The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 16

i 2 Chf Cwnuille Nnw Sunday, February 4, 1990 By Jenny Munro Newt Clemson bureau The state Knights of Columbus have announced plans to donate $100,000 to the Rainbow for Hope endowment at Clemson University-Interest from the endowment will be earmarked for the Knights of Columbus Graduate Scholars program, said Charlie White, associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management and director of the university's Outdoor Laboratory. The money will be used to re- Earmarked for Knights of Columbus Graduate Scholars Thev pledged to raise $100,000 over four years by passing out Tootsie Rolls for a donation. "We're not allowed to sell them," he said. The average donation for a Tootsie Roll is a quarter, he said. "That's a lot of Tootsie Rolls," White said.

The organization raised the money in three years rather than the anticipated four, Russell said. Since 1977, the Knights of Columbus in South Carolina have collected and distributed $1 million to various groups working with mentally retarded individuals, he said. Camp Hope at the Outdoor Laboratory is one of several camps for special groups, White said. Camps for speech and hearing impaired people, those who are blind or visually handicapped, hemophiliacs and youngsters with muscular dystrophy also are held during the summer. The Outdoor Laboratory also is rented by other organizations and university groups for seminars, workshops and conferences, he said.

cruit a graduate student, preferably a doctoral candidate, with a background in working with mentally handicapped individuals, White said. The annual stipend for such a graduate student would be about $9,000, with $6,000 of that coming from the Knights of Columbus endowment and the remainder subsidized through the parks, recreation and tourism management department. William Russell, who coordi nated the fund-raising campaign, was scheduled to present the $100,000 check to Lt. Gov. Nick Theodore, honorary chairman of the endowment, during a dinner Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Greenville.

University officials anticipate the stipend will be presented to the first recipient in the fall of 1990. White said the endowment will allow the department to increase its research efforts at the Outdoor Laboratory. Russell said the Knights of Columbus first became involved in working with mental retardation in the state in 1977. The group began working with Camp Hope at the Outdoor Laboratory about seven years ago. Initially, the Knights raised $15,000 for scholarships.

But "we decided we needed to do something more permanent" for Camp Hope, he said. Tree-cutting foes vow to continue fight to save oaks 1 a 4 a v. JTff 1 1 I By April Moorefield New Clinton bureau WHITMIRE Opponents of a Whitmire Town Council decision to cut down old oak trees to make way for sidewalks along local streets are vowing to continue their fight, a protester said Friday. But after the death Thursday of a husband of a Town Council member who collapsed at a special meeting called to discuss the ongoing controversy, the protest likely will remain quiet for a few days, said Randall Frye, a resident opposed to the cuttings. "The point we want to get across is that we never intended for anything like this to happen," said Frye, who helped organize a protest staged last weekend along North Main Street, where a majority of the 60-year-old oaks were chopped down.

"We're upset, and we send our deepest sympathy to his family," Frye said. "But we are going to continue to stand up for what we believe is right." Billy Ray Manes, 50, of 1719 Watson Whitmire, died of a cardiopulmonary arrest at approximately 7:50 p.m., Newberry County Coroner James O. Smith said. Manes was pronounced dead on arrival at Newberry County Memorial Hospital. Manes' wife, Ruth, is a member of the council.

Manes, who onlookers said was perspiring when he walked to the front of the crowded council chambers, collapsed to the floor shortly after he began speaking, Frye said. Local citizens had gathered at. the Town Council meeting after becoming upset when large trees were cut to repair sidewalks. One of the trees on Gary Street was nearly a century old, Frye said. Whitmire has been awarded a $52,000 grant from the state Department of Highways and Public Transportation to be used for repairing damaged sidewalks.

Recently through an agreement with the Town Council, the Highway Department and Duke Power Company trees whose roots were thought to be damaging sidewalks were cut down. The Town Council has agreed to stop work until a special meeting can be rescheduled to hear the protesters' grievances. Though protesters don't solely blame the council members, they do believe most of the trees were cut unnecessarily before any alternatives were examined, said Martha Suber, who grew up in Whitmire. "We feel like the natural beauty of the town has been destroyed," she said. "It's like letting a surgeon start cutting without getting a second opinion.

People fail to realize that trees are useful that they provide oxygen and shade." An official with the U.S. Forestry Service, called in by the Whit-mire Jaycees after the controversy ignited, said alternatives to cutting the trees down ranged from rerouting root systems to eliminating only the major roots damaging the concrete. Councilman F.L. "Luke" McCall, who said he has served on the council for 36 years, said he never realized cutting the trees would become such a big issue. "We thought cutting the trees would be the most economical alternative, and some were already rotten, McCall said Friday.

