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Issue
4.20 | Monday, March 19, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS THE
LIST CHARLESTON
GREEN GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: On mARTch show, baseball :: SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Riverdogs :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: QUOTE: Diminishing relationships :: BROADUS: Blue birdhouse |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what's happening locally. What readers say WHERE IS IT?
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MARCH 19, 2012 -- SCRA is an applied research and commercialization services corporation with operations across South Carolina. The company, started in 1983 under a public charter from the SC Legislature, was created to help develop research operations and technology-based industries in the state. According to multiple economic studies, through Fiscal Year 2011, SCRA has contributed over $14 billion to South Carolina's economy and helped create approximately 15,000 technology-related jobs with average wages between $55,000 and $77,000.
"Many of these charitable events are becoming an annual tradition in which many SCRA employees look forward to participating," said SCRA's TAG Co-Chair Kayla Boyter. "The committee and employees donate time, energy, effort, and enthusiasm that consistently exceed the goals we set as a committee. It's truly rewarding and a lot of fun." Other examples of SCRA's efforts include participation in Toys for Tots, Habitat for Humanity of Charleston and Dorchester, donation of school supplies to the Charleston-based Teacher's Closet organization and most recently Valentine's cards and candies for children at Connie Maxwell Children's Home in Florence, Orangeburg and Simpsonville. "SCRA
employs over 200 associates that do remarkable work," said SCRA CEO
Bill Mahoney. "These talented employees not only work to commercialize
and deploy technologies that offer solutions to clients and improve our
state's economy, but also offer extra efforts to improve the well being
of those in our state. I am personally proud of the commitment and difference
that our people are making to the state and in their local communities.
SCRA looks forward to continuing these efforts and doing our part in South
Carolina. "
MARCH 19, 2012 -- Sixty years ago at age 71, U.S. District Judge J. Waties Waring resigned from the bench in Charleston and moved to New York, never to return to his hometown, except to be buried in Magnolia Cemetery. The reason: civil rights. But now with the passage of time, people are starting to remember Waring's courage in opposing segregation in the face of a Charleston that snubbed him out of town.
A pedigreed member of the Charleston community with family roots traceable to the city's early settlers, Waring became a pariah by 1952 for progressive rulings that thwarted Jim Crow laws. With opinions starting in the mid-1940s, Waring called for the end to unequal treatment for blacks in cases related to voting, pay, facilities and education during a time when blacks and whites in the South had to use different water fountains. While Waring became a hero for many blacks across the nation, his activism didn't sit well with most white people in Charleston, particularly because they saw it as betrayal by one of their own. Waring had been influential in city and state politics and seemed to support the old Southern way of life. He was a bigwig in social events. He served as Charleston's corporation counsel, or city attorney. Prior to taking the bench, one of his clients was the Charleston daily newspaper, one of the most ardently segregationist newspapers in the country. But in 1945, Waring got on the wrong side of the South of Broad crowd by divorcing his hometown bride of 32 years, only to remarry an opinionated, twice-divorced Michigan debutante within two weeks. Shunned at parties and in stores, the Warings, in turn, chilled to folks in Charleston.
