THE FUTURE OF HUB-BUB: Arts nonprofit considering
several measures to ensure sustainability.
PAGE 16
American Titanium still has big plans in Laurens and ICAR. PAGE 15
Spartanburg, S.C. • Friday, August 3 2012 • Vol.8, No.31
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT COMPANIES BRACING FOR NEW TAX. PAGE 11
FIELDS of DREAMS
Smithsonian exhibit explores America’s musical melting pot. PAGE 16
Sports tourism is showing the Upstate the money. PAGE 9
GREG BECKNER / STAFF
Pitcher Amber Kilborn with the Indiana Stingers winds up to make a pitch in a game against the Carolina Fear at Tyger River Park during the National Softball Association Girls Fast Pitch World Series. The weeklong tournament featured more than 160 Class A and B teams from 18 different states.
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71˚ can expect seasonably hot, humid “ Weweather for the first weekend in
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FRIDAY
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Isolated afternoon storms.
2 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 3, 2012
Scattered afternoon storms.
Scattered afternoon storms.
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Cohen’s
Worth Repeating They Said It
“In Los Angeles, there’s sirens all night long. And out here, it was nothing. I’ve never slept so deeply in my life.”
Shop local. It Matters.
Pam Stone, who played Judy Watkins on the TV show “Coach,” on the first night spent on her 28-acre farm in Gowensville.
Quote of the week
Thomas Sax, president and chief executive officer at American Titanium Works, on the state-of-the-art titanium plant the company intends to build in Laurens County.
BehindTheCounterONLINE.com
Greg Beckner / Staff
“This will be the most competitive, most efficient titanium mill anywhere on the planet.”
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“When you send home formula in gift bags, you’re sending double messages.” Debbie Costello, lactation consultant at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare, on the hospital’s decision to curtail the number of formula samples it distributes to news mothers.
“Sports tourism is a great way for Greenville and Spartanburg to partner together. I think we’ve got to attack sports tourism regionally.” Marcia Murff, public relations and development director for Spartanburg Parks.
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JOURNAL COMMUNITY
Pam Stone’s ride from Hollywood to turkey butts By JERRY SALLEY | staff
It didn’t take long for Pam Stone to decide on a title for her book. “I could have called it something flowery like ‘Nestled in the Blue Ridge’ or ‘Peachtree Town’ or any of that crap, but no,” she said. “I wanted it funny and I wanted it memorable.” So she went with “I Love Me a Turkey Butt Samwich.” The title comes from one of her newspaper columns, recalling her visit to the feed store down the road from her horse farm near Landrum, and a conversation about the virtues of a fried turkey-buttand-bream sandwich. Elsewhere in the book, Stone shares what it’s like to spend the night in a smalltown ER, select a jury pool from a group of citizens who all know each other, and try to sell a blow-up doll at a yard sale. It’s a long way from Los Angeles, as the book’s subtitle, “Finding a Farm Life After Hollywood,” suggests – but it’s not too far from home for Stone, who grew up in Marietta, Ga., before a career that took her from touring the country as a standup comic to seven seasons on the sitcom “Coach” to a decade as a radio host. Now, when she’s not writing her column, “I’m Just Saying,” which appears in several papers throughout the Carolinas (including the Spartanburg Herald Journal, Greer Citizen and Myrtle Beach Sun), she’s pursuing what has always been her main passion: training horses and competing in the equestrian sport of dressage. “It’s the only consistency in my whole life,”
said Stone. “I’ve never been without a horse.” In fact, Stone originally viewed her stand-up career as a way to earn extra money for riding lessons. She was working at The Punch Line in Atlanta when her fellow waitresses encouraged her to go onstage during an open-mike night. Her stand-up career took her to California in the mid-‘80s and TV appearances with Jay Leno, Joan Rivers and Oprah Winfrey. In 1993, Stone won the American Comedy Award for best female stand-up. One night, her audience at a club in Pasadena included the producers of “Coach,” who asked her to read for the part of women’s basketball coach Judy Watkins. She stayed with the show from 1989 to 1995. “I suddenly had real cash for the first time in my life, to be able to train at the level I had dreamed of,” she said. “The other women who were riding with me were driving up in their Mercedes and their Audis, and I’m still in a 10-year-old car, and I’m still shopping at Ross, because I’m spending all my money on horses.” After she left “Coach,” she knew that, as a character actress approaching 40, her prospects for future television work were slim. “I just thought, it’s time to get out,” she said. “I’ll go do what I always wanted to do, which is to train and compete in dressage. I’ll be able to do it on my own terms, in my own place.” Her sitcom earnings helped her buy
her farm, Stone’s Throw Farm Dressage, on 28 acres in Gowensville in the northeast corner of Greenville County.
Her first night there was “the first night I’d slept through the night in probably 10 years,” she remembered. “Because in Los Angeles, there’s sirens all night long. And out here, it was nothing. I’ve never slept so deeply in my life.” Which is not to say there weren’t problems at first. “The house was just horrible,” Stone said. “I don’t care what you do to an A-frame, no matter how you try to make it beautiful and charming, you’re still living in an IHOP.” When radio station WLNK (107.9 The Link) in Charlotte asked her to host a latemorning show, she agreed, but only if she could work from home. Thanks to an ISDN line, “The Pam Stone Show” originated from a self-described “Unabomber shack” on her farm for eight years, first on weekday mornings, then on weekends, earning its host two Gracie Awards for “Best Comedy Entertainment Program” along the way. Stone then co-hosted the faith-based “The
Satisfied Life” show each Sunday morning until it ended in May of this year. Meanwhile, she had started her newspaper career when the publisher of the Tryon (N.C.) Daily Bulletin asked her to write a twice-monthly column. “I’m Just Saying” made an immediate impact among Stone’s neighbors. “People started stopping me in town,” she remembered. “Forget ‘Coach,’ forget radio, forget anything I’ve ever done; all they ever wanted to talk about was that damn column.” This year, she decided to self-publish her collection, which is available for download on Amazon.com, or as a paperback in local bookstores. Her promotion tour brings her to Fiction Addiction’s Book Your Lunch series on Monday, August 6. Her new fame as a columnist is “just ridiculous,” she said. “And I’m very grateful.” And that turkey butt sandwich? “I’ve never eaten one,” she said. “I’m a vegetarian.” Contact Jerry Salley at jsalley@thespartanburgjournal.com.
SO YOU KNOW WHO: Pam Stone, author of “I Love Me a Turkey Butt Samwich” WHAT: Fiction Addiction’s Book Your Lunch series WHEN: Monday, August 6, noon-2 p.m. WHERE: Southern Fried Green Tomatoes, 1175 Woods Crossing Road, Greenville TICKETS AND INFO: www.bookyourlunch. com or 675-0540
Local hospitals ponder how to support nursing mothers Some health systems ban formula samples in take-home gift bags By APRIL A. MORRIS | staff
In July, hospitals across the state of Massachusetts joined those in Rhode Island in banning infant formula in gift bags for new mothers. Some hospitals in the Upstate have had similar policies for years, while others are working toward elimination of the practice.
4 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 3, 2012
Health care providers are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week through Aug. 8, and breast-feeding advocates say including formula in the gift bags implies endorsement of the product and may hinder a mother’s efforts to breast-feed. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that babies be exclusively breast-fed for the first six months before adding solid foods. The academy also advocates nursing for at least 12 months. Spartanburg Regional Healthcare is working to curtail the number of formula samples it distributes, said Debbie Costello, a lactation consultant.
“When you send home formula in gift bags, you’re sending double messages,” she said. Colleen Gilmore, women’s services program coordinator at Spartanburg Regional, said the bags also include educational material about the benefits of breast-feeding. “We want to provide education and information for our moms to make the best decision for their babies,” she said. “If a mom chooses to breast-feed, we will help her throughout her stay.” Beyond encouraging new mothers to breast-feed, the families must be in the know, too. Costello said. “Families want
to help out with the new baby and they think that includes feeding the baby.” There are other ways that a family can help a new mom and spend time with the baby, she said. A weekly support group helps mothers postpartum and helps to educate the family, she said. It’s been nearly four years since the Greenville Hospital System offered gift bags that included formula and coupons, says manager of women’s education Katie Howle. The hospital now gives out canvas bags with gift items like a nail file for baby, a newspaper from the day the baby was born and educational information, she said. GHS lactation consultant Lauren
Van Pelt agrees that the take-home samples could affect long-term breastfeeding. “There are many studies that show if they go home with that formula sample, if they run into a tough spot, it’s easier for them to switch to formula feeding,” she said. Removing the formula samples brings the hospital one step closer to a Baby Friendly Hospital designation, part of a World Health Organization and UNICEF initiative to support breast-feeding, Van Pelt said. Howle says this step is part of the progression of supporting new mothers. Van Pelt has worked with the hospital system for more than 20 years and has witnessed the trends. “Having lactation services at the hospital where you deliver is huge,” she said. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System also offers breast-feeding support for new mothers, and only moms who plan to formula-feed their newborns are offered formula samples, said Kelly Lambert, program manager for women’s services. The gift bags for moms were changed at the beginning of the year after about a year in the works, she said. “We support all of our moms in whatever they choose, and we are lucky; many of our moms want to breast-feed,” she said. According to a statement, the International Formula Council agrees with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations, but in regards to hospital gift bags with formula, “mothers should be trusted to make the best choices for their babies according to their life circumstances and the needs of their families.” On what can be a hot-button issue for many women, former Greenville Hospital patient Beth McKelvey takes an accepting stance. McKelvey had nursed her two older children for one year and had told her doctor and family about her desire to breast-feed her third child. However, when she had a stroke 10 days after giving birth, she lay unconscious in the neurology ward. McKelvey’s husband consented to having the staff and family work to pump milk to feed the baby until she was well enough to nurse him on her own. McKelvey said she did not mind receiving formula samples several years ago. Though breast-feeding was so important to her, she said when she opted to supplement with formula, the samples were useful in determining what type her child could tolerate without purchasing an entire supply. Contact April A. Morris at a morris@thespartanburgjournal.com.
