Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WEATHER (Week of March 4-11) High: 75 Low: 42 (March'10) (March 6, 7, 8) Rainfall: .83 in. (March 4, 5, 6, 8) Soil Temp. Range: 53-58 tS/fje Clinton Chronicle Clinton, S. C, March 12. 1970 Vol. 71—No. 11 INDEX Three Sections, 20 Pages Plus Supplement Classified 5-A Deaths 8-A Editorials 2-B Hospital News 5-A Society 2-A, 3-A Sports 7-A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADERS—Shown president; Tom Plaxico, treasurer; standing: above are the new officers of the Clinton Chamber left to right are new' board members: Bailey Dixon, of (ommerce along with new members of the O. P. Haynes, Jim Von Hollen, Dr. N. Carl Wessin- board of directors. Seated, left to right, are: ger and William S. Hatton. Ralph Patterson, first vice-president; Joe Holland, Smith Cites Area's Potential And Problems Internationally known planner Wilbur S. Smith said Tuesday night that Clinton is located man area which has the potential for the fastest growth in the world within the next 30 years. Addressing the annual Clinton Chamber ofCommerce banquet at Mary Musgrove Hotel, Mr.Smith said, “You are in an enviable position in terms of your unique location.’ He also said, “You have a lot of blessings and a lot of problems." Among the problems which Clinton must solve if it is to realise its potential are, “Rail roads through the business dis trict, shortage of housing units for all income brackets, a heavy influx of mobile homes, utility limitations, large land holdings by large public or quasi-public groups, a lack of transporta tion arteries, inadequate park ing, poor traffic flow." Smith said the citizens must set their goals and determine what type of town they want Clin ton to become. He said, “You have been slow about getting down to serious planning but perhaps there is an advantage in that since you can benefit from the experiences '<{ others." Smith is founder of Wilbur Smith and Associates which cur rently is conducting a long-range planning survey of Clinton. FUTURE Smith said that the future of the small city is “moreencourag ing than it has been since World War I." He also said, “Great ness of cities is not related to greatness of size. Some of the world s greatest cities in history ranged in population from 10,000 to 30,000. . ." Concerning municipal plan ning, he said, “Changes are com ing so fast that it makes planning more difficult but also more necessary. . ." He said, “You have to deside toward what goals you want to aim your efforts. . .Your city can become an institution com munity or it can become a com munity with a diversified indus trial base. . .we suspect you will follow the second alternative...” Mr. Smith quoted Winston Churchill as saying, “We shape our buildings and, after a time, our buildings shape us.“ LoFoye Art On Display The works of Nell LaFaye, head of the art department of the Uni versity of South Carolina at Aiken, will be on display at Pres byterian College March 17-31, Mrs. Alta Alberga of the PC fine arts department announced today. Mrs. Alberga said the artist will visit the Douglas House ex hibit area on March 19 for a re ception and a gallery talk about her paintings, starting at 7 p.m. Students, faculty members and the general public are invited to attend without charge. Nell LaFaye’s exhibition of mixed media creations includes about 40 works He concluded by saying, “Shape Clinton as you would like to lie shaped. ’ Chamber of Commerce Presi dent George Cornelson presided at the meeting. J. C. Thomas, chairman of the Clinton Planning Commission introduced Mr. Smith. At the exclusion of Mr. Smith’s remarks, Mr. Cornelson introduced the new^officers and new board memSaiN^eijd turned the gavel over to the new presi dent, J>e Holland. OFFICERS Other officers are Ralph Pat terson, first vice president; Clinton businessman Joe S. Holland today announced that he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for County Council. Mr. Holland, who is president of the Clinton Chamber of Com merce, said, “I believe in apply ing sound business practices to our government Being a busi nessman, I believe my experience could help to bring economy and efficiency to the government of our fine county. I pledge to re present fairly all of the people of Laurens County to the best of my ability and conscience.* A native of Clinton, Mr. Hol land is owner of the Piggly Wiggly Supermarket in Clinton. He is a past dhairman of the Clinton Mer chants and Businessmen’s Asso- George Cornelson, second vice president; Tnm Plaxico, treasur er. New directors are C. Bailey Dixon, William S. Hatton, O. P. Haynes, James S. Von Hollen, and Dr. N. Carl Wessinger. Mr. Holland presented a placque to Mr. Cornelson in honor of his year of service as presi dent. The new president also told the Chamber ofCommerce mem bers, “Our Chamber ofCom merce can only be as progres sive as the board and members make it. I hope that you decide 1970 will be a year of growth and progress for our community. I pledge to you that I will do the best I know how to help our com munity move forward. . .