GoUpstate.com This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.


Back
Article published Jul 1, 2003
Residents still lining up to pay respects to Strom

Gary Henderson
Staff Writer

COLUMBIA -- In work clothes, T-shirts and tailored suits, people came to the South Carolina Statehouse Monday to bid farewell to Strom Thurmond.
People who walked up the stairs to the large hall between the House and the Senate chambers spoke in whispers when they entered the area where Thurmond's flag-draped casket rested.
Thurmond, 100, died Thursday at the hospital in his hometown of Edgefield. His body will lie in state at the Capitol again from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. today
A caisson bearing Thurmond's body will leave the Statehouse at noon for funeral services at First Baptist Church a few blocks away. The 1 p.m. service is open to the public.
After the service, state troopers will lead the senator's funeral procession from Columbia to Edgefield. Thurmond will be buried in his family plot at Willowbrook Cemetery.
The services in Columbia will be televised statewide on South Carolina Educational Television. NewsChannel 7 also will have live coverage of the services.
Unlike Sunday, when at least 1,000 people waited for clearance by security officers to enter the Capitol, the line was shorter Monday. The largest crowd gathered when state offices and downtown businesses broke for lunch.
Ira Edens, 75 and his wife, Jane, 69, of Columbia, stopped on their walk to the Capitol entrance to speak of their friendship with Thurmond.
A well-worn "Thurmond" political button was pinned to Edens' right lapel.
"I've worn this for 54 years," Edens said. "I've worked on every campaign, including his 1948 race. We've lost the greatest statesman of the 20th century."
Edens said the 1948 presidential campaign was more about states' rights than it was segregation. He said Thurmond reflected the opinion that prevailed in South Carolina at the time.
"As time went along, Strom changed," Edens added.
Mrs. Edens, a retired nurse, said she and her husband got to know Thurmond in 1954 when his late wife, Jean, was critically ill in Baptist Hospital.
"He called me many times though the years," Mrs. Edens said.
Many of the people who passed by Thurmond's funeral bier went directly outside to the statue of the late lawmaker that stands on the south side of the historic building.
Since last week, flower bouquets have been placed at the base of the statue. A fresh spray of white chrysanthemums with a Confederate flag and the inscription Sons of Confederate Veterans stood to one side of the marble edifice.
Chris Bostic, 42, a black man from Columbia, paused to read the etchings on the statue before he left.
Bostic, who is retired from the military, agreed that Thurmond changed after the 1948 presidential campaign and that he had done many good things since then.
"I never supported him (in an election), but he was a senator from South Carolina," Bostic said. "I know he did some things wrong, but I think he changed. I was in the military, and I know he helped keep Fort Jackson here when the (Army) wanted to close it. Columbia's economy depends on that base."
While the political opinions of the mourners may have differed, there was mutual respect for Thurmond's longevity in public service.
Pat Dowdee, 38, of Lexington rearranged his vacation plans so he could be at the Capitol Monday to pay his respects to the senator who had the longest record of service in the history of the U.S. Senate. Dowdee said he wanted his children, Scott, 17, and Jenna, 15, who live in Fort Mead, Md., to witness the events in Columbia.
"This is part of history," Dowdee said. "This is my way of saying thank you for all you've done for the people of South Carolina."
Scott said he knew about Thurmond through his history class and the stories he'd seen on television news broadcasts.
Dowdee's wife, Elizabeth, 32, agreed with her husband that Thurmond left an indelible mark on the state and nation's history.
"This is the passing of a legend," Mrs. Dowdee said.
Gary Henderson can be reached at 562-7230 or gary.henderson@shj.com.