The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, April 16, 1959, Image 1
Can anyone explain why the
telephone so often rings at the
precise moment when answer-
t ing it is least convenient?
VOLUME 21; NUMBER 51.
By The Way
By Oorls A. Sander*
THE THING
Whatever “the thing” was, it
was certainly there, and stayed
long enough for many Newber-
rians to see it. It wasn’t Super
man, because he was on TV at the
time “the thing” was hovering
above Newberry. It wasn’t a fly
ing saucer, because it wasn’t “fly
ing.” Seems it was nothing but
just a weather balloon which
caused no more damage than eye-
strain on those who scanned the
skies trying to figure it out.
WKDK radio was swamped with
calls about the object and the peo
ple out there got in touch with
the Columbia weather bureau. The
best information obtainable is
that “the thing” was thought to
be a weather balloon released from
Denver, Colorado a couple of
weeks ago. It was variously de
scribed as being 300 feet in dia
meter, 12 feet in Ingth, and 65,000
feet up. After staying around for
several hours Tuesday afternoon
and evening, it apparently drifted
on to cause similar excitement
elsewhere on its nomadic course.
When trying to sell them some
thing they can’t afford, the tele
vision salesman tells the ladies that
they owe it to themselves, a sales
pitch I have often used on myself
in moments of hesitation.
NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1959
+ $2.00 PER YEAR
Council Refuses To Broadcast
Meetings; Praises Volunteers
Local Guard Commander Is
Named Assistant State AG
IT’S ALL HERE
There seems to have been much
discussion of late about the accur
acy of press reporting of city coun
cil meetings. There have been mis
understandings which -shouldn t
have occurred, and wouldn’t have
occurred had there been verbatim
reports of the meetings available
to correct inaccuracies and mis
representations of council’s state
ments and actions. As a result, in
the future, whenever it is possible,
I expect to be on hand at meet
ings of council with my little
Stenograph machine, in order to
take down every word that is said
in important discussions. I did
this Tuesday night, and my notes
containing every word of the dis
cussions concerning the fire de
partment and the broadcast of
council meetings are on file at The
Sun office. I regret that members
of council would not go along wnth
the motion to broadcast the meet
ings. Since they wouldn’t, perhaps
this verbatim reporting could be
considered in the line of a “public
service,” and should there be any
doubt as to what was said, the
notes will be available for the
scrutiny of anyone who wishes to
see them.
Tom Hayes, field representative of the Woodmen o' the World, presented Den I of Pack 222 an Ameri
can flag on Saturday morning, April 11. Mr. Hayes made the presentation through Camp No. 1054.
Standing by Mr. Hayes, holding the flag is Robb e McCaughrin, Denner and holding the other end
is Ben Rook, Den Chief. Others in the picture are, left to right, Mac Way, Bobby Lominick, Randall
Floyd, Mrs. Powell E. Way, Jr., Den Mother, who met with the den for the last time prior to sailing,
for Okinawa to join her husband; Mrs. James Smith Jr., who will succeed Mrs. Way as Den Mother,
Robin Duncan, nephew of Mrs. Way, Mike Underwood and Monty Smith. Robin and Mike were visi
tors to the den. Absent when the picture was made were Rodger McCleur, and Mrs. E. T. McCleur,
assistant Den Mother. (Sunphoto.)
Ridge District
UDC Conference
The Drayton Rutherford and
Calvin Croziers Chapters will be
hostess to the Ridge District Con
ference, United Daughters of the
Confederacy on Wednesday, April
22, in Newberry. The conference
will be held in the Central Metho
dist Church. Mrs. R. D. Wright
and Mrs. A. T. Neely will be gen
eral chairmen for the meeting.
Mi's. W. A. King, Clemson,
President of the S. C. Division
UDC will be the speaker. Reports
will be given by the chapter presi
dents. All members are invited.
Registration will begin at 9:30.
Reservations for the dutch lunch
eon should be made with Mrs. C. 1.
Youmans, Newberry. Representa
tives from chapters in the follow
ing counties are expected: New
berry, Abbeville, Aiken, Green
wood, Edgefield, Saluda and Laur
ens.
