STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH by Theron Willis
HOMETOWN NEWS

Pam Whitehead looks through the letters that she hasn’t read in over 40 years that were sent to her from a special someone who fought in the Vietnam War.

Sometimes the opening of an old dusty envelope hidden away in a corner can have an effect similar to time travel.
When Pam Whitehead of Lyman recently went through a 41-year-old stack of letters she was transported back to a time long ago. To a time before she was a mother and a grandmother,  back when she was a sixteen-year-old girl in Cowpens and a fragile and fateful love was budding between her and a soldier she hardly knew who was writing to her from the foxholes in Vietnam.
Whitehead, then with the maiden name Bolton, started correspondence with twenty-year-old Army Private First Class Paul Martinez while he was stationed at Fort Lewis in the state of Washington. Martinez was buddies with a guy named Ricky who was from Cowpens and dating Pam’s sister,  Gerri at the time.
Pam says that Martinez was Puerto Rican and worked in the shipyards in San Francisco with his family before joining the Army, but she knows very little else about his life. When Ricky went back home to Cowpens on leave,  Martinez went as well to see the sixteen-year-old young lady who had become his pen pal.
That two-week leave was the first and only time Pam ever saw Martinez in person. A shy and awkward attraction developed over the course of the two weeks and hinted at when he went back to Fort Lewis, but when Martinez was deployed in Vietnam in April 3, 1969,  he began to express feelings to Pam in his letters that might have otherwise lain dormant - feelings of his love for Pam and his hope of reuniting with her once his time was through in the dreaded war.
“We can have so much together when I get out,  I know it. It’s just a matter of time…Before you know it I will be in your arms and telling you I will never let go know (now) that I have you so close to me,” he wrote in one of his letters to Pam.
Martinez was stationed in the Quang Nam Province in South Vietnam with the first squad of the 101st Airborne Division and served as a rifleman.
Pam says Martinez had poor grammar and spelling but despite that his letters brought out a romantic and eloquent side. “Pam the way love moves is the way to (two) persons meet, may it be by thought or touch,” he wrote on the back of a picture he sent to her from Vietnam.
Pam also thinks Martinez could express things in letters that he would find hard to say in person. “He was kind of shy at first (in person) but I think he was more comfortable when he started writing letters,” Pam explains.
The affection and romance that Martinez expressed to Pam made her feel in ways she had never felt before in her young life.
“I dated and had boyfriends before but he made me feel like the most wonderful person in the world, like I was an angel and that I was so precious to him,” Pam says. She was reluctant and shy to reciprocate the same intense romanticism and passion that Martinez communicated to her through his letters.
“I was only sixteen and it was all just so new and strange to read what he was saying to me,” Pam recounts. “I just wasn’t sure how to respond.”
Martinez tried not to be forceful in his letters but also asked her to grant one simple wish. “Guess what Pam, you own part of my heart… I don’t mine you owning part of me at all…it’s not even costing you a thing except a genione I Love You once in a wy’ll in your letters. is it a deal? my heart for an I Love You in your letter’s.”
Pam finally started ending her letters to Martinez with an “I love you” and other affectionate sentiments but a few weeks later she realized it was too late. On May 23, 1969 she came home from school to find an ominous package from the US Army waiting for her. Inside the package was her recent batch of letters to Martinez as well as a note informing her that Martinez was killed on May 7, 1969 while his unit was trying to take Hamburger Hill. He spent only a little more than a month in Vietnam.
The heartbreaking thing with journeys back through time is knowing the outcome of events but being powerless to change it. As Pam read back over letters from Martinez for the first time in 41 years,  she realized that the dates on the letters were a countdown till his untimely death.
“This (letter) is 26th of April,  ‘69 so how long did he have to live?” Pam asked her voice breaking with emotion.
What was also painful was realizing that the promises made by Martinez to Pam of the times they would share once his time was up in Vietnam were fated to never happen.
“We can go driving all over the place with the car windows down and the radio soft and you sitting next to me,” Martinez writes to Pam as he envisioned a peaceful place away from the foxholes and bombs.
Looking back at the letters stirred up a cauldron of mixed emotions in Pam,  making her wonder what would have happened if Martinez would have made it back from Vietnam. Would their love have survived? Would they still be together today? How would her life have been different?
But soon enough it was time to leave the past and return to the present, to carefully put away the old and yellowed letters back in a shadowy corner of her house and likewise put the thoughts of Martinez and the long - gone possibility of a different life away as well. 

