Monthly Archives: October 2015
Blue Flame burn through Palmetto
By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports
ejolley@thepccourier.com
WILLIAMSTON — Tired of the talk off the field, the Pickens Blue Flame let their [cointent_lockedcontent]play on the field do all the talking Friday night in
Tommy McGaha/seeyourphotohere.com
Pickens senior Adam Thomas makes a leaping interception in front of a Palmetto receiver on Friday night. Thomas had two interceptions on the night.
taking a convincing 48-7 Western 3A win over Palmetto.
The win probably locked up an at-large playoff bid, but there is nothing official yet on that.
“I’m just proud of these guys,” Pickens coach John Boggs said. “We’ve had to listen to it for the last several weeks that we were going to lose this game. We were going to come down here, and it was going to be all in Palmetto’s favor. We’ve been listening to it. We’ve been reading it in the paper and hearing it on the radio.
“These guys were ready to play tonight. We wanted to come out and make it physical and get after it. We’ve been doing that for the last several weeks and been right there close to a win. Tonight, to do it with special teams, offense and defense, throwing the ball and running the ball, I was just real proud of my kids.”
The first two Palmetto possessions resulted in negative yards, as the Blue Flame defense came to play, led by the defensive front of Tyler Gravely, Ridge Clark and Renny Croley.
Pickens got on the board first, driving 46 yards in seven plays. Brandon Batson took it the final 12 yards as guard Trevor Gillespie got a big kick-out block to spring it with 5:11 left in the first quarter, making it 7-0.
The offense got on the board next when Tanner Stegall, who passed for three scores, hit Kirkland Gillespie on a 40-yard bomb into the end zone with 2:33 left in the first quarter, making it 14-0.
Palmetto finally got going offensively and reached the Blue Flame 18. But a fourth-down pass into the end zone was broken up by safety Jamal Blythe.
The next score came as the Blue Flame faced fourth and one at the Mustang 44. Running the power set with three backs in the backfield, fullback Gunner Covey got loose on the left side for the score with 7:19 left in the half, making it 21-0 on Matt Gravely’s kick.
“Tanner was able to hit that big one early, and that really gave us the momentum,” Boggs said. “Kirkland made a heck of a catch. Isaiah (Ferguson) made two big plays, and I thought we were going to have another just before half again, but had a miscommunication on the route. And we were able to get some explosive plays in the running game, too. I can’t say enough about Brandon Batson coming out and running tough. Gunner continued to run tough like he always does. Seeing Brandon step up and run the ball like he did tonight, we know he’s capable of that. But seeing him tote the load was special.”
The defense then got the ball right back, as a deep pass was picked off by senior cornerback Adam Thomas. The Blue Flame then went deep on the next play, and Stegall connected with Ferguson for a 61-yard scoring strike down the Palmetto sideline with 6:55 left in the half.
Palmetto got into Pickens territory again, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete as Tyler Gravely provided pressure.
The Blue Flame had one more scoring chance in the half, but following a high snap, Gravely’s 33-yard field goal missed to the left at the buzzer. The drive was set up by a fumble caused by Blythe’s hit and recovery by Corbin Hinkle.
Palmetto got a 67-yard kickoff return by Tyson Beatty to start the second half and later scored on a strange formation in which the five linemen lined up to the left of the field. Kane Thomason then took a pitch right 30 yards for the score. Shaw Crocker’s kick made it 28-7 with 10:26 left in the quarter.
But the Blue Flame answered with an impressive 11-play, 75-yard drive. Stegall hit Ferguson for a 30-yard touchdown with 6:18 left, making it 35-7.
The Mustangs drove and reached the Blue Flame 1-yard line, but the defense held, and when a bad snap and subsequent kick in the scramble for the ball lost 34 yards, the Mustangs came up empty again.
Two plays later, Batson, thanks in large part to a kick-out block by Gillespie, scampered 89 yards for the score with 2:06 left in the quarter.
