May 18, 2012 Spartanburg Journal

Abuse at Charles Lea Center leads to charges. PAGE 8 New law gives charter school students more options. PAGE 11

SPARTANBURGJOURNAL Spartanburg, S.C. • Friday, May 18, 2012 • Vol.8, No.20

thwarting smugglers in the Congo KEMET and AVX lead the way in producing conflict-free smartphone capacitors. PAGE 17

Art

LAWMAKERS SEEK MONETARY AID FOR TRAIN CRASH VICTIMS.

RUNS IN THE FAMILY Julia Elizabeth Tolbert shares the spotlight with her grandniece at Wofford. PAGE 22

PAGE 4 Julia Elizabeth Tolbert , ca. 1934

THE BANDWIDTH TO CONTROL COUNTLESS DEVICES, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE. With the bandwidth to support more devices than anyone else in the market, you can simultaneously stream video, game online or take over the world, without sacrificing Internet performance.

This much power could go to your head. ©2012 Charter Communications, Inc. Service not available in all areas.

journal community

Spartanburg Journal locally owned and operated since 1999 For delivery requests, call 679-1240 Publisher

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@thespartanburgjournal.com editor/editorial page

Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@thespartanburgjournal.com Assistant editor/Staff writer

Jerry Salley jsalley@thespartanburgjournal.com staff writers

Cindy Landrum clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com Mobile April A. Morris amorris@thespartanburgjournal.com Charles Sowell csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com

Learning Adventure - Parents & Caregivers - PNC Grow ...

http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com/parents_caregivers/mobile_learn...

Crossword puzzle: page 30

Free, Fun, For Kids

contributing writer

Dick Hughes dhughes@thespartanburgjournal.com

Kids 2-5 & Their Parents

photographer

Greg Beckner gbeckner@thespartanburgjournal.com news layout

Sally Boman

Tammy Smith

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Holly Hardin Client Services ManagerS

Anita Harley

Jane Rogers

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David M. Robinson Marketing Representatives

Mary Beth Culbertson Kristi Jennings Donna Johnston Pam Putman Melanie Smith SAles associate

Katherine Elrod Community Sponsorships and Event Marketing

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Alan P. Martin amartin@thespartanburgjournal.com 148 River St, Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: 864-699-4348, Fax: 864-467-9809 Thespartanburgjournal.com

Tues. & Wed., May 22 & 23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Mobile Learning Adventure

The Mobile Learning Adventure (MLA) is a traveling exhibit that provides an opportunity for parents and caregivers to learn about the importance of early childhood education while they engage in fun activities with their children.

At the beginning of the adventure, parents and children receive an activity flyer with stickers. Once each activity within the MLA is completed, a sticker will be added to the flyer. The MLA consists of four activity stations: Touch Screen Kiosks – these kiosks provide fun, interactive and educational activities for children and parents and demonstrate that everyday activities are learning opportunities.

“What I Want To Be When I Grow Up” Photo Station – children dress up as different professionals, such as an astronaut, cowboy, fireman, ballerina, scientist or doctor, and have their picture superimposed on an appropriate background. Following the activity, children receive a Grow Up Great frame with a souvenir photo from the photo station.

Craft Area – the staffed table allows children to use their imagination to create crafts.

Giveaway Table – parents and caregivers can take home activity books and multimedia learning kits that demonstrate how to take everyday moments and turn them into learning opportunities.

The exhibit visits PNC Bank branches and attends community events across the PNC service area, from spring through autumn. Please visit the events calendar to see if the Mobile Learning Adventure is coming to your neighborhood.

Watch the Mobile Learning Adventure Video © 2012 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

© Spartanburg Journal published by Community Journals LLC. All rights reserved. All property rights for the entire contents of this publication shall be the property of Spartanburg Journal, no part therefore may be reproduced without prior written consent.

542-ARTS

59˚ We can expect a typical middle of May “weekend… very mild afternoons with a

John Cessarich

FRIDAY

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WYFF News 4 Chief Meteorologist

Look for the Big Orange Tents at the Chapman Cultural Center

For weather information, 24 hours a day, visit WYFF4.com

Partly sunny skies

2 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

Partly to mostly sunny

A mix of clouds and sun

journal community

Worth Repeating They Said It

“There’s not a lot of incentive for risk-taking.”

City Manager Ed Memmott, explaining his desire to start a rewards program to encourage employee creativity.

Quote of the week

“Be responsible, keep a positive attitude, don’t gossip, keep your word, and end your day with no regrets.”

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BehindTheCounterONLINE.com

Restaurant owner Scott Stephens, on the secrets to a successful job experience.

“The last thing the traders wanted to participate in was anything that involved transparency and traceability.”

William Millman, technical and quality director for AVX Tantalum, on the smuggling, worker exploitation and market manipulation involved in mining tantalum in the Congo.

“We are simply not going to sit by and wait on the same legislative body that created this problem and appointed this court to fix anything, as it is clear their intention is to do nothing.”

Harry Kibler of Operation Lost Vote, on efforts to help candidates who were ruled ineligible for the June 12 primary to be able run as petition candidates.

BehindTheCounterONLINE.com BehindTheCounterONLINE.com

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MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 3

journal community

Peeler wins proviso to aid crash victims

Celebrate Spring

Requires $2 million match

by Spartanburg County

By CHarles Sowell | staff

at

State Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, wants Spartanburg County and South Carolina to pony up $4 million to pay the medical bills of 28 persons injured in last year’s Cleveland Park miniature train disaster.

The Gaffney lawmaker said the Senate finance committee, with $292 million added to the state budget by the Board of Economic Advisors earlier this month, has committed to the state’s $2 million share.

Finding $2 million from county coffers to match that money is going to be difficult

May 18-26

Wofford president to step down in June 2013

Fabulous SPRING Merchandise 25% OFF!

By CHarles Sowell | staff

Longtime Wofford College President Benjamin B. Dunlap told the school’s trustees he plans to step down in June of next year.

Dunlap is the school’s 10th president and has served in that capacity since 2000; he will retain his appointment as Chapman Family Professor of Humanities and after a year-long sabbatical will return to teaching duties at the school.

“At this morning’s meeting of the board of trustees, I announced my plans to retire as president of Wofford Col-

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Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.

lege as of June 30, 2013,” Dunlap said in a statement on Tuesday. “That is a little less than 14 months from now.

I’m making the announcement so far in advance in Wofford College order to give the Board plenty of President Benjamin time to conduct a B. Dunlap national search for my successor.

“I have retained my appointment as the Chapman Family Professor in the Humanities, and, after a year’s sabbatical leave, I intend to return to teaching at Wofford. I also plan to devote more time to other continuing commitments, such as my role as senior

moderator for the Aspen Institute and for the Liberty Fellowship of South Carolina.”

J. Harold Chandler, chairman of the Board of Trustees said, “There is only one Bernie Dunlap, and Wofford is fortunate to have had him as our leader for the past 12 years. His contributions are immeasurable. Bernie has lifted our sights on many fronts, which will continue to benefit Wofford for years into the future. And, speaking of the future, we at Wofford are more excited than ever as to what can be accomplished. But for now, our profound gratitude goes to Bernie and his wife, Anne, for their wonderful service to our college.”

Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.

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4 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

tims would have to split that amount.

It does not come close to covering the victims’ medical bills.

Peeler’s bill to change the Tort Claims Act is stuck in committee and is not likely to win passage, he said.

The Gaffney lawmaker did have some success in passing changes to the laws governing miniature trains in South Carolina.

The bill, called Benji’s Law in honor of 6-year-old Benji Easler, who was killed in the accident, sets specific permit requirements for miniature trains.

The $4 million payout plan is part of the entire budget and must clear the Senate, get the governor’s signature and be matched by the county before going into effect.

Dunlap announces retirement

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since county officials are in the middle of their budgeting process and have already trimmed $6 million from the $80 million budget set to go into effect on July 1.

County officials are scrambling to find an extra $1 million to pay for a laundry list of needs in the coming fiscal year.

County officials would not comment on the proposal since they are tied up in litigation with some of the accident victims.

If the county can’t come up with their $2 million match, Peeler said he’d have to go back to the drawing board.

Peeler tried to pass a bill in 2011 to allow people to recover their full economic damages from the government. The 1986 Tort Claims Act puts a $600,000 cap on damages that local governments have to pay for any one incident. That means families of the train accident vic-

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MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 5

JOURNAL COMMUNITY

OPINION

VOICES FROM YOUR COMMUNITY, HEARD HERE

FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

State must cover train victims’ losses State Sen. Harvey Peeler has been admirably persistent in his determination to set aside public funds to help cover the staggering medical costs of the victims of the miniature train derailment that killed 6-year-old Benji Easler and injured 28 other adults and children in Spartanburg last year.

Peeler convinced the Senate Finance Committee last week to add a proviso to the state budget that would set aside $2 million in a “Spartanburg Amusement Train Disaster Relief Fund” to aid crash victims. The proviso allows donations from businesses and individuals as well – and stipulates a matching $2 million grant from Spartanburg County.

This is where the good will falls apart.

Spartanburg County does not have $2 million to put in a special relief fund. Spartanburg County is facing $1 million in unfunded needs in a proposed $80 million general fund budget that the county administrator balanced by slashing operating costs, freezing positions and taking eight vehicles out of the county fleet.

The budget restraints are due in part to flat revenue collections in a still-stumbling county economy. But the Legislature played a heavy hand as well. State lawmakers have been steadily shrinking the pass-through tax dollars the state is obligated to return to local governments every year, while layering more and more restrictions on the number of ways cities and counties can raise tax revenue themselves.

Lawmakers blame the economy for their parsimony. That excuse has run out of air. Last Wednesday, the state Board of Economic Advisors added $137 million in revenue projections to the current fiscal year budget, and another $155 million to the coming 2012-13 budget. And this was after adding close to $1 billion to the state budget last fall.

Meanwhile, the families and victims of the Cleveland Park accident are expected to divide $600,000 between them – the per-incident cap state law sets for damages against the state and its political subdivisions.

A cap on monetary damages is necessary to protect governments from being bankrupted by a multi-million dollar damage award. But medical costs have skyrocketed since the Tort Claims Act became law in 1986. A $600,000 per-incident limit will not begin to cover the medical costs of 29 hospital trips, rehabilitation of the severely injured and the death of a six-year-old.

