Monthly Archives: May 2013
Awards announced for juried artists exhibition
First Place and Benjamin Memorial Purchase Award – Larry Seymour, Piedmont; “Chui,” gouache
COUNTY — The Pickens County Museum of Art & History’s 34th annual Juried South Carolina Artist’s Exhibition reception and awards ceremony was held on Saturday, April 27.
The competition was open to all artists working in any medium, 18 years of age or older and living in South Carolina. The exhibition is on view until June 13.
Kristen Watts, director of collections and exhibitions for The Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C., served as juror for this year’s competition.
Mother’s Day celebrations throughout history
By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff
Only recently dubbed “Mother’s Day,” the highly traditional practice of honoring of Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones; societies tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols rather than actual Mothers.
One of the earliest historical records of a society celebrating a Mother deity is found among the ancient Egyptians, who held an annual festival to honor the goddess Isis, who was commonly regarded as the Mother of the pharaohs.
‘All that I am… I owe to my angel mother’
‘All that I am… I owe to my angel mother’
By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff
The inception of an official Mother’s Day holiday was born in the 1900s by pioneer Anna Jarvis. Following the death of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in 1905, Anna Jarvis envisioned Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, W. Va.
After the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis — who, ironically, remained unmarried and childless her whole life — resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter-writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
Courier Obit 5-8-13
Patsy Alexander
Easley — Patsy Howell Alexander, 68, of 124 Rocky Lane, died Monday, April 29, 2013 at St. Francis Hospital.
Born in Darlington, a daughter of the late Willie and Elise Howell, Mrs. Alexander was a homemaker and a member of Faith Baptist Church.
Surviving are her husband of 51 years, Gerald W. Alexander of the home; two sons, the Rev. Gerald Alexander (Rebecca) of Portland, Tenn., and Charlton Alexander (Teresa) of Easley; two daughters, Mavie Lynn Pettit of Seneca and the Rev. Patricia Reep of Albert, Kan.; four brothers, seven sisters, nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Alexander was predeceased by a son-in-law, Kenneth Reep.
Courier Classifieds 5-8-13
Announcements
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Pickens County hero comes home
The body of Army PFC Barrett Austin of Easley, who died in a German hospital last week after his vehicle was attacked by an IED in Afghanistan, was returned to his native Pickens County on Monday. Hundreds of supporters waving American flags lined the streets as a motorcade took Austin’s casket from Greenville-Spartanburg Airport to Dillard Funeral Home in Pickens. The 2011 Pickens High School graduate’s life will be celebrated during a ceremony at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley today (May 1), before he is laid to rest at Hillcrest Memorial Park with full military honors.
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
2 found shot to death in Easley
EASLEY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a shooting incident at an Easley motel after two people were found dead Saturday.
According to Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley, Cristy Ingram, 39, of Piedmont, and Robert McPeak, Sr., 77, of Iva, were both found dead in a room at the Sun Inn in Easley on Saturday afternoon.
An autopsy determined that both victims died of a single gunshot wound to the head, and ballistics testing will be performed on a small-caliber handgun found at the scene to determine if it fired the deadly shots.
Pickens asks for more time for railroad project
By Nicole Daughhette
Courier Staff
PICKENS — The city of Pickens has filed an 180-day extension allowing for more time during which the city and the Pickens Railway Company can continue to develop an agreement and finalize the sale of the Doodle Line that will be developed into the “Rails-to-Trails” project — an 8.5-mile multi-modal greenway connecting the cities of Easley and Pickens.
Various Pickens County residents have voiced their unhappiness about the project, asserting that there will be an infringement on property rights or that a pedestrian and cycling trail will foster criminal activity in the area; however, other members of the community support having a safe, family-friendly trail that will encourage outdoors activities like walking, running and bicycling.
Coroner asks County Council for assistance
By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff
COUNTY — Last year, Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley worked approximately 718 deaths; the year before, she single-handedly worked 603 deaths.
So far this year, she has handled 230 deaths.
With a caseload quickly reaching into the thousands and weeks where she logs between 60 and 80 hours’ worth of work, Kelley recently approached Pickens County Council asking them to fund an administrative assistant position for her office to help balance the growing case numbers.
Hendricks pleads guilty in family’s 2011 killings
PICKENS — A Liberty woman charged with murdering four family members was sentenced to four life sentences last week after pleading guilty but mentally ill in the killings.
Susan Hendricks, who was indicted last year in the October 2011 shooting deaths of her sons Matthew and Marshall Hendricks, ex-husband Mark Hendricks and stepmother Linda Burns, was sentenced by judge Letitia Verdin after pleading guilty on Friday.
Prosecutors had argued that Hendricks staged the killings to look like a murder-suicide, and had multiple life insurance policies on the victims.