“We missed it a couple of times early,” Boggs said. “We made a couple of adjustments at halftime and we ran it the first time there and he nailed it. It was a big block by Trevor, and then Renny Croley came in behind him and cleaned up inside. And then Brandon ran it like he was shot out of a cannon.”
The defense never let up. Thomas made another leaping interception on a one-on-one deep ball situation.
Matt Gravely later tipped a pass and picked it off, and Sam Lawson added another pick on an overthrow.
The last touchdown came when backup quarterback Jarred Pace hit Blythe, who streaked by two defenders en route to the 40-yard score with 4:40 left. The snap was high on the extra point, and Matt Gravely’s pass to Cole Seaborn came up a yard short, making it 48-7.
Palmetto ran 53 plays, with 14 going for negative yards, and committed five turnovers.
“I was proud of our defense for stepping up and making those plays,” Boggs said. “Adam Thomas has been playing great all year. He just continued to play great tonight. It was good to see him doing that on defense, getting those two picks tonight. It was just a total team effort. Our defensive line did a good job of putting pressure on them all night. And we did a pretty good job of containing (Beatty), which was our gameplan coming in.”
The Blue Flame will play host to Belton Honea-Path on Friday night in the Blue Flame’s home finale, a game where the seniors will also be honored.
“We want everyone out,” Boggs said. “It’s our last home game regardless of what happens after that. We need our whole community and our entire student body out there to get behind these guys. We’ll enjoy this one for a few days and get to work on them.”
As for playoff implications, the team prefers to keep it simple — taking it one game at a time.
“Here is the way we’ve approached it — just win the next one and everything will take care of itself,” Boggs said. “That was our approach coming into tonight, and that was our approach last week. It sounds like coach-speak, but we just want to play that week and focus on that opponent. If you take care of business, then you’ll be in that conversation for that spot, and that’s what we want to do. Everything else will take care of itself.”
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Tigers deal Miami historic shutout loss
Courtesy Clemson
Athletic Communications
news@thepccourier.com
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The sixth-ranked Clemson Tigers tied a school record for victory margin in an ACC game and handed one of
college football’s most storied programs its worst loss ever in a 58-0 win at Miami on Saturday.
The Tigers led 42-0 at halftime and never looked back in moving to 7-0 (4-0 ACC) on the season. Miami fell to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in league play. The Hurricanes fired fifth-year head coach Al Golden
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Clemson senior running back Zac Brooks, seen here carrying the ball against Boston College on Oct. 17, scored a touchdown for the third week in a row in the Tigers’ 58-0 win at Miami.
the day after the loss.
Wayne Gallman and Deshaun Watson led a heavy rushing attack Saturday afternoon, as the Tigers accumulated a season-high 567 yards against the Hurricanes. Clemson rushed for 416 yards, its highest total since a 2000 game against Wake Forest.
Watson accounted for 241 total yards, including 98 on the ground. He was able to watch comfortably from the bench in the third quarter after the lead reached 45-0. He threw for a touchdown and scored one with his feet. Gallman ran for 118, his fourth 100-plus rushing yardage effort of 2015.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead in the opening quarter behind a fluid offense and suffocating defense. Watson threw a 34-yard touchdown to Jordan Leggett on the opening drive, giving the junior a school record for a tight end with a scoring grab in his fifth straight game. Watson set the Tigers up for a second touchdown after unleashing a career-long 63-yard run that led to Gallman scoring from five yards out. The third score was put on the board when Zac Brooks got in on the action, scoring on a one-yard plunge.
The Tigers duplicated the feat with 21 more points in the second frame. It culminated when Watson scampered in from six yards out and then Cordrea Tankersley returned an interception for a touchdown on the next offensive play by the ‘Canes to push the advantage to 42-0. Tankersley’s pick was his third of the season, most by a Tiger.
The second half featured a glimpse into the future of the Clemson program, as Tigers coach Dabo Swinney was able to give his reserves plenty of playing time on both sides of the ball. Freshman backup quarterback Kelly Bryant was a highlight, scoring on two touchdown runs to continue to build the Tiger cushion. Bryant scored on a 59-yard run, the longest of his career.
