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Born May 18, 1953; got saved at Truett Memorial BC in Hayesville, NC 1959. On rigged ballot which I did not rig got Most Intellectual class of 71, Gaffney High School. Furman Grad, Sociology major but it was little tougher than Auburn football players had Had three dates with beautiful women the summer of 1978. Did not marry any of em. Never married anybody cause what was available was undesirable and what was desirable was unaffordable. Unlucky in love as they say and even still it is sometimes heartbreaking. Had a Pakistani Jr. Davis Cupper on the Ropes the summer of 84, City Courts, Rome Georgia I've a baby sitter, watched peoples homes while they were away on Vacation. Freelance writer, local consultant, screenwriter, and the best damn substitute teacher of Floyd County Georgia in mid 80's according to an anonymous kid passed me on main street a few years later when I went back to get a sandwich at Schroeders. Had some good moments in Collinsville as well. Ask Casey Mattox at www.clsnet.org if he will be honest about it. I try my best to make it to Bridges BBQ in Shelby NC at least four times a year.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Kamla Harris Town Hall at Wofford, May 28, Ten Pm, MSNBC

  Kamla Harris will have a town Hall at Wofford College in Spartanburg SC early June about 20 miles West on hwy 29 where I grew up in Gaffney. Wofford is a historically Methodist School, the alma mater of Will Willimon long time Chaplain at Duke who is fascinated with the lynching of Willie Earle when he was one year old in Greenville South Carolina.

    Wofford is a big beneficiary of deceased Textile Magnate Roger Milliken who Told Goldwater to run for President and gave more Money to Nixon in 72 than any other man in America. Published reports are in 2012 his son Roger Jr donated a quarter million dollars to the campaign to re elect President Obama. Roger Jr served a term as head of the Nature Conservancy, a quite green organization as opposed to say Steve Bannon.

    Sburg's FBC truth for a new Generation conferences of the last decade in conjunction with Tony Beam's Baptist ideology of North Greenville College; that whole set up is gonna be a tough nut to crack for Kamla Harris, and it will be a test of her wits and substance if she has a clue what a rich vein of historic Birch Society mentality and the politics of race and textiles she is stepping into.

    I hope her staff talks to Marty Cohen before she goes there for the Town Hall if she is to make a difference in this moment as she certainly has an opportunity. At a minimum I would advise her to have a couple heart to hearts with Bakari Sellers before she steps in.

     Here is what Cohen is looking at:

    https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2019/4/24/18513213/trump-evangelicals-gop

    This is Trey Gowy and Lee Atwater Territory. Kamla is overrated if he staff doesn't see this moment to speak to Lee Atwater's infamous "nigger memo" as framed in Princeton's Wuthnow's Rough Country. Look in the index. Read the frame. Shine a light on it at Wofford.

   The politics of guns, abortion, immigration is of one whole cloth as Jill Lepore has spelled out in her chapter Battle Lines in her 2018 history of America, These Truths. No time for dilly dallying tiddly winks in Spartanburg as Kamla is stepping into the heart of christian nationalism of the likes of Janet Porter and Roy Moore.   If she can't navigate that, call it out at Wofford, then where pray tell is she up to the task.

    Will Willimon, long time trustee may learn a little something himself if Ms. Harris comes prepared.
https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article230354499.html
    

      

Monday, May 06, 2019

Upon Further Review, Little Known Great Comeback story from the Annals of Gaffney High Lore; Origin stories

     Friends, stay with this one. I promise it's going somewhere thought maybe a little convoluted. And come back in a few weeks cause it may generate some more info.

     Upon Further Review is title of new sports book by NPR's Pesca Ive been itchin to get my hands on. It is a different look at 25 great sports stories that asks the question, what if something else quite possible had happened instead of the legendary moment that did, or looks at what could have become legendary moments.

   Well here is one of my own archaeology that according to Clark Price of Roe, Price and Cassidy on Wade Hampton in viewing distance of Henry's BBQ never even made the Indian Post.

    It was May of 1971, my Senior year, and three sport athlete Clark's Junior, son of the legend Vincent Price. Clark and I are playing number three doubles in the state championship in Columbia and down one set, a point away from elimination, 5 love, 40 love in the second set. I said Clocky, let's pray. We gathered near the backhand service line and I had a short silent prayer and Clark, a Catholic crossed himself and we were ready for what ever the fates held.

    Well we came back, won that game, that set 7-5 and the next and advanced to the next round. Hardly nobody would ever know except for me and Clark and now you if I hadn't told you.

     Got to thinking about all this as it was just the fourth year of a tennis team in Gaffney though some remember a team short lived in the early 30s. I Played for three years and was the only singles winner my junior year in first two rounds of the state championship. For that the whole team got to stay over in Columbia and go to the movies and see Little Big Man.
           My Dad was proud of me. He went to the Gaffney Ledger and told Louis Sossamon and I got wrote up the next Day, Fox Advances to State Semi finals.

