When I don't allow myself to get in a hurry while traveling, I like getting off the interstates to enjoy rural and small-town scenery. The recent passing of an older cousin in South Carolina, at age 87, had me doing just that en route to her funeral.
Too many small communities have faded as their state's and the nation's economies have passed them by. The best and the brightest — and even the "pretty good" — of their high school and college graduates move on.
About an hour-and-a-half southwest of Charlotte, it would be easy to describe Whitmire, South Carolina, that way. A Newberry County town, Whitmire never boasted more than 3,300 residents, although textiles provided decent incomes throughout the 20th century. Their last mill closed in 2010. Richmond Countians can sympathize.
Whitmire contributed a couple of sports notables several decades ago. After some great years as a Clemson Tiger, southpaw Billy O'Dell had a fine 13-year career for four major league baseball teams beginning in 1954. He was selected as MVP of the 1958 All Star game, pitching the final nine consecutive outs.
O'Dell won an impressive 19 games for the 1962 San Francisco Giants on their way to a World Series match against the Yankees. In three games against the eventual champs, O'Dell hurled 12 innings, starting and losing game one, and saving game four in relief. After baseball, he worked and retired in his home community.
After starring at Whitmire High and at South Carolina State, defensive back Donnie Shell played 13 seasons for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. He was named to five Pro Bowls, and played on four Super Bowl champions in the 1970s and in 1980. Shell retired not far from Whitmire, and has been in the pro football Hall of Fame since 2020.
My cousin, Phyllis Rankin Raines, was ingrained in the fabric of Whitmire and South Carolina sports; although, as a daughter of college grads on both sides of the border, her rooting loyalties ran both north and south. Her husband, the late Irby Raines Jr., was a legendary coach of multiple high school sports, leading the basketball Wolverines to numerous championships, including state titles in 1970 and 1980.
Brother-in-law Eddie Raines is a member of the S.C. Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, excelling over several seasons at Winnsboro High. Brother-in-law June Raines is the winningest baseball coach in South Carolina Gamecocks history, including a spate of College World Series appearances. Phyllis raised no shortage of funds for local athletics in her efforts with Whitmire booster clubs.
Funerals have long ago turned into family reunions in most regions — especially in the South, I would venture. Phyllis led a full life, so it was an occasion for reminiscing, and even laughter, in a full church as I caught up with kin I had not seen in many years, and a younger crop of them I had never met.
A stroll through a cemetery is much like thumbing through a family or community album, and my brief walk in Whitmire's town cemetery on this sunny afternoon did not disappoint as I gleaned a few family and local tidbits.
The occasion also served as a reminder not to take our churches for granted — especially in small communities. Evidenced by the service and the family meal hosted by caring members of Whitmire's United Methodist Church, Phyllis valued her church and faith life. Closer in age to my own mom, and separated by many miles, this fitting tribute helped me to know this cousin a little better.
