7.27: Book challenge, Haley and legislature, Palmetto Poem

NATURE IS STIRRING.  These juvenile anhingas were nesting very low on Sunday with an adult in the Audubon Swamp near some egret nests, contributing photographer Michael Kaynard writes. “This is THE time to see all the great birds nesting and feeding their chicks,” he writes. “ Some chicks are over a foot tall now.   I love the spring.  The world comes alive again.  It gives me hope for our future.” Photo by Michael Kaynard, KaynardPhotography.com.

LAST WEEK’S MYSTERY:  An old hand at identifying our mystery pictures, Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant, won last week’s contest by recognizing the Confederate Home on Broad Street in Charleston. “It provides modest rent to those who qualify and they still give out scholarships for college from their endowment,” he said. “ It was a home at one time for Confederate widows and orphans but has lived on well past this need to still be of significant benefit today.    The founders had great wisdom in creating such long-term benefit.”

Others who recognized the home were Doug MacIntyre of Charleston, whose grandmother once lived there as a teen-ager around 1905, and Jane Riley of Charleston. Thanks all.  If you have a mystery photo you want to share with our readers, please send it to editor@charlestoncurrents.com — and be sure to tell us what it is!

IN THIS EDITION | May 11, 2015 | Number 7.27

PHOTO:  Nature is stirring
FOCUS: Begin With Books seeks help on challenge grant
BRACK: Why is the governor fighting with GOP legislators?
PALMETTO POEM:  Summer Afternoon
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:  Kaynard Photography
GOOD NEWS: Neighborhood associations pan Sgt. Jasper plans
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
CALENDAR: May 11+ — Black history, special film, dancing
REVIEW:  The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Dr. Benjamin Mays

FOCUS

Begin With Books seeks help to meet North Charleston challenge

By Patty Bennett-Uffelman | Reading aloud promotes healthy growth in babies.  That’s why we want Begin With Books (BWB) to keep growing so that we can put books into the hands of every baby and toddler in Charleston County.  This month, we are challenging you to help us take our growth to the next level.

The Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust has entrusted BWB with a major incentive grant, a $65,000 challenge to open service in the City of North Charleston.  We need to match this grant with $85,000 in donations from the community to meet our next major growth objective.  Councilman Ed Astle has notified us that the City of North Charleston has already made a $5,000 commitment to support the campaign this year.

There are 8,850 babies and toddlers in North Charleston who will be eligible for the BWB/Imagination Library.  Forty percent of these children live in poverty. Without early intervention, they will face educational challenges that are rooted in the word and achievement gaps between low- and high-income families.

The BWB/Imagination Library is an evidence-based program that tackles the word gap when it matters the most:  in the critical development years from birth to age 4.  In its service areas, BWB is reaching a higher percentage of pre-school children than any other program:  BWB is reaching 49.5 percent of children, aged birth to 4, in its service areas.  This compares to 40 percent of 4-year-olds, only 4 percent of 3-year-olds, and virtually no 0-3-year-old babies reached by 4K programs in South Carolina, according to the NIEER State Preschool Yearbook 2013.

You can help us reach the next generation in North Charleston with a gift to BWB today.  Donate via our website or mail your check to BEGIN WITH BOOKS, PO Box 183, Charleston SC 29402.  Specify “NCHAS” in the advice to sellers (PayPal screen two) or in the remittance advice on your check.  Thank you for helping us grow to meet the challenge.

Begin With Books is an all-volunteer organization that is supported by the greater Charleston community – and beyond.

Every week of the year, our volunteers are out in the community telling parents about the value of reading to young children and helping them enroll their babies in the BWB/Imagination Library.  The following registration outreach opportunities are coming up, and we’d love to have your help.  Email beginwithbooks@knology.net to sign up for a particular event or to add your name to our volunteer listserv:

Thursday, May 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Charleston Housing Authority Community Resources Day.

Thursday, May 21, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Mitchell Math and Science, Harvest Fair.

Thursday, May 28, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Charleston Housing Authority 12^th Annual Community Jazz Festival, Robert Mills Manor.

The graph at the top of this email illustrates our growth over the past 4½ years, and not a single upward data point would have been possible without your donations and your volunteer time.

Our enrollment is at all-time high of 2,351 children, we have delivered over 70,000 books, and we want to keep this trend heading to the sky.  Thank you for helping us keep our growth curve healthy!

Patty Bennett-Uffelman is co-chair of Begin With Books.

COMMENTARY

Why is the governor picking on GOP legislators?