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P A R T A N B U R G ’ S DANCE CENTER
Committed to providing the highest quality dance education in a nurturing atmosphere.
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Ballet Spartanburg’s Dance Center is in partnership with Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity the Angelina Ballerina Stars of Tomorrow Program.
© 2011 HIT Entertainment Limited
Promoting Physical Health Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity Promoting Physical HealthCreativity Building Confidence • Inspiring Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity Promoting Physical Health Promoting Physical Health Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity Promoting Physical Health Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity Building Confidence • Inspiring Creativity Promoting Physical Health Promoting Physical Health
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AUGUST 3, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 5
JOURNAL COMMUNITY
OPINION VOICES FROM YOUR COMMUNITY, HEARD HERE
FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK
Who does DUI law protect? As the Highway Patrol prepares to renew its annual “Sober or Slammer” countdown to Labor Day, a Greenville DUI case offers the Upstate a graphic demonstration of just how challenging stopping a drunk driver can be. The case involves a Greenville County man who racked up six DUI charges in the space of a year – five within two months – as well as a charge of leaving an accident scene. Yet he walked out of court two weeks ago with a suspended sentence and no further jail time. The temptation is to hammer the prosecutor’s office for negotiating a plea with a man with that kind of driving history. But it’s the rest of the story that shows the tightrope 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins and his fellow solicitors walk in prosecuting not just the unusual cases, but all DUIs. As related during the July 20 plea hearing, Warren E. Brooks’ six DUI charges occurred as six separate offenses – five of them between May 19 and July 2 of last year – and all before any had been tried in court. So all counted as first offenses. As Wilkins noted then, a second-offense charge requires a firstoffense conviction. After his sixth first-offense (Brooks rear-ended a car and left the scene), a magistrate ordered him to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet that tests blood alcohol content via body sweat. So, as Wilkins also noted then, the danger to the community was removed while Brooks awaited trial. And waited. Though his back-to-back arrests were unusual, far less so were the delays and technicalities that put 13 months between Brooks’ first arrest and trial and worked the final resolution two weeks ago with that two-year sentence suspended to 79 days served. Continuances delayed the original trial for his first August 2010 arrest from February to June of last year, at which point the other charges prompted Wilkins to pull the case to assess the situation – with good cause. Scheduling conflicts and delay tactics are the routine of court life. But DUIs fit a unique category in South Carolina, where every sentence of state law that could objectively confirm legal drunkenness has been fudged, weakened or turned into a debatable issue for a jury. The opportunities for challenge are legion, and Wilkins’ staff ran straight into the most egregious of them all with that first charge: Brooks walked outside the view of the arresting officer’s dashboard camera during the field sobriety test. The state’s complex DUI law requires officers to videotape a DUI arrest from the moment the blue lights come on through the breathalyzer test at the police station, showing the defendant’s entire body at all times and including the Miranda warning. Thanks to Brooks’ wandering gait, a judge dismissed the August 2010 charge. State law also allows Brooks to refuse Breathalyzer tests, which he did. With the first charge dismissed, a hung jury on the second and no objective tests, a plea agreement was Wilkins’ obvious choice. The agreement ensures Brooks will blow into an ignition interlock system every time he starts a car and seek treatment for alcoholism, so that’s some comfort. But it’s no surprise that one in three DUI defendants who request a jury trial in Wilkins’ circuit end up with a reduced sentence, thanks to evidence problems tied to the minutiae of this egregious DUI law. According to the state court administration, Greenville County currently has 1,263 pending DUI cases and Spartanburg has 677. Do the math and ask yourself: Who does South Carolina’s DUI law really protect?
Budget rhetoric vs. reality If you followed the debate over the state budget and the governor’s budget vetoes, you might have had the impression that there was genuine disagreement about the size and scope of government. There was no such disagreement. True, the governor issued $57.1 million in line-item vetoes, but that amounted to less than one percent of the budget. And while 33 of the governor’s 81 budget vetoes were sustained, these were almost all small-dollar items. Altogether, the General Assembly sustained about $4 million worth of budget vetoes – a miniscule .019 percent of the budget. That’s too bad – this would have been a great year for a knock-down, drag-out debate over the growth of South Carolina state government. The Legislature’s original $23.6 billion spending plan – well over $1 billion larger than last year’s budget – brimmed with favors for special interests, gratuitous government expansions and massive funding hikes for clearly non-core programs and agencies. The governor’s vetoes touched some items in these categories, but left most of them alone. So, at the beginning of the veto debate, we had a $23.641 billion budget. At the end of the debate, we had a $23.637 billion budget. Let’s look at what we accomplished. Local pork projects: In her veto messages, the governor explained that projects or events she vetoed would benefit very specific communities or organizations and don’t merit funding from the state. Accordingly, she vetoed several projects worth, in total, about $1.2 million. Yet the budget allocated a much larger amount – $5 million – to seven regional economic development organizations, some of which just happen to have legislators on their boards, and all of which have only regional significance. All went unchallenged by the veto pen. Programs that “don’t work”: In her veto messages, the governor insisted that state government had an obligation to eliminate programs that “don’t work.” So she vetoed the Writing Improvement Network, South Carolina Geographic Alliance-USC, and the Certificate of Need program, totaling just over $3 million. She also vetoed the Arts Commission’s entire budget; a $200,000 proviso for the SC Manufacturer’s Extension Partnership; and the Sea
IN MY OWN WORDS by DILLON JONES
Grant Consortium. These vetoes were worth just over $2.5 million. One wonders, then, why a $10 million tax break for Hollywood producers went untouched, since “film incentives,” as these tax breaks are called, generate a net loss in revenue equal to $0.81 on every dollar. The Legislature and governor also left in their $8 million subsidy program for destination-specific tourism marketing, and $50,000 for the notoriously over-budget and underperforming Farmers Market. Higher ed earmarks: Tuition keeps rising at the state’s public universities even as the universities spend public resources on projects that have little to do with the education of young people. It was encouraging, therefore, to see Haley veto earmarked funding worth about $6.4 million, including a Clemson University Plant Technology Lab, a College of Charleston Digital Technology Pilot Project, and four others. Other higher education earmarks, however, went untouched: $3.5 million for a training facility at Central Carolina Technical College, $1 million for a “research vessel” at Coastal Carolina University and $2 million for a science center at the College of Charleston. Excessive growth: Several agencies and programs saw vast increases over last year. Haley certainly vetoed a few of these gratuitous budget hikes. Yet massive increases drew no criticism from the governor. The Department of Commerce saw an increase of nearly $20 million from last year. Additionally, the governor included in her executive budget $3.2 million for marketing and promotion in the Department of Agriculture, a 189 percent increase from last year. In short: Don’t be fooled. This year’s budget debate wasn’t about whether government should grow by billion-dollar leaps and bounds. That question was already decided, and it wasn’t in decided in taxpayers’ favor. Dillon Jones is a policy analyst at the SC Policy Council.
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 | AUGUST 3, 2012
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News and information from Spartanburg Regional
healthmatters gibbs cancer center expanding to pelham Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System will celebrate the opening of a cancer center on the Village Hospital campus in the Spring of 2013. Gibbs Cancer Center – Pelham will be a 10,000-square-foot facility offering radiation and medical oncology in one convenient location. The center will include the quality care that has made Gibbs Cancer Center nationally recognized, as well as the healing features the center is known for, including a garden and natural light. For more information, visit gibbscancercenter.com.
a drumroll please…these patients are having fun The sounds of a weekly drum circle and colorful artwork have recently become a welcomed time of the week around Behavioral Health. “Using instruments purchased by a grant from the Spartanburg Regional Foundation and supplies purchased by the Foundation Community Healing Arts Program, patients who would otherwise be sitting in their rooms become engaged and explore self-expression,” says Kimberly Ward, coordinator for the program. The activities are intended to reduce anxiety, build self-confidence and encourage dialogue between patients and staff, and just as important, between patients and their families. “Having a creative outlet offers a much-needed diversion for our patients, while allowing them to experience a sense of empowerment and voice during times of crisis or illness,” adds Ward.
expert care Walter Grady, D.O., of Grady Orthopaedics is accepting new patients at 877-582-2115.
