Section I Inside Advertisers

G Ramage
2016 Citizen of the Year
Horizons2016
Page 2
A progress edition of The Clinton Chronicle
of Laurens County
The People
Section I
Maureen Tiller
John Tiller
Page 6
Page 7
Inside
Alex Riley
Mary-Wallace Riley
Page 4
Page 5
2
G. Ramage-Citizen of the Year
4
Alex Riley
5
Mary-Wallace Riley
6
Maureen Tiller
7
John Tiller
8
Betty Strock
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Bob Strock
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City of Clinton
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Dr. Don Worley
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School District 56
G. Ramage Horizons I - Page 2
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
By Vic MacDonald
www.MyClintonNews.com
The Clinton Chronicle
2016 Citizen of the Year
Horizons 2016
Between the end of jury
duty for the day and the beginning of softball practice, with a
little time at work, G Ramage
sat for his Horizon 2016 Citizen of the Year interview very
reluctantly.
“If I have a skill,” he said,
“it’s delegating. Surround yourself with good people, and a lot
can get done. There are a lot of
people doing good things in
Clinton.”
While that’s true, Ramage
can be credited with being a
valuable team member on a variety of successful community
projects. He works with the
Laurens County Cancer Association, which in a short time
has grown from helping a
handful of people to distributing 234 gas cards last year.
He works with Project
WARM of Broad Street United
Methodist Church, which is determined to weatherize and repair every house in Clinton.
“That might not be possible,”
he said. “You get through with
some, and more need it.”
On Feb. 16, Ramage joined
a group of dedicated coaches
for Clinton High School softball to start another spring season. He was head coach last
season, taking the team as
coach Nickie Templeton transitioned into an administrative
role with CHS Athletics.
Now, he works with Joseph
Terry, who was head coach at
Mauldin. “He has a lot of energy,” Ramage said.
For her part, Templeton said
of her former assistant, Ramage, “When I came home to
teach and coach five years ago,
I was able to work with G on
G Ramage, center, accepts a check on behalf of the Laurens County Cancer Association, from
Clinton High Principal Maureen Tiller and Athletics Director Dr. David Barnes from Red Devil
football’s Black Out to fight cancer. - Photos by Vic MacDonald
the softball field. He dedicates
his time day in and day out to
the program because he thoroughly enjoys making a difference in each player’s life. “He is an exceptional human
being with a heart built for giving, and sometimes he is not
awarded the appreciation that is
due. As for me, it was a privilege to coach beside him because I’m a better person just
having known him. “He does so much for the
community and the Laurens
County Cancer Association,
and a man like G Ramage is a
community’s
biggest
asset!! Hard working and genuine are the best descriptors regarding G, but I take pride in
knowing that I have a friendship with one of the best human
beings on this planet. “This (Citizen of the Year
award) is well deserved.”
Ramage is in the car repair
business. This August, it will
be 37 years, and he’s nowhere
near thinking about retirement.
“Clinton has been very, very
good to me. I couldn’t do any
of the things I do without the
good people who work for me.”
He and his wife Boo have
raised two daughters. Laurie
and her husband Joseph come
back to Clinton from Travelers
Rest to work on houses with
Project WARM. Daughter BJ
would come too, but her campus outreach at The Citadel has
a big winter conference at the
time the Broad Street UMC
crowd is banging nails and
slinging roof shingles.
BJ graduated from The
Citadel. “Our country would be
better off if young people had
to go somewhere and do some
things just because they are
told to,” Ramage said. His sonin-law Joseph is a Citadel graduate - his senior year was BJ’s
knob year.
“He had a friend who made
BJ’s life rough (at The Citadel).
Joseph asked him why and he
said, ‘I just don’t like her.’
Now, BJ is in (the friend’s)
CrossFit gym. He says, ‘She’s
tough. I have a whole new respect for her.’
“I am real proud of my children,” Ramage said. “They
have a good mother.”
Ramage, Jay Peay and Janice Long started Run Like a
Mann - its affiliate organization, the Laurens County Cancer Association, came later - as
a tribute to their friend, the late
Tim Mann. The guys were
preparing for a marathon when
Mann fell ill. They had a run in
his honor that first year they’ve been running every
year since in his memory.
A lot of other people got on
board. Ramage said breast cancer survivor Susan Tallman
Rev. Kitty Holtzclaw, background, pastor of Broad Street United
Methodist Church, listens as G Ramage makes a presentation
about Project WARM (Weatherization and Repair Ministry) during a gathering in the church’s Cunningham Hall.
gave the group a vision and
purpose. The late Courtney
Robertson has inspired a large
new crew to run like Manns.
The late Marian Reeder worked
tirelessly for the organization.
LCCA Executive Director Ann
Casey came to the organization
through “divine intervention,”
Ramage said.
“We’re up to 69 client visits
a week now, and we’re open
only four days a week,” he
said. “We get a new 10 to 12
people coming in every month.
