GOOD NEIGHBORS

The man with a thousand sons

WWII vet, ag teacher and mentor to many in Wagener turns 100

BY JOSH P. CROTZER

SPENCER SMITH BELIEVES GOD has consistently been a protecting, guiding force in his life. After 100 years—he celebrates the milestone birthday on January 11—the World War II U.S. Army veteran and longtime Wagener educator can tell a lot of stories that will back up his faith in divine intervention.

“Throughout my whole life, I feel that somehow the Lord had a purpose for me,” says Smith. “I’m just thankful that I have good memories of all the people that I had the opportunity to serve and work and be acquainted with.”

Smith’s memories are indeed sharp. He can recount every mission his platoon took, fighting their way across Europe in WWII. One of those missions was especially memorable and impactful. His unit was among the first to reach German soil, and six miles beyond the Siegfried Line, they began taking fire. After a near miss from a German bazooka, he was shot in the face by a German rifle. Although his face was numb in that moment, Smith felt a sense of purpose that was profound and lasting.

“I had to tell the good Lord, if he would let me put my feet back on USA soil, I’ll never leave it again,” says Smith, whose nose and mouth were repaired through plastic surgery. “And I’ll try to do something worthwhile for mankind.”

And so begins the tale of the man with a thousand sons, many of whom have their own stories about the teacher who mentored them at Aiken County’s Wagener-Salley High School. A native of Oconee County, Smith settled in Wagener with his wife, Lelline, where they raised two daughters. His role as the school’s vocational agriculture teacher from 1947 until 1982 was critical to the small farming community. According to his successor in that role, Allen Williams, Smith brought technology and modern methods to the local farms.

“He was a direct link to Clemson University agriculture, research and experiments,” says Williams. “He helped them revolutionize their agricultural practices.”

But his role in the development of young minds and spirits may be of greater consequence. Whether he was teaching science, woodworking, plumbing or leading the local chapter of Future Farmers of America, Smith imparted discipline, love and a wealth of life lessons to the hundreds of (mostly) boys who took his courses.

“Mr. Smith treated his students as though they were his sons,” says Doug Busbee, a member of Smith’s last class at Wagener-Salley High and whose own son is now the vocational agriculture teacher at the school. “Even when we were being disciplined, we never doubted that he cared about us.”

That affection is returned to Smith frequently, especially by the many students who became civic, business and military leaders. They often check in on their old teacher to reminisce and say thank you. After all, the lessons he still teaches might keep their feet in the soil for a long time.

“The main secret [to a long life] is to never quit doing and never quit loving other people,” he says. “Never create animosity or hate toward anyone because those things grind away at you like cancer.”

Spencer Smith imparted discipline, love and a wealth of life lessons to the hundreds of (mostly) boys who took his courses.

JOSH P. CROTZER

Spencer Smith on a visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., above, and at home in Wagener, left. He is celebrating his 100th birthday on January 11.

Incubator farming offers fellowship, wellness and a whole lot of fresh food

BY HASTINGS HENSEL | PHOTOS BY ANDREW HAWORTH

A GOOD START Above: FarmaSis President Thomasena Laudmon, left, and Jeannie Jackson prepare for the day’s planting. Top: FarmaSis founder Bonita Clemons has made it her mission to introduce black women to the healthy benefits of farming.

IN THE FIELD WHERE THEY ARE PLANTING, you can still hear the constant thrum of traffic. After all, a mile away is Northeast Columbia’s busy Village at Sandhill mall. But the six women in wide-brimmed hats on a warm May morning focus instead on the ground before them, where they are planting row upon row of lettuce, basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, watermelon, cilantro, parsley and hibiscus.

Collectively, they are known as FarmaSis—an all-black, all-female, all-organic farmers’ group that, in the words of their gregarious founder, Bonita Clemons, has three goals: “health and wellness, economic development, and to work together collectively as black women.”

“We called it FarmaSis because, you know, we’re playing on words,” Clemons says. “A pharmacist gives medicine. We give food. Food is medicine. Black women call themselves ‘sister’ or ‘sis.’ We always call each other ‘sis.’ So, FarmaSis.”

The field they are working is a portion of nearly 600 acres that make up the Sandhill Research and Education Center, operated by the Clemson Experiment Station. The FarmaSis plot is part of the five acres set aside for incubator farms that help beginning farmers learn the trade during three-year lease agreements, says farm manager Cody Bishop.

