Hall of Fame

I am so upset that I forgot my camera last weekend when I traveled back to Manning. My grandfather was inducted, along with 10 other men, into the inaugural class of the Clarendon County Hall of Fame. You may have read the article I posted a couple of months ago about his time at Clemson and this honor that the town of Manning decided to grant him.

We went to Manning this weekend for the banquet. My grandfather has lung cancer and his health is truly failing. It has been very sad to watch, mostly because this illness has confined him to the bedroom and he has always been such a go-getter. Even though I know he was feeling awful, he managed to get dressed and ready and made it to the banquet. He is extremely short of breath, but was still able to speak and thank the Lord and his family for all they have done to help him on his path to date. It was inspiring to watch.

I was reading some articles about this weekend that were featured in my home paper online. I found this excerpt about Daddy Scott and I thought I would share it....

The Clarendon County Athletic Hall of Fame now officially has its inaugural class of inductees.

The first class was inducted Saturday evening at a banquet held at Manning Junior High School.

More than 650 people from all around the country saw 11 men of different sports and backgrounds accept their place into the Hall of Fame.

 “I don’t think it could have been any better,” said HOF board member Bill Brewer. “We had a great crowd of people. Everybody was very interested in listening to what people had to say. Those guys weren’t just great athletes or great coaches, they were good people.”

A dear friend, family member or teammate introduced each inductee.

They talked about their inductee and often embarrassed them or told secrets but in the end, it was all part of an ever-lasting honor.

The athletes, one-by-one, talked about their careers.

Some speeches brought tears while others brought cheers and laughter.

“All the inductees and their presenters did a great job,” Brewer said. “It went over about as good as it could go. I felt it would be a night like that.”

Every single member put God and their family first.

They spoke of how they had to sometimes depend on faith and family support to drive them to the end.

“What was the most impressive thing about all of them was none of them talked about ‘I’.” Brewer said. “It was about everybody else that helped them. They knew whatever they earned or obtained, they got it from the man above and people around them.”

The first inductee was Scott Jackson. Jackson’s health is failing; however, his fighting spirit and attitude allowed him to be present with his fellow inductees.

Jackson talked about how his family allowed him to leave the small town of Manning and succeed with all the other big boys and urged today’s youth to keep fighting for what they want in life.

“You play from your heart and not from your feet,” he said. “You can have it one way or the other. With the Lord beside you, you can make it. Young people, stay straight and don’t get on the wrong path. Find people who care about you. Do what you need to do the way it needs to be done.”

Brewer said Jackson’s performance was heartfelt and touching.

Not feeling well and still finding a way to come out and accept his award, he said, was very commendable.

“I was proud of Scott Jackson,” said Brewer. “You could see how tough it was for him to speak when he wasn’t feeling well. He kept coming back and that’s the type of fellow he is. For him to speak and get his message across, that’s as good as it gets.”

I was just really proud of my granddad and proud of the man he is. I really did enjoy the Hall of Fame because it truly was all about putting God first and what He can accomplish. Thanks for bearing with me as I brag on my granddad!!