People I Admire - Wanda Warner

I first met Dr. Wanda Warner in the summer of 2002 when we were both hired for the new Department of Instruction in the School District of Oconee County, SC.  She was hired to direct middle level instruction and I was hired to direct early childhood instruction.  Since I was on board before her, I was a part of the interview team for middle level instruction.  Wanda was brilliant in the interview and was hired.  We all wished we were just a little smarter after that interview.  Since we both had some elementary grades in our departments we worked together quite often.  You may know that we are both quite opinionated, so "discussions on the merits" were vigorous.  Never shy about expressing her opinions or sharing her knowledge, she is adept at discussing any issue and is a great listener and consensus-builder.


The first you notice about Wanda is that she possesses impressive intellectual capacity.  Her ability to absorb new material and to recall and implement older knowledge is phenomenal.  Hardly any problem ever came up for which she had no solution to recommend.  Almost everytime, she was right.  As accomplished as she is professionally, she is equally accomplished personally.  As is often true, there is some degree of resistance to "new blood" but she quickly overcame what little there was.    She earned respect and made friends in the district quickly and remains a popular and formidable figure even after her retirement.  We are friends as well as colleagues and our two families spend time together.   Quite the hostess, she knows that life is too short to let good wine sit idle.  She has a heart of gold and will do anything to help a friend in need.

Despite some obvious strengths, she also has some fairly obvious weaknesses.  One is that she is vehicularly challenged to say the least.  She once bragged to me that she had been stopped for speeding in every jurisdiction in which she worked.  Having ridden with her on many occasions, I can vouch for the "lead foot".   Very soon after she was hired, we were hearing a retention appeal at Code Elementary.  Going to Code, I noticed an obvious trail of auto fluids beginning at the railroad tracks at Hometown Foods.  I followed the trail to Code to find its end in Wanda's parking space.  She had bottomed out her Volvo at the tracks and ejected fluids all the way there.  That trail was visible for a long time and was known in some circles as the Warner Trail.  While the principal, Andy Inabinet, worked on getting the car fixed, we heard the appeal.  Another member of the team prayed for Wanda and her car.  As long as any of the team members are around, the story of the Warner Trail will be told.  Some details may vary, depending on who is telling the story.

A very important thing about Wanda Warner is that she is a pancreatic cancer survivor.  Her diagnosis was a year and four months ago and her surgery was a year ago.  While not in remission, she continues to fight bravely against the disease.  I always knew that Wanda is tough and determined, but I did not know exactly how tough and determined she really is.  She has chronicled her journey as a cancer patient at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/wandawarner for her friends and family.  Reading her journal is inspirational.  Always positive, she writes a legacy document to show us how one ought to act and feel and live under similar circumstances.  The sheer volume and content of the messages from friends and colleagues on her board is testimony to the respect and affection of those who know her.  It is my privilege to call this remarkable woman my friend.

People I Admire - Mr. Mo'

I had the good fortune to see my good friend Don Moore at church last night. I met Don 30 years ago when Carolyn worked for him at Keowee Elementary School. He is quite possibly the nicest man I have ever met. Ever jovial, he is a master story teller and has a quick, engaging wit. He is smart, too. I know this because he married well. His wife, Peggy is a retired school principal, as is Don. He has two adult children, Trent and Bess, both of whom are married with children.

We have been members of the Carol Barner Sunday School Class at Saint Mark United Methodist Church together since 1993. We have traveled together to Lake Junaluska, New Orleans, and Phoenix. Don is the same wherever he goes. What you see is what you get. He does not put on airs for anyone. Once we were eating dinner in the Court of Two Sisters in New Orleans when Don asked for bread before dinner. The waiter told him no, because he did not want us to fill up on bread. Don asked again and got the same result. Many people would pitch a fit to get their way, but not Don. He just shrugged and waited for the bread that came with dinner. He is gifted with a common touch that will allow him to relate to anyone from a university president to the parent of a troubled child.

One thing I have learned about Don is that he can cook some mean barbecue. A pig-pickin' at Don's is an event not to be missed. The vinegar and pepper sauce is the best I have ever tasted. After one such event I didn't eat BBQ for a while, because it all tasted tame. Don is also a golfer. Having played with him on several occasions, I can vouch for the fact that he can flat out hit it. He has the ability to coach less skilled players as well. During one of our golf outings, I hit into some trees off the the tee. The ball ricochet backwards and rolled to a stop at my feet. In his most earnest and thoughtful vice Don says, "Dickie, I know what you are doing wrong. You're standing too close to the ball." (long, long pause)"after you hit it." Obviously, we all just fell apart and laughed the rest of the way around. None of this beats what is to follow.

Don is also a cancer survivor - pancreatic to be specific. More that two years ago, Don Moore was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During his treatment and recovery, we saw less of him, and when we saw him he looked sick. That's what makes seeing him last night so special. He looked healthy and more like himself than he has in a long time. He has lost bunch of weight still, but that twinkle was in the eye; that smile broke across his face; and that quick wit were all back. He persevered and beat pancreatic cancer. Thank God for his recovery, for he is one of those people that everyone who knows him would like to emulate more. If we all did, this world would be a much nicer one in which to live.