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher

MAY 11, 2015  |  Only one in 10 state legislators apparently is conservative enough for Gov. Nikki Haley, who last week reignited a feud with the General Assembly by singling out just 17 state lawmakers for voting with her on three issues — pay raises, gas taxes and bonded indebtedness. (List at bottom)

We’re not quite sure how Haley is the queen of figuring out who is conservative enough, but you’ve got to wonder a little about her leadership skills after winning a second term if only 17 legislators out of 170 are backing what she thinks is important.

“Her strategy of calling people out is a unique strategy — one I’m not familiar with in terms of what she hopes to gain, other than rankle people whose votes she needs on other things,” one veteran Republican insider said.  “It’s clearly a strategy, but to what end?”

Whatever Haley was doing, it didn’t sit well with a lot of the 105 Republicans in the legislature, such as Spartanburg Sen. Lee Bright, who many view as more conservative than Attila the Hun.

He told The Greenville News that he didn’t need Haley to be the arbiter of conservative credentials:  “She has been playing footsie with the moderates ever since she became governor.  She’s continuing to do it, and we’re not going to assist her in it.”

So perhaps by dividing the world into Haley supporters and Haley opponents, as the governor did last week at the state Republican convention, the hyper-ambitious governor might be signaling something about her political future. Some possibilities:

Vice president.  Maybe Haley (right) is hoping to be the next Sarah Palin, a vice presidential candidate for the 2016 nominee.  But most agree that her background, such as the rebuffed ethics inquiry on activities while a member of the S.C. House. precludes serious consideration for the nation’s number two spot.  Additionally, South Carolina is such a reliably red state that Haley wouldn’t bring anything to the ticket.

Cabinet officer or ambassador.  If a Republican becomes president in 2016, some say Haley might get a nod for a top administration post, although others say her background might get in the way of serving on the cabinet.  They admit, however, she could get a major ambassadorship, such as to India.

U.S. Senate.  A couple of scenarios are possible.  First, she could run for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, whom she appointed in 2013 after Jim DeMint stepped down.  While Scott won the seat in November, it is up for consideration again in 2016.   Second, what happens if U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is up again in 2020, gets a big cabinet position in the next administration?  That could set off a chain reaction in which Haley could resign and then be appointed to finish out Graham’s term — which would give her the national platform she so desperately seems to crave.  Stranger things have happened.

National platform.  Haley, who is not independently wealthy, might need to earn a paycheck when she’s done being governor, which could translate into serving on a couple of big corporate boards or becoming a television personality for a conservative group.  Or she could head up an industry group like the later Gov. Carroll Campbell did when he ran a national insurance trade association after finishing his gubernatorial service.

College of Charleston political science professor Gibbs Knotts says it’s a challenge to figure out Haley’s end game.

“She has a potentially long career ahead of her after the end of her current term,” he said.  “I could certainly see her being appointed to a cabinet position or being named an ambassador.  This makes sense.  Though she might run for Congress or U.S. Senate, I would be surprised.

“For some, it is a difficult transition to move from a chief executive position back to a legislative position.  The skills of executives and legislators are not always compatible.  I would also not be too surprised if she transitions to a private sector role or takes some other type of leadership position outside.  Governor James Edwards had a long and distinguished career as president of MUSC after leaving the governor’s mansion.”

LIST: Here are the names on Gov. Nikki Haley’s list of conservatives: Sen. Sean Bennett, Summerville; Sen. Chip Campsen, Charleston; Sen. Tom Davis, Beaufort; Sen. Mike Fair, Greenville; Sen. Larry Martin, Pickens; Sen. Shane Massey, Edgefield; Sen. Harvey Peeler, Gaffney; Sen. Paul Thurmond, Charleston; Sen. Ross Turner, Greenville; Sen. Danny Verdin, Laurens; Sen. Tom Young, Aiken; Rep. Reps. Todd Atwater, Lexington; Rep. Eric Bedingfield, Belton; Rep. Dan Hamilton, Greenville; Rep. Chip Huggins, Columbia; Rep. Rick Quinn, Lexington County; and Rep. Tommy Stringer, Greenville.

Andy Brack, editor and publisher of Charleston Currents and Statehouse Report, where this commentary first appeared.  Send feedback to:  editor@charlestoncurrents.com

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Kaynard Photography

GOOD NEWS

Associations oppose new Sergeant Jasper plan

The Sergeant Jasper building, Charleston, S.C.