Clemson will return to action Saturday at N.C. State. The Tigers and Wolfpack will meet at 3:30 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh in a game set to be televised by ABC.
Courier Legals 10-28-15
AMENDED SUMMONS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF PICKENS
IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE
THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
Case No.: 2015-DR-39-288
[cointent_lockedcontent]Patricia H. Duncan, Plaintiffs, vs. Jasper Junior Neal, Jr., and Amanda Lee Toney, Defendants.
________________________________
TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE-NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your answer to this complaint upon the subscriber, at the address shown below, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the complaint, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.
Brian K. James (11215)
Attorney for the Plaintiff
P.O. Box 93
Easley, SC 29641
Tel. 864.859.5918
Fax. 864.859.8848
Easley, SC
April 25, 2015
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
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LEGAL NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Easley Planning Commission at its November 16, 2015 Meeting will act on a petition to re-zone 61 .69 acres located at 395 Adger Road Easley S.C.
City of Easley
205 North lst Street Easley S.C. 29640
Located on Tax Map 50l8-l4-44-4562
The meeting will be at the Easley City Hall l at 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 28
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LEGAL NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Easley City Council at its December l4, 2015. Meeting will act on a petition to re-zone 61.69 acres located at 395 Adger Road Easley S.C.
City of Easley
205 North 1st Street Easley S.C. 29640
Located on Tax Map 5018-l4-44-4562
The meeting will be at the Easley Law Enforcement Center at 7 p.m.
Oct. 28
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Courier Notice to Creditors 10-28-15
The publisher shall only be liable for an amount less than or equal to the charge for the space of the item in error in the case of errors in or omissions from any advertisement, and only for the first incorrect insertion.
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NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES
All persons having claims against the following estates MUST file their claims on Form #371ES with the Probate Court of PICKENS COUNTY, the address of which is 222 MCDANIEL AVE., B-16 PICKENS, SC 29671, within eight (8) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors or within one (1) year from date of death, whichever is earlier (SCPC 62-3-801, et seq.), or such persons shall be forever barred as to their claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements on the prescribed form (FORM #371ES) indicating the name and address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the claim, and a description of any security as to the claim.
Estate: Jerry H. Crawford
Date of Death: 09/05/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900625
Personal Representative: Geneva P. Crawford
Address: 105 Willow Place
Easley, SC 29640
Attorney: James M. Robinson
Address: P.O. Box 738
Easley, SC 29641
Oct. 14, 21, 28
Estate: Bobby Joe Lawing
Date of Death: 04/09/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900643
Personal Representative: Joseph R. Lawing
Address: 4261 Hathaway Lane
Mt. Olive, AL 35117
Attorney: Adam B. Lambert
Address: Post Office Box 9
Pickens, SC 29671
Oct. 14, 21, 28
Estate: Jeanne Early Hagood
Date of Death: 09/11/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900629
Personal Representative: Ben F. Hagood III
Address: 1019 Harpers Way
Anderson, SC 29621
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: John Eric Watson
Date of Death: 07/28/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900665
Personal Representative: Ivan Watson Bolds
Address: 119 Hornbuckle Dr.
Easley, SC 29642
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: John Willis Taylor
Date of Death: 06/19/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900666
Personal Representative: Betty Jo Taylor
Address: 111 Vista Drive
Clemson, SC 29631
Attorney: L. Lee Plumblee
Address: Post Office Box 10066
Greenville, SC 29603
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: Rhonda Renee Pitts
Date of Death: 03/22/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900661
Personal Representative: Debra Deann Pitts
Address: 208 Garden Dr., Apt. 63
Pickens, SC 29671
Attorney: Sarah Meadows
Address: 200 East Main St.
Easley, SC 29640
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: Corliss Gladys Jensen Martin
Date of Death: 09/11/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900604
Personal Representative: Nelson J. Martin
Address: 419 Gibson Rd.