In support of the black plaintiffs in Briggs v. Elliott, Waring castigated so-called "separate but equal" schools prevalent throughout the South for generations. The Constitution, he explained, clearly outlined that equal treatment under the law for all citizens -- not just for white citizens -- was a fundamental right and that separate was not equal. He wrote in June 1951:
Waring's opinion didn't prevail in a ruling by a three-judge panel, but it did send shockwaves throughout white South Carolina -- that one of their own would side with blacks about segregated schools. By December 1952 -- 11 months after Waring resigned and moved to New York -- the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether school segregation was a constitutional violation. It combined five similar cases in that hearing, including an appeal of the Briggs decision by the NAACP and its lawyer, Thurgood Marshall. Retired U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, reportedly the last living lawyer who attended the oral arguments in the courtroom, recalled how the Briggs case was supposed to be the first of the five heard by the Supreme Court. But because of some courtroom maneuvering, a Kansas case, Brown. v. Board of Education, was called first. As most students of history know, the unanimous decision in Brown outlawed school segregation, just as Waring concluded in his 1951 dissent. "He made history in that decision," Hollings said, adding that Waring was the only of probably 1,000 judges up to that time to oppose segregation. Waring's dissent was used as a template for the later landmark Brown case, albeit in softer tones. Last May,
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel and S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice
Jean H. Toal led a
colloquium on Waring and "the dissent that changed America"
in coordination with the S.C. Supreme Court Historical Society. The conference spawned an idea to honor Waring with a statue in a garden of the downtown federal courthouse, a new annex of which is named for Hollings. Local attorney Thomas S. Tisdale Jr. is spearheading an effort among his peers to reacquaint people with Waring's courage on the bench. Tisdale and a blue-ribbon statewide committee of the legal community also will be working to raise the $150,000 or more needed to pay for a statue of Waring. "He was forgotten by time, but the development of civil rights did not stop and other federal judges took it up, mainly Republican judges appointed by President Eisenhower," Tisdale said. "They implemented civil rights in the South and followed in the wake of Judge Waring." Thank goodness that bygones will be bygones. For Charleston, a flashpoint of the Confederacy, it's long past time to honor a hometown boy for the hero he became for justice.
To the editor:
This past week, I was offered a small show along with a young painter and a sculptor at one of Sal Parco's many successful food establishments. On Thursday, March 22, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Village Bakery will have its first art show, mARTch Madness. I have decided that it is time for me to give back to the community. I will be selling prints and framed art. A full 50 percent of my receipts will be donated to the Lowcountry Food Bank. I have heard how great y the need is in Charleston and believe we can all help.
Doubleday as start of baseball is a myth To the editor: In reference to Mr. Lenhart's recent missive concerning S.C. baseball and Abner Doubleday, Doubleday had nothing to do with the origins of baseball in this country, a fact accepted in toto by almost every baseball historian. For one, the year he was supposed to have done so, in Cooperstown N.Y., 1839, Doubleday was never anywhere near that town.
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter is the Charleston RiverDogs. The Lowcountry’s leader in sports entertainment, Charleston RiverDogs baseball is an attractive, affordable medium for your group or business. The RiverDogs develop the next major league stars for the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees at one of the finest ballparks in Minor League Baseball -- Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Three short words sum up the every day approach taken by the Charleston RiverDogs front office. The brainchild of club President Mike Veeck, the nine-letter phrase “Fun Is Good” is meant to be a guideline and daily reminder of how employees should approach their jobs and in turn capture the imagination of the fans to turn them into repeat customers. The season starts April 5! Call them today at (843) 723-7241 or visit online at: www.RiverDogs.com.
MARCH 19, 2012 -- The " Dr. Seuss Lorax Project" was implemented in Francis Marion National Forest 14 years ago as a result of the devastation to the pine forest from Hurricaine Hugo.
Graham
Law Firm will present the civil justice documentary "Hot Coffee"
at Joe Riley Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Sunday as a public service to the Charleston
area. "The movie addresses the ways truth is bent in service of power, particularly concerning corporate America's largely successful efforts to undermine our Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial," said Edward L. Graham, whose Florence firm also has an office in Awendaw. The movie, which Charleston Currents has heard about from local attorneys to the secretary of the Navy, includes four vignettes:
A "star-studded panel" to talk about the movie includes former College of Charleston President and Judge Alex Sanders, Charleston School of Law torts professor Constance Anastopoulo and Washington, D.C. constitutional lawyer John Vail. Also on hand to entertain people will be Danielle Howle and her new band, Firework Show. Trident United Way breaks fund-raising record for 15th year For the fifteenth year in a row, the Trident United Way broke its annual fundraising record. This year's campaign rose $10.8 million, up $300,000 from last year's success.
Over the last 15 years, the organization has increased fundraising by 184 percent. Trident United Way will invest funds "in programs and initiatives that align with the community's 10-year goals for bold change. The emphasis will be on programs with measured results in the areas of education, financial stability and health." County
gets two awards for transparency The budget
office and finance department of Charleston County government won two
prestigious awards recently from the Government Finance Officers Association
of the United States and Canada.
