District Adds 2 Assistant Superintendents
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IN SPORTS: TSA girls off to 4-0 start in defense of state championship B1 GIFTS, FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, MEET SANTA AND MORE Don’t miss 1st Christmas at Patriot Hall A4 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents District adds 2 assistant superintendents Both will support school excellence, leadership development ing superintendent Debbie Hamm, Brenda Hafner, principal at Bly- given the district is undertaking sever- thewood High School in Richland BY BRUCE MILLS The Board of Trustees unanimously al new academic initiatives, she said. School District 2 in Blythewood, is the [email protected] approved the pair of positions with Norris Williams, formerly principal other selection. Hafner has been the the same title of assistant superinten- at Dutchman Creek Middle School in principal at Blythewood High for near- Sumter School District is bringing dent for leadership and school excel- York County District 3 in Rock Hill, ly four years, according to her resume. on two new assistant superintendent lence at its meeting Monday at the dis- has been selected for one of the posts. Before that, she served as principal at positions to the district staff, officials trict office. Williams has been the Dutchman voted Monday night. The positions were the idea of act- Creek principal since 2007. SEE ASSISTANTS, PAGE A6 Hospital helps bring 100 years man out of of the darkness BY KATIE GEER and TRACI QUINN Palmetto Health Tuomey LEARNING Special to The Sumter Item For Dan Wilson, losing the gift of sight was symbolic. He was al- ready in a dark place, a tough spot in a bumpy life. His health was failing, his eyesight rapidly fading. He had no place to call home. Wilson was nearly blind be- cause of poorly treated diabetes. All his life, he said, he had taken for granted the ability to see; then one day, when he was 48, it was “like someone was dimming the lights, just a little bit at a time.” “Losing my eyesight started out like I was looking at the sky with no lights,” he said. “Then it became darker and like I had tree branches stretching over my eyes with a bright light be- PHOTOS BY IVY MOORE / SPECIAL TO THE SUMTER ITEM hind it. Then one day, it was just shadows, and then it was just Katherine Richardson, director of the Camden Archives and Museum, was key- dark.” note speaker at the 100th Anniversary Gala celebrating Sumter County Library. Then another blow: He found himself in the position of not having a permanent place to call home. That is when he decided to move back to Sumter. Soon after, he ended up in the emer- Sumter County Library gency room — again. That’s where Marian Baker found him. turns page, enters new century Baker is the Care Transition coordinator at Palmetto Health Tuomey. She directs the Healthy with anniversary gala Outcomes Program, which aims to help people in the community who are uninsured, live below BY IVY MOORE the poverty line, have one or Special to The Sumter Item more chronic illnesses and over- use the emergency room for pri- t was standing room only for Monday’s celebra- mary care. The goal is to create a relationship with each partici- tion of the Sumter County Library’s 100th anni- pant, develop a plan of care to versary. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, meet his or her physiological, I mental, behavioral and social the gala event brought library patrons, past and present needs and assign them a medical library staff and board members, descendants of the home with either Sumter Family Health Center or Sandhills Med- original board members and others together not just to ical Foundation. celebrate, but also to learn about the processes and chro- “I made a connection to Mr. Wilson,” Baker said. “He’s kind, nology that led to Sumter’s library system. intelligent, a gentleman who fell on hard times due to his health. Library Director Robert ident Sue Griffin talked about It was such an unfortunate situ- Harden, who has worked in the dedication and service of ation.” various capacities in the sys- that organization and intro- Wilson was in fragile health, tem since 1980, talked about duced Friends board member but Baker was able to develop a the changes and growth of the Nancy Wilson, who explained plan of care that helped him get library into a “focal point of how Sumter’s library system his diabetes and other health is- the community,” its “out- grew out of the education sys- sues under control. He has made standing staff” and the critical tem. such great progress that soon he Former Sumter County Library board member support of the Friends of the The late Dr. S.H. Edmunds will be able to leave the