We gave away 239 gas cards
last year. We provide Ensure,
we have wigs and equipment. It
is really, really growing.”
The LCCA helps Laurens
County people deal with the
fall-out of cancer. The American Cancer Society and its affiliate activity Relay for Life
handles the research. LCCA
gets people to their treatments,
helps them feel better about
themselves, provides support
groups and counseling, and coordinates Cancer 101 public information sessions.
Run Like a Mann is its
G Ramage, Page 3
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The Clinton Chronicle
G. Ramage continued
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
G Ramage, center, and wife Boo, right, receive the Duke Energy Community Service Award at the 2014 Laurens County
Chamber of Commerce annual membership meeting. - Photo
by Vic MacDonald
From Page 2
major fund-raiser, moving in
2015 from Presbyterian College to the Professional Park
(near Laurens County Memorial Hospital) where the LCCA
office is located.
“As a runner,” Ramage said,
“I would rather run in town.
But it takes a lot of people to
make that happen, and you still
have to worry about people getting run over. We had a very
successful event at the Professional Park. We’re thinking
about expanding to add a onemile run and a kids’ fun run.
Airport
Animal Control
“Make it more of an event.”
Always thinking ahead.
That’s Ramage’s way. He
would say, no, it’s always “delegating ahead.”
“I’m getting credit for a lot
of things a lot of other people
had a hand in,” he said.
Still, Ramage is able to endure the interview with an assurance - it will raise the public
profile of the Laurens County
Cancer
Association,
his
church’s Project WARM,
Salkehatchie Summer Service
(the United Methodist housing
rehab outreach that Project
WARM is based on), and Clinton High School softball.
Auditor
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have a place to be,” said G Ramage, The Chronicle’s Horizon
Citizen of the Year for 2016.
The Chronicle’s Citizens of the Year
1996 Jim Roberts
1997 Joel Evans
1998 Josh and Ella Savage
1999 Pat Neal
2000 Ted Hunter
2001 David Peden
2002 Bailey Dixon
2003 Jimmy Revis
2004 Dr. Jerman Disasa
2005 Wayne Deitz
2006 Lumus Byrd and Russ Emerson
2007 Cynde O’Rear
2008 Dr. Bud Marchant
2009 Norman Scarborough
2010 Ruth Sharpe
2011 Ron and Nancy Dove
2012 Norman Pigeon
2013 Rev. Mims Camm
2014 Rev. Herb Codington
2015 Peggy Nibert
2016 G Ramage
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Horizons I - Page 3
Project WARM volunteers work on weatherizing a residence for a needy family in Clinton. Organizer G Ramage said the ministry grew from his family’s experiences with the Salkehatchie
Summer Service program of the United Methodist Church. - Photo provided
G Ramage, left, and Eddie Romines, right, work with Clinton
High softball pitcher Kayleigh Pitts, who took a moment to recover from being hit by a throw last March in a game at the Red
Devil diamond. Ramage has been associated with CHS softball
for 15 seasons, starting when one of his daughters played. Photo by Vic MacDonald
3985 Torrington Road
100 Hillcrest Square
Buildings & Grounds
Softball practice is next on
Ramage’s itinerary as the interview winds up. What’s his
role? “I roam around.”
Ramage, head coach Terry,
assistants Chuck Childress,
Eddie Romines and Dillon
Salmans will divide the coaching work for varsity, junior varsity and C team players.
“We tried to add the C team,
middle school, last year but we
could only get one game for
them. Now, we have a 10 game
schedule,” said Ramage, who’s
worked with softball more than
20 years, about 15 with Clinton
High from when Laurie started
playing as an 8th grader, and
she’s 28 now.
“On all three of our teams,
we have good kids. That makes
a big difference. That gets you
through rough spots. Extra-curricular activities are so important, something that demands
accountability.
“It makes you feel blessed to
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Alex Riley Horizons I - Page 4
www.MyClintonNews.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
By Ethan Black
Carolina Stitches
The Clinton Chronicle
Horizons 2016
In a small town, local business owners are very important
to our community.
Sure, we have restaurant
franchises like McDonald’s and
KFC and Bi-Lo. However, most
of the other stores in town, whatever they may be for, are small,
independently owned businesses.
One that falls into the latter
category is Carolina Stitches,
owned by Clinton native Alex
Riley. Riley started his own
business here around the same
time he got married, and ever
since has been manufacturing
embroidered apparel and similar
items for many people and
groups in the community and
surrounding areas.
Riley was born and raised
here in Clinton, and graduated
from Clinton High School in
’86. He was on the state championship football team in ’85,
and also ran track at the high
school.
After graduation, he went to
Lander College. He changed his
major a few times, as many students do, though it caused him to
attend a bit longer than the usual
four years. He was there in ’92
when Lander became a university, and graduated in ’95.
After Lander, he spent some
time coaching football and track
at Clinton High School. He
spent several years working for
landscaping companies including Carolina Beautiful and Environmental Landscaping, and he
also worked at Whiteford’s and
Ingles.