For more information about the Community Healing Arts Program, contact Kimberly Ward at kcward@srhs.com or by calling 864-384-0165.
gibbs cancer center offers more to patients with addition of gynecologic oncology services Gynecologic oncologists David Griffin, M.D., Ph.D., and James Hunter, M.D., have joined the nationally recognized Gibbs Cancer Center. “We are excited that Dr. Griffin and Dr. Hunter are bringing their expertise to our team,” said David Church, Vice President of Oncology and Support Services at Gibbs Cancer Center. “Gynecologic oncologists offer patients another dimension of personalized care.” Dr. Griffin earned his medical degree and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology and gynecologic oncology. He has offices in Greenville, Anderson and Seneca. Dr. Hunter earned his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology and gynecologic oncology. Dr. Hunter has offices in Spartanburg, Greer and Greenville. Both physicians are experienced in performing robotic surgery using the da Vinci Si system. Spartanburg Regional is the first hospital in South Carolina to perform robotic gynecologic surgery. Gynecologic oncologists specialize in the treatment of cancers of the reproductive organs. Each year in the United States about 71,500 women are diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer. Patients seeking to schedule an appointment with Drs. Griffin and Hunter should call Regional GYN Oncology at 864-560-1915.
Tune in To discover healTh on WYFF News 4 on Sundays to learn more about the latest advances in medical care at Spartanburg Regional.
8 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 3, 2012
MKTG32C
journal community
Fields of dreams
upcoming events test your surgeon skills
By Cindy Landrum | staff
Thousands of athletes have pursued their dreams on Upstate athletic fields this summer – from fast-pitch softball players trying to win a World Series and soccer players trying to make it to a national championship to football players trying to make it in the National Football League. In the process, they’re proving sports are no longer just child’s play: Sports tourism is big business. Spartanburg and Greenville alike are placing a growing emphasis on getting their share of the billions of dollars spent nationwide each year. Both have pumped millions of dollars into new and improved sports venues to make their counties more competitive in luring youth and adult sports tournaments and the visitor spending that comes with them. “Sports tourism is a huge market, and more places are realizing that,” said Jeff Poole, the Greenville Recreation District’s sports tourism manager. “As quickly as the market is growing, it’s growing ever more competitive.” Just last week, the National Softball Association brought 168 girls fast-pitch teams to Spartanburg and Greenville to compete in its World Series in two competitive classes. The players and their families filled hotel rooms from Gaffney to Anderson. “Sports tourism is a great way for Greenville and Spartanburg to partner together,” said Marcia Murff, public relations and development director for Spartanburg Parks. “I think we’ve got to attack sports tourism regionally.” Murff said the softball tournament would not have been possible without Tyger River Park, the county’s new $17.6 million 13-field park that area leaders said would allow the county to pursue large regional and national youth sports tournaments. Last year, the tournament was held in Chattanooga and had an estimated $2.5 million economic impact, Murff said. The facility has booked 65 tournaments in a 40-week period beginning with the facility’s opening in mid-March. And in June, the U.S. Youth Soccer Region III championship was held at the MeSA soccer complex near Pelham Road in Greenville, a tournament that would not have been possible without the facility’s expansion to 16 fields through the county’s TRAC (Tourism
Recreation Athletic Coalition) plan. The TRAC plan poured $40 million into new or expanded sports facilities in Greenville County, paid for through a 2 percent hospitality tax levied on prepared food. That plan also built Conestee Park, a baseball complex connected to Lake Conestee Nature Park. Conestee Park will compete to host regional tournaments with Heritage Park in Simpsonville and J.B. “Red” Owens Sports Complex in Easley, which hosted the Big League World Series earlier this week for the 12th consecutive year. The Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Greenville Rec are targeting 14 sports – soccer, lacrosse, softball, baseball, tennis, martial arts, rugby, wrestling, table tennis, cycling, BMX, ultimate Frisbee, adventure racing and road races, said Gary Cherrett, the CVB’s senior manager of convention sales and sports tourism. “We’re trying to identify sports that fit Greenville,” said Todd Bertka, the CVB’s vice president of sales. “Greenville is obviously not a winter sports location. We’ve got no location with more than one sheet of ice. So it doesn’t make sense to go after those events. A lot of business out there matches the assets our destination offers.” In addition to parks, Greenville has other tournament venues: Furman University, the Kroc Center Tennis Complex, Fluor Field, the Bi-Lo Center, TD Convention Center and even Sirrine Stadium, which hosted the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association national championship this year and will again next year. What it lacks is a large indoor fieldhouse-type facility that would have multiple basketball or volleyball courts in one location. Having such a facility would allow Greenville to compete for events in about a dozen more sports. “We can’t control what we don’t have,” Poole said. “We concentrate on what we do and market that as best we can.” Bertka said Greenville has several advantages over the locales it typically competes against, such as Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta. It sits between Charlotte and Atlanta with interstate access. It has improved airline service since Southwest Airlines came into the Greenville-Spartanburg market more than a year ago. It has less
Greg Beckner / Staff
Sports tourism – from youth tournaments to Carolina Panthers training camp – pumps millions into Upstate economy
A base runner with the Indiana Stingers slides home safely on a fielder’s choice in a game against the Carolina Fear at Tyger River Park during the National Softball Association Girls Fast Pitch World Series.
expensive hotels and dining choices than some of the bigger cities, multiple areas of activity and Southern hospitality. Plus the Upstate offers a lot of other things to do, Bertka said – an important advantage to participants of weeklong tournaments. “We’re a mid-size market with big city amenities,” he said. Several events are upcoming. The ABA BMX East Coast Nationals will be held in September and the Southern Conference baseball tournament will be held at Fluor Field in May, 2013. CVB and county officials are working to secure a March 2013 stop by the FLW professional fishing tour, and the USA Karate Federation National Championship in July 2013. CVB and Greenville County officials will also attend three sports tourism conventions this fall, including the USOC Sports Link event next month. “Olympic sports present a lot of opportunity,” Bertka said. While it doesn’t involve youth sports, one of the Upstate’s longest-running sports tourism events – the Carolina Panthers training camp – is being held now through Aug. 15. Wofford College has hosted the training camp since the team’s inception in 1995. Last year, an estimated 34,000 people attended the Panthers training camp and attendees spent an average of $168 per day, pouring an estimated $5.7 million into the Upstate economy. This year’s camp is generating even more interest, thanks to quarterback Cam Newton. Last year, Newton broke Peyton Manning’s rookie passing record with 4,051 yards and became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards and run for 500 in the same season. He set a record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 14. He was selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl. Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.
Saturday, August 4 • 12-6 p.m. Haywood Mall 700 Haywood Road • Greenville, SC Sunday, August 5 • 12-6 p.m. Columbiana Centre Mall 100 Columbiana Circle • Columbia, SC
Meet Spartanburg Regional’s da Vinci surgical robot and the surgeons who operate it, during this hands-on demonstration of the latest in surgical technology.
lapband® information session
Wednesday, August 8 • 6:30-9 p.m. Family Medicine Conference Room, Regional Outpatient Center
This free class covers detailed information about LapBand® weight loss surgery. For more information or to register, visit spartanburgweightloss.com or call 864-560-7070.
mobile mammography
Aug. 10: Wal-Mart, 513 N. Duncan Bypass, Union (call 216-5912 for appointment) Aug. 24: Food Lion, 1130 W. Cherokee St., Blacksburg (call 216-5912 for appointment) Aug. 27: Wal-Mart, 165 Walton Dr., Gaffney (call 216-5912 for appointment) Aug. 29: Inman Family Practice, 12230 Asheville Hwy, Inman (call 560-7999 for appointment) Spartanburg Regional’s mobile mammography unit will be at the above sites on the dates listed. Bring your insurance card and identification.
surgical weight loss information session
Wednesday, August 15 • 6:30-9 p.m. Family Medicine Conference Room, Regional Outpatient Center
This free class covers detailed information about Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy weight loss surgeries. For more information or to register, visit spartanburgweightloss.com or call 560-7070.
surviving stroke: a support group
Monday, August 20 • 6-7 p.m. Regional Outpatient Center, Family Medicine Conference Room-Fifth Floor
This group is for stroke survivors, their families or other support persons. Learn more about stroke and share experiences about stroke. Call 560-2132 for more information.
spartanburgregional.com MKTG72K
AUGUST 3, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 9
journal community
Drought’s toll will be felt nationwide By CHarles Sowell | staff
Four Hankie Triumph Exhibit Local artist Ashley Holt exhibits his work Aug. 1-28 in the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg’s gallery at the Chapman Cultural Center. Free and public reception: Sat., Aug. 4, 6 p.m. Exhibit open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., but closed on Sundays. Free! Free Museums Both the Spartanburg Art Museum and the Spartanburg Regional History Museum are free Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 2-4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.… thanks to generous donors. Bodybuilding Show Want to see some great-looking bodies? Dutch Strength Promotions presents the 2012 Upstate Classic, Saturday, Aug. 4, starting at 10 a.m. $15/morning; $25/evening show. Music Sandwiched In Tom Fisch will play guitar and sing folk and country songs at this free lunchtime concert at the Library downtown Spartanburg, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 12:15 p.m. Bring your lunch or buy one there. Presented by the Music Foundation of Spartanburg. Dance Open House Ballet Spartanburg will host open house Wednesday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center. Tour the facility, meet the faculty, sign up for fall dance classes. Auto Racing Exhibit Spartanburg was once at the hub of auto racing. The Spartanburg Regional History Museum presents an exhibit featuring artifacts, trophies, and the development of the auto racing industry, June 19-Sept. 1, Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fine Furniture Exhibit Master woodcraftsman Michael McDunn presents Function & Awe, a large sampling of his handmade fine furniture in the Spartanburg Art Museum. It is both heirloom and contemporary. Tues.-Sat., May 22-Aug. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Printmakers Exhibit 15 printmakers from the Upstate have come together to create a unique and vastly diverse exhibit of handmade prints in Shifting Plates. The exhibit is in support of a project that collected works for the true “art collector.” Presented by the Spartanburg Art Museum, Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ends: Aug. 25. Foster Child Photo Exhibit The Chapman Cultural Center is the only museum in South Carolina to host the acclaimed National Heart Gallery Exhibit: a large collection of 6x4-foot photos of children in foster care and in need of permanent homes. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free. July 9-Aug. 24.