CONGRATULATIONS
I would like to take a little
space to congratulate Colonel B.
F. Wingard on his appointment as
assistant adjutant general for
South Caro’ina. While Col. Win
gard is a resident of Clinton, he
has worked in Newberry for a
number of years and we sort of
claim him as our own. Not many j
Newberrians realize how much |
Col. Wingard has done for New-j
berry, as commanding officer of|
the 228th Group. His was one of:
the guiding hands in working out
the recenf re-organization of the
South Carolina National Guard,
which resulted not only in New
berry retaining all of the guard
units it already had, but in adding
an additional battery with cor-
lesponding additional payroll 111 j where he was past president, serv-
the count\. led as chairman for the Red Cross
We are happy that the Adjutant | for Newberry County, and was the
General of S. C. has chosen as first Cub Pack Master in Newber-
his assistant a person who can
truly be described as “an officer
and a gentleman.”
Neville Dies
Wednesday After
Long Illness
David W r yatt Aiken Neville, 73,
of 1450 Calhoun St., died late
Wednesday night at the Newberry
County Memorial Hospital. He had
been in ill health for the past sev
eral years and seriously ill for the
past two months.
Mr. Neville was born and rear
ed in Cokebury, a son of the late
WTiliam Gordan and Virginia Aik
en Neville. He was a graduate of
Presbyterian College in Clinton
and served in the U. S. Marine
Corps during World War I.
For several years he worked in
Washington, D. C., for Congress
man Johnson from Spartanburg.
For the past 30 years he had made
his home in Newberry, where he
owned and operated the Neville
Bottled Gas Co. until his retire
ment in 1956.
He was an outstanding member
of Aveleigh Presbyterian Church,
where he was an elder and former
superintendent of the Sunday
School and held many other offi
ces of the church. An outstanding
citizen of his community, he was
a member of the Kiwanis Club,
Chappell Named
To USC Council
John Chappell, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Jack CJhappell of Newberry,
was elected a member of the stu
dent council from the College of
Arts and Science at the University
of South Carolina last week.
Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Lominick of
Dillon and Mrs. A. E. Lominick of
Pomaria spent Sunday in the
home of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Eargle.
At its regular meeting Tuesday night, City Council assur
ed a host of volunteer firemen, who were present for the oc
casion, that they were “appreciated/’ The City Fathers also
refused to approve a motion by Councilman Frank Armfield
that the meetings of council again be broadcast over Radio
Station WKDK.
Dr. Neil Truesdell, chaplain of the Volunteer Fire Depart
ment, explained the presence of the group as follows:
“I have been asked to be the
ry.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Mary Bean Neville; three sons,
David W. A. Neville Jr., Medical
College of S. C., Charleston, Rev,
Lamar Flemming Neville of Mar-
tinsburg, W. Va., and William
Gordan Neville, Union Theological
Seminary, Richmond, Va.; three
sisters, Mrs. M. M. James of At
lanta, Ga., Mrs. Lewis Lancaster
of Nashville, Tenn., and Mrs. G.
A. Nickles of Charleston; two
brothers, Rev. John Neville of Old
Fort, N. C., and Dr. William G.
Neville, Garanhuns, Brazil; and a
number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were conduct
ed at 3 p.m. Friday from the Ave
leigh Phesbyterian Church by Dr.
Neil E. Truesdell. Burial was in
Rosemont Cemetery in Newberry.
Active pallbearers were Carlisle
Bean, Dr. Bothwell Graham, Rev.
Whit Kennedy, John Clover, Keitt
Purcell, Steve C. Griffith Jr.,
Floyd Dennis, Carter Abrams.
Honorary escort was composed
of thf 1 elders of Aveleigh Presby
terian Church.
Four State NEPH
Winners Are
From County
State winners in the “National
Employ the Physically Handicap
ped” Essay contest will be pre
sented awards by Governor Ernest
F. Rollings in Columbia on April
22 at noon, according to an an
nouncement by Dill D. Beckman,
chairman of the Governor’s NEPH
committee. Of the five state win
ners, four are from Newberry
County.