He was in management at
Wal-Mart for about 10 years.
During this time he met his wife,
and they were married shortly
before he quit at Wal-Mart. In
fact, he had been setting up his
business just before the wedding, and during their honeymoon, he made the decision to
put in his two weeks’ notice to
Wal-Mart so that he could devote all of his efforts to his new
business.
Thus, Carolina Stitches was
born and has been serving the
community for 16 years. While
Carolina Stitches was originally
Riley’s brother’s idea, Steve
Riley helped his brother set up
the business here in Clinton.
Steve Riley instead built up his
own business, Emerald Ink and
Stitches, in Greenwood.
Riley met his wife, MaryWallace, when mutual friends
set them up on a blind date.
Riley was reluctant to go on the
date as he had recently been
widowed, but his friend was sure
he’d have fun and persisted for
about two months before Riley
gave in.
They went to the iconic Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg and
played miniature golf, and they
hit it off immediately. About two
years later, in ’99, they were
married and have lived here happily for 16 years. They have two
children together, a boy and a
girl. Daniel, 11, is a Cub Scout
in the local Pack, and Lydia, 7,
does girl’s cheer at a dance
school. Riley’s parents still live
in town, just a few minutes away
from their house, and his brother
lives and works in Greenwood.
When he’s not working,
which isn’t often, Riley mostly
spends time with his family. He
doesn’t play much anymore, but
he likes to play golf, which is
about the only hobby he does
without his family. He and his
family love to go camping, and
they also love the beach.
One of his kids’ favorite
places to go is Great Wolf
Lodge, which most of you have
probably heard of. It’s a
resort/entertainment center in
Concord, N.C., with an indoor
water park, and a big attraction
in the mountainous area of North
Carolina. He and his wife are
also active members of their
church, and Riley enjoys taking
his son to his Cub Scout meetings with Pack 21.
There are some changes
going on at Carolina Stitches.
Riley has been in the process of
merging with his brother’s business in Greenwood. The Riley
brothers’ businesses have been
growing alongside each other,
Alex and Mary-Wallace Riley stand in front of the sign for Carolina Stitches, a business that
Alex founded with his brother Steve 16 years ago. Steve went on to build up his own business,
Emerald Ink and Stitches in Greenwood. – Photo by Ethan Black
and now that they both have big
customer bases, they’ve decided
it would be very beneficial to
merge into one.
Once the merge is complete,
Alex Riley will be production
manager within the bigger business. While it will be will technically be working under the
Emerald Ink and Stitches banner, Carolina Stitches will re-
main open. The brothers think it
will work out well, because
Riley loves to produce the products, while his brother Steve is
an entrepreneur and loves to sell.
Alex wants to make it clear to
the community that the store is
not closing. “We’re not doing
much production here anymore,
but we’re still open,” he said to
me in our interview in the back
room of his store.
Alex cares very much about
serving this community and
growing his business. The merge
with his brother’s business is
beneficial to both of them, and
has been in the works for a few
years. The circumstances were
finally right, and they believe it
will work very well.
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When he’s not working, Alex Riley spends time with family, he
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Mary-Wallace Riley The Clinton Chronicle
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
By Ehtan Black
Horizons 2016
Fulfilling a city full of peoples’ every need is no easy task,
even for one as small as Clinton. There are many people
who work together to ensure
that things in the community
run smoothly: the mayor, the
city manager, the police, the
fire department. Everyone
knows of those, but there are
many other people who work
behind the scenes most of the
time. They generally do more
to keep things running on a
day-to-day basis, whereas the
mayor makes bigger decisions
and the fire department, police,
and EMTs keep people safe.
Their jobs are often unnoticed,
though their work certainly is
not—it is enjoyed by the community on a daily basis.
One of those jobs belongs to
Mary-Wallace Riley. She is
special projects coordinator in
the Office of the City Manager,
so she is mostly responsible for
special events in town and city
promotion, but she does a bit of
everything, helping out in other
Mary-Wallace Riley, Santa’ helper, reads to elementary school
children at the City of Clinton’s Santa Cause event, a partnership of District 56 and the Coty of Clinton’s Departments of
Public Safety and Public Works. Kids got to meet Santa at the
Community Center and hear safety advice next door at Clinton
DPS. – Photo by Vic MacDonald
parts of city management as
well.
She works with many other
departments and people, even
people working for the City of
Laurens when they’re doing
things for the county. She enjoys her job because, “It’s an
exciting job that brings new adventures every day.” She is not
always completely sure what
she’s walking into when she
goes into work in the morning,
but she has fun anyway.
She also helps out some
with the running of her husband’s business, Carolina
Stitches. She helped him start
the business, but once it got off
the ground, she backed away
and only helps out from time to
time now. She’s not an official
www.MyClintonNews.com
Horizons I - Page 5
City of Clinton
employee, but she lends a hand
when they really need it.