Eight neighborhood associations say they’re strongly opposing a plan by The Beach Company to build an 18-story residential tower, 118,000-square foot of office space, 40,350-square-foot retail facility and large parking garage to redevelop property at Broad and Barre streets.

The groups say the proposed redevelopment of the Sergeant Jasper property would alter the city’s skyline with a tower twice as high as area steeples. They say the proposal violates several zoning ordinances, such as how the project is “not in harmony” with the character of the city, incongruous with the neighborhood’s “prevailing character” or “detrimental to the interests of the Old and Historic District and against the public interests of the city.”

[UPDATED] A special meeting of the city’s Board of Architectural Review on the Sergeant Jasper application is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. May 13 at Burke High School’s auditorium. A city Planning Commission meeting is set for 5 p.m. May 18 to discuss a height variance, also at Burke High School’s auditorium.

According to a press release, groups that oppose the company’s plans include 3 Chisolm Street Home Owners Association (HOA), Cannonborough-Elliotborough Neighborhood Association, Charlestowne Neighborhood Association, French Quarter Neighborhood Association, Harleston Place HOA, Harleston Village Neighborhood Association, Historic Ansonborough Neighborhood Association and the Radcliffeborough Neighborhood Association.

• Click here to read more about The Beach Company’s plans.

Also in the news:

Graduation time. Lots of local colleges have been having graduations:

• Charleston School of Law. On Sunday, 132 students graduated from the Charleston School of Law in a ceremony during which noted novelist Dorothea Benton Frank, a Sullivan’s Island native, challenged graduates to take risks and prove their naysayers wrong during their careers. “Dream a dream as big as you can imagine and start figuring out how to realize it,” she said.
• Charleston Southern University. Approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate students received degrees. Speaker Kenneth M. Evans, president of Lord and Evans Capital Group, told them, “”The centerpiece of this historic moment is the mantle of leadership being placed on your shoulders as a college graduate Leadership is inescapable; everyday you are leading someone, be a role model for someone. Influence comes from same word as influenza; you can spread your influence.”
• The Citadel. Some 514 cadets, eight active-duty service members, 24 veteran students, 289 graduate students and 61 graduates of the Evening Undergraduate Program got diplomas on Saturday.

Winning chef. Congratulations to Danny Avenel, chef manager at Porter Gaud School in Charleston. He won the grand prize in a national recipe contest celebrating school chefs, according to a press release. He won a $2,000 prize for creating cranberry, kale and quinoa stuffed poblano and duck tacos for the Cranberry Marketing Committee USA/Flik Independent School Dining Cranberry Recipe Contest.

Guardian ad Litem volunteers sought. The Charleston/Dorchester County office of Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program is offering a 30-hour, free training program to qualify volunteers to become child advocates for children in the foster care system. The next training starts May 26 and will be offered on Tuesday mornings, Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Learn more online here.

Day of Giving. Lowcountry Giving Day shattered last year’s record by garnering more than $4 million in donations from more than 10,000 donors becoming the top community in the nation on the annual day to give to nonprofits. The annual event also led to matches by big donors worth more than $3 million. More.

Winning recruiter. Hats off to David Ginn, president and CEO of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, for being named one of the nation’s top 50 economic developers by site selection consultants in a recent survey by Consultant Connect.

• You can hear Ginn on a recent national podcast here.

FEEDBACK

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CALENDAR

 May 11+:  Black history, special film, dancing

REVIEW

The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion

A novel by Fannie Flagg

A fantastic summer beach book which will effortlessly pull you into Sookie Poole’s world in Point Clear, Alabama, Fannie Flagg’s writing has you laughing out loud while blending in deeply touching moments with unexpected twists and turns.

Lenore, a High Society Southern Lady, expects the same of her daughter Sookie and had been an overbearing presence in her life for 60 years. Mother and daughter differ so much physically and personally that Sookie wonders how she even fits into the Simmons Krackenberry Family. Rather than concerning herself with Simmons Family Heritage, she only wants to relax and take life a little less seriously since her children are grown. Unexpectedly, a registered letter addressed to Lenore arrives. Sookie opens her mother’s letter and, within minutes, her whole life is turned upside down when she discovers she is adopted and her real name is Ginger Jurdabraliskis of Pulaski, Wisconsin. The prospect of a different life is irresistible, and before you know it, Sookie has left town in search of answers concerning her biological family which takes her back to the 1940’s, WWII, the WASPs, an irrepressible barnstorming pilot named Fritzi, and the All-Girl Filling Station.