Governmental negligence is clearly indicated in the March 19, 2011, train derailment. Investigators determined excessive speed caused the crash. The train lacked a speed regulator, and a state inspector admitted days after the crash that he faked a safety report and never tested the ride. What’s more, the man’s national certification had lapsed, along with that of six other fellow inspectors.

In the wake of this tragedy, the Legislature passed a flurry of miniature train laws requiring speed regulators, mechanical inspections, training for drivers and documentation of all the above. Yet a bill amending the Tort Claims Act to allow victims of government negligence to recover actual damages languishes in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Cleveland Park victims cannot be retroactively helped by the bill even if it passes.

But state officials have a clear moral duty to compensate the injured and their families for the full economic damages they have suffered. Do not hide an empty political gesture behind Spartanburg’s limited budget. The Legislature must fully fund Peeler’s budget proviso without demanding of Spartanburg what it cannot give.

Tips for summer job success Summer is a great time of year for small businesses in the Upstate. The warm weather brings increased revenue as well as an opportunity to hire talented new employees. Students out for summer break who are looking for jobs will provide business owners and managers an opportunity to replenish their workforce and strengthen their businesses.

In today’s competitive market, it’s important that young people not only demonstrate an ability to perform the tasks they are assigned, but also exemplify outstanding character traits and integrity.

My wife and I own a small café in downtown Greenville. Over the past eight years, we have provided jobs for almost 100 high school and college students. During the process of hiring and training these young people, we became aware that even though most were able to quickly learn and perform the tasks that we assigned them, there were some additional things that they needed to understand so that they could stand out from their peers. Here are some of the ideas we now try to encourage our employees to put into practice: 1. No matter where you are – be there.

There is truth in this old cliché. Your employer is paying you for your time and talents. When you are texting, making telephone calls, spending time with friends or working while distracted with a non-job related task, you are robbing your boss of the time due to him. When you’re at work, be there in both body and mind.

2. You should not be leaning if your boss is working.

A great rule of thumb is that if your boss is active, you should be, too. A great question to consider is, “What can I do to make my manager’s life a little easier today?”

Find out what it is and do it. A few days of doing this will get you noticed quickly!

3. Don’t sacrifice your integrity, character or reputation for the sake of your friends.

I once had an employee who traded our restaurant’s food for tip money. It caused an unbelievable loss of revenue for my business. I investigated the loss and fired the employee involved. But during the investigation, I discovered that

IN MY OWN WORDS by SCOTT STEPHENS

while no other employees took part in the theft, most were aware of the criminal activity. None of them told me because they did not want to “rat” on their friend. This happened almost seven years ago, but it’s the first thing I remember about every one of those employees. Poor character will follow you for a long time.

4. Work as if you’re always being watched.

Too many times employees have two modes of work: one when the boss is there and another when he is not. Be aware that an astute manager always knows what is happening in the business. Customer feedback, secret shoppers and passers-by will usually comment to the manager about activities that happen in the business while he is away. Work as if your manager is always present and you’ll have no regrets.

5. Find out what the manager thinks is important and do it.

Too many times I have had to have conversations with employees who are surprised to hear I’m dissatisfied with their work. The confusion almost always centers on the fact that the employee is doing a good job at things important to him and paying little or no attention to things important to me. The coaching I give in daily feedback goes unheard. Listen to your manager and watch what he does. What reccurring activity or mundane task does the manager ask you to do? What do you see him do over and over again? More than likely, these are the activities he considers very important.

You should be doing them, too!

In conclusion, it’s all a matter of integrity. Do what you have committed to do. Be responsible, keep a positive attitude, don’t gossip, keep your word, and end your day with no regrets.

Scott Stephens and his wife Loretta are the owners of Camille’s Sidewalk Café in Greenville.

IN MY OWN WORDS FEATURES ESSAYS BY RESIDENTS WITH PARTICULAR EXPERTISE WHO WANT TO TELL READERS ABOUT ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THEM. THE JOURNAL ALSO WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (MAXIMUM LENGTH OF 200 WORDS). PLEASE INCLUDE ADDRESS AND DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER. ALL LETTERS WILL BE CONFIRMED BEFORE PUBLICATION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT ALL LETTERS FOR LENGTH. PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN SIMMONS AT SSIMMONS@THESPARTANBURGJOURNAL.COM.

6 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | MAY 18, 2012

JOURNAL COMMUNITY

Ballot challenge dies, but petitions bring new hope

By JERRY SALLEY | staff

With the failure of a lawsuit brought by a Greer candidate for state Senate, it appears likely that the 180 candidates – including more than a dozen in the Upstate – who were disqualified by a South Carolina Supreme Court decision will remain off the ballot for the June 12 primary.

But that doesn’t mean that grass-roots organizers across the state intend to give up.

On Monday, May 14, a three-judge federal panel threw out the lawsuit, filed

by Columbia attorney Todd Kincannon on behalf of Amanda Somers, a candidate for state Senate in District 5, which includes parts of northern Spartanburg and Greenville counties. The lawsuit accused the state Election Commission of violating the federal Voting Rights Act by sending out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters that had only federal candidates on them.

Kincannon had originally intended the lawsuit to specifically address the disqualification of 180 candidates statewide after the Supreme Court decision on May 2.

May 18

However, in a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie questioned Somers’ standing, since she was not one of the candidates affected by the ruling.

Kincannon then decided to focus on the military and overseas ballots issue.

But the three judges threw out the case after an hour-long hearing on Monday, agreeing with Election Commission attorney Liz Crum that Somers had no standing to challenge the ballots.

Kincannon has said that he plans to pursue other cases on behalf of dozens of other dissatisfied candidates.

Meanwhile, in press conferences across the state on Monday, a newlyformed organization, Operation Lost Vote, announced its launch of “a statewide movement to inform voters that their right to a free and fair election was stripped from them by a corrupt legislature and an activist court.”

Press conferences were scheduled for Spartanburg, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and were hosted by groups such as the Spartanburg Tea Party, RINO (Republican in Name Only) Hunt, Palmetto Liberty PAC and the Carolina Pa-

triots. The Spartanburg press conference was hosted by Kerry Wood of Inman, who was disqualified from the ballot for the state Senate District 11 seat, leaving incumbent Sen. Glenn Reese (D-Inman) as the only currently certified candidate for that seat in the November election.

Operation Lost Vote plans to provide resources for candidates who have been tossed from the ballot and who want to continue to run as a petition candidate in the November 6 general election.

Wood and two other disqualified candidates, Republican Gaye Holt of Moore and Democrat John Lewis of Spartanburg, all said on Monday that they would run as petition candidates. Holt is challenging incumbent Rep. Mike Forrester (R-Spartanburg) for House District 34 and Lewis is challenging incumbent Rep. Harold Mitchell (D-Spartanburg) for House District 31.

“We are simply not going to sit by and wait on the same legislative body that created this problem and appointed this court to fix anything, as it is clear their intention is to do nothing,” said Operation Lost Vote’s Harry Kibler, founder of

RINO Hunt, which has targeted many of the incumbents in this election.

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, May 2, the five justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that candidates who did not file a paper economic disclosure statement at the same time they officially filed for office were not qualified to appear on primary ballots.

The state Senate did attempt to pass legislation last week that would have allowed many of the disqualified candidates to refile their candidacy paperwork, but abandoned their efforts after repeated blocks

by Sen. Jake Knotts (R-Lexington), whose own primary challenger, Katrina Shealy, was removed by the ruling.

Along with Wood, Holt and Moore, disqualified candidates in Spartanburg County include Republican Jim McMillan of Lyman, challenging Rep. Rita Allison (R-Lyman) for House District 36; and Republican Steve Collins of Woodruff, challenging incumbent County Councilwoman Jane Hall (R-Woodruff ).

Contact Jerry Salley at jsalley@thespartanburgjournal.com.

PH YSICIAN UPDATE

GHS welcomes these new physicians!

Geriatrics Neerja Arya, M.D. Laurie Theriot Roley, M.D. Center for Success in Aging 255 Enterprise Drive, Ste. 101 Greenville, 454-8120

Internal Medicine Diane Eugenio, M.D. Daniel Smith, M.D. Cypress IM–Greer 325 Medical Pkwy., Ste. 200 Greer, 797-9550 S. Meg Carter, M.D. Cypress IM–Maxwell Pointe 3907 S. Highway 14 Greenville, 675-1491

Joint Replacement Brandon Broome, M.D. Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. C100 Greenville, 454-SHCC (7422)

Neurology Kathleen McConnell, M.D. Neuroscience Associates 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. B350 Greenville, 454-4500

Pediatrics Beverly Ellington, M.D. Pediatric Associates–Easley 800 N. A St. Easley, 855-0001 Manisha Patel, M.D. Pediatric Cardiology 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. A200 Greenville, 454-5120

New Location!

The Children’s Clinic 890 S. Pleasantburg Dr. Greenville, 271-1450

Physical Medicine Leland Berkwits, M.D. Upstate Medical Rehabilitation 111 Doctors Drive Greenville, 797-7100

Surgery Anita Patt, M.D. UMG Breast Health Center 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. A14 Greenville, 454-2224

Urology Kelly Maloney, M.D. Charles Marguet, M.D. UMG Regional Urology– Cross Creek 11 Park Creek Dr. Greenville, 797-7450 Note: This new office combines the Memorial Court and Medical Ridge practices, which are now closed; the Easley and Parkway offices remain open.

ghs.org

John Siddens, D.O. UMG Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics 200 Patewood Dr., Ste. B480 Greenville, 454-4570

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MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 7

journal community

Vulnerable adult abuse often goes undetected Charles Lea Easter weekend case led to charges, new procedures

By CHarles Sowell | staff ArtWalk Thursday, May 17, 5-9pm, free On the third Thursday of the month, Spartanburg’s art galleries stay open late. Be sure to stop by the Chapman Cultural Center to visit the Spartanburg Art Museum (pottery by Mike Vatalaro; furniture by Michael McDunn), the Guild Gallery (paintings by Amy Holbein & photos by Patty Wright), and the Student Exhibit (Boys & Girls Clubs photos).

Art Reception Thursday, May 17, 5-9pm, free Local photographer Patty Wright and local painter Amy Holbein, members of the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg, will host a public reception for their May exhibit: Holbein Holbein | Wright Wright. Photos of the Dupre House, and oil and cold wax paintings. In the Guild Gallery at the Chapman Cultural Center.