Anderson, SC 29625
Attorney: Brian K. James
Address: Post Office Box 93
Easley, SC 29641
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: Sybil Trotter Pilgrim
Date of Death: 10/03/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900658
Personal Representative: Calvin Lee Trotter
Address: 111 Grasshopper Hill Road
Pickens, SC 29671
Attorney: Daniel E. Hunt
Address: P.O. Box 887
Easley, SC 29641
Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4
Estate: Willie Mae Wooten Brewer
Date of Death: 09/15/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900639
Personal Representative: Charles A. Brewer
Address: 261 Belle Shoals Rd.
Six Mile, SC 29682
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Estate: Michael Anthony Whitman
Date of Death: 09/24/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900685
Personal Representative: Cindy Whitman
Address: 2E Okaloosa Way
Simpsonville, SC 29680
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Estate: Dickie Ray Stewart
Date of Death: 09/14/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900678
Personal Representative: Vickie C. Stewart
Address: 419 Gilliland Rd.
Pickens, SC 29671
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Estate: Walter Lonnie Dalton
Date of Death: 09/18/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900663
Personal Representative: Ann Bayne
Address: 266 Hayes Rd.
Pickens, SC 29671
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Estate: Laura Riggins Kay
Date of Death: 08/17/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900616
Personal Representative: Heather D. Kay
Address: 409 Teresa Ann Dr.
Seymour, TN 37865
Attorney: Karen S. Roper
Address: Post Office Box 246
Pickens, SC 29671
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Estate: Wilbur Cameron Simmons
Date of Death: 08/09/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900669
Personal Representative: Anna Margaret Dunlap Simmons
Address: 6354 Hwy. 11
Pickens, SC 29671
Attorney: Karen S. Roper
Address: Post Office Box 246
Pickens, SC 29671
Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 11
Courier Trespass Notices 10-28-2015
In the state of South Carolina, trespass after notice is a misdemeanor criminal offense prohibited by section 16-11-620 for the South Carolina Code.
Those who enter upon the lands of others without the permission of the owner or manager shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor trespassing.
All persons are hereby notified and warned not to hunt, fish, cut timber or trespass in any manner whatsoever upon the lands of the undersigned:
Lola S. Lusk and Deborah Lusk Young Oct. 2015
Judy E. McJunkin Oct. 2015
Jean C. Watson Oct. 2015
Allen and Nancy Hess Nov. 2015
Charles M. Smith Jr. Nov. 2015
Robert Q. Finley and
June C. Finley Nov. 2015
Peggy Noblett Dec. 2015
James Dan Winchester and Avenelle S. Winchester Dec. 2015
Dana and Donna Wolfe Dec. 2015
Betty McGrew Hill Jan. 2016
Jessica Anderson Faus Jan. 2016
Barry and Rhonda Herd Feb. 2016
Harold Caddell Feb. 2016
Pamela Wilson Feb. 2016
Danny McCall March 2016
L.C. Russell March 2016
Joshua Daughety and Sue Mittelstadt March 2016
Jim D. Kelly April 2016
The Echo Valley Land Trust June 2016
Frank M. and Marie M. Crane June 2016
Jimmy McGrew June 2016
Dwight C. and Thelma P. Thrift June 2016
Melvin Lamar and Catherine Gilstrap July 2016
Artistic Builders Inc. July 2016
Larry Gibson July2016
Greg M. Cadell and Mary E. Caddell. July 2016
John F. Hendricks July 2016
Doris and Waymon Aikens July 2016
Cecil and Ruby Reid Aug. 2016
Jerry Galbreath Aug. 2016
Glenn and Carolyn Sellers Oct. 2016
Carl W. Porter Nov. 2016
Dolly Morris Dec. 2016
John T. M. Tompkins Dec. 2016
Sarah Rampy Jan. 2017
Tredwell and Erica Zeigler Feb. 2017
Edward and Evinne Elrod July 2017
Randy and Lynn Griffin Aug. 2017
Jeffery D. and Sandra Couch Aug. 2017
Courier Classifieds 10-28-2015
Announcements
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Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 866-604-6857. SW
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Tuesday, November 3, 2015 is the last day to redeem winning tickets in the following South Carolina Education Lottery Instant Games: (SC750) MILLION DOLLAR SERIES; (SC692) JUMBO BUCKS; (SC734) DOUBLE DEUCES.