542-ARTS ChapmanCulturalCenter.org 200 E. Saint John St. Spartanburg
10 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 3, 2012
The major effect of the nation’s most widespread drought in 60 years may well not be on drinking water or agriculture and food prices. The impact could soon be felt at the pump and in electric bills, say experts in the field. Without sufficient water to cool the turbines, coal-fired power plants could be forced to shut down and oil and gas production could be threatened, said Michael E. Webber, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas in Austin. Webber said in a commentary for the New York Times that about half the nation’s daily water withdrawals go for cooling power plants. The oil and gas industries use tens of millions of gallons a day, in older oil fields to improve production, and to free natural gas in shale forma-
tions through hydraulic fracturing. Although the numbers are not large from a national perspective, they can be significant locally, Webber said. Webber’s warning may be timely for South Carolina, said John McDermott, a professor and chairman of the economics department at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. Just a few years ago, an exceptional drought left South Carolina and its neighbor states fighting over water. Today, parts of Georgia are back in the “severe to exceptional” drought status, according to Drought Monitor. The Department of Natural Resources drought status lists western South Carolina as far south as Barnwell County in moderate to severe drought, according to the latest data. “It would not take a lot to put us back into that kind of situation,” said McDermott. “With the drought that is pummeling the Midwest, ethanol prices are likely to go up. I don’t think the impact on food prices will
be all that severe. They’re calling for about five percent increases in food prices.” The U.S. is part of a global marketplace, he said, so any impact on food will be limited. According to Webber, power plants were within days or weeks of shutting down because of limited water supplies during the 2008 drought in the Southeast. Nuclear plants must maintain certain water levels in their cooling system or federal regulations force them to shut down. Some cities in Texas are currently forbidding the use of municipal water for hydraulic fracturing, Webber said. Federal officials recently issued an alert that the drought was likely to exacerbate challenges to California’s electric power market this summer, with higher risks of reliability problems and scarcity-driven price increases. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@ thespartanburgjournal.com.
our community
community news, events and happenings
This week, McDonald’s restaurants in the Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville and Anderson areas introduced Favorites Under 400 Calories, a new national menu platform featuring existing food and beverage choices at counters and drive-thrus nationwide. McDonald’s reports that approximately 80 percent of their menu choices are under 400 calories without additional sauces, salad dressings, condiments or custom orders. As part of the effort, local dietitians Katherine Birkett and Paul Moore were hired to provide guidance to area restaurants and will appear at Mother’s Panels planned for the fall. The ETV Endowment of South Carolina and Ruby Tuesday are putting a new twist on the “TV Dinner,” allowing South Carolinians to enjoy a great meal and support the educational programs broadcast on SCETV and ETV Radio at the same time. From Friday, Aug. 10, through Sunday, Aug. 12, every S.C. Ruby Tuesdays will donate 20 percent of every meal purchase to the ETV Endowment. To participate, patrons must print the GiveBack flyer (available at www.scetv.org/rubytuesday) and present it to their server at the time their order is placed. A list of participating Ruby Tuesday restaurants across the state is available at www.scetv.org/rubytuesday. The Carolina Miracle League recently played a game with cyclists of Push America at Miracle Park. Push America is a philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and all the cyclists must go through an interview process and commit to a minimum fundraising amount. The cross-country ride across America – The Journey of Hope – began June 11 in
Long Beach, Calif. In all, the cyclists will ride over 4,000 miles ending in Washington, D.C., on August 5. For more information on the Journey of Hope, visit www.pushamerica.org. The Carolina Miracle League (CML), founded in 2001, provides children with disabilities in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee Counties in South Carolina and Rutherford and Polk Counties in North Carolina the opportunity to participate in an organized baseball league. The CML holds all games at Miracle Park located inside the Spartanburg County Parks Department’s North Spartanburg Park at 1160 Old Furnace Road, Boiling Springs. For more details, about the Carolina Miracle League, call 864579-1805 or visit www.carolinamiracleleague.org. HALTER (Handicapped Athletes Learning to Enjoy Riding), an organization dedicated to providing therapeutic horseback riding programs to adults and children with disabilities, is holding its annual fundraiser, Rock and Boil for HALTER, on August 25, at 6 p.m. at the Carolina Country Club Family Recreation Center. The public is invited and all proceeds help HALTER continue to provide therapeutic riding programs and contribute toward a new covered arena. HALTER has been providing a therapeutic horseback riding program in Spartanburg since 1987 and currently serves more than 200 children and adults with various disabilities. Tickets are $35 per person and include a Lowcountry boil dinner, drinks (beer and wine) and entertainment by Wheresville Project and Sound Machine. Tickets can be purchased at www.wepay.com/events/2012-rock-and-boil.
If you are sponsoring a community event, we want to share your news. e-mail: spartanburgcommunity@thespartanburgjournal.com
Journal business
The fine print • the quarterly report • American Titanium still plans state-of-the art Upstate mill
Tax targets thriving medical device industry
Insurers give back New federal health care law requires rebates if insurers spend more than 20 percent on overhead and marketing
By Jennifer Oladipo | contributor
By Dick Hughes | contributor
When the federal Affordable Care Act becomes law in January, companies will see a 2.3 percent tax on medical device sales. While Upstate companies are bracing for the new tax, it is the people who use the devices who will ultimately bear the cost. The tax will affect about 100 companies in Greenville and Spartanburg counties, but the companies will fare differently depending on their size, age and the exact nature of their operations. Some companies will be bound by long-term contracts that require them to absorb the costs for the time being. Sean Regan, vice president of SC MedTech, the medical device business promotion group under SC BIO, said the tax will not only increase the cost of doing business, but will also stifle growth. “The issue that we have is that it’s a revenuebased tax instead of a profit-based tax,” said Regan. Established companies will manage, but “what it’s going to hurt is companies that are working on very thin profit margins, and this is going to eat into [them]. Then there are those that aren’t even profitable yet, the startups. Some of them won’t be profitable for two, three or 20 years.” Companies with more diversified businesses will see less effect on their bottom line, said Bill Cobb, CEO of J.M. Smith Corp. in Spartanburg. J.M. Smith’s pharmaceutical distribution systems and other products will not be taxed, but devices that are used to monitor women in labor will. Cobb said there will also be “a fair amount of ex-
Consumers in South Carolina collectively are to receive $19.6 million in rebates from their health insurance companies under a provision of the federal Affordable Health Care Act. The South Carolina rebate averages $131 per household, and 251,632 consumers should receive a refund or, if part of a group plan, receive it or some other form of benefit, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That average includes rebates for individual policyholders and enrollees in group plans. The rebate is required under the Affordable Health Care Act that requires health insurers to spend 80 percent of premiums for health insurance on medical care and quality. Only 20 percent can be spent on salaries and marketing. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the state’s largest health insurer, last week began refunding a portion of 2011 premiums to ininsurance continued on page 13
Tax continued on page 12
We don’t.
12ATL 4561
You’ve got better things to do than dig through your cash flow statements every day. 864.908.3062 • atlocke.com
AUGUST 3, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 11
JOURNAL BUSINESS TAX continued from PAGE 11
pense” on the administrative end just from integrating the tax into their processes. Medical device companies already pay tens of thousands of dollars in user fees to the FDA under MEDUFA, or Medical Device User Fee Amendment. These payments essentially fund the FDA oversight and approval process for the products companies develop. Wayne Roper, president of SC BIO, the life science industry group under which SC MedTech operates, said it is unfair and unwise to tax an industry that is not only generating economic growth, but also helps improve the quality of people’s lives. “Why would you pick medical devices … unless you think you can raise the revenue from
there and distribute it elsewhere?” Roper said. The tax is particularly significant in the Upstate. This area has been identified nationally as one of six emerging medium-sized regions for the medical device industry, according to a 2010 report by the Battelle Institute, a nonprofit research and development organization that focuses on health and life sciences and technologies (Charleston was also on the list). A 2012 report by the same group shows that biotech is one of the few sectors that saw growth in the years from 2007-2010, the toughest of the recession. The medical device subsector contributed significantly. In South Carolina, medical device establishments grew 13.4 percent, and employment grew more than 15 percent. That is compared to just 7.7 percent growth and an overall loss
of jobs in the sub-sector nationwide. Medical devices were also the only sub-sector to see wage increases. Research, testing and medical labs grew almost 50
more in the next decade. It obviously will be difficult to know the full effects of the law until it is implemented. However, most industry ex-
“Why would you pick medical devices … unless you think you can raise the revenue from there and distribute it elsewhere?” Wayne Roper, president of SC BIO, the life science industry group under which SC MedTech operates, on why he thinks the medical device tax is unfair and unwise
percent. Wages in the industry grew 7.3 percent annually in South Carolina during that period, compared to just 1 percent nationally. The 2009 opening of the St. Jude Medical Inc. plant in Liberty contributed significantly to these numbers, and Roper said the industry is expected to grow 72 percent or
perts agree that consumers will ultimately pay the costs. “You’re looking to find the one person who can’t get out of it, and that’s generally the consumer. Or at least that’s the way the market tends to play it out,” said Cobb. “It’s sort of ironic to me that in an industry where we’re trying to cut costs at ev-
ery possible moment, we’re adding a tax where the cost is ultimately passed down to the consumer.” He said that some companies will opt to bury the costs in the price, but he thinks it is important that consumers are able to see the tax in an invoice and know exactly how the costs break down. SC BIO has lobbied against the tax since its introduction, and Roper said those efforts are paying off: Congress voted to repeal the tax in a largely symbolic gesture earlier this month. “We believe this tax is going to be repealed regardless,” said Roper, adding that if not, it will only open the door to increased taxation as health care costs continue to increase. Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@ thespartanburgjournalcom.