     Bob Brearly wiped me out Love and One in that round. He later became a Presbyterian minister and married Mary Anne Kesecker who I got to know at Furman. Pretty girl, nice girl kinda skinny. Bob had the right demeanor. Pretty serious fellow as the Presbyterians like em.

      Well fast forward and I see on facebook where Rahul Mehra was recently inducted into the Tennis hall of Fame at Gaffney. He posted on facebook, glam photo from his Yacht and Racquet club in Tampa.

     So here is some Gaffney tennis History. Robbie Mccraw, President of the 69 GHS Beta Club, with Gene Jamieson and Mikie Michaels can be given a lot of credit for founding Gaffney High tennis in the modern era.

    Roger Smoak of the Furman 63 class with Marshall Frady--see Frady's wiki page-- came to Gaffney winter of 67 Robbie says. Smoak who took summers at Camp Pinnacle in Hendersonville NC ran by Furman intramural coordinator Walt Cunningham; Smoak gave structure to intramurals at GHS. Robbie along with Michael, Jamieson--all Clemson fanatics-- liked it and from played all summer. Smoak told them he would start a tennis team if they would pledge to do their best.

    He did. About 14 boys including Dick Clark are pictured in the 68 annual. Gene Jamieson played number one, Joe Mac Skinner (those those likely the best athletes on that team) was two, John Greene gifted in golf, ping pong and little league baseball was three which he played almost his entire four year career, Michaels four, Randy Crawford Five and Robbie Six.

    On March 5, 1969 Tommy Martin wrote a piece complete with picture of that years team. I'm in that picture. The first game that year was against JL Mann on the following Tuesday March 9.

    Here is what Robbie remembers from those days

      First match of first year at Woodruff. Team went 3-7 in regular season with wins over T Rest(2) and Lancaster. Impressed everyone at State tournament at Furman by winning five singles and one doubles in first round. Then we ran up against several top seeds in second round including Raz Reed, one of nations top players. Still a good finish to season

Year two we improved to 9-4 losing only to Spartanburg and JL Mann two of the states top programs. Coach did all this with a team of guys that mostly had played less than two years of competitive tennis when the team was started

     Above was the 68 season the first year. Robbies numbers show there were only ten matches the first, and I think there were 16 when I joined.

    Gene Jamieson moved to Pendleton SC but Rajesh Mehra came along. We were respectable until as Robbie hints we faced Greenville High and Rock Hill.

    And then in the state tourneys you played the low country Charleston boys like David Holley and some other fellow and it was quite a different level.

    There were the Richardson boys from Rock Hill and some last name Neely; and some multi syllabled fellow from Spartanburg I cant remember right now.

      And there was the time Salley Scwartz came to town from Shelby and beat me and the next year she beat Harry. She later played for the women's team at NC State.

      My take is tennis kinda faltered as a team sport after this bright light out of the gates for about 7 years till Bubba Aughtry and Rajesh Younger brother Rahul came along in 78 and 79. And Girls tennis had a flourish for a while with their own Roger Smoak, Ms Wynn who had the great team of Maria Byars, Gina Watson and Traci Bridges in late 70s.

     Gina played one year at Furman and Traci at Presbyterian. I didn't believe Rahul when he said he thought Gina had a year at Furman. I called the library and nice student from Brazil checked the 1980 annual for me and said sure enough Gina was on the team.

    Coach Smoak's son Steven played at Furman. A couple years ago Furman legendary Coach Scarpa said Steven was a solid player on the Furman squad in the nineties and I hear Roger's grandchildren are coming along.

    You never know who you might talk to when you go investigating. Turns out the Furman fact checker said her Mother was on the national team in Brazil early 90s and likely played Gabriel Sabatini.

     And by the time I got to Rome Ga in mid 80s, Ms Wynn had moved there. At the time it was surreal seeing Uncle Prentice and Ms Wynn in a hotly contested match one afternoon against Bobbie Aranda and her husband Rick from Venezuela.

     I have more stories.  Rajesh and I had legendary match in the inaugural Peach Festival tourney of 76 where we face football all Americans Billy Ray Rice and Coach McRee in the finals. And I won the Burger King Doubles in Rome Ga in 85 and had a big friendly mixed doubles match against the Number two girl of UGA, Dot Higgins and her partner. My friend that day was the daughter of President Carter's HS Prom Date.

    Tennis is good social sport.

    The Gaffney team has all the Grand Slam Covered with a little Reach. Rahul has been to US Open in NYC and Wimbledon. Uncle Prentice, Dad's brother saw the French in Paris in 83. Cousin Neil, his son saw the Australian open. I saw McEnroe in Atlanta and Chris Evert in Columbus Georgia. We all Saw Raz Reid in Greenville, who Married Kerry Melville Reid ranked 20th in the world at one time.

     

    So Thank you Coach Smoak and Ms. Wynn.