Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Many choices for students during interim Trips to Jamaica, Mexico, California, New York, and Washington D, C. and points in between will highlight the month-long Interim session at Newberry College that begins Monday, January 4, when the students return to the class room after the Christmas break. The short January session gives students an opportunity to travel, to focus upon inde pendent research, or to pursue contemporary issues that are not easily included in a regular semester’s course of study. Although most of the 37 clas ses offered during the Interim are centered on the Newberry campus, many of them will be taught off-campus from one or two days to the month-long tra vel courses. The University of the West Indies at Jamaica will be the focal point for students study ing the culture and society of the Caribbean country. The travelers taking the course taught by Dr David Thomas, head of the department of so ciology, will leave from Maimi on January 4. During their three week visit to Jamaica, the students will live, observe, and study on the campus of the University, in the city of Kingston, and go on field trips throughout the island. “An assumption behind this project,' Dr Thomas said, 'is that a person gains a new un derstanding of his own culture when he has a relevant expo sure to other cultures.' A study of the three histon ca’ periods of Mexico will be the objective for the Newber- rians touring Mexico during January. The Mexican tour is under the direction of Dr. Al bert Mature, head of the de partment of modern languages The Mexican visitors will con duct field trips, attend lectures given by staff members from the University of Americas in Mexico City and the University of Guanajuato. While in Mexi co City, the Newberrians will stay with bilingual Mexican fa milies. They will leave from Atlanta, January 4. and return January 29. The California-bound students will study the relevance of both friction and political science to man in modern so ciety. Novels and short stories will be used to focus attention on current issues. They will leave Newberry by bus up. Ja nuary 4 and return January 24 The California trip is under the direction of Dr. Robert ( arley. head of the department of poll tical science, and William Shore, assistant professor of Knghsh Political science students will divide their time between the campus and Washington 1). C as they study some of the ba sic issues of contemporary A- merican society. While in the nation's capital, they will at tend seminars and receive briefings by government offi cials. South Carolina's Senator Ernest Rollings is arranging the schedule of activities for the group in Washington D. C. Finis Johnson, assistant pro fessor of political science, and his group of students will be in Washington from Jan 11 un til January 21. The world of securities and investments will receive a clos er look by students enrolled in the class taught by Fred Lester, assistant professor of business administration, when they visit the American and New York Stock Exchanges in New York the week of January 23. Student actors enrolled in the Vol. 34—No.37 Newberry, S. C. 29108, December 31, 1970 $3 PER YEAR Tricentennial Week was event of 1970 The Newberry County obser vance of the South Carolina Tricentennial was one of the unusual events of the year dur ing 1970. The week of November 8-14 was set aside for the obser vance. During the week, the history of Newberry County, and of the State, was highlighted in many ways, including tours of old homes and historic build ings, special religious services, placing of markers at places of historical interest, business and industry tours, and an an tique and hobby show. Visitors proclaimed the New berry County celebration one of the best held in the state during tlie tricentennial cele bration. After years of haggling with the Department of Health, Edu cation and Welfare, the County Board of Education finally came up with a “plan" to sa tisfy the federal government, and totally integrated all class rooms for the 1970-71 school year Only minor incidents mar red the smooth operation of the schools through December 18, 1970, when schools closed for the Christmas holidays. Another item of interest con cerning the schools: John Grady Long, for 34 years teacher and principal of Silverstreet Schools, retired. Mr. Long had been faithful in service to his school, and it was with regrets that patrons and students heard of tus retirement. It doesn't happen too often, but 1970 was one of the years during which Newberrians saw a tqtal eclipse of the sun. Shut- terbugs and sky-watchers tra veled many miles to the most advantageous point in the state to view the phenomenon. Much controversy developed during the year over the pro posed widening of Nance St. City Council finally put its O K. on the project and work has proceeded to obtain rights-of- way Condemnation proceedings are expected to be held on part of tlic project during the month of January. A public hearing on a similar project, for wide ning College Street, brought little public comment. The State Convention of the Children of the Confederacy was held at Newberry College in April Miss Mary Baker of this city was elected president of the state group Theatre Production class taught by Dennis Sanderson and Dale Willis, assistant professors of speech and dramatics, will tour South Carolina high schools with a production of Moliere’s ‘The Miser." Members of the Newberry College Singers and Stage Band will perform at high schools and Lutheran churches in Mary land, New Jersey, North Caro lina, Pennsylvania, and Virgi nia. The., will leave for their eight day trip January 31 after the Interim semester has officially ended. Council transacts yea rend business Miss Hattie Belle Lester, dean of women at Newberry College since 1938, announced her re tirement near the end of the school semester. Her long and faithful service was pointed up by a banquet held in her ho nor. Dr. AG.I). Wiles, who has served as president of New berry College for ten years, an nounced in December that he would retire from that position effective in September 1971. Many advancements have been made in physical plant and per sonnel during Dr. Wiles’ tenure. In the city and county elec tions held during the