THE QUARTERLY REPORT THE STATE OF THE UPSTATE’S BOTTOM LINE
Bank Takes Hit to Make Gain
Palmetto Bank reported a net loss of $7.2 million in the second quarter, up substantially but not unexpectedly from its first-quarter loss of $587,000. The large increase was anticipated as Palmetto deliberately cleansed its books of $40.3 million in bad loans by selling them off at a discount. “The sale of a substantial portion of our remaining problem assets will have an immediate positive benefit starting in the third quarter through the avoidance of potential future write downs from ongoing receipts of appraisals and reductions in the related carrying costs,” said Samuel Erwin, chief executive officer. The banks said it took a hit of $18 million in credit-related costs – up from $4.4 million in the first quarter – to get rid of the troubled loans, mostly commercial real estate deals that went bad in the recession and were dragging down earnings. Palmetto said its total of nonperforming loans decreased to 43 percent in the second quarter and are down 73 percent since a peak on March 31, 2010. Palmetto, which has not been profitable since the first quarter of 2009, said it expects to be in the black before the year is out.
Bank Sees Acquisition Benefits SCBT Financial Corp., the holding company of SCBT that now includes what was Peoples Bancorp. of Easley, reported net earnings of $8 million in the second quarter, up $1 million from the first quarter and $3 million from 2011.
12 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 3, 2012
“Driving this increase was an increase in net interest income, improved noninterest income (and) good control over noninterest expense,” SCBT said. Robert R. Hill, president and chief executive officer, said the Columbia-based bank began to see benefits in the first quarter from acquisitions, “but this quarter’s performance really demonstrates the overall impact of that strategy.” SCBT, which remained profitable throughout the credit collapse and recession, was able “to be opportunistic during the economic downturn, with regard to organic growth, FDIC-assisted transactions and whole bank acquisitions,” Hill said. “We still have a great opportunity to improve further, but are off to a strong 2012,” he said. SCBT bought Peoples, which had eight Upstate branches, in a stock transaction valued at $28.4 million. In addition, it bought back Peoples’ $13.4 million in TARP preferred shares. The transaction closed April 24. SCBT booked $2 million in merger and conversion costs in the second quarter. SCBT has total assets of $4.3 billion and is the sixth largest South Carolinas-based bank.
Park Sterling Reports Profit
Park Sterling Holding Corp., which now owns what was CapitalBank of Greenwood, had net income of $678,000 in the second quarter, down from $1.7 million in the prior quarter. The Charlotte, N.C., company had a loss of $3 million in the second quarter of 2011. For the first six months
of 2012, Park Sterling had net income of $2.4 million compared to a net loss of $6 million a year ago. “Park Sterling’s second quarter was marked by a return to net loan growth in our metro markets, continued improvement in asset quality and continued profitability,” said James C. Cherry, chief executive officer. Park Sterling posted net loan growth in Greenville and Charleston and in its metro areas in North Carolina of Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington.
Record Earnings for Finance Company
World Acceptance Corp. said its net income rose 12.1 percent to $22.6 million and revenue increased 7.9 percent to $133 million in the first quarter of its fiscal year compared to the same period a year ago. “World Acceptance’s record first quarter results benefited from continued strong loan demand, our focus on expense control, the contribution from new offices in domestic markets and Mexico and our close management of credit risks,” said Sandy McLean, chief executive officer. To reward shareholders, World Acceptance has been aggressive in buying back shares. It spent $61.7 million in the quarter to repurchase nearly 908,000 shares and in the 2012 fiscal year bought back 2.2 million shares. World Acceptance makes small installment loans to customers who do not qualify for conventional bank loans or who prefer not to deal with banks. It has 1,145 stores in 12 states and in Mexico. It is based in Greenville.
journal business
The fine print by dick hughes
Crusty Loaves – and Jobs – for Gaffney
ACE Bakery, which makes artisan breads for retail and restaurant markets, plans to open its first U.S. bakery in Gaffney this fall, generating 51 new jobs. The company, a subsidiary of George Weston of Brownsburg, Ind., said it would invest $18.4 million in the new facility. Ed Holik, executive vice president for operations, said Cherokee County “offered us the right mix of business-friendly environment and strong workforce that will help us be successful.” ACE, which was founded in Toronto in 1993, says on its website that “the time is right to start baking closer to our U.S. clients.” The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits, “which will be available when hiring targets are met.” The credits can reduce a company’s state corporate income tax by as much as 50 percent. The company, Gov. Nikki Haley, Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, a county councilman, a state senator and an assemblyman made the announcement.
Michelin Spots Own Tire Flaw
Michelin is voluntarily recalling 841,000 BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires made for light trucks and heavy vans. Quality-control workers noticed an increase in reports of tread separation, and the company “decided the voluntary recall was needed to protect the safety of drivers,” said Mike Wischhusen, technical director. The separation was reported in fewer than 150 tires. No deaths or injuries have been reported, the company said. “We caught it very early, based on a very small number of returns,” Wischhusen said. Internal tests show the problems have apparently been corrected for tires manufactured more recently, he said. The tires, which were manufactured from April 2010 to early this year, will be replaced at no charge. The tires being recalled are BFGoodrich commercial LT 235/85 and LT245/75 and Uniroyal Laredo LT 235/85 and LT245/75 models.
Disaster Rehab Opens Shop
A franchise of SERVPRO, a cleanup and restoration company that specializes in water and fire damage, has opened in Greenville. James Pittman and Carl Holden are owners of the new franchise, SERVPRO of Northeast Greenville County. There are two existing SERVPRO operations in Spartanburg and one in Greer.
insurance continued from page 11
dividual policyholders and this week was to mail rebates to small employers of two to 50 employees. “Small-group employers have the option of returning a portion of the rebates to their employees or reinvesting in the company to offset future health care costs,” the company said. In 2011, BlueCross spent only 74.8 percent of a total of $159.5 in premium dollars from individuals “on health and activities to improve health care quality,” said Jim Deyling, president, in a letter accompanying rebate checks. The average Blue Cross rebate for individuals is $169, according to the HHS. The average rebate for smallgroup plans is just $6 because for that category, Blue Cross came within just a 10th of a percentage point of the 80/20 standard. It met the 85 percent standard for large-group plans. Deyling’s letter said, “The 80/20 rule in the Affordable Care Act is intended to ensure that consumers get value for their health care dollars.” He took a less sympathetic position in a statement issued by the company.
“We are complying with the law, but our concern remains that a rebate such as this not only creates a false impression of overpricing, but also reveals that fundamental flaw of the legislation, which is that it does nothing to reduce health care expense for members,” he said in the statement. Among other top insurers in South Carolina, BlueChoice Health Plan is rebating $81 on average to individual policyholders and $160 to small-group plans. UnitedHealthcare is returning $116 to small-group employers. It does not work in the individual market. According to HHS, in South Carolina, $15.3 million is being rebated to 105,043 individual policyholders with an average rebate being $227. For small groups, the total is $4.3 million for 145,401 enrollees, for an average of $53. For large groups, the total is $54,594 for 1,188 enrollees for an average of $85. The highest average rebates are in Mississippi ($661) and Alabama ($582). Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ thespartanburgjournal.com.
THE HUNT IS ALMOST OVER.
Consulting Service Arrives
The Alternative Board (TAB), a franchise organization that assists business owners, has expanded to the Upstate under ownership of David Krysh, chief executive officer of Growth Factor Group. The consulting, advisory and coaching services for business owners and C-level officers will cover Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties. TAB, which is based in Denver, has 130 locations in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
‘No Small’ Honor for Hubbell
An industry standards evaluator has recognized Hubbell Lighting’s data transfer system for its distribution network as the best in its class. The Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) said Hubbell had achieved 100 percent compliance with its ability to allow distributors to “instantly access product marketing content” for use on their own websites. Hubbell received platinum level status in the IDEA’s data warehouse bands of excellent measure – “no small accomplishment,” said IDEA. Hubbell, a major lighting fixture manufacturer, has headquarters in Greenville. The IDEA is the official standards body for the electrical industry.