Chesnee Mayor Max Cash convened city council in monthly session on Monday, July 12,  with all council members present. After the minutes from June were approved the mayor opened the floor for public comments with no one coming forward.
In the first order of business and in accordance with procedure, the election of a new mayor pro-tem was called for. After nomination and a second Councilwoman Alaree Dawkins was unanimously elected as Mayor Pro-Tem for a two year term.
 City Administrator Becki Hood then stated that the city had finished the fiscal year ending June 30 in “good shape and with a healthy fund balance.” Hood said, “This has taken a lot of effort and pulling together on everyone’s part, but those efforts have really helped the city budget.”
Hood then gave the council a brief explanation of the budget report and what various items meant. Mayor Max Cash then presented two forms for approval by council. One is a sign-out sheet for city property and the other is a formal written request for hospitality funds. The forms were approved by a vote of 4-1 with Councilwoman Crawford stating that one of the forms should contain more information.
Next, the annual Charter cable franchise renewal was presented and first reading approved.
Chesnee High School wrestling coach Jonathan Rentz then addressed council with a request for hospitality funds. Rentz said the funds would be used to advertise and promote a Chesnee Pro Wrestling event to be held on July 23 at the high school with proceeds to benefit the high school wrestling team. Rentz presented a budget of $2800.00 with his request which was unanimously approved by the city council.
Councilman Bruce Mahaffey then presented for first reading a no smoking in city restaurants ordinance that was originally proposed by Councilman Doug Pye.  Mahaffey said he was at first opposed to the ordinance but said, “After talking with some folks as well as the owners of two of the longer established restaurants in Chesnee, David Walker and Ken Scruggs, I now support it. Walker and Scruggs both said they would welcome a no smoking ordinance.” After being read in its entirety by Councilman Mahaffey, the ordinance was given unanimous first reading approval. The ordinance would ban all tobacco products from city restaurants and carry a fine of $10 to $25 dollars.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

Security cameras caught this image of the Sun Trust Bank robbery suspect. The same suspect apparently robbed the First Piedmont Bank at 901 E. Main St. around 9:50 Monday morning. The public is urged to call in tips on the suspect’s identity to Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIMESC or Text TIP649 to CRIMES (274637).

Spartanburg Public Safety officers, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents all responded to a second bank robbery on Spartanburg’s East Side just four days after another bank was hit last Thursday.
The First Piedmont branch at 901 E. Main St. was robbed about 9:50 Monday morning by a white male matching the same description as the suspect in the Sun trust robbery from last week, according to a press statement from Public Safety Lt. Regina Nowak.
The suspect is described as a white male between 45 and 50 years old, around 5’9” to 6’)’’ tall and weighing around 175 pounds. The suspect entered the bank and presented a teller with a note demanding money. The teller placed money in a plastic bag before the suspect left the bank and entered a burgundy or maroon Toyota pickup and headed east on East Main Street.
According to investigators, the same suspect apparently committed the earlier robbery at the Sun Trust Bank at 1704 East Main Street on Thursday morning, June 15, at approximately 9:20.
Jeffery Young witnessed the Thursday robbery when he went in to cash a check. He stated the suspect came in the rear door with a small handgun and pointed it at the teller.
He recalled, “He came in the back door with a blue handkerchief over his face. He had a hat on, I can’t remember what color clothes he had on. (He was) kind of an older guy, white male. He ran up to the counter and said, ‘Give me the money! Give me the money! Hurry up!”
Young said he didn’t think the robber even noticed him.
“He just went straight to the clerk,” and Young “eased back two steps and then turned and ran out the door and called 911” from the Quizno’s parking lot.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Spartanburg County News.