The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is a joy to read and, with a sense of comic mystery, Fannie Flagg weaves two totally different stories into one, comparing Sookie’s present day Southern Life with her biological family’s Midwestern Immigrant Life during World War II. Enjoy!

 — Katherine McGregor Ouzts, Poe/Sullivan’s Island Library

Find this and similar titles from Charleston County Public Library. This item available as a book. To learn more or place a hold, visit www.ccpl.org or call 843-805-6930.

S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA

Dr. Benjamin Mays

Civil rights activist, writer and college president Benjamin Elijah Mays was born on August 1, 1894, in rural South Carolina near Rambo in Edgefield County (now Epworth in Greenwood County). He was the youngest of eight children born to Hezekiah Mays and Louvenia Carter, former slaves turned tenant farmers. Growing up in the rural South at a time when African Americans were disfranchised by law, Mays experienced a climate of hate where lynchings and race riots were common. In fact, Mays’s first memory was the 1898 Phoenix Riot, in which his cousin was murdered by whites.

Early in life Mays developed an “insatiable desire” for education, but racial inequality and prejudice had severely handicapped his educational career. Struggling against his limited educational background, his family’s poverty, and his father’s insistence that he remain on the farm, Mays enrolled at the high school of the black South Carolina State College. Four years later, in 1916, Mays graduated at the top of his class and became engaged to fellow student Ellen Harvin.

Mays looked to continue his education at a northern college. Rejected because of his race from his top choice, Holderness School in New Hampshire, Mays enrolled at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where he graduated with honors in 1920. Following graduation, Mays briefly returned home to South Carolina to marry Harvin, who had been teaching home economics at Morris College in Sumter. The couple moved to Chicago, where Mays enrolled at the University of Chicago to study divinity. After three semesters at Chica

Mays

go and as a result of a personal invitation from John Hope, president of Morehouse, Mays took a teaching position at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he taught algebra and mathematics from 1921 through 1924 and served for a year as acting dean. During his tenure at Morehouse, Mays, who was ordained in 1921, served as the pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church, which allowed him to grow in his spiritual faith and deal with the loss of his wife Ellen, who died in 1923.

Following the death of his wife, Mays left Morehouse to continue his graduate work at the University of Chicago, where he earned an M.A. in 1925. Although he considered pursuing his Ph.D., Mays instead returned to South Carolina State to teach English. There he met Sadie Gray, who became his second wife in 1926. After marrying, the couple moved to Florida to work with the National Urban League to improve housing, employment, and health conditions of African Americans. A few years later, in 1928, expecting to be fired for challenging segregation, they resigned from their jobs and moved to Atlanta, where Benjamin took a position with the national Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and worked to integrate that organization in the North and the South. In 1930 Mays left the YMCA to conduct a study of black churches with fellow minister Joseph W. Nicholson. The study, which focused on 609 urban congregations and 185 rural congregations, was published in 1933 as The Negro’s Church. In 1931 Mays returned to the University of Chicago School of Religion to finish his Ph.D., which he received in 1935. In 1934, as Mays was finishing his Ph.D., he accepted appointment as dean of the School of Religion at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In this position Mays traveled overseas to visit world leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi of India.

After six years at Howard, in 1940 Mays accepted an offer to become president of Morehouse College in Atlanta. For the next twenty-seven years Mays worked tirelessly at Morehouse, collecting $15 million in donations, overseeing the construction of eighteen buildings, and conducting well-attended Tuesday morning chapel talks with students. Mays unrelentingly preached engagement, responsibility, and stewardship to his Morehouse students. His inspiring leadership made Morehouse one of the most prestigious black universities in America, which graduated a disproportionately high number of future Ph.D.’s, college presidents, and civil rights leaders. Several of his gifted students, including Julian Bond and Maynard Jackson, went on to become leaders of the national civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, leading one writer to describe Mays as “Schoolmaster of the Movement.” One student whom Mays particularly impressed was Martin Luther King, Jr., who often stayed late with Mays to discuss theology. King and Mays became lifelong friends. In 1968 Mays delivered the eulogy at King’s funeral.

In 1967 Mays retired as president of Morehouse College and took the position of chairman of the school board in Atlanta, where he worked to correct racial inequalities in the school system. In 1970 Mays finished his autobiography, Born to Rebel, which has stood as an invaluable contribution to the study of American race relations. The life of Benjamin E. Mays has been celebrated and respected. He was awarded forty-nine honorary degrees and was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1984. He died on March 28, 1984, in Atlanta.

– Excerpted from the entry by Orville Vernon Burton and Matthew Cheney. To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)

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