Category Archives: Lifestyles
‘A Living Icon’
Bobby Rettew/Courtesy Clemson Athletic Communications
A survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War II, retired U.S. Army Col. Ben Skardon is a beloved Clemson University alumnus and professor emeritus. In addition, he is the most sought-after speaker at the annual Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico, according to friend Cheryl Fallstead.
Bataan Death March survivor, Clemson legend Skardon to walk in annual memorial march
By Ken Scar
Clemson Media Relations
news@thepccourier.com
CLEMSON — Retired U.S. Army Col. Beverly N. (Ben) Skardon, 97, a survivor of the Bataan Death March and beloved alumnus and professor emeritus of Clemson University, will walk eight-and-a-half miles in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on March 22.
This will be the eighth time Skardon has participated in the event.
More than 6,500 active-duty service members, veterans, wounded warriors and civilians will run or walk a 26.2-mile route or 14-mile route through the unforgiving terrain of the high desert
Pickens County Museum hosting Youth Arts 2015
Local artists honored at kickoff reception
COUNTY — Pickens County Youth Arts 2015 is now in full swing.
Saturday’s kickoff reception at the Pickens County Museum was attended by hundreds upon hundreds of proud parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, and, of course, the talented young artists who created the 930 works of art that are on display at the museum through March
Deep roots
Annual Reunion of Upcountry Families
set for March 12-14
CENTRAL — The public is invited to the Reunion of Upcountry Families on March 12-14.
The free event will include cemetery tours, workshops devoted to family history and a large display of photos and other items from local families of the Old Pendleton District, which became present-day Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.
Families whose heritage goes back at least a century in the Old Pendleton District are urged to participate in the March 14 reunion display at Southern Wesleyan University by buying a table
Murder, Mayhem and Moonshine
Olivia Fowler as Adeline Ladd Redmond
‘Bad Boys’ brings local legends to life
Philip Cheney
as Manse Jolly
Murder, mayhem and moonshine will come to the stage in the play “Bad Boys of the Upcountry,” an original docudrama about the lives and families of two famous men who lived by their own laws during the brutal years of Reconstruction in Upstate South Carolina.
Considered a Robin Hood by many and a murderer by federal troops, Manse Jolly, a native of Anderson County’s Lebanon community, was a Confederate soldier who never surrendered.
A master moonshiner of the region, Lewis Redmond was said to have made the best liquor in the nation, albeit illegal. He was more famous in his time than Jesse James and had his
Celebrating Black History Month
A time to reflect, remember and celebrate
lack History Month, or National African-American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African-Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to
Twelve Years a Slave: A Life-Changing Book
By Dr. Thomas Cloer, Jr.
Special to The Courier
hen I heard that a slave narrative existed, I had to have a copy. First published in 1853, readers now can obtain a copy of Solomon Northup’s narrative “Twelve Years a Slave” from Penguin
twelve-years-a-slave
Books or your local library. Some readers of books may be familiar with the phenomenon of reading something that changes oneself forever. The narrative of Northup, a free black man kidnapped in Washington in 1841, sold into slavery and not rescued until 1853 from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana, changed me forever.
I knew of some of the horrors related to that tragic part of our history in the South, but I had never heard it firsthand from someone who had endured it, survived it and then written eloquently about it in great detail.
I have also never read a personal diary of a Cherokee living in Eastatoee, Jocassee or Keowee. It would be as precious as gold to have such a perspective. It might cause others to look at Indian fighters from a different point of view. Sequoia first invented “talking leaves” with the Cherokee syllabary in
Taking the next step
Meals on Wheels breaks ground on
new McKissick Center in Liberty
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — Many gathered Friday at the former site of the lunchroom of Liberty Middle School to break ground for Pickens County Meals on Wheels’ new McKissick Center for Senior Wellness.
Courtesy Photo
From left, Pickens County Meals on Wheels board members Drake Curry and Les Hendricks, are pictured with Pickens County Council member Neil Smith and Appalachian Council on Aging executive director Steve Pelissier taking part in Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the McKissick Center for Senior Wellness in Liberty.
The facility was donated to Meals on Wheels by Pickens County after the county purchased the entire facility from the School District of Pickens County for various uses.
For example, the gym and football stadium will be utilized by the Liberty Recreation Department, the Crotwell Auditorium will serve the city of Liberty, and several classrooms will be used as magistrate offices.
Meals on Wheels is making moves to take care of the growing senior population in Pickens County.
“We knew that drastic measures would need to be taken to meet that challenge head on,” PCMOW executive director Meta Bowers said. “With this facility, we will be able to safeguard the services we provide for hundreds of seniors every year, helping them maintain their nutritional health,
Mountain Moonshine, Malfaesance and A Mother’s Misery
By Dr. Thomas Cloer, Jr. Special to The Courier
recently attended a high school class reunion near Stinking Creek in Campbell County in the high east Tennessee mountains. My family lived there when Gennett Lumber Company placed a
Dr, Tom Cloer with Hack Ayers in Hampton Inn, Caryville, TN
steam sawmill there with an enormous band saw, and my dad and relatives ran the mill. I graduated from high school there.
My wife, Elaine, originally from New York City, and I dated on Stinking Creek as we met while attending Cumberland College in nearby Kentucky. We often saw other couples sitting closely as we travelled to the sawmill. I can remember telling Elaine, “People can tell if you and I are married.”
“How can they do that?” she asked with a
Ready for a change? Use these tips to make 2015 healthier & happier
Easy ways to start living healthier every day
Contrary to popular belief, adopting a healthy lifestyle is not a difficult undertaking. In certain instances, convenience may need to be sacrificed in favor of nutrition, but many people find that living healthy is not nearly as difficult as they assumed it would be when they initially decided to make a change.
When men and women decide they want to start living healthier, many mistakenly assume they must abandon their existing habits entirely and start from scratch. But the following are some
Dare To Dream — Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968
A look at the life and influence of Dr. King
Martin Luther King, Jr. played a pivotal role in race relations in the United States for nearly a decade. He helped secure the end of legal segregation of African-American citizens, created the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and served as a source of inspiration for black individuals across the globe.
Dr. King did not begin his life as a crusader or public figure. He had much more modest beginnings in rural Atlanta. Born Michael King, Jr., he was the middle child of Michael King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Michael King, Sr. served as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law, who was the church’s prior pastor. At this point, the elder king decided to change his name to Martin Luther to honor the famed Protestant religious leader. His son soon decided to adopt the name as well.
A religious family, the Kings tried to shield their children from the realities of racism that were