The county's budget office won the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for meeting the highest principles of government budgeting, including how well it communicates how money is spent. It's the 23rd consecutive time the office has won the award. The county's finance department received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its 2010 financial report, which was recognized for meeting the highest standards of the organization. Exhibit to tell story of Congressman Robert Smalls The Charleston Museum will present a special traveling exhibit, "The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Small, 1839-1915," from April 3 to June 19 as part of its commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
The display tells the story of Smalls's daring 1862 escape from slavery, his service to the Union forces during the Civil War and his political career during Reconstruction. Consisting of narrative panels, photographs, artwork, ship models, artifacts and reproductions which underscore the historical significance of Robert Smalls, the exhibition is an important contribution to Civil War and African American history. Visitors will become more familiar with Smalls's heroic exploits and be inspired by his legacy of bravery, leadership and public service to all Americans. Exhibit highlights include furniture from the house where Smalls lived as a slave, scaled replicas of the CSS Planter and the USS Keokuk, the two ships that Robert Smalls piloted during the Civil War, a replica of the musket owned by Smalls, letters he wrote to Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass and other dignitaries of his time
A
Yankee in charge? On March
2, 1862, General Robert E. Lee received a one sentence telegram from President
Jefferson Davis. It simply said, "If Circumstances will, in your
judgment, warrant your leaving, I wish to see you here with the least
delay." Being called to Richmond, Lee met with Brigadier General
Alexander R. Lawton in Savannah and provided detailed instructions for
the defense of the coast. He admonished his officers, "The probable
route of the approach of the enemy…looks now as if he would take
the Savannah River…every effort must be made to retard…the further
progress of the enemy." Union Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman requested Captain Quincy A. Gillmore, his chief engineer, to formulate several options for the capture of Charleston. Gillmore, a talented engineer, proposed two options. The first plan focused on Fort Sumter as the key to Charleston. Troops would make amphibious landings on Sullivan's and Morris Islands to create a crossfire on Fort Sumter. Once Fort Sumter capitulated, the Union fleet would sail into the inner harbor and force the surrender of the city. The second option used James Island as the gateway to Charleston. Moving across the island after a landing on the shoreline, Union siege batteries could be placed on the island's northern shore. This maneuver would not only leave the harbor forts vulnerable but would also allow the Union army to fire directly into Charleston, hopefully forcing its surrender. In March 1862, Sherman was replaced by Major General David Hunter, who had served as commander of the Western Department since November 1861. While the army changed command, Flag Officer Du Pont retained command of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Major General John C. Pemberton was sent to Charleston to replace Lee, arriving on March 14. South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens was distrustful of Pemberton, a Pennsylvanian by birth. Pemberton's early decisions only served to fuel those flames of discontent with Pickens, the Confederate junior officers, and the citizenry in Charleston. First, he ordered Colonel Arthur M. Manigault to dismantle his batteries and abandon his positions in Georgetown. Next, on March 27, 1862, Pemberton ordered Brigadier General Roswell Ripley to withdraw the batteries on Coles and Battery Islands, thus leaving no defense in place to prevent the Union gunboats from seizing control of the mouth of the Stono River. Pickens wired Lee in Richmond questioning this decision and Pemberton's earlier decision to remove the heavy guns at Georgetown, north of Charleston. Lee politely responded to the governor that as commander in South Carolina, Pemberton was in the best position to make that call. However, in a letter to Pemberton, Lee cautioned, "It is respectively submitted to your judgment whether in order to preserve harmony between the State and Confederate authorities, it would not be better to notify the Governor whenever you determined to abandon any position of your line of defenses." The news of the abandonment of Coles Island was not well received in Charleston. One Charleston diarist wrote: "Our troops have evacuated . . . the mouth of the Stono River. . . One [commanding general] erects a fortification at enormous expense and another destroys it. Our waggon has a team hitched to each end and they draw in opposite directions-what will become of the waggon?" The South
Carolinians' distrust of Pemberton would never subside.