Art Talk Thursday, May 17, 7pm, free Get a sneak peek at the handcrafted heirloom/contemporary furniture by Greenville artist Michael McDunn. Function & Awe presented by the Spartanburg Art Museum.

Mobile Learning Adventure Tuesday & Wednesday, May 22 & 23, 9am-3pm, free The Spartanburg Science Center presents this unique traveling exhibit for kids 2-5 years old and their parents. It is an opportunity to experience learning as a fun thing to do and to start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. Look for the big orange tents at the Chapman Cultural Center. Sponsored by PNC banking.

Music Sandwiched In Wednesday, May 23, 12:15, main library, free Take a break and take in a free live concert for lunch. Hear Asheville jazz guitarist Mark Guest. Bring your lunch or buy one there. Presented by the Music Foundation of Spartanburg.

Boys & Girls Club Photo Exhibit May 5-July 1, Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm, free This is the annual photo exhibit by the local Boys & Girls Club. Always exceptionally creative.

Seay House Saturday Saturday, May 19, 10am-4pm, donations welcome This is Spartanburg’s oldest home, on Darby Road, off of Crescent Avenue. On select Saturdays visit for a better understanding of local history. Presented by the Spartanburg County Historical Association.

Function & Awe May 22-Aug. 4, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm Spartanburg Art Museum presents the handcrafted woodwork—furniture–of Greenville artist Michael McDunn.

It is both heirloom and contemporary.

542-ARTS ChapmanCulturalCenter.org 200 E. Saint John St. Spartanburg

8 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

The arrest of two Charles Lea Center employees for allegedly abusing a vulnerable adult by leaving a 39-year-old woman to lie in her own feces for 20 hours over the Easter weekend is just part of a larger pattern of abuse and neglect found across the state at facilities supervised by the state Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, critics of the agency say.

Earlier this year, state Department of Health and Environmental Control examiners cited the Greenville Disabilities and Special Needs Board for failing to adequately deal with problems that led to the death of a 36-year-old woman in February and, in an unrelated event, the arrest of a Greenville DSN employee for abusing a client at a workshop by stomping on his foot.

Patricia Harrison, an attorney from Columbia who has dealt with issues surrounding the state DDSN for years, said the incidents, while unrelated, are indicative of a larger problem at DDSN-supervised facilities.

“These kind of incidents crop up all the time around the state,” Harrison said. “While the incident in Spartanburg is not particularly heinous, there have been incidents in the past that have been – including one that is very similar to the Patient ‘H’ incident (in Greenville) that resulted in a death.”

DDSN spokeswoman Lois Park Mole would not comment on Harrison’s allegations since Harrison is involved in several lawsuits against state agencies.

However, she said incidents like the occurrence in Spartanburg “are taken very seriously by DDSN. Providing care, particularly 24-hour care, for individuals with disabilities is a very serious and difficult task. Quality assurance and external reviews

by DHEC and federally recognized quality improvement organizations are essential.

“Proper training of staff on issues occurs before people go on the job

and continues on preventing abuse, negligence and exploitation after employees are hired. When an employee behaves badly, DDSN cooperates fully with law enforcement to ensure proper actions are taken.”

Harrison said the public rarely learns about incidents like the death of Patient “H” in Greenville unless an outside agency is called in, or, as in the case of the Charles Lea Center Easter incident, EMS files a report as technicians did when they discovered the injured woman in an assisted-living house on Union Street.

In the Easter weekend incident, EMS

He said this is the first case of abuse in his three-year tenure at Charles Lea. New procedures have been put in place to ensure this kind of incident doesn’t happen again.

In 2009, the nonprofit group Protection and Advocacy for Peoples with Disabilities Inc. – a federally mandated advocacy group headquartered in Columbia – surveyed community residential care facilities (CRCFs) in South Carolina and issued a report that said: “P&A has found that many CRCFs are filthy, do not provide adequate food and heat, do not

“These kind of incidents crop up all the time around the state. While the incident in Spartanburg is not particularly heinous, there have been incidents in the past that have been – including one that is very similar to the Patient ‘H’ incident (in Greenville) that resulted in a death.”

Patricia Harrison, an attorney from Columbia who has dealt with issues surrounding the state DDSN for years

had to break through a window at the residence to get to the woman, and found her covered in feces and urine.

Spartanburg Public Safety officers charged Allyssa Bell and Marcia Jaggers, two employees of Charles Lea, with abuse of a vulnerable adult.

Police reports say Bell moved the woman’s wheelchair away from her bed. The woman had to crawl on the floor in an effort to reach her wheelchair and became stuck.

The woman called Jaggers on her cellphone, but Jaggers ignored the calls. The victim spent 20 hours on the floor without being checked on.

She was supposed to be checked every three hours.

Gerald Bernard, the center’s executive director, said in a previous statement that Bell is no longer with the agency and Jaggers is on unpaid leave pending the results of an internal investigation.

Bernard said the woman was taken to the hospital and has been returned to the group home.

safely administer medications or arrange for needed medical care, and do not provide protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Inspectors have found infestations of cockroaches in facilities, blood on the walls, and food which is out of date and rotting.

“Some residents routinely lack prescribed medications or are given the wrong amounts of medications, and some residents have been physically harmed by staff or other residents due to lack of supervision. These CRCFs are no place to call home.”

Park Mole said most of the community residential care facilities cited in the P&A report are not DDSNmonitored facilities and the agency has taken steps to improve care at CRFCs since the report was issued.

DHEC now handles all inspections of DDSN facilities around the state.

Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.

JOURNAL COMMUNITY

GSP terminal renovation begins Multi-phase project will take four years to complete Work has started on Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport’s $102 million terminal renovation project.

Demolition work necessary to relocate the expanded rental car facility to Parking Garage A will be completed mostly at night, GSP officials said.

By consolidating all rental car services in the garage, customers will find a more streamlined rental process. Currently, customers check in at one of five rental car agencies inside the terminal and then go outside to the garage to pick up their keys and car.

Relocating the rental car facility will also make room in the terminal for other parts of the terminal expansion.

About 120 parking spaces in Garage A will be lost to the general public as a result of the change, officials said. But an expansion of the airport’s economy parking lot should be completed by the end of August

May 18

Don’t let cataracts slow you down!

and will add 450 additional spaces.

Officials said parking rates will not change, and there will be no immediate changes to the entrances or exits of Garage A. Driving patterns will be affected on the first, second and third level, however.

Parking Garage B is unaffected by the construction.

Officials said the multi-phase terminal renovation is expected to take four years to complete.

Phase 1 also includes work on the north wing and to the electrical system.

Phase 2 will bring baggage claim renovations. Phase 3 will encompass the building core, including the ticketing area, concessions and the safety checkpoint.

The last phase will include concourse renovations.

The terminal will remain open throughout the project, officials said.

Construction areas and preferred walking paths will be clearly marked.

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Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.

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Mon., May 28 • 7:30 a.m. • Downtown Greenville Bike the same course as the USA Cycling Pro Championships or enjoy a leisurely ride on the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail while raising funds for cancer research. To register, visit p3ride.org.

Skin Cancer Screening Sat., May 19 • 9-11 a.m. • Patewood Medical Campus Protect your skin by taking part in this screening. Please wear a bathing suit under loose clothes. Free; registration required. Call 1-877-GHS-INFO (447-4636) or visit ghs.org/360healthed.

Gallabrae (formerly Greenville Scottish Games) May 23-27 • Times and sites vary This event includes a Highland Fling, Great Scot! Parade, Highland Games and Moonshine Run. To learn more, visit gallabrae.com.

GHS USA Cycling Pro Championships Mon., May 28 • 11 a.m.-5 p.m. • Downtown Greenville GHS will host an interactive health and wellness expo in downtown Greenville in conjunction with the Championships Road Race at noon. Find out more at usacyclingchampionships.com.

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GHS Freedom Weekend Aloft May 25-28 • Heritage Park, Simpsonville The weekend features balloon rides, music, national disc dog competition, Freedom 5K run/walk and more. For details, visit freedomweekend.org.

120396

MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 9

journal community

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city council

from the may 14 meeting

New budget projections show Spartanburg should be getting about $500,000 in extra income, City Council was told Monday night. City Manager Ed Memmott would like to use part of that windfall for a $100,000 incentives program that would reward city employees for customer service, excellence and “risk-taking.”

A 2 percent raise for city employees would also be included in the 2012-2013 budget, under the $33 million general fund, Memmott said.

Unlike past years, when surplus funding went into the city’s rainy-day account, the staff is recommending the city spend the surplus on a laundry list of needs and wants.

“We feel that with more than $5 million in our surplus account, we can afford to do a few things,” Memmott said.

In addition to the incentive program, the surplus would be used for one-time capital improvements like better technology, he said.

“There’s not a lot of incentive for risk-taking,” Memmott told council. “Why would they suggest to do something that really enhances services or cut costs when, if it goes bad, an employee is concerned about the repercussions?”

Several council members cited concerns that the system could be subjective or that department heads could have too much leeway on incentive distribution.

The budget includes no tax hikes or fee increases, except for fee increases at the Swim Center. A public hearing and first reading on the budget is scheduled for May 29. Final reading will be held June 11.

If approved, the average employee incentive would be $250.

Additionally, Council approved a landscaping and beautification project by a group of anonymous donors along a section of Chinquapin Creek. Council also approved extending the moratorium on simulated gaming and gambling devices.

Council voted to extend the moratorium by 90 days.

Council next meets on May 29 at 5:30 p.m. in chambers at City Hall, 145 West Broad St. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.

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JOURNAL COMMUNITY

Students to have more options under charter school law

Law allows charter school students to participate in extracurricular activities at school they would have attended

By CINDY LANDRUM | staff

May 18

TERRY PILCH / CONTRIBUTING

South Carolina law will no longer force some of the state’s middle and high school students to choose between academics and athletics – attending a charter school that could better meet their educational needs versus a traditional public school that offers their sport.

“This says we are not going to punish children who don’t go into traditional public schools by denying them access to athletics and things that they should automatically have the ability to do,” Gov. Nikki Haley said during a bill-signing ceremony Monday at Greenville Tech Charter High, one of the state’s most successful charter schools.

The state’s new charter school law allows charter school students to participate in extracurricular activities at the traditional public school they otherwise would attend, if the sport or activity is not offered at their charter school.