Riley was born not too far
from here, in Union. She attended high school there and
graduated in ’91, then made her
way here to Presbyterian College where she studied political
science and sociology.
While at PC she interned
with the city, and when she
graduated in ’95, she began
working with the city full-time.
Shortly after graduating from
PC, Riley met her husband,
Alex Riley, on a blind date
when they were set up by a
couple of mutual friends.
Mary-Wallace had just gotten
out of a four year relationship
and didn’t feel like dating. Her
friend kept trying to convince
her, though, and eventually she
gave in. She is glad her friend
did not give up. They hit it off
immediately, and were married
here in Clinton a couple of
years later.
They have now been married happily for 16 years. A few
years after getting married,
they had a son and, four years
later, a daughter. Their son,
Daniel, is 11 and their daughter
Lydia is seven. Riley’s parents
moved to Clinton after the
grandchildren were born, and
they now live within walking
distance, as do her husband’s
parents. Both the Rileys and
their kids are glad to have the
grandparents so close.
Since her job is part of city
management, Riley doesn’t get
a lot of down time. The city
never stops running, after all.
She does still find time to
spend with her family, though.
The family loves to go camping
and to go to the beach, and one
of her kids’ favorite places is
Great Wolf Lodge up in Concord, North Carolina.
Riley also likes taking her
daughter to cheer class at her
dance school and helping her
son with his work for Cub
In her capacity as special projects-communications director for
the City of Clinton, Mary-Wallace Riley attends many events.
Here, she greets a friend at the grand opening of Chick-fil-A in
Laurens. Clinton officials were invited to participate in the ribbon-cutting and “first bite” ceremonies.
– Photo by Vic MacDonald
Scout Pack 21. She is an active
member of her church as well.
On top of that, Riley is also
on several boards for the city,
most through her job. She currently serves on the Laurens
County Trails Association
Board, the Laurens County
Tourism Committee, and the
March of Dimes Executive
Leadership Team.
She is currently participating in the Leadership Laurens
County Class XX. Most of
these boards have to do with
encouraging tourists to come to
the city. They deal with places
and events like the National
Guard Armory, Musgrove Mill
and events at PC that can draw
people from all around.
The Rileys are members of
Heritage Fellowship in Clinton.
Despite the difficulty of her
job, it’s clear that Riley loves
her work. She likes to know
that she helps this city thrive,
no matter how big or small her
contribution turns out to be.
She gets to help set up fun
events, like the downtown
block parties, and ensure that
people from the surrounding
areas come to visit Clinton to
keep our economy fresh and
constantly in motion.
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Maureen Tiller -Horizons I - Page 6
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
By Ryan Barker
www.MyClintonNews.com
The Clinton Chronicle
CHS principal
Horizons 2016
“Make it a great day or not,
the choice is yours,” is a motto
that principal Maureen Tiller
promotes at Clinton High
School. “Everyone has the opportunity to make the choice to
get on a bus, even if they don’t
have transportation, do their
best, make a way for themselves
to be able to go to that next level
and I want to make sure that at
our school we have a positive
learning environment.”
“There’re not many things in
life that can’t be stripped from
you, but what can’t be stripped
from me are those three diplomas on the wall because I earned
them,” she said. “No matter
what, I still earned those diplomas. It’s the same for those students. There a lot of things in
their lives that aren’t constant,
but what is constant is that if
they choose to learn and educate
themselves in whatever area
they decide, that knowledge is
never going to be taken away
from them.”
This is one of the philosophies that Tiller has developed
after more than two decades of
experience both in the classroom
and in administration. At various
times before coming to Clinton
High, she has worked as coordinator for special education at the
district 56 office, assistant principal at Bell Street Middle
School, principal of M.S. Bailey
Elementary School, principal of
Bell Street Middle and executive
director of instruction at the district level.
“What was really unique was
when I came to the high school,
I had been principal of some of
those students for elementary,
middle and high school,” she
said. “So, the group that graduated last year, the class of 2015,
I was principal for some of them
when they came into elementary
school.”
Clinton High School principal Maureen Tiller, left, and Gabrielle Cedillo.
-- Photo by Ryan Barker
Having been able to follow
some of these students through
their entire public educational
experience, Tiller explained that
“they’re not different. They’re
bigger, but they’re not different.
They still need support. They
still want approval. They still
want to do fun things at school.
They want to have great experiences. They still have lots of
emotions. They’re really the
same people, now the challenges
they face at each level are very
different.”
One such experience is what
Tiller calls her “Bill” story. “Bill
Lowery was a student that graduated last year. When I was at
M.S. Bailey, he came the very
first day of kindergarten with his
backpack on and his hair all
slicked back and stepped into the
school building.”
“I said, ‘well good morning.
How are you? Are you ready for
your first day at school?’ He
looked up at me and said, ‘Good
CHS principal Maureen Tiller, center, with students Danill Sharp, left, and Gabrielle
Cedillo. -- Photo by Ryan Barker
Maureen Tiller, Clinton High principal, left, stands with Laurens District High School Principal
Sonya Bryant, far right, with Laurens County Chamber of Commerce Cecil Davenport Citizens
Award nominees from CHS, LDHS and Laurens Academy. The award is presented each January at the Chamber’s annual members meeting at Presbyterian College.