"We didn't know it would cause this kind of an uproar. We never thought anyone would say anything about the trees." McCall said he hopes the controversy will encourage more i people to attend council meetings. "Nobody ever comes to our meetings, and we have to make decisions," he "This town 1 needs some input, and we would 1 appreciate the support." I Westminster council fires police chief ByRonBarnett New Oconee bureau WESTMINSTER Ignoring a show of support from most of the -r 50 people who turned out for a special meeting Saturday night, Westminster Town Council voted 4-2 to fire Police Chief Gary Council members B.M. "Snook" England, Vera Duke, Betty Phinney and Bob Ayers voted for firing the chief and offered no explanation. There was no discussion before the vote.

In an unannounced meeting two days earlier, the four had voted to ask Long to resign. He refused. Councilmen Steve White, chairman of the council's police committee, and Clyde Smith voted against firing Long. After the meeting, Long held his badge aloft in one hand and told council members his support-i ers have collected about 180 names on a petition seeking to I overturn the dismissal more j- than any of the three new council members received in the ballot box in last November's election. Ayers, England and Mrs.

Phinney took office last month. "I'll run for council," he shouted as Westminster Police Capt. Nick Palmer tossed his own badge across the room at Ayers. Later, some of Long's support-'. ers said they plan to circulate a petition seeking to remove from office the council members who voted to fire the chief i In a 45-minute public session i prior to the vote, 12 people spoke in favor of the chief and the new officers he has hired in recent months, while seven made neg-; ative comments.

Most of the negative remarks centered around the depart-j ment's recent search of a vehicle in which police believed illegal I drugs were being transported. No I drugs were found, Long said. A 14-year old girl, who said she I I was in the car that Long and off i- cer Ned Ayres stopped, said the police "pointed a gun at me, and I y. was scared." Long called that statement "an absolute lie" and said he would be willing to take a polygraph test on that question. 1 1 In spite of negative comments, the council chamber and hall-5 ways outside rang with applause I after testimonials for Long were delivered.

Rusty Cater called the police force prior to Long's administra-3 tion "incapable" and said Town Council is creating a "carnival atmosphere" with its attempt to fire Long. I "If you keep hiring and firing until you satisfy everybody in town, you're never going to have i a police chief," he said. Prior to Long's hiring, former George Cleveland was charged with embezzlement of public funds charges to which he later pleaded guilty. Since then, all but one of the officers under the previous admi-' I nistration either quit or were fired. At least seven of the town's 10 police officers had said Friday they would quit if Long was fired.

But after the meeting, none had officially resigned, Mayor H.E. Finley said. Finley, who had supported Long, said Assistant Chief Jack I Hoilman would be offered the job of interim chief. Bubba Kelley chats with THE NEWS ALAN DEVORSEY Skateland USA's general manager Ron Houston Boy's dream of skating comes true Council of governments will announce new director soon By Beth Lowrey New staff writer A 10-year-old boy stricken with arthrogryposis, a debilitating joint disease, saw his dreams come true recently when the owner of a Berea area skating rink opened the rink just for him. Benjamin "Bubba" Kelly, a fourth-grader at Sara Collins Elementary School, succeeded in putting rollerskates on and skating for one hour around the rink with the help of his mother and his mother's friend.

"I can't tell you what it meant to me," Bubba's mother, Kim Kelly, said. "He just wants to be like other children, and he knows he never will be. It was one of the best times he's ever had in his life." Bubba, who was born with the disease, has talked about wanting to skate for years, his mother days I've ever had," the fourth-grader said. "It was difficult, but I kind of got the hang of it. And I liked actually being able to be like other children." Houston played songs by the New Kids on the Block, the B-52's and Milli Vanilli at Bubba's request.

His favorite song, which Houston played last, was one by Bobby Brown, his mother said. "He did great. He didn't want to take the skates off," Houston said. "I told him he could come back anytime just to call me. It was a joyous thing, but kind of sad." Skating may only be the beginning.

Although Bubba has never been able to participate in sports, his mother said Phyllis Wooten, the friend who talked her into taking Bubba to the rink, is going to try to teach him how to play baseball. to talk. Afterward, he went to the Wakefield Street residence where his wife, father-in-law and grand-mother-in-law were, Purvines said. Griffith stayed on the porch of the house and talked with authorities before his brother and sister arrived on the scene and began talking with him, Purvines said. Purvines said Griffith never threatened to harm anyone else, but authorities advised neighbors to stay in a safe area.