The law has been nearly four years in

the making.

At the 2008 YMCA Youth in Government model legislature program, Noah LaBelle, then a Langston Charter Middle School student, introduced a bill to allow charter school students to play for the high school sports teams they otherwise would be zoned for.

The bill caught the attention of some state legislators.

The new law also allows single-gender charter schools, authorizes colleges and universities to sponsor charter schools without going through a local school district or the state charter school district, and fines school districts that don’t release money to charter schools on time.

State officials expect the law to increase the number of charter schools in the state, but aren’t sure by how many.

State Education Superintendent Mick Zais, who attended the signing, said he hopes the new law will increase the number of charter schools operated by the state’s 31 colleges and universities that

Gov. Nikki Haley, seated, signs a bill at Greenville Tech Charter High, watched by (from left) Principal Fred Crawford, state Reps. Garry Smith and Phil Owens, and state Education Superintendent Mick Zais.

have teacher education programs.

“The problem with the traditional model of teacher education programs is that students spend three and a half years on campus and one semester in the classroom,” he said. “By having charter schools sponsored by colleges and universities, the classroom experience could be the central focus, not a tack-on.”

Zais has made increasing school choice his top issue.

“One thing that every parent knows

is that while every child is special, every child is different,” he said. “Yet our traditional school model puts every child in the same classroom, expects them to learn the same material in the same way on the same schedule. Should we be surprised that that doesn’t work for some children?”

Greenville Tech Charter High Principal Fred Crawford said he has had a handful of students each year not attend his school because it did not offer the sport they wanted to play.

“It’s a little unfair to ask a student to make the choice between academics and athletics,” he said.

Some public school district officials have expressed concern that they’ll have to pay for coaches to coach students they don’t get money for and that charter school students could take a spot on a team that otherwise would go to a student who attends the school.

Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.

360 º H e a lt H e d u c at i o n

Guyology: Just the Facts Sun., May 20 • 3-4:30 p.m. • Patewood Medical Campus This program for boys in 5th and 6th grade helps ease the transition into puberty through open discussion about growth and development. Fee: $50/parent and son. To register, visit the events page at girlology.com. (note name) Prepping for Pregnancy Tues., May 22 • 6:30 p.m. • Patewood Memorial Hospital GHS gynecologists from Piedmont OB/GYN will discuss being in the best health possible before pregnancy and ways to reduce complications and prevent birth defects. Free; registration required.

Meet the Midwife Thurs., May 24 • Noon-1 p.m. • Patewood Memorial Hospital Learn about GHS’ nurse-midwifery program and how a midwife can enhance the birthing process. Light refreshments provided.

Free; registration required.

you can do about them. Free; registration required. Call 1-800-901-9206; use code 76464.

Men’s Health Week Tues., June 12 • Noon-1 p.m. • Caine Halter YMCA Join urologist Patrick Springhart, M.D., for a discussion on prostate health. Lunch provided. Free; registration required.

Facts About Brain and Bone Cancers Tues., June 19 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. • Greenville Memorial Hospital Bring lunch and join medical oncologist Jeff Edenfield, M.D., to learn about these cancers. Free; registration required.

To register, for more information or to see a full schedule of events, visit ghs.org/360healthed or call 1-877-GHS-INFO (447-4636).

Rheumatoid Arthritis Answers Wed., May 30 • 10:30-11:30 a.m. • GHS Life Center® GHS rheumatologist Gulzar Merchant, M.D., will identify symptoms and challenges of rheumatoid arthritis and what 120396

MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 11

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Awards come during Converse’s push to expand academic program Students win 4 Fulbrights, 2 Goldwaters in the past 4 years

By Cindy Landrum | staff

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Before Converse College started to focus on providing students more opportunities abroad as a part of its larger goal of increasing the school’s academic profile, the last time one of its students won the prestigious international Fulbright Award, John F. Kennedy was president and Johnny Carson just started his stint as host of “The Tonight Show.”

When recent graduate Meagan Kusek won the Fulbright teaching assistantship, she became the fourth Converse student or alumna to receive the prestigious international award in the last four years.

Another Converse student, rising senior Lindsay Eller of Spartanburg, won honorable mention in the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship competition, an award established by Congress in 1986 for undergraduate students studying science, math or engineering.

“It is becoming, I hope, a tradition,” said Dr. Eddie Woodfin, an associate professor of history who recruits and advises Converse’s Fulbright applicants.

Dr. Jeff Barker, the school’s vice president of academic affairs, said having students win awards such as the Fulbright and Goldwater is important because it helps the school raise its academic profile and allows it to compete with elite colleges and larger research universities for the best students.

“But most of all, it is important for our students,” he said. “People ask, ‘Is college worth it, and what value does it add to life?’ This allows our students to experience cultures and ideas other than their own. That is valuable.”

Kusek, a creative and professional writing major who also studied German, Chinese and studio art, will spend the next year in Germany. She will serve

Lindsay Eller, left, and Meagan Kusek.

as a Fulbright English teaching assistant and work on a novel based on Norse and Germanic mythology.

“This is the highest level of cultural exchange,” Woodson said. “If we want to prepare our students, we have to prepare them for a very international world. This is the absolute top-flight, top-drawer exposure to the world.”

Kusek’s father began teaching her German expressions when she was in kindergarten.

“If I learned anything during the decision and application process, it was that the study and teaching of language was more important to me than I had realized, and it inspired me to think that maybe foreign language would be something I’d like to study in graduate school,” she said. “I hope to be able to use the year in Germany to find myself and my calling.”

Eller, a double major in biochemistry and psychology who plans to become a physician, decided to study psychology after she realized that those who provide the best patient care understand how people feel and what compels their actions.

Last summer, she won an internship to conduct research on juvenile diabetes with the Herman Wells Center for Pediatric Research at the Indiana University Medical School.

Eller plans to attend medical school and pursue research for developing new treatments for maternal-fetal infectious diseases.

Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.

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Mary Black Foundation seeks new president

By CHarles Sowell | staff

Work should begin soon on finding a replacement for Phillip Belcher, president and CEO of the Mary Black Foundation, who will be leaving his post in August.

Belcher has accepted the position as vice president of programs at The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the Mary Black board an-

nounced last week.

The board will conduct the replacement search.

“Philip’s leadership has helped the Mary Black Foundation build upon its wonderful legacy to improve health and wellness for the people and communities of Spartanburg County,” foundation board chairwoman Doris Tidwell said.

“He has helped create a community culture for improving active living and early

childhood development that will have a lifelong effect on future generations.

While it will not be an easy task to replace Philip, we all wish him well in his opportunity for new professional and personal challenges in the Asheville area.

We would also like to convey our deepest appreciation for his many years of devoted service to the foundation.”

Belcher has worked at the foundation for more than 12 years.

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In recent years, the Mary Black Foundation has focused on early childhood development and active living.

“The Mary Black Foundation has never been stronger,” Belcher said. “We have a terrific board and staff. We have made great strides in building the organization the board envisioned when I was hired.

Our outlook for the future is bright, and the energy and ideas new leadership can bring will only make it brighter.”

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Belcher came on board at Mary Black shortly after the independent grant creating the foundation was established in 1996. The group’s work is focused on improving the health and wellness of the people in Spartanburg’s communities.

The foundation’s charter defines health and wellness broadly as complete physical, mental and social well-being. The foundation devotes the majority of its resources to efforts that address the underlying causes of poor health outcomes.

Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.

journal community

Project Rx: A River Remedy collects more than a ton of medication Project Rx: A River Remedy, a community-driven medication collection, held its fourth event, collecting 2,824 pounds of medication from Upstate residents. The event was held at 22 locations across the Upstate in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug-Take Day. The collected medication will be disposed of through secure incineration by

law enforcement, which is the most environmentally preferred method. Notables from the collected materials included medications dating back to 1971 and from as far as Germany and China. Since the inaugural event in November 2010, the semiannual medication collection events have yielded a total of 5,537 pounds of medication for safe disposal.

refreshing spring decor Crafting these recycled glasses and carafe provides work for many of the poorest people around Cochabamba. At Crisil Srl., a family owned business, a master glassblower leads a team of craftspeople producing glassware.

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MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 15

JOURNAL COMMUNITY PRESENTS

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16 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | MAY 18, 2012

OUR COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS

Spartanburg School District 7 has announced the recipients of the 2012 Support Staff Member of the Year awards. Front row: Debra Scharff, Mary H. Wright; Charles Brannon, McCracken Middle; Linda Cooper, Pine Street; James Fitzgerald, Transportation; Susan Lueck, E.P. Todd; Elizabeth Marshall, Jesse Boyd. Second row: Wayne Blakely, Transportation; Denise Thomas, McCarthy Teszler; Amelia Senn, Cleveland; Teresa McKennedy, District Support & Operations Center; Kellie DiSario, Freshman Academy; Lacresha Littlejohn, McCarthy Teszler. Third row: Pam Hogan, District Administration Office; Karen Meadows-Rogers, SHS; Vera Gossett, McCarthy Teszler. Back row: Michael Drummond, Houston; Mary Loftis, Early Learning Center at Park Hills; Carolyn Littlejohn, Transportation; Marie O’Dell, Chapman; Kenneth Tillerson, Carver Middle.

On Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., animal lovers will gather for Bark At The Park, the Rail Tail Dog Park’s grand opening celebration. The event will feature local vendors, face painting, raffle prizes, informative demonstrations and a Top Dog Contest on the Take-A-Bow-Wow Stage. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at noon. Bark At The Park is free and open to the public; however, attendees are encouraged to make a donation through Partners For Active Living. Proceeds from the event will support the dog park. The Rail Tail Dog Park is located on Union Street, directly across from the Duncan Park entrance, and can be accessed from the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail. For more information about Bark At The Park, contact Leah Anderson at eventsbyanderson@gmail.com.

Children in Spartanburg will be able to explore their career dreams while highlighting the importance of early education with the Mobile Learning Adventure, an interactive traveling exhibit that will take place under two bright-orange tents at the Chapman Cultural Center on May 22 and 23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The hands-on exhibit for children up to age 5 offers educational games on two touch-screen kiosks. Activities include the “When I Grow Up” station, where kids dress up as different professionals and have their pictures superimposed on an appropriate background. The exhibit, sponsored by the PNC Foundation, is free and open to the public and is locally partnered with the Spartanburg Science Center. Call 864-583-2777 for more information.

