The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-26

PRl0E A. ]. TlI.AlAC|:lK SfOla {. 7.
sUrERrNTENDHsT OF THE OR
SGHBuRa olTY SCHOOL.
Trlbute Paid Disting guished Educa;:
.S tor By air. ". 3. Thompson i IN
8 south School News.
The following deserved tribute to
Prof. hackston, the efficient
I superintendent Of the orangehurg
city schools, from the pen OF :ll7' M1:.
I'm. B. Thompson, Of this city, ap-
4 3speared In the current number Of the
Southern School News published in
Columfia 3ss:s;{s y; &
5 The subject of this sketcn was
born about the year 1870, In 1,aurens
4 s,sd county, South Carolina. He is OF
1 Scotch Irish ancestry, his father and
III mother both being descendants OF
this sturdy and patriotic people. His
III iather was E. R. Thackston; his
IL mother. before marriage, Miss Anna
Brown. SIS. - 5
Good schools were not SO numer-:
& Gus thirty years ago as they are now,
L but the father Or young Thackston
was determined that his children
should attend the best schools with
in his reach. With this object In
View he removed his family in 1881
to Reidville, spartanburg county,
and placed his children In the we'll
known Reidville High School, under
the! direction Of Rev. B.;P. Reid. Mir.
Reid was at that time q most sue
s cessful teacher and moulder Of char
/ acter. Few young men remained In
4 his school any length Of time without
showing in after life the results OF
Il the moral training received from
: him.
From Reidville Mr. 3Thackston en-
tered thurman University, Greenville,
s S. C. lin 1890. His summer vacations
were spent in teaching in the public
4 schools Of the State. He was grad
s uated from Furman in 1893, and a
8 short time afterward he was elected
principal of the public school at
Springfield, in Orangeburg county.
S Here he manifested great zeal In
4 the interest of the local school. He
nut his whole heart into the work
and splendid results followed. A
special tax was leied by the taxpay-5
I ers FOR school purposes; the school
8 term was heightened, and q system
! OF graded schools organized.
In 1895 he married Miss Lillian
Phillips of Springfield. From this
!, union their home has been blessed
{ with two bright boys. Il 5.: ~ .ss5
Mr.. Thackston remained at Spring
field until Ss6, when he was elected
{ to the position of Instructor in Latin
and Greek at the Orangeburg Collegi-
ate Institute, Orangeburg, S. G. His
5 strong personality and his ability as
4 an Instructor at once attracted the.
y attention Of the board OF trustees
E Of the public schools of Orangeburs,
and the following year they elected.
4 him superintendent of these schools.
This position he has held to the
& present time and continues to hold to
Z the satisfaction of the board Of trus-
tees and the patrons of the schools.
During the time that Mt. Thacks-
! ton has been at the head Of the Or
angeburg schools he has seen the
| enrolment increase to such an ex-
tent that number of additional
\ teachers had to be employed, and 1t
& became necessary to erect a new
school building. This building was
provided promptly by the taxpayers
) of the district. Mr.. Thackston IS re-
spected and loved by his pupils. He
! is a firm but just disciplinarian. He.
has great sympathy for a pupil nat
urally dull, and to all such he ex-.
tends encouragement and helping
hand, but the boy who IS persistently
4 idle or. vicious finds in his presence
2 but little comfort. Mr.. Thackston
Is much pleased, and we think prop
erly so, by the high stand taken by
his pupils at Clemson, Winthrop, and
all other colleges which they attend.
:He is now in the prime of life,
capable of doing a large amount OF
work, both physical mad mental, and,
Notwithstanding the eXacting dutiAs
demanded OF him by his school, he
finds time to be of service to the
community in social and business
way. He belongs to several fraternal
orders, and is now serving Shibbo
leth lodge, A. F. M, the second year
as master. He is a member of Eu-
reka chapter, R. A. NJ, Of this city,
and in recognition Of his services to
the chapter was recently elected to
the Office Of scribe. He Is also active
in business, being director in the
Peoples bank, one of the leading
financial institutions of this city. He
was, in 1903, an active member Of