Photo by David Stephens
Chesnee Mayor Max Cash presents the street name change proclamation to Floree Copeland.

When 30 - year Chesnee city employee Jerry Copeland passed away,  he left a town full of friends and memories. To honor Copeland’s service and dedication to the city of Chesnee a portion of McKinney Street near Gethsemane Baptist Church was renamed Jerry Copeland Drive during a ceremony on July 10, 2010. Mayor Max Cash presented the official street name change proclamation to Copeland’s widow Floree Copeland.
Cash said, “Jerry Copeland was a fine, fine man. He was dependable and just a great person and worker. Jerry got along with everyone and he will be missed immensely.”
Jerry Copeland’s church pastor, Ronnie Miller, said, “I don’t know where to start about Jerry. I suppose one thing that comes to mind is that Jerry was a helper and always willing to help anyone. He meant the world to me and we had become the best of friends. The community has been greatly impacted by his departure from us and he will always be remembered.”
Speaking to the crowd gathered at the event Floree Copeland said, “This is a great celebration of Jerry’s life, but a sad day as well. I miss Jerry and I thank everyone for coming here today to honor him.”

FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS, SEE THIS WEEK’S CHESNEE TRIBUNE.

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Photo by David Stephens
Chesnee Police Chief Scott Smith with nephew Dylan Smith.

When Scott Smith returned home to Chesnee  from the Camden, SC, area to be the Police Chief, he had a goal in mind. That goal was to be of service to the community where he grew up,  not only as the top law enforcement officer, but also through other charitable undertakings. As of today it would appear Chief Smith is well on the way of achieving that goal.
As Chief of Police, Smith is on duty or on call 24 hours a day. Other times he can usually be found doing something to benefit the community. Chief Smith heads the Kops Kids program that helps needy kids and families at Christmas time and is its most avid fundraiser. He is the promoter for Chesnee Pro Wrestling,  with proceeds from each of those events going to some cause like Chesnee Head Start, bulletproof vests for the police, the Chesnee Volunteer Fire Department, and Kops Kids. Smith helped organize a Southern Powerlifting Federation competition in Chesnee with some of the proceeds going to charity. Recently he has opened his seasonal Big Chief’s Fireworks stand with part of the proceeds going to the Chesnee High School football program.
Chief Smith said, “Giving back to the community is not hard to do. If the legacy I leave when or if I leave Chesnee is that I cared about this community and the kids,  that would be fine with me. If the criminal element thinks otherwise or thinks bad of me that too would be a good thing I think.” Asked about how the charity work makes him feel,  Chief Smith said, “I feel great when I can help someone or some cause in the community. It feels good to also have my family right beside me in every endeavor. My wife Angelique, my brother Robbie and his two kids Courtney and Dylan are always there to help.”
Chief Smith also uses his charity work as a means of spreading “God’s word” and being a positive police influence in the community. Smith said, “Before every wrestling show we give honor to the Lord and you don’t see a lot of events like that do it. It is just another way to show the kids what is important in life. When I go to a place like Chesnee Head Start I want to be a positive role model. A lot of kids have never been exposed to a police officer except in times of trouble or turmoil. They need to know that the police are a good thing and are there to help them all the time.”

For more local news and events, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

Photo by David Stephens
Joan Moore, Executive Director of Christmas in Action Spartanburg.