* elation and was installed Tuesday night as president of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the Food Retailers Association of South Carolina and is a member of Broad Street Methodist Church. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Clinton Rotary Club and is a member of the Laurens County Shrine Club. He is a veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Holland also is a member of the board of directors ofClin- ton Junior Achievement He is married to the former Trotti Pruitt and they have three children. * * * Lucky Friday 13 th Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky? If you’re a shopper, Fri day the 13th may be your lucky day. The Clinton Merchants Association is sponsoring “Black Cat Sales Days”— and not just on Friday, March 13. The sale opens today, March 12, and con tinues on Friday the 13th Saturday the 14th and Monday, March 16. The merchants are of fering special sale prices on m&ny items during the “Black Cat Sale Days.’’ The sale is featured in a special supplement being distributed with today's Chronicle. Thomas Announces For Council Bond Thomas, business man, and broadcaster, today announced as a Democratic candidate for the newly created County Council for Laurens County. Mr. Thomas, a life-long resi dent of Laurens County, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Thomas. He was educated in the Laurens city schools and attended Presbyterian College and The University of S. C. A graduate of Palmetto Mili tary Academy, Mr. Thomas is a 1st Lieutenant in the S. C. Nat ional Gurad, currently serving as executive officer of Company A- 2nd BN-263rd Armor in Gaflbey. As a broadcaster, Mr. Thomas worked at WLBG Radio in Lau rens and WPCC radio in Clinton (CONT. ON PAGE 4-A) MS THE TOPIC: PLANNING—Munici pal planning expert Wilbur S. Smith, center, chats with Joe Holland, left, and George Comelaom following Tuesday night’s Clinton Chamber of Commerce banquet. Holland is the new president of the Chamber of Commerce and Cornelson is the retir ing president. Holland Candidate For County Council In Favor Of By-Pass, But... Beltline Plan Is Sharply Criticized At Public Hearing Thomas Don't AAiss Opportunity A majority of Clintonians who voiced an opinion at Tuesday’s beltline road hearing spoke in favor of some type of traffic by-pass around Clinton but most were sharply critical of the pro posed route. About 100 people attended the hearing Tuesday morning in the auditorium at Hampton Avenue School. The proposal calls for extending an arterial route about three miles long from S.C. 72 north of the city to S.C. 72 south. A State Highway Department official explained there are two alternatives in the present pro posal. Under the first alternative, the route would run parallel to Springdale Road. Under the se cond alternative, the route would run beside Bailey Memorial Hos pital and follow Springdale Road to Highway 76 where it would cut across a corner of the Whit ten Village farm and proceed on to S. C. 72 north. Road Design Engineer Ronnie Wertz said his departent re commends the second alter native. After hearing opposition to toth of the alternatives, J. C. Thomas, chairman of the Clinton Planning Commission said: “This project has been talked since before we had a hospital or a Planning Commission. We have a tremendous traffic con gestion problem downtown and now. . . with 16 to 22 freight trains coming through town daily . . .congestion is getting worse. We didn’t tell the Highway De partment where we wanted the road. We just asked them to help us work out our problem. We all seem to agree on the need for a ‘ring-road’. Let’s tell them (The Highway Department) what we want and where we d like for them to put it. If we want a railroad overpass downtown and perhaps a bypass farther out, that would give them something to work on . . .I’d hate to see us lose this opportunity. . .” George Cornelson, president of the Clinton Chamber of Com merce, spoke first when com ments were requested from the audience. He gave a brief sketch of the background of the project and said it has been “a prime project for at least the last three or four years. . He put in the record correspondence from 1968 in which several business and civic leaders voiced their con cern about downtown congestion problems and suggested that a ‘ring road’ is needed. John Daniluk, a resident of Springdale Drive, presented a petition in which residents along the route voiced their exposition to the proposals. They suggested that the route would ruin Spring- dale Drive as residential pro perty, is too close to schools, hospitals, the proposed YMCA, and city limits. Their peti tion suggested that a “true belt- line* route be established about three miles out of the city. The petition was signed by nine Springdale Drive residents. Dr. Louis Stephens asked, “Why must this route be so close to town? What studies have been conducted to back up this propo sal? We need some facts and figures. . .’ G. A. Weathers, associate ur ban engineer with the Highway Department, said studies were conducted by the Advanced Planning Division of the Highway Department but that he did not have any of the figures which resulted from their studies. He added, “Their studies revealed this is as close in as we can get for this beltline which we think would assist in your traffic con gestion problem.* Dr. Stephens pointed out that a team from Clemson University, which conducted a local study several years ago, suggested that there be two ‘ring roads’, one inside file city and one farther out He added, “That study was backed up by facts and figures which showed the needs and the reasons for the proposed route locations.* At the request of Mr. Weath- (CONT. ON PAGE 4-A) DESIGN ENGINEER RONNIE WERTZ EXPLAINS ALTERNATIVES ... At Public Hearing Tuesday On Clinton Beltline Dobbins Announces For State House MRS. RODGERS Candidate For Auditor Mrs. Helen W. Rodgers, deputy clerk in the Laurens County Au ditor’s Office, this week an nounced that she is a candidate for Laurens County Auditor in the Democratic Primary. Miss Jennie V. Culbertson, the incumbent auditor, has announced that she will not be a candidate for re-election. Mrs. Rodgers said, “Since Miss Culbertson is not offering for re-election as County Audi tor, I am announcing my candi dacy for this office. I am well aware of the many responsibili ties of the County Auditor. With the continuing growth of Laurens County, the duties and responsi bilities are becoming increasing ly peater. Having served in this office as Deputy Clerk with Miss Jennie V. for 24 years, I feel that my experience qualifies me for this position. ” Mrs. Rodgers’husband, Ernest L. Rodgers, works with an in surance firm in Clinton. They have a daugher, Hellene, who is* student at Ford High School. Mrs. Rodgers is treasurer of Green Pond Methodist Church and is Departmental Chaplain of the South Carolina Veterans of Foreign Wars. She also is active in the Eastern Star organization. Rotor ions Plan Radio Campaign Monday, April 13, has been de signated as 1970 Rotary Radio Ro deo, according to Clinton Rotary Club President William M. Shields and WPCC Manager O. P. Haynes. Beginning next Tuesday, March 17th Rotarians will be calling on business firms, industries and individuals to sell commercials to be broadcast on WPCC on April 13th. They will write the adver tising copy and will actually be announcing “on-the-air’ from sunrise to sunset that day. The first Rotary Radio Rodeo held last year netted more than $3,000 to the YMCA Building Fund, and proceeds from this year’s Rodto will also be used for the YMCA Building Fund and other worthwhile civic projects. Former State Senator W. C. (Bill) Dobbins of Joanna this week announced that he is a can didate for the State House of Representatives in the Demo cratic Primary. Dobbins served in the senate for four years and was elected to the House of Representatives three times. In the Senate, Dob bins was a member of the key Finance Committee, Education Committee and Agriculture Com mittee. A Clinton businessman, be is owner of Dobbins Insurance Agency. He is married to the former Helen Blakely of Laurens and they have two sons and a daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins are members of Joanna Methodist Church where he is a former member of the Board of Stewards and former teacher of the Men’s Bible Class. He is a member of the Clinton Planning Commission and is .a Shriner and Mason. He was the W. c. DOBBINS charter president of the Joanna Lions Club and was named “Citi zen of the Year* in Joanna two years ago. Cline Announces For County Council He attended Ware Shoals High School. James D. Cline of Laurens an nounced this week as a candidate for the Democratic Party nomi nation for County Council in Lau rens County. A native of Laurens County, Mr. Cline has been employed at Whitten V illage for the past seven years. He has been a resident of Laurens for 20 years and re sides at 8 Beattie Street. He and his wife, Carmen, have two children, Steve and Susan. Cline is a member of North- side Baptist Church where he is a former deacon. Merchants Group To Meet Today The Clinton Merchants Asso ciation will meet this morning at Mary Musgrove Hotel. The meeting is to start at 9:30 a.m., according to chair man Lawrence Gross. vx-x-xwx-x-xxwx-:^^ JAMES D. CLINE Other Memoirs BY JOE H. SIMPSON Well do I recall when the water system was installed and the first demonstration or beginning of public water use was made here. Some of you remember the following incident, but I hope not, for it was a very humiliating expe rience for me. The day and hour had been set for the first flow of water to come out of a water hy drant Crowds had gathered on the square near the C. N. & L. Railroad depot The newly elect ed fire chief and his fellow firemen were on for the grand occasion. Fire hoses ed to the hydrant and finally the order for “WA TER ON” was given, and a strong stream gushing from the hoee, amid the roar of from the crowd. I was on the left side and. seeing some of young friends on the other side, I decided over. Instead of going behind tl ed in front of him and under the my move and dropped the stream imnriritiff we dosnt —d turning me ttanea in the mud, much to he detight < but not for me.