For an annual lease fee of $350, Sandhill provides use of the land, reliable irrigation, use of farming tools and even facilities to wash and package produce for sale, he says. Leaseholders provide the labor and their unique entrepreneurial vision.

“Our incubator farm is a learning experience where somebody who wants to learn how to farm can have an environment where some of the risks that normal farmers face are not on their backs,” Bishop says.

“I’m a firm believer that everything we need to eat can be grown ourselves. We import more food than we grow, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We’re planting the seed to change that.”

—FARMASIS FOUNDER BONITA CLEMONS

The FarmaSis group, which has been part of the incubator program from the start, is a perfect fit with the program’s mission to help beginning farmers serve their communities. The women come out four to five days a week, all year, to tend to the seasonal demands of farming— amending soil, planting, watering, controlling insects, harvesting and packing.

“This is the vision,” says Clemons. “For all to learn, then you go and you teach 10, and you tell those 10 to teach 10, and eventually we’ll have enough food circulating to feed ourselves. Because I’m a firm believer that everything we need to eat can be grown ourselves. We [as a society] import more food than we grow, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We’re planting the seed to change that.”

Clemons often speaks in gardening metaphors. Her leadership style, you might say, is like the crops she plants—it’s rooted in the local, but it blooms into the universal.

The first seed was planted when she was working at Shaw Air Force Base, where she met a local farmer and “felt something there.”

“I noticed, though, that the African American farmers were old and getting older,” she says. “I didn’t see any new people, and I didn’t see any women, so I said, ‘I want to train other women.’”

She recruited like-minded farmers on social media, all of them inspired by the chance to make positive impacts on the local community. Clemons herself had once been ill and says she healed herself with the best natural medicine—healthy food.

“I’m telling you, food is one of the most important things that helped me turn my life around. I just realized I had to take certain things out of my diet, and that’s when I went vegetarian. To feel good again,” she says. “I tell people, ‘I don’t demonize food, but because of what animals are being fed and the chemicals? Food has changed.’ So, I wanted to teach them about good health and then knowing that fresh food is a part of that.”

As someone who studied business and economics, and who has a master’s degree in public health, Clemons recognizes that, to many people, eating well is equated with spending more money. She wants to combat that notion.

“I think the cost is going to balance out in terms of your health because as we get older, the medicine is going to get you,” she says. “Yesterday I bought some squash and nearly fell over when the lady told me ‘Five dollars.’ I could buy a pack of seeds for two dollars, and I could feed—I’m not lying—like a whole community.”

Thomasena Laudmon, who took over last year for Clemons as the group’s leader, takes a break from planting to say, “It’s such an important issue, food is. Because that’s how we grow. If we don’t have proper nutrition, then that stunts the growth in so many ways. Nutrition is

FARM TO TABLE From top: FarmaSis members prepare to plant on a May Sunday morning at Clemson University’s Sandhill Research and Education Center; Sadia Pollard of Columbia, a recent graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and owner of Prosper Farm, tends to tomato plants in June; Bonita Clemons shows off freshly harvested zucchini.

HEALTHY LIVING FarmaSis farmers were planting in May and already reaping the fruits of their labor in June. From left: Teresa Wilson, Carmen Tisdale, Jeannie Jackson, FarmaSis founder Bonita Clemons, Lauretha Whaley, and FarmaSis President Thomasena Laudmon.

Room to grow

The incubator farm program at the Sandhill Research and Education Center is hosted by Clemson Experiment Station. As this issue went to press, five growers were engaged in the program, which can accommodate up to seven participants at a time. For more information, contact farm manager Cody Bishop at (803) 788-5700 or wcbisho@clemson.edu.

GET MORE Follow the women

of FarmaSis as they share their farming trials and triumphs on Facebook @the-farmasis.

the catalyst for a healthy, vibrant lifestyle. So the work that the group and I do is very important because, as women, we are mothers, and as mothers, we take care of our families and communities.”

Carmen Tisdale, the self-described “foodie” of the group, is out here today dragging plastic to thwart the weeds. She’s already cleaned her beds and planted some peanuts for the first time, and she likes how much fun they have out here telling jokes while they work. As she works her rows, she talks about making radish hummus, beet ketchup, pesto, Jamaican green sauce, vegan oxtails and kale salad—all from what she’s grown.

She’s even brought gardening into her classroom at Logan Elementary and shown the kids how to make and sell smoothies; it’s a lifestyle approach she hopes to eventually pass on to her own daughter.

Because the ideas and practices of FarmaSis are as interconnected as the farming ecosystem itself, the women also see feminine beauty as another benefit of the farming lifestyle.