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Therapeutic Foster Parents Needed! SC MENTOR is seeking committed individuals willing to provide a safe, nurturing, caring environment for children and teenagers who have been traumatized, abused, abandoned, and neglected; 24-hour professional clinical support, pre-service and ongoing skill development provided. Monthly stipend provided; must meet requirements for foster parent licensure. For more information contact Anthony Brown at 864-434-0452. www.sc-mentor.com. SW
Help Wanted
Part time farm helper wanted. 25-30 hours a week. Future full time position possible, clean driving record required. For more info call Tom 864-643-9039. 10/28, 11/4
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Christian woman 55 years of age needs position caring for handicap person flexible hours, reasonable rates. Call (864) 395-5239. 10-28, 11/4,
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Aides Needed: Looking for loving, caring dependable people to care for clients in their home. Must be able to pass background check and drug test. Contact Susan or Sandy at 864-859-1949 for more info. TFC
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DUMP TRUCK DRIVER WANTED: Must have Class “A” driver’s license with good record. Call 878-9502. TFC
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Yard Sale
Last Chance Yard Sale Saturday Oct. 31, 8a.m. until 12p.m. everything $2 or less 1217 Allgood Bridge Rd., Pickens. 10/28
For Sale
FOR SALE: Fresh large brown eggs for sale Six Mile area call Israel 864-481-9128. TFC
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Auctions
AUCTIONS: Storage Unit, Knight, furniture, clothes, camping, at 918 Five Forks Rd., Liberty, 1 p.m., Saturday Oct. 31, Ph. 864-442-3295. 10/28
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ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in 107 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.6 million readers. Call Donna Yount at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377. SW
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Homes For Sale
TWO BEAUTIFUL DOUBLEWIDES – on 2.36 acres 3 & 4 bedrooms. Numerous storage buildings, livestock building & pasture. Gardens, self-sufficiency possibilities. Colleton County. Negotiable. 843-599-9881. SW
For Rent
ADVERTISE YOUR VACATION PROPERTY FOR RENT OR SALE to more than 2.3 million S.C. newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified ad will appear in 107 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Call Alanna Ritchie at the South Carolina Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377. SW
County council revokes fire fee
By Olivia Fowler
For The Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Pickens County Council members revoked[cointent_lockedcontent] a controversial fire fee on unoccupied tracts of land Monday night during a special called meeting.
Council member Neil Smith of Liberty said the fee as discussed in meetings was not what council ended up with.
“We did a lousy job of implementing it,” he said.
He said the fire fee was intended to target property owners with large tracts of timber who paid no fees for fire protection.
However, information from the S.C. Forestry Service says the Forestry Service is responsible for fire control in all unincorporated areas in the state.
The S.C. Forestry Service is funded through state taxes.
Each year, about 30 homes statewide burn in wildfires.
Although timber tracts may have been council’s target, the fee was also applied to other agriculturally deferred property no matter what was being produced on it. Some landowners said the fire fee increased their tax burden by 900 percent whether or not their land was used for pasture, a hay field or crops.
There was a lot of public protest levied at council when tax notices arrived, and many landowners turned up to speak against the tax fee on unoccupied property during the public forum of Monday night’s regular meeting, but soon learned the fee had been revoked prior to the public forum.
Council chair Jennifer Willis said new tax notices will be going out with the fire fee removed, and anyone who has already paid the fee will have it returned.
She also said council will continue to work on finding an equitable way to fund the costs of fire services to all parts of the county.
Council members said one of the challenges with the issue is some fire districts within the county are funded with the help of millage and some with fees.