In October 2010, Christmas in Action comes to Chesnee to brighten the lives of a number of deserving homeowners.
Christmas in Action Spartanburg is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency that, in partnership with the community, repairs homes of low-income, elderly, and/or disabled homeowners to provide for their continued warmth, safety, and independence. The Spartanburg chapter is one of approximately 20 chapters throughout the United States. The organization originally was started by a man named Bobby Trimble in a church in Midland, Texas in 1972. Initially it was a Sunday School project where young people would go out into the community and help with home repairs and rehabilitation. Eventually, the program name was called Christmas in Action in response to the many comments from those who had been helped like “This is like Christmas” and “This is like getting a Christmas present.”
Since its beginning Christmas in Action has done work on over 8,000 homes and involved more than 47,000 volunteers nationwide. In 1996, the Spartanburg chapter of Christmas in Action was founded by local residents John and Cindy Barrett and the first home was repaired in 1997. The couple remains very active in the organization serving on the Board of Directors.

Executive Director Joan Moore recently spoke to Hometown News about Christmas in Action Spartanburg. Moore said, “We are funded through Spartanburg city and county via a community development block grant, the United Way, and sponsorships through several churches. Lowe’s Home Improvement is one of our greatest corporate sponsors providing us with deep discounts on materials for the repairs and rehabs.”
Since 1997 Christmas in Action Spartanburg has repaired over 539 homes for the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged at no cost to them in over 20 Spartanburg County cities and communities. Now, in October 2010, Christmas in Action comes to Chesnee.
Moore said, “Chesnee was chosen because we have never been there and our initial survey found a great need there.” Joan Moore said, “We will be taking applications until July 15. Applications are available at City Hall, the library, the Carolina Foothills Artisan Center, and at the Chesnee Senior Center. Applicants can also go online to www.christmasinactionspartanburg.com to apply.
“After the deadline applications will be screened by the Board of Directors for need, physically and financially, and a list of homes to be worked on will be compiled. On October 2, 2010, we will work on those homes in Chesnee from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with our volunteers and any other volunteers from the community and churches that want to help. We do ask that any able - bodied family member of someone receiving help come out and assist too.”
Repair work done includes but is not limited to roofing, interior and exterior painting, bathroom work, handicapped ramps, windows, doors, kitchens, plumbing, and floor issues.
Joan Moore said that people are very appreciative of help they receive and has a filing cabinet drawer full of letters and cards expressing that thanks. Some comments were “I have been without hot water for three months. Now, I can take a hot bath without having to boil water.” “We had to make up a pulley system to get momma up the ramp and it was frightening for her. Now, with the repairs she feels safe going up the ramp.”
Volunteers also commented on their involvement,  with some saying “Why not volunteer? It is one day and the satisfaction it gives me is immeasurable” and “I really enjoy coming out and making a difference in the homeowners’ lives. Their smiles make all the difference in the world.”
Executive Director Moore said, “We are excited about going to Chesnee and carrying out our mission of helping the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged. We look forward to a productive day working with the Chesnee community.”
For more information about Christmas in Action Spartanburg, the Chesnee project, or to volunteer call 864-576-7101.

For more local news and events, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

Photo by Leon G. Russ
Three of the eight Norman Rockwell works that were displayed at the Spartanburg Art Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center last weekend are shown.