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AUGUST 3, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 13
journal business
COMING AUGUST 17-26
FEST
RESTAURANT WEEK Local restaurateurs have teamed up to bring you the 4th Annual Foodie Fest! This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better as restaurants will be offering one of the following...
3 FOR
$30
2 FOR
$20
BUY 1 GET 1
Visit UpstateFoodie.com or Facebook.com/foodiefest2012 for updates, menus, and more!
Feed Your Inner Food Enthusiast 14 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 3, 2012
C82R
Participating Restaurants:
journal business
American Titanium still plans state-of-the-art Upstate mill Local investors provide ‘critical funding at a critical time’ With $860,000 in seed money from state and local investors, American Titanium Works is “moving ahead” on a state-ofthe-art titanium plant in Laurens and a research and development center in Greenville, Thomas Sax, president and chief executive officer, said Tuesday. While the local and state investment provides “critical funding at a critical time,” he said ATW still has not completed commitments for the large sum of capital needed to build the nearly $500 million plant and development center. “To be perfectly candid, financing something this big, this state-of-the-art and industry-changing in this economic
which dried up financing and put ATW’s plans in limbo. “Our primary message today is that we are active and we are pursuing this project,” Sax said at the CU-ICAR presentation Tuesday. “Our project is moving ahead, and our plans have not changed at all.” Once completed, “this will be the most competitive, most efficient titanium mill anywhere on the planet,” he said. Sax said the time waiting for credit markets to improve was not wasted. “We spent an entire year reconfiguring how we are going to build this plant and developing a turnkey process for building it.” Archer Western Contracting of Atlanta has agreed to take on the work, he said. “One contractor will take the financial risk, purchase all the equipment, build the plant, condition it for operation and deliver it to us.” Archer Western will employ 250 of its workers on the Laurens construction site and expects the job will generate another 250 jobs
Lawson ACADEMY OF THE ARTS
Greg Beckner / Staff
By Dick Hughes | contributor
climate is a challenge,” he told investors and news media at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, where ATW’s R&D center would be located. Sax said he needs commitments of financing on the entire amount before breaking ground. “It is a challenge we are prepared to meet, and we will.” The Upstate Carolina Angel Network (UCAN) and SC Launch, an affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, contributed equal amounts of $430,000 to “keep us alive so we can move forward,” as Sax put it. Matt Dunbar, managing director of UCAN, said investors were willing to put their money into the project because they believe ATW’s business plan is solid and that the company will secure necessary funding to complete the project. The project was first announced in November 2008, the first year of the recession,
CEO Thomas Sax announces American Titanium Works’ plans to build a titanium plant in Laurens County and a research plant at CU-ICAR in Greenville County.
“for local construction,” Sax said. Three hundred workers in skilled jobs will be required once the mill is in operation, he said. Nabil Elkouh, chief technology officer, said the R&D center at CU-ICAR will be responsible for developing and advancing the technology and for demonstrating new applications to expand the market for titanium. In addition to basing the research staff at CU-ICAR, the
company will locate a marketing and sales team at the center as a major component of ATW’s effort to demonstrate to other industries how titanium can be used in their products. Elkouh, who will move to Greenville from New Hampshire to direct the tech center, said 15 researchers would be employed initially with intent to “ramp up to 50.” In its first phase, the center would consist of 15,000 to 20,000 square feet and is planned in a modular design to accommodate future growth. With the mill producing titanium “better, faster and less expensively than any other plant” and the R&D center doing cuttingedge research to expand the market, “we will make South Carolina, Greenville and Laurens focal points for titanium production throughout the world,” Sax said. Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ thespartanburgjournal.com.
1944–2012: SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR 68 YEARS
FALL REGISTRATION Dance: August 15–17, 2012 8:30 am–5:00 pm Music: August 20–31, 2012 8:30 am–5:00 pm
• Dance instruction in several genres • Private music instruction in all instruments and voice • Music ensemble opportunities • Special programs such as The Childbloom Guitar Program, Kindermusic, Music Theory, and much more
(864) 596-9022 converse.edu/lawsonacademy AUGUST 3, 2012 | SPARTANBURG Journal 15
JOURNAL SKETCHBOOK
Changing Employee Habits Last week, the staff of Propel HR received thorough training in our new CRM software. Everyone is thrilled about the new software and the LEE YARBOROUGH efficiency it will add to our customer service. This software is an investment which will help Propel HR grow and will add value to our clients. As with all trainings, I could feel the excitement in the air and see the wheels in the minds of the employees spinning with all the ways they will put this advancement to use. But as we know far too well, once a training/seminar/conference ends, we often go right back into our old habits and don’t utilize all that we learn. How do you keep employees motivated to use all the tools that they are given? First, the employees must see the true value of the systems. This is not a one-time demonstration, this must be constantly reinforced. Show not only how the tools help the company, but more importantly how it helps each individual. We are all selfish and the question everyone is asking is, “how does this help me and my job?” Second, keep training. One week of software training is overwhelming and not near enough. Add ongoing training in smaller bits as part of your regular staff meetings. Communicate the value of education from the top down. Education must be a guiding principle of your company. Learning must never stop.
669 N. Academy St., Greenville, SC 864.679.6055 | 800.446.6567 www.propelhr.com
16 SPARTANBURG JOURNAL | AUGUST 3, 2012
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When new processes are added, you are changing the daily habits of your staff. This is not an easy transition. Management must lead this change and slowly new habits will be formed. Be supportive, reiterate the positive and continue learning with your staff.
Roy Acuff performs at the Grand Ole Opry, 1939. GRAND OLE OPRY ARCHIVES.
Traveling Smithsonian exhibition explores American musical heritage By CINDY LANDRUM | staff
‘New Harmonies’ takes music back to its roots America is a melting pot, and so is its music. Opening at the Landrum Library this Saturday is “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” a Smithsonian traveling exhibit featuring music that, as its name im-
plies, is native to the United States or develops here by transforming its foreign origins into something distinctively new. The constant melding of different cultures has made America the birthplace of more music – in-
cluding rock, rhythm and blues and jazz – than any other place on earth. American roots music includes bluegrass, country, gospel, Appalachian folk, the blues, Cajun and Native American music. “A lot of our local
HUB-BUB down to 1 full-time employee Board ‘reassessing’ artist-in-residence to keep nonprofit on sustainable path By CHARLES SOWELL | staff
Spartanburg’s HUB-BUB is down to one full-time employee, is reassessing the visiting artist program and considering moving from its current digs in a proactive drive to ensure the sustainability of the organization, board members told the Journal last week. “We’ve got about a year’s reserve in cash for HUB-BUB in the bank right now, so we’re not hurting for money,” said Kam Neely, board treasurer for HUB-BUB and the Hub City Writer’s Project. “The writer’s project is in even better shape.” “Most nonprofits have a two- to threemonth reserve,” said Rebecca Ramos, board chairwoman. “So you can see that we’re not hurting for money right now.”
But it isn’t “right now” that worries board members, the pair said. They want to see both the writing program and the arts program on a sustainable path. They also say organizations like HUB-BUB must continuously assess the effectiveness of their programming. “That’s part of the reason we decided to reassess the artist-in-residence program,” Neely said. The program is worth about $20,000 yearly, one of the most expensive projects the group sponsors. “We feel that by reassessing artist-in-residence we might get better use of our money,” Neely said. “By bringing in artists for specific projects, we could serve the needs of our community more effectively.” A recently completed mural down-
town is a prime example, Ramos said. Visiting artist Molly Rose Freeman, of Memphis, Tenn., came to town to paint an outside wall of the RJ Rockers Brewery downtown last month. “That’s the kind of project we think serves the community quite well,” Ramos said. Visiting artists who come to town for a specific single project are far less expensive than paying and housing an artist for 11 months, she said. Federal tax returns filed by HubCulture Inc., the parent organization for the Writer’s Project and HUB-BUB, show the organization on sound financial footing as recently as 2011. Neely said the reassessment of the HUB-BUB continued on PAGE 17
JOURNAL SKETCHBOOK
The Urban Steel Band makes a joyful noise on Caribbean steel drums. JOHN MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, 2005.