First place in the state contest
went to Margaret Luceille Baij'd
of Berkeley high school, Moncks
Corner. She w r ill receive a $50
prize.
Mrs. Baker Named Head State Garden Club
Mi's. Richard L. Baker of New
berry was elected President of the
Garden Club of South Carolina at
the Twenty-ninth Annual State
Convention held in Spartanburg
April 9 and 10. She succeeds Mrs.
J. T. Rutledge of Conway. Mrs.
Clem Youmans of Newberry was
elected corresponding Secretary.
Mrs. Baker has been prominent
ly identified with religious, civic
and social affairs not only in her
own community but throughout
the state. She is a native Newbcr-
rian and the daughter of Mi's. Can
non Gary Blease and the late Mr.
Blease who was Sheriff of New
berry county for twenty-four
years. She is the niece of the late
Cole. L. Blease, former governor
of South Carolina and U. S. Sena
tor, and the niece of Eugene S.
Blease, former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court. Mr. and Mrs. Bak
er have one daughter, Mrs. Sydney
E. Carter of Charleston and one
grandson, Sydney E. Carter, Jr.
Mrs. Baker is an A.B. graduate
of Anderson College prior to its
transition to a Junior College.
While a college student, she parti
cipated in numerous organizations
and activities, received many hon
ors, and was President of her Lit
erary Society.
In 1957 Mrs. Baker was guest
speaker for the alumni convoca
tion.
Mrs. Baker is a charter member
of the Newberry Garden Club
which she helped to organize, and
she has served as its first presi
dent and in many other capaci
ties. She was also first President
of the Council of Newberry Gar
den Clubs and is its immediate
past president. She has been a
member of the Executive Board
of the Garden Club of South Caro
lina for the past eight years ser
ving* two years as recording secre-
tary, three years as roadside de
velopment chairman, and three
years as garden pilgrimage pro
jects chairman. For two years she
was on the Roadside Development
Committee for the South Atlantic
Region of the National Council
of State Garden Clubs. South
Carolina received special recogni
tion for its accomplishments in
roadside development at the Na
tional Convention in Utah in 1956
when Mrs. Baker was roadside
development and litterbug chair
man.
Mrs. Baker is an active mem
ber of the Central Methodist
Church where for many years she
has been associated with numerous
phases of the Church’s program in
cluding being a choir member,
teaching Sunday School, and ser
ving as pianist in the primary de
partment.
While she served as President
of the School Group of the Moth
er’s Club, the Girl Scout Cabin
was built largely through her ef
forts and the efforts of this group
of women interested friends of
scouting. Mrs. Baker has served
as Newberry County Chairman of
Women’s Division of the March
of Dimes. She has given freely of
her time to the work of the Crip
pled Children’s Society and is cor
responding secretary of her local
chapter. She is past President of
the Newberry Music Club and a
former board member of the State
(Continued on page 3)
Colonel Barringer F. Wingard
of Clinton has been named assist
ant Adjutant General of South
Carolina, it was announced today
by Adjutant General Frank D.
Pinckney.
Colonel Wingard succeds Colo
nel Donald H. Collins who was re
cently made Director of Selective
Service for South Carolina. His
appointment becomes effective
April 13.
He commands the 228th Signal
Group with Headquarters in New
berry. He began his National
Guard Service in 1934.
Col. Wingard was graduated
from Clemson College in 1928 and
was commissioned a second lieu
tenant in the Officer’s Reserve
Corps at that time.
During WW II he rose to the
rank of Major. He served as a
Lieutenant Colonel in Korea as a
member of che Military Govern
ment and was awarded the Bronze
Star 'medal for that service.
He is a veteran of over 29 years
military service, including 8 years
active duty with the army.
He has attended a number of
Army Schools, among them, the
Personnel management School at
Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana;
the Basic Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Officer’s School at Fort Monroe,
Virginia; and the Advanced AAA
Officer’s School at Camp David,
North Carolina.
Prior to his appointment to As
sistant Adjutant General, he was
spokesman for this group.- I sin
cerely hope that everything that is
said and everything that is done
will be for the betterment of New
berry and will be imparted and
received in the finest form of
community spirit.
