The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, October 21, 1971, Image 7
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The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, Oct. 21, 1971—PAGE 7
Columbia native
subject at meet
of Study Club
The Literary Study Club held
its first meeting of the 1971-
72 year on September 21, at
the home of Mrs. Clyde Tindall
with fourteen members present.
The hostess served pie and tea
to the arriving guests. Follow
ing a business session, the pro
gram leader, Mrs. Preston Mc-
Alhany, introduced the guest
speaker, Mrs. Richard Brown.
Mrs. Brown’s subject for the
afternoon was Wm. Price Fox,
a native of Columbia, and au
thor of numerous novels and
short stories with South Carolina
settings.
Mr. Fox’s road to authorship
was less than a smooth one.
His failure in the tenth grade
at Columbia High School led to
his enlistment in the Air Force
where his enviable record re
veals him finally discharged as
a second lieutenant. A second
try at high school produced
grades of flying colors which
inturn resulted in Fox graduat
ing finally from the University
of S. C.
Fox worked at various jobs—
Drive-Ins, Miami bell-shopping,
New York insurance salesman,
etc. While working as a cella-
phane salesman, Fox became
interested in writing at the New
School in N.Y.C. An interested
teacher passed some of Fox’s
work to an editor friend, whose
appetite became whitted for
more of Fox’s literary produc
tions. From then on, it has
been Fox, the author! He is
now teaching creative writing
at the Creative Writing Center
in Iowa City. Among Fox’s cre
dits are Southern Fried Plus
Six, Moonshine Light, Moon
shine Bright, and Ruby Red,
his latest.
Ruby Red has a locale which
stretches from the thriving 1968
bootlegging activities of Pulas
ki and Huger Streets of Colum
bia to the Mecca of country
and western music lovers—the
Grand Ole Opry of Nashville,
Tennessee.
“Ruby Red”, bom Ruby Jean
Jamison, and Agnes McCoy bill
themselves as the Rose of Sha
ron Girls to entertain local
gatherings. This partnership and
others of Ruby’s come under
the scrutiny of a conniving, emo
tional man of the cloth, Rev.
Roebuck Alexander. R u b y’s
dream to “improve” her lot in
life is given impetus during one
of her many intimate encounters
with her bootlegging man,
Hornsby. This desire involves
Ruby with two “professionals”
who, even though aware of the
lack of talent, gladly map out
Ruby and Agnes’s climb to fame
via the hamburger joint, one-
night stands, or church socials
circuit. They now support a pro
fessional theme song and are
renamed The Honkytonk Angels
which they live up to. Ruby,
to gain breaks in the country
and western world, writhes her
way in and out amongst the
bed covers (which to her is
the rule of the game). The
reader is revived by a breath
of fresh air as Agnes breaks
her “understanding” with Rev.
Alexander and legally becomes
Mrs. Virgil Haynes.
Between the Black Bottom
section of the S.C. capital city
and Nashville, these free-wheel
ing characters reveal an inti
mate insight into a seamy seg
ment of American life. They
mirror racy, gutty language and
actions, yet practice a live
and let live philosophy, all in
a book sans plot.
One would have to agree that
Ruby Red is intended for strong,
masculine, or uncouth, indescri-
minate readers—certainly NOT
for the timid, genteel, whose
exposure to such vulgar, four
letter words would be revolting,
requiring a strong sedative. Of
great interest would be the ques-
ton which of Mr. Fox’s tea
chers would take the credit for
having taught him to write!
Fire losses low
in September
South Carolina’s September
forest fire losses were the low
est on record for any Septem
ber for the past twelve years,
since September 1959 when 14
fires burned twenty acres,
said State Forester John R.
Tiller.
How we lowered the restrictions on high interest savings.
To make it easier for just about
anyone to open our two-year maturity
5-3/4% savings book plan, we lowered
the minimum initial deposit and
the minimum balance to an amount
just about anyone can afford: $100.
We made it possible to add any
amount at any time.
And we simplified withdrawals. So
if you want your money, it’s available
at full interest the first ten days of
each quarter after two years.
How does our plan compare to
those offered by other financial
institutions?
In many cases, there's no
comparison. Because for the same
interest rate, there are other financial
institutions that require up to
$10,000 minimum deposit and
balance. And allow set deposits at
only certain times. And require you
to sell certificates of deposits to get
your money. All of which only goes
to prove one thing:
When you look for i high interest
savings plan, look out.
We lowered the restrictions.
Everybody else didn’t.
South Carolina National