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Five great birding spots With the advent of spring on Wednesday, you should be on the lookout for lots of birds across the Lowcountry. We've already seen lots of waterfowl, bluebirds and others flying across Charleston County. We thought you might want to know some top area spots to see birds in the coming days. With some help from the folks at HiltonPond.org, here are five area suggestions:
"We're getting so pulled in by computers and technology, and our kids have their face in the computers all day. The human relationship is being diminished by this."
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(NEW) "Moulin Rouge:" 7 p.m., March 21, Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, Charleston. The Charleston Concert Association will conclude its 2011-12 season with a presentation of "Moulin Rouge" by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Tickets: $16 to $82, available through Ticketmaster.com. More information. Charleston Fashion Week: March 20-24, Marion Square. Emerging designers and models from the East Coast will meet in tents for five nights of more than 30 runway shows. Learn more and get tickets online. Gardening school: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., March 24, Charleston Exchange Park, Ladson. The 2012 Carolina Yard Gardening School by Clemson Extension and Tri-County Master Gardeners includes two garden lectures, two hands-on workshops, one soil test, lunch and refreshments, educational exhibits, plant problem diagnosis clinic, a chance to win a door prize, books and plants for sale on site, plus complimentary compost. Cost: $75. Space is limited. To register and learn more, go online here. Walk for Water: 9 a.m., March 24, Cannon Park, Charleston. Water Missions International will have its sixth annual Walk for Water to help raise money to provide safe drinking water around the globe. During the 3.5 mile walk, participants carry a bucket of water to symbolize the trek made daily by women and children in developing countries to collect water. Registration is $15 and includes a free T-shirt. Children under 10 are free. More. Paint a turtle: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., March 24, S.C. Aquarium, downtown Charleston. Children ages 9 to 14 are encouraged to join the "Fear No Easel" painting workshop and get free painting guidance from Fear No Easel instructional artists. Participants will paint the South Carolina State Reptile, the Loggerhead Turtle with acrylic paints. Members $15/Non-members $20. Space is limited. Reservations required. More: Call (843) 579-8518 or go online. Charleston Jazz: 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., March 24, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John Street, Charleston. Join the Charleston Jazz Orchestra for "Swingin' Soul," a big-band tribute to the golden era of rhythm and blues. Tickets: $30 to $40. More: Jazz Artists of Charleston. "Inga Binga:" Through March 25, Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street, Charleston. Charleston Stage offers this play featuring a young JFK and his Danish bombshell. More: www.charlestonstage.com. Read the story about it in our Feb. 27 issue. Sea & Sand Festival: March 24-25, Folly Beach. The 22nd annual free festival offers nearly 100 street vendors with arts, crafts, clothing, concessions, children's games and more. More. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Magnolia's photo
contest: Entries due June 6. If you want to submit pictures
to the 2012 photo contest by Magnolia Plantations and Gardens, you can
start taking picture now. Submissions start April 1 for photos
taken between March 5 and May 31. More
info. Lowcountry Cajun
Festival: Noon to 6 p.m., April 1, James Island County Park.
Not only will there be crawfish, Cajun and Creole foods, but Louisiana
will come alive at the 21st annual festival featuring Zydeco music, children's
activities and lots more. The crawfish-eating contest is at 2:30 p.m.