Council member Tom Ponder of Dacusville said another problem is that some fire districts have much smaller populations than others, which means there are fewer people to contribute to costs in those areas.
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Pickens’ Henderson awarded POW medal
Tommy McGaha/Photo
Staff Sgt. Victor Wade pins the South Carolina Governor’s Prisoner of War Medal onto the jacket of his grandfather, Pickens resident Al Henderson, during a celebration in Henderson’ honor at Pickens Presbyterian Church last week.
By Olivia Fowler
For The Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Al Henderson thought he was going to be the guest of honor at the party celebrating his 92nd birthday Thursday evening at Pickens Presbyterian Church.
And so he was.
What he didn’t know was that there was more than a birthday cake and a celebration with friends and family awaiting his arrival.
His grandson, Staff Sgt. Victor Wade, flown in from Oklahoma, was on hand to present him with the South Carolina Governor’s Prisoner of War Medal. In addition, Henderson was presented with a proclamation from the state attesting to the extraordinary story of his service and his grueling years as a German prisoner of war.
The ceremony was a complete surprise, as it had been a well-kept secret.
On June 1, 1944, Henderson was an 18-year-old paratrooper with the 101st Screaming Eagles. He’d lied about his age and joined the Army at 17 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was among those who jumped out of planes into the black night. When he hit the ground, he was in Normandy, armed with a gun, ammunition and a clicker. Once on the ground, the clicker was supposed to be the signal allowing paratroopers to identify each other. If they heard a click, they didn’t shoot.
One out of four never made it to the ground. The Germans were waiting for them, and they spent days battling inland during intense fighting. This was D-Day.
The fighting continued as they fought for every inch of ground.
After many days of constant battle, they returned to England to prepare for their next drop.
They were dropped behind enemy lines into occupied Holland during Operation Market Garden on Sept. 17, 1944. As a first scout, Henderson was sent into an area with two others — one was a replacement — when they came under fire.
One man — Lyle — was shot, and Henderson selflessly rendered aid instead of seeking safety for himself, and they were both captured. The replacement ran and reported that Henderson and Lyle had been shot. After their capture, the two were separated, with Hendreson being sent to Stalag 12A POW camp.
Thus began his life as a German prisoner of war. Despite the terrible risk involved, he and a buddy, Mike, helped six others to escape. Two were recaptured. Those recaptured endured intense interrogation. When the Germans learned of his involvement in the escapes, Henderson was severely beaten, and he and Mike were both placed in an infamous train car full of Polish POWs, where they traveled for three days and nights in standing room only with no food or water.
They arrived at a POW camp for Russian prisoners, Stalag 2A, on the border of the Baltic Sea. Here the treatment from the Germans was much harsher and with less food. Hunger, thirst and freezing cold were all part of prison life. Henderson witnessed and survived countless horrors at the camp. They knew the war was finally ending when they saw the Germans retreating, and one day the Russian Army arrived and plowed down the wire around the fence. Now the Americans were under the control of the Russian army.
Father Samson, the Chaplain of the 101st Airborne, was also a POW, captured in Bastogne. After the retreat of the Germans, a U.S. commander arrived in a car and took Father Samson to help locate a German scientist whose location was known to the priest.
Once reunited with the American Army, Father Samson reported that there were several American POWs under the control of the Russian Army. American forces went into the area and demanded the return of all of them, and the Russians surrendered them.
During Henderson’s imprisonment, his family didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. No one, including the Allies, even knew of the existence of the POW camp.
After he came home, Henderson set about the business of living a normal life.
He earned a college degree in accounting and economics at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, married the love of his life, Bonnie, and had three children: Arthur, Beth and Carol. He was a successful businessman at Singer and later at Brunswick Mills until his retirement in 1990.
