Monthly Archives: January 2020
Take a hike? no sweat
Virtual reality hike now available at Table Rock
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — There’s now a way to get to the top of Table Rock without breaking a sweat.
On New Year’s Day, officials unveiled a station at the Table Rock Visitors Center that allows users to experience 
a virtual reality hike.
Bringing virtual reality to the center was inspired by the memory of Greenville County native Tom Presnell, who passed away in August 2018.
Carol Presnell said her husband was “an avid outdoorsman.”
“He loved coming to Table Rock,” she said. “This was something that was very near and dear to his heart.”
She found the idea of brining virtual reality to the park appealing.
“Tom always said he wished everybody could see the view that he could see off
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New county litter hotline in service
Residents can call (864) 898-5256
and leave a message for Chris Carroll
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Residents can now call a hotline to report litter in Pickens County.
County officials have focused on litter in recent years, holding “Team Up and Clean Up” events — countywide litter blitzes — twice a year, in addition to creating the “Five on Friday” campaign that encourages residents to pick up five pieces of trash every Friday.
The county has a new weapon in its fight against litter.
Acting county administrator Ken Roper discussed litter control efforts during his report to council at its January
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What is your vision for Liberty’s future?
Imagine this, if you will: Developers, recognizing that Easley has reached the maximum level of residential 
growth it can handle under the existing infrastructure, cast their eyes to the west.
They begin putting up new subdivisions in Liberty, a town that has become newly attractive by turning its abandoned textile mill sites into parks and affordable housing lots, and connecting them with recreational trails.
Meanwhile, industrial growth continues in the Pickens County Commerce Park, just outside Liberty’s city limits, and a multi-use trail connects it with the quaint downtown, which has gained regional attention for its replica of the Liberty Bell and the numerous festivals and events it offers celebrating South Carolina’s patriotic heritage, offering Revolutionary War era re-
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Pickens High honors Dean at tournament
PICKENS — Melissa Dean was named the tournament honoree at the first-ever Festival of Flames Girls’ Basketball Tournament established by Pickens High School head coach Rikki Owens.
Dean was presented the honor after a breakfast held for all participating teams and prior to team play on Dec. 21 in the Peggy Harden Anthony Gymnasium by her lifetime friend and college teammate, Peggy Anthony.
Dean played basketball at Daniel High School from 1968-72 before becoming a star three-sport athlete at the University of South Carolina, playing basketball, softball and tennis. She participated in the 1973 AAU National Women’s Basketball Tournament in New York City and twice participated in the Women’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb. She was a teacher, basketball and tennis coach at Estill and South Aiken high schools for 13 years.
For 50 years, however, Dean has endured a staggering number of health issues. She has suffered torn knee cartilage; epilepsy; Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome; four brain surgeries; a stroke; a 30-day coma; permanent paralysis of her left side; Achilles tendon surgery; two bouts of breast cancer; kidney stone surgery; gall bladder
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Dolls for Dementia drop-off locations announced
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A local nonprofit is collecting dolls to give to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and has announced 
locations where donations can be dropped off.
“Dolls for Dementia” is Warmth and Comfort for the Elderly’s donation drive project this month. The group is seeking donations of new, small dolls that the elderly can hold and cuddle.
Dolls can be dropped off at Under the Carolina Moon in Easley, Cafe Connections and the Pickens County
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County wants to reward thrifty employees
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Maintaining a conservative budget was one of the goals acting Pickens County administrator Ken Roper established following a lengthy planning session with county council last year.
At that meeting, council members discussed giving incentives to county employees who come with ideas that save the county money.
During Monday night’s county council meeting, Roper unveiled the new Pinnacle Performer incentive program, which is named after the highest mountain located entirely within Pickens County.
“A lot of people would say it’s Sassafras, but I learned this past week Sassafras is not located entirely within Pickens County,” he said.
The new program’s slogan is “Helping us reach new heights,” Roper said.
“Any county employee can nominate any other county employee, except
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County council has 2020 vision
While many of us were immersed in the holiday spirit — focused on our families and Christmas festivities — Pickens County Council has been hard at work in formulating a vision for the coming year.
At their annual workshop at the Capt. Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley on Nov. 11, council members set six goals and objectives for 2020. These goals represent council at the peak of its authority, providing specific work directives to county staff for the coming year. My role as acting administrator is to take these directives from council and develop implementation strategies for the coming months. To a large extent, my effectiveness and performance as administrator should be judged on how well
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Don’t miss out on the wonders of the world
We all heard about people who’ve lived in New York all their lives but have never been to see the Statue of Liberty, and we’ll comment about how amazing that is.
But I have no room to talk.
There are interesting and unique places throughout the region that I’ve said I want to go see and yet have never done so.
When the subject comes up, we always comment, “Oh, we’ll go and see that or do that one of these days.”
But we don’t act on that statement.
This year we finally did it. We drove the few miles up the road to Sassafras Mountain to see the observation deck built on top of the mountain.
We went on Christmas Eve, an unusually beautiful day this year. It
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Courier Letters to the Editor 1-8-20
Honoring those who’ve come before
Dear Editor,
The new year has me thinking about a time in our great country when we honored our parents and grandparents by joining the family business, small or major corporation, or a long line of independent professionals. It honored what our family taught us. We have two American presidents early in our history who personified that for us.
We’ve been a great country capable of enriching our lives by both formal education and informal, with individual mentoring by teachers, community and family. We’re proud to say we’ve followed in our family’s footsteps. What greater way is there to honor those we respect and love and who came before us?
As a more than 30-year resident of Pickens County and, specifically, Liberty, I’ve watched our young people
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Courier Obituaries 1-8-20
SAM WYCHE
PICKENS — Sam Wyche, who brought imagination to the sport of football, an AFC Championship to the Cincinnati Bengals, and a joy of life to the players, friends and family around him, died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, 
after a short battle with metastatic melanoma. He was 74.
Wyche, who lived in the country town of Pickens for his last 20 years, died at home, surrounded by his family: wife, Jane; daughter, Kerry; and son, Zak, and their families. He had a Renaissance life as an NFL player, a college head coach, pro head coach, broadcaster, amateur magician, pilot, sporting-goods store owner and county council member in Pickens County, his adopted home. He was close to death with heart disease in September 2016, but got a last-minute heart transplant that gave him three more years of life.
“He was funny, brilliant at football, complicated, forward-thinking and a great human being,” said Boomer Esiason, who had an NFL Most Valuable Player season under Wyche’s tutelage in 1988. “This is such a sad day. He meant everything to me. He made me into the quarterback I became.”
“It’s so sad when bad things happen to good people,” said Joe Montana, whose first position coach in the NFL