“New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, ”a Smithsonian traveling exhibition, will take place Aug. 4 through Sept. 16 at Landrum Library, 111 East Asbury Drive in Landrum. The exhibition is open during regular library hours and a special events schedule can be found at www. infodepot.org/zReaders/NH.asp. The exhibition is free. For more information, call 864-457-2218
of public television’s “Folkways” and Public Radio International’s “Riverwalk: Classic Jazz from the Landing.” Dr. Tracey Laird, associate professor of music at Agnes Scott College, will present “Cultural Preservation: A Southern Louisiana Case Study,” a program focusing on Cajun and zydeco music on Aug. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at the Landrum Library. Brushfire Stankgrass Trio will hold an outdoor concert at the Landrum Library on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Their music has been called the “quintessential modern mountain music” and is influenced by hip-hop, jazz and reggae. On Aug. 18, Miller and Rowe Consort will hold a concert at 7 p.m. at Jackson Grove United Methodist Church. Miller is a classical guitarist and Rowe plays the hammer dulcimer. On Aug. 23, The Trophy Husbands from Tryon, N.C., will hold a concert at 7 p.m. outdoors at the Landrum Library. The group is noted for its harmonies and
unique arrangements. A New Harmonies Street Dance will be held Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. in downtown Landrum. Bruce Greene, a nationally recognized old-time fiddler, will be the featured artist. Musicians Doug Rostick, Danny Henderson and Robert Burns will join him. Dr. Warren Carson, a professor of English and assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of South Carolina Upstate, will present a short history of gospel music with a small choir demonstration on Aug. 26 at 3:30 p.m. at Landrum United Methodist Church. Songwriters and storytellers Gaye and Phil Johnson will hold an outdoor concert at the Landrum Library on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. The concert will be “Music in the Traditions of Southern Appalachia: Guitar, Mandolin and Dobro with Harmony Vocals.” The East Tennessee State University Student Pride Band will hold two concerts – one at the Landrum Library on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. and another at the Landrum High auditorium at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 7. The Southern Appalachian Chamber Singers will present “The Music of Early America: A Focus on Folk Hymns in the Shape Note Tradition” on Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. at the Landrum United Methodist Church. Most of the singers are Mars Hill College choir alumni and music faculty. Gingerthistle, the husband-and-wife team of Ben Seymour and Becky Cleveland, will trace traditional folk music from the Blue Ridge Mountains back to Celtic roots in a concert on Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m. at the library. Jay Lichty, a North Carolinian who builds custom handmade acoustic guitars and ukuleles, will lecture and perform on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the library. The Fire Cracker Jazz Band will wrap up the New Harmonies special events with a concert on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Landrum High auditorium. Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@thespartanburgjournal.com.
GREG BECKNER / STAFF
musicians have their roots in American roots music,” said Lee Morgan, head librarian at the Landrum Library, a branch of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries system. The six-week Smithsonian exhibition also features musical performances, lectures and other activities – a multisensory look at the American story of multicultural exchange, she said. The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program is designed to give residents of rural areas cultural experiences they may not otherwise get. One-sixth of all Americans live in rural areas, according to U.S. Census data, and about 43 percent of American museums are located in small, rural towns. But those museums – and historical associations and libraries that are often the cultural centers for rural America – often have smaller budgets and staffs and fewer opportunities to bring in traveling exhibitions than museums in bigger towns and more urban areas. The Museum on Main Street program targets small towns with populations of between 500 and 20,000 people. Since 1991, Museum on Main has traveled to more than 900 communities in 46 states and Guam. “New Harmonies” tells the story of familiar songs, histories of instruments, the roles of religion and technology, and the continuity of musical roots from “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to the latest hip-hop CD. The exhibition, which includes listening stations, is open during library hours through Sept. 16. The opening reception is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the library. John Fowler, a storyteller and musician from Boiling Springs, will present a program on Appalachian stories and music. Fowler co-hosts a weekly old-time radio show on WNCW-FM. On Aug. 11, four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt will present “Music and Stories from the Southern Mountains.” The outdoor concert starts at 7 p.m. and will be held at the library. Hold is host
As part of a cost-saving measure, HUB-BUB may move from its current location, a former Nash dealership near downtown. HUB-BUB continued from PAGE 16
artist-in-residence program came after several sources of funding dried up or were discontinued. Ramos and Neely said the board has stringent ethics rules for board members, who take an active interest in the writers and artists programs. “We take our responsibilities seriously,” she said. “I don’t think you’ll find the same kinds of situations developing here that you’ve seen at other Spartanburg nonprofits. “For example, there’s nothing to prevent a board member from submitting a book idea at the Writer’s Project,” she said. “But before the board member could do that, they’d have to resign from the board.” With paid staff at historically low levels, HUB-BUB and Hub City are depending on volunteers to fill the gaps, Ramos and Neely said. “We’re fortunate to have a corps of dedicated volunteers to fill in,” said Ramos. “We hope to hire some new professional staff soon to help take up some of the slack.” If the board decides to move HUB-BUB from the historic old Nash auto dealership it currently occupies, the intent will be to realize a significant savings on rent. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@thespartanburgjournal.com.
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scene. here.
the week in the local arts world BalletSpartanburg will host an open house on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center, giving the public the opportunity to tour the facility, meet the faculty, and sign up for fall classes. In addition, there will be four free classes that day, introducing would-be dancers to various styles. The free classes include two-year old Toddler Demo Class, Ballet Class for 6-9 yearolds, Hip-Hop Class for 9-12 year-olds, and a Lyrical Class for 7-11 year-olds. For more information or to register for the free classes (registration is limited), please contact Lona Gomez at lgomez@spartanarts.org or 864-591-5594.
As part of its regular Music Sandwiched In series, the Music Foundation of Spartanburg presents Tom Fisch, who will play the acoustic guitar and sing folk and country music at this free lunchtime concert at the Spartanburg County Library Headquarters on Wednesday, Aug. 8. The program will begin at 12:15 p.m. and guests can bring their lunch or buy one there. For more information, call 864-542-ARTS or visit www.spartanburgphilharFisch monic.org.
a family-friendly campfire at Walnut Grove Plantation. Eric Williams, re-enactor and former chief ranger at Ninety Six National Historic Site, will portray a doctor from the late 1700s with a special emphasis on battlefield medicine and surgery. His presentation will include the chance to see authentic medical instruments of the time period. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. for tours and leisure time; campfire starts at 8:30. Visitors should bring lawn chairs, blankets, and bug spray – and be ready to enjoy s’mores. For more information, call 864-542-ARTS or visit www.spartanburghistory.org. On the third Thursday of each month, the art galleries in Spartanburg stay open late so patrons can see what’s new. On Thursday, Aug. 16, 5-9 p.m. visitors can also stop by the Chapman Cultural Center to visit the Spartanburg Art Museum, the Artists Guild of Spartanburg Gallery, and the Student Galleries: all free. In addition, there will be a free, public reception for Guild member Ashley Holt that evening. For more information, call 864-542-ARTS or visit www.chapmanculturalcenter.org. Emrys Journal, a literary magazine published in Greenville since 1984, began accepting submissions for its 30th edition on Aug. 1. Writers are invited to submit fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction online through Nov. 1. New this year: the journal is now accepting online submissions of black-and-white art or photography from artists who are residents of Greenville or Spartanburg counties. There is also a special category for emerging writers, whose work has been published in two or fewer print publications. For more information, visit www.emrys.org or the submission website, http://emrysjournal.submittable.com.
B:10”
On Friday, Aug. 10, the Spartanburg County Historical Association will presentT:10”
Send us your arts announcement. E-mail: greenvillearts@greenvillejournal.com
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O P E N
NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE STILLWATERS
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Photography: Vicky Moseley
Stillwaters of Lake Robinson, Taylors As a private, gated community, Stillwaters of Lake Robinson has a wide variety of unique natural and planned amenities. There are many things to do here; from walking trails and botanical gardens to canoeing on the lake or swimming in our Clubhouse Pool. At Stillwaters, we have created a resort-style life for you on beautiful Lake Robinson, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Within the gates of Stillwaters, you will experience a wonderful balance between architectural consistency and individual taste. At Stillwaters, you have
6 different home styles and 11 different home designs to choose from as well as some customized interior options to suit your individual lifestyle. Stillwaters is a 50-acre community with a variety of different home styles. Passing through the gated stone entrance-way of Stillwaters, the first thing you notice is the gorgeous lake view and Glassy Mountain in the distance. What you may not notice is how much comprehensive planning and design that has gone into creating this low-maintenance oasis on the Southeastern shore of Lake Robinson.
NEIGHBORHOOD INFO Corner & Waterfront Lots Available 12 Month Average Home Price: $521,142 Mountain View Elementary Blue Ridge Middle School Blue Ridge High School
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$440,000 WOODRIDGE $430,000 $349,481 MULLIGANS DEN AT VILLAGE GREENS $339,000 APPLE VALLEY $336,000 THE OAKS $295,000 TYMBERBROOK $274,900 NORTH RIVER HILLS $240,000 SHALLOWFORD $226,500 LAUREL SPRINGS $216,324 $198,905 BLUE SKY $195,000 PLANTERS WALK $188,000 FAIRWAY ESTATES $185,000 BELLVIEW ACRES $183,750 WINDERMERE $176,000 THOMPSON FARMS $164,900 SWEETWATER HILLS $163,000 SHAFTSBURY $156,000 HERITAGE CREEK $152,000 AUTUMN BROOKE $147,000 HANGING ROCK $136,000 STONE STATION $134,000 FERNDALE $129,900 HANGING ROCK $128,530 VANDERBILT HILLS $119,900 HANGING ROCK $119,500 STONE STATION $115,900 LOGAN FIELDS $110,000 MOUNTAINBROOK $108,426 $107,500 EVANWOOD $105,000 SPARTANWOOD $101,784 $99,900 LAKE COOLEY LANDING $99,000 $93,000 PANORAMA ESTATES $92,900 DILLARD CREEK CROSSING $87,500 ARCHER ACRES $82,000 $79,900 MARGATE DEVELOPMENT $75,000 SUMMER GALE $75,000 PLEASANT GREEN $75,000 WOODS CREEK CROSSING $74,800 CROSS HILL $71,600 NORTH TYGER RIVER NATURE PRESERVE $69,500 $68,000 CRESTVIEW HEIGHTS ESTATES $67,000 CANYON RIDGE $65,000 $63,500 CROWFIELDS $62,500 HALLS BRIDGE ESTATE $59,900 PISGAH FOREST $59,281 NORTH RIDGE HILLS $54,000 BATTLEGROUND ESTATES $50,000 VICTOR MILL VILLAGE $46,529 $45,000 $43,123 TANGLEWOOD $41,850 INMAN MILLS $40,800 $34,500 ANDREY ESTATES $34,000 OAKWOOD $32,500 LANIER HEIGHTS $30,000 $30,000 INMAN MILLS $26,000 SOUTH TYGER CROSSING $25,000
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LOOK WHO’S IN THE JOURNAL THIS WEEK Rising eighth- through 12th-graders participating in Shared Worlds, a science fiction/fantasy team-writing summer camp at Wofford College, look over books during a visit to the Hub City Bookstore. Shared Worlds uses an innovative approach to writing fiction and realizing full creative potential, all in a safe and structured environment.