At the age of 78, Henderson was reunited with his 101st Airborne “Band of Brothers” friend, John Cipolla, from Rochester, N.Y., at a reunion of the 101st Airborne 501 Regiment reunion. It was there that Henderson learned that he and Lyle had been reported as being killed in Holland, and that indeed, Lyle died the day after their capture. When Cipolla saw Henderson at the reunion, he described this experience as “seeing a ghost.”
Since then, Cipolla and Henderson have had the opportunity to travel together overseas with the Living History Program at The College of the Ozarks to revisit Normandy, Holland and even to the exact point where Henderson was captured. It is from the reunions and the Living History Program that his family learned of his amazing story, which he never discussed prior to seeing the movie “Band of Brothers.”
At this time, he had been a respected member of the Pickens community and Pickens Presbyterian Church for more than 60 years.
During Thursday’s celebration at the church, Henderson was also presented with a state proclamation by Rep. Davey Hiott which reads: “It is because of God’s protection, Al’s faith, strength, and character, and Father Samson, that the State of South Carolina has the distinct honor of recognizing Alvin R. Henderson with the S.C. POW award today. His family and friends gather around him to celebrate this recognition of his story, his survival and his life well lived.
“The prisoner, having reached the depth of his depression, gradually reawakens to the life around him. He licks himself and his wounded pride, opens his eyes and finds that far away on the horizon there is still a ray of sunlight left.”
Finally, more than 70 years after Henderson walked out into freedom, he received his medal. The medal is a small acknowledgement of the hardships and sacrifices this Fighting Eagle made for his country and his comrades in arms.
Police: Man caught during plant burglary
CENTRAL — Pickens County sheriff’s deputies said a man was caught in the act of breaking into a Central plant last week.
According to a news release from chief deputy Creed Hashe, members of sheriff Rick Clark’s “community action team” were conducting a stakeout operation at the American House Spinning plant on Mauldin Road on Thursday night when a man entered the building holding a flashlight and wearing gloves.
The man, identified as Jerry Lee Eaton Jr., 25, of 707 Chestnut Ridge Road in Marietta, was also carrying “a large bag with various tools typically used by thieves during incidents of theft,” according to Hashe.
Hashe said deputies hidden inside the building took Eaton into custody without incident.
The stakeout operation was a result of several recent incidents where the facility had been broken into and various items had been stolen, Hashe said.
Eaton was charged with second-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. Police also discovered he was wanted on a first-degree domestic violence charge for an incident that occurred in August. Eaton was being held at the Pickens County Detention Center on a combined $25,000 surety bond on Tuesday.
“This is a great example of the benefits that we have seen from the implementation of our community action team,” Clark said. “Being able to devote resources to citizen complaints, identify patterns of criminal activity and target areas where thieves tend to prowl has allowed us to arrest the individuals that continue to steal from the hard-working families that live in Pickens County.”
“We still have a lot of work to do, but as long as I’m the sheriff, we will continue to do everything that we can with the resources that we have. I pray for the ones that we arrest in hopes that they will turn their life around, but it is the reality of knowing that we do not catch every thief or drug dealer that keeps me awake at night.
“We are a long ways from being able to take that sigh of relief.”
1 killed, 1 hurt in Easley wreck
[cointent_lockedcontent] By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — A single-car accident early Friday morning in Pickens County claimed the life of one person and injured another.
According to Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley, 20-year-old Garrison Bryce Freeman was pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma at the scene of the accident, which occurred on Latham Road about a mile east of Easley city limits.
Cpl. Bill Rhyne, of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, said Sydnee Adora Jones, 19, of Easley, was driving when she lost control of her 2012 Nissan Altima. Rhyne said the vehicle ran off the right side of the road, overturned and struck a utility pole.
Jones, who Rhyne said was wearing a seatbelt, was not ejected or entrapped. She was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital to treat her injuries.
Freeman, who Rhyne said was entrapped in the vehicle, was wearing a seatbelt, according to Kelley.
The accident remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The death was the 12th traffic fatality in Pickens County this year, compared to 10 over the same time period a year ago. Pickens County had also experienced 12 traffic fatalities at this time two years ago.
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