–Photo by Vic MacDonald
One of Maureen Tiller’s toughest jobs each year is saying
good-bye to the CHS seniors, as they transition into graduates
and alumni Red Devils. – Photos by Vic MacDonald
poverty. We are in a small, rural
district, and the opportunities for
our students are there if they
choose to take them.”
“Each of them have their own
challenges, but they’re not really
any different,” Tiller said.
“They’re the same people, just
taller.”
“As a teacher, I was able to affect my classroom. I had my classroom of students, and
that was my world. But as I opened up and
thought about administration, my view
changed.
– Maureen Tiller
morning. My name is Bill,
B.I.L.L. Bill,’” Tiller said.
“Well, that stuck. I was his middle school principal, and then I
was his high school principal,
but that has stuck our entire
time.”
“Teenagers are faced with
some pretty significant choices
right now,” she said. “Teenagers
always have been. We just need
to remember they do need support. They may be pushing us
away because that’s what
teenagers do, but teenagers do
need a very high level of support
to make sure they’re making the
choices that are not detrimental
to their future.”
For Tiller, exposing her students to that level of support is a
priority. One way the school has
done this is by introducing flex
period as an hour between 7:40
and 8:40 a.m. when students can
go to specialized tutoring, have
organization meetings or simply
go to the lab to print papers.
“Some kids just need that extra
person,” Tiller said.
“The biggest lesson that I
have learned quickly,” Tiller
said, “is that I didn’t know
everything. It’s okay to say
sometimes that I don’t know
what we’re supposed to do, but
we’re going to find out together.”
“As a teacher, I was able to
affect my classroom,” she said.
“I had my classroom of students,
and that was my world. But as I
opened up and thought about administration, my view changed.
Instead of a classroom, I have all
of a sudden a school of 850 kids
that every day I have the ability
to affect in a positive or negative
way. My leadership was really
setting that environment and
what an awesome, awesome
challenge that made.”
“It is really a daunting task to
see how I come in every day and
how I present myself is affecting
these children’s lives for three
years, four years, however long
they’re at the school.”
Part of the decision of
whether or not to make each day
a great day comes to Tiller by
both recognizing the challenges
and opportunities the students
face.
“Education is the way that we
as a society are able to improve,” she said. “We have a lot
of students here that are in
Presenting diplomas at graduation in the CHS gym requires
being picture-perfect with the Red Devil seniors who walk
across the commencement stage.
Maureen Tiller holds back the tear during (but not usually after)
CHS graduation, while the seniors sometimes are not as successful hiding their emotions. This June will be a challenge –
Maureen and John Tiller’s son Bowen will walks across the
commencement stage.
John Tiller - new car salesman
The Clinton Chronicle
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
www.MyClintonNews.com
Horizons I - Page 7
By Larry Franklin
Horizons 2016
John Tiller has lived in Clinton all his life – except for a few
years away for school. He’s perfectly fine with the small-town
atmosphere.
“This is a great place to live
and raise your children,” he said.
“Clinton is a great town and
there are a lot of great people
here.”
John and Maureen Tiller have
two children. Bowen, 17, is a
senior at Clinton High School,
where his mother is the principal. Sam, 15, is a freshman at
CHS.
John Tiller was born at Bailey
Memorial Hospital in 1969, delivered by Dr. Lou Stephens Sr.
“He reminds me all the time he
was the first person to slap me,”
Tiller says.
Tiller’s older brother (by
three years) Bill is executive director of Make-A-Wish South
Carolina. Bill lives in Clinton
with his wife Heather, who is a
teacher at Clinton High School.
Bill and John’s father Billy
Tiller was one of Cally Gault’s
assistant football coaches at
Presbyterian College. He was
also a favorite speaker on the
rubber chicken circuit. Billy
Tiller died of cancer in 1975
when both of his boys were just
youngsters.
Their mother Ruth stayed in
Clinton to raise her sons. She
later married Jim Coleman, a
John Tiller, born and reared in Clinton, returned to Cooper Motor Co. in December as the new
car sales manager. Tiller worked for the locally-owned dealership years ago before leaving to
start his own business. He also spent seven years at a local landscaping company before returning to Cooper. -- Photo by Larry Franklin
John Tiller, far right, and wife Maureen stand on Richardson
Field, Wilder Stadium, during a public presentation about the
plan for major renovations to the Clinton Red Devil football
home. The stadium is at the site of the former CHS, reopened
last summer as Clinton Middle School.
– Photo by Vic MacDonald
former Clemson quarterback
who became a Clinton Mills executive.
