The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 31

The A State COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA METRO Classifier TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2002 SECTION Talk About Town NEIL WHITE Ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple When the USC men's basketball team takes the Madison Square Garden floor tonight against Syracuse in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals, it'll be playing for something far more important than a tourney title. The Gamecocks, once and for all, will get the opportunity to settle an old score for the city of Columbia that dates back to 1988. No, that wasn't the last time USC played in the NIT. That was the year Patton Adams, then the Columbia mayor, went head-tohead with Ed Koch, then New York City's mayor, over the origin of the famed Big Apple nickname. The argument started with a question to Dear Abby about the nickname.

She didn't have a satisfactory answer. Neither did Koch. But Adams was certain he did. And he began a media campaign, one that lasted nearly five months, explaining the Big Apple was a popular dance among black teens at a club of the same name at Hampton and Park streets during the 1930s. The dance, a forerunner of the shag, made its way to New York, where it took the big city by storm and ultimately gave the place its renowned moniker.

"Koch, however, along with millions of fellow New Yorkers, wasn't buying it. They believed there was no way their beloved nickname could have come from a sleepy Southern burg. But Adams was persistent. His story, which included all kinds of documentation, including a Life magazine article, found its way onto radio, television and newspapers up there, even in the pages of the esteemed New York Times. "It was my intention to bring some attention here.

We accomplished that. It really generated lots of free publicity for Columbia," said Adams, who recounted the epic struggle with great fondness Monday. "We had good fun with it. Mayor Koch took it in the way it was intended. We talked at one point, and I invited him to Columbia.

He said he'd like to visit, but he was real noncommittal." No real surprise there. Koch probably thought the only way to get here was by covered wagon. two even made a bet Adams put up some mustardbased barbecue, and Koch put up a New York pizza but payment never was made because the dispute was never really resolved. New Yorkers found a magazine article written by Walter Winchell during the 1920s that referenced the Big Apple term, which they said proved Columbia couldn't have been the origination point a decade after that. To this day, Adams, who's now a veep with the S.C.

Hospital Association, dismisses their side's explanation as way too sketchy. "I'm very comfortable with our theory that the nickname derived from the dance, and the dance began here," he said. "The nickname took off when the dance became popular there. I'll always believe that. They have their own theories, but we know the real story." Of course, a pair of wins by the Gamecocks might help our case.

And if New Yorkers still aren't willing to accept it, Adams has the perfect solution: We can just call USC's new basketball arena Madison Square Garden. And say we thought of it first. Call Talk at (803) 771-8643 or e-mail Condon questions Po Powerball Attorney general says lottery can't conduct multistate games, but S.C. will pursue idea anyway By AARON SHEININ Staff Writer An opinion from Attorney General Charlie Condon won't stop South Carolina from pursuing Powerball or other big -jackpot, multistate lottery games, the lottery commission chairman said Monday. John C.B.

Smith Jr. said Condon is misrepresenting the intent of the constitutional amendment that allowed the lottery, approved by voters in 2000. Condon's nonbinding opinion, issued Monday, argues that the amendment says a lottery may be conducted "only by the state." Multistate games are run by an out-ofstate conglomerate, he said. "There is a strong likelihood that the courts would conclude that the General Assembly does not have the constitutional authority to authorize multistate lottery games," Condon said. The General Assembly adopted legislation last year that created the games, which launched Jan.

7 with instant tickets. Pick 3 began earlier this month. But the legislation adopted last year said lawmakers must specifically approve multistate games. The House of Representatives voted this month to allow the games, but the Senate must still agree. The lottery is expected to raise $127 million a year.

Official estimates are that multistate games would bring $23 million more. The House and Senate have adopted TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED separate plans to spend $150 million, including the potential windfall from a Powerball-type game. All lottery proceeds must be used for education. Rep. Dwight Loftis, R-Greenville, was one of five Republican House members who asked for the opinion.

The House should reconsider its position allowing multistate games, he said. "I'll obviously be talking about it to the other representatives" when the House reconvenes today, he said. Condon's opinion says another constitutional amendment is PHOTOGRAPHS BY C. ALUKA TO THE STATE Hammond School's natural historian Tom Mancke tells third-graders a story in his log-cabin classroom. He's a 'Pied Piper' for nature child called out as Mancke maniacally spun a vertical stick back and forth atop a horizontal one using the cow's rib bow.

"I'm not a teacher," Mancke said later. "I'm an instructor." He's also an award winner. Earlier in the day, Mancke's colleagues surprised him with an impromptu assembly, where students and faculty gathered in the gym to see him receive the Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award. The Garden Club of America hands out the national honor "to recognize an individual, who, through working with children under 16. in horticulture and the environment, has inspired their appreciation of beauty and the fragility of the planet." He, along with two others, received a $1,000 stipend as this year's winners.