Griffith's wife and her family were escorted out the back door of the house. said, but was always told he wouldn't be able to. Finally, his mother, at the prompting of her friend, decided to give it a try. They called up several skating rinks and were enthusiastically received by Ron Houston, co-owner of Skateland USA in Berea. "He just jumped out of his way to do it and said we could come in whenever we wanted," Mrs.

Kelly said. Houston opened up the rink early Saturday morning, Jan. 27, about an hour before the regular crowd's arrival and put Bubba on some fancy "speed skates." He turned on the disco lights and set himself up as disc jockey to play Bubba's favorite songs. With the help of his mother and her friend, who were grounded in tennis shoes, Bubba was able to make it around the rink for nearly a full hour. "It was one of the most fun cers and detectives, then with his brother and his sister, before shooting himself with a handgun at 9:50 a.m., Purvines said.

Emergency Medical Services personnel who were on the scene took him immediately to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he died at 10:15 a.m. of a single gunshot wound to the head, Greenville County Deputy Coroner Parks Evans said. Purvines said Griffith, apparently distraught over a separation with his wife, had gone to his sister's house early that morning Upper Savannah's board of directors, praised the growing number of programs the council has launched during Richardson's tenure. "They've really broadened the base of services that help city and county governments," he said. A new program begun last year is a $1 million revolving loan fund for new and expanding industries, particularly manufacturing companies.

Richardson said about $400,000 in loans have been made, resulting in 140 new jobs. A service that Richardson began about 10 years ago is the Rov-ing Public Administrator Program. It provides part-time professional administrators to seven small towns and to Abbeville County, where governments don't need or can't afford a full-time manager. It was, and is still, the only such program in the state, Richardson said. Richardson said he is most proud of the council's role in coordinating projects that bring together the public and private sectors.

"We have a cooperative attitude that doesn't exist in other areas," he said. The council's board of directors is looking for a replacement for Richardson, and will have a decision by Feb. 12. "We hate to see him go, but we understand that he wants to go on to other things," said board member and Greenwood County Coun-, cil Chairman Carroll Brooks. By Alexandra Alger New Greenwood bureau GREENWOOD The Upper Savannah Council of Governments will announce its choice for a new executive director on Feb.

12, according to Larry Richardson, who will leave the post at the end of the month. After 20 years with the agency, including 5 12 years as executive director, Richardson will become a partner and co-owner of Triangle Properties a local general contractor. "I've worked in a quasi-governmental agency my whole working career," Richardson said. "I like real estate and I've dabbled in real estate. It's just an opportunity I didn't want to pass up." Formed in 1967, the Upper Savannah Council of Governments provides development, research and technical services for local governments in Greenwood, Abbeville, Edgefield, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda counties.

Richardson, 41, who served as associate director before assuming the top job in 1984, has been part of a transformation in Upper Savannah's identity. When Richardson arrived 20 years ago, after graduating from the University of South Carolina, the council mainly wrote federal grants for local governments. "We were seen as the money," he said. When federal funding began to dry up, the council began to take on other roles. Floyd Nicholson, a Greenwood City Councilman and member of Man kills himself despite efforts by relatives, police to persuade him not to A Greenville man shot himself to death Saturday morning on the porch of his grandmother-in-law's home after police and relatives tried for more than three hours to persuade him not to, authorities said.

Greenville police were called to 112 Wakefield St. at 6:18 a.m., and officers found 33-year-old Robert Griffith of 70 Breckenridge Apartments threatening to shoot himself, said Sgt. Glenn Purvines of the Greenville Police Department. Griffith talked briefly with offi- News bureau listings New Circulation Anderson 225-6656 231-9978 Atlanta 404-378-1088 Belton-Honea Path 338-8023 231-9978 Clemson 664-6342 882-7243 Clinton 833-3576 833-2070 Columbia 256-7367 771-4902 Easley 8590071 298-4100 Greenwood 223-9616 223-6769 i I Greer 879-7924 298-4100 1 Laurens 833-3576 833-2070 Lyman-Wellford-Duncan 877-3720 583-6285 Oconee County 885-0636 882-7243 Pickens 868-2815 878-7784 Spartanburg 591-3356 583-6285 Washington 202-737-4092 Williamaton-Powdersvills 947-1383 231-9978 I a.