“As you know, I am a member
of the volunteer department by
virtue of being the chaplain of it,
and we would like very much to
have this opportunity of making
certain statements that might be
in the line of trying to set straight
some things that might not be
clearly understood, perhaps not
understood by council or perhaps
not understood by the citizenry of
Newberry.
“Now we know and we very re
spectfully recognize what you do
and who you are and there is noth
ing that is to be said that in any
way is a matter of trying to us
urp or anything else in any way
to the slightest degree your auth
ority in whatsoever you do and
in whatsoever decisions you ar
rive at.
“Now the interest that I have
is this, and I, as a member of the
department am able to ascertain
the feeling of the department,
there are three things that they
would like very much to be known:
two things they would like to be
known and one thing they would
like to know.
“The first thing is that the de
partment would like very much to
have everyone to know that every
member in that department stands
solidly and unreservedly behind
Chief Beam. That is the thing that
has been a matter of absolute cer
tainty as far as the years of my
connection with the department
are concerned. The members of
the department have explicit trust
and confidence in Chief Beam. It
is a matter there of such un
swerving loyalty for the leader
that I think that you, as the city
fathers recognize is a good and
wholesome thing for an organiza
tion to have for the leader and so
if there is any doubt in the minds
of anyone in Newberry, we would
like very much to have that clari
fied, that as far as the members
of the fire department are con
cerned, they stand united and sol
idly behind Chief Beam.
“There is the second thing we
would like very much to have
the general public to know and to
have the council to know and that
is that there is no division of
minds in the fire department.
Consciously or unconsciously there
seems to have been in recent
months or the last year or so the
idea that perhaps the department
can’t make up its mind about
things. Well, I have been a member
employed as a teacher in the New- °f many organizations through the
berry School District. He was pre- years but I know of no organiza-
iL :
Second place winner was Kay
Davis, whose picture is shown here.
Kay is a student at Newberry
high school and is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Davis of
Newberry. She will receive $35
from • the Governor. Third place
went to Mary Kathryn Whitaker,
also of Newberry high, who will
receive $15. Fourth place was won
by Sandra Fulmer of Mid-Carolina
High, fifth place by Betty Jeter,
Whitmire high. Each of the five
winners will receive certificates
signed for the President
In a letter to all participants in
the 1959 contest, Mr. Beckman
stated “From the fine response of
high school students . . . we know
that interest in the contest is cer
tainly increasing. All of the es
says submitted this year show
that considerable research was
done on the essay subject. We feel
certain that you have found that
the handicapped can and do be
come independent citizens who fit
into the social and economic life
of our communities and although
disabled, their abilities contribute
much to their communities.”
The Newberry contest was g'uid-
ed this year, as it has been each
year since its beginning, by the
late Dr. Mamie S. Summer, who
passed away before the essays were
completed and judged.
viously employed as a Staff Assis
tant for the National Guard for
nine years.
He is active in military and ci
vic affairs in both Newberry and
Laurens Counties.
Colonel Wingard is married to
the former Nellie Ruth Wasson of
Laurens and they have one son.
They live at 203 West Walnut
Street, Clinton.
Michael Dowd
Rites Yesterday
Michael (Little Mike) Leroy
Dowd, 214-year-old son of Mr.
and Mi's. Joe E. Dowd of Prosper
ity, died early Tuesday morning
at a clinic in Prosperity.
Michael was born in Newberry
County and had made his home
in Prosperity and Newberry. He
had been ill for several months.
Surviving besides his parents,
are his grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. J. C. Dowd of Prosperity and
Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Brock of New
berry; and his great-grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Dennis of
Prosperity, W. F. White of Little
Mountain and Mrs. Gertrude Brock
of Newberry.
Funeral services were conducted
Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Mt.
Tabor Lutheran Church by the
Rev. J. S. Wessinger and the Rev.
G. B. Corley. Burial was in New*-
berry Memorial Gardens.
tion that I have ever been a mem
ber of, nor have I ever heard of
such an organization where there
is such a united feeling of unanim
ity and cooperation. The esprit de
corps of the Newberry Fire de
partment is stronger than in any
organization I have ever seen.