“Farming keeps me fine!” says Laudmon. “It’s exercise for me. After I get up in the morning and do my meditation and libation, I get out in the garden, and that’s my workout.”

“FarmaSis brought style to farming,” says Clemons. “You could really make the connection—the reason you look good in that dress? It’s because your lifestyle, the food, the farming. It all comes together. That’s why you look the way you look in that dress.”

They laugh as they begin preparing for another planting-day ritual— the potluck lunch. They break out the tables and chairs, and, still ignoring the noise of the nearby traffic, they bless the food and dive in. It’s a smorgasbord of kale salad, pasta salad, collard green salad, guacamole salad, black bean dip and fresh-cut watermelon.

They know they have much to be thankful for, which also means they still have so much left to teach.

“We’re taking care of ourselves and taking care of the earth,” Clemons says. “It’s the same thing.”

Upstate

JANUARY 14–16, 21–23 The Color

Purple, Spartanburg Little Theatre in Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg. (864) 585‑8278 or sltheatre1@gmail.com.

15 The Greenville News Run

Downtown 5K, Broad St. and S. Main St., Greenville. (864) 423‑1482.

16–17 240th Anniversary of the

Battle of Cowpens, virtual event presented by Cowpens National Battlefield. (864) 461‑2828.

22 Interstellar Echoes: #1 Pink

Floyd Tribute, Abbeville Opera House, Abbeville. (864) 366‑9673 or ebledsoe@abbevillecitysc.com.

22 Winter Bluegrass

Jubilee, Pickens High School Fine Arts Center, Pickens. winterbluegrassjubilee@gmail.com.

29 Freebird: A Lynyrd Skynyrd

Tribute, Abbeville Opera House, Abbeville. (864) 366‑9673 or ebledsoe@abbevillecitysc.com.

29 Spartanburg Wedding

Festival, Spartanburg Marriott, Spartanburg. (864) 235‑5555 or weddingfestivals@charter.net.

FEBRUARY 5 Natural Wonder: The Stevie

Wonder Experience, Abbeville Opera House, Abbeville. (864) 366‑9673 or ebledsoe@abbevillecitysc.com.

5 Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley,

Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or music@spartanarts.org.

10–13 Disney’s Freaky Friday

the Musical, Spartanburg Youth Theatre, Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or music@spartanarts.org. 12 Cupid’s Chase 5K, Conestee Park, Greenville. (854) 233‑6270.

18–19 Central Railway Model and Historical Association Train Expo

2022, Rock Springs Church Impact Center, Easley. (864) 508‑7126. 19 Deep Winter Blues, Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens. (864) 898‑2936. 25 Awakened, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg. (864) 948‑9020 or music@spartanarts.org.

26 Sweetheart Charity Ball supporting Meals on Wheels of

Greenville, Greenville Convention Center, Greenville. (864) 233‑6565.

ONGOING Daily through Jan. 31

Ice on Main, Village Green, Greenville. info@iceonmain.com.

SCLiving.coop/calendar

Our mobile-friendly site lists even more festivals, shows and events. You’ll also find instructions on submitting your event. Please confirm information with the hosting event before attending.

2nd and 4th Wednesdays

Ukulele Jam Night, Stomping Grounds Coffee & Wine Bar, Greer. (864) 801‑1555.

Midlands

JANUARY 14 Columbia Home Building

& Remodeling Expo, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia. (803) 545‑0181.

15 Aiken Camellia Show,

First Presbyterian Church, Aiken. (803) 279‑9451 or cjdickson@bellsouth.net. 21 Robert Earl Keen, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 23 Tab Benoit, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 27 The Great Gatsby, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 28 Hotel California, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

28 Old Town Night

Market, Old Town Rock Hill, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787 or arts@yorkcountyarts.org.

29 The Polish Philharmonic,

Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

29 Smokey & Me: A Celebration

of Smokey Robinson, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616.

FEBRUARY

1 Verdi’s Rigoletto, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

3 The Lettermen (two shows),

Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 4 Gaelic Storm, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

4–6 Aiken Antique Show,

Aiken. (803) 641‑9094 or acaac@bellsouth.net.

6 Glenn Miller Orchestra,

Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 10 Shawn Colvin, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 15 McCartney Years, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

Blues guitarist Tab Benoit plays the Newberry Opera House on Jan. 23.

17 The Machine Performs

Pink Floyd, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 18 Jimmy Fortune, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 18 The Fifth Dimension, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436‑2616.