“A number of years after my
daddy died, I asked my momma
John Tiller, new car sales manager, poses in front of pictures
on the founders wall at Cooper Motor Co. in Clinton, which has
been in business since 1937. -- Photo by Larry Franklin
why she stayed here,” Tiller
said. “Why didn’t she go back to
Sumter, where she was from and
where her family still lived?
“She said, ‘I’ve got a good
church and good friends. What
else do you need in life’?” he remembers her saying.
John Tiller attended Clinton
Elementary School, Bell Street
Middle School and Clinton High
School. Dr. Keith Bridges was
the principal at CHS when he
was a student.
Did he ever dream he’d one
day be married to the principal?
“Not for a minute.”
As a Red Devil, Tiller played
football and tennis. He was a
tight end, defensive end and
long snapper on the 1985 state
championship team that went
14-0.
As a senior, his team lost only
one game, a first-round playoff
game to Carolina High School.
“That was the only game I
lost (as a varsity football
player),” he said.
He admits he wasn’t a very
good student, but his grades
John and Maureen Tiller, far right, applaud as Susan Undari, a Clinton High teacher, is named
the winner of a wide screen TV and video game console, donated by Walmart for Red Devil
basketball’s Samaritan’s Feet shoe donation and fund-raising event in the Clinton High gym. - Photo by Vic MacDonald
Horizons2016
A progress edition of The Clinton Chronicle
Our biggest annual special edition.
Our salute to Laurens County and her people.
were good enough to gain admission to then Anderson Junior
College. He finished a two-year
liberal arts degree and then went
to Winthrop.
He planned to be a teacher
and coach. But then he met the
future principal. Maureen was
from Aiken and also attending
Winthrop.
He ended up going to work
before finishing his degree. “It
was obvious she’s a lot smarter
than me and I knew I could
make a living,” he said.
After Maureen taught one
year at Clover Middle School,
John and Maureen got married
in 1994.
Tiller got a job as a salesman
for a uniform rental service in
Charlotte. Maureen continued
her education and was a special
education teacher in Clover
when a position came open in
District 56 in Clinton.
“And my mother, being my
mother, called us and said
there’s a job open in Clinton.
Maureen applied, mostly to satisfy my mother,” Tiller said. She
got the job as the district’s director of special education and the
couple moved to his hometown
in 1999.
Tiller went by Cooper Motor
Co., then Lynn Cooper Inc., to
buy a car. “Chip (Cooper) said
why don’t you come work for
me,” he said.
And so he sold cars for seven
years. Then he opened his own
used car lot, Tiller Motor Sales,
and sold used cars for the next
five years. He also worked parttime selling gas for H.D. Payne
Co.
When Bowen was diagnosed
with juvenile diabetes, Tiller decided he needed to be able to
spend more time with his children and to help Bowen monitor
and control his sugar level.
“I wanted to be able to coach
him at the Y and I could go to
practices at Bell Street to keep
an eye on his sugar,” he said.
Bowen graduates this year –
his mother will hand him his
diploma – and, following in his
father’s footsteps, played football and tennis. Sam plays football, basketball and soccer.
“They are my joy,” Tiller
says.
Bowen has been accepted to
several colleges and hasn’t decided yet where he will attend.
He wants to be a teacher.
After leaving the car business, Tiller went to work for
Billy Ballard at Carolina Beautiful and stayed there seven
years. After Ballard sold the
business last year to Ben McElrath, Tiller stayed awhile to help
the new owner get settled.
McElrath, who is from Clinton, worked for Tiller when he
was in high school and college.
“He’s a real good guy,” Tiller
said.
In December, 2015, Tiller
went back to Cooper Motor Co.
as new car sales manager.
Tiller is a people-person well
suited for the car sales business.
“The car business is a people
business,” he said. “I can’t sit in
an office all day.”
The business has its ups and
downs. “It’s a roller coaster,” he
said. “When it’s good, it’s good.
When it’s not, it’s not. But I
don’t miss the Weedeater in the
morning.”
In his spare time, he used to
hunt and fish. “Now we raise
children when we’re not working,” he said. “We go to ballgames. I don’t have time to hunt
or fish. We’re a pretty busy family.”
He has coached his sons in
basketball and flag football at
the Clinton YMCA. “It’s a great
way of getting to know kids,” he
said. “You can develop relationships with kids you don’t know.”
The Tillers are members of
Clinton’s First Presbyterian
Church, where he was reared.
“With my mom and stepdad
both passing last year, I’ve seen
what a church community
means,” he said. “It’s a lot more
than a place to say a prayer.”
There have been thoughts of
living other places, but the couple is happy here.
“I definitely wanted to raise
my kids here,” he said. “Maureen has come to love this town,
Selling cars is a people business, John Tiller says, which suits his personality well. Tiller attended
Clinton Elementary School and Bell Street Middle School before graduating from Clinton High
School. His wife Maureen is now the principal of CHS. -- Photo by Larry Franklin
Still to come in 2016
March- Home & Garden
April- Autism awareness
May- Graduation Salute
June- Salute to Veterans
July- Readers Choice
August- Pigskin Preview
December- Christmas Greetings
Betty Strock - Retired teacher, principal
Horizons I - Page 8
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
www.MyClintonNews.com
The Clinton Chronicle
By Ethan Black
Horizons 2016
Many of us remember our
teachers and principals from
school, especially if we particularly liked them. They have such
a huge impact on our lives, and
we usually don’t realize it until
we are adults and understand
just how much the things they
taught us matter.