On June 2 at 8 a.m., the first annual Pedal for PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services) cycling event will roll out of Lake Robinson in Greer. Join Finish-Strong.org in helping support PAALS, a nonprofit service dog organization. Cyclists can choose between a 53-mile SAG-supported course engaging in four climbs; a 25-mile SAG supported course; and a fivemile course that will have ride leaders supporting the cyclists.

The five-mile course can be ridden multiple times. Suggested donations are $20 per rider or $35 per family. Register online at www.helpmeredith.com or www.finish-strong.org.

Saturday at The Seay House will be held May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Seay House, Spartanburg’s oldest standing home, is located at 106 Darby Road. This home showcases the dwelling of a local farmstead managed and maintained by three maiden Seay sisters in the late 1800s. Visit www.spartanburghistory.org, email seayhouse@spartanburghistory.org, or call 864-596-3501 for more information.

More than 11,000 South Carolina students, including 100 percent of the students at Chapman High School, pledged to wait until they are not behind the wheel to send text messages.

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading killer of young people. In large part, this is due to two factors: inexperience and distraction. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Subway restaurants kicked off the W8 2 TXT (Wait to Text) campaign in January. High school students were encouraged to take the W8 2 TXT pledge online at www.w82txtpledge.com.

From left, Kathryn Kohara, Kate Gerrald, Nichole Buchanan, Genna-Jo Parker, Jennifer Bartlett and April Dickard.

The Junior League of Spartanburg recently presented its 2011-2012 annual awards to exceptional members for their service both in the League and in the community.

Kathryn Kohara was presented the Presidential Award/ Member of the Year. April Dickard was the recipient of the Mary Flowers Scott Smith Award for Community Service.

The Project Development Committee was awarded the JLS Team Award. Committee members included: GennaJo Parker, chair; Nichole Buchanan, vice chair; Jennifer Bartlett; Andrea Saunders; and Melissa Washburn. Kate Gerrald received the Provisional of the Year Award. Dr. Margaret Hindman was named Sustainer of the Year. Elizabeth Kistler received the Sustainer of the Year Award for Contributions to the Junior League of Spartanburg.

AFL, an international fiber optics company headquartered in Duncan, concluded its 2012 United Way campaign last week. The company’s associates set a new record in giving this year collectively pledging $111,000 to the United Way of the Piedmont. The gift exceeded both AFL’s campaign goal of $100,000 and its gift of $90,000 to the United Way of the Piedmont in 2011.

If you are sponsoring a community event, we want to share your news. Submit entries to: Spartanburg Journal, Community Briefs, 148 River St., Suite 120, Greenville, SC 29601 or e-mail: spartanburgcommunity@thespartanburgjournal.com.

Journal business

Efforts intensify to water down Dodd-Frank Act

Upstate capacitor manufacturers thwart smugglers

By Dick Hughes | contributor

KEMET and AVX create supply chain in Congo for conflict-free ore

By Dick Hughes | contributor

Tantalum continued on page 18

Photo courtesy of avx

Global capacitor manufacturers KEMET and AVX are leading an international initiative to keep your smartphone free of a mineral exploited by smugglers and armed militias intent on wreaking murderous havoc in Central Africa.

The two Upstate companies are the world’s largest producers of capacitors made from tantalum, a mineral favored by electronics makers for its capacity to store high levels of energy in a small space and efficiently release it as you tap away.

If your cellphone has lots of bells and whistles and enormous capacity, it probably has a capacitor made with about 40 to 50 milligrams of the mineral. Video game consoles, laptops, receivers, TVs – indeed, all electric devices – have capacitors, though not all are made of tantalum.

However, those that are number in the billions, making tantalum a crucial ingredient for the

Miners dig coltan by hand at AVX’s conflict-free mine at Luba in Katanga Province. The area has rich deposits close to the surface.

KEMET and AVX have embraced a provision in the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform act that would require publicly traded companies to disclose if they are using materials in their products that are susceptible to exploitation to fund civil and criminal unrest.

KEMET and AVX, the world’s leading makers of tantalum capacitors, widely used in smartphones, have working supply systems that guarantee all of their minerals are conflict-free.

Industries that use tin, copper, gold and other minerals in their products are trying to eviscerate or eliminate the Dodd-Frank provision as it makes its way through rule-making at the Securities and Exchange Commission, KEMET and AVX officials said.

Provision 1502 of Dodd-Frank puts responsibility on the SEC to require publicly traded companies to report if “conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining nations are used in their products.

“The tin guys, the copper guys, Dodd-frank continued on page 19

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JOURNAL BUSINESS TANTALUM continued from PAGE 17

electronics industry – and a danger. The United Nations reports that millions of people, mainly civilians, have been killed, maimed and displaced in conflicts funded by ill-gotten coltan, the ground source of tantalum, and even more so by gold and other valuable minerals looted from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the mineral-rich DRC, smugglers and opportunistic neighboring countries have managed to exploit with impunity a primitive supply chain to fund militias and criminal gangs for indiscriminate civil wars and illicit profit.

In 2007, when humanitarian groups attacked the mobile phone industry for irresponsible sourcing of material, image-sensitive companies such as Motorola, Nokia and Sony boycotted tantalum from the DRC, creating an economic crisis where coltan was mined and causing even greater unrest.

Adding to the pressure, the 2010 DoddFrank financial reform act requires pub-

AVX AT A GLANCE Annual Revenue:

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worldwide, 1,200 U.S. • Facilities in United States, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Israel and France • Traded on NYSC as AVX • Founded in 1977; based in Fountain Inn

John S. Gilbertson, CEO and president of AVX

• Subsidiary of Kyocera Corp. of Japan *Revenue and income as of fiscal year ended 3/30/2011

KEMET AT A GLANCE Annual Revenue:

$985 million* Net Income: $7 million Employees:

10,400 worldwide • Traded on NYSE as KEM • Founded 1919 as division of Union Carbide, divested in 1987

Per-Olof Loof, CEO and president of KEMET

• Facilities in Europe, Mexico, China, Indonesia and United States • Based in Simpsonville

*Revenue and income as of fiscal year ended 3/31/2012

18 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | MAY 18, 2012

Per Olof-Loof, chief executive officer of KEMET, center, in reflective vest, visited the site of a conflictfree mine in Kisengo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before he would sign off on a contract.

ploitation and market manipulation.

“The last thing the traders wanted to participate in was anything that involved transparency and traceability,” said Millman.

Both companies decided take direct control, buying only from mines willing to undergo rigorous conflict-free audits, compensate workers fairly through cooperatives, pay government taxes, reinvest in the mines and villages and follow strict rules for “bagging and tagging” ore.

“These mining materials are bag-bybag recorded by government officials at the site, and they take their rightful taxes at that point,” explained Millman. “Now the government has skin in this game.

They can see a revenue stream of taxation, so they invest in security.”

Working conditions have also improved. In the traditional system, Millman said agents of the traders “would go out with cash in their pockets and negotiate on a miner-by-miner basis. They would beat the price back to the very lowest level: ‘Do you want your cash for food today or don’t you?’”

AVX and KEMET, working with the concession-holders of the mines, added mechanization to increase production without destroying the livelihoods of the hand-miners.

“The jobs are set up so everyone gets paid every day based on the total output versus what an individual effort might produce,” Persico explained.

He said KEMET will spend $150,000 annually, “which is a lot of money in the DRC, for sustainable projects on the ground, which includes schools, medical clinics, wells with clean water, solar street lighting … teaching them to be self-sufficient from an agrarian perspective.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF AVX

F/T Employees: 11,200

licly traded companies to publicly disclose what materials in their products came from conflict-affected areas in Central Africa. AVX and KEMET were taking steps to address the issue well before that legislation was passed.

“In 2009, we started exploring how to get around effectively what is an embargo of material from the DRC and bring back into the supply chain validated conflictfree material,” said Peter Collis, vice president for AVX Tantalum. Collis and William Millman, technical and quality director, were interviewed by phone from their United Kingdom office.

Rather than dealing with the problem, many international corporations simply walked away, making matters on the ground worse, AVX and KEMET officials said.

“When the trade dropped by 70 or 80 percent, you had a large number of artisanal miners who had no income, and they started to drift into the towns. They drifted into the militias. They were going to survive no matter what. There was an awful lot of social disruption that was caused by the embargo.”

Choosing to “responsibly engage,” Millman spent two years working with international agencies, federal and regional governments in the DRC and electronics manufacturers to replace the supply chain that was easy and profitable to exploit.

This spring, AVX delivered the world’s first validated conflict-free tantalum capacitors with minerals from a certified conflict-free mine in the DRC’s Katanga region and smelted into tantalum in China by a smelter certified to process conflict-free ore only.

KEMET also was involved “very early on,” despite being warned “not to get involved in the Congo, that it was fraught with opportunity for failure,” said Daniel Persico, KEMET’s vice Daniel Persico, president for strategic KEMET’s vice presimarketing and business dent for strategic marketing and busidevelopment. ness development “Our answer was if we don’t do this, we have people in the Congo whose livelihoods were taken away from them, and we have an opportunity to put their livelihoods back together. No. 2, we have an opportunity to take a leading place in the industry by saying this is the way it needs to be done,” he said.

Both companies quickly discovered that the indigenous system of multiple layering of traders and speculators – from the point artisanal workers get hired to dig ore to the point the ore is smelted – had become a sieve for smuggling, worker ex-

A tribal dancer entertains AVX visitors who led initiative to create a conflict-free mine.

Millman said AVX made clear from the outset “that we would pay world-market price for the materials. We wanted to send a message to the world that our interest was not to facilitate low price material from Africa because of the working conditions.”

Both companies found that by eliminating middlemen, costs are lower or neutral even as they pour more money into improving and upgrading working conditions and investing in preserving security of the conflict-free supply chain from start to finish.

“We paid world price to the trader, and in that regard nothing has changed,” said Millman. “The difference was with the trader, the profits went into a Swiss bank account and now it goes back into reinvestment on the ground in changing the artisanal mining into a semi- industrial one.”

Another major benefit, said Persi-

journal business

GOS cal? o L y u S ot B Why N ales President, GO Charles

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Artisanal miners dig coltan, the ore containing tantalum, by hand in a conflict-free mine in the Democratic Republic. Photo: Solutions for Hope, Motorola Solutions

Dodd-frank continued from page 17

the gold guys are all very shy with this, but the tantalum industry said there is no point in waiting and waiting for clarification of the SEC rules,” said Peter Collis, vice president of AVX’s tantalum division. “Our customers are telling us they demand this.”