18–26 Murder’s in the Heir,

Aiken Community Theatre, Aiken. (803) 648‑1438. 19 Blue Dogs, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

19–20 Winter Stamp and

Postcard Show, Spring Valley High School, Columbia. (803) 309‑2534 or mapostmus@yahoo.com.

25 Old Town Night

Market, Old Town Rock Hill, Rock Hill. (803) 328‑2787 or arts@yorkcountyarts.org.

26 16th Annual Joy of

Gardening Symposium, Gateway Conference Center, Rock Hill. symposium@yorkmg.org.

26 James Gregory (two shows),

Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

27 The Music of Peter, Paul &

Mary, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264. 28 Tango Argentina, Newberry Opera House, Newberry. (803) 276‑6264.

Lowcountry

JANUARY 13–15 Black Ink: A Charleston African American Book Festival,

virtual event, based in Charleston. info@blackinkcharleston.org.

13–16 SOS Mid-Winter Break/

Winter Workshop, Ocean Drive Beach & Golf Resort, North Myrtle Beach. (800) 438‑9590.

15 Charleston Marathon,

Downtown Charleston, info@charlestonmarathon.com. 15 Jim Witter—The Long & Winding Road, USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, Beaufort. (843) 521‑4145.

20 The Great American Songbook,

Gaillard Center, Charleston. (843) 723‑7528.

21 Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Mike

Marshall and George Meyer, Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, Florence. (843) 661‑4444.

26 Hilton Head Snow Day,

Shelter Cove Community Park, Hilton Head Island. (843) 681‑7273 or info@islandreccenter.org.

27 Polish Wieniawski

Philharmonic, Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, Florence. (843) 661‑4444. 28 A Night in the Valley, The College Center at Trident Technical College—Thornley Campus, North Charleston. (843) 574‑6580.

FEBRUARY 1–20 The Curious Incident of the

Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head Island. (843) 842‑2787.

4 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head program: “How Democracies

Die,” First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 348‑6758 or wachhi@gmail.com. 4–5 Chopin’s Masterpiece, Gaillard Center, Charleston. (843) 723‑7528.

5 Great Guns on the Ashley

(Artillery Demonstration), Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852‑4200.

5 Save the Light Half Marathon

& 5K, Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach. (843) 795‑4386.

6 Lowcountry Oyster Festival,

Boone Hall Plantation, Mt. Pleasant. (843) 853‑8000.

7 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head program: “Countering

Extremism Together,” First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 348‑6758 or wachhi@gmail.com.

12 Carolina Master Chorale Presents Stories of the Heart,

Trinity United Methodist Church, North Myrtle Beach. (843) 444‑5774 or info@carolinamasterchorale.com. 12 Cupid’s Chase 5K, James Island County Park, Charleston. (843) 879‑3270.

12 Hopeful Horizons

Race4Love 5K, Cat Island, Beaufort. (843) 524‑6151 or fitzgibbonssk@hopefulhorizons.org.

13 Beaufort Symphony Orchestra–Give My Regards to Broadway,

Sea Island Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 476‑1310 or president@beaufortorchestra.org. 13 Mutts Gone Nuts—Canine Cabaret & Pet Palooza, USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, Beaufort. (843) 521‑4145.

18 World Affairs Council of Hilton Head program: “Iran: Can We Lose The Enemy,”

First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island. (843) 348‑6758 or wachhi@gmail.com.

18–20 Horry Georgetown Home

Show, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach. (843) 918‑1225 or info@hghba.com.

19–20 The American Heritage

Festival, Graham’s Historic Farm, Lake City. (904) 200‑1232 or info@theamericanheritagefestival.com.

22–27 Beaufort International

Film Festival, The Beaufort Inn, Beaufort. (843) 522‑3196 or beaufortfilm@gmail.com. 26 Lowcountry Festival, Shelter Cove Community Park, Hilton Head Island. (800) 523‑3373.

26 Swamp Fox Chili Cook Off,

Main Street Commons, Marion. (843) 423‑9918 or hmra@theswampfox.org.

28 Hilton Head Irish Concert,

Lowcountry Celebration Park, Hilton Head Island. (855) 287‑7287 or kimberly.capin@gmail.com.

ONGOING Wednesdays Awendaw

Green Barn Jam, Sewee Outpost, Awendaw. (843) 452‑1642 or awendawgreen@gmail.com.

Thursdays Jan. 13–Feb. 10 History of the Old Beaufort District

lecture series, USCB Center for the Arts, Beaufort. (843) 379‑3331 or historicbeaufort.org.