More. Great Migration concert: 5 p.m. April 1, St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 405 King Street Charleston. The CSO Gospel Choir will present a Palm Sunday performance of "The Great Migration: 1915-1930 African-American Southern Exodus," a musical story of the southern African-American exit from oppressive post reconstruction Jim Crow laws. More. (NEW) "Greater Tuna" comedy: 10 shows from April 5 to April 21, Charleston Acting Studio, 915 Folly Road, Charleston. Midtown/Sheri Grade Productions presents this comedy about Texas' third-smallest town "where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies." Tickets are $20. More. (NEW) Easter Egg Hunt: 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., April 7, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston. Children from 3 to 5 will hunt at 11 a.m., while those who are 6 and 7 will participate at noon. Kids from 8 to 10 years old will get their chance at 1 p.m. All will be looking for eggs stuff with lots of different kinds of prizes. More. Fun Easter promenade: 11 a.m., April 7, Meeting Street, Charleston. You can see lots of great hats as the Hat Ladies of Charleston stroll along Meeting Street to White Point Gardens during their 11th Easter Promenade. The parade starts at the Four Corners of Law. More online or phone 843-762-6679. (NEW) Book launch and reception: 6 p.m., April 9, Charleston Library Society, Charleston. Local businesswoman Darla Moore will introduce noted author Charlotte Beers for the debut of her new book, "I'd Rather be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader's Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power and Joy at Work." More info: Phone 723.9912. Seating is limited. East Coast Canoe
& Kayak Festival: April 20-22, James Island County Park. More
than 50 commercial exhibitors will be on hand at the 22nd annual festival
that's filled with on-water classes, lectures and demonstrations for paddlers
of all ages. More. Bird walks: 8:30 a.m. to noon, every Wednesday and Saturday. This is the time of year that a great variety of migrating birds fly through the Lowcountry so what better time to take part in one of the regular early morning bird walks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel. Pre-registration is suggested. Cost is $5. Learn more online. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
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So
when employees of SCRA arrived at food banks in Charleston, Anderson,
Columbia and Greenwood just before Thanksgiving with surprise donations
that equal to over 3,500 pounds of food, it was not only an unexpected
donation but one that came from an unexpected source. SCRA employees have
taken on the responsibility to make charitable contributions to improve
the well being of South Carolinians in a number of ways. The employee-driven
Teambuilding Activities Group, or TAG, has organized and promoted multiple
humanitarian efforts at SCRA sites to benefit areas across the state that
include everything from food drives to blood drives.
Meanwhile
in the courtroom just a block from his Meeting Street home, a zeal for
real justice blossomed in Waring. For Charlestonians still fuming over
Waring's divorce, the civil rights rulings threw gas on a fire of spreading
ostracism. By the time of his most famous opinion, a 21-page dissent in
a 1951 school segregation suit brought by 46 minors and 22 adults from
Clarendon County, most local whites -- and some blacks -- ignored Waring
and his wife.
This
year has been a good year so far. Last year I quit my office job to follow
my dream of being a full-time photographer. The challenge has been to
get 
Funds
were solicited and trees were planted. A core 30 acre to 50 acre plot
of those longleaf pine trees, still marked with a sign, continue to grow
off S.C. Highway 41. You can go there and celebrate like the Lorax that
we are still working to grow more sustainable forest here in the Charleston
area. 
Greg
Garvan of James Island is president of Money with a Mission, an 18-year-old,
fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in socially responsible/
'green' asset management. On the Web: 
"This
was made possible by companies such as MWV Corporation and its employees,
who pledged over $700,000, the largest campaign in the community,"
according to a press release. "Hundreds of companies and 33,000 individuals
supported this year's TUW campaign."
"The
public should recognize the significance of these awards," said Teddie
E. Pryor, Sr., chairman of Charleston County Council. "They can see
first-hand how Charleston County Government staff believes in transparency
and goes the extra mile to efficiently provide services to our citizens."
Lee
traveled to Charleston on March 4 and departed for Richmond the next day.
Tensions in Charleston and along the coastline were high with Lee's departure.
One Charleston diarist wrote, "The fiercest wrath and bitterest indignation
are directed towards Charleston, by 'our dearly beloved brethren of the
North.' They say 'the rebellion commenced where Charleston is, and shall
end, where Charleston was.'" 
Douglas
W. Bostick grew up on James Island, and his ancestors in South Carolina
date back to colonial America. He is the author of several books and
numerous articles that have appeared in historical journals, magazines
and national newsletters. A graduate of the College of Charleston, Bostick
earned a master's degree from the University of South Carolina. He is
a former staff and faculty member of the University of South Carolina
and the University of Maryland.
