tary of the delegation said, “In
projecting the needs of Laurens
Count} over the next 25 years,
the architect, Mr. Niles Jackson,
who is a Laurens County native,
tells us that we need 60,000
square feet of floor space to house
the offices of Laurens County
and the courtroom and jail. The
welfare department and health
department will NOT be in the
new building. Our present court
house has only 13,000 square feet
of usable space, it does not lend
itself to remodeling because all
the Inside walls are load bear
ing. The heating and wiring are
deficient. Now is the time to do
something about this situation.*
TAX COST
It is estimated by the Laurens
County Auditor that a tax increase
of 10 mills would be necessary to
retire the $1.8 million bond issue
over a 20-year period. As an indi
cation of what the tax increase
will mean to the average tax
payer, Taylor said, “The average
home in Laurens County is prob
ably assessed at$650. This would
mean that the total increase in
taxes for the average taxpayer
would be $6.50 per year or just
over 50 cents a month.”
Taylor also said, “The ques
tion has been asked many times
what will be done with the pre
sent courthouse building. The
only firm answer the delegation
can give is no tax money will be
used for the preservation of the
present building. It is doubtful
that much money, if any, could be
realized from the sales of this
property.
“Another provision of the con
stitution provides that the
sheriff’s office shall be in the
county courthouse. A special pro
vision was passed several years
ago to move the sheriff out of
the present courthouse. However,
his office, plus the jail, will be
in the new courthouse. In my
opinion, the property where the
sheriff’s office and jail is located
could be sold for a substantial
sum that could be applied to the
new courthouse."
The current courthouse is the
third to serve Laurens County.
The first was a frame building
used as a church, school and
courthouse. The second structure
was of brick. The present build
ing was begun in 1835 and com
pleted in 1840. It was remodeled
in 1911. Taylor points out, “From
these dates, it can be assumed
that no living citizen of Laurens
County has ever paid any money
for the construction of a court
house.*
Tuesday’s vote will be the third
courthouse referendum in the
past year and a half. The first
two proposals were reject
ed by the voters. The cost has
been scaled down from the origi
nals million proposal. The first
proposal called for construction
on the Todd property. The se
cond unsuccessful proposal
called for construction of a $1.8
million courthouse on the Central
Elementary School property.
Spring Arts
Festival
Opens Monday
Four movies and a play with a
Broadway record of 469 perform
ances are scheduled next Monday
through Saturday (April 26) dur
ing the opening week of the 1969
Spring Arts Festival at Presby
terian College.
Sponsored for the first time by
the college’s fine arts depart
ment, the festival will continue
for two weeks. The Clinton Mu
sic Club, which began the fes
tival two years ago as a week
end event, will be in charge of
children’s activities on May 3.
This year’s festival will be a
first birthday celebration for the
fine arts department, officially
organized last spring when PC
implemented a major in fine
arts. The department offers mu
sic, art and drama courses.
Charles T. Gaines, department
chairman, originated PC’s fine
arts program in 1965 with music.
Drama classes also began that
year, and art was added in 1966.
Student body president Bobby
Johnston of Columbus, Ga., will
open the festival Monday night
at 8:15 in Belk Auditorium with
a welcome to viewers of “The
Blood of a Poet,* a 1930 French
film about a poet’s development.
An after-theater party will be
held in Belk lobby.
“The Member of the Wedding*
starring Julie Harris, Ethel Wa
ters and Brandon deWilde will be
shown Tuesday in Belk. This and
all succeeding evening events will
begin at 8:15.
Wednesday through Saturday
the PC Players, directed by Dale
Rains, will present William
Inge’s “The Dark at the Top of
the Stairs* in Black Magic Thea
ter. The play involves a 1920’s
family with both economic and
emotional problems.
Admission to the movies and
play will be one dollar each.
Reservations for the play may
be made now by telephoning PC’s
drama department.
“Aparajite,* grand prize win
ner at the 1958 Venice Film Fes
tival, will be shown Friday. “Ki
netic Art” and two short Char
lie Chaplin films are scheduled
Saturday.
A voice recital by senior Beth
Lindsay of Greenville and Sam
Hobson of Anderson at 4 p.m.
Sunday (April 27) will begin the
festival’s second week.
A judged ari exhibit of PC
students’ and other residents’
works will open Monday, April 28,
in the library lobby. This pre
sentation under Mrs. Mary Ann
Walker wiR be displayed until
Thursday, May 8.