year, De mocrats were all-powerful. E- lected to the newly-established county council were C. E. Hen drix, Carman Boukmght and John W. Schumpert. Named to City Council were Mayor Cla rence A Shealy and council- men L. D, Gardner, Cecil Ki- nard and C. A. Dufford, Sr. Walter T. Lake unopposed in the Democratic primary, won out over Republican opposi tion in the General Election to serve another term in the House of Representatives. Robert Hawkins was named manager of the Mollohon Plant of the Kendall Company, suc ceeding W. H. Tedford, who re tired during the year, and at torney Elliott D. Thompson re placed retiring City Recorder James E. Wiseman, Sr. A number of prominent New berrians died during 1970. A- mong them were Dr. James C. Kinard, president of New berry Academy and former president of Newbery College; James D. Brown, retired Su perintendent of Education for Newberry County; Earl Sum mer, prominent insurance man and realtor; 0. F. Armfield. Sr., founder of The Newberry Sun, and many others whose deaths have left a void. Two bright pieces of news made the headlines near the end of the year; for the first time in many years, the United Fund campaign exceeded its goal; and City Council voted a pay raise for City employees. ARE GRADUATES OF W1NTHROP Dr. William K Easley, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of che mistry at Winthrop College, de livered the Commencement Ad dress at Winthrop December 18th. Mid-year commencement e v - ercises were held in Byrne^ Auditorium. Dr. Charles S. Da vis, Winthrop President, con ferred degrees on 194 candi dates, among whom were the following from Newberry Coun ty: Priscilla MacFarlane and Jac queline Lathrop Perry, New berry, Bachelor of Science, School of Education; Virginia Ann Blount, Pomaria, Bachelor of Science, School of Business Administration; Virginia Ann Kenwkk, Newberry, Bachelor of Arts & Sciences. A number of important trans actions took place at the last meeting of the year for City Council, a special meeting held Tuesday night. Council gave City Manager K. W\ Riebe authority to nego tiate with the National Wreck ing Company of Charleston for the demolition of the Wiseman Hotel and Baker’s Warehouse. The company had previously submitted a bid of $9200 for destruction of the buildings, but decreased that to $750G. Manager Riebe told Council that he felt the company could complete the removal of the buildings within a 90-day period so work could be expedited on the parking lot. At the same time, the city manager was given authority to go ahead with the purchase of the Wiseman Hotel building from Ernest Brooks in the amount of $44,950 and the ware house from Ralph B. Baker in the amount of $29,950. Purchase of the buildings and their re moval is contingent upon sign ing of a lease with the county for a strip of land adjacent to the courthouse. The County Board of Commissioners has al ready voted to lease the land to the city for the purpose of constructing the parking lot. Payment to the Messrs, Brooks and Baker for the buildings would be made, one- half over a five year period with an option at the end of five years to pay the remainder over a five-year period. Council was informed that the proposed ordinance to increase the electrical rates charged by the City had been advertised and that no complaints or pe titions bad been received by the city. Council voted to go ahead with the increase with the proviso that if petitions to disallow Duke Power Company to increase rates are success ful, the reduction will be pass ed back to the customers. The City has agreed to ab sorb the increase on the initial month of billing from Decem ber 14, 1970 to January 1, 1971. Citizens will receive the in crease in the first billing cycle in February, according to Ma nager Riebe. Council voted to sell bonds amounting to $1,700,000 for the construction of a new water treatment plant, on a compe titive bid basis. Necessary in formation will be furnished to Sinkler, Gibbs & Simons, bond attorneys, with instructions to advertise for bids, with the pro vision that the city would have the right to reject any and all bids. Tom Brigman was awarded a contract to complete the wa ter line from existing lines to the new' shopping center of Highway 76 Bypass, in the a- mount of $8,999. Council was told that this was a very com petitive bid and probably the only reason it was such a good proposal was that Mr. Brig- man has been awarded the con tract for installing all sewer lines for the center. With a grant of $4,043.95 from the federal government. Council voted to go ahead with a project for constructing a ■put-put" golf course on the property near Margaret Hunter Park., Construction will begin as soon as more parking space for high school students is avail able. Council was informed that Captain Andrew Shealy of the City Police Department had been selected to attend the 87th Session of the FBI National Academy beginning April 12, 1971 in Washington. Council vot ed to provide the necessary funds for Capt. Shealy to attend this course. The Newberry County Histo rical Society, by letter, advised Council that the Society had been given the wooden home on College Street, across from Smith Motor Company. The home was described as ‘one of the oldest in Newberry". The gift was made with the provi sion that it be moved from its present location. The Society requested that Council either deed property at the corner of Nance and Cor nelia streets for this purpose, or allow the building to be mov ed to the Matthews property. Mayor Shealy appointed a committee consisting of C. D. Coleman, C. A. Dufford and Cecil Kinard to meet with a committee from the Historical Society to further study the re quest. Mayor Shealy appointed Coun- cilmen Dufford, Kinard and Mc- Alhany as a committee to se lect between 500 and 1000 city residents to be available for jury duty during 1971 in the event of jury trials in the City Recorder’s Court. The commit tee is to have the list ready for approval of Council at its next meeting. QUARTERLY CIVIL DEFENSE ALERT The quarterly alert of Civil Defense system will be on Ja nuary 6 at 1:00 p.m. The Siren signals are tested once each three months to insure their correct operation. The test lasts only a few mi nutes and citizens are asked to bear with the noise until all systems have been tested.