Daniel Persico, KEMET’s vice president of strategic marketing and business development, points out that the act does not require industries to be conflict-free, only to report if they are not.

“There are a lot of people with their heads in the sand hoping that 1502 goes away, frankly,” he said. “1502 is not going away. I suspect it will get watered down, and that is unfortunate because it will be saying it is not

We wanted to send a message to the world that our interest was not to facilitate low price material from Africa because of the working conditions.”

William Millman, technical and quality director for AVX

“Tantalum was not the funder of conflict,” said AVX’s Collis. “It is gold.”

Nongovernment humanitarian organizations “highlighted phones because they were so ubiquitous, but actually there is 10 times more value of gold in the mobile phone than tantalum, but we didn’t spend time pointing at others. We got on with it.”

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ thespartanburgjournal.com.

as important as it really is.

“The other industries are well behind because they see this as a cost rather than an opportunity to do the right thing. For us, it is about doing the right thing.”

With support and some prodding from cellphone makers, KEMET and AVX are well beyond what DoddFrank requires by creating a closedpipe supply chain that guarantees that tantalum is conflict-free, and they have done so with adding cost.

“Our point is the humanitarian and economic interests can live side by side,” said Persico.

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes @thespartanburgjournal.com.

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co, is by taking “all the speculators out of the picture,” KEMET will cut from 300 to 150 days the time it takes to turn raw ore out of a mine into a completed capacitor.

While KEMET and AVX are “addressing it a little differently, it is important we are both addressing it for the right reasons,” Persico said. “It is important they are successful, also.”

With the two companies on the same page, they set the standard for other producers and ensure the electronics industry of a reliable supply of conflictfree tantalum from the DRC. Said Persico, “We require hundreds of thousands of pounds. AVX requires hundreds of thousands of pounds. You could throw a blanket over AVX and KEMET, which are the largest in the world.”

While they have created a model of how to do it, there is no guarantee your smartphone is free of minerals from conflict-funded sources because the capacitor industry is the only one that has taken concrete action to ensure its materials are out of reach of smugglers who sell to armed groups.

You're worth knowing.

Subject to credit approval. Other conditions apply.

MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 19

journal business

The quarterly report

The state of the upstate’s bottom line

Profits Down, Expansion Up

KEMET Corp., the Simpsonville-based global maker of capacitors, reported decreases in revenue and net income in fiscal 2012.

The company said net sales for the 12 months ending March 31 were $984.8 million, 3.3 percent lower than last year. Net income of $6.7 million, or 13 cents per share, was down from $63 million, or $1.22 cents per share.

For the fourth quarter, net sales were $211 million compared to $261 million in the comparable quarter a year ago. KEMET had a fourth quarter loss of $11.7 million.

Per Olof Loof, chief executive officer, said the company anticipated that a “distribution channel inventory rebalancing would continue to have impact on our financial results.” He said efforts “to secure certain materials in our supply chain have been successful and will reduce our operating costs later this fiscal year.”

The company also said it has incurred costs as a result of restructuring of its manufacturing operations in Europe, and a charge of $15.8 million was related to the KEMET’s tantalum division, which has completed a closed pipe for conflict-free tantalum from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Pending regulatory approvals, KEMET will do a phased purchase of NEC Tokin. In the first phase, KEMET will acquire 34 percent of the Japanese company for $50 million and 49 percent for another $50 million in the second step.

“The third and final stake to increase our equity ownership to 51 percent, giving us 100 percent ownership, will be based on multiple performances at that time,” Loof told analysts, according to an Alpha transcript.

“Ever since I joined KEMET, I have felt that without a real presence in Japan we cannot truly call ourselves global,” he said.

KEMET also recently acquired Blue Powder, which gave it a tantalum smelter in Carson City, Nev., to complete its vertical supply chain of conflict-free minerals from the DRC, and it bought Cornell Dubilier’s aluminum foil manufacturing facility in Knoxville, Tenn.

20 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

The fine print by dick hughes

TD Call Center En Route

TD Bank has taken its first announced steps to move office workers to the $90-million Greenville I-85 complex it purchased for a song when it acquired the troubled South Financial Group, parent of Carolina First.

The bank told 200 workers at a call center in Springfield, Mass., last week that their jobs were being moved to Greenville in December. The news was first reported by the Boston Globe and confirmed by TD. The number of jobs projected from closing the Springfield facility is a fraction of the “more than 1,600” jobs that TD promised to put into the three buildings. The bank is getting state financial incentives to create the new jobs in Greenville.

“The Greenville corporate office space gives us an opportunity to improve overall efficiency and maximize the office space that we inherited through the acquisition,” TD spokesman Jimmy Hernandez said.

TD Bank, a division of Toronto-Dominion Financial, obtained the complex virtually for free when it acquired all the Carolina and Florida assets of TSFG in a transaction valued at $61 million in 2010.

The complex cost TSFG just under $90 million and was intended to be its corporate headquarters. Two office buildings comprise 300,000 square feet of office space, and the center building, which TSFG did not complete, has 40,000 square feet. The buildings meet LEED sustainability standards. The complex sits on 62 acres.

Construction began in March 2006, when TSFG was growing rapidly.

The office buildings were largely completed in 2009 when the bank, then under great financial stress, said it would not move into the new buildings.

It was put up for sale.

After TD acquired TSFG, it put marketing on hold. With great fanfare on Nov. 16, Bharat Masrani, president and CEO of the bank, Gov. Nikki Haley

JOURNAL BUSINESS

and local and county officials announced that TD would occupy the buildings.

TD said it is spending $17.1 million for renovation of the three buildings to make them more appropriate for back-office operations.

Bank Links Georgia to Carolinas

The holding company of Park Sterling Bank, which gained a foothold in the Upstate with acquisition of Community Capital in Greenwood, has agreed to purchase Citizens South Banking of Gastonia, N.C., for $77.8 million.

The acquisition, if approved by shareholders and regulators, will strengthen Park Sterling’s position in the Charlotte, N. C., metropolitan area, and it gives the bank the holdings in Georgia that Citizens South acquired when it picked up failed New Horizons Bank of East Ellijay in a deal with the FDIC. Under terms of the agreement to sell to Park Sterling, Citizens South shareholders can choose to receive $7 per share in cash or for 1.4799 in Park Sterling shares for each Citizens South share. The deal stipulates, however, that only 30 percent of the transaction be paid in cash.

At $7 per share, Citizens South shareholders are being offered a 40 percent premium over the value of their stock as of Friday’s closing. About 11.5 million shares are outstanding.

Purchase price excludes $20.5 million in preferred stock Citizens South sold to the U.S. Treasury.

James C. Cherry, chief executive officer of Park Sterling, said the acquisition will make Park Sterling “the largest community banking franchise in the very desirable Charlotte-Gastonia market.

The addition of Citizens South’s assets will boost Park Sterling’s total assets to $2.4 billion and create a network of 45 branches in the Carolinas and North Georgia.

Citizens South, which was founded in Gastonia in 1904, has 21 branches in North Carolina and Georgia and one in York County, S.C. It reported a loss of $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2012, and it lost $1.3 million in 2011. Park Sterling had a profit of $1.7 million in the first quarter.

Because it received financial assistance in the acquisition of Horizon Bank in Georgia, additional regulatory approval will be needed from the FDIC.

Real Estate Continues Upward Climb

The real estate market in Greater Greenville and Spartanburg continued its slow recovery in April.

Compared to a year ago, sales of homes, including condos, in Greenville were up 4.2 percent for the month and 10.9 percent for the quarter. Realtors reported selling 606 homes in April, 10 fewer than last month but 24 more than April 2011.

The median price rose 3.9 percent to $140,312 from a year ago. Also encouraging, average days between listing and sale fell from 116 to 107.

In Spartanburg, home sales were up 1 percent for the month and 15 percent for the quarter. Realtors sold 209 homes in April, 53 fewer than in March when sales were strong.

The median price dropped by 0.8 percent to $115,000 and days on the market rose 14.2 percent to 179.

According to South Carolina Realtors, sales were down 1.3 percent but pending sales were up 10.9 percent from a year ago, and the median price of sold homes was up 3 percent to an average of $146,000.

It is still very much a buyers’ market, despite recent trends in inventory decline.

The number of residential properties on the market fell 16 percent to an 11.5-month supply for single-family homes and 12.6 months for condos. Most realtors believe inventory has to get down to around a seven-month supply for a market balance between buyers and sellers.

“Favorable supply-demand trends may be ticking away from the buyer for the first time in years,” said South Carolina Realtors.

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Correction: An item in last week’s Fine Print misspelled the name of George Wolfe, the presidentelect of the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association. The Journal regrets the error.

MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG JOURNAL 21

journal sketchbook

Journal Sketchbook Wofford features art from 2 family members in 2 campus galleries

By Cindy Landrum | staff

AVAILABLE MAY 8TH

Artwork by Roxi Tolbert, the grandniece of Julia Elizabeth Tolbert. Wofford will host an exhibition by the two family members in the Sandor Teszler Library Gallery and the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery.

Julia Elizabeth Tolbert worked with many of the South’s premier artists, but her own art is largely unknown.

Wofford College’s Oakley Coburn, the school’s dean of the library and director of cultural events, wants to help change that through a current and future exhibition of her watercolors, oil paintings, drawings, prints and ceramics.

“From family histories, she evidently wasn’t very interested in selling or showing her work,” he said. “She didn’t care much about money; certainly she didn’t care about framing, often re-using salvaged frames. We hope that this collection, as we restore and present in this and future exhibitions, will let her become better known.”

A fraction of the nearly 300 works given to Wof-

Another performance of Lion King added AVAILABLE MAY 15TH

The Actors Fund to benefit from extra show

By Cindy Landrum | staff

22 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

regular box-office prices that range from $32.50 to $135.

The added performance will benefit The Actors Fund, a national human services organization that helps those working in performing arts and entertainment with such necessities as social services and emergency assistance, health care and insurance, lion king continued on page 23

photo courtesy of Disney

Upstate residents will have one more chance to see what undoubtedly will be the area’s biggest Broadway production ever.