Betty Strock is a former elementary school principal who is
certainly memorable. Her kindness and generosity were clear
even in the short talk we had,
and I can only imagine her students loved her.
Strock spent most of her
childhood in North Charleston,
where her family moved near
the end of World War II. She
graduated
from
North
Charleston High School in ’53
and went to Erskine College,
where she met her husband, Bob
Strock, who was a couple of
years ahead of her. She graduated from Erskine in ’57 and
continued her education with
graduate work at both Clemson
University and the University of
South Carolina.
After she was finished attending school, Strock immediately
went back to school, this time to
teach, and she chose to do so in
Clinton. One of her first jobs
was teaching music at M.S. Bailey, Hampton Avenue and Providence Elementary schools.
All three of these schools are
now gone, merged with other elementary schools in the area
over the years. After her stint at
those schools, Strock moved to
Clinton Elementary where she
taught fourth grade. For a while,
she also taught remedial reading.
Eventually, she became principal at Florida Street Elementary.
She was there when Florida
Betty and Bob Strock stand on the porch of their Clinton home. Betty grew up in North
Charleston, graduate high school there and went on to Erskine College, where she met Bob.
She continued with graduate work at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.
– Photos by Ethan Black
Betty Strock retired from a career in education, and now serves
as a Guardian Ad Litum, an advocate for children in the courtroom. She and husband Bob enjoy attending Presbyterian ColStreet was closed with the new often. They have lived here in for quite some time, as they are legfe events. Their continuing involvement keeps them both
Eastside Elementary School Clinton together since they first both in their 80’s. However, they active and healthy.
opened. She remained with that
school until she retired in ’96.
Strock and her husband were
both involved in schools: she
teaching in early education levels, and he coaching in higher
education like the high school
and Presbyterian College. They
met while they were both attending Erskine, where he was a couple years ahead of her. They
were married on February 16,
1957, just before she graduated.
That means they just celebrated their fifty-ninth anniversary. They live near PC, which is
convenient for when they
choose to visit for sporting
events, which they do quite
got their jobs here, and their
children were raised here as
well.
They have two children, a
son and a daughter. Their son
currently lives in Melbourne
Beach, Florida. He and his wife
have three children, two of
which are out of school, and the
other in college.
Their daughter lives a bit
closer, in Rock Hill. She has two
daughters, one in college, and
one in high school. Even better,
the Strocks will soon be greatgrandparents. The new addition
to the family is expected in
April.
The Strocks have been retired
are enjoying their more laidback lives, though they are certainly not idle. Both are involved
in many things in the community.
Mrs. Strock still loves to
watch and keep up with Presbyterian College sports, where her
husband used to coach. With
their closest children and grandchildren being about two hours
away, they do not get to see
them every day, but they do love
to spend time with their family
when they get a chance.
Betty Strock is also a
“Guardian Ad Litem,” which is
an advocate for children in the
courtroom. She is appointed by
the court in cases of divorce or
involving parental rights and
responsibilities. It is her job to
try and determine what is best
for the child, especially since
part of the dispute is usually
about who should have custody
of the child.
She is certainly using her retirement to take things a little
easier, but she is by no means
idle. She spends her time helping people in the community as
well as the children she represents in court.
The Strocks give off a feeling that they need to be active
in some way, and they choose
in college and the other is in
high school. The Strocks are excited that they will soon be
great-grandparents. The new addition is expected in April.
Although Strock is now retired, he is certainly not idle. Besides being an active member at
Broad Street United Methodist
Church, he is also a member of
the Rotary Club and on the
board of Open Door Ministries,
which is a rehabilitation program for those with drug and alcohol addictions.
He has remained close to the
Presbyterian College athletics
department, and knows the staff
and many of the players well. In
fact, he and his wife were recently treated to a little trip.
As you all probably know,
the Arizona Cardinals and the
Carolina Panthers recently
played for the NFC Championship. You may also know that
Justin Bethel, a PC alum, is #28
for the Arizona Cardinals. He
knew the Strocks when he was
at PC, and they are very proud of
him. Some of Strock’s former
players from this area got together and got him and his wife
tickets to the NFC Championship game, and even drove
them to Charlotte for the weekend.
“They think us eighty-somethings can’t take care of ourselves,” he said with a chuckle,
though he admitted he was very
grateful. Even though they are
from the Carolinas, the Strocks
couldn’t bring themselves to
cheer against Bethel, so they
sided with the Cardinals. They
thoroughly enjoyed the trip despite the Cardinals’ loss, and
continue to wish Bethel luck in
his career. They are proud of
him for how far he has gotten,
and are excited to see where he
goes from here.