Upstate Norman  Rockwell fans were given a treat this past weekend when eight Rockwell paintings were displayed in association with the 100th anniversary exhibit of the Boy Scouts at the Spartanburg Art Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center Saturday through Monday.
Rockwell’s first job after art school was illustrating the monthly publication of the Boy Scouts, Boy’s Life magazine in the 1910s.  It was his first, and only, salaried position which he held from 1913 to 1916.
The works on display at the museum highlighted his 64-year affiliation with the Boy Scouts of American from the 1920’s to the 1970’s.
Rockwell’s most familiar works involving the Boy Scouts were probably his Brown and Bigelow calendar paintings.
Marti Ott of Boiling Springs was found with her children in tow.  She explained, “I’m a big Norman Rockwell fan and I just wanted them to have the opportunity to see them here in Spartanburg.”
Casey and C.J. Nunnemaker, also of Boiling Springs, were also excited to have the opportunity to see the Rockwell paintings up close.
“We’re both big fans of Norman Rockwell,” said Casey.  “This is the first time we had a chance to see them in person so we made sure to come down and see them since they’re only here for two days.”
Jan Benjamin, Director of Facilities at the Chapman Cultural Center, said, “It’s really quite a coup for Spartanburg (to get these paintings) because we were not originally on the tour of major cities it would go to.”
She credited the work of Rob Greene of The Palmetto Council of Boy Scouts and Geordy Johnson, son of George and an Eagle Scout, for working to get the paintings included with the Boy Scout exhibit.
She said it took months of work on the part of Green and Johnson to secure the paintings for the Spartanburg Arts Museum.
Benjamin pointed out other items along the walls pertaining to the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts that visitors also had the chance to observe.
There were numerous items from the Johnson collection; both Geordy and his father George attained the rank of Eagle Scout, as did Geordy’s grandfather, Dr. George Dean Johnson Sr.
In 1923 George Sr. became the first local boy to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
In addition to the Rockwell paintings, works from his successor in painting Boy’s Life covers, Joseph Csatari, were also displayed.

For more local news and events, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

By Theron Willis
HOMETOWN NEWS

Terry Glenn Lanford was scheduled to appear in federal court on Wednesday, June 23 in Greenville to answer for a drug charge stemming from a narcotics conspiracy with former Spartanburg Clerk of Court Marcus Kitchens  but was not present due to his current medical state. His attorney Johnny Gasser informed U.S. District Judge Henry Herlong Jr. that Lanford suffered a heart attack and stroke during a medical procedure on May 27 and that his physician Dr. Robert E. Jackson believes that Lanford is fit neither mentally nor physically to appear in court.
Gasser submitted a letter from Dr. Jackson stating he does not believe that Lanford would be able to undergo any court proceedings for at least six months or until he is released medically. It was also stated that Lanford is now under home medical care.
The continuance was granted but Herlong requested to receive monthly updates about Lanford’s condition.
In an unrelated case, Lanford was arrested two weeks ago on June 17 by Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office due to a fraudulent check written to the City of Woodruff and was released on bond after spending about eight hours in jail.
Lanford is facing the charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and a $1 million fine.
The charge stems from a conspiracy with former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Marcus Woodrow Kitchens in which Lanford sold drugs provided by Kitchens from the Spartanburg County Courthouse evidence room to a dealer in Florida.
Kitchens was present at the Wednesday hearing and pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and another count of theft from a federally funded organization by an agent of said organization.
The plea was accepted and Herlong will pass down sentencing after reviewing the pre-sentence report.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and a three-year term of supervised release. The maximum sentence for the second charge is a 10-year imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a three-year term of supervised release. 
Evidence presented at the hearing stated that in mid-2009 an individual was apprehended by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) in Orlando, Florida and agreed to become a confidential source (CS). He informed investigators that the cocaine he  in his possession when  he was arrested  was bought from Terry Glenn Lanford of Woodruff, SC.   He also told investigators that he learned from Lanford that the narcotics were taken directly from the evidence locker of the Spartanburg County Courthouse.
Lanford was then interviewed by the DEA and confirmed this information saying that the DEA informant agreed to pay $8,000 for the drugs that Lanford obtained from then Clerk of Court Marcus Kitchens.
Lanford then agreed to wear an electronic recording device during his next meeting with Kitchens.
Kitchens and Lanford met on the morning of February 2, 2010 at a Spartanburg restaurant in which money from a past drug deal was exchanged and discussion followed about removing and selling more drugs from the evidence room. 
Kitchens was arrested as he left the restaurant.

For more local news and events, see this week’s Local Hometown News.

