A volunteer sticks up for candidate Clark

There isn't much glory to be gained from standing around and handing stickers to grown folks, but Earl Wilcox was happy to do it all the same.

Wilcox, a 70-year-old retired Winthrop English professor, was one of several York County residents who volunteered to work for the Wesley Clark campaign during a stop in Rock Hill Thursday.

Clark was attending a 1 p.m. Rally for Jobs coordinated by the Rock Hill branch of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. The event was held at the union's office on Mount Gallant Road. The other presidential candidates didn't attend, but their volunteers were there competing to sway about 250 people who turned out at the event.

With red, white and blue stickers and brochures in hand, Wilcox took on his task with enthusiasm. His first move was to pump up the crowd.

"Anybody but Bush!" he yelled.

"Woo hoo!" someone responded.

Wilcox spotted a young man approaching, and his eyes narrowed. He focused. Then he darted toward the man, blocking his path into the building.

"Sir, uh sir, can I give you a sticker?" Wilcox asked.

"I'm a reporter," the man said flatly.

"Oh, OK, well as long as you don't take a sticker from him, that's OK," Wilcox said, eyeing a Howard Dean volunteer.

Wilcox and his wife, Bettye, have been regular volunteers for several Democratic campaigns, including those of U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-York, and former Gov. Jim Hodges. Wilcox said he decided to volunteer for Thursday's event because he agrees with Clark's ideas and thinks he'd make a good president.

Wilcox looked for anyone who wasn't already wearing a Clark sticker. When a woman and her daughter approached, Wilcox rushed toward them.

"Heyyy, sticker!" Wilcox cheered, pressing the circle onto the woman's shirt.

"We're still undecided," she muttered.

"What are you still undecided about?" Wilcox asked, before launching into a spiel of support for his candidate. The woman smiled, nodded, and went inside.

Over the next hour, Wilcox swooned over anybody he could -- he kissed a baby, pressed a sticker on a golden Lab's furry head and even sneaked a Clark sticker onto a John Edwards supporter's sign while he wasn't looking.

Minutes before the event began, Wilcox caught the attention of a "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" reporter, who interviewed Wilcox about his views.

With the interview over and his volunteer duties officially complete, Wilcox prepared to go inside to hear Clark speak. He looked around and reflected on his efforts proudly.

"That was OK."