October Underdogs

The MLB playoffs have been great this year, even though my Rays and Braves got bounced early. My enjoyment begins with the dominant ptching performances so far. Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, CJ WIlson, and Brian Lincecum have pitched marvelous games already. Cliff Lee has pitched three masterpieces against the Rays and Yankees and Halladay has a postseason no-hitter. Lee has been as close to unhittable as a pitcher can be. His curvball is just nasty. The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have surprised me the most. Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but I expected both to be ousted in the first round. I was wrong. Along with the pitching, they both have had clutch hitting. The Giants polished the Braves in short order and led the Phillies 2 games to 1. Ther's a long way to go, but they are at home for two more games and a chance to close the series out. The Rangers have been even more surprising to me. Right now, they look like the team to beat in the World Series. In addition to great pitching, they have a solid line-up featuring Josh Hamilton. They should not have been underdogs to the Rays and they are proving that they are just plain better than the venerated/hated New York Yankees. They lead the ALCS 3 games to 1, with another game at home with a solid pitcher to win it. If not, they have Lee available for a Game 7. I would love a Giants/Rangers World Series. Why so, especially since the two teams I favor were rudely ejected by them? At this moment, they are the two best teams in MLB.

The Stoopid Season

I used to look forward to election season the same way I looked forward to the World Series. It was always fun to watch democracy in action as candidates competed for votes. They have pretty much spoiled that for me. We are beset with bigots and idiots running for office to do the work of the people. Case in point - what am I to do in the South Carolina race for the US Senate? On the one hand you have Jim Demint, or as I like to call him, Jim Deminted. I believe may be a bigot and I know he is a demagogue. His remarks last week and gays being allowed to teach indicate that he is the former. His claims that those are his personal feelings do not change the fact that he is a public figure, a US Senator, and his words and attitudes have public repercussions.

As to the latter, he publicly states that he will work for the failure of the elected president so that his party can regain power. Personally, I still pull for all presidents to succeed, because if they do, the country succeeds. That tells me that he is more interested in campaigning effectively than in governing effectively. Their recent track record includes running local, state, and federal governments into the ground in some kind of ideological race to incompetence.

In contrast, his opponent is apparently interested in neither strategy. Alvin Greene is an idiot. He wins the nomination of his party, as telling about the party as about himself. His opponent in the primary was a legitimate candidate and a member of the General Assembly. To be sure, he would have lost to Demint too, had he been nominated. Greene does not campaign and does not like to answer questions from the media. He suggested making bobble-heads of himself as a fiscal strategy. The real deal is bobble-headed enough. He was recently indicted for showing pornography to an underage student. He was asked to leave a meeting of the party here in Seneca, but the police had to be called to make it happen. At a recent event elsewhere, he sat by himself and did not speak to the gathering. He is as poor a candidate as anyone can be. There is no doubt in my mind that he would be just as poor a US Senator. What to do?

It's clear to me that I must hold my nose and vote for Demint. I considered not voting for either, but that is not a real option. I can't, in good conscience vote for Alvin Greene. I do not believe him to be competent enough to do the job. So there you have it. My left-handed, back-handed, and upside down endorsement of Jim Demint. Lord have mercy on us all.

End of an Era

Yesterday, Carolyn and I helped Dad and Mom begin to clean out their trailer at Flat Shoals. They closed on it yesterday, selling it to the next door neighbor, putting it in different hands for the first time in 40 years. It is a beautiful piece of property in Salem between Highway 11 and Flat Shoals on Little River. You can see the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north, east and west. The southern view looks down on a valley toward Flat Shoals. Dad bought it in the late 1960's and had a trailer on it for many years. He loved that property and I can remember dropping blood and sweat there myself, clearing the land. I was too young and stupid to understand the significnace of the land then. It is on the highest point in the vicinity. Lately, it had become increasingly difficult to maintain the property since they are both in their 80's. Mom had just about quit going there, and Dad had joked that Mom would sell it before he was buried if he died before she did.

Watching them go through their thngs and deciding what to keep and what to discard was painful. They had 4 decades years of their lives invested in the place, and they were having trouble deciding what to keep and what to discard. Mom told Carolyn that she was having trouble seperating herself from some of the objects and dad was very subdued as he began to make those hard choices. My brother Tom had already hauled some things off, so their final days at their retreat in Salem were beginning.

It hit me that they were ending a part of their lives that had been part and parcel of their happiness as a couple and that things would never be the same again. Part of their independence was gone and would never return. Still, these remarable people, my parents, did as they has always done. They worked through the process and were able to make hard choices together. More and more, I am grateful that I am their son. I can only hope that, when the time comes, I can be as at peace as they are in the face of such a loss.