A special performance of the Disney blockbuster musical “The Lion King” has been scheduled for Thursday, June 21, at 2 p.m.

Tickets for the special performance are on sale at

Sydnee Winters and the lionesses perform in “The Lion King.”

journal sketchbook

photo courtesy of Disney

ford by the Tolbert family in 2011 are on display in the Sandor Teszler Library Gallery on campus.

An exhibition of work

by Tolbert’s grandniece Roxi Tolbert is hanging in the school’s Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery.

Both exhibitions run through June 1.

Julia Elizabeth Tolbert studied under Lamar Dodd, the man for whom the University of Georgia’s School of Art is named, who was known for his paintings of the South.

While there, she was a colleague of Reuben Gambrell, the man who received the first master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Georgia and whose collection is housed at the South Carolina State Museum.

Tolbert’s paintings are included in the permanent collections at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston and the University of Georgia Hargreth Archives in Augusta, Ga. Tolbert was active as an artist through the 1940s and into the mid-1950s, when physical challenges including progressive myopia and an essential tremor limited her ability to see and to control brushes.

Tolbert, who taught art at Lander College and the University of Georgia, was active in national politics when she was a young adult.

Her father was the leader of the Republican Party in South Carolina until his death in 1946.

Adam Jacobs and the ensemble perform in “The Lion King.”

Artwork by Julia Elizabeth Tolbert

lion king continued from page 22

But Tolbert is only one of a line of talented artists in the family.

Recent paintings by her grandniece Roxi Tolbert, now a doctoral student at Kent State, are on exhibit in the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery on the Wofford campus.

“Both artists are products of their time in history,” Coburn said.

Julia Elizabeth Tolbert’s work is for the most part representational.

Often the skies are moody and in turmoil, but sometimes the sunlit images work in striking contrast to the darker scenes, he said.

Coburn said Roxi Tolbert shares some of the same schools of influence as her great-aunt, but her works reflects a much more contemporary aesthetic. Coburn said Roxi Tolbert’s work could be described as essentially expressionistic with a little attempt at photo-realism.

“She seems to imbue the

Julia Elizabeth Tolbert, ca. 1934

paintings with a sense of mystery, or of storytelling, as if the viewer is arriving nearly at the instant of something about to happen,” Coburn said.

Joseph McJunkin Tolbert, Julia Elizabeth Tolbert’s grandnephew, had an exhibition at Wofford last year that the artist described as “punk rococo.”

Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@ thespartanburgjournal.com.

housing and employment, and training services.

“The Lion King” will play in Greenville for four weeks beginning June 12.

Peace Center officials say ticket sales for the 33-show run have been “very brisk” but that tickets are still available for all performances, although some shows are nearing sell-outs.

Peace Center officials said ticket buyers’ best bet for securing the best seats will be weekday performances and during the week of July 1 through 6.

Peace Center officials said the only way to guarantee the authenticity of a ticket is to purchase it from the Peace Center Box Office, the only authorized ticket seller for the production.

The Peace Center expects “The Lion King” to be its biggest Broadway show ever.

Blockbuster multi-week Broadway shows fill hotel rooms and pack restaurants with out-of-town and out-of-state guests paying accommodations and local sales

taxes that support other festivals and arts events.

“Wicked,” the last multi-week blockbuster Broadway show to come to the Peace Center, is a good example.

There were 24 performances of “Wicked” and more than 98 percent of the 48,864 available tickets were sold, generating more than $4 million in ticket sales alone.

More than half the tickets were sold to households outside of Greenville County.

Fourteen percent of tickets were sold to households with out-of-state addresses. While more than half of those households were from North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, households with addresses as far away as Washington State ordered tickets. Ticket buyers came from 46 of the 50 states.

Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum @thespartanburgjournal.com.

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journal sketchbook

scene. here.

the week in the local arts world

The Music Foundation of Spartanburg presents Music Sandwiched In featuring Mark Guest on Wednesday, May 23, 12:15-1 p.m. in the Barrett Room at the Library Headquarters in downtown Spartanburg. Bring your lunch or buy a box lunch from Panera. Returning artist Mark Guest, an Asheville-based jazz guitarist, will perform several jazz selections. For more information, call 542-ARTS. The Spartanburg County Historical Association presents Spartanburg History Hub on Thursday, May 24, 7-8 p.m. in the West Wing conference room at the Chapman Cultural Center. Dr. Tracy Power, Coordinator of the South Carolina Historical Marker Program, will share the process of reviewing, researching and revising marker texts as proposed by sponsoring organizations. He will also show historic images of register sites. He is co-coordinator of the National Register of Historic Places Program and will answer questions. This event is appropriate for all ages, and admission is free. For more information, call 542-ARTS. The Mike Vatalaro: Emerging Works/Ancient Roots exhibit continues until June 2 in the Spartanburg Art Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mike Vatalaro is a former chairman of the art department at Clemson University. His ceramic work has been exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions, and reflects a serious interest in both Japanese and Chinese ceramic historical periods. This exhibit of lidded pottery jars and other ceramics is appropriate for all ages. Admission to the museum is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children, $2.50 for college students and $7 per family. For more information, call 542-ARTS.

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GAMES THIS WEEKEND Drive vs. West Virginia Power 24 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

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journal sketchbook

The Spartanburg County Historical Association will present Lunch and Learn Spartanburg on Friday, May 25, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the West Wing conference room at the Chapman Cultural Center. Cost is $5, attendees are invited to bring their lunch and the event is for all ages. Various speakers present pieces of Spartanburg’s history each month. This month, Dr. Vivian Fisher, retired chair of the English department at Wofford College and author of “Hampton Heights of Spartanburg: Its History, Houses, and People,” will share the process of the book’s development and publication. For more information, call 542-ARTS. As part of Spartanburg’s Jam in the Park on Sunday, May 20, 1-7 p.m., there will be a Reading Jam in the Park. In addition to live music by Rachel Chalmers, Snidely Sidewinder & The Unrepentant Uke Boys, Local Honey, (M)ilgrim’s 27, Zataban and The Consumers, the Spartanburg County Library will be there collecting gently used books for the Friends of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries’ new bookstore, Pages on Pine. Folks will be able to sign up for a Library Card, (bring a picture I.D. and proof of your current address to get a card.), learn about the upcoming Summer Reading programs and tour the Bookmobile. There will also be storytelling sessions for the children. For more information, call 864-266-3033.

The Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg presents an art exhibit by painter Amy Holbein and photographer Patty Wright, May 1-28, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.5p.m. in the Guild Gallery at the Chapman Cultural Center. Admission is free and the exhibit is appropriate for all ages. For more information, call 542-ARTS. The Showroom at HUB-BUB presents a special evening with author Doro-

thea Benton Frank on Thursday, June 14, 7-9 p.m. She is touring in support of her new book, “Porch Lights” and will talk about the new book and her writing life.

Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times best-selling author of “Lowcountry Summer,” “Return to Sullivans Island,” “Bulls Island,” “The Land of Mango Sunsets,” “The Christmas Pearl,” and more.

The $30 ticket includes a signed copy of the book. This event will be limited to 150 people. You may purchase one companion ticket with your $30 ticket. Call 864-582-0056 or visit www.hub-bub.com for more information and tickets.

“Low Tide,” by Joseph Ambuhl.

Marvin Hamlisch, one of the world’s greatest living composers, will perform at Spartanburg’s Chapman Cultural Center on Tuesday, June 26, at 8 p.m. as a benefit for The Spartanburg Little Theatre. As a composer, Hamlisch has won three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globe awards. He has written music for Broadway shows like “A Chorus Line,” “They’re Playing Our Song,” and “The Goodbye Girl” in addition to motion picture scores. Tickets are $40 ($30 for Little Theatre season members), and a complete sellout of the 500 seats is expected. Call 864542-ARTS or visit www.chapmanculturalcenter.org for information or tickets.

Send us your arts announcement. E-mail: spartanburgarts@thespartanburgjournal.com.

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712 WILLIS RD 3211 REIDVILLE RD LOT NUMBER: 4 518 BRIDLEWOOD LN 720 MOSSWOOD LN 545 HORTON GROVE RD 309 HARKINS BLUFF DR 408 LAKECREST DR 117 COLFAX DR 250 HERITAGE HILLS DR 214 WILLOW LEAF CT 268 SILVER HAWK DR 350 HARKINS BLUFF DR 680 REBA DALE CT 228 SILVER HAWK DR 418 HARBOUR VIEW DR 331 HAPPY DR 1550 COMPTON BRIDGE RD 369 SHADOW OAK CT 144 TURNSTONE LN 419 JEWELWOOD DR 502 KAVAN CT 104 SUNLINE PL 239 RIVERRUN DR 708 HOLLYWOOD ST 108 MARLIN DR 328 E CELESTIAL DR 301 WHISPERING OAKS LN 101 AARON CT 850 THACKSTON DR 867 BAYSHORE LN 108 CART DR 130 CHURCHILL AVE 391 REXFORD DR 310 BAGWELL DR 716 MISTY GLEN LN 709 TERRACE CREEK DR 212 OLD TOWNE RD 735 CANNONSBURG DR 2230 JOHN DODD RD 508 WESBERRY CIR 229 RIVER FOREST DR 109 LEE RD 308 PALMETTO CIR 252 SAINT MATTHEWS LN 212 MASON RD 215 QUEENSBURY WAY

MAY 18, 2012 | S P A R T A N B U R G J O U R N A L 27

journal sketchbook

You vs.

This Weed

the week in photos

look who’s in the journal this week The Robin Hood golf cart begins its timed run over the course of the Wofford College Terrio golf cart racecourse. The inspiration for the Wofford Terrio golf cart race was the famous Palio in Siena, Italy, the horse race that culminates in that ancient town’s central piazza.

Teams of Wofford College students and professors decorate the carts and themselves for the event, which includes prizes for the race winner and for various categories, such as “Most Witty & Awe-Inspiring Festoons,” “Best Dressed” senior male and female, “Most Flamboyant Cart” and “Most Spirit.”

The flagman waves the flag for the beginning of the Wofford Terrio golf cart race.

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28 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

Wofford College President Benjamin B. Dunlap as the Energizer Bunny, center, facilitates a discussion between Catwoman and Batman at the end of the Wofford Terrio golf cart race.

journal sketchbook

the week in photos

look who’s in the journal this week

Rose Montgomery Johnston hold a piece of the ribbon after the formal ribbon-cutting of the Montgomery Music Building.