Katherine Hopkins, a Hammond librarian, whose four children studied under Mancke, said "he has a way of dragging you into SEE MANCKE PAGE B4 needed to allow multistate games. A similar situation exists in Ohio, where church-based lottery opponents have sued to prevent the lottery from joining Powerball. Ohio law says the General Assembly must appoint "a state agency" to conduct the lottery. Even if that suit fails, Condon said, his opinion would be valid. "Our language is stronger than Ohio's," Condon said.

If the Legislature allows multistate games, and if the lottery commission pursues it, Condon said he SEE LOTTERY PAGE B7 S.C. State searches for interim president By JEFF STENSLAND Staff Writer Hammond School's natural historian wins hearts, minds of students and a national award By BILL ROBINSON Staff Writer Tom Mancke is natural historian-in-residence and self-described "primitive technologist" at Hammond School in Columbia. He follows no lesson plans, conducts no formal classes and gives no tests. He makes it up as he goes along. "I let the spirit move me," Mancke, 52, said.

And that's OK with Hammond's administration. The spirit moved Manke on Monday to show 15 third-graders in Jennifer Hall's class how to build a fire with cattail seeds, pine straw, yucca wood, a piece of hollowed-out deer antler and a cow Mancke smudges the forehead of third-grader Elaine Epting with ashes during a fire-starting demonstration. rib strung with a loose string. "There's nothing more exciting than to see fire come out of an old, dumb stick," he said. The children sat raptly and Hodges appointee joins attorney general's race Former Probation, Parole and Pardon chief would be first black in position By RICK BRUNDRETT Staff Writer Steve Benjamin says if elected state attorney general, he won't use the job as a "political springboard" a campaign shot at Charlie Condon, the current attorney general and a gubernatorial candidate.

"I want to be our state's top law enforcement officer, not its top politician," Benjamin said Monday in formally announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for attorney general. If elected, Benjamin, 32, of Columbia, would be the state's first black attorney general and the youngest person to hold the office in at least 40 years, observers say. He resigned last August from his job as director of the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services to focus on his election campaign. Though he didn't mention Condon's name Monday, Benjamin contrasted himself to the Republican incumbent, suggesting the attorney general's office has been LIVING HERE B2 BRIEFS B3 South Carolina State University began the process of looking for an 1 interim president Monday. Chances that a permanent replacement for current president Leroy Davis would be found before he retires in June are almost nil, said William Clinkscales, chairman of the school's Board of Trustees.

"These searches take months," Clinkscales said. "But at a maximum, it shouldn't go beyond September 30th." Davis announced his retirement in January amid a swirl of rumors that he was about to be ousted by the board, but the board only appointed a presidential search committee at its meeting Monday. A separate committee also was charged with identifying four candidates for interim president, one of whom could be Davis. Some trustees expressed frustration that the search for a permanent replacement isn't further along. "I'm extremely disappointed," said trustee Arnold Collins.

"For the last month or so we've been mostly wasting our time." Hopes that a replacement would be found by June were dashed when the university's vice president for finance and management told the board it could take months for the State Budget and Control Board to approve the use of public money to hire a private search The board, which had intended to use a private firm, now will ask the human resource division of the Budget and Control Board to help find a president. The Budget and Control Board recruits agency heads and other top executives for state government jobs, said agency spokesman Mike Sponhour. Trustee Leroy Mosely said while private search firms often have extensive lists of people looking for top university jobs, he believes the Budget and Control Board can find them a good candidate. "We've had private search firms SEE S.C. STATE PAGE B4 cross-legged in a semicircle as an aromatic puff of white smoke rose from a notched stick nestled in the cottony cattail seeds.

"Everybody think fire," one Steve Benjamin "used more as a political springboard than as the foundation for law enforcement and sound legal policy in our state." "The job is about more than hosting press conferences," Benjamin said. "It's about building a SEE BENJAMIN PAGE B7 OBITUARIES B6 More charges added in body- case Shop's owner, on Metts $75,000 said. bond, Sheriff James employee now Edwards owns Easy Piercing, charged with child his Tanning employee. and Each Tobacco; was McGee is charged sexual exploitation with three counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. By KIMATHI LEWIS hundreds of Metts said investigators found Staff Writer pornographic pictures showing children in the nude and Lexington County investigators performing sex acts with adults on added child sexual exploitation to a computer at the business.

charges filed against two men, tem- Deputies are still investigating porarily putting their Augusta Road whether any of the children were body- piercing parlor out of business. Easy Piercing customers. Darrin Eugene Edwards, 36, "We've made a major dent into 205 Fields Lane, and Darren Mar- the illegal body piercing of minors tin McGee, 37, 1171 Danwood were each released Sunday SEE PIERCING PAGE B4 WWW.THESTATE.COM.