Strock loves his community
and his local schools and supports them even in his retirement. He may not have been
born in this city, but it has become his own, and he is very
grateful for the friendships and
bonds he has formed with his
players and the other people in
the community.
Bob Strock tips his hat and holds a framed honorary captain
certificate presented during the 2015 football season for his devotion and encouragement of Presbyterian College athletics.
He coached Blue Hose student-athletes for 29 years, and walks
the sidelines of Bailey Memorial Stadium to this day.
to use their time helping others.
Luckily, Strock’s old students
and her husband’s old players
care very much for their old
coach and teacher. They help
make sure they are in good
condition and have everything
they need, which is helpful
since their children live so far
away.
The Stocks do not think of
themselves as old, just experienced. They enjoy their ability
to take things at their own pace
now, and to do things they like
besides what they chose as a
career. They keep active and
healthy.
Bob Strock - Retired teacher, coach
By Ethan Black
Horizons 2016
There is a long legacy of
highly successful coaches at
both Clinton High School and
Presbyterian College. Some are
remembered fondly, while others . . . not so much.
Bob Strock is one of the former. He also happens to be one
who stayed right here in Clinton
and has an extended family of
former players who love him
and his wife Betty dearly. Those
players are now good friends,
and they take good care of the
Strocks, whether the Strocks actually need it or not.
Strock grew up in Hamlet,
North Carolina, where his father
worked for Seaboard Railroad.
He graduated from Hamlet High
School in ’51, and then he attended Erskine on a football
scholarship.
Unfortunately, the year after
he arrived, Erskine decided to
get rid of their football team.
Strock continued to attend without football, graduating in ’55.
He also met his wife while he
was there. She was a couple of
years behind him. After Erskine,
Strock continued his education
with graduate work at University
of North Carolina and Western
Carolina University.
After finishing his education,
Strock came to Clinton High
Bob Strock grew up in Hamlet, N.C., and attending Erskine College to play football. The year after he arrived, Erskine decided
to give up football, but Strock stayed on to graduate from the
Due West campus. He is a retired teacher and coach.
School to become an assistant
football coach and head baseball
coach. He led the baseball team
to two state championships, in
consecutive years: ’60 and ’61.
After his stint there, he
moved to Presbyterian College
where he coached for a whopping 29 years. He loved his time
there, and still heads over to the
PC Athletic building, Templeton, every now and then to check
Bob and Betty Strock have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, raising four children and living near Presbyterian College. – Photo by Ethan Black
in and see how things are going.
Many of the players know
him well even today, and the
athletic department always welcomes him with open arms. He
still watches the players grow
and improve during their time at
PC, and he greatly enjoys seeing
them practice and play. The best
part about not being a football
coach anymore is that he does
not have to spend all his time
with the football players. Instead, he can visit any team’s
practice and see how all the athletes are doing.
A few years after meeting at
Erskine, Strock and his wife,
Betty, were married in North
Charleston. That was on February 16, 1947, which means they
have just had their fifty-ninth
wedding anniversary. They have
two children, a son and a daughter. Their son, who graduated
from Clinton High School, lives
in Melbourne Beach, Florida
with his wife. He has three children, two of which are out of
school and one who is still in
college.
Their daughter also went to
Clinton High and now lives in
Rock Hill with her husband and
two daughters, one of which is
– Photo by Vic MacDonald
The Clinton Chronicle
www.MyClintonNews.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Horizons I - Page 9
Hey, it’s us: Mary-Wallace
Riley and Amanda Addison
take over the front seat of a
four-wheeler in the City of
Clinton’s entry in December’s
Christmas Parade. Riley and
Addison are active in planning
and executing many citysponsored events, and have
begun a tradition of getting a
picture taken at every one for
social media.
– Photo by Vic MacDonald
Maureen Tiller, left, has escorting and crowning duties to perform each fall during Clinton High School’s football homecoming game. Senior prayers’ sponsors, Homecoming Court
participants and Homecoming Queen are all part of the halftime
Mary-Wallace Riley – City of Clinton
activities. – Photo by Vic MacDonald
Alex Riley – Carolina Stitches
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In 25 years of practice:
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Horizons I - Page 10
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
www.MyClintonNews.com
The Clinton Chronicle
Laurens County School District
Where students become ethical and productive citizens by achieving excellence,
embracing innovation, and forging new traditions.
We will:
•
•
•
•
Engage all stakeholders
in the support of quality
education and continuous
improvement.
Empower students to
use technology resources
to support learning.
Educate in an environment
that promotes creativity,
collaboration, critical
thinking, communication
and character.
Elevate the academic
performance of each student
to ensure readiness for the
next level.
~ Constancy of Purpose ~
All students will graduate from high school.
211 N. Broad Street - Suite B
Clinton, South Carolina 29325
864-833-0800
w w w.lcs d 56.or g
Dr. David C. O’Shields, Superintendent