“They might have personal dif
ferences about little things, but
when it comes to fighting fires,
we are as one man and we would
like very much for the people of
Newberry to know that there is no
division whatsoever in the New
berry fire department.
“Now there is a third thing the
fire department would like to
know. Now there isn’t a man here
who has specifically said what I
am going to say now, but this is
the thing they want to know. You
know, it is one thing to do some
thing, it is one thing to risk your
life to save the property of peo
ple and to do it at a financial sac
rifice which these people have
voluntarily assumed. Nobody ask
ed them to join the department,
when they came in they knew
what was going to be involved;
they knew it was going to take
gas to go to fires, tear their
clothes, get their bodies burned;
they knew they would be risking
death. They do it because they
like that kind of thing. 1 can say
this—of all the people I have
known, these men are the bravest
I have ever seen. There are some
people alive today who have been
pulled out of fires who would
have been dead if not for the
bravery of these men.
“This is the thing the depart
ment wants to know: They want
to know if their work is appre
ciated. I use that in the true
meaning of the word; not that
they want praise or plaudit. They
want to know if w'hat they are
doing is the kind of thing that has
value or meaning to it which is
enough compensation for them to
do the things that they do. You
know it isn’t an easy thing for a
person to have to get out of his
bed, maybe with ice on the ground,
under all or varied kinds of cir
cumstances and go out and save
my property and j^our property
and the people of Newberry. It
isn’t an easy thing; it would be
so much nicer to just let things
go; and they have been lead to be
lieve that either consciously or
unconsciously what they have tried
to do for the city of Newberry
has not been understood or that
their labors have not been appre
ciated; that they have not been,
in a sense, adequately wanted. I
think they could do a little bet
ter if they had the idea, if they
knew the council and citizens of
Newbeny understood and appre
ciated what they are doing.”
Mayor Layton: Rev. Truesdell,
let me say that I deeply appreciate
your coming here tonight and the
remarks you have made in regard
to the fire department. In regard
to the first one, Chief Beam, I
am glad to know—I feel I already
knew the members of the depart
ment were behind Chief Beam 100
percent. Then too, I am happy to
know there is no division among
the fire department. In regard to
the last, whether the city of
Newberry appreciates the fire de
partment, I want you to know that
we do. /We are proud of them;
they are doing a wonderful job.
We want them to know we are
behind them 100 percent and we
are going to do everything pos
sible we can to cooperate with
them and anything they need at
any time, if they will ask for it,
they’ve got it.”
The mayor called for a rising
vote of appreciation from council,
and reiterated the appreciation of
council for the vounteers.
After the departure of the dele
gation, Councilman Armfield stat
ed:
“I would like to make this ob
servation. I think we all do appre
ciate the fire department fully
and when strangers come to town
we take them around and show
them the town, take them around
by the fire department and show
them that and tell them all about
it and what a good job they do.
That falls on ears that usually
never gets back to the firemen
because these people are visiting
us and are gone in a few days.
“I think there is some justifi
cation in what Dr. Truesdell says;
maybe we don’t express our appre
ciation enough because they do
(Continued on page 3)
GREETINGS
BIRTHDAY
April 19: Mrs. P. M. Nichols,
Martha Sue Cromer, Claude
Summer, Frank M. Senn Jr.,
John C. Davenport, Ellis Dav
enport Jr.
April 20: Elizabeth Hargrove,
Arthur George Dwyer, Linda
Driggers, Jack Timmerman,
George Spotts, Anne Cannon.
April 21: Perry O. Wicker,
Betty Bowers, Mickey Chapman,
Fred James Harmon, Betty Folk,
Barbara Davis, Ferd Summer.
April 22: Henry T. Fellers,
Mrs. George Stephens, Mrs.
George S. Minick, Mrs. Joseph
L. Tolbert, Mrs. Frank Mflls,
A. O. Livingston, Henry L. Parr
III, Paul Duncan.
April 23: Kenny Cook.
April 24: Gloria Cleo Hawk
ins, J. Ray Dawkins, Frank Cul-
clasure, Hendrix Monts, Ernest
O. Wicker.
April 25: Fred Gilbert, Emily
Grier, John Paul Whitaker.