LOVE LIFE!
Students participating in Shared Worlds, a science fiction/fantasy team-writing summer camp at Wofford College, make a presentation to the other groups in Shared Worlds. During the first week of Shared Worlds, the students build sciencefiction or fantasy worlds in groups. In the second week, the students fine-tune their worlds and write stories set within those worlds, receiving professional feedback from award-winning authors. Students participating in Shared Worlds, a science fiction/fantasy team-writing summer camp at Wofford College, pose for a group photo at the college. Shared Worlds began in 2008 and has grown to have students enrolled from Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Indonesia.
Shared World campers applaud an author at the end of a reading.
CARE. You give a little extra – a note in your child’s lunchbox, a meal for a friend, volunteer help to a cause you believe in – because you know that to care is to love life. That’s why it’s important to make your health – and prevention – a priority. Learn about stroke prevention and more with the GHS stroke team: Stroke Awareness Community Forum Sat., Aug. 25 • Noon-2 p.m. Hilton Greenville This event is free and lunch is provided, but registration is required. Please visit ghs.org/360healthed or call 1-877-GHS-INFO (447-4636). Take care of your health today, so you can love life tomorrow.
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journalwatchdog.com 22 SPARTANBURG Journal | AUGUST 3, 2012
1 Madison Ave. figure 6 DEA employees 11 Convert into an anesthetic 19 Much of Egypt 21 Hawaiian welcome 22 “I like your invention!” 23 *Like Disneyland, visà-vis theme parks 25 *Perform efficiently 26 Rd. atlas listings 27 Dessert cart array 28 Friars Club main courses? 30 Tokyo-based electronics giant 31 Dancer Falana 32 Crochet loop 34 “Take a shot at it” 37 Meal 40 Amy Winehouse’s reaction to rehab, in the song 41 British Invasion drummer 42 Baker with the breakout album “Rapture” 43 Oft-quoted Yogi 44 Unwanted tabloid fame 48 *Tryst venue 50 Mad as __ hen 51 Berry touted as a superfood 52 Old Russian ruler 53 “WKRP” costar with Gary, Gordon, Howard et al. 54 __ Island: NY/NJ
landmark 55 Hearty partner 56 Current designation 58 DNA shape 61 “May It Be” singer 63 __ Wolf: Disney comics kid 64 “They’ll Do It Every Time” cartoonist Jimmy 67 *Bit of campaign nastiness 69 Green course 71 Drop the ball 72 First-year law student 75 Wreck 76 Job particular 78 Letters to creditors? 80 Central Florida city 82 They may stay till closing time 84 Four-ring-logo company 88 “The lady __ protest ...”: “Hamlet” 89 Lake __, Blue Nile source 90 *Get-rich-quick buy 93 Oscar winner’s words 95 Nebraska’s largest city 96 Physicist Bohr 97 Twix or Trix, e.g. 98 “Permission granted” 100 “Juno and the Paycock” playwright 101 Boil 103 Caterpillar rival 104 Some faux outerwear 105 Routine 106 Ahab’s kingdom 109 Confirmation, e.g.
110 __TV: Court TV, since 2008 113 *Writer’s bottom line? 116 *1978 Commodores hit 120 Joined the Navy 121 Rob of “90210” 122 St. Francis’s birthplace 123 Six-pack units 124 Score notations 125 Prop for Monet
as thinking 32 White House entrance 33 Memo starter 35 Stick in a scull 36 Dickens baddie Heep 37 Lose control 38 Baseball’s Slaughter 39 Pocket bread
40 Light on Broadway 41 Oktoberfest purchase 43 College QB, often 45 Barn baby 46 Sylvester’s “Rocky” co-star 47 Triangular sign 49 Honorary legal deg. 54 K-12
57 Bit of 48-Across talk 59 Other, in Oaxaca 60 The Bengals of the Big Sky Conf. 62 Widow in “Peer Gynt” 64 Alpine heroine 65 Forster’s “__ With a View” 66 “Honestly ...” 67 Flier 68 In “Wicked,” say 70 Trees favored by giraffes 73 *”Zilch” 74 Online greeting 76 Ancient public walkway 77 SFO setting 79 Brief 81 Fancy-schmancy 83 Emperor after Galba 85 Luau instruments 86 Take-out order? 87 Wee 90 Lesser-of-evils situation 91 “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough” poet 92 Bump up 94 Slangy turndown 99 Seesaw 100 “I’m __ here!” 101 They may be blown or cracked 102 Low-budget lead-in 104 In good shape 107 British submachine gun 108 Wine list heading 109 Supreme leader? 110 Speaker of Cooperstown 111 It’s romantic to give one 112 Condo expense: Abbr. 114 __ Maria: liqueur 115 Presidential policy support gp. 117 There are two of them in each starred ans. 118 Worked (up) 119 Flight safety org.
Crossword answers: page 21
Down
1 Deadly snakes 2 Blowgun missile 3 P-like letters 4 Enjoy, with “up” 5 Offer 6 Afternoon breaks 7 “American Gladiators” co-host Laila 8 Mythical bird 9 Patio bagful 10 Tavern 11 Nog basics 12 Traffic sound 13 *Absolutely perfect 14 Shogun stronghold 15 Score slow-up: Abbr. 16 “Remind me” 17 Not as many 18 ‘50s TV adventurer __ Derringer 20 Leaning 24 Vote for 29 Like some 20th-century music 31 Indirect and creative,
Hard
Sudoku answers: page 21
60 & Beyond with peggy henderson
Facing up to real-life bucket list There are two ways to digest a bucket list. There’s the movie version that throws reality out the cockpit of one of Jack Nicholson’s chartered jets as he and Morgan Freeman fly all over the world full of cancer and anticipation of checking off their wish list before they “kick the bucket.” Two wasted elderly gentleman from disparate backgrounds defy hospital orders; one leaves a loyal spouse, the other owns a history of a wealthy but loveless life. Together they join hands and hearts and pursue their list of dreams. The feel-good finale ends like a rainbow after a thunderstorm. They died doing what they set out to accomplish. The other version is the amazing influence the message left with moviegoers of all ages. The news media, books, talk shows and bloggers jostled for position to sell their redundant bucket list mantra with such titles as “1,000 Things to Do Before You Die.” I ask: How special can that many “things” be to spend valuable time marking them off a list? To me, a real bucket list holds special, awesome, scary, educational, spiritual, lifechanging experiences that are not classified with the ordinary. Another list that would be a disappointment to discover is anything that has to do with the words “mustdo.” An exemplary list should embrace extraordinary happenings, like learning to ride a trail horse, or water-ski. Chess, anyone? I hate to think how many hours a day we spend just to keep afloat, just to stay ahead of the game. I’m a keen fan of making plans for the future and I’m a huge believer in planning one year at a time. And obviously, the older we get, the shorter the life span we have to negotiate our treasure list. I think we can agree that there’s a huge difference between making a wistful, maybe-someday bucket list and being informed you have one year or less to live. Advice? Go home and make your
arrangements. Or, this is the time to make a desperation wish list. That proposed bucket list might read upbeat, perky or fanciful, but I personally couldn’t pull it off. I don’t perform bittersweet performances well. I’m thinking that the ideal passage of time for adults to make a wish list is as soon as those lovely darlings (one’s children) decamp the fort. Twenty years of planned physical challenges, new avocations, spiritual awakenings and longed-for travel are yours for the taking. Let your aspirations be known to your offspring. Tell them you will be very busy working on your bucket list. They should adjust to the idea of their parents spreading their wings, too. As for those of us that are 60 & Beyond, the facts of living longer, if we do the right things and are lucky to have inherited some jazzy genes, are that we have much to look forward to and do. The one and only thing that can hamper our daily and future plans is our health. If we have mind and body, we are unquestionably blessed. If bad things happen, a different path is taken that requires grace under fire, courage and faith. I don’t have a list, nor will I make one. My gut feeling is I don’t want or need a list to look back at me and hound me that I have yet to complete an item. Plus, the fact is I have no burning desire to jump out of an airplane or visit the plains of Africa. All the little pleasantries of life please me. The icing on the cake is that I have this time, each day, to love it back with gratitude. Peggy Henderson is a 60 & Beyond former freelance writer turned newspaper columnist. Besides appearing in the Spartanburg and Greenville Journals, her column is syndicated with Senior Wire News Services. In addition, she’s a staff writer for the website www.Go60.us. Contact her at peg4745@aol.com
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