Woodruff News/Spartanburg County News/Blacksburg Times/The Boiling Springs Sentry/The Chesnee Tribune/Inman Times/Middle Tyger Times/Whitmire News

By Theron Willis
HOMETOWN NEWS

Photo by Phil Buchheit
Woodruff realtor Terry G. Lanford is placed in a Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office car last Thursday before he was  transported to the Detention Center for booking.

Around 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 17,  Terry Glenn Lanford was arrested at his home where he is currently living at 121 Whispering Forest Lane in Woodruff by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office for a fraudulent check written to the City of Woodruff relating to rental property registration fees.
He was booked at 4:21 p.m. that day and charged with the first offense of writing a fraudulent check. His bond was set at $1,000 and he was released at 12:28 a.m. on Friday, June 18.
The timeline of events leading to his arrest  begins  on October 15, 2009 with the city sending a letter to all rental property owners in the city about the upcoming renewals under the Rental Property Registration and Licensing Ordinance.
The ordinance was enacted by the city earlier in 2009 and Lanford filed suit against the ordinance in the summer of 2009 declaring it unconstitutional and an “unauthorized tax on property” because of a $15 fee per rental property. That lawsuit is still pending.
After sending four more notices regarding property registration in the months of January, February and March of 2010 to Lanford’s office,  the city received renewal applications plus a check for $840 for 56 properties on March 24, 2010.
The next day the city mailed a notice to Lanford’s office stating that he owed late fees for the properties and that two of the properties registered were duplexes,  bringing the total number of properties to 58 and total money owed to $2,610. The city also later mailed the $840 check back.
Then after a little over a month of attempting to contact Lanford through three more notices - the last being a citation sent on May 3 to appear in Woodruff Municipal Court on May 24 at 3 p.m. -  Woodruff Police Darrell Dawkins hand-delivered a copy of the citation to Lanford’s office on May 5.
The same day of Dawkin’s delivery the city received an email and fax from Lanford’s office stating that he already sent a check for the amount of $2,610.

The city says it did not receive the check mentioned in that correspondence.
On May 11 the city received an email stating that Lanford was rushed to the Emergency Room;  that same day someone from his office delivered a $2,610 check - a different check than the one mentioned in the May 5 email - for the late fees.
On May 17 the city received notice from Arthur State Bank that the $2,610 check bounced. The same day a notice was sent to Lanford of the returned check. On May 21 the certified notice was returned to the city as unclaimed.  The city claims it did receive a call on the 21st from Lanford’s office and reminded the person on the phone about the court date on the 24th.

The May 24 court date arrived with Lanford nor his attorney present. Instead a man by the name of David Smith appeared in Lanford’s stead saying he was a friend and associate.  Smith claimed to Woodruff Municipal Judge Vicki Rae Smith  that Lanford was in the hospital and could not attend the hearing. Judge Smith ordered David Smith to sit down and remain silent after calling Spartanburg Regional and learning that Lanford had not been admitted that day but released last week.
After Smith was silenced, the city’s Director of Building Codes and Zoning Mike Doles then presented to the judge evidence of the attempts to contact Mr. Lanford and a copy of the bounced check.
Judge Smith levied $8,090 total in fines. $3,296 for failure to comply with the ordinance, $2,610 for the bounced check, and $1,092 each for the two properties that weren’t registered as separate properties but registered as duplexes.  She then scheduled a rule to show cause hearing on June 1 for Lanford to appear in court and explain why he was unable to be present at the May 24 hearing.
At the June 1 hearing Lanford was not present but his attorney David Alexander attended and presented letters from his doctors stating that Mr. Lanford suffered a stroke during a recent medical procedure and was unable to appear in court for the next four to six weeks. Judge Smith accepted the letters and said the hearing would be rescheduled for a later date.
Judge Smith said  she has received several harassing text messages and voicemails from Lanford  which she perceived as being of a threatening nature. An ongoing investigation into the texts and calls is being undertaken by SLED and the Solicitor’s office has turned over all municipal court cases involving Lanford over to another municipal judge in Spartanburg County.
In a statement to Hometown News on Tuesday, Judge Smith said, “Mr. Lanford and the people who have presented themselves as representatives of Mr. Lanford have chosen to tell many proven untruths. I can no longer continue in a judicial manner to be fair and impartial towards any case to which Mr. Lanford is a party.
“Also, in the pending case involving the investigation of Mr. Lanford by SLED as to his involvement in the continued harassment towards me and the Woodruff Municipal Court, the SC Court Administration and the Spartanburg County Solicitor’s Office has found it necessary to place another municipal judge to hear any cases in which Mr. Lanford is a party.”
No court dates have been set as of yet relating to the rental property ordinance violation fees and the rule to cause.
There is also a separate court date pending in Spartanburg General Sessions Court for the fraudulent check written to the city.

FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS, SEE THIS WEEK’S HOMETOWN NEWS PAPERS.

Mayor Junie White

Spartanburg Mayor Junie White suffered slings and arrows, and occasional words of praise, during the citizen’s comments portion of Monday’s city council meeting at city hall.
White received both criticism and praise for his proclamation last month in support of gay rights and declaring this Saturday, LBGT (Lesbian, Bi, Gay, Transgender) Pride Day.
Although the proclamation is nearly a month old the divisiveness it sowed still lingered.
At the time of the proclamation council members Linda Dogan, Joe Spigner, Robert Reeder and Jerome Rice voiced their objections to it while fellow council members Cate Brandt Ryba and Renee Cariveau stood with the mayor.
The mayor bowed to council members against the declaration by eliminating seven words but remained steadfast in his support of equal rights for all Spartanburg’s citizens.
At Monday’s meeting White listened to those opposed to Saturday’s March and the proclamation rail against both the proclamation and the mayor.
Bishop Walker, pastor of the True Light Pentecostal Church at 121 Old Converse Road, Spartanburg told council “homosexual behavior destroys family values (and) the homosexual lesbian behavior is taking over America.  They are trying to destroy our youth.”
Lansing Smith, elder of True Light Pentecostal Church, said, “We’re here in protest.  The city shouldn’t promote the Sodomite lifestyle.  They want to destroy our country and destroy our world.”
While Elder Willis of True Light Pentecostal Church told council, “It’s about what’s right.  Homosexuality is an abomination to God.”
White did also hear from supporters such as Joey Geier, president of Upstate Pride.  He commended White for his support of the event in the face of remained steadfast in his support of equal rights for all Spartanburg’s citizens.
At Monday’s meeting White listened to those opposed to Saturday’s March and the proclamation rail against both the proclamation and the mayor.
Bishop Walker, pastor of the True Light Pentecostal Church at 121 Old Converse Road, Spartanburg told council “homosexual behavior destroys family values (and) the homosexual lesbian behavior is taking over America.  They are trying to destroy our youth.”
Lansing Smith, elder of True Light Pentecostal Church, said, “We’re here in protest.  The city shouldn’t promote the Sodomite lifestyle.  They want to destroy our country and destroy our world.”
While Elder Willis of True Light Pentecostal Church told council, “It’s about what’s right.  Homosexuality is an abomination to God.”
White did also hear from supporters such as Joey Geier, president of Upstate Pride.  He commended White for his support of the event in the face of stout opposition.
Also praising White were Phyllis White (no relation to the mayor) who told the mayor the proclamation is “a positive affirming statement that shows equality for all (and represents) dignity, respect and peace.”
She added, “I’m pleased to see the city of Spartanburg supporting the efforts to provide people with dignity, respect and equality.”
Riley Lanier of Spartanburg said the proclamation and gay pride march “is not about special rights, it’s about dignity and civil rights.”
He ended, “When I see lesbian, gay, bi and transgender people, I see people, not Sodomites, not the negative connotations I’ve heard here.”

For more local news and events, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.