The building, once home to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, now is the home of the Department of Music and includes classroom and rehearsal spaces as well as faculty offices.

Wofford College President Benjamin Dunlap speaks during the dedication of the school’s Montgomery Music Building.

Colin Melba, a student at Cedar Springs Academy, looks at his likeness used in the stained glass sculpture “Every Child is a Masterpiece” by artist Rhonda Newman on the lawn of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind.

The new sculpture is located across from the Dobson House on the school campus.

Wofford College President Benjamin Dunlap, right, talks with Walter Montgomery at the dedication of the Montgomery Music Building.

Workers put the finishing touches on the “piano walkway” leading to the Montgomery Music Building on Wofford College’s campus. The Montgomery Music building was recently dedicated in honor of Walter and Betty Montgomery and Rose Montgomery Johnston and their families.

A view of three of the six panels of the sculpture “Every Child is a Masterpiece.” Art enthusiasts and long-time supporters of SCSDB and The Walker Foundation, Bill and Valerie Barnet, sponsored South Carolina artist Rhonda Newman to create the six-panel mosaic sculpture. After months of drafting, planning and designing, Newman brought the project to SCSDB’s campus for three days to allow students, staff and members of the Spartanburg community to participate in the creation process. More than 50 volunteers donated their time to creating this piece.

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Gary McCraw rehearses the Wofford College band in one of the rehearsal rooms of the recently renovated and dedicated Montgomery Music Building.

Betty Montgomery speaks at the dedication of the Montgomery Music Building. The facility was dedicated to Walter and Betty Montgomery and Rose Montgomery Johnston and their families, for their lead gift for the renovation of the building.

MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 29

journal sketchbook

figure. this. out.

Insertable

By Will Nediger and Andy Kravis

U P S T A T E

DINING

See what you’ve been missing

HEADING OUT TO EAT THIS WEEKEND? NEED SOME suggestions?

Adams Bistro American Grocery Arizona’s Blockhouse Blue Ridge Brewing Company The Bohemian Brick Street Café The Brown Street Club Cafe at Williams Hardware Chophouse ‘47 CityRange Davani’s Devereaux’s Fonda Rosalinda’s Ford’s Oyster House The Galley Restaurant The Green Room Handi Indian Cuisine Hans & Franz Biergarten Harry & Jean’s John Paul Armadillo Oil Company The Lazy Goat Liberty Tap Room & Grill Mary Beth’s The Mellow Mushroom Midtown Deli Nami Asian Bistro Nantucket Seafood Grill Northampton Wine Café Nose Dive On The Border Open Hearth Steak House P. Simpson’s The Plaid Pelican Portofino’s Italian Restaurant Rick Erwin’s West End Grille Ristorante Bergamo Roman’s Macaroni Grill Runway Café Ruth’s Chris Steak House Saffron’s West End Café Sassafras Southern Bistro Smoke on the Water Soby’s New South Cuisine Stax Billy D’s Stax Omega Diner Stella’s Southern Bistro Stellar Restaurant & Wine Bar Thaicoon Ricefire &Sushi Bar The Trappe Door Travinia Italian Kitchen Trio A Brick Oven Café Yia Yia’s

Upstate UpstateFoodie .com Feed Your Inner Food Enthusiast

30 SPARTANBURG Journal | MAY 18, 2012

Across 1 Cardiovascular implants 7 “Apostrophe (‘)” album maker 12 Word with first, second or third 19 How some tapes are played 20 ‘90s sitcom bookstore owner 21 With deception 22 Where peasants work?

24 Telescope user’s aid 25 Timberland 26 Sarkozy’s state 27 Luxurious fabric 29 “The Price Is Right” action 30 Senior attachment?

31 Fireplace shelf 33 Alumni newsletter word 35 Where Jefferson can be seen 37 VW followers 38 Doughnut shape 40 Saws 42 Charcuterie fare 45 Fight organizer?

47 “Thong Song” singer 48 Puts forward 51 “Perfect! Right there!”

52 MSN alternative 53 Place to hear 51-Acrosses

54 Decides one will 55 Appointment book opening 57 Fair vis-à-vis cloudy, say 59 Loft filler 60 Ones without appointments 62 In the thick of 64 Hold water, so to speak 66 Mary Jane, e.g.

67 Telescope protector?

70 GI delinquent 73 Father of the Titans 76 Eczema symptom 77 Hand raised in support, say 80 “A Farewell to Arms” conflict, briefly 82 Nocturnal insects 84 Fall in the rankings 86 Puts on notice 87 Reservation waster 89 Green gp.

91 Clark’s “Mogambo” co-star 92 Mozart movements 93 Big yawns 94 Commercial jingle segments?

97 Many miles off 98 Sales targets 99 Inn season visits 100 Chowderhead 103 Enterprise crewman 105 Hairy TV cousin 107 Sale rack abbr.

108 Puppeteer Baird

109 One of the Books of Wisdom 111 “Cape Fear” actor 113 __ avis 115 Archipelago component 117 “Could regret this, but tell me” 119 One tending a brush fire?

122 Prince of the Tigers 123 Forearm bones 124 Prepare for a comeback tour 125 Australian brew 126 Australian gems 127 Burning Down 1 Putting on airs 2 City in NW Iran 3 Nice girls?

4 Discouraging words 5 “The Jack Pine” Canadian painter with an echoic name 6 Chic getaway 7 Citrus shaving 8 Literary middle name 9 Level of achievement 10 Treaty-signing memento 11 Additions 12 Push-up garment 13 Shenanigans 14 Displayed zero talent 15 Go astray 16 Doesn’t speak clearly?

17 Jai __

18 “Blue” TV lawmen 19 Implant, as an idea 23 Fantasy writers’ awards 28 Sweet wine with a woman’s name 32 Heavenly body 34 Novelist Ferber

36 Throw off 38 __-frutti 39 Oceanographer’s workplace 41 Shortly 43 Blue hue 44 “Twelfth Night” sir 45 One taking chances

46 Four-sided figures 47 Nursing a grudge 48 Comic strip punches 49 Aquarium beauty 50 Aimless walks around the Gateway Arch?

53 “Clever” 56 Isn’t quite perpendicular 58 Work to edit 61 Sealed 63 Render harmless, in a way 65 Winged croakers 68 See to the exit 69 Scotch choice, familiarly 71 Preminger of film 72 Minus 74 Baking entrepreneur Wally 75 “Get cracking!”

78 One with a long commute, perhaps 79 Gin berries 80 L.A. Sparks’ org.

81 Shepherd’s comment 83 Cookout aid 85 Missing something 88 Title for Brahms 90 Berry rich in antioxidants 94 Tugboats, at times 95 “CHiPs” actor 96 Watering hole 98 One issuing a citation?

100 Penetrate the mind 101 Gulf War reporter Peter 102 Father on a base 104 Slyly cutting 106 An official language of Sri Lanka 108 Knockoff 109 Sec 110 Hodgepodge 112 River originating in Cantabria 114 DH stats 116 Simple earring 118 Short order?

120 Criticize 121 Big Band __

Crossword answers: page 2

Sudoku answers: page 4

journal sketchbook

life is so daily with steve wong

A mother’s gift of gab Some people say I write good stories. Not works of fiction that start with “Once upon a time” or end with “And they lived happily ever after,” but rather short and flavorful slices of real life that I hope feed a bigger hunger than the one in my own protruding belly.

When complimented or bashed for something I wrote, I always say, “They are just words” – printed words that sometime linger in the mind like the memory of a perfect meal or the nasty aftertaste of words that just won’t get out of your head after hearing the worst news of your life. As long as these words stick with you in one fashion or other for at least a little while, I feel I’ve accomplished my task. And if you stop reading this column here and now, well, I guess I’ve failed again.

At the risk of writing to no one, I must give credit where credit is due, especially as I think about Mother’s Day. I wondered what in the world I could give an 80-year-old woman in failing health. I owe her something for passing on to me her knack for telling stories. Unlike me, Mother is verbal and can keep an audience, though I doubt that is ever her intention. She just likes to talk and the people around her like to listen to her. There really is no telling what she’ll say next.

So using words (written words) came somewhat naturally to me.

I, however, cannot finish telling a story verbally because people usually just stop listening after the first few sentences. I’ll start talking, and their eyes will go blank, they start eavesdropping on nearby conversations, and before I’m finished, poof!

They are gone. I admit it: I’m boring in person. So I keep writing in hopes of being heard.

Anyone who knows Mary Ellen Kimbrell Wong Plattenburger expects her to tell stories. By “stories” I do mean stories of the Southern euphemistic kind that sometimes pass as mountains made from mole hills or embellished little white non-truths.

To her any story worth telling is worth telling again… and again… and each time it is her God-given gift to flavor it just a little more.

To Mother, a grain of salt (truth), the twang of vinegar (a splash of exaggeration), and Texas Pete (oh, she just pulled that out of nowhere) can spice up just about any bland meal of daily living. She always serves up more than enough to feed the imaginations of those around her, and she has no qualms about stowing the leftovers for many days yet to come. You know what they say about a pot of homemade soup: It is always better the next day. You don’t want to know what clinical dietitians say about week-old liver mush sandwiches.

So this Mother’s Day, I decided to

go with a sure thing. I would visit my mother and spent an unrushed afternoon listening to her stories. I wouldn’t look at my watch as she told me about distant relatives who have married, dated, divorced, remarried and had babies out of the sequence of common decency. These would be too-colorful people with names like Dunie, Pee Wee, Borce and Papoose.

They would feign sickness, backstab, disavow, reconcile and gather at the river. I would listen, and take it all in for columns yet to be written.

But as mothers usually do, she gave me more than just the time of day – which is what I was giving her. She listened to me – actually truly listened to whatever mundane and boring things came out of my mouth. There will be no way I can compare and certainly not compete with her litany of overthe-top tales, but to her it never matters. I was there, and we were talking, having a happy Mother’s Day. Steve Wong and his wife Kathy Woodham live in Gramling, S.C., with their dogs Futar, Bella, Gus, Mattie, Baby, Samir and Dude, and an outside cat whose name he cannot remember. Their adult children, Adam and Allyn, have flown the coop. Contact Wong at Just4Wong@Gmail.com.

Journal Watchdog.

The news you want.

The answers you need.

journalwatchdog.com

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MAY 18, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 31

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