Greenville partner John Campbell delivered the following keynote address at the Mayor's MLK Breakfast in Anderson, S.C. in January 2011

PRAYER

As we honor one of this Nation's greatest leaders and recognize and celebrate the lives of others who cleared a path for freedom to follow, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of our collective hearts be acceptable in thy sight, our Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

INTRODUCTION

In the year 2000, an article appeared in The State Newspaper naming the fifty (50) best high school basketball teams in South Carolina history.  One of my law partners in Columbia sent me a copy with a note attached:  "Where is your Anderson team?" 

After a few days, I called the sportswriter (who was a contemporary of Dan Foster, Johnny Martin and Willy Binette).  He took my call and I introduced myself.  But before I could say anything, he interrupted by saying, "I knew someone from that team would call me.  I know your team well.  I saw you play many times."  He then rattled off about ten (10) of the more than twenty-five (25) state records the Hanna team held at the time.  "With only two (2) news services ranking teams in the nation at the time, you were ranked in both.  Certainly your team was dominant at the time, but I had no way of comparing an all-white team to today's teams and so I started with desegregation."  So the earliest team ranked in the top fifty (50) was Clyde Mayes' Wade Hampton team. 

After the phone call, I sat at my desk in deep thought.  I realized he was right.  Actually, there were two (2) teams in Anderson that won state championships in 1967, the all-white Hanna Yellow Jackets coached by Gilly Simmons and the all-black Westside Rams coached by William Roberts.  Hanna had also won the state championship in 1966 and Westside got to the finals.  These were the last years before forced desegregation. 

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