hospital. Mary Glenn Givens looks through historic infor- Library. recognized the need for a li- He’ll undergo vocational rehabil- mation on the 100 years of the library’s exis- Speakers included Frank brary in Sumter in 1915, she itation and should soon be able tence. The large portrait on the table is of An- Shuler, chairman of the li- said, and did most of the work to look for work and a home of drew Carnegie, who used his fortune made in brary’s board of directors, to obtain a grant from Andrew his own. the steel industry to finance Sumter’s first public who spoke of his “suffering Carnegie. She placed the 1917 Surgery is not typically a part library on West Liberty Street, which opened from bibliomania” and the construction and opening of of the minimally funded HOP “great, cohesive” board. program, but in mid-November, Dec. 4, 1917. Friends of the Library Pres- SEE 100 YEARS, PAGE A6 SEE WILSON, PAGE A5 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Angela W. Fullwood Martha Lou Brailsford COLD AND RAINY 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 35 James D. Hammett Kenneth Richburg Cooler with a little rain; Ernest A. Finney Jr. Robert Lee Richardson periods of rain tonight Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Ishmael Rivers Eleanor G. Coubarous HIGH 50, LOW 36 Comics B4 Television B5 Opinion A7 A2 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] OUR STATE’S HISTORY Conflict between Sumter City Council looks at governors, Legislature making purchasing changes led to revolution BY ADRIENNE SARVIS a specific amount without competi- isting procurement ordinance, Shytle FROM THE S.C. HISTORICAL SOCIETY [email protected] tive bidding or a vote from the coun- said. The proposed increases for pur- On Dec. 16, 1762, the South Carolina cil. chase limits reflect the city's more- Legislature resolved to do no further Sumter City Council voted in favor For example, the proposed amend- than-$60-million budget and modern business with the governor until he rec- of amending the city's procurement ments would require city council ap- prices, he said. ognized the rights and privileges of code to reflect modern prices and proval for purchases of goods or ser- The amendments require a second members of the Commons House of As- began its annual tradition of recog- vices that exceed $100,000. The exist- reading to replace the current pro- sembly. The governor at that time was nizing longtime city employees on ing ordinance requires council ap- curement code. Thomas Boone. Born in England, Tuesday. proval for purchases exceeding In other news, city council and city Boone’s father was a merchant whose The procurement code has not $75,000. officials recognized more than 25 city family been updated in decades, City Attor- The amendments would also in- employees — public service and ad- owned a ney Eric Shytle said. crease the minimum price for field ministration employees and first re- great deal of Council approved first reading of purchase orders — a method to expe- sponders — who have worked with land in S.C. an ordinance that would amend price dite necessary purchases without the municipality for 10 years. His older limits regarding the city's current waiting on council approval — re- Sumter City Manager Deron Mc- brother procurement code that allow certain garding goods and services from $500 Cormick said council will recognize served in city officials — department directors, to $2,500; and costs for repairs or ser- employees who have dedicated more Parliament the city finance director and city vices from $1,000 to $5,000. than 10 years during its next meeting for several manager — to make purchases below This is a modernization of the ex- on Tuesday, Dec. 19. years and, in 1752, Thomas Boone ar- rived in the Kindergarteners colonies to claim title to PHOTO PROVIDED lend a hand lands he in- Christopher Gadsden was herited from denied the oath of office Retired Marine Bill Hartley shakes the Boone by Governor Boone in hands with St. Anne and St. Jude Cath- and Colleton 1762. He would later serve olic School students after the presen- families. In in the Stamp Act Congress, tation of the school-wide contribution 1758, he the First Continental Con- to Toys for Tots. Mrs. Natalie Fappiano's married gress, and, eventually, as a kindergarten class chose Toys for Tots Sarah Ann brigadier general in the as its service project for November. Tattnall Per- Continental Army. roneau and PHOTO PROVIDED was appointed governor of New Jersey in 1759. Because Boone was a descendant of the Colleton family, Walter Edgar writes that, at first, “he was welcomed by Caro- linians as ‘one of us.’” In 1761, he was appointed